S I c 



Chriflian writers, who have quoted the Sibylline oracle?, 

 had only a part of the colleftion which is tranfmitted down 

 to us. Seme of the fathers, not apprized of the impofilion, 

 have often cited the books of the Sibyls in favour of the 

 Chriflian religion ; and hence Celfus takes occafion to call 

 the Chriftians Sibyllifts. It muft be allowed that St. 

 Clement, St. Theophilus, and fome other Greek fathers 

 of the fecond century, had a much greater refpedl for the 

 Sibyls than they deferved ; for Dr. Lardner fays, that he 

 is well fatisiied that the SibyUine verfes quoted by them are 

 the forgery of fome Chriltian. The ancient Sibylline verfes 

 did not recommend the worfliip of the one God, condemn- 

 ing all manner of idolatry, as thofe do which are cited by 

 Juftin, Theophilus, and Clement. It muft be owned, how- 

 ever, that Clement calls the Sibyl a prophetefs, and feems to 

 quote her verfes as Scripture, in the Itritleft fenfe of the 

 word, together with the Scriptures of the Old Tellament ; 

 fo that if there be any books improperly advanced by him 

 into the rank of facred Scripture, they are the SibyUine 

 books ; but Dr. Lardner does not think that he efteemed 

 them of equal authority with the books of the Jewifh 

 canon. It is a circumftance that deferves to be mentioned, 

 that the Heathen people knew nothing of thefe Sibylline 

 verfes till they were found out, or rather forged, by fome 

 Chriltian, and then incautioully and imprudently recom- 

 mended by others. Juilin Martyr feems to have been the 

 firft Chriltian writer who quoted the colleftion now exift- 

 ing of Sibylline oracles, or any SibyUine verfes whatever, 

 containing the peculiar doftrines of Chriftianity. The 

 more ancient writers preceding hmi, who have mentioned 

 the Sibyls, have quoted nothing but what might be 

 found in Sibylline writings among the Heathens. In 

 the collection above-mentioned, which appears, for the 

 chief part of it, to have been a work of the fecond cen- 

 tury, we have many unqueftionable evidences that the 

 writer, who calls himfelf a Chriftian, was acquainted 

 With the New Teltament, and that in feverai places 

 he recites the fame fads in the fame or fimilar lan- 

 guage. The pretended prophecies of this coUeftion are 

 undeniably taken from the New Teltament. Whatever 

 was the particular view of the author in compofing thi: 

 ivork, fays Dr. Lardner, and however improperly fome 

 ancient writers have produced tcftimonies from it in their 

 defences of the Chriltian religion, it is now of ufe to us, as 

 it affords an argument that our gofpels were extant, and in 

 much repute, in the author's time. See farther on this 

 fubjetl, Prideaux's Conn. vol. iv. p. 885, &c. Lardner's 

 Credib. of the Gofpel Hilt. vol. iv. book i. cap. 29, or 

 Works, vol. ii. 



^^^■'^BA, in Geography, a town on the north-well 

 coafl of the ifland of Negroes. N. lat. 1 1° 26'. E. Vms. 

 123° 2'. ^ 



SIC^, in Ancient Geography, a town of Thrace, caUed 

 in the time of Steph. Byz. Julliniana^.-Alfo, a town of 

 Afia, in Cilicia.— Alfo, the name of a place in the vicinity 

 of the town of Alexandria. 



SICAL, or Sisal, in Geography, a town of Mexico, 

 on the north coail of the province of Yucatan ; 60 miles 

 N.W. of Merida. 



SICAMINUM, m Ancient Geography. See Caipha. 



SICAN, in Geography, a town of Perfia, in Khoraffan ; 

 15 miles S.W. of Zauzan. 



SICANDERAB, a town of Hindcoftan, in Dooab ; 

 36 miles V/.N.W. of Pattiany. 



SICANE, in Ancient Geography, a town of Spain. 

 Staph. Byz.— Alfo, a river of Sicily, which ran near 

 Agrigentura, 



S I c 



SICANUS, a town of Spain, according to Thucy- 

 dides. 



