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The Goddess Flora. Lactan∣tius gives a description of Flora or Flaura, as if she was a Courtezan, who left her substance to the Roman People; in consideration where∣of they ordained her extraordinary Honours, and Games called Floralia, where she was in∣tituled the Goddess of Flowers. But Varro recounts Flora among the Divinities, who
were before that time honoured by the Sabins, and were received at Rome, when the Sabins, to∣gether with their King Tatius joined them∣selves to the Romans, to make with them but one and the same body of People. Ovid de∣scribes her in his Fasti, as the Goddess of Flowers, the Wife of Zephirus, whereby he means a natural Goddess, named Flora, instead of Cloris. The Games Floralii were instituted five hundred and thirteen years after the foundation of Rome; and yet were not kept annually: but in the year five hundred and eighty, at the celebrating of these Games, Harlots danced naked, playing a thousand la∣scivious postures.