224 ON T HE GODS OF GREECE, 



" that whoever obftinately adheres to any fet of opini- 

 " ons, may bring himfelf to believe that the frefheft fan- 

 " dal-wood is a flame of fire." This will effectually 

 prevent me from infilling, that fuch a God of Indiawas 

 the Jupiter of Greece ; fuch, the Apollo ; fuch, the 

 Mercury. In fa 61, fince all the caufes of polytheifm 

 contributed largely to the aflemblage of Grecian Divi- 

 nities, (though Bacon reduces them all to refined alle- 

 gories, and Newtontoa. poetical difguife of true hiftory,) 

 we find many Joves, many Apollos, many Mercuries, 

 with diftinft attributes and capacities : nor fhall I pre- 

 sume to fuggeft more, than that, in one capacity or 

 another, there exifts a finking fimilitude between the 

 chief objefts of worfhip in ancient Greece or Italy, 

 and in the very interefting country which we now in- 

 habit. 



The cotnparifon, which I proceed to lay before you, 

 muft needs be verv fuperficial ; partly from my fhort 

 refidence in Hindu/} an, and partly from my want of 

 complete lcifure for literary amufements; but princi- 

 pally becaufe I have no European book to refrefh my 

 memory of old fables, except the conceited, though not 

 unlearned, work of Pomey, entitled the Pantheon, and 

 that fo miferably tranilated, that it can hardly be read 

 with patience. A thoufand more ftrokes of relemblance 

 might, I am fure, be collected by any one who fhould 

 with that view perufe Hefwd, Hyginus, Cornutus, and 

 the other mythologifts ; or, which would be a fhorter 

 and a pleafanter way, fhould be fatisfied with the very 

 elegant Syntagmata of Lilius Giraldus. 



Difquifuions concerning the manners and conduct of 

 our fpecies in early times, or indeed at any time, are 

 always curious at lead, and amufing; but they are highly 

 interefting to fuch as can fay of themfelves with Chr ernes 

 in the play, " We are men, and take an intereft in 



"all 



