He is the most ancient of all, for he presided over the elements that composed the universe. […] The fable of Apollo is, perhaps, that which is most spread over the faith of antiquity. […] In her temple of Euploca, at Cnidos, was the most admired of her statues, being the most perfect piece of Praxiteles. […] But Destiny, the irrevocable, interposed, and pronounced the decree by which the most beautiful of the Goddesses, was united to the most unsightly of the Gods. […] Of all the gods who tread the spangled skies, Thou most unjust, most odious in our eyes!