nations of divinity, they affected to particularize each by some
title; and to worship the Deity by his attributes. This gave rise to a
multiplicity of Gods: for the more curious they were in their
disquisitions, the greater was the number of these substitutes. Many of
them at first were designed for mere titles: others, as I before mentioned,
were [Greek: aporrhoiai], derivatives, and emanations: all which in time
were esteemed distinct beings, and gave rise to a most inconsistent system
of Polytheism. The Grecians, who received their religion from Egypt and the
east, misconstrued every thing which was imported; and added to these
absurdities largely. They adopted Deities, to whose pretended attributes
they were totally strangers; whose names they could not articulate, or
spell. They did not know how to arrange the elements, of which the words
were composed. Hence it was, that Solon the Wise could not escape the
bitter, but just censure of the priest in Egypt, who accused both him, and
the Grecians in general, of the grossest puerility and ignorance.
[917][Greek: O Solon, Solon, Hellenes este paides aei, geron de Hellen ouk
esti, neoi te psuchas hapantes; oudemian gar en heautois echete palaian
doxan, oude mathema chronoi polion ouden]. The truth of this allegation may
be proved both from the uncertainty, and inconsistency of the antients in
the accounts of their Deities. Of this uncertainty Herodotus takes notice.
[918][Greek: Enthende egeneto hekastos ton theon, eite d' aei esan pantes,
hokoioi de tines ta eidea, ouk episteato mechri hou proen te kai chthes,
hos eipein logoi.] He attributes to Homer, and to Hesiod, the various names
and distinctions of the Gods, and that endless polytheism which prevailed.
[919][Greek: Outoi de eisi, hoi poiesantes theogonian Hellesi, kai toisi
Theoisi tas eponumias dontes, kai timas te kai technas dielontes, kai eidea
auton semeinantes.] This blindness in regard to their own theology, and to
that of the countries, whence they borrowed, led them to misapply the
terms, which they had received, and to make a God out of every title. But
however they may have separated, and distinguished them under different
personages, they are all plainly resolvable into one Deity, the Sun. The
same is to be observed in the Gods of the Romans. This may in great measure
be proved from the current accounts of their own writers; if we attend a
little closely to what they say: but it will appear more manifest