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V.-Account of the Principal Heathen Gods.

BEFORE the birth of our Saviour, the Jews were the only nation of the world who worshipped the true God. All the other nations worshipped different imaginary beings which existed only in their uninstructed fancies. Most of these false gods have now become forgotten, together with the nations that believed in them; yet it is necessary to preserve a knowledge of the imaginary gods and goddesses worshipped by the Greeks and Romans, as they are much spoken of in the finest writings of antiquity, and are still occasionally mentioned both in poetry and prose. The most ancient of these their ideal gods were Chaos, and his son Erebus; or, confusion, and darkness. Saturn, one of their descendants, is the same as Time: his reign is called the Golden Age; and it is said, that the earth then produced corn and fruits without labour, and justice prevailed among all mankind. Saturn was said to be deposed by his son Jupiter, called also Jove; who then divided his father's power between himself and his two brothers, Neptune and Pluto. Jupiter was to reign over heaven; and he was said to hold his court, or council of the gods, on the top of Olympus, a mountain in Thessaly. He is called, by the ancient poets, the king of gods and men; and the eagle is represented as being the bearer of his thunderbolts. Neptune, the god of the sea, is represented with a trident, or fork with three teeth, in his hand, instead of a sceptre. He was supposed to be drawn in a chariot by sea-horses, with his son, Triton, blowing a trumpet made of shell, and dolphins playing round him. The dominions of Pluto, the god of the infernal regions, were called Tartarus and Elysium. Tartarus was the place where the souls of the wicked were punished, and Elysium was the scene of perpetual happiness allotted to the good. The passage from the earth to these regions was across the river Acheron, over which the departed spirits were conveyed by an old boatman, named Charon; and the further bank was also guarded by a dog with three heads, named Cerberus. There were two remarkable rivers of hell; one named Styx, which the gods used to swear by when they intended to make their oath very solemn; and another named Lethe, which caused who

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ever bathed in it to forget what was past. be the son of Jupiter, was the god of war. Apollo, likewise the son of Jupiter, was the god of music, poetry, and medicine. He is also represented as driving the chariot of the sun, drawn by four horses abreast; or rather, he was the sun itself. A story is told of him, that as a mark of affection, he intrusted this chariot one day to his son Phaeton; who was killed by being thrown out of it, but not till after he had set a part of the earth on fire. Apollo is also called Phoebus, and Hyperion; and is represented as a beautiful young man without a beard, and with graceful hair. Mercury, a son of Jupiter, was the messenger of the gods; and is therefore represented with wings to his cap and his feet. He was said to be the inventor of letters, and hence is the god of eloquence; and was the god of trade, and thence also of thieves. He was called also Hermes; and is represented as carrying a wand, called caduceus, with two serpents twisted round it. Vulcan, the god of fire and smiths, was the artificer of heaven: and made the thunderbolts of Jupiter, and the armour and palaces of the gods. His name and occupation are supposed to be derived from some obscure tradition of Tubal-Cain, one of the descendants of Cain, who was an in structor of every artificer in brass and iron. He once, as the story is told, offended Jupiter, who kicked him out of heaven; and falling on the island of Lemnos, he broke his leg, and was lame ever after. It is said that one of his principal forges was within Mount Etna. He is called also Mulciber.

The foregoing are the principal gods of this strange system of mythology, but there were many of a second or still lower order. Thus, Bacchus was the god of wine, and was crowned with leaves of the vine and the ivy. Eolus was the god of the winds: the north wind was called Boreas, the south wind Auster, the east wind Eurus, and the west wind Zephyrus. Momus was the god of satire, and likewise of laughter and jokes. Plutus was the god of riches. Hymen was the god of marriage: he is represented with the burning torch. Cupid was the god of love; he is represented as a beautiful child, but blind or hoodwinked, and carries a bow and arrows. Janus, a god with two faces, looking forward and backward,

had a temple which was open in time of war, and shut in peace. Esculapius was an inferior god of medicine, below Apollo: he is represented as accompanied by a serpent, which was thought the most long-lived of all animals. Pan was the god of shepherds; his lower parts have the figure of a goat; and he is represented as having horns, and as carrying a musical instrument similar to that now called Pan's pipes. There were other rural deities, called Satyrs, Fawns, and Sylvans; their figures were half man and half goat, and they dwelt chiefly in forests. Every river, also, was supposed to have its own god; who was drawn with a long beard, a crown of reeds, and leaning on an urn. There were likewise a great number of demi-gods, or half-gods, who were supposed to have a god for their father, and a woman for their mother: the principal one of these was Hercules; who was accounted the god of strength, from his having performed some wonderful undertakings, called his Twelve Labours. He is represented leaning on a large club, and wearing a lion's skin. BALDWIN.

