Oppida tota canem venerantur, nemo Dianam.
The Dog whole Towns, Diana none implore.
Juvenal. Satir. xv.
That which gives some colour to this Partition of Osiris’s Kingdom, is, “that God ordained very near the same thing to be observed in the Encampments of the Israelites, when he divided the twelve Tribes into four Bodies, and allotted to one of the three Tribes, belonging to each Body, the Figure of an Animal to be placed in the Banner: Thus, that of Reuben carried the Figure of a Man; that of Judah, a Lion; that of Dan, an Eagle; and that of Ephraim, an Ox[[431]]”.
[431]. Jurieu’s Crit. Hist. vol. ii.
After this manner the Egyptian Monarch did place in their Banners the Figures of certain Animals, which by degrees were usher’d into their Religion and Temples. N. B. These Banners thus painted with different Animals, were fixt upon Poles, between their several Provinces, by which their Bounds were determined. Semiramis, being conquered by Staurobates, Antiquity feign’d she was changed by the Gods into a Dove, the Bird of Venus, which is the reason why the Dove was worshipped by the Babylonians, and why they gave it in their Ensign.
I Conclude this Part with some Instances, that are given of the Sottishness of Pagans in what they called religious Worship, which indeed is almost incredible, if they were not common, and well attested.—— The Egyptians did not only worship variety of Beasts, but also the Figures of them, as the Representatives of their Gods: Each City and District entertain’d a peculiar Devotion for some particular Beast or other, in honour of which they built Temples; yea, every one of the Pagan Deities had his own Beast, Tree and Plant consecrated to him. Thus the Pigeon was consecrated to Venus; the Dragon and Owl to Minerva; the Eagle to Jupiter; the Cock to Æsculapius and the Sun. This, says Jurieu, is the true Origin of the Egyptian Idolatry. Ibid. Who adds, The Egyptians assign’d to their Gods certain Animals, as their Representatives, and being introduced into the Temples, as the Images were in some Christian Churches, they at last began to worship them. This points out the Impiety of admitting any symbolical Representations of Divinity into Places of publick Worship.
Nothing more monstrous than the Divinity of the Pagans; their Gods were innumerable. Every thing on Earth, in the Sea, in the Heavens, yea, and in Hell, had their peculiar Gods. If Egyptians, who past for the wisest of Mortals, paid religious Adoration to meer Animals, not only to Serpents, but Apes, Wolves, yea, Dogs, Cats, ... and to Vegetables, as Onions, Garlick ... what shall we think of stupid Nations, who had no Claim to Wisdom?
Even in Athens (that celebrated Fountain of Light) were more Idols than in all Greece; yea, so numerous were their Idols, that they had almost as many Gods as Men[[432]].
[432]. Facilius possis Deum, quam hominem invenire.