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. i3
cow for that purpofe, brought forth a minotaur, a
monitor, refembling a man in the middle part ef
the body, and a bull in the reft. The occafion of
the fable was; Pafiphae bore twins in the boufe of
Daedalus; the one like her hufband Minos, the o-
ther refembling one called Taurus, her gallant.
Circe, the molt Ikilful of all forcerefles, was alfo
a daughtef of his by Perl'e. This Circe killed her
hulband, king of the Sarmatians, with poifon; and
being therefore expelled the kingdom by her fub-
jedts, flying into Italy, (lie fixed her feat upon the
promontory Circaeum. Here (he faw and loved the
lea-god Glaucus, who at that time admired Scylla.
Circe, raging wdth love, having poifoned the wa¬
ters, where her rivhl ufed to wafli, turned the
Nymph into a fea monfter. She entertained Ulyl-
| fes, with great civility, who was driven into that
place by the violence of a ftorm, and at his requeft,
i reftored all his companions, whom (lie had changed
into hogs, bears, wolves, and other beads of that
kind, to their former lhapes again. She fet upon U-
lyfies himfelf,butrin vain; for he was armed againlt
all her aflaults. She is alfo faid to have drawn down
; the very liars from heaven, by her inchantments:
that hence it may appear more clearly, that by vo-
luptuoufnefs, of which Ihe is an emblem, men be¬
came ravenous and filthy beads; and that thofc,
who, with the luflre of their virtues and wit, flhine
in the world, as flats in th« firmament, if once
they addidl themfelves to obfcene pleafures, are e-
clipfed by the clouds of their vices, and fall, as it
were from heaven, into obfcurity itfelf.
The Horx were alfo reputed the daughters of Sol
and Chronis, who early in fhe morning, prepare the
fi1 chariot and horfes for their father, and open the
;; gates’ of the day. M E R C U R. \’.