196 A NATURAL HISTORY 



art extraordinary Virtue to cure Diftempers, ^c. Some impute 

 their Effedts to the old Serpent, others to the Nature of the Me- 

 tal, and to the Influence of the Conftellation. This Author 

 therefore would make us believe, that the brazen Serpent cured 

 juft as the Talifmcms cure certain Difttmpers, by the Symp:.thy 

 there is between the Metals of which they are made, or the In- 

 fluence of the Stars under which they are formed, and the Dif- 

 eafe they are to cure. Every one may believe as he pleafes *. 



The Serpent that is always reprefented with Efculapitiss I- 

 mage, and with Salus, the Goddefs of Health, and often with 

 the Egyptian Deities, is a Symbol of Health, or of Healing, very 

 probably derives thofe Enfigns of Honour from the brazen Ser- 

 pent oi Mofes. 



8 E C T. V. 



WHAT became of the brazen Serpent at laji ? 



I Answer, it was brought into the Latid of Canaan as a fa- 

 cred Relick, and religioufly preferyed among the Ifraelites down 

 to the Time of Hezekiah the King, as a ftanding Memorial of 

 divine Goodnefs to their Forefathers in^the Wildernefsj but being 

 abufed by them to Superflition and Idolatry, as appears by their 

 burning Incenfe thereto, it w^s broke in pieces by the fpecial 

 Command of King Hezekiah, who, in Derifion and Contempt, 

 called it Mehufitan, a Piece of Brafs, a Trifle, a Bauble, Shadow 

 of a Snake. 2 Kitjgs xviii. 4. 



May all the Ecclefiaftical MehuJJjtam of Babylon, foifled into 

 Divine Worflhip, from theRifing of the Sun, to the Going-down 

 of the fame, meet with the fame honeft: and righteous Face. In 

 the Church of St. Ambrofe at Milan, they pretend to keep a 

 brazen Serpent y which they ihew for that of Mofes, tho' there be 

 no fuch thing now in being. 



I N the Church of St. Ambrofe there is a Dragon of Brafs on a 

 Column of Marble : Some think it to be that of Efculapius, 

 others an Emblem of that in the Wildernefs, upon which account 

 many of the Pilgrims and common People worfliip it. The In- 

 habitants are very fuperftitious, and fond of holy Fragments, and 

 pretend to have at the Church of St. Alexander, no lefs than 

 144,000 Martyrs from the Catacombs of St. Sebajiian. 



Th e 



* N«yjba;/t CanoTt. Chronic , quoted by Calmet, 



