1a famous Temple, in which ftood the Statue
of Dercetis (the ſame that is called in Scripture
Dagon) with his upper Parts like a Man, and
his lower like a Fiſh; who was thus honoured,
becauſe from that Place he threw himſelf into
the Lake: And if any Sytian taſted of the
Fiſh that was in it, he was looked upon as ex
communicate. The Mutinii, or ancient Mo
deneze, near the Lake Fucinus, repreſented
Medea the Serpent-killer, under the Shape of
a Serpent, becauſe by her Means they fancied
themſelves freed from thoſe Animals. Of the
ſame Nature was Hercules's Lernæan Hydra,
Io changed into a Cow, and the other Fables
related in the Verſes of the ancient Poets;
with which Inventions I am very much de
lighted, provided ſome virtuous Precept
be contained in them; as in that Symbol
which was carved upon Symandes's Sepulchre,
in which was a Judge ſurrounded by ſome
other chief Magiſtrates cloathed in the Habits
of Prieſts, and from their Necks hung down
upon their Breaſts the Image of Truth with
her Eyes clos'd, and ſeeming to nod her Head
towards them. In the Middle was a Heap of
Books, with this Inſcription upon it: This is
the true Phyſick of the Mind.
of Dercetis (the ſame that is called in Scripture
Dagon) with his upper Parts like a Man, and
his lower like a Fiſh; who was thus honoured,
becauſe from that Place he threw himſelf into
the Lake: And if any Sytian taſted of the
Fiſh that was in it, he was looked upon as ex
communicate. The Mutinii, or ancient Mo
deneze, near the Lake Fucinus, repreſented
Medea the Serpent-killer, under the Shape of
a Serpent, becauſe by her Means they fancied
themſelves freed from thoſe Animals. Of the
ſame Nature was Hercules's Lernæan Hydra,
Io changed into a Cow, and the other Fables
related in the Verſes of the ancient Poets;
with which Inventions I am very much de
lighted, provided ſome virtuous Precept
be contained in them; as in that Symbol
which was carved upon Symandes's Sepulchre,
in which was a Judge ſurrounded by ſome
other chief Magiſtrates cloathed in the Habits
of Prieſts, and from their Necks hung down
upon their Breaſts the Image of Truth with
her Eyes clos'd, and ſeeming to nod her Head
towards them. In the Middle was a Heap of
Books, with this Inſcription upon it: This is
the true Phyſick of the Mind.
BUT the Invention of Statues was the moſt
excellent of all, as they are a noble Ornament
for all Sorts of Structures, whether ſacred or
profane, publick or private, and preſerve a
wonderful Repreſentation both of Perſons and
Actions. Whatever great Genius it was that
invented Statues, it is thought they owe their
Beginning to the ſame Nation as the Religion
of the ancient Romans; the firſt Statue being
by ſome ſaid to be made by the Etrurians.
Others are of Opinion, that the Telchines of
Rhodes, were the firſt that made Statues of the
Gods, which being formed according to cer
tain magical Rules, had Power to bring up
Clouds and Rain, and other Meteors, and to
change themſelves into the Shapes of different
Animals. Among the Greeks, Cadmus, the
Son of Agenor, was the firſt that conſecrated
Statues of the Gods to the Temple. We are
informed by Ariſtotle, that the firſt Statues that
were placed in the publick Forum of Athens,
were thoſe of Harmodius and Ariſtogiton, who
were the firſt Deliverers of the City from Ty
ranny; and Arrian the Hiſtorian tells us, that
theſe very Statues were ſent back again to
Athens by Alexander from Suſa, whither Xer
xes had removed them. The Number of Sta
tues was ſo great at Rome, that they were call
ed a Marble People. Rhapſinates, a very ancient
Ægyptian King, erected a Statue of Stone to
Vulcan above ſeven-and-thirty Foot high.
