inflicted on the gods *. We need but open any claffic author to meet with thefe grofs reprefentations of the deities; and LONGINUS + with reafon obferves, that fuch ideas of the divine nature, if literally taken, contain a true atheism. Some writers have been furprized, that the impieties of ARISTOPHANES fhould have been tolerated, nay publicly acted and applauded by the ATHENIANS; a people fo fuperftitious and so jealous of the public religion, that, at that very time, they put SOCRATES to death for his imagined incredulity. But these writers, confider not, that the ludicrous, familiar images, under which the gods are reprefented by that comic poet, inftead of appearing impious, were the genuine lights, in which the ancients conceived their divinities. What conduct can be more criminal or mean, than that of JUPITER in the AMPHITRYON? Yet that play, which reprefented his gallant exploits, was fuppofed fo agreeable to him, that it was always acted in ROME by public authority, when the state was threatened with peftilence, famine, or any general calamity . The ROMANS fuppofed, that, like all old letchers, he would be highly pleased with the rehearfal of his former feats of activity and vigour, and that no topic was fo proper, upon which to flatter his pride and vanity. The LACEDEMONIANS, fays XENOPHON §, always, during war, put up their petitions very early in the morning, in order to be beforehand with their enemies, and by being the firft follicitors, pre-engage the gods in their favour. We may gather from SENECA 4, that it was usual for the votaries in the temples, to make intereft with the beadles or fextons, that they might have Pere Brumoy, Theatre des Grecs; & Fontenelle, Hiftoire des Oracles® 4 § De Laced, Rep. + Epift. ali. * feat a feat near the image of the deity, in order to be the best heard in their prayers and applications to him. The TYRIANS, when befieged by ALEXANDER, threw chains on the ftatue of HERCULES, to prevent that deity from deferting to the enemy *. AUGUSTUS, having twice, loft his fleet by ftorms, forbad NEPTUNE to be carried in proceffion along with the other gods; and fancied, that he had fufficiently revenged himself by that expedient f. After GERMANICUS's death, the people were fo enraged at their gods, that they ftoned them in their temples; and openly renounced all allegiance to them ‡. To afcribe the origin and fabric of the universe to these imperfect beings never enters into the imagination of any polytheift or idolater. HESIOD, whofe writings, with thofe of HOMER, contained the canonical fyftem of the heathens; HESIOD, I fay, fuppofes gods and men to have fprung equally from the unknown powers of nature §. And through the whole theogony of that author, PANDORA is the only inftance of creation or a voluntary production; and fhe too was formed by the gods merely from defpight to PROMETHEUS, who had furnished men with ftolen fire from the celestial regions. The ancient mythologists, indeed, feem throughout to have rather embraced the idea of generation than that of creation or formation; and to have thence accounted for the origin of this universe. A OVID, who lived in a learned age, and had been inftructed by philofophers in the principles of a divine creas tion or formation of the world; finding, that fuch an Quint. Curtius, lib. iv. cap. 3. ‡ Id. în vita Cal. cap, 5. Herodot. lib. ii. Lucian. Jupiter confutatus, de lu&tu Saturn, &c; § Ως ομόθεν γεγάασι θεοι θνητοι τ' ανθρώποις, Hel, Opera & Dies, 1. rcs. + Theog. 1. 570. idea would not agree with the popular mythology, which he delivers, leaves it, in a manner, loose and detached from his fyftem. Quifquis fuit ille Deorum *? Whichever of the gods it was, fays he, that diffipated the chaos, and introduced order into the univerfe. It could neither be SATURN, he knew, nor JUPITER, nor NEPTUNE, nor any of the received deities of paganism. His theological fyftem had taught him nothing upon that head, and he leaves the matter equally undetermined. DIODORUS SICULUS †, beginning his work with an enumeration of the most reasonable opinions concerning the origin of the world, makes no mention of a deity or intelligent mind; though it is evident from his hiftory, that that author had a much greater proneness to superstition than to irreligion. And in another paffage ‡, talking of the ICHTHYOPHAGES, a nation in INDIA, he fays, that there being so great difficulty in accounting for their descent, we must conclude them to be aborigines, without any beginning of their generation, propagating their race from all eternity; as fome of the phyfiologers, in treating of the origin of nature, have juftly observed. "But in fuch fubjects as thefe," adds the hiftorian, "which exceed all human capacity, it may well happen, "that thofe, who difcourfe the most, know the least ; "reaching a fpecious appearance of truth in their rea"fonings, while extremely wide of the real truth and "matter of fact." A ftrange fentiment in our eyes, profeffed and zealous religionist || ! *Metamorph. lib. i. 1. 