OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 67 



chemical Secret ; Cofmas onChryfopolca, and many 

 others, arc of fuch obi cure origin, that it will be 

 impoilihlc to arrange them in chronological or- 

 der, fo long as they arc kept from the prefs; 

 concealed in ancient libraries*. 



But the abfurditics of alchcmiflry daily in- 

 crcafcd, and were blended with fcholaftic follies 

 and the cabaliftic frenzy of Pythagoras, until 

 the fevcnth and eighth century, when chcmif- 

 try, and every other fcicncc, became involved 

 in chaotic darkncfs, and opprcflcd by horrid 

 barbarifm. 



A nation too much inclined to hypothefis and 

 fanciful conjecture was likely to give birth to 

 various theories; but, ofthefcit is apprehended, 

 thAt they differed more in words and outward 

 appearance, than in their true principles. We 

 fhall fay nothing of cofmogony, as it abounds 

 with fuch nonfenfc; but, we will touch on a 

 few of their opinions, refpccttng the nature and 

 principles of bodies. Thales the Milcfian, the 

 founder of the Ionic feet, about 600 years before 

 our Saviour, preferred the ftudy of Natural Phi- 

 lofophy to all other fciences. 



He held water tb be the principle ofall material 



fubftances, from which they all proceeded, and 



into which they were all to be finally rcfolvcd. 



E 2 Some 



* Of the writers on chemiftry, thofc to be chiefly con- 

 fultetl are Libatfius, O. Bom'chius, and H. Conringtui. 



