178 



ANATURALHISTORY 



the Serpent's Inftrudions ; not knowing of any Impoftor, (he be- 

 lieved what the Tempter faid. Satan, by the Serpent, as a Bait 

 propofed Improvement in Knowledge. 



Thus the firfl Woman, Head of the human Race, fell a Sa- 

 crifice to her own Ambition, fell a Virgin, and in her Infant- 

 State. Icarus, by flying too near the Sun, his waxen Wings 

 melted, and he fell into the Sea, and was drowned. Juftly was 

 he puniflVd, for not obferving his Father's Will. May I add, in 

 favour of our Mother, that the Law forbidding that Fruit, was 

 not immediately publifh'd to Eve, but receiv'd at fecond-hand 

 from Adam; and that it can't be well fuppofed, that {lie knew 

 the various Capacities and Qualities of Brutes, as her Hutband 

 did. 



But, why does Mofes introduce a Serpent fpeaking, when 

 naturally it was a fpeechlefs Creature ? 



In anfwer to this, may we not obferve, that the Almighty, 

 who has no material T^ongue, yet is often introduced, fpeaking 

 with human Voice in the Scripture. The Egyptians made the Cro- 

 codile a Symbol of the Deity, giving this as a Reafon why they 

 worfliipped God fymbolically in that Creature, becaufe it refem- 

 bled God, in that it was the only Animal without a Tongue; 

 for the Divine aoj/o? ftands in no need of Speech ; he governs hu- 

 man Affairs without Words, and without Noife. 



Again, this Dialogue with the Serpent, a known Beaft, is 

 very agreeable to a Cuftom among the Oriental Writers, who en- 

 chafe their Hiflories with Ornaments taken from familiar Dif- 

 courfes between Beafts ; by which they convey moral Inftruftions 

 to their Readers: Thus, on a Subjed: of Craft, they made the 

 Fox to fpeak. 



With what View did the Devil tempt our firft Parents to 

 fm ? I anfwer, 'twas out of defpite to God ; i. e. with a deiign 

 to rob the Creator of the Glory he propofed to himfelf from the 

 Eredion of this new World: He could not attack the Almighty 

 on his Throne, therefore he ftrikes at the Footftool. Since he 

 could not reach the Perfon of the Almighty, he wreaks his Ma- 

 lice upon his Image, Man ; Man, whofe Happinefs, and that of 

 his Defcendants, he envy'd ; and whom, in particular he hated, 

 as his intended Succeffors to the vacant Seats in the blifsful Re- 



gions above. 



In 



