( 793 ) 
Amongft the Celti he finds Philofophy to have been all along, vh. among, 
the Druids and Smnotbri ; of whom yet we have but a dark Account, that 
they profefs'd to underfland the Order and "Motions of the Heavens, and the 
Will of the Gods ; and that Strabo fays, they uughr the Worlds Periods by 
Water and Fire, and held a traufmigratlon cf Souls, as the Pythagoreans ; 
tho' they are thought to have much preceded him, and to have been the rnofl 
ancient for Mythologick Theology. Of this Clafs were what Philofophers were 
to be found anciently among the Germans, Briiains, Spaniards and Italians >. 
of fome of which Strabo affirm?, that they had Poems of their Laws, &c. of 
6"ooo years fi -in ding. Thofe among the Ht'trufci, Diodorus Siculush)*, fludied 
Philofophy: And Vlutarcb fays, they had the Notion of the Amis Magnws y 
or Periods of Revolutions, and that the Romans had their Sacred Kites from 
them. 
Among the ^Ethiopians the Gpnncfoph/fts were famous ; bur we can find very 
little information what their Philofophy was. They were Celebrated indeed 
for their Laws, Government and Gonverfe with the G'-di, and had a very arc* 
cient ufe of LQtitr^ 5 and hid Colledges of Priefts which taught Phiiofcphy 
and Theology. Thefe are faid by Lncian to have^been the firfl Aftronon.crr, 
and to have taught the &gy?ti*ns. But as to the Theory of the Earth there 
is nothing of theirs to be found. And indeed, moffc of the Aacicnc Authors 
that writ purpofcly of them are now no more to be found. 
Having pafs'd over thefe three Heads without making much Difcovery to his 
purpofe, he in the Third Chapter comes to the Orientals or Indians, compre- 
hending all the Afians \ and fome of their Neighbours, as the Egyptians and 
Greeks- He begins then with the moil Eaftern Nation, the Seri or cbinefes. 
Celfus and Dionyfins call them Atheifts, becaufe they had no Idol-Temples or 
Worfbip j and Barbarians, becaufe they had no Commerce with other Nati- 
ons. So that it feems little of their Learning was known to the Ancients ; 
though of late years they have been much better known, to have very ancient 
Hiftories, and fome that mention the Flood and the beginnings of things. 
But by what we can learn, their Phyfiology is much inferiour to whit was 
known in the Weflern Parts, as was alfo> their Mathematicks, being all of 
their own Production, and not borrowed fro 11 any befides. Contrary to that 
of the 67^, Romans, and other Europeans, who derived a!I from others. 
Puffing from thefe to the South, he meets with the Bracbmans, Philofophers 
celebrated in all Ages for their Devoting themfelves wholly to Contemplations, 
of' unknown Original, but yet worthy to be more diligently enquired into, 
both for their Eminency in Phyfiology and Agronomy, though both were 
wrapped up and vailed under Mythology : Yet they had fome Notions con- 
cordant with the Gree^. Strabo alio fays, That they held the World to have 
been generated, ani was corruptible ; That it was forrn'd out of Water, but 
the reft of the Univerfe from other Principles. The chief of thefe were moft 
honoured, and abfoiutely free, neither Governing, nor Governed by any. 
This is the Sum of what can be found amongft the Ancients concerning their 
Natural Philofophy. 
In the Fourth Chapter he enquires concerning the Affyrians and Babylonians^ 
who were the flrft Empire after the Flood : Thefe are accounted the firft 
who cultivated Literature and had Publick Schools at Babylon , which con- 
tinued fo till the ti trie of Nefachadono\er and Daniel. Thefe Learned Men 
- were 