SICAPHA, a town of Africa Proper, being one of 

 tliofe which were fituated between the two Syrtes. Ptol. 



SICARD, Claude, in Biography, a Jefuit miffionary, 

 was born at Aubergne, near Marfeilles, in 1677. He en- 

 tered into the fociety of Jefus in tiie year 1699, and for 

 feverai years taught the claflics and rhetoric in their fchools. 

 He was at lesigth fent on a miflion to Syria, and thence to 

 Egypt, where he died at Cairo in 1726. He was a man 

 of deep as weU as exteniive learning, and an exa£l obferver 

 of what was remarkable in the countries he vifited. His 

 firlt publication was " An eafy Method of learning Greek," 

 tranflated into French from the Latin of Peter Gras, with 

 additions. When abroad, he fent home feverai curious 

 letters, which were publifhed in the " Nouveaux Memoires 

 des Miffions de la Compagnie de Jefus dans le Levant ;" in 

 which are likewife publilhed his " Plan of a Work on 

 Egypt, ancient and modern," and " A Differtation on the 

 Paiiage of the Red Sea, and Journey of tlie Ifraelitos." 



SICARII, in Ancient Nl/lory, allaflins of Judea, who 

 went about the country for the accomplilhment of their 

 nefarious purpofes, with fhort fwords concealed under their 

 clothes. Jofephus has defcribed them in the moll odioiis 

 colours. Eleazar, he fays, tlie chief man among them, 

 was a defcendant of Judas, who had perfuadcd not a few of 

 the Jews not to enrol themlelves, when Cyrenius the cenfor 

 was fent into Judea. For then the Sicarii conlpired againft 

 all who were willing to fubmit to the Romans. They treated 

 all fuch as public enemies. But other pretences were pro- 

 felled, in order to cover their cruelty and avarice. Thefe 

 hypocritical villains were hired to murder Jonathan, the high 

 prielt, at the inlligation of Felix. Accordingly, fome of 

 the alfaflins, coming up to Jerufalem, with an apparent 

 purpofe of worfhipping God ; and having fhort fwords 

 under their coats, mixed themfelves with the multitude, and 

 killed Jonathan. This murder pafTiiig unpunifhed, the 

 robbers afterwards attended the fealts without any feeming 

 concern, and carrying, as before, fwords under their 

 clothes, and mixing with the multitudes, killed feverai 

 people, fome whom they reckoned their enemies, and fome 

 whom they were hired by others to deftroy. This they did, 

 not only in other parts of the city, but within the bounds 

 of the temple itfelf. Jofeph. De BeU. Jud. 1. vii. c. 8. 

 ^1.5. 



SICASICA, or CiCACiCA, in Geography, a town of 

 South America, and chief place of a jurildiAion of the fame 

 name, in the government of Buenos Ayres, 240 miles in 

 extent ; 40 miles N.N.W. of Oruro. 



SICAYAP Point, a cape on the north-well coafl of 

 Mindanao. N. lat. 8°. E. long. 123° 30'. 



SICCA, a town on the north coait of the ifland of Su- 

 matra. N.lat. i°32'. E. long. iio°4o'. 



Sicc A, La, a fmall ifland in the Mediterranean, near the 

 coaft of Naples. N. lat. 39° 58'. E. long. 13'^ 52'. 



SICCACOLLUM, a city of Hindooftan, in the cir- 

 car of Condapilly, on the Killnah ; 35 miles S.S.W. of 

 EOore. 



SICCAPILLY, a town of Hindooftan, in My fore ; 

 25 miles N.N.W. of Chinna Balabaram. 



SICCA-VENEREA, Keff, in Ancient Geography, a 

 town of Africa, fituated about five leagues S.W. of La- 

 ribus Colonia, and 25 leagues W.S.W. of Tunis. It was 

 built upon the declivity of a hill. Valerius Maximus fays, 

 that it had a temple of Venus, at which young females 

 proilituted themfelves, in order to obtain a portion that 

 might enable them to marry. 



SICCHASIA, 



