Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, was an idolator, as were also his descendants. Nineveh was the seat of his empire. As the sun and moon became early objects of worship among the Assyrians, so in later days they adored the fire as their substitute,--a form of worship that was common among the ancients in many lands. The Assyrians published abroad that the gods of other nations could not stand before their fire-gods. A competition took place. A vast number of idols were brought from foreign nations, but as they were composed of wood, the god Ur (or fire) consumed them. After many contests, an Egyptian priest discovered a plan of destroying the reputation of this idol, which had become the terror of alien people. He caused the hollow figure of an image to be made of perforated earth, with the holes stuffed with wax, and the large internal cavity filled with water. He then challenged the god Ur to oppose his god Canopus,--a challenge which was accepted by the Chaldean priests. No sooner did the heat that was expected to devour the Egyptian idol begin to take effect, than, the wax being melted, the water gushed out and extinguished the fire. Before the Assyrian empire was joined to that of Babylon, Nisroch was the god worshipped in Nineveh, and it was in the temple of this idol that the great Sennacherib was murdered. This idol was in the shape of a bird--a dove or an eagle--made, if we can believe the Jewish rabbis, from a plank of Noah's ark. The people repented at the preaching of Jonah, but it was not long before they relapsed into their former idolatry and general wickedness. CHAPTER V. Greek Religion and Superstition--Whence the Greeks derived their Religion--Jupiter regarded as the President of the Law and Protector of Cities--Entertainment of Strangers--Dreams and Charms--Sacred Stones--Omens of Evil--Sacrificing the Hair--Flight of Birds--Compassing the Altar to the Right--Methods of discovering whether a Person was in Love--Love secured by Magic--Marriage Ceremonies--Most lucky time for Marriage--Way of protecting a Child from Evil Spirits--Divers magical Ceremonies--Strange Laws as to Dead Bodies--Fingers and Toes of Dead Men worn as Charms to frighten away Ghosts--Preparing a Body for Burial--Superstitious Customs--Swine and Swine's Flesh--Drinking Toasts--How Strangers were expected to behave in a Strange Land--Prophets consulted before Armies marched to Battle--Certain words avoided--Sneezing--Evil Omens--Throwing a Person overboard to save a Ship.