454 WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



renders the divine and over-ruling Providence and foresight the more 

 surprising; as by a certain steady law, it brings such a beautiful order 

 and regularity of things out of what seems extremely casual, void of 

 design, and, as it were, really blind. 



The last attribute of Cupid is archery, viz., a virtue or power 

 operating at a distance ; for everything that operates at a distance, 

 may seem, as it were, to dart, or shoot with arrows. And whoever 

 allows of atoms and vacuity, necessarily supposes that the virtue of 

 atoms operates at a distanced for without this operation no motion 

 could be excited, on account of the vacuum interposing, but all thing 1 ; 

 would remain sluggish and unmoved. 



As to the other Cupid, he is properly said to be the youngest sons 

 of the gods, as his power could not take place before the formation cf 

 species, or particular bodies. The description given us of him transfers 

 the allegory to morality, though he still retains some resemblance 

 with the ancient Cupid ; for as Venus universally excites U.e affection 

 of association, and the desire of procreation, her son Cupid applies 

 the affection to individuals ; so that the general disposition proceeds 

 from Venus, but the more close sympathy from Cupid. The former 

 depends upon a near approximation of causes, but the latter upon 

 deeper, more necessitating and uncontrollable principles, as if they 

 proceeded from the ancient Cupid, on whom all exquisite sympathies 

 depend. 



IX. THE FABLE OF DEUCALION. 

 EXPLAINED OF A USEFUL HINT IN NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



THE poets tell us that the inhabitants of the old wonJ. being 

 totally destroyed, by the universal deluge, excepting Deucalion and 

 Pyrrha, these two, desiring with zealous and fervent devotion to restore 

 mankind, received this oracle for answer, that &quot; they should succeed 

 by throwing their mother s bones behind them.&quot; This at fiist cast them 

 into great sorrow and despair, because, as all things were levelled by 

 the deluge, it was in vain to seek their mother s tomb ; but at length 

 they understood the expression of the oracle to signify the stones of 

 the earth, which is esteemed the mother of all things. 



EXPLANATION. This fable seems to reveal a secret of nature, and 

 correct an error familiar to the mind ; for men s ignorance leads them 

 to expect the renovation or restoration of things from their corruption 

 and remains, as the phoenix is said to be restored out of its ashes ; 

 which is a very improper procedure, because such kind of materials 

 have finished their course, and are become absolutely unfit to supply 

 the first rudiments of the same things again : whence, in cases of 

 renovation, recourse should be had to more common principles. 



