and the consequence of it, the necessity of an outward worship by ceremonies and sacrifices. Hence the uniform and general consent in respect to certain facts; the creation of man by the hand of God himself; his state of happiness and innocence, implied by the golden age, when the earth without being watered by the sweat of his brows, or cultivated by painful labour, supplied him with every thing in abundance: the fall of the same man, from whence arose all his misfortunes, and followed by a deluge of crimes which brought on an inundation of waters; the saving of the human race by an ark, which stopt upon a mountain, and lastly, the propagation of mankind by a single man and his three sons. But the detail of particular actions being less important, and for this reason less known, was presently altered by Fables and fictions, as we clearly see even in the family of Noah. As he was the father of three children, and the people that were descended of them, dispersed themselves after the deluge into three different parts of the world, this history gave occasion to the fable of Saturn, whose three children, according to the poets, divided the empire of the world amongst them. Cham or Ham is the same with Ammon or Jupiter; Japhet, known under the name by the poets, was also worshipped under that of Neptune, because the maritime countries fell to his share. The posterity of Shem, several of whose descendants had a better sense of religion, left his name in oblivion. For which reason he was taken for the god of the dead and of oblivion. It is easy to see upon what the scandalous history of Saturn was founded, who was injuriously treated by one of his sons. It is as easy to comprehend that the licentiousness of the Saturnalia arose from an irreverent remembrance of the drunkenness of Saturn or Noah. The severe punishment of the son, who saw the nakedness of Noah, has left among the Pagans the me mory of Saturn's indignation, who, according to [2] Callimachus, made an irrevocable law, that whoever should behave with the like temerity towards the gods, should presently be deprived of sight. How many particulars do we observe, wherein Moses and Bacchus agree? and so of a great many others. Here then we have certainly one of the sources of Fable, which is the alteration of facts and events in history. The ministry of angels with reference to men, has been another. God, who had associated the angels to his spiritual nature, to his intelligence and immortality, was pleased farther to associate them to his providence in the government of the world, as well in relation to nature and the elements, as to the government of nations. [a] The scripture speaks to us of angels, who preside over the waters, the winds, the lightning, thunder and earthquakes. It points out to us others, who armed with a sword of thunder, ravage all Egypt, destroy a vast body of people in Jerusalem by the plague, and exterminate the army of an impious prince. [b] There is mention also made of an angel who was prince and protector of the empire of the Persians; of another, prince of the empire of the Greeks; of the arch-angel Michael, prince of the people of God. The external ministry of angels is as ancient as the world, as we see from the example of the cherubim placed at the gate of the terrestrial paradise, to guard the entrance into it. Noah and the patriarchs were thoroughly instructed in this truth, which very nearly concerned them, and they were doubtless very careful to teach it to their families, who by little and little losing the purer and spiritual ideas of an invisible Deity, fixed their atteution only upon the ministers of his benefits and vengeance. And thence it possibly might happen, that men took their notion of the gods, which presided, [z] Callim. Hym. s λourga s Παλλάδος. [a] Apoc. c. vii. v. 1. c. viii. v. 1. 5, 7. c..xvi. v. 5. some some over the fruits of the earth, and others over rivers; some over war, others over peace, and so of all the rest; of gods, whose power and ministry were limited to certain countries, and certain people, but were all subject to the authority of a supreme God. Another principle of religion, generally engraven in the minds of all people, also made way for the multiplicity of the pagan divinities, and that is a constant persuasion that divine providence presides over all human events both great and small; and that no one, without exception, escapes its vigilance and care. [c] But men, astonished at the immense number of particulars, to which it was requisite the Deity should "descend, thought to ease him of the trouble, by giving every god his peculiar and personal function. Singulis rebus propria disponentes officia numinum. The care of the whole country would have been too much business for a single god; the lands were committed to one, the mountains to another, the hills to a third, and the vallies to