OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 4; 



:<bove -mentioned, one was made by the com- 

 mand of Sefodris, the other by that of King- 

 Sem^.cfert, in whofe reign Pythagoras vifited 

 Egypt; which clearly implies an uninterrupted 

 progrefs in their inventions. Bcfides Diodorus 

 tells us, that the priefts- jvvere in pofielfion of 

 iomc writings Hill more fecret*; and which Cle- 

 mens Alcxandrinus fuppofes to have been thofe 

 of Hermes-}. Plutarch alibj, and long before 

 him Sunchuniaton the Phoenician, make men- 

 tion of them. The lad, according to Porphy- 

 rrus, was a great lover of truth. The fame n 

 faid of Philo Biblius, a man of great erudition 

 and third for knowledge; who being defirous to 

 learn the hidory of every nation, bellowed his 

 attention chiefly to the writings of Taaut, as he 

 underftood him to be the chief inventor of let- 

 ters, and of writing in books. Philo quotes 

 a book of Hermes on the origin of the world, 

 lamblichus afiigns to him 36,529 books; which, 

 a-fter the manner of tbofc times, were without 

 doubt very concife, and confided of a few fcn- 

 tenccs only. In another place, the poiition is; 

 further illud rated; for he aflerts, that his fol- 

 lowers or difciplcs, fuppofing all fcience to have 

 owed its origin to their great chief, dignified 

 their works by his illudrious name ; ib that we 



can: 



L. ii. c. 4. 



f Strom i. 



t DC Ifidc. 



j EuCcbii Pncp Evang* 1. i. c. .7. 



