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

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THE HISTORY OF
piety of mortals, beinj to fearch the truth more
certainly, he is fair! to have defcended, and ranged
the whole earth in a human lhape. At lull: enter¬
ing Lycaon’s houfe, and declaring himlelf a God,
whilft others were preparing facritices, he was de¬
rided by the king; who, with a delign of proving
the divinity of the pretended deity, killed one of
his own domefticks, and ferved up his flelli roafted
and boiled to table before Jupiter, for his enter¬
tainment.
But the god, abhorring the barbarity of the
man, fent forth his thunder, fired the palace, and
turned his majefty himfelf into a wolf.
His other actions are very lewd and dilhonoura-
ble ; for haidly was there any kind of wickednefs
whereof he had not been guilty ; or mark of infa¬
my, wherewith he is not branded.
1 (hall mention only a few of many. In the
fhape of a crow he debauched his fitter Juno, who
was deluded by the hope and promifes of marriage;
as many ladies are. He raviihed Danae, daugh¬
ter of Acrifius, king of the Argives, being turned
into a golden ihower. He alfo transformed into a
fwan, corrupted Leda, wife of Tindarus, king ot
Laconia. He deflowered Antiope, married to Ly¬
cos, king of Thebes, in the perfon of a fatyr. He
defiled Alcmena, Amphitrion’s wife, in the iike-
nefs of her hulband. He inflamed Hcgina, daugh¬
ter of aEfopus, king of Boeotia, hi the fimilitude
of fire. He abufed Clytoris, a Theflalian virgin of
great beauty, in the ihape of an ant. He offered
violence to Califto, daughter of Lycaon, king ot
Arcadia, and counterfeiting the modefty and Coun¬
tenance of Diana, robbed her of her virginity.
When (he was obliged to waib in a fountain, to¬
gether