i8 OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY; 



lius Africanus, from Africanus Eufebius, 

 philius, and from Eufebius Synccllus, have fc* 

 verally made extracts; and from the preface 

 of Diogenes Laertius, it appears plainly, that he 

 had made ufe of the * ITT./ of Manethus. 

 The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians reprcfent 

 natural bodies entire, as well as in part, andalib 

 mathematical figures. Thcfc are perhaps the 

 letters which were attributed to Hermes; ex- 

 pelling things rather than founds : But how- 

 ever likely it is, that fuch fliould be the rude 

 inventions of antiquity, yet \ve (hall prefently 

 fee, they were reckoned more ingenious than 

 later improvements. Whatever might be the 

 mode of writing tlrat Hermes is faid to have in- 

 vented, although as yet rude and imperfect, it 

 was clectily of the greatefl importance. Hitherto 

 the fciences, equally with the vulgar arts, de- 

 pended entirely on the uncertainty of oral tradi- 

 tion ; whereas, by the affiltance of letters, the ob- 

 fervations of ingenious men would be mere ccifily 

 <;ollocted, compared, and reduced into order,' 

 and the firft foundations of inrtruction be tila- 

 blifhcd. 



Many circumftances lead us to apprehend 

 that the cxillencc of both the Ilermefes was not 

 merely imaginary, as Urfinus and Corringius 

 do. For although it was the cuftom of the an- 

 tients to difguife the actions of their heroes in 

 the ornaments of fiction, yet arc we not to in- 

 fer, that fuch perfons are altogether fabulous. 



There 



