faid Hillocks ^ he fays it was from this Guflom of their 
Anceftors, that came that folemn ftory of Dragons lying 
on Gold 5 the Greeks and Latins alfo, by a common con- 
fent, alErming the Genius of a place to be woribipp'd un- 
der the form of a Serpent. So Servius on the fifth JEneid^ 
No place is without a Genius^ which is commonlj Jhewn by a 
Serpent : And fo Per/. Sat. i. Vinge duos angnes 5 fueri Sacer 
eji locus. As to the time that Letters began firft to be 
commonly cut on the Spires of Serpents cut in Rocks, and 
of the report of dead men being turn d into Dragons, he 
fays we muft look back to the times of Cadmusy whom he 
has prov'd to haveliv'd in the time of Mofes^ and to have 
been defcended of a Scjthian Race 3 and who, with his 
Wife Hermione ( as Bochartus tells us ) were reported to 
have been turn'd into Snakes, becaufe they had two Snakes 
of Stone ere&ed in honour of them, by the Vhxnicians. 
And if they are faid by others to have been turn d into 
Lyons, we muft note, that in the Kunick Monumental 
Stones, within the forms of Dragons and Serpents cut 
towards the outfides of tkem, there were alfo wont to be 
cut in them by their Anceftors the Images of Lyons, 
Horfes, Griffins, Dogs, Hawks, and other Animals 3 and 
this to denote the dead perfons Warlike Valour, Skill in 
Horfemanfliip, Pyracy, Robbing, Hunting, &c. So he 
fays Shi{^ are alfo vulgarly faid to be turn d into Stones 5 
becaufe in honour of perfons deceased, who had been fa- 
mous for Sea-fights and Pyracy, a Stone was eredcd, with 
the Image of a Ship cut in it 5 of which Stones they have 
great plenty. 
And hence he thinks it eafie to fee that the Fables, 
MnigmtiSy or Ancient Afts of the Syrians^ Mgyptians^ 
Greeks and Latins can fcarce be under flood by any Man^ 
tmlefs he has firft got good skill in their Tongue, and 
their pcculiar ways of Speaking and Writing, and of their 
Ancient Monuments, and other things of that kiiid. 
Having 
