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Equity, and Concord in the Minds of Men; draws Multitudes of People to a Society, makes them fubject to Laws, obedient to Government, and forgetful of their unbridled Affections, whilst they give Ear to Precepts, and fubmit themselves to Discipline; whence follows the building of Houses, erecting of Towns, planting of Fields and Orchards, with Trees and the like, infomuch that it would not be amifs to fay, That even thereby Stones and Woods were called together and settled in Order. And after serious Trial made and fruftrated about the reftoring of a Body Mortal, this care of Civil Affairs follows in his due Place: Because by a plain Demonftration of the inevitable neceffity of Death, Men's Minds are moved to feek Eternity by the frame and glory of their Merits. It is also wifely said in the Fable, that Orpheus was averfe from the love of Women and Marriage, because the delights of Wedlock and the love of Children do for the most part hinder Men from enterprifing great and noble Designs for the public Good, holding Posterity a sufficient ftep to Immortality without Action.

Besides, even the very Works of Wisdom (although amongst all Human Things they do moft excel) do nevertheless meet with their Periods. For it happens that (after Kingdoms and Commonwealths have flourished for a time (even Tumults, and Seditions, and Wars arife; in the midst of which Hurly-burlies, first Laws are filent, Men return to the pravity of their Natures; Fields and Towns are wafted and depopulated;

and then (if their Fury continue) Learning and Philofophy must needs be difmembered; fo that a few Fragments only, and in fome Places, will be found like the scattered Boards of Shipwreck, fo as a barbarous Age muft follow; and the Streams of Helicon being hid under the Earth, (until the Viciffitude of Things paffing,) they break out again, and appear in fome other remote Nation, though not perhaps in the fame Climate.

XII. Cœlum, or Beginnings.

E have it from the Poets by Tradition, that Coelum was the Ancienteft of the Gods, and that his Members of Gen

eration were cut off by his Son Saturn. Saturn had many Children, but devoured them as foon as they were Born; Jupiter only escaped, who being come to Man's Eftate, thrust Saturn his Father into Hell, and fo ufurp'd the Kingdom. Moreover he pared off his Father's Genitals with the fame Falchion that Saturn difmembered Colum, and caft them into the Sea; from whence came Venus. Not long after this, (Jupiter being scarce fettled and confirmed in this Kingdom) was invaded by two memorable Wars. The firft of the Titans, in the fuppreffing of which Sol (who alone of all the Titans, favouring Jupiter's fide) took exceeding great Pains. The fecond was of the Giants, whom Jupiter himself destroyed with

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Thunder-bolts: And so all Wars being ended, he Reigned fecure.

This Fable feems enigmatically to shew from whence all Things took their Beginning, not much differing from that Opinion of Philofophers, which Democritus afterwards laboured to maintain, attributing Eternity to the first Matter, and not to the World. In which he comes fomewhat near the truth of Divine Writ, telling us of a huge deformed Mass, before the beginning of the fix days' Work.

The meaning of the Fable is this: by Colum may be understood that vast Concavity or vaulted Compass that comprehends all Matter: And by Saturn may be meant the Matter itself, which takes from his Parent all power of Generating; for the univerfality or whole Bulk of Matter always remains the fame, neither increafing or diminishing in respect of the quality of its Nature: But by the divers Agitations and Motions of it, were first produced imperfect, and ill agreeing Compofitions of Things, making as it were certain Worlds for Proofs or Effays, and fo in process of Time a perfect Fabrick or Structure was framed, which should still retain and keep his Form. And therefore the Government of the first Age was shadowed by the Kingdom of Saturn, who for the frequent Diffolutions and fhort Continuances of Things was aptly feigned to devour his Children. The fucceeding Government was deciphered by the Reign of Jupiter, who confirmed thofe continual Mutations unto Tartarus, a Place fignifying Perturbation. This Place feems to be all that middle Place be

tween the lower Superficies of Heaven, and the Centre of the Earth: In which all Perturbations, and Fragility, and Mortality or Corruption are frequent. During the former Generation of things in the time of Saturn's Reign, Venus was not Born: For fo long as in the univerfality of Matter, Difcord was better and more prevalent than Concord, it was necessary that there should be total Diffolution or Mutation, and that in the whole Fabrick. And by this kind of Generation were creatures produced before Saturn was deprived of his Genitals. When this ceased, that other which wrought by Venus, immediately came in, confisting in settled and prevalent Concord of Things, fo that Mutation should be only in respect of the Parts, the universal Fabrick remaining whole and inviolate.

Saturn, they say, was depofed and caft down into Hell, but not destroyed and utterly extinguished, because there was an Opinion that the World should relapse into the old Chaos and interregnum again, which Lucretius prayed might not happen in his Time :

Quod procul à nobis flectat fortuna gubernans :
Et ratio potius quam res perfuadeat ipfa.

Of guiding Providence be gracious,

That this Doomsday be far removed from us;
And grant, that by us it may be expected,
Rather than on us, in our Times effected.

For afterwards, the World fhould fubfift by its own quantity and power. Yet from the beginning

there was no reft: For in the Celestial Regions there firft followed notable Mutations, which by the Power of the Sun (predominating over fuperior Bodies) were fo quieted, that the state of the World should be conferved: And afterwards (in inferior Bodies) by the fuppreffing and diffipating of Inundations, Tempefts, Winds, and general Earthquakes, a more peaceable durable Agreement and Tranquillity of Things followed. But of this Fable it may convertibly be faid, That the Fable contains Philosophy, and Philofophy again the Fable: For we know by Faith, that all thefe Things are nothing else but the long fince ceafing and failing Oracles of Senfe, feeing that both the Matter and Fabrick of the World are most truly referred to a Creator,

XIII. Proteus, or Matter.

HE Poets fay that Proteus was Neptune's Herdfman, a grave Sire, and fo excellent a Prophet, that he might well be termed thrice excellent; For he knew not only Things to come, but even Things paft as well as prefent; fo that befides his Skill in Divination, he was the Meffenger and Interpreter of all Antiquities and hidden Mysteries. The Place of his Abode was a huge vaft Cave, where his Custom was every Day at Noon to count his Flock of Sea-calves, and then to go to fleep.

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