374 STUDIES OF NATURE, 



I cannot entertain a Ihadow of doubt, that it 

 was by proceeding in this fame track, the ancient 

 Egyptians diftinguiOied themfelves fo highly for 

 their attainments in natural knowledge, which they 

 carried incomparably farther than we have done. 

 They ftudied Nature in Nature herfelf, and not by 

 piecemeal, and with machines. Hence they formed 

 a moft wonderful Science, of juft celebrity all over 

 the Globe, under the name of Magic. The ele- 

 ments of this Science are now unknown ; the 

 name of it alone is all that remains, and is, at this 

 day, given to operations, the moft flupid in which 

 the error and depravity of the human heart can be 

 employed. This was not the charader of the Ma- 

 gic of the ancient Egyptians, fo much celebrated 

 by the moft refpedable Authors of Antiquity, and 

 by the Sacred Books themfelves. Thefe were the 

 principles of correfpondence and of harmony, which 

 Pythagoras derived from their flores, which he im- 

 ported into Europe, and which there became the 

 iources of the various branches of Philofophy that 

 appeared after his time, nay, the fource of the Arts 

 likewife, which did not begin to flourifh there till 

 that period ; for the Arts are only imitations of 

 tlie procèdes of Nature. 



Though my incapacity is very great, thefe har- 

 monic principles are fo luminous, that they have 

 prefented to me, not only difpofitions of the Globe 



entirely 



