came in a Form most ignoble and bafe, an Object full of Contempt and Scorn, resembling indeed a miferable Cuckoo weather-beaten with Rain and Tempeft, numbed, quaking, and half dead with Cold.

This Fable is wife, and feems to be taken out of the Bowels of Morality; the Sense of it being this, That Men boast not too much of themselves, thinking by Oftentation of their own Worth, to infinuate themselves into Eftimation and Favour with Men. The Success of fuch Intentions being for the most part measured by the Nature and Difpofition of those to whom Men fue for Grace; who, if of themselves they be endowed with no Gifts and Ornaments of Nature, but are only of haughty and malignant Spirits, (intimated by the Perfon of Juno,) then are Suitors to know that it is good Policy to omit all kind of Appearance that may any way fhow their own leaft Praise or Worth, and that they much deceive themselves in taking any other Course. Neither is it enough to fhew Deformity in Obfequiousness, unless they also appear even abject and base in their very Perfons.

XVII. Cupid, or an Atom.

HAT which the Poets fay of Cupid, or Love, cannot properly be attributed to one and the self fame Perfon; and yet the Difference is fuch, that (by rejecting the Confufion of Perfons,) the Similitude may be received.

They fay, that Love is the ancienteft of all the Gods, and of all things elfe, except Chaos, which they hold to be a Contemporary with it. Now as touching Chaos, that by the Ancients was never dignified with Divine Honour, or with the Title of the God. And as for Love, they abfolutely bring him in without a Father; only fome are of opinion, that he came of an Egg that was laid by Nox, and that on Chaos he begat the God, and all things elfe. There are four things attributed to him, perpetual Infancy, Blindness, Nakedness, and Archery. There was also another Love, which was the youngest of the Gods, and he, they fay, was the Son of Venus. On this alfo they beftow the Attributes of the elder Love, as in fome fort will apply unto him.

This Fable tends, and looks to the Cradle of Nature, Love feeming to be the Appetite or Defire of the first Matter, or (to speak more plain) the natural motion of the Atom, which is that Ancient and only Power that Forms and Fashions all things

out of Matter, of which there is no Parent, that is to fay, no Cause, seeing every Cause is as a Parent to its Effect. Of this Power or Virtue there can be no Cause in Nature (as for God, we always except him,) for nothing was before it, and therefore no efficient Cause of it. Neither was there any thing better known to Nature, and therefore neither Genus nor Form. Wherefore whatsoever it is, positive it is, and but inexpreffible. Moreover, if the manner and proceeding of it were to be conceived, yet could it not be by any Cause, seeing that (next unto God,) it is the Cause of Causes, it felf only without any Cause. And perchance there is no likelihood that the manner of it may be contained or comprehended within the narrow compass of human Search. Not without reason therefore it is feigned to come of an Egg which was laid by Nox. Certainly the Divine Philofopher grants so much.

Eccl. 3. 11. Cuneta fecit tempeftatibus fuis pulchra, et mundum tradidit difputationibus eorum, ita tamen ut non inveniat homo opus, quod operatus eft Deus à principio ad finem. That is, he hath made every thing beautiful in their Seafons, alfo he hath fet the World in their Meditations; yet Man cannot find the Work that God hath wrought, from the Beginning even to the End: For the principal Law of Nature, or Power of this Defire, created (by God,) in these parcels of things, for concurring and meeting together, (from whofe Repetitions and Multiplications all Variety of Creatures proceeded, and were composed,) may dazzle the Eyes

of Men's Understandings, and comprehended it can hardly be. The Greek Philofophers are obferved to be very acute and diligent in fearching out the material Principles of things; but in the beginnings of Motion (wherein confifts all the efficacy of Operation,) they are negligent and weak, and in this that we handle, they seem to be altogether blind, and ftammering; for the Opinion of the Peripateticks concerning the appetite of Matter, caused by Privation, is in a manner nothing elfe but Words, which rather found, than fignify any Reality. And those that refer it unto God, do very well; but then they leap up, they afcend not by degrees; for doubtlefs there is one chief Law fubordinate to God, in which all natural things concur and meet, the fame that in the forecited Scripture is demonftrated in thefe Words, Opus quod operatus eft Deus à principio ufque ad finem; the Work that God hath wrought from the Beginning even to the End. But Democritus, which entered more deeply into the Confideration of this Point, after he had conceived an Atom, with some small Dimenfion and Form, he attributed unto it one only Defire, or firft Motion, fimply, or abfolutely, and another comparatively, or in respect; for he thought that all things did properly tend to the Centre of the World, whereof those Bodies which were more material, descend with fwifter Motion, and those that had lefs Matter, did, on the contrary, tend upward. But this Meditation was very shallow, containing less than was expedient; for neither the turning of the Celestial

Bodies in a round, nor fhutting and opening of things, may seem to be reduced or applied to this Beginning. And as for that opinion of Epicurus, concerning the casual Declination and Agitation of the Atcm, it is but a mere Toy, and a plain Evidence, that he was ignorant of that Point. It is therefore more apparent (than we could wish,) that this Cupid, or Love, remains as yet clouded under the shades of Night. Now as concerning his Attributes, He is elegantly described with perpetual Infancy, or Childhood; because compound Bodies they seem greater, and more ftricken in Years: Whereas the first Seeds of things, or Atoms, they are little and diminute, and also in their Infancy.

He is also well feigned to be naked, because all compound Bodies, to a Man rightly judging, seem to be apparelled and clothed, and nothing to be properly naked but the first Particles of things.

Concerning his Blindness, the Allegory is full of Wisdom; for this Love, or Defire (whatsoever it be) seems to have but little Providence, as directing his Pace and Motion by that which it perceives nearest; not unlike blind Men that go by feeling: More admirable then, must that chief divine Providence be, which (from things empty and destitute of Providence, and as it were blind), by a constant and fatal Law, produceth so excellent an Order and Beauty of Things.

The last thing which is attributed to Love, is Archery; by which is meant, that his Virtue is such, as that it works upon a distant Object; because that whatsoever operates afar off, seems to shoot,