OF SERPENTS. 



The firfl Men that were deified^ or made Gods, are fuppofed 

 to be the Heads of Families, Founders of Empires, and Bene- 

 fa(5lors of Provinces who, after their deceafe, were highly- 

 reverenced. Noah and his Sons feem to be the firfl and chief ani- 

 mated Deities of the Pagans, under the Names oi Saturn, Jupi- 

 ter, Neptune and Pluto ; hence Demons, another Name given to 

 Spirits, which were fuppofed to appear to Mortals, with intention 

 to do them Good or Hurt. 



The firfl Notion of Demons, 'tis faid, fprung from Chaldea, 

 thence it fpread among the Perjians, Egyptians .... Pythagoras 

 and naki were the firft that introduced Demons into Greece, 

 where Plato fell in with the Notion, which he explains thus, 

 'uiz. 



.... By Demons, he underflood Spirits inferior to Gods, and 

 yet fuperior to Men, which inhabiting the middle Region of the 

 Air, kept up the Communication between the Gods and Men, 

 carrying up the Prayers and Ofi^erings of Men to the Gods, and 

 bringing down the Will of the Gods to Men. He allow'd of 

 none but good ones, tho' his Difciples (finding themfelves unable 

 to account for. the Origin of Evil) adopted another kind of De- 

 mons, who were Enemies to Man *. 



The Apocryphal Book of Enoch abounds with the Names of 

 Angels and Devils; but that Book is not of any great Antiquity,, 

 tho' the Prophecy be : it does not appear to have been known by 

 the antient Jews. St. Jiide is the firft that cited it. The Autho- 

 rity which this fpurious Book of Enoch has received from fome 

 of the Antients, is the reafon of our meeting with feveral of its 

 Opinions, fcatter'd in their Writings. Ibid. 



LACTylNTIUS, oneof the mofl eloquent Authors of his time,, 

 (and therefore called the Chrijlian Cicero) was of Opinion there 

 were two forts of Demons, celeflial and terreflrial -f-: The. celefiial 

 are the fallen Angels, who having been feduced by the Prince of 

 Devils, engaged themfelves in impure Amours ; the terre/irial are 

 they who Sfued from the former, as Children from their Parents :. 

 Thefe laft, who are neithe/ Men nor Ang (s, but a Medium be- 

 tween the two Natures; were not ;.:ani^c'.i into Hell, T-ieither 

 ■were their Fathers admitted into Heaven : The terreltrial Angels 



are- 



* Gale's Court I'fth? nejitiks: .'■rtl. chap. viii. 



i Ch(.mier.s'sCjcIopad. Galmfs'tPjt. Diii,_ vol i. p. 434? 



205 



