Vlll 



PREFACE. 



But whatever the Reader may think of the reafons which I have 

 given for Philofophy being indigenous in Egypt, the hCt is mofl 

 certain that it came from thence into Greece : For, in the firft place, 

 there can be no doubt that there was Philofophy in Egypt, and Phi- 

 lofophy of the fublimeft kind, many hundred years before it was in 

 Greece. Of this we are aflured, not only by Heathen Writers, but by 

 learned Fathers of the Church ; fuch as St. Cyrillus, who, in his An- 

 fwer to the Emperor Julian, fays. That there were even in his time 

 extant Egyptian Avritings afcribed to their god Mercury, containing a 

 great deal of the higheft kind of Philofophy, that is, Theology ; and 

 particularly the dodrine of the Trinity, and of the different perfons 

 of which the Divine Nature confifts. And another Father of the 

 Church, ftill more learned, namely Clemens Alexandrinus *, 

 fays. That the Books of Mercury, upon the fubjed: of Philofophy, 

 amounted to the number of Thirty-fix. To thefe teftimonies. if 

 there was any doubt of the matter, may be joined thofe of all the 

 later Platonifts ; fuch as Porphyry, Jamblichus, Proclus ; and parti- 

 cularly Jamblichus, who has written a whole book upon the myfte- 

 rious Philofophy of the Egyptians, entitled, De Myjleriis Egyp- 

 tiorum f. 



ido^ It is likewife certain that Philofophy in Greece was firft im- 

 ported from Egypt under the veil of Religious Myftery by fuch 

 -Hiyftagogues as Orpheus and Mufaeus, who, we are fure, were in 



* Stromal. Lib. vi. Cap. 4. p. 269. 



f There is a moft fplendid edition of this book, publifhed at Oxford in the year 

 1678, by Gale, a very learned Editor. 



I hope this example will be followed by that unlverfity, and that we Ihall foon fee 

 more of the works of the Philofophers of the later age as well publifhed. 



