The poetical histories being a compleat collection of all the stories necessary for a perfect understanding of the Greek and Latine poets and other ancient authors / written originally in French, by the learned Jesuite, P. Galtruchius ; now Englisht and enricht with observations concerning the gods worshipped by our ancestors in this island, by the Phœnicians, and Syrians in Asia ... ; unto which are added two treatises, one of the curiosities of old Rome, and of the difficult names relating to the affairs of that city, the other containing the most remarkable hieroglyphicks of Ægypt, by Marius d'Assigny ...

CHAP. XXII.

Of the Hcathen Gods, who were proper •••• several places and Countryes in the World, and who had been men.

I Shall not name Jupiter, Apollo, Mercuri∣us, Belus, and other Gods, of whom we have given a sufficient account before; I confess these universal Gods had been but men, or rather these names of men had been translated and ascribed to the Gods. I shall here▪ speak of the particular Gods, who were adored in many places of the World, whose Jurisdiction did reach no farther than the bounds of a Kingdom, or

of a City, and to whose care and prote∣ction the places where they were adored were committed.

Psapho was a cunning Fellow of Lybia, who lived in some reputation, but he was desirous of more, unto which he attained by this act of pollicy: He taught secretly in his dwelling a multitude of Parrots to say in the Punick language, Psapho is a great God.

When they had well learned this Les∣son, he sent them out into the Woods, and into the Fields: By this means it hap∣pened, that these prating Birds that knew no other language, by frequent repetiti∣ons, taught it to many other Birds, that divulged and proclaimed it all over the Country. The ignorant people had no sooner heard them, but they believed that Psapho was a God, therefore they appoint∣ed unto him, in a part of Lybia, a Tem∣ple, Sacrifices, Priests, and all other things belonging to the Worship of the true God.

Carmelus was the God of Mount Car∣mel in Judaea. Tacit. mentions him when he relates how his Priest did foretell unto Ve∣spasian that he should be Emperour.

* 1.1 Enenth Seir, or as some call him Enen∣thius, was a God of the Phoenicians.

* 1.2 Epires was the great Interpreter of the Gods amongst the Aegyptians: He was painted with the head of a Hawk.

Dercetus was a Goddess adored near As∣kalon, and represented as a Beautiful Wo∣man. Ovid makes mention of her, lib▪ 4. Metam.

—De te Babylonia narret Derceti, quam versa, squamis velantibus artus, Stagna Palestini credunt coluisse figurâ.

* 1.3 Adad was a God of the Assyrians, his wife is thought to be Adargatis. Astarte was another Goddess of the same Country, mentioned in the former Book.

* 1.4 Adramus was the Tutelar God of Sici∣lia, as Conisalus and Minerva were of the Athenians, Cabrus of Pamphylia, and * 1.5Tanais of the Armenians. This Goddess did require the same Worship as Anaitis, and Venus Syria, for the Maids were obli∣ged to loose their Maidenhead in her Tem∣ple, at her Altars, before they did dream of Marriage.

Sosipolis Deus, the God of the Eleans in Grecia, saved a City from the fury of the Arcadian Army in the form▪ of a little Child, who was changed before them into a Serpent. The sudden Metamorphosis struck such a terror into their minds, that when the Eleans made a Sally upon them, they ran away▪

Jupiter and Apollo were also named 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, savers of Cities.

* 1.6 Palmytius was a God of the Aegyptians.

* 1.7 Alabandus was a warlike God of Caria, adored especially by the Alabandenses.

Tenes was the Son of Cyenus, kill'd by Achilles, as Plutarchus informs us; there∣fore the name of Achilles was not to be pronounced in his Temple, which was in the Island of Tenedos.

Coronis was a Goddess worshipped in some places of Greece, in the Temple of Minerva: Some say that she was the Mo∣ther of Aeseulapius.

* 1.8 Damia and Auxesia were honoured by the command of the Oracle in Epidaurus in Greece, that their Country might be made fruitful; for before it was so barren, that it would not yield sufficient returns to the labours of the painful Husbandman.

Drimachus, a famous Captain of Chi∣os, was there worshipped after his death.

Amphiaraus the Sooth-sayer, and Am∣philochus the Son of Nestor, were placed amongst the Gods, and adored in At∣tica.

Ogoas was a God of Caria.

Zamolxis was the Law giver amongst the Getae, as Herodotus saith: He studied Philo∣sophy under Pythagoras. When he was re∣turned into his Country, he taught the people the customes and manners of the Greeks, and for his good instructions he was worshipped as a God, after his death, as Cencus was after him in the same Cli∣mat, for excelling in the Magick Art, in

the daies of Augustus the Emperour.

