The Pantheon, Or, Fabulous History of the Heathen Gods, Goddesses
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. ^X?^^^o?iliif/iicce^ ; PANTHEON:TT H P" O R, FABULOUS HISTORY OF THE HEATHEN GODS, GODDESSES, HEROES, &c. Explained in a Manner entirely new And rendered much more ufeful than any hitherto publiflied. ADORNED WITH Figures from ancient Paintings, Medals, and Gems, for the Use of thofe who would underiland History, Poetry, Painting, Statuary, Coins, Medals, &c. WITH A Dissertation on the Theology and Mythology of the Heathens, from the Writings of Moses, the ^Egyptian, Grecian, Roman, and Eastern Historians, Philosophers, Ports, &c. By SAMUEL B Q Y S E, A.M> WITH AN APPENDIX, Treating of their Astrology, Prodigies, Auguries, Auspices, Oracles, &c. in which the Origisi of each is pomted out; and an Historical Account of the Rife of Altars, Sacred Groves, Priests, and Temples. By WILLIAM COOKE, A.M. Late ReAor of Oldbury, Vicar of Enford, Chaplain to the Earl of Suffolk, and Author of the Medallic Hiftory of Imperial Rome, a vols, in 4to. THE SEVENTH EDITION. to which is now first added, A furtherlLLUSTRATiONof theDii Majores of the Romans, particularly adapted to the Classics. DUBLIN: Printed roR J. JONES, No. iii, GRAFTON-STREEr. M.DCC.KCII. \\ TO HIS GRACE HENRY, DUKE OF BEAUFORT. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR GRACE, IT has been long objeded to the mo- dern method of education, that fo great and valuable a part of youth is fpent amid ft the ruins of Idolatry ; whence an early taint and corruption (hard to be got over) both in principles and morals, has fometimes enfued. Indeed the Heathen Theology is fo interwoven with the writings of the ancients, and makes fo large a part of claflical learn- ing efpecially, as to be utterly infepa- rable from it. He, therefore, who fhall efFedlually dived it of the marvellous, leaving it rational and accountable, and, at jv I>EDICATION. at the fame time, make the whole fub fervient to the caufe of virtue and true religion, will be allowed to have rendered an acceptable fervice to man- kind. Such was the attempt of the inge- nious author of this work. It mud be admitted, that he has in great part fucceeded. Had he lived to revife it carefully, and to prepare it for another edition, all foreign afliftance had pro- bably been necdiefs. As it is, what feemed wanting, or the effefl of inad* vertency and error, I have endeavoured to fupply and amend. Having thus done what I could for this adopted offspring, it is time that I recommend it to a better and more able benefador, whofe further fupport may be of ufe towards its fettlement in the world. And my acquaintance with the goodnefs of your Grace's fpirit on manv DEDICATION. ^ many occafions, leaves me no room to doubt, that you will take this orphan alfo into your protedion. Indebted to your Grace's illuftrious houfe for all that I am, thither every grateful confideration is wont to dire£l my views and affedions. An apprehen- fion which then (truck me, that fuch a performance might be particularly fer- viceable to your Grace, firfl inclined me to liften to the overtures which were made for preparing another and more complete edition of this work ; againft which my little leifure, from other im- portant avocations, had elfe determined me. When, therefore, I fat down to examine the contents of it, and faw evi- dently the general ufefulnefs of the de- fign, I could with-hold no longer the little affiftance which I was capable of giving. Your Grace's name will bring it to the public teft. If then it (hall appear in fome fort to anfwer the intent, A 3 and \i DEDICATION. and be poffefled of intrinfic worth enough to fave it, I fhall find my great and leading expedation anfwered in the fame degree ; which was, that it might be improved into fomething agreeable and ufeful to your Grace; an end, which will ever principally command the attention of May it plcafe your Graci, Your Grace's moft dutiful, And devoted humble Servant, WILLIAM COOKE. THE THE PREFACE. WiE have here no defign to raife the repu- tation of this work, by depreciannsr the many others that have already been pubhihed on this fubjed ; it is fufficient for us to fay, that we have followed a plan entirely new, and, at ihe fame time, fuch an one as appeared to us much more ufeful, more rational, and lefs dry thau any that has gone before it. As all works of this kind muft necelTarily con- fift of materials colleded from other authors, no ex pence, no labour has been fpared; the mod celebrated works on this fubject have been con- fulted and compared with each other, and it has frequently happened, that fcattered hints, widely difperfed, have ferved to clear up the moll dif- ficult and intricate meanings, to a degiee of de- monftration; but amongft