IshallherecompriseallthatIconsiderworthyofobservationonthissubject.I.Themost eruditeJ.LeClerc,inhisnotesonHesiod'sTheogony,p.3.andp.37.38.considers Herodotustobemistake,whenliesaysthatthecrudenotionsoftheGreeks,concerning thegenerationandoriginofthegodsproceededfirstfromHomerandHesiod.Beforehis time,theaccountgivenbyHerodotushadbeenalreadycalledintoquestionbyEverard. reithinhisAntiq.Homericae,lib.1,cap.1.p.4.Bothpoets,itiscertain,relatewhattheysay ofthegods,notassomethingnewandoftheirowninvention;henceitisprobablethatthey merelyexhibitedinanewdressmattersalreadyknownamongtheGreeks.ILFormypartI considerthatanyonewhoonlyreadsHesiodattentivelywillcometoarightconclusionon theoriginofthosepoemswhichtheGreekscalltheogonies.ThewholeofHesiod'spoem entitled"Theogony"consistsoftheopinionsoftheancientphilosophersonthefirst principlesofthings,ofthefablesoftheGreeksconcerningtheancientheroesandgods,and ofpoeticfiguresandfictions,withoutanyregardtoorderorsystem.

Inthispoemare evidentlyinterspersedtheseedsandprinciplesoftheancientphilosophy,butthepoet endeavourstoadapttothesethenotionscurrentamongtheGreeksofhistimeconcerning thegods.Itappearstome,therefore,thatthechiefobjectofthosewhowrotetheogonies wastoblendthefablesoftheGreeksrespectingtheirancientheroesandgodswiththe physicaldogmasofthetimes,andtoshowthattheywerenotopposedtoeachother,orin otherwords,tocombinethereligionofthecommonpeoplewiththosedogmasof philosophy,whichalonetheyconsideredtobetrue.Henceitisclear,whysome philosophersalsoofeminentintellect,suchasParmenides,Orpheus,andothers,composed theogonies.Theyendeavouredtoreconcile,asitwere,theirownpreceptsonthenatureof thingswiththereligiousopinionsofthemultitude,andasthesepreceptswerenotthesame amongall,itthereforehappened,thatvarioustheogonieswerealsoputforth,andthatall thosewhocomposedpoemsofthekinddidnotholdthesameopinionsontheoriginand therelationsofthegods.AmongtheGreeks,asamongalmostallnations,therewereno doubtcertainoldpoemsontheexploitsandfortunesoftheirancientheroes,nowrankedby themamongthegods,whichpoemstheyusedfrequentlytorecite.Buttherewerealso currentamongthesamecertainaxiomsanddogmas,importednodoubtfromPhoenicia,on thenatureandfirstprinciplesofthings.Bothoftheseweremadeuseofbythefirstwriters oftheogonies,whoblendedwhatwashandeddowninthepoemsoftheirancestors concerningJupiter,Saturn,andothergods,withphilosophicalopinions,andthatwith differentdegreesofingenuityandembellishment.ThiscoursewasadoptedbythoseGreeks who,atalaterperiod,entereduponnewsystemsofphilosophy,andwho,toavoidpopular odiumandatthesametimetopropagateandgiveauthoritytotheirownopinions,thought itbesttoadaptthesetothehistoryofthegods,inthesamewayasHesiodhaddone heretofore.Thisthereforebeingthecase,

.THE TRUE

INTELLECTUAL SYSTEM
UNIVERSE :
ALL THE REASOX AND PHILOSOPHY OF ATHEISM IS CONFUTED,

AND ITS IAfP088IBILITY DNONSTRATED,

ETERNAL AND IMMUTABLE MORALITP.

ar

RALPH CUDWORTH, D.D.

TO WRlCH ARV ADDED,

THE NOTE% AND DIEIEIERTATIONS OF DR *,...MOSHEIM, J. L . . . ,

n u n a l , A r E D BY

i JOHN

WITH A COPIOUS GENEFLAL INDEX

. :..: . :*.: . .' .. ,. , . ,....' .' . : :.....'.. . .., ..': :...: :: HARRIBON. Yk : ,.. .... .. TO THE ~~~f;.~@k$:*:':';~ .... .;:.,/..:-.. .. . .
' '"* ,

::::.

*: *.

.*

-a .: , :

'

I N THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. 11.

LONDON : P R I N T E D FOR THOMAS TEGG,

73, CHEAPSIDE.

1845.