MYTHOLOGY. 3 j 



with many difficulties and uncertainties. Thouo-h 

 it appears demonftrative, that the origin of pa- 

 ganifm, and of idolatry in general, was derived 

 from the Chaldeans, from whom the Egyptians 

 drew that dodlrine which they after tranfmitted 

 to all other nations ; and consequently that the 

 primordial divinities were the fame, under dif- 

 ferent denominations, among all the idolatrous 

 nations of the earth. 



XVIII. The nature of this work will not 

 permit us to defcend to further particulars. But 

 to give our readers an idea of the manner in 

 which mythology treats its fubje&s, and of the 

 method that mould be obferved in fludying fable, 

 or the hiitory of the gods of antiquity, we fhall 

 here give y of example, a curfory defcrip- 



tion of P.irnafTus and its inhabitants. 



Parnaffus was a mountain of Phocis, that had 



two fiiTimits, one of which was called Tithoreus, 



and tl'ie other Hyampeus. Others fay, that one 



cfc hills was named Helicon, and the other 



Cytherjn, und that it is an error to imagine, that 



Helicon was a mountain of Bceotia. However 



that be, this double hill was confecrated to Apol- 



,J the mules, who there held their ufual 



nee. According to fable, there had been a 



remarkable combat on this hill, between Helicon 



ana Lyihcr hoever flept on Parnafius, 



when he waked, became a poet. Apollo had 



there 



