THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 273 Without thee, what were unenlightened man? THOMSON. What can be more gratifying than to become acquainted with the wonderful laws of matter and motion; with the grand mechanical powers; and the ingenious and admirable application of them to numberless purposes of human industry, convenience, and comfort? What more pleasing than to know the nature and properties of the element in which we live; to understand the laws on which the motion and pressure of fluids depend; to be able to ascertain the specific gravities, or the relative weight of different bodies; and to be made acquainted with those newly-discovered principles, by means of which the aspiring genius of man has dared to soar through the trackless regions of the air, and to explore, unhurt, the capacious bosom of the deep? What can be more interesting or more delightful, than to accompany the rays of light in their rapid journey from the sun; to observe the various effects of reflection and refraction; to analyze distinctly the principle of light; to grasp the fading colours of the rainbow; to understand the laws of vision; and to view the wonderful and happy application, which has been made of the grand principles of optics, to the promotion of physical and astronomical science? What more astonishing than the exquisite nature of that most subtile, all-pervading fluid, which, when collected, produces such powerful effects upon the human frame, which sports in the northern lights, and flashes amidst the storm; and which, by the penetrating genius and art of man, has even been rendered tractable and obedient to his will? To bę made acquainted with the surprising laws of magnetic bodies, with the polarity of the needle, and the amazing changes which a knowledge of this most remarkable property has ef fected in the widely-extended intercourse of different nations by means of improved navigation, are certainly objects of the greatest utility, and interesting and instructive in the highest degree. While you contemplate the admirable laws of the planetary system, you will, doubtless, be struck with reverence and awe at the great First Cause, which originally established, and which continually maintains them in order and in being. Curious to search what binds old Ocean's tides, You will take a pleasing survey of those grand movements in the heavenly bodies, to which the sweet interchange of day and night, the grateful succession of the seasons, the occurrence of eclipses, and the regular flowing and ebbing of the tides, may be justly ascribed. With the mind's eye you will even cast a glance into that universe of worlds, which, orbit within orbit, system combined with system, the daring genius of philosophy has ventured to descry in the regions of infinite space; and while absorbed in these sublime speculations, you will be ready to exclaim with the inspired poet of Israel, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth his handy work :" or to break forth in the beautiful strains of Thomson "These, as they change, Almighty Father, these Are but the varied God; the rolling year is full of Thee!" LESSON 126. Mythology. MYTHOLOGY Comprehends all those fabulous details concerning the objects of worship, which were invented and propagated by men who lived in the early ages of the world, and transmitted to succeeding generations, either by oral traditions, or written records. Fable is a creature of the human imagination, and owes its birth to that love of the marvellous, by which man is so peculiarly distinguished. Many circumstances conspired to extend and establish the empire of fable. The legislature employed fiction as the most effectual means of civilizing a rude world; philosophers, poets, and musicians, made this a vehicle of instruction to the savage tribes. A fondness for fable, and her attendants allegory and personification, early characterized the Orientals. The boldness and the extravagance of their mythology are to be attributed, in a great measure, to the genial warmth of the climate, and to the fertility of the soil; to the face of nature perpetually blooming around them; and to the opportunity they had of contemplating the heaven ly bodies, continually shining under a cloudless sky. These were soon considered as the residence of Divine intelligence, and worshipped, together with the elements, as deities. The historians of antiquity were all poets. To immortalize the heroes, whose deeds they described, they elevated them to the skies, and bestowed on them the names of the celestial luminaries. The sculptor and the painter exercised all their skill to encourage this strange delusion. The use of hieroglyphics was another fertile source of error. The minutest animals and plants were worshipped as emblems of Deity. QUESTIONS.-1. What does mythology comprehend? 2. What is Fable? 3. By whom, and for what ends, was fiction employed? 4. What characterized the Orientals, or eastern nations? 5. What occasioned their peculiar mythology? 6. Why did ancient historians encourage mythology? 7. To what other causes is this delusion to be attributed? LESSON 127. 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 absurd and ridiculous fancies. Most of these false gods, however, have now become forgotten, ́together with the nations that believed in them; but it is 276 ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL HEATHEN GO2 necessary to preserve a knowledge of the gods and goddesses worshipped by the Greeks and Romans, as they are much spoken of in the finest writings of antiquity, and are still frequently mentioned both in poetry and in prose. The most ancient of their gods were Cha'os, and his son Er'ebus; 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 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. Olym'pus, a mountain in Thes'saly. 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 drawn in his chariot by sea-horses, with his son Triton blowing a trumpet made of a shell, and dolphins playing round him. The dominions of Pluto, the god of the infernal regions, were divided into two parts, called Tar'tarus and Elys'ium. 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 A'cheron, over which the departed spirits were conveyed by an old boatman, named Cha'ron; and the further bank was also guarded by a dog with three heads, named Cer'berus. There were two remarkable rivers of Tartarus: one named Styx, which the gods used to swear by when they intended to make their oath very solemn; and another named Le'the, which caused whoever bathed in it to forget every thing that was past. Mars, 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 is the sun itself. As a mark of affection, he intrusted this chariot one day to his son Phaëton; 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 called also Phœbus, and Hype'rion; and is ACCOUNT OF THE PRINCIPAL HEATHEN GODS. 277 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 he is the god of eloquence; and was the god of trade, and thence also of thieves. He was called also Her'mes; and is represented as carrying a wand, called cadu'ceus, with two serpents twisting round it. Vulcan, the god of fire and of smiths, was the artificer of heaven; and made the thunderbolts of Jupiter, and the armour and palaces of the gods. It is said that one of his principal forges was within Mount Etna. He is called also Mul'ciber. The foregoing are the principal gods, but there were many of a second or still lower order. Bac'chus was the god of wine, and was crowned with leaves of the vine and the ivy. E'olus was the god of the winds: the north wind was called Bo'reas, the south wind Au'ster, the east wind Eu'rus, and the west wind Zeph'yrus. Mo'mus was the god of satire, and likewise of laughter and jokes. Plu'tus was the god of riches. Hy'men was the god of marriage: he is represented with the burning torch. Cu'pid was the god of love: he is represented as a beautiful child, but blind or hoodwinked, and carries a bow and arrows. Ja'nus, a god with two faces, looking forward and backward, had a temple which was open in time of war, and shut in peace. Escula'pius 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; and he is represented as having horns, and as carrying the musical instrument, now called Pan's pipes. There were other rural deities called Sat'yrs, Fauns, and Syl'vans: 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; the principal one of these was Her'cules; 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. |