PREFACE. IX 



Egypt *, and particularly Orpheus, one of the firft civilizers of 

 Greece, who, if he did not draw Brutes after him, as the Poets 

 feigned, did more, for he made Men of Brutes. He was not only 

 famous for his fkill in Mufic and Poetry, but excelled fo much in 

 this higheft Philofophy, that he is commonly diftinguiflied by the 

 title of the Theologue or Hierophant f : And there were Theological 

 works of his preferved down to very late times, which are fre- 

 quently cited by antient Authors under the name of Orphica J ; 

 and there were a fed of Philofophers that continued long in Greece 

 after his time, and are mentioned by Herodotus under the name 

 of Orphici II . What his opinion concerning the Deity was, appears 

 by feveral quotations from his works, preferved in antient Authors, 

 particularly in Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata, p. 6'},, And I think 

 I may venture to fay, that, as far as we can judge from thofe quota- 

 tions, there never was a purer or more fublime Theology. And 

 his opinion too concerning the Human Soul (as appears from the 

 fame Author, P. ii8, and P. 693, Lib. v. Stromatum, Cap. 12.) 

 was perfedly juft. In fhort, it appears that there never was a 

 better Philofophy at any time in Greece, than what he introduced : 

 And accordingly, we fee that books were written by the later Plato- 

 nifts, to prove that the Philofophy of Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Plato, 

 were all the fame If : And indeed it muft have been fo, if it be true 

 what Proclus has told us in the beginning of his work upon the 

 Vol. III. c Theology 



* See Diodorus Siculus, Lib. i. where he names all the Sages of Greece 

 who had travelled into Egypt, and among them Orpheus and Mufeus, whofc name?, 

 he fays, were fet down in the Egyptian facred books : And other Memorials 

 befides, were to be found of them in the country. 



t Fabricii Bibl otheca Grccca, Vol. I. p, 118. 



II Lib. ii. Cap. 81. 



f Sec Fabricii Bibliotheca Grctca^ Voi. L p. 3. 



