M Y T H O L O G V. 
this kind: they are more eafily underftood, more likely 
to command attention and to imprefs the mind, and better 
fitted for convifilion and perfuafion, than abltrafil truth ; 
and therefore they have been more generally adopted, efpe- 
cially in the earlier periods of time, and in a lets cultivated 
(late of fociety, than mere realigning. Among the orien¬ 
tals, whole climate and difpofition were peculiarly favour¬ 
able to it, this praftice very much prevailed ; and of 
courfe their mythology has been diftinguilhed by its 
boldnefs and extravagance. Some other circumftances 
contributed to the firft rife, and fubfequent diffufion, of 
mythology. The inhabitants of the eaftern nations were 
much addicted to the perfonification of inanimate objefils, 
and abftrafil ideas; and this propenfity would naturally 
lead them to the ufe of fable and allegory. Amonglt 
them hieroglyphics and enigmatical modes of expreflion 
were very common; and in the adoption of thefe they 
nearly approximated to fifition and fable. Among inge¬ 
nious and learned writers, we find a coniiderable difference 
of opinion as to the bed method of explaining thofe fables 
that are the fubjefl of this article, or fuch as relate to 
the pagan gods, and the rites of their worfiiip. The Pla¬ 
tonic philofophers pretended that thefe fables were mere 
allegories, concealing great myfteries, none of which would 
appear either abfurd or licentious when duly developed. 
PLato himfelffeems to have originally framed this fyftem. 
Other learned perfons, at a later period, among whom we 
may reckon Kircher, recurred for the inveftigation of the 
true meaning of thefe fables to the hieroglyphics, or facred 
language, of the Egyptians ; but it is unfortunate for his 
hypotheiis, that the fables which require explanation are 
not all of Egyptian origin. The celebrated Bochart 
thought that moil: of the fables might be explained by the 
equivocal words of the ancient Phoenician language; the 
fables, however, were not all invented by the Phoenicians. 
Others refer all the fables to fcripture mifunderllood, or 
to corrupted traditions ; but many of thefe fables abound 
with circumftances that have no manner of connection 
with the fafts recorded in the facred books. The fyftem 
of thofe who reduce fables to ancient hiftory, though dif- 
figured by the poets, who were the firft hiftorians, ferves 
fo explain a great number of fables, though it is not prac¬ 
ticable to reduce all to hiftory; fince fome fables are no 
more than pure allegories. Neverthelefs, this fyftem ap¬ 
pears to M. Banier, under fome reltrifilions, to be the 
molt rational and moil fatisfafilory; provided that we do 
not attempt to explain all the circumftances of every fa¬ 
ble ; and, if we do explain them, we mull take them from 
poets of the greateft antiquity, fuch as Homer and Hefiod, 
who have given them in a more fimple ftate, together with 
a more natural defcription of the fads to which they refer, 
and without thofe ornaments that were fuperadded to 
them in after-ages, either to make them more venerable, 
becaufe they were a part of religion, or more furprifing, 
becaufe it is natural for mankind to delight in the mar¬ 
vellous. We may here obferve, that molt of the Greek 
fables are obtained from Egypt and Phoenicia. The fa¬ 
bles are interwoven with religion, and were, indeed, the 
foundation on which it was reared ; it w'as fable that in¬ 
troduced a multiplicity of gods, which they fubftituted 
in the room of the true one; fo that the Greeks, by learn¬ 
ing the religion of the Egyptians, learned their fables like- 
wiie. 
This was the origin, then, of that philofophy, or ra¬ 
ther that religion, which fo long fubfifted among the peo¬ 
ple ; a confufed mixture of truths and falfehoods, of ve¬ 
nerable traditions and agreeable fiClions ; a fyftem that 
flatters the fenfes, and offends the underftanding; which 
breathes only pleafure, while it teaches and applauds vir¬ 
tue ; and of which it may be proper to trace a flight {ketch, 
as it ftrongly marks the charaCler of the age that gave it 
birth. 
What power called forth the univerfe from chaos ? 
The infinite Being, the pure light, the fource of life. 
Let us give it the moil amiable of all its titles ; it is love 
Vol. XVI. No. 1129. 
