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
1'able. When Epaphus, a Son of Jupiter, reproached
him in a quarrel, that he boafted in vain of Sol be¬
ing his father; and that it was a pretence of his
mother to cover her adultery; he, being provoked
by the (lander, and perfuaded by the advice of his
mother, went to the palace of the Sun, to bring
indubitable mirks of his family. The Sun received
him kindly, aad owned him as his, withal, fwear-
ing by the Strgian Lake, that he would deny no¬
thing that he jhould alkv as a proof of his fatherly
affedlion. Phieton immediately deiired the liber¬
ty of governing his father’s chariot for one day.
Phoebus beiig bound by a folemn oath, which
it was unlawfJl for any of the gods to violate, be¬
wailing the radinefs of the youth, and ufing his ad¬
monitions and potter counfels in.vain, at Tall, un¬
willingly, gratjted what he could not deny.
Phaeton, trapfported with joy, mounts the cha¬
riot, and takin; the reins, began to lafh the flam¬
ing (feeds; bul they, then finding him ignorant of
driving, ran away, and fet on (ire both heaven and
earth. Jupiter that he might put an end to the
conflagration, (tuck the author of it with a thun¬
der-bolt, and pncipitated him into the river Po.
While the fifterslimmoderately lament this misfor¬
tune at the brinls of the river, by the pity of the
gods, they are timed into poplar-trees, weeping
amber inliead ofltears.
Ey this fable tie ambitious are tanjht, what e-
vcnt they ought to expehf, who raife themfelves
higher than becomes them.
He had by Ncara a daughter Pafiphae, married
to Minos, king oftlrete. She, being inflamed with
the love of a bull| and obtaining her defire by the
jtrt of Daedalus, vjio had inclofcd her in a w ooden
cow