Seſoſtris made Statues of himſelf and his Wife
of the Height of eight-and-forty Foot. Amaſis
ſet up a Statue near Memphis, in a leaning
Poſture, which was forty-ſeven Foot long, and
in its Pedeſtal were two others, each twenty
Foot high. In the Sepulchre of Simandes were
three Statues of Jupiter, made by Memnon, of
wonderful Workmanſhip, being all cut out of
one ſingle Stone, whereof one, which was in a
ſitting Poſture, was ſo large, that only its Foot
was above ſeven Foot and an Half long; and
what was extremely ſurprizing in it, beſides the
Skill of the Artiſt, in all that huge Stone there
was not the leaſt Spot or Flaw. Others after
wards, when they could not find Stones large
enough to make Statues of the Size which they
deſired, made uſe of Braſs, and formed ſome of
no leſs than an hundred Cubits, or an hundred
and fifty Foot high. But the greateſt Work
we read of in this Kind, was that of Semiramis,
who not being able to find any Stone large
enough for her Purpoſe, and being reſolved to
make ſomething much bigger than was poſſible
to be done with Braſs, contrived near a Moun
tain in Media called Bagiſtan, to have her own
Image carved out of a Rock of two Miles and
a furlong in Length, with the Figures of an
hundred Men offering Sacrifice to her, hewn
out of the ſame Stone. There is one Particu
lar relating to this Article of Statues, mention
ed by Diodorus, by no means to be omitted;
which is, that the Ægyptian Statuaries were
arrived at ſuch a Pitch of Skill in their Art, that
they would out of ſeveral Stones in ſeveral dif
ferent Places make one Statue, which when
put together ſhould ſeem to be all the Work
of one Hand; in which ſurprizing Manner we
are told the Statue of the Pythian Apollo at
Samos was made, one half of it being wrought
by Theleſius, and the other half by Theodorus at
Epheſus. Theſe Things I thought it not amiſs
to write here by way of Recreation, which,
though very uſeful in themſelves, are here in
ſerted only as an Introduction to the follow
ing Book, where we ſhall treat of the Monu
ments raiſed by private Perſons; to which
they properly belong. For as private Men have
ſcarce ſuffered even Princes to outdo them in
Greatneſs of Expence for perpetuating their
Memories, but being equally fired with the
Deſire of making their Names famous, have
ſpared for no Coſt which their Fortunes would
excellent of all, as they are a noble Ornament
for all Sorts of Structures, whether ſacred or
profane, publick or private, and preſerve a
wonderful Repreſentation both of Perſons and
Actions. Whatever great Genius it was that
invented Statues, it is thought they owe their
Beginning to the ſame Nation as the Religion
of the ancient Romans; the firſt Statue being
by ſome ſaid to be made by the Etrurians.
Others are of Opinion, that the Telchines of
Rhodes, were the firſt that made Statues of the
Gods, which being formed according to cer
tain magical Rules, had Power to bring up
Clouds and Rain, and other Meteors, and to
change themſelves into the Shapes of different
Animals. Among the Greeks, Cadmus, the
Son of Agenor, was the firſt that conſecrated
Statues of the Gods to the Temple. We are
informed by Ariſtotle, that the firſt Statues that
were placed in the publick Forum of Athens,
were thoſe of Harmodius and Ariſtogiton, who
were the firſt Deliverers of the City from Ty
ranny; and Arrian the Hiſtorian tells us, that
theſe very Statues were ſent back again to
Athens by Alexander from Suſa, whither Xer
xes had removed them. The Number of Sta
tues was ſo great at Rome, that they were call
ed a Marble People. Rhapſinates, a very ancient
Ægyptian King, erected a Statue of Stone to
Vulcan above ſeven-and-thirty Foot high.
Seſoſtris made Statues of himſelf and his Wife
of the Height of eight-and-forty Foot. Amaſis
ſet up a Statue near Memphis, in a leaning
Poſture, which was forty-ſeven Foot long, and
in its Pedeſtal were two others, each twenty
Foot high. In the Sepulchre of Simandes were
three Statues of Jupiter, made by Memnon, of
wonderful Workmanſhip, being all cut out of
one ſingle Stone, whereof one, which was in a
ſitting Poſture, was ſo large, that only its Foot
was above ſeven Foot and an Half long; and
what was extremely ſurprizing in it, beſides the
Skill of the Artiſt, in all that huge Stone there
was not the leaſt Spot or Flaw. Others after
wards, when they could not find Stones large
enough to make Statues of the Size which they
deſired, made uſe of Braſs, and formed ſome of
no leſs than an hundred Cubits, or an hundred
and fifty Foot high. But the greateſt Work
we read of in this Kind, was that of Semiramis,
who not being able to find any Stone large
enough for her Purpoſe, and being reſolved to
make ſomething much bigger than was poſſible
to be done with Braſs, contrived near a Moun
tain in Media called Bagiſtan, to have her own
Image carved out of a Rock of two Miles and
a furlong in Length, with the Figures of an
hundred Men offering Sacrifice to her, hewn
out of the ſame Stone. There is one Particu
lar relating to this Article of Statues, mention
ed by Diodorus, by no means to be omitted;
which is, that the Ægyptian Statuaries were
arrived at ſuch a Pitch of Skill in their Art, that
they would out of ſeveral Stones in ſeveral dif
ferent Places make one Statue, which when
put together ſhould ſeem to be all the Work
of one Hand; in which ſurprizing Manner we
are told the Statue of the Pythian Apollo at
Samos was made, one half of it being wrought
by Theleſius, and the other half by Theodorus at
Epheſus. Theſe Things I thought it not amiſs
to write here by way of Recreation, which,
though very uſeful in themſelves, are here in
ſerted only as an Introduction to the follow
ing Book, where we ſhall treat of the Monu
ments raiſed by private Perſons; to which
they properly belong. For as private Men have
ſcarce ſuffered even Princes to outdo them in
Greatneſs of Expence for perpetuating their
Memories, but being equally fired with the
Deſire of making their Names famous, have
ſpared for no Coſt which their Fortunes would