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.148 THE HISTORYparticular, for honoring of such stones, or forhaving stony symbols of the Deity ; but to showthey were neither more ignorant nor barbarousin this respect than the politest of nations, theGreecs and the Romans, that here I must makea short literary excm'sion. Wherefore, I beg yourlordship to remember, that Kermand Kelstachwas not the onely Mercury of rude stone, sincethe Mercurif of the Greecs was not portray'd antientlyin the shape of a youth, with wings to hisheels and a caduceus in his hand; but ivithoufhands or feet, being a square stone^, says Phurnutus,and I say without any sculpture. The reasongiven for it by the divines of those days, was," that as the square figure betoken'd his solidityand stability; so he wanted neither hands norfeet to execute what he was commanded by Jove,Thus their merry-making Bacchus was figur'damong the Thebans by a pillar onely f. So theArabians worship I know not what God (saysMaximus Tyriusli:) and the statue that I saw ofhim, was a square stone.'' I sliall say nothinghere of the oath of the Romans per Jovem Lapiitem.Bat nobody pretends that the G^wh weremore subtil theologues or philosophers, than theywve; fxiv^ to E^paicv t£ /ta» i>.s-;v T£Tfa*/wv»:.%enn. T?^.