98 ON THE ORIGIN OF CREMATION, 
6. The reception of this mode has been also ascribed to the 
influence of the ancient tradition, that the world should be de- 
stroyed by means of fire. The very ingenious and learned 
physician quoted above, observes, in that light and rather af- 
fected sort of style which characterizes his writings ; ‘ Such as 
“ by tradition or rational conjecture held any hint of the final 
“ pyre of all things, or that this element must at least be too 
“ hard for all the rest, might conceive most naturally of the 
“ fiery dissolution *.” y 
That this tradition was not only known to some of the Greek 
philosophers, but even received by some of them, is unques- 
tionable. Pxaro, when giving an account of the conference 
which Soron had with the Egyptian priests at Sais, acknow- 
ledges that they spoke in the most contemptuous terms of the 
learning of the Greeks, asserting that they were always chil- 
dren, that there was no old man among them, as they still pos- 
sessed juvenile minds. ‘“ For, (said one of the senior priests,) 
“* you have no ancient doctrine from old tradition, nor any dis- 
cipline that has become hoary with age :” adding, “ The 
greatest dissolutions of the world have originated, and will 
“ originate, from fire and water }.” Soton having proposed 
some queries in regard to Dreucation, Pyrrua, Puarron, &c. 
the priest proceeded to describe the dissolution by fire, in re- 
ference to the mythological account of Puarron having set the 
world on fire. “ This (he said) has indeed the air of a fable; 
“ but the truth is, there shall be a great parallax,” or “ change, 
“ in heaven and in earth; and in a short time the dissolution 
“ of terrestrial things shall be effected by much fire }.” 
ce 
‘49 
This 
* Brown’s Hydriotaphia, p. 3. 
t Thorac! 32 xcerce morre& Qbogce) yeysvariy avdewmoy, xoul erovrecs, wuel pty OF Oder mlyicote 
gus fy’ e 2 ee peey’ 
Trmzus, Oper. iii. p. 22. 
$ Taro ptdov ptr oryinun exov Aeyerces, ToD dArndis ist, civ oregi yity xeel Kove’ ovgeevoy fovray me 
2chrwksc, noel Dice moaned Hedvay ryivopeeyn Fav Ems vis wuel moras Pdopd Ibid. 
