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

T H E H I S T O R Y 0 F
•which the terrible monfter was bridleil. Befides,
in all the temples almoft, wherein Serapis and Ifis :
were worflripped, an image was feen, which hav-.
ing put its linger on its lips, feemed to enjoin fi-
lence. By this they meant, as Varro thinks, that
none fliould dare to fay, that thefe gods were for¬
merly men: and it was provided by a law, under
the penalty of death, that none Ihould fay, that
Serapis was once a mortal.
Apis, of whom we fpoke above, was king of the
Argives, who being tranfported thence into Egypt,
became Serapis, the greateft of all the gods of the
Egyptians. After his death, fucceeded the ox,
which we mentioned before, whofe form and qua¬
lities, Pliny deferibes; but that is not material to
our purpofe.
f
APPENDIX,