IX 
PREFACE. 
JImM pint out to the Mind the furprifing Manner of God’s Method of 
nvorking ’who created all things ; and this may ferve as natural Argu- 
ments of his infinite Wifdom and P ower. 
Mr. Horfley in his Britannia Romana, making a fort of Apology for 
that Work in his Preface^ has thefe Words., which will not be amifs to 
(suote for my prefent Purpofe. I have always looked on it as an In- 
“ ftance of divine Wifdom, that it fliould be fo order’d that different 
Men have fuch different Tafles and Inclinations. By this means the 
“ feveral Parts of Knov/ledge are more cultivated : And I think we owe 
“ our Thanks to any one, who will apply himfelf to the Study of any 
“ particular Thing ; though it feem minute, and^ may not fuit our 
“ Tafte or Inclination to purfue it ourfelves. This gives us, at leaft, 
“ an Opportunity of knowing on eafier Terms what can be faid on that 
“ Subjeft.” 
It is always necejfary that every Age fhould labour to dtfcover Jome- 
thing, and not fit down content with the Difcoveries of our Forejathers, 
for Experience fhews the Knowledge of our Ancefiors dwindles away, and 
decays daily ; for fuch is the nature of Fitne, that it obfcures or defrays 
the Knowledge of pafi Ages by the many wafieful Events which happen 
in a long courfe of Tears, fuch as Fire, Rapine, Inundations, Lofs of 
the Liberties of Countries, and many other Things. But tnore than all 
thefe, the change of Languages affeBs our Knowledge ; for no Language 
coritinues the fame for many Getituries : Infcriptions indeed have contbiued 
fotne -ihoufands of Years, 'but when the Languages are dead in which they 
are wrote, the Senfe of them by Ages becomes darker and darker, till at 
lafi they are utterly obfcure, as we find the mofi asitient are, witnefs the 
Monuments of the antient Egyptians, the Ruins of Perfepolis, and other 
mhhty Ruins in many Parts of the World : So that we fee we cannot 
depefd on the Knowhdge of the Antiesits as a perpetual Fund ; we mufl, 
as Titnes go, gather what we can from them, and add to it as snuch as 
we can of our ovon, that we may keep up the Stock we have by adding 
fomething in the room of what mufl inevitably be lofl-, for if we fit down 
content with what is already known, which is a Knowledge we are fure 
is decreafing every Day, we in a few Ages may know nothing, and be 
reduced to a flate equal to the wild Americans, fince we knm thatEmop 
[_b] itfelf 
