548 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 16Q3. 



to be met with among the Hebrews, and in their Cabala, which he finds to be 

 very little. 



From these he passes on, in the 8th chapter, in his search for the ancient 

 learning amongst the Egyptians, where he finds it very ancient, and much ce- 

 lebrated by the Hebrews, who extol both Moses and Solomon, the one for 

 knowing, the other for excelling in it ; and by the Greeks, as from whence they 

 had derived their knowledge. Upon a stricter inquiry into it, he finds it to 

 be ; first. Geometry, as old as the overflowing of the Nile, on which account it 

 was invented ; but he thinks they were only land measurers ; and that the 

 Greeks, as Thales and P) thagoras, make it speculative. 2. Astronomy. But 

 this the Chaldeans knew ; nor does it appear which were the first ; though he 

 conceives both were very ancient, but rude and imperfect, and much improved 

 afterwards by the Greeks. However, he believes they had a true knowledge of 

 the system of the heavens, and understood the motions of the planets, &c. 

 Yet he thinks that they did not understand them so well as to reduce their 

 motions to calculation. They are said also to have cultivated music and 

 physic, but these also without theories, and only by tradition. And though 

 Herodotus says, they had for every disease a particular physician ; yet both 

 these were much more improved by the Greeks. They are said by others to 

 be the inventors of chemistry. Lastly, that they were knowing in physics or 

 natural science. They held the earth to be formed out of the confused mass 

 of the four elements, or out of the chaos ; and a two-fold destruction of it, 

 one by fire, another by water ; that the earth was of an egg form ; and what 

 we call the Pythagoric system was the oldest of all others, but kept among 

 their arcana. Their most celebrated philosopher was Hermes Trismegistus. 

 The Egyptians preserved their learning by their priests, who had colleges in 

 several parts of Egypt. They had it inscribed on obelisks, and written in 

 books. The Babylonians had celestial observations for 720 years inscribed on 

 burnt tiles. Democritus transcribed his morals from a Babylonian column. 

 The columns of Hermes in Egypt are famous, on which were inscribed his 

 doctrine. From these the Greeks and Phoenicians had much of their know- 

 ledge, and Manetho his sacred history. Ammianus Marcellinus says, these 

 columns were placed in subterraneous vaults, and were there before the flood. 

 Manetho and Josephus assert the same of theirs, both possibly the same. In 

 their books were written their laws, their history, and their philosophy. Some 

 things were communicable, others were arcana, not to be divulged. They 

 had also a two-fold way of writing, one common, another sacred. This was 

 written with hieroglyphics. The Brachmans have not only a different character, 

 but a difierent language to preserve their philosophy. Pythagoras was not ad- 



