71 OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 



be able to give fo full an account of chemiftry 

 as we could wifh ; yet we think it will not be 

 unacceptable to the curious reader, to lay before 

 him the principal fads and circumitances that 

 we have collected. 



There is no doubt, that the Ifraelites carried 

 with them into Ada a conilderable portion of 

 the knowledge of the Egyptians. Their leader 

 Mofes was inflrwcled in all their doctrines*; and 

 according to Philo, had learned from them a- 

 rithmetic, geometry, rythmus, metre, the the- 

 ory of harmony, and their various mulic, and 

 their philofophy, written in fymbols in their fa- 

 cred books f. That he was acquainted with 

 precious iloncs appears from the bible J ; and 

 with the art alfo of cutting and hollowing them 

 and granite . The preparation of the oil of 

 Jucrcd uuM'toiii and the ;//?/? holy perfumes ||, ac- 

 cording to the precepts of pharmacy, indicate 

 no lefs a degree of (kill, lie made, bcfitlcs, u 

 moil fplcmlid brazen fcrpent; and he give* an 

 account of fix metals gold, iiivcr, copper, iron, 

 tin, and lead ^[. And the profcffors of c he rail- 

 try confidcr the pulvcriiing and diflblving of the 

 golden calf as a perfect fpecimen of his know- 

 ledge of their art. No doubt, if the calf were 



all 



Ah vii. 32, 



-\ In vita Muf. 



\ Kx. xxviii. 17. 30. xxxlx. lo. 13. 



|| Ex.xxx. aaaj. 34,35. 



Numb. xxxi. ;. and xxxi. a? 



