Plate 11

The ancient Poets animated all sensible objects with Gods or Geniuses, calling them by the names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever their enlarged & numerous senses could percieve

And particularly they studied the genius of each city & country, placing it under its mental deity

Till a system was formed, which some took advantage of & enslav'd the vulgar by attempting to realize or abstract the mental deities from their objects; thus began Priesthood

Choosing forms of worship from poetic tales

And a length they pronounc'd that the Gods had order'd such things

Thus men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast