f3



106 AK essaV on some ancient

the legend Isis Faria ; others display bulls,
and dogs^ and reptiles, and similar abomina-
tions of Egyptian Worship, " chatigmg the
glo^ry of the ihcorrtffrtible Odd into afif imag«
mdd^ like t6 cdrfuptible tttm, titd W birds,
dnd fbur-footed beast*, afnd cree^j^ing things."*
While sacrificing to one of bfe idHk^ Matf^s, t
T^n€^able BtehOp of Cohstattti^ple, blind with
dgft, ^tiH led by th^ har/d tb the healtb^i) altar,
^nd ther^ t^btiked the eraperdr op^ofly far his
^band&tiltent of GhrHt. '' Will jtmr G^fkm

* £p. to the Romans, i. S3. The Romans in the time of
Au^iiitns Ao not seem to liave as yet adopted any Bgy^Hah goSs.
Vhf^n te^resenti them is 6fet in op|K>sitid]H to tho^ of kdriiC) adi
cadis them monsters — *' omtiigenOmq : deUm numstra/' jEik
lib. iii. 698. " monstrous deities of all kinds." Several indi-
vldtials had a^dill'ereht tim^s attempted tO ii^trodhce this wdrslup:
hut in the 700 year of the city, a deei«e was promnlgMfed hy tke
senate that the fanes of Isis and Osiris, which they had erected,
should be torn down, and the worship abolished ; and aflerwaids
a decree was issued by Augustus, that the rites {terfonhedn
the pomsrium should be inhibited. — Dion* Hist. Rom. IHk xL 41
Tiberius proceeded further; he ordered all the statues to be
cast into the 'tyber, and the priests to be crucified. — Tacit. An.
l.b. ii. Suetbn : cat^. 36. In the days of St. Paul and Juf^ml,
howeter, their Worship was introduced ; the gods to whom ado-
ration was pud were cats, dogs, apes, oxen, beetles, onions,
leeks, And other vegetables, which occasioned the satirist to
exclaim.
Oh sanctas gentes, qtdbus hsee naficuhtur in hortis
Kutnina. Sat, xv. 1. 10.
