( m ) 
lo the Sixth Chapter he enquires concerning the changed Pofitlon of the 
prefent Earth : For this he has a Cloud of Teftimonies befide Vlato, to wir, 
Anaxagoras, Empedscles, Diogenes, Leuceppus, Democritus , who all fpeak of 
the charged Situation of the Earth's Axis, whofe Tefiimonies he has elfe* 
where mentioned. Among the Inventions of the Aflronomers, the Obliquity 
of the Zodiack asd the Seafons of the Year are afcribed to Thales ; which 
is an Argument it had not been fo from the beginning. Bur the Hiftories of 
the Progrefs of Aftronomy, written by Endemus and Theon Smyrneus have pe- 
rilled, which might have afforded more cogent Arguments. Here he men- 
tions what Ovid, Virgil and Homer have faid to this purpofe, in defcribing the 
Golden Age and the Elizium of the Dead. From the Poets he pafTes to. 
P/«?/*r*FsI)efcriptioB of the Fortunate Ifles, which is a more modern Name 
for the Elizium, and agrees much with the Paradificat Earth. And- another 
out of Diodtrxs Sicuhs, of the Ifland labrobana \ which he fupprfes to' be 
for the fame purpofe. From thefe Heathens he comes to the Jcwifrs and Chri- 
ftian Writers, defcribing Paradife and the Garden of the Lord ; who do 
much agree with the Heathen Defcriptions of- the Golden Age. He quotes 
If. Abixbantl upon the id of Genefis, and Aben Etya ; alfo Maimonides upon the 
lorfc Chapter of the Sanhedrim ; Manaffeb Ben Ifrael on the Creation, and 
Abraham Eccbtltenfis concerning the Tefiimonies of the Jews and Arabians. 
Then for the Chriftians he brings Tatianus : He quotes alfo Suidas, and fums 
up ail with BeUarmine's Xonc'ufion, That there was a perpetual Spring, and 
another Courfe of the Sun rhen at prefent. He adds, that Ariftotle thought 
the fhort and uncertain Life of Creatures proceeded from the Oblique Motion 
of the Sun in the Zodiac^: And that M antn an^ fays, it was the Opinion of 
the ancient Aflronomers. He -adds alfo a Paffage of Orpheus preferred by Fro~ 
"$lxs to the fame etTed. 
In the Seventh Chapter he difcourfes of the Defcription which Mofes gives 
•of Paradife, arid of the ftate of Nature in the New World ; which is in ge- 
nera), That Mofes accommodated his Hiftory to the Capacity of thofe for 
whom he writ, and that all he has faid is not to be taken in a drift literal 
Senfe. Then in the Eighth Chapter he fpeaks of the manner of the Interpre- 
tations of the ExpFeffions of Mofes concerning the Hexameron, which is con- 
fonarit to his Thoughts in the Seventh. And in the Ninth Chapter he endea- 
vours to anfwer thofe who would have it to be literally underftood. And in 
the Laft Chapter lie propounds what things are worthy to beconfidered in or- 
der to the making a right Judgment of the whole ; and more particularly, of 
what he hath more freely delivered in the preceding Chapters. He defires his 
Reader* therefore to conrlder the life and Style of the Eaftern Sages. 2. The 
mean and dull Apprehensions of the Israelites at the time when Mofes writ. 
.3. What Learned Commentators hav# faid of this matter. 4. What we are 
to think 6f the Great God, and what Thoughts concerning hitn are worthy s 
and what befeeming. As to the Firft, Thefe Orientals did for the mo ft pare 
deliver their Doftrines in Mythology, ad Captum Vulgi: But they had alfo a 
more Secret Doctrine, which they deliver'd only to fuch of their Schools as 
were of a more clear Underftanding. So that though many vulvar Opinions 
have been afcribed to them, yet they were fuch as were delivered for the Vul- 
gar, but that they had others referved for the more intelligent. So Iambticus 
w& ltMUm relate^ fomc Notions of ?ythag$'t*s t which accorded with the 
Vulvar 
