Ohfervations in Egypt. 591 



to have been tranfcribed from thence into the Works of Tlato 

 and Tythagoras. 



Their fymbohcal Learning alone, either as it was conveyed Νί."?''/'^'^ 

 in Sculpture, upon their Ohelisks &c. or in Colours, upon the Hicrogiy- 

 Walls of their Cyypiie " , iMummy-Chefts, Boxes for thQir%ud'!Z" 

 facred Animals &c. appears not to have been known mGreece-^ "'^"'' 

 though, among the Antiquities of Hetruria % we meet with 

 fome faint Imitations of it; enough perhaps to prove, either 

 that this Nation was originally related to Eg/pi, or th^tTyiba- 

 goras, or fome of his School, introduced it among them. 

 However, though none of the Grtecian Travellers, have tran- 

 ilated into their own Country the Figures and Symbols them- 

 felves ; yet Diodorus in particular, in Conjunction with Tor- 

 fhyry, Clemens Alexandrinus, and other Authors, hath obliged 

 us with the Defcription and Interpretation of the moft remark- 

 able of them. But ftill, as a proper and faithful Key is want-^-i^ i>#v../.'y 

 ing to the whole Science, the Purport and Defign of any lingle thtm. 

 Specbnen of it, muft, of Courfe, remain a Secret, or be, at 

 leaft, exceedingly dubious, uncertain, and obfcure. 



Now, from what is prefumed to be already known of uns what Bran- 

 ny Yn\fo\\c^ Learning, it is fuppofed, th?LtU\c Egyptians QlUQ^y'ingZrrT^'e'- 

 committed to it, fuch Things as regarded the Being and Ann-]Ztd mf-' 

 butes of their Gods ' ; the Sacrifices and Adorations that were''"'* 

 to be offered to them ; the Concatenation of the different 

 ClaiTes of Beings ; the Doftrine of the Elements, and of the 

 good and bad 7)iemons, that were imagined to influence and 

 dire6l them. Thefe again were reprefented by fuch particular 

 Animals ^ Plants, Inftruments &c. as they fuppofed, or had 



I Several of thcfe CVj/Ji^:, painted with fymbolical Figures, are feen near the Pyramids. 

 Cbryfippiis's Antrum \Hthr£ feems to have been of the fame Kind. Τα τ«χία τ« αηλα/α τλιύλ- 

 rroixj^ois Άκοσι αασμίμ,ια itj τα τ Stavy if μί<πΎάί κ«λκ7/, α,γάλματα 'oui'^'cvit. 2. Vid. Tabb. Oetnpfl. 

 Hetrurice. Regalis. 19. 26. 3^. 39. 47. 6^. 66. 77- 78. 88. * SymMkutu appclio, cum quid 

 coiitiir, non quia creditur Deus, fed quia Deum lignificar. ** Quomodo Sol culcus in ignc 

 Veftdit, Hercules in Statua &:c. G.J. Fo//". dc Idolol. l.i. cap. j. 3 Hierogljphua /Egyptiorum 

 fapientia, teftantibus omnibus veterum icriptorum monumentis, nihil aliud erat, quam 

 fcientia de Deo, divinifque virtutibus, fcientia ordinis univerfi, Icientia intelligentiarum 

 mundi pra;iidum, quam Pythagoras δί FLuo, aountc Ρ lut arc ho, ex /liercurij columnis i.e. ex 

 obelifcis didicerunt. Kirch. JEd. /Egjpt. Tom. 3. p. 567• /Egyptii per norr.ina Deorum uni- 

 vcrfam rcrum naturam, juxtaTheologiam naturalem intelligebant. Macrol/. Sit. l.i.cap.20. 

 4 According to an old Obfervation, the great Principle upon which the Symbolic Method 

 of Philofophizing was grounded, was this, to ώ'θχτκ τ vMim μαμψΛΊα. lamblichus gives us 

 a fuller Realon of this Way of Writing. AiyC^Trjioi yi ΐ ifiaiv η ■aavns, )u τ Λ;/<8ρ?<ί«' '"»'' ^ο>' 

 μιμκφμοι•, ic< o-wnt Τ μυτικω» i^ α,-πακίκξυμμ'ίΐιαν ii) ώφΛνων νοίιιηων c^Koyof vms U^^ αυμί'αλαν w^ajnittt uycrtf κ^ 

 ϊΐ φντί! 7oif ίμφινίίτίί «Λί•/ Tat ϊφανίίί λό^κΓ ο.* ημζίλανι lefiTfiV mi, Λτατυττύσαιο• » Λ' Ίων Ss&iv Λ^ΐίρ>ίΛ, im 



Fffffx aotually 