* 1.9 Crephagenetus was the God of the The∣bans in Egypt, whom they esteemed Im∣mortal. Herodotus relates, that they only of all the people of Egypt did refuse to ad∣mit the extravagant superstition of other Cities, and that they would never grant Divine Homage to the mortal Gods. This singularity may have proceeded from those * 1.10good impressions which the Children of Israel had left amongst them, for the City of Thebs was next Neighbour to the Land of Goshen.

The name given unto this God by the Greeks is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and with the small change of a Vowel 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, se∣cretly born. From Herodotus and others we may perceive, that the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 hath been used for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; for he calls an Asyle, or a place of refuge 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, be∣cause men do secretly hasten to save them∣selves in them, when they apprehend the pursuits of an Enemy. Now I conceive this name is but an interpretation of the old Egyptian Title given to this God, for the Egyptians did not make use of the Greek Tongue ordinarily, but only after the Victories of Alexander the Great; therefore they must have had a name pro∣per to their language for this, as for their other Divinities. But there appears a seeming contradiction in the Titles 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and Immortal and Eternal,

which were the Attributes of Honour a∣scribed to this God. We Christians are taught, that these Epithets are only proper to the Son of God, the second Person in the sacred Trinity, who is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, secretly begotten from all Eternity in an incomprehensible manner, and yet he is Immortal and Eternal with the first Per∣son the Father. The sublimest Creatures can never perfectly understand or pry into this Mysterious Generation, which hath ever continued, and shall ever continue to all Eternity; therefore only Christ can be said to be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and Immortal and Eternal.

From hence we may justly conceive, that these Thebans had some understand∣ing of this great Mystery, the Generation of the Son of God; and that they under∣stood by this 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the second Person of the Incomprehensible Trinity, whom they acknowledged to be both Im∣mortal and Eternal. It is certain, that the Heathens were not altogether ignorant of the Trinity, as may be gathered out of Plato, and the dispersed Relicks of the writings of Sauchoniathon, and of Porphy∣rius.

We may further take notice, that when this 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, our Divine Emanuel, was pleased to take upon him our Nature, and was forced to fly for shelter into E∣gypt, he came with Joseph and Mary his

Mother to dwell in the Province of The∣bais, * 1.11not far from the ancient City of Thebs, in a place which is mightily fre∣quented by all Pilgrims that travel into those parts.

Tholesphorus was worshipped near the City of Pergama, in Asia minor, by the Command of the Oracle.

Sangus, or Sanctus, or Sancus, was the God of the Sabins. S. Austin names him Xanthus, L. 18. de Civit. Dei. Cap. 19. He was their first King, and had a Temple standing in Rome. Ovid.

Quaerebam nonas Sancto, fidio ne referrem An tibi semipater, tunc mihi Sanctus ait. Cuicun{que} ex illis dederis, ego numen habebo, Nomina terna fero, sic voluere Cures.

And Sill. Italicus.

—Et laetipars Sanctum voce canebant Autorem gentis, pars laudes ore ferebant Sabes tuas, qui de patrio cognomine primus. Dixisti populos magna dit••one Sabinos.

Tages was a God of the Hetrurians in Italy, of whom Ovid thus speaks, Lib. 15. Metamorph.

Indigenae dixere Tagem, qui primus Hetruscam Edocuit gentem, casusque aperire futuros.

He was a pretended Child of Jupiter; he taught the rude people of Hetruria se∣veral

Arts and Sciences; therefore they worshipped his memory, and his Statues.

Albunea was a Goddess inhabiting near the source of the River Tiber; adored in that part of Italy as Feronia and Marica were.

* 1.12 Hunc fauno & Nympha genitum Laurente Marica.

Palicus was a God of Sicily: Antinous * 1.13the great Favourite of the Emperour A∣drian, was worshipped in Bithynia; Bes∣sus was a God of Greece, Caelestus or Ʋra∣nus of Africa. I should be too prolix if I should name all the Gods of the Heathens, worshipped in every corner of the World: What hath been said will be sufficient for the understanding of the Heathen Au∣thors.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Plin Natur. Hist. lib. 5.
• * 1.2

  Euseb,
• * 1.3

  Macrob.
• * 1.4

  Plutarch.
• * 1.5

  Suidas.
• * 1.6

  Hesych.
• * 1.7

  Cicer.
• * 1.8

  Herodot. Pausan.
• * 1.9

  Plutarch.
• * 1.10

  See Bochart. Geog. Sacr.
• * 1.11

  See the Jour∣nals and Rela∣tions of the Voyages of our English, of the French, and Italian Travellers in∣to Egypt.
• * 1.12

  Virg▪ Aeneid. 1. 6.
• * 1.13

  Plutarch.