PREFACE, I 



XXIU 



was only read In a Latin tranflatlon from the Arabic, but alfo fome 

 moft valuable commentaries upon him, fuch as thofe of Simplicius, 

 and Johannes Philoponus, without which, as I have faid, I do not 

 think his works of abflrufe Philofophy could have been underllood. 

 But there has been no fecond edition of thefe Commentaries, fo that 

 they are very incorred ; nor is there any Latin tranflation of them, 

 though I think that is not fo much to be regretted. Some of the 

 works too of the later Philofophers of the Alexandrian School were 

 publiflied about this time, particularly thofe of Plotinus, the moft pro- 

 found and obfcure of them all. And in general, the Greek Philofophy 

 was very much cultivated in Italy for about a century after the 

 reftoration of letters ; and while the Jefuits were the teachers of youth 

 there, it was very diligently ftudied, particularly in the Roman 



College at Rome, where they were the mafters *. By the 



deftrudlon of that learned order, I am afraid Philofophy and Learning 

 upon the Continent have got a blow that tkey will not foon recover. 



From Italy, France got the Greek Philofophy, as well as the Greek 

 Learning, where it was much^ftudied for forae time, and fundry 

 books of it were publifhed by the two Stephens. 



In England it w^as the only Philofophy known as late down as 

 the middle or end of the laft century. It was taught in both Univer- 

 fities, and was the Philofophy of Hooker, Cudworth, and in general 

 of every man in England who applied himfelf to Philofophy, alfo of 

 Milton, who was not only a great fcholar and excellent poet, but had 

 ftudied dihgently the antient Philofophy, and had gone up even to the 

 fource of it, I mean the School of Pythagoras ; for it appears, as I before 

 obferved, from his Treatife upon Education, that he had ftudied 

 what remains of that Philofophy (the Locrian Pvcmnants he calls 

 them), and knew the value of them f . 



Vol. IIL 1 What 



♦ I had occaflon to be informed of the method of education there, by a gentleman 

 who himfelf was educated there, and I thought it excellent. 



t See what I have further faid of Milton's Knowledge of Antient Philofophy, 

 Vol. I. p. 39. where the fingle ufe of the word yfccldent fhews that he was more than 

 ordinarily learned in the Philofophy of Ariftotlc. See alfo, p. 2i8> of the fame V'olumft 



