i84 A NATURAL HISTORY 



mated them with Fire, which he flole from Heaven. 'Jupiter, 

 the Chief of the Pagan Gods, enraged at this, commands Vul- 

 can to make a Woman out of Clay, upon whom all the Gods, 

 out of their high Regard * to the Fair Sex, beftow'd fome 

 of their Perfedlions. Venm gave her Beauty j Pallas, Wifdom ; 

 Mercury^ Eloquence ; Apollo, Mufick ; andywn^ gave her Riches; 

 / therefore called Pandora, who was fent by the Gods in revenge to 

 Prometheus, with a Box full of Evils as a Prefent from them, but he 

 was too cautious to receive it; upon which fhe was to prefent it to 

 his Brother Epimethcus, (fuppofed by fome to be her Hufband) 

 which he had no fooner open'd, but immediately there flew out 

 all ki?7ds of Evil, that foon fcatter'd themfelves over all the Earth j 

 and at the bottom of the Box, nothing was left but poor Hope. 



Hope, of all Ills that Men endure, 

 The only cheap and univerfal Cure. 



Hope, 

 Thou pleafant, honefl Flatterer ; for none 

 Flatter unhappy Men, but thou alone. . . . Cowl. 



The Mahometan Account of Maiis Fall, is equally abfurd, as 

 appears from il/i:z/'o;«^/' Rabadan, &c. thus:— God made the Crea- 

 tion . . . the earthly Mafs became an animate Body . , . and was called 

 Adam •■, God placed him in heavenly Paradife, and left he fhould 

 believe that he had no Superior, God gave him only one Command, 

 the Obfervation of which was very eafy. He forbid him, upon 

 pain of Death, to eat of the Fruit of a certain Tree. Adam wanted 

 a Mate ; therefore God made him fall into a profound Sleep, and 

 took out of his left Side a Rib, of which he formed a very beau- 

 tiful Woman, whom he called Eve, . . . and order'd Gabriel to go 

 into Paradife, and to celebrate the Wedding of Adam and Eve, 

 being attended with a great many other Angels. 



LUCIFER envying the Happinefs of Man, ufed his ut- 

 moft Endeavours to deprive him of it. Going one day by the 

 door of Paradife, he faid to the Angel who kept it. Give me leave 

 to go in, for I have a Matter of Moment to impart to the Servants 

 of thy Lord. The Angel having denied his Requeft, he defired 

 him to call the Serpent, who was then a very hne Creature. 



The 



* Travels of fever al Mifftor-iarics hito Indiaj p. 7. 



