Nor were the more western Pagans more happy in their Conjectures about the first Entrance of moral Evil. _Prometheus_, say they, having form’d Men out of the Earth and Water, animated them with Fire, which he stole from Heaven. _Jupiter_, the Chief of the Pagan Gods, enraged at this, commands _Vulcan_ to make a Woman out of Clay, upon whom all the Gods, out of their high Regard[348] to the Fair Sex, bestow’d some of their Perfections. _Venus_ gave her Beauty; _Pallas_, Wisdom; _Mercury_, Eloquence; _Apollo_, Musick; and _Juno_ gave her Riches; therefore called _Pandora_, who was sent by the Gods in revenge to _Prometheus_, with a Box full of Evils as a Present from them, but he was too cautious to receive it; upon which she was to present it to his Brother _Epimetheus_, (supposed by some to be her Husband) which he had no sooner open’d, but immediately there flew out _all kinds of Evil_, that soon scatter’d themselves over all the Earth; and at the bottom of the Box, nothing was left but poor _Hope_. Footnote 348: _Travels of several Missionaries into_ India, p. 7. _Hope, of all Ills that Men endure, The only cheap and universal Cure. Hope, Thou pleasant, honest Flatterer; for none Flatter unhappy Men, but thou alone._... Cowl. The _Mahometan Account of Man’s Fall_, is equally absurd, as appears from _Mahomet Rabadan, &c._ thus:—God made the Creation ... the earthly Mass became an animate Body ... and was called _Adam_; God placed him in heavenly Paradise, and lest he should believe that he had no Superior, God gave him only one Command, the Observation of which was very easy. He forbid him, upon pain of Death, to eat of the Fruit of a certain Tree. _Adam_ wanted a Mate; therefore God made him fall into a profound Sleep, and took out of his left Side a Rib, of which he formed a very beautiful Woman, whom he called _Eve_, ... and order’d _Gabriel_ to go into Paradise, and to celebrate the Wedding of _Adam_ and _Eve_, being attended with a great many other Angels. _LUCIFER_ envying the Happiness of Man, used his utmost Endeavours to deprive him of it. Going one day by the door of Paradise, he said to the Angel who kept it, _Give me leave to go in, for I have a Matter of Moment to impart to the Servants of thy Lord_. The Angel having denied his Request, he desired him to call the Serpent, who was then a very fine Creature. The Serpent came, and _Lucifer_ earnestly desired Leave to get into his Body; the Serpent did so, and placed _Lucifer_ in the Roof of its Mouth, and carried him into Paradise. When he came near the Forbidden Tree, it endeavoured in vain to make _Lucifer_ come out. _Lucifer_ stuck fast, and forced the Serpent to get upon that Tree, under which _Adam_ and _Eve_ used to sit down. _Eve_ was then alone, near the Tree: She saw the Serpent, who spoke to the Woman in these Words, _viz._