OF SERPENTS. 227 



Wh f. n JEneas Tacrificed to the Manes, (the departed Soul) 

 of his Father Aitchifes, he faw a Serpent come out of his 

 Grave, which he concluded to be either the Tutelar God of his 

 Father, or of that Place, which was counted a good Omen. 



VV E have an Account of fome Priefls in jifm that expofe to 



publick View a Serpent in a brazen Veffel, attended with a great 



Variety of Mufick, The Serpent appears in an ered: Pofture, 



opens its Mouth, and inftead of a forked Tongue, appears the 



/ Head of a beautiful Virgin *. 



NICHO LJ S de Lyra makes mention of fuch another idle 

 Conceit, viz. That the Serpent aflumed the Face of a beautiful 

 Maid, when it tempted Eve. N. B. In the German Bibles print- 

 ed before Luther, among other Figures may be feen that of a Ser- 

 pent with the Face of a very handfome Maid. 



I N fhort, fo great was the Devotion paid to Serpents, that 

 Perfons and Things were denominated from them : Yea, fome 

 would be thought to proceed from Serpents, as the higheft De- 

 gree of Honour. Cadmus's Companion was called a Serpent^ fo 

 the Giant in Homer, and a certain Prophet in Paufanias. 



I N the Primitive Church were an heretical Sed:, called Ophites, 

 that is Serpents. In Cyprus^znd about tht HelJeJpont, were a certain 

 People that went by the Name Serpent. So a Soothfayer in Mef. 

 fenia, &c. But thefe came fhort oi Alexander the Great ^ and 

 Scipio Africanus, who were faid to be born of Serpents, which they 

 look'd upon to be the brightejl Infignia in their Ej'cutcheoii ; but 

 more of this Serpentine Bride in the next Chapter. 



In fuch wonderful Efteem were Serpents among them, that 

 all manner of Creatures were called by their Name, as Stars, 

 Animals, Plants, Trees, Herbs, Rivers, Stones, Iflands,^ Proverbs. 

 .... Nothing was accounted Divine and Grand, unlefs graced 

 by a Serpent -j-. From this Divinity afcrib'd to Serpents, Bhe- 

 recides took occafion to make a Differtation concerning the Deity 

 called Ophion, from 0(p>*r a Serpent %. 



* Ihil. Melaiichton. f Conradus Gefner. :j: Eufeb. Prasparat. Evan»'. 



G g 2 e H A Po 



