mal, except the dog, dared to eat the remains of the feast, so profound was the respect for Apis: the dog, not so scrupulous, swallowed the god without hesitation. The Egyptians, as may be imagined, were exceedingly scandalised at this want of reverence, and Anubis lost much of his credit.

The dog, however, still bears the honour of being always in the heavens, under the names of the great and little dog. We regularly record the dog-days.

But of all dogs Cerberus has had the greatest reputation; he had three heads. We have remarked, that anciently, all went by threes-Isis, Osiris, and Orus, the three first Egyptian divinities; the three brother gods of the Greek world, Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto; the three Fates, the three Furies, the three Graces, the three judges of hell, and the three heads of this infernal dog.

We perceive here, with grief, that we have omitted the article cats; but we console ourselves by referring to their history.* We will only remark, that there are no cats in the heavens as there are goats, crabs, bulls, rams, eagles, lions, fishes, hares, and dogs; but, in recompense, the cat has been consecrated, or revered, or adored (de dulie) as partaking of divinity or saintship in several towns, and (de latrie) as altogether divine by no small number of women.

DOGMAS.

We know that all belief taught by the church is a dogma which we must embrace. It is a pity that there are dogmas received by the Latin church, and rejected by the Greek. But if unanimity is wanting, charity replaces it. It is, above all, between hearts, that union is required.

I think that we can relate a dream to the purpose, which has already found favour in the estimation of many peaceably disposed persons.

"On the 18th of February, in the year 1763 of the

* By Moncrieffe, of the French Academy.

vulgar era, the sun entering the sign of the fishes, I was transported to heaven, as all my friends can bear witness. The mare Borac, of Mahomet, was not my steed, neither was the fiery chariot of Elijah my carriage. I was not carried on the elephant of Somonocodom, the Siamese; on the horse of St. George, the patron of England; nor on St. Anthony's pig. I avow with frankness that my journey was made I know not how.

"It will be easily believed that I was dazzled; but it will not so easily be credited that I witnessed the judgment of the dead. And who were the judges? they were-do not be displeased at it-all those who have done good to man. Confucius, Solon, Socrates, Titus, Antoninus, Epictetus, Charron, De Thou, Chancellor de l'Hospital, and all the great men who, having taught and practised the virtues that God requires, seemed to be the only persons possessing the right of pronouncing his decrees.

"I shall not describe on what thrones they were seated, nor how many celestial beings were prostrated before the eternal architect of all worlds, nor what a crowd of the inhabitants of these innumerable worlds appeared before the judges. I shall not even give an account of several little interesting peculiarities which were exceedingly striking.

"I remarked that every spirit who pleaded his cause, and displayed his specious pretensions, had beside him all the witnesses of his actions. For example, when cardinal Lorraine boasted of having caused some of his opinions to be adopted by the council of Trent, and demanded eternal life as the price of his orthodoxy, there immediately appeared around him twenty ladies of the court, all bearing on their foreheads the number of their interviews with the cardinal. I also saw those who had concerted with him the foundations of the infamous league. All the accomplices of his wicked designs surrounded him.

"Over against cardinal Lorraine was John Calvin, who boasted, in his gross patois, of having trampled upon the papal idol, after others had overthrown it.

'I have written against painting and sculpture,' said he; I have made it apparent that good works are of no avail, and I have proved that it is diabolical to dance a minuet. Send away cardinal Lorraine quickly, and place me by the side of St. Paul.'

"As he spoke, there appeared by his side a lighted pile: a dreadful spectre, wearing round his neck a Spanish frill, arose half burnt from the midst of the flames, with dreadful shrieks. 'Monster,' cried he; ⚫ execrable monster, tremble! recognise that Servetus, whom thou caused'st to perish by the most cruel torments, because he had disputed with thee on the manner in which three persons can form one substance.' Then all the judges commanded that cardinal Lorraine should be thrown into the abyss, but that Calvin should be punished still more rigorously.*

"I saw a prodigious crowd of spirits, each of which said, 'I have believed, I have believed!' but on their foreheads it was written, 'I have acted,' and they were condemned.

