fable. He is then introduced into the garden of Eden in the shape of
a snake, or a serpent, and in that shape he enters into familiar
conversation with Eve, who is no ways surprised to hear a snake talk;
and the issue of this tete-a-tate is, that he persuades her to eat an
apple, and the eating of that apple damns all mankind.

After giving Satan this triumph over the whole creation, one would
have supposed that the church mythologists would have been kind
enough to send him back again to the pit, or, if they had not done
this, that they would have put a mountain upon him, (for they say
that their faith can remove a mountain) or have put him under a
mountain, as the former mythologists had done, to prevent his getting
again among the women, and doing more mischief. But instead of this,
they leave him at large, without even obliging him to give his
parole. The secret of which is, that they could not do without him;
and after being at the trouble of making him, they bribed him to
stay. They promised him ALL the Jews, ALL the Turks by anticipation,
nine-tenths of the world beside, and Mahomet into the bargain. After
this, who can doubt the bountifulness of the Christian Mythology?

Having thus made an insurrection and a battle in heaven, in which
none of the combatants could be either killed or wounded -- put Satan
into the pit -- let him out again -- given him a triumph over the
whole creation -- damned all mankind by the eating of an apple, there
Christian mythologists bring the two ends of their fable together.
They represent this virtuous and amiable man, Jesus Christ, to be at
once both God and man, and also the Son of God, celestially begotten,
on purpose to be sacrificed, because they say that Eve in her longing
[NOTE: The French work has: "yielding to an unrestrained appetite." --
Editor.] had eaten an apple.