220 A NATURAL HISTORY 



I N Epirus, fouth of Macedonia, is a certain place facred to 

 Apollo, and wall'd about, within which are kept facred Dragons', 

 fed likewife by a Virgin Prieftefs, uncloathed, which they believe 

 to be moft acceptable to their idol Gods * j called by Jiroenal, 

 one of their own Poets, nioenching Gods. 



The Eprroticks, who highly venerated Jpollo, honouf'd his 

 Temple with a co?jfecrated Dragon, which they worfhipp'd in fo- 

 lemn remembrance of his killing the Pythonic Serperd. It were 

 " well if the fame Spirit of Gratitude reign'd amongft Britons, to- 

 wards the Heroes that deliver'd their Country from the great Ec- 

 cleiiaftical Dragon, by the glorious Revolution. 



Near Lavinium was a Grove of ferpentine Gods, dedicated 

 to '^11710 of Argos, which was a City in Peloponnefus (famous for 

 the Shrine of JEj'cidapius) now the Morea, one of whofe Rivers is 

 called Styx ; or rather a Well, whofe Water is fo cold and vene- 

 mous, that it often kills fuch that drink thereof j and therefore 

 defign'd by the Poets, to be a River of Hell : 'Tis faid by fomc, 

 that Alexander was poifon'd with it. 



It's well known what Worfhip was paid to the Serpent at 

 Epidauriis, a P eleponnejian City, and the Manner how 'twas pre- 

 tended that Serpent was brought to Rome^ which is a-s follows, 

 viz. 



The Romans being forely diftreft by a Plague, they fent a 

 Galley with Ambaffadors to Epidaitriis, to bring the Serpent con- 

 fecrated to JEfciilapiiis to Rome, which of its own accord went 

 aboard the Galley, and which was landed in the Ifle of Tyber, 

 where divine Honours were paid to it; upon which the Plague 

 ceafed.- Take it as reprefented by the Hiftorian, who lays, 



....That the Plague raging terribly at Ro?ne, and in the 

 Vicinity, above three Years, did not abate, by any divine or hu- 

 man Remedy, tho' Men had tried both j therefore by the Coun- 

 fel of the Delphic Oracle, ten Ambafladors were fent to fetch 

 the Statue oi Mfculapius, that was ador'd in the Body of the great 

 Serpent ; hereupon, a very ftrange thing enfued, and manifeffly 

 true, both from many faithful Hiftorians, and building the 'Tem- 

 ple (dedicated to it) in the IJle ofTyber. 



When the Roman AmbaJJadors had delivered their Commands 

 to the Epidaiirlans, who brought them into the Temple of Mf- 



culapius 

 * iElian. lib. ii. cap. 2. mua yuH*^ TCiiemc. 



