XVIII. I could have entertain'd the Reader with a great Variety of Passages out of the Fathers of the Church, whose Writings are Magazines of Authority, and urg'd upon us upon all Occasions by Ecclesiasticks, and are particularly full of _Burlesque_ and _Ridicule_ on the _Gods and Religion_ of the _Pagans_; in the use whereof they are much more unanimous, than in the Articles of their _Creed_. But that being a Subject too great and extensive for a Digression, I shall content my self with the few following Reflections; which will sufficiently evince, that the _Taste_ of the Primitive Christians was like that of the rest of the World; that they could laugh and be as merry as the _Greeks_ and other _Pagans_; and that they would take the Advantage of the _Pagans_ weak Cause, to introduce _Ridicule_, which always bears hard upon Weakness and Folly, and must load them so as to prevent a Possibility of their being remov'd by another _Ridicule_. These Fathers have transfused into their Writings all the Wit and Raillery of the antient _Pagan_ Writers and Philosophers; who it is well known wrote a great deal to turn _Paganism_ into Ridicule; most of which now exists no where but in the Works of the Fathers; all Books of that kind being lost, except _Cicero_'s Books of _the Nature of Gods_, and of _Divination_, and the Dialogues of _Lucian_; both which Authors have been of great use to the _Fathers_ to set them up for _Wits_, _Droles_, and _Satirists_. For a Specimen how well these antient _Pagans_ could _drole_, and how much beholden we are to the Fathers for recording their Drolleries, the most remarkable, I think, are some _Fragments_ of a Book of _Oenomaus_ concerning the _Pagan Oracles_, cited and preserv'd by [135] _Eusebius_; who has given us occasion to [136] _regret_ the loss of this Work, as one of the most valuable Books written by the Antients on the Subject of _Oracles_, tho those Books were _very numerous_. And it is to be observ'd, that this Book and a great many, perhaps a [137] thousand more, were publish'd in _Greece_, where the Imposture of _Oracles_ greatly prevail'd, and great Wealth flow'd in, not only to the Priests of the _Oracular Temples_, but to all the Inhabitants of _Greece_, and especially to those who lived in the Neighbourhood of the several _Oracular Temples_; who made a great Profit from the rich Travellers, that came from all Parts of the World to know their Fortunes. This shews the great Integrity and Fairness of the old _Pagans_; who would suffer not only their supposed standing Revelation to be call'd in question, but a Revelation that brought in as much Money, as the Chapels, Churches, and Shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, or to any of the Saints, do in the _Roman_ Church, without calling any Man to Account for the Liberties they took; who, as far as appears, were not expos'd [138] _to any Danger_ thereby. It is also to be observ'd, that the merry [139] _Epicureans were