a fourth. St. Augustine reckons up a dozen different divinities, all employed about a stalk of corn; every one of which, according to his particular function, takes a peculiar care of it at different times, from the moment the seed has been thrown into the earth, till the corn arrives at maturity. [d] Besides this multitude of inferior gods designed for these mean functions, there are others, says St. Augustine, that are more [e] considerable and of an higher rank, as having evidently a more noble share in the government of the world. But, [f] adds the father, they are these very important and renowned gods, which fable has most disgraced and disparaged, by attributing to them the most [c] S. Aug. de Çivit. Dei, lib.strantur in mundo. iv. c. 8. [d] Ibid. lib. vii. c. 2. Illam quasi plebeiam numinum multitudinem minutis opusculis destinatum. [e] Numina selecta dicuntur... quia opera majora ab his admini P3 [] Illam infimam turbam ipsa ignobilitas texit ne obrueretur opprobriis... Vix selectorum quispiam, qui non in se notam contumeliæ insignis acceperit. Lib. vii. cap. 4. shamefu shameful crimes and most detestable disorders, murders, adulteries and incests. Whereas in the case of those inferior gods, their obscurity and meanness has secured their honour by leaving them in oblivion. And this has besides been a fruitful source of fictions, with which the corruption of man's heart has supplied Fable, in order to palliate and excuse the most frightful irregularities by the example of the gods themselves. There was no species of infamy which was not authorised, and even consecrated by the worship paid to certain gods. [g] Upon the festival of the mother of the gods, they sung such songs that the mother of a comedian would have blushed at; and Scipio Nasica, who was chosen by the senate as the fittest man in the republic with whom to lodge her statue, would have been grieved to have had his own mother a goddess at such a rate, or that she had held the place of Cybele. [h] The philosophers blamed all these impure ceremonies, but with fear, in faint terms, and only within the limits of their own schools. However religious among their disciples, they followed the people in the temples and theatres, where these abominations took place; and [] Seneca, in a work which we have lost, where he rails with great force at these sacrilegi ous superstitions, declares notwithstanding that a wise man will externally conform to them, in compliance to the laws of the state, though he knows well that such a worship can never please the gods, but must only provoke them. Quæ omnia sapiens sercabit tanquam legibus jussa, non tanquam diis grata. I do not here propose to point out all the sources from whence Fable has taken its rise, but only to shew some of the most common; and in this number we may place the sense of admiration or gratitude, which inclined men to annex the [g] S. Aug. de Civit. Dei, lib. ii. c 4, 5. [h] Etsi non liberè prædicando, saltem utcumque in disputationibus idea of divinity to whatmussitando, talia se improbare tes tati sunt. Lib. vi. c. 1. [] Lib. vi. c. 20. ever made an impression on their imagination, nearly affected them, or seemed to procure them any advantage, such as the sun, moon, or stars; the fathers with regard to their children, and, children with respect to their fathers; the persons who had either invented or carried any useful arts to perfection: the heroes who had distinguished themselves in war by extraordinary valour, or purged the land of robbers and disturbers of the public tranquillity; and lastly, all those, who, by any virtue, or glorious action, seemed superior to the generality of mankind. And it is very visible, without my observing it, that profane, as well as sacred history, has given occasion to all those demi-gods and heroes which Fable has placed in heaven, by joining frequently under one and the samehead and name, such actions as are very distinct, both as to time, place, and persons. ARTICLE II. OF THE USEFULNESS OF FABLE. WHAT I have already observed concerning the origin of Fables, which owe their birth to fiction, error and falshood, to the alteration of historical facts, and the corruption of man's heart, may give reason to ask, whether it is proper to instruct Christian children in all the foolish inventions, absurd and idle dreams, with which paganism has filled the books of antiquity? This study, when applied to with all the precaution and wisdom which religion demands and inspires, may be very useful to youth. First, it teaches them what they owe to Jesus Christ, their redeemer, who has delivered them from the power of darkness, to bring them into the admirable light of the gospel. Before him, what were even the wisest and best of men, those celebrated philosophers, those great politicians, those famous legislators of Greece, those grave senators of Rome; in a word, all |