32. † Lib. i. to be embraced by a But it was merely Id. ibid. The fame author, who can thus account for the origin of the world without a Deity, esteems it impious to explain from phyfical causes, the common accidents of life, earthquakes, inundations, and tempefts; and devoutly afcribes these to the anger of JUPITER or NEPTUNE. A plain proof, whence he derived his ideas of religion. See lib. xv. p. 364. Ex edit. RHODOMANNI, VOL. II. Ff by by accident, that the queftion concerning the origin of the world did ever in antient times enter into religious fyftems, or was treated of by theologers. The philofophers alone made profeffion of delivering fyftems of this nature; and it was pretty late too before thefe bethought themselves of having recourse to a mind or supreme intelligence, as the first caufen of all. So far was it from being esteemed profane in those days to account for the origin of things without a deity, that THALES, ANAXIMENES, HERACLITUS, and others, who embraced that fystem of cosmogony, paft unquestioned; while ANAXAGORAS, the first undoubted theift among the philofophers, was perhaps the firft that ever was accused of - atheism *. "We are told by SEXTUS EMPIRICUS +, that EPICURUS, when a boy, reading with his preceptor thefe verses of HESIOD, Eldeft of beings, chaos first arofe; Next earth, wide-ftretch'd, the feat of all. the young scholar firft betrayed his inquifitive genius, by alking, And chaos whence? But was told by his preceptor, that he must have recourse to the philofophers for a fo * It will be easy to give a reason, why THALES, ANAXIMANDER, and those early philofophers, who really were atheists, might be very orthodox in the pagan creed; and why ANAXAGORAS and SOCRATES, though real theifts, must naturally, in antient times, be esteemed impious. The blind, unguided powers of nature, if they could produce men, might alfo produce fuch beings as JUPITER and NEPTUNE, who being the most powerful, intelligent existences in the world, would be proper objects of worship. But where a fupreme intelligence, the first cause of all, is admitted, these capricious beings, if they exift at all, muft appear very fubordinate and dependent, and confequently be excluded from the rank of deities. PLATO (de leg. lib. x.) affigns this reafon of the imputation thrown on ANAXAGORAS, viz. his denying the divinity of the ftars, planets, and other created objects. + Adverfus MATHEM. lib. ix. 8 lution olution of fuch questions. And from this hint, EPICU RUS left philology and all other ftudies, in order to betake himself to that, fcience, whence alone he expected fatisfaction with regard to thefe fublime fubjects. The common people were never likely to push their -researches so far, or derive from reasoning their systems of religion; when philologers and mythologifts, we fee, 1.fcarce ever difcovered fo much penetration. And even the philofophers, who difcourfed of fuch topics, readily affented to the groffeft theory, and admitted the joint origin of gods and men from night and chaos; from fire, water, air, or whatever they established to be the 2 ruling element. Nor was it only on their firft origin, that the gods were fuppofed dependent on the powers of nature. Through the whole period of their exiftence they were subjected to the dominion of fate or destiny. Think of the force of neceffity, fays AGRIPPA to the ROMAN people, that force, to which even the gods must submit +. And the Younger PLINY †, agreeable to this way of reasoning, tells us, that, amidst the darknefs, horror and confufion which enfued upon the firft eruption of VESUVIUS, feveral concluded, that all nature was going to wrack, and that gods and men were perishing in one common ruin. t * It is great complaifance, indeed, if we dignify with the name of religion such an imperfect system of theology, and put it on a level with latter fyftems, which are founded on principles more juft and more fublime. For my part, I can fcarce allow the principles even of MARCUS AURELIUS, PLUTARCH, and fome other Stoics and Academics, though infinitely more refined than the pagan fuperftition, to be worthy of the honourable deno + DIONYS. HALIC, lib. vi. + Epift, lib. vi. Ff2 mination |