( 8oi ) 
From thcfe lie piffes on (in the Eighth Chapter) in hisScarch for the ancient 
Learning amongft the Egyptians where he finds it very ancient, and much 
celebrated by the Htbrr&s, who extol both Mofes and Solomon, the one for 
knowing, "the other for excelling it ; and by theGre^, as from whence they 
had derived thnr Knowledge. Upon a ftrifter Erqmy into ir, he finds ic co 
bir firft Geometry, as old as the overflowing of thrt Nile, upon wiiich account 
ic was iavented ^buf he thinks they were buc Land Inters*, and that the 
'Greeks, as Thales and Vytbagoras did make ic Speculative. 2. Aftronomy. 
Eutihk the Chaldeans -knew, nor doth it appear which were the firft but 
he conceives both were very ancient, but rude and irnperfeft, and much im- 
proved afterwards by the Greeks. However, he believes they had a true 
Knowledge of theSyllem of. the Heavens, and underflood the Motions of 
the Planets, &c. Yet he rhinks that they did not underftand them fo wcil, 
as to reduce their Motions to Calculation. They are faid alfo to have cul- 
tivated Mufick and Ph> tick, butthefc alio without Theories, and only by Tra- 
dition. And tho Herodotus fays, they had for every Difeafe a particular Phyf;- 
cian : Yet both thefe were much more improved by the Grttl^s. They are 
faid by others to be the Inventers of Chimiftry. Laflly, That they were 
knowing in Phyficks or Natural Science \ thac is, the Cofmogonii^ Tutogonia, 
or Taeo!ogia y which they look'd upon as the fame Science. They held the 
Earth to be formed out of the confufed Mifs of the Four Elements, or out 
of the Ghaos j and a two-fold Deflrufrion of it one by Fire, another by 
Water ; That the Earth was of an Egg form *, and that we call the Pytha- 
goricj^ Syftera was the oldeft of all others, but kept among their Arcana. 
Their moft Celebrated Philofopher was Htrmts Trifmtgi(t^ ; though when he 
lived, or what he thought and writ is not known. Thofe that bear his Name 
are fictitious. But among the multitude of his Writings, his Cofmologia, 
rnenrioned by Philo Bib lifts; is [oft. The Egyptians preferved their Learn- 
ing by their PrieHs, who had Colledges in divers parts of EgyJ>. They had 
it inferibed on Obelisks, and written in Books. The Babylonians had Cce- 
Icftial Obfervations for 720 Years inferibed on burnt Tyles. Democrltus tran- 
feribed his Mora's from a Babylonian Column. The Columns of Hermts in 
Egypt are famous, on which were inferibed his Doctrine. From thefe the 
Greeks and Ptccnicians had much of their Knowledge, and Manttho his Sa- 
cred Hifiorv. Amianus Marcdlinu% fays, thefe Columns '.ere placed in fub- 
terraneous Vaults, and were there before the Flood. Manttbi and Joftpbits 
affert the fame of theirs, both poflibly the fame. In their Books were ivrit- 
ten their Laws, their HifWy and their Philofophy. Some things were com- 
municable, others were Arcajta, not to be devulged. They had alfo a 
two-fold 'way of Writing, one Common, another Sacred. This was writ- 
ten with HUroglyMcJ(S* the Bracbmans have not only a different Cha- 
racter, but a different Language to prcferve their Philofophy. Thefe 
Priefls were fhrift Concealers of their Secrets, as many Authors complain of 
them. Nor was Pytbagoras admitted without being firft Circumcifed, and 
otherwife qualified. Tne Ejjeni, and others of oth-rr Nations, as Ptrfians, Sj- 
rians, and Indians, adminifired ^ Oaths, &c of Secrecy. They further ob- 
jured their Knowledge by Symbols, .<£iigma*s and Fables, in which the 
Greeks alfo follow'd them, as did alfo moft other Nations in the Hifiories of 
their Gods, of which kind he gives divers Inftances. Among thefe are 
the 
