2o6 A NATURAL HISTORY 



are impure Spirits, and Authors of all the Evils committed on 

 Earth *. 



Many of the Antients have allotted to every Man an Evil 

 Angel, who is continually laying Snares for him, and inclining 

 him to Evil, as his Good Angel does to what is Good. The 

 yewi have flill the fame Sentiments at this day. Another Father 

 thinks, that every Vice has its Evil Angel, prefiding over it ; as 

 the Demon of Avarice, the Demon of Pride, of Uncleannefs •\. .. , 



In Paga7i theology, nothing more common than thofe good 

 and evil Genii, and the fame fuperftitious Notion got among the 

 IJ'raelites, by Commerce with the Chaldeans ; but I don't appre- 

 hend that by Demon, they meant the Devil, or a vi^icked Spirit, 

 tho' it be taken under that Idea by the Evangelifts, and alfo fome 

 modern yews^. 



W E are not without fome Remains of thofe antient Reprefen- 

 tati(Dns : Among the various Rarities in the Miifieum at Leyde/i in 

 Holland, is the Effigies in Sculpture oi Ofiris, the Egyptian God i 

 'tis made of Wood, and now almoft confum'd with Age : There 

 are three other Egyptian Idols of Stone ; an Image of Ifis (who 

 married Ofiris, King of the Country) giving fuck to her Orr. 

 Another Effigies of IJis, the Egyptian Goddefs, upon a httle Egyp- 

 tia?i Coffer, containing the Heart of an Egyptian Prince embalm'd 

 therein. 



The antient Pagans, had almofl as n\a.ny Goddejfes as Gods^ 

 fuch were yuno, the Goddefs of Air, &c. Queen of Heaven, and 

 of the Gods ; was reprefented fitting on a Throne with a Crown 

 of Gold on her Head ; This was the Patronefs of the female Sex. 

 Every Woman had her yti?20, or Guardian ; as every Man had 

 his Genius. She was the Goddefs of Marriages, which were not 

 deem'd lawful without the Parties firft addrefl her. One Branch 

 of her Office was to attend them in Labor, when they pray'd. 

 Help, yum Lucina [|. 



She was ador'd by all Nations ; her Temple was open on the 

 Top and had no Doors, it being impious to think of confining 

 the Gods to a narrow Inclofure. Yea, many of the- Antients 

 would ered: no devotional Temples, from a Perfualion that the 



whole 



* Laffavtius, lib. ii. cap. 14. LtigJ. Eat. 1652. 

 + Or/gen. Homil. xv. in JoHi. Calmet. ibid. 

 J Cychpiedia. \\ Juno L-tcina fsr ofem. 



