Charges like these may seem to deserve some degree of credit, as they are not repugnant to the crafty and interested spirit of superstition.

But the same spirit is equally prone to the base practice of insulting and calumniating a fallen enemy; and our belief is naturally checked by the reflection, that it is much less difficult to invent a fictitious story, than to support a practical fraud.

The colossal statue of Serapis was involved in the ruin of his temple and religion.

A great number of plates of different metals, artificially joined together, composed the majestic figure of the deity, who touched on either side the walls of the sanctuary.

The aspect of Serapis, his sitting posture, and the sceptre, which he bore in his left hand, were extremely similar to the ordinary representations of Jupiter.