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VI.-Account of the Principal Heathen Goddesses. JUNO was said to be the wife of Jupiter, and, of course, the queen of heaven. She is represented as drawn by peacocks in a chariot of gold. Her favourite messenger was Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. Minerva, a daughter of Jupiter, was the goddess of wisdom and of war. She was represented in complete armour, bearing a shield (called ægis) with a head on it, so terrible, that every one who looked on it was said to be turned into stone. She was likewise the patroness of spinning, needle-work, and embroidery. She was called also Pallas, and her principal emblem was an owl. Diana was the twin-sister of Apollo; and as he drove the chariot of the sun, so she presided in that of the moon. She was the goddess of hunting, and is drawn as carrying a bow and arrows, with a half-moon as an ornament on her forehead, and attended by several nymphs as her companions, and by her hounds; she was likewise called the goddess of chastity. She is called also Phoebe, and Cynthia, from

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having been born on Mount Cynthus; and she had a very famous temple at Ephesus, which is mentioned in the New Testament, in the 19th chapter of the Acts. Venus was the goddess of beauty and of love, and the wife of Vulcan, and mother of Cupid: her chariot was drawn by doves, and the myrtle was sacred to her. She is said to have sprung from the sea, near the island of Cythera; and her most celebrated temple was at the city of Paphos, in the island of Cyprus: hence she is called also Cytherea; and the Paphian, or Cyprian goddess. She was famous for her cestus, or girdle; which had the power of giving to any female who wore it irresistible charms in the eyes of whomsoever she wished to please: but young women may still find the true girdle of Venus to be good humour. Vesta was the goddess of the earth and of fire. In her temple at Rome, a perpetual fire was maintained, which was kindled from the rays of the sun, and was constantly watched by priests chosen from the most noble families. They were called Vestal virgins, and had very great honours and privileges. Ceres was the goddess of corn and of harvests. Cybele was one of the most ancient of the goddesses, being the wife of Saturn; and in some respects represents the earth. She is displayed as crowned with towers, holding a key in her hand, and drawn in a chariot by lions. Proserpine was the wife of Pluto, and, of course, the queen of the infernal regions. She was the daughter of Ceres. Amphitrite was the wife of Neptune. Her sister was Thetis, another sea-goddess; and hence when the sun sets, he is said to sink into the lap of Thetis.

Flora was the goddess of flowers, and Pomona of fruits. Bellona was an inferior goddess of war. Aurora was the goddess of morning, or rather of day-break. Themis, the sister of Saturn, was the goddess of righteousness and justice: her daughter Astrea also represented justice; she is sometimes called the Virgin, and in this character has a place amongst the stars, being denoted by the constellation Virgo (or the virgin). Hygeia was the goddess of health. Hebe was the goddess of youth, and was cupbearer to Jupiter.

Ate was the goddess of mischief. The Muses were nine virgin goddesses who presided over every kind of

learning, and in that character attended on Apollo. They were sisters: the principal of them were Clio, who was the muse of history; Thalia of comedy; Melpomene of tragedy; Terpsichore of dancing; and Urania of mathematics and astronomy. They are sometimes called merely the Nine, in reference to their number. Parnassus and Helicon were two mountains sacred to Apollo and the Muses; at the feet of which flowed two streams, whose waters were supposed to communicate the inspiration of prophecy or of poetry. Pegasus was a winged horse of the Muses. The Graces were three sisters, likewise virgins. They were supposed to give its attractive charms to beauty of every kind, and so dispense the gift of pleasing. The Furies were three sisters of a very different character: they were the most deformed and horrible of all the imaginary deities. Instead of hair they had snakes hanging from their heads. They carried chains and whips with lashes of iron or of scorpions in one hand, and lighted torches in the other. They were supposed to be the bearers of the vengeance of heaven. The Destinies or Fates were also three sisters, of whom one was represented as holding a distaff; another drawing from it a thread signifying the life of man; and the third with a pair of shears, ready to cut the thread whenever she should choose. The Dryads and Hamadryads were rural goddesses, each having a single tree in her charge. The Naiads were goddesses presiding over springs, wells, and fountains; each in the same manner having one under her care. The Nereids were inferior goddesses of the sea. BALDWIN.

VII.-Life of John Howard.

JOHN HOWARD, the philanthropist, who, imitating the divine example of Christ, went about doing good, and who has left a fame of richer odour and more celestial hue than that which encircles the names of heroes and con querors, was born at Hackney in 1726. He was left a small competency by his father, which, along with the delicate state of his health, induced him to forego the business of a grocer, to which he was apprenticed. Though

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