"The jesuit Le Tellier appeared boldly with the bull Unigenitus in his hand. But there suddenly arose at his side a heap, consisting of two thousand lettres-decachet. A jansenist set fire to them, and Le Tellier was burnt to a cinder; while the jansenist, who had no less caballed than the jesuit, had his share of the flames.

"I saw approach, from right and left, troops of fakirs, talapoins, bonzes, and black, white, and grey monks, who all imagined that, to make their court to the Supreme Being, they must either sing, scourge themselves, or walk quite naked. What good have you done to men?' was the query. A dead silence succeeded to this question. No one dared to answer; and they were all conducted to the mad-houses of the universe, the largest buildings imaginable.

"One cried out that he believed in the metamorphoses

*This is not just. Cardinal Lorraine had lighted more piles than Calvin. French Editor.-True; but he did not betray private correspondence, and sacrifice a former friend let them, however, be served both alike.-T.

Bac

of Xaca, another in those of Somonocodom. chus stopped the sun and moon!' said this one- The gods resuscitated Pelops!' said the other— Here is the bull in cœna Domini!' said a new comer-and the officer of the court exclaimed, "To Bedlam, to Bedlam!'

"When all these causes were gone through, I heard this proclamation:- By the eternal Creator, Preserver, Rewarder, Revenger, Forgiver, &c. be it known to all the inhabitants of the hundred thousand millions of millions of worlds that it hath pleased us to form, that we never judge any sinners in reference to their own shallow ideas, but only as to their actions. Such is our JUSTICE.'

"I own that this was the first time I ever heard such an edict; all those which I had read, on the little grain of dust on which I was born, ended with these words: Such is our PLEASURE.'

DONATIONS.

THE Roman republic, which seized so many states, also gave some away. Scipio made Massinissa king

of Numidia.

Lucullus, Sylla, and Pompey, each gave away half a dozen kingdoms. Cleopatra received Egypt from Cæsar. Antony, and afterwards Octavius, gave the little kingdom of Judea to Herod.

Under Trajan, the famous medal was struck of regna assignata, kingdoms bestowed.

Cities and provinces given in sovereignty to priests and to colleges, for the greater glory of God, or of the gods, are seen in every country. Mahomet, and the caliphs his vicars, took possession of many states in the propagation of their faith, but they did not make donations of them. They held by nothing but their Koran and their sabre.

The christian religion, which was at first a society. of poor people, existed for a long time on alms alone. The first donation was that of Ananias and Sapphira

his wife. It was in ready money, and was not prosperous to the donors.

The Donation of Constantine.

The celebrated donation of Rome and all Italy to pope Sylvester by the emperor Constantine, was maintained as a part of the creed of Rome until the sixteenth century. It was believed that Constantine, being at Nicomedia, was cured of a leprosy at Rome by the baptism which he received from bishop Sylvester, though he was not baptised at all; and that by way of recompense, he gave forthwith the city of Rome and all its western provinces, to this Sylvester. If the deed of this donation had been drawn up by the doctor of the Italian comedy, it could not have been more pleasantly conceived. It is added, that Constantine declared all the canons of Rome consuls and patricians "patricios et consules effici"-that he himself held the bridle of the mare on which the new bishop was mounted-" tenentes frenum equi illius."*

It is astonishing to reflect, that this fine story was held an article of faith, and respected by the rest of Europe for eight centuries, and that the church persecuted as heretics all those who doubted it.

Donation of Pepin.

At present people are no longer persecuted for doubting that Pepin the usurper gave, or was able to give, the exarchate of Ravenna to the pope. It is at most an evil thought, a venial sin, which does not endanger the loss of body or of soul.

The reasoning of the German lawyers, who have scruples in regard to this donation, is as follows:

First. The librarian Anastatius, whose evidence is always cited, wrote one hundred and forty years after the event.

Secondly. It is not likely that Pepin, who was not firmly established in France, and against whom Aqui

* See the "Essay on Manners," &c. vol. i. pages 363, 364, in which this donation is translated.