OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 55 



'* Mclampus, D;cdalus, Homer, Lycurgus, So- 

 44 Ion, Plato, Pythagoras, I^udoxus, and Demo- 

 14 critus the Abdcritc, all went into Egypt, and 

 44 they doubtlcfs learned there all thofe things 

 ' which rendered them afterwards famous a- 

 '* mong the Greeks*. Plato and Eudoxus aflb- 

 44 elated during thirteen years with thofc pricfls 

 " in Egypt, who molt excelled iu the knowledge 

 "nf celellial things: But, for a long while, they 

 41 kept it in the greatefl fccrecy, and would not 

 * 4 deign to impart it to any one. At length, 

 " fubducd by time and humble intreaty, they 

 44 difcovered fome few things; but the greatell 

 4 part they concealed entirely from the barba- 

 44 rians f." Pythagoras fullered himfelftobe 

 44 circumcifcd, that he might have accels to the 

 fecret depofits of the Egyptians, and learn their 

 myftic philofophyj, lambh'chus (hews clearly, 

 that Pythagoras and Plato both had acquired a 

 variety of knowledge in Egypt, from the co- 

 lumns of Mercury ; and Tliales the Milcfian 

 firft brought geometry and aftronomy into 

 Greece from Egypt, about 530 years before 

 Chrifl || . Before the time of Pfarnmitichus, 

 660 years before our Saviour, tJje Greeks 

 were not permitted to enter Egypt ^[; but, 

 D 4 afterward* 



* L. ii. 0.4. i. c. 69, 8 1, 96. 



f L. xvii. 



j Clemens Alex. Sir. i. 

 DC myrt. Ejrypt. 

 ji Diogcne* Licrtiu*. 



* Herodotus. Strabo. 



