tiquity defined by
the reign of a king in Egypt? [1063][Greek: Tous tupous einai tes epi
Protei basileuonti grammatikes.] _The form of the letters was the same as
was in use when Proteus reigned in that country._ Herodotus, indeed, to
prove that the Cadmians brought letters into Greece, assures us, that he
saw specimens of their writing at Thebes, in the temple of Apollo
[1064]Ismenius: that there was a tripod as antient as the reign of Laius,
the son of Labdacus; with an inscription, which imported, that it had been
there dedicated by Amphitryon upon his victory over the Teleboae. I make no
doubt, but that Herodotus saw tripods with antient inscriptions: and there
might be one with the name of Amphitryon: but how could he be sure that it
was the writing of that person, and of those times? We know what a pleasure
there is in enhancing the antiquity of things; and how often inscriptions
are forged for that purpose. Is it credible that the characters of
Amphitryon should be so easy to be apprehended, when those of his wife
Alcmena could not be understood? and which of the two are we in this case
to believe, Herodotus or Plutarch? I do not mean that I give any credence
to the story of Alcmena and her tablet: nor do I believe that there was a
tripod with characters as antient as Amphitryon. I only argue from the
principles of the Greeks to prove their inconsistency. The Pheneatae in
Arcadia shewed to Pausanias an inscription upon the basis of a brazen
statue, which was dedicated to [1065]Poseidon Hippius. It was said to have
been written by Ulysses, and contained a treaty made between him and some
shepherds. But Pausanias acknowledges that it was an imposition; for
neither statues of brass, nor statues of any sort, were in use at the time
alluded to.

It is said of Cadmus, that he introduced the rites of [1066]Bacchus into
Greece. But how is this possible, if Bacchus was his descendant, the son of
his daughter Semele? To remedy this, the latter mythologists suppose, that
there was a prior Bacchus, who was worshipped by Cadmus. This is their
usual recourse, when they are hard pressed with inconsistencies. They then
create other personages, to help them out of their difficulties. They form,
with great facility, a new Semiramis, or Ninus; another Belus, Perseus,
Minos, Hermes, Phoroneus, Apis, though to little purpose: for the mistake
being fundamental, the inconveniencies cannot be remedied by such
substitutes. We are told tha