( Soo ) 
In the Sixth Chapter he enquires after what is to be met wfrh among the 
Arabians and Phoenicians. The Firft is Job, whom he makes an Arabian, 
Wore the time of Mofes, who had the knowledge cf Letters, and of the 
Heavens, and many other parts of the Creation, befides that of the Wor- 
fhipof the true God. This Knowledge Iafled to the time of Solomon, as 
appears by the queen of Sktba: Nay, till rhe Birth of Chrift, as appears by 
the Magi that nm to Worfhip him. The Zabii he mikes ro be Tome of the 
ancient Arabs, among whom Abraham was bred. Thefe boaft of having the 
Religion of HoAh. To thefe, Pvphyyy hyt, Pythagoras went : And Pliny 
affirms the fame of Vemocritus : But thefe fioce that time have degenera- 
ted, and have taken up the Grecian Learning ; though they had alfo tranfl3tcd 
into their Language the Ancient Learning of the Egyptians, Perfians and 
Chaldeans ; but thefe were burnt by the Saracens. What Writings yet remaio 
among them are. thought not older than Eight or Nine Hundred Years. The 
Dchrttes among the ancient Arabs held the World Eternal, and the Sou! 
mortal. Hence their Proverb, Vtcri pariunt, Stpulchra d(gluthnt, The Womb 
makes, the Tcmb takes. Next for the Phoenicians, he finds them very an- 
cient, and early knowing in Letters, Arkhmetick, Aftronomy, Fhyfiology, 
Navigation, Foreign Trade and Planting, lhales aBd Zeno were Phoenicians, 
and to them went divers of the GreeJ^ Philofopher*. Stabo fa)?, that Mofchiu 
found the Hypo thefts of Atmts before the Tro)an War. The Philofophy be- 
fore the frojin War was all by Tradition, but after that came in the Rational 
and Difputative. Nothing remains of Sanchoniathon's philofophy, but that he 
had ftudied the Kofmogonian of Taautes, deducing the World from the ancient 
Chaos, and a precedent IAoV or Matter. He wrote a!fb divers other Philofo- 
phical things *, but they, as well as all the other Authors that wrote of the 
Phoenicians, as Theodotus Hyp fur at ts and Mochus, Htftitus, and Hieronimns 
Lgyptixs are wholly loft. 
In the Seventh Chapter he entires what Footfteps of ancient Phyfical 
teaming is to be met with among the Htbrcxs, and in their Cabalas Firft 
he notes, that Laclantius wonder'd why Pythagoras and Plato went to the 
Egyptians for Knowledge, but not to the Hebrews ; which is an Argument 
they were not then confiderablc for that kind of Knowledge ; that is, Phyfical 
and Mathematical. What they had was contained in their Cabala, which 
they pretend to have received from Mofes* But whatever it were at frrft, 
it hath been much depraved with Rabbinical Figments and Chimera's: Such 
ape the Myftical Numeration by the Letters of Words i fuch are the Magical 
Spells derived aifo thence j fuch thee* preffing common Notions by a fort of 
My ftical Words, or Characters, or Numbers, to make it more wonderful to 
fuch as do not underftand it. Which was a trick made ufe of alfo by ¥y~ 
tbagoras in his Symbols, by the Egyptians ' in their Hieroglophicks, and by the 
Her metiers in their Cant : All which, if the Veil were removed, would appear 
empty Nothings, being of no other ufe, but toamufethe Ignorant and con- 
ecal their own Defcfis and Emptinefs. They divided their Cabala into No- 
minal and Real. The Nominal was Triple, Gtmmatria, Notaricon, and 7hen>- 
mra, plainly Modern and Barbarous Names. All confifted in fhuffiing the 
Letrers of Words mixed with Number. Re'uclin yet fays, that the Jivps 
a6ki& } that thereby may be found out all the Knowledge of Afo/ij. and Selmon r 