485 
itfelf; that love whofe prefence reftores harmony to all 
things, and from whom both men and gods derive their 
origin. Thefe intelligent beings difputed the empire of 
the world ; but, overthrown in tremendous conflicts, men 
were for everfuhjebted to their vanquiftiers. The race of 
immortals multiplied like that of men. Saturn, ifluing 
from the commerce of Heaven and Earth, had three fons, 
who divided the fovereignty of the univerfe. Jupiter 
reigns in Heaven, Neptune over the fea, Pluto in the in¬ 
fernal regions, and all three over the earth ; all three are 
furrounded by a multitude of deities, entrufted with the 
execution of their commands. Jupiter is the molt pow¬ 
erful of the gods, for he hurls the thunder : his court is 
the moft fplendid of all; it is the abode of eternal light, 
and muft be the feat of happinefs, fince every earthly good 
proceeds from heaven. 
The divinities of the ocean, and of the infernal {hades, 
are implored in certain places and under certain circum¬ 
ftances 5 the celeftial gods every-where, and at every mo¬ 
ment of life. They lurpafs the others in power, for they 
dwell above us ; whilft the former are either beftde us, or 
beneath our feet. The gods difpenfe to men life, health, 
riches, wifdom, and valour. We accufe them as the au¬ 
thors of our fufferings ; they reproach us with being 
wretched from our own faults. Pluto is odious to mor¬ 
tals, becaufe he is inflexible. The other gods permit 
themfelves to be moved by our prayers, and efpecially by 
our facrifices, the odour of which is to them a delicious 
perfume. If they have fenfes like ourfelves, they muft 
have the fame paflions. Beauty makes on them the fame 
impreffion as on us. We have often feen them feeking- 
on earth for pleafures, rendered more poignant by their 
forgetting for a time their exalted nature, and affuming 
the veil of myftery. 
By this extravagant combination of ideas, the Greeks 
had no intention to degrade the divinities they adored. 
Accuftomed as they were to judge of all animated beings 
by themfelves, they afcribed their weakneffes to the gods, 
and their fentiments to animals, without imagining that 
they debafed the former, or elevated the latter. When 
they wifhed to form an idea of the happinefs of heaven, 
and the attention paid by the immortals to the govern¬ 
ment of the univerfe, they call their eyes around them, 
and faid ; “ On earth, nations are happy when they pafs 
their days in feftivals; a fovereign, when he afiembles 
at his table the princes and princefles who reign over the 
adjacent countries; when youthful flaves, perfumed with 
effences, pour out wine in over-flowing goblets, and 
lkilful fingers harmonioufly accord their voices with the 
lyre.” Thus, in the frequent banquets of the inhabi¬ 
tants of heaven, youth and beauty, in the perfon of 
Hebe, diftribute nefilar and ambrofia ; the vaulted roofs 
of Olympus re-echo with the longs of Apollo and the 
Mufes, and joy fparkles in every eye. Sometimes Jupiter 
affembles the immortals around his throne ; and delibe¬ 
rates with them on the affairs of earth, as a fovereign 
difcufles thofe of his Hates with the nobles of his king¬ 
dom. The gods deliver their different opinions, which 
they fupport with warmth, till Jupiter pronounces his 
final decifion, and the reft fubmit in iilence. 
The gods, invefted with his authority, communicate 
motion to the univerfe, and are the authors of the phe¬ 
nomena which aftoriilh mortals. Every morning a youth¬ 
ful goddefs opens the gates of the Eaft, ar.d diffules re- 
frefliing coolnefs through the air, while (he Icatters flowers 
over the fields, and ftrews rubies in the path of the Sun. 
At this fignal the Earth awakes, and prepares to receive 
the god, who daily bellows on her new life. He appears, 
with a magnificence anclfplendour fuitedto the fovereign 
of the Ikies; his car, conducted by the Hours, flies and 
penetrates the immenfity of fpace, filling it with radiance 
and genial warmth. No fooner does he reach the palace 
of the fovereign of the leas, than Night, who clolely and 
incefiantly follows him, extends her gloomy veil, and 
hangs the celeftial dome with innumerable fires. Then 
6 H riles 
