232 A NATURAL HISTORY 



Mother Olympian had confefl to his Father Philip, that Alexan- 

 der was not begot by him, but by a Serpent of vaft Bulk ; where- 

 upon Philip was divorced from his Wife Olympian, and Alexander 

 was ialuted Son o'i Hammon, and by Order of the Priefts, his Com- 

 panions were enjoin'd to worfliip him as a GW, and not as a 

 King. 



ALEXANDER,\Nhtn he hadconquer'dD^r/«^III. furnam'd 

 Codomanmis, and was poffeft of the Perfian Empire, writ to the 

 Grecians^ that they fliould decree him to be a God. Hereupon 

 feveral Decrees were made : The Lacedemonians exprefi: their 

 CompHance in this fliort Decree, "oiz.. Forafmuch as Alexander 

 ivould be a God, let him be a God. Thus with Laconick Brevity, 

 fafliionable among the Lacedemonians, they humour'd and repro- 

 ved the Pride of their King at once *. 



/^yfjR 2^0 was of Opinion, that all gallant and heroick Men 

 fhould believe themfelves, tho' falfly, to iffue from the Gods .... 

 that upon this Suppofition, they might attempt great things 

 with moreCourage, and profecute them with more Ardency ; and 

 tho' the Motive was but imaginary, yet might produce glorious 

 Effeills •\. When Varro writ this, 'tisprobable he had Alexander the 

 Great in his view. 



Such is their Opinion of their King in Chifia, that they think 

 he is defcended from the Race of fome Demi-God, and fo adore 

 him accordingly. They believe there is fome Divinity in his 

 Blood, in fo much that he never marries any but his next Rela- 

 tives, for fear of ftaining the Royal Blood X- 



Among the Antients, Serpents were Emblems of Power; 

 therefore Epaminondas, the brave Theban General, to encourage 

 his Army againft a powerful Enemy, bruifed the Head of a Serpent 

 before them as a Prognoftick of Victory. 



Thus King James I. tho' the Dupe of all Chri/lendom, fays a 

 certain Gentleman, yet was the grand Idol of the Court-Ciergv. 

 That Pedantry which would have brought a School-Boy under 

 the jufh Difcipline of the Rod, in him was reprefented by his pa- 

 rafitical Preferment-hunting Eccleflafticks, as divine Eloquence, 

 and the Inspiration of the Almightj^ . . . 



CHAP. 



• EieiS^ AA£Saj/S/io5 /SouAETai 0;5; ei\ixi jq-o ©£3,-. ^liani varix Hid. Iib.il. C',0. six. 

 -j- Ex Diis o;enito.'> — Aug. di Civitate Dei. cap. 4. 

 J HozuePs LoTjdhiofolis. p. 384. 



