Curiosities & wonders > History of the heathen gods and heroes of antiquity, very necessary for understanding the writings of the ancients, and the modern English poets

THE HEATHEN GODS. u
He was educated, as well as born, upon Ida, a
mountain of Crete ; but by whom, there are a
great variety of opinions.
There are fome who affirm, that he was nurfed
by the Curetes, or Corybantes; fome, by the
Nymphs, and fome, by Ama'thaea, daughter of
Meliflus, king of that ifland. Others, on the con¬
trary, have recorded, that he was fed by the bees
with honey; others by goat’s milk; others by
doves; not a few, by an eagle; and many, by a
bear. It is the opinion of fome, that Amalthaea
was not a young princefs royal, but the very goat
which fuckled Jupiter; whofe horn he is faid to
have given afterwards to his nurfes, with this ad¬
mirable privilege, that whoever poffieffied it, fhould
immediately obtain whatever he defired. They
add befides, that, the goat being dead, and herfkin
pulled off. Jupiter made of it a fhield, called JE-
gis, which he ufed afterwards in the battle againft
the giants; and, that he placed her at laft, reftor-
ed again to life, among the conftellations.
As to his actions worthy of memory, having fuW
dued the Titans and giants in war, he delivered
his father from imprifonment, but afterwards de-
i poled him from the throne, and expelled him the
; kingdom, becaufe he had formed a confpiracy a-
tgainft him ; and then divided the paternal inheri-
itance with his two brothers Neptune and Pluto.
Hie fo obliged and affifted mankind by great fa¬
vours, that he not only got the name of Jupiter,
:but alfo obtained divine honours, and was efteem-
;ed the common father of gods and men. Among
.his celebrated exploits, was the punilhment of Ly
icaon, king of Arcadia For, when a rumour came
iinp to heaven concerning the wickednefs and im-