UNIVERSAL ERUDITION-. 



IV. (i.) Paganifm. We have already given 

 an arnple defcription of this religion in the fe- 

 cond chapter, on mythology ^ and we fhail only 

 add here, that paganifm in general has at all 

 times had various feds, and that even when it 

 pofTefted almoft the whole earth, each people 

 had their different gods, idols, and religious wor- 

 fhip , at lead with regard to exterior matters. 

 The pagan religion of the Egyptians, for ex- 

 ample, was not the fame with that which was 

 protefied by the Greeks, and theirs differed 1 ike- 

 wife from that of the Romans, who multiplied 

 their demigods and temples to an endlefs num- 

 ber. It is a fingular circumftance, and well 

 worthy of remark, that, even in modern times, 

 whenever a nation or troop of mankind are dif- 

 covered in any part of the earth, they are always 

 found to be pagans. Whence comes it that 

 mankind have naturally fo univerfal a propenfity 

 to idolatry, and fo little to philofophy and the 

 principles of Chriftianity ? Whencefoever that be, 

 paganifm was deftroyed in the reign of Theodo- 

 fius the Great, at the clofe of the fourth century 

 of the Chriftian era , and the ruins of it which 

 are to be found in Afia, Africa, and America,- 

 are degenerated into an abfurd idolatry ; and 

 always attended by ferocity, ignorance, and bar- 

 barity. That large work, of " the religious ce- 

 " remonies and cuftoms of all nations, repre- 

 <c fented by figures defigned by Bernard Picart, 

 *' with a", h'ftoric explanation, :c." and efpe- 

 cially thole volumes which treat of the idolatrous- 



nations. 