all the authors to which we have had recourfe, we mufl here parr ticularly acknowledge the great advantage we have received from that ingenious gentleman, the Abbe Pluche, in his biftory of the heavens. But viii PREFACE. But ns that learned anJ valuable writer feem: now and then to have carried nnatters a little too far» the reader will find lefs ufe made of him than in the firfl: edition. We have been careful to allow all things ;o evidence and reafon ; but as little as mi^^ht be to conje6ture. We have aifo r-^ceived fome ufeful hints from the Abbe B.uiicr's mythologv. But it behoves us efpecial- ly, to ack.no wledt^e the great fervice which we have received from the writings of the learned Bochart, Pignorius, Cafalius, Kircher, I '-^(ius, Montfau9on, and others, who have profe. " to treat of the Phoenician, Fgyptian, Greek, a Roman antiquliics. Some acquaintance with the heathen gods and the ancient fables, is a necelTary branch of polite learning, as without this it is impoiTible to obtain a competent knowledge of the Claillcs ; impof- fible to form a judgment of antique medals, fta- tues, or paintings; or even to underftand the per- formances of the moderns in thefe polite arts. Hence thefe ftudies have been generally ef- teemed neceOTary for the improvement of youth; but in works of this kind, fufficient care has not been taken to unfold the origin of the heathen gods, which has generally been rciftaken. Some imagining that they had been kings and princes ; others, that they were the various parts of nature; and others, that they were the patriarchs and heroes of th.e Jewil"h nation. But each of ihefe b-ive been found equally contrary to truth, when applied to the pagan theology, though fome of the r fables have been embclliflied with rr.any circum^ar.^e: relaced iu the Mofaic biftory. In worlLS PREFACE. )X works of this kind, no care has hitherto been taken to give the leaft intimation of abundance of circumllanccs neceflary to be known; and a perfon reads the hiftory of the gods without finding any thing added, that can help him to unravel the myfleries he meets v/ith in every page, or to entertain the leaft idea of the religion of their worOiippers. The Greeks were entiiely ignorant as to the origin of their god-, and incapable of . tranfmit- ting their hiflory to pofterity. Herodotus in- forms us, that the gods of llie Greeks were ori- ginally brought from Kgypt and Phoenicia, where they had been the objeBs of religious worfhip before any colonies from thefe countries fettled in Greece. We ought then to fearch in Egypt and Phoenicia for the origin of the gods ; for the gods whofe worfhip was chiefly promoted by the Egyptians, and carried by the Phoenicians over all the coafts of the world then known. The firft Egyptians, unacquainted with letters, gave all the informations to the people, all the rules of their cordu<Sl, by erecting figures, eafily uiiderAood, and which fervid as rules and orders neceffary to regulate their behaviour, and as ad- vertifements to provide for their own fafety. A very few figures diverlified by what they held in their hands, or carried on their heads, were fuf- ficient for this purpofe. Thefe were ingenious contrivances, and, fuch as were abfolutely necef- fary in a country, were the leaft miftake in point ©f time was fufBcient to ruin all their affairs. But X PREFACE. Hut thefe Egyptian fymbots, giving way to the eafy method of reaping inftruftion from the ufe of letters, which were afterwards introduced, foon became obfolete, and the memory of foiie particular virtues ftill remaining, they were re- vered as the images or reprefentations of fuperior and friendly beings, who had frequently delivered ihein from impending dangers, and foon were vvor{hipped as the gods of iheir fathers. Their hirtorits were wrote in verfe, and embellifhed with fictions founded on ancient traditions. The p;ie(is of oifFerent cour.tries increafed the delu- fion ; they had read the Mofaic hi (lory, or at least, h ' d heard that the fons of God had con- verfation with ihe daughters of men, and from hence, nHuenced by lufl or avarice, cloaked ihfcir own debaucheries, and fometimes thofe of princes and great men, under tho'e of a god; and (he poer^ whenever a princefs failed m point of modcfty, h;ad recou'fe to the fame method, in order to (holier her reputation frojn vulgar cenfure. By this mean:, the deities in after times were faid to live in various countries, and even in far diftant ages. Thus there became three htmdied Jupirers, an opinion derived from there being a number of places in which, in dilferent a^^es, Jupiter was faid to have lived, reigned, and perfor;ned fomeextraordinai y a<^ions, which an- cient fable*-, the fiQ:ions of the poets, and the artifices of the piiefis had rendered famous.