510 
blichus, and Proclus, wrote large com- 
amentaries on thefe oracles, and are well 
known to have ranked among the greateft 
enemies of the Chriftian religion; there 
is not even poetical probability, that men 
of fuch great learning and fagacny fhovld 
have been duped by the fhailow artifice 
of fome heretical Chriitian knave. To 
which we may add, that Porphyry, in his 
life of Plotinus, exprefsly mentions, that 
certain revelations afcribed to Zoroafter, 
were circulated, in his time, by many 
Chriftians and heretics who had aban- 
doned the ancient philofophy, and that 
he fhowed, by many arguments, thefe 
revelations were fpurious; from which 
it 1s evident, that the oracles commented 
on by him, were not thofe forged by the 
heretics of his time. 
In the third place, Proclus in his MS. 
Scholia on the Cratylus of Plato, fays, 
that the Oracles refpeéting the zntelligi- 
ble and iutelle@ual orders, were delivered 
by Theurgifts, under the reign of Marcus 
-Antoninus*. It is clear, therefore, that 
the following oracles, which are collected 
from the writings of the Platonifis, are 
of Chaldzan, and not of Chriftian, ori- 
gin; not to mention that the dogmas 
they contain are totally diffonant trom 
thofe of the Chriftian faith. 
It is likewife evident, that fome of 
thefe oracles may, with great confidence, 
be afcribed to the Chaldean Zoroatfter. 
This appears from the Chaldean manu- 
fcript of Picus, in which thofe oracles 
were denominated Zoroaftrian, which 
exift at prefent, with the Scholia of 
Pfellus, under the title of Ise Magic 
Oracles of Zoroafier. 
In confequence of this, I have diftri- 
buted thefe oracles into four parts. 
The firft divifion. I denominate The 
Oracles of Zoroafter; the fecond, Oracles 
delivered by Theurgifis, under the reign of 
Marcus Antoninus; becaufe the oracles in 
this divifion relate to the intelligible and 
jntellectual orders. The third divifion; 
d call, Oracles which were either delivered 
by Theurgiis, under Marcus Anioninus, or 
Ly Zoroafter; becaufe the colleétion of 
Pfellus is far from being complete, as we 
Shall fee from the conclufions of Picus, 
and the oracles in this divifion do not 
immediately relate to the intelligible and 
inteileétual orders. The fourth divifion 

* Qurw udt cote ers MAPKOY VEVOpAEVOLS Jeov- 
pryots, obSeor we voutas & yerous suketo exdautyovlec, 
ajopentre Twy Sewy snowy eSayyedrine che 
gesolnlos AUTLY aredsecwurasyy Og - nar ovvleg 
EXELVOE c0U, Seve EY TELS TH LOT HAVO UC TELAT EES, 
wns Bee” aUTWY EUNKOLHS ETLUYY Woy. i 
Colleétion of the Chaldean Oracles, by Mr. Taylor. 
[Sup.. 
contains a few oracles of uncertain, or 
imperfect meaning, which I have thus 
denominated, from not having the MSS. 
in my pofleflion, from which they were 
colleéted. 7 
The learned reader will eafily perceive 
that my labour, in forming this colleétion, 
muft have been great, as I have accu- 
rately arranged each oracle under its 
proper head, and have given the authors 
and places where each (a few only ex- 
cepted) may be found. He will likewife 
find, that [ have added fifty Chaldean 
oracles, and fragments of oracles, to the 
collection of Patricius; and that I have: 
given afar more correét edition of the: 
text, than that of Le Clerc. Short notes 
are added, by way of comment, on the 
moft obfcure of thefe oracles, and the 
expofition of Pfellus is prefixed as con- 
taining the beft account of rhe Chaldaic 
dogmas that can, at prefent, be obtained. 
Manor- Place, Your’s, &c. 
Walworth. T. TAYLOR, 
Ke For a lif of Mr. Tayior’s Works, fee 
the end of this article, 
A CONCISE EXPOSITION OF CHALDAIC 
DOGMAS, BY PSELLUS, 
“They affert that there are feven 
corporeal worlds, one Empyrean and the 
firft; after this, three etherial, and then 
three material worlds*, the laft of which 
is faid to be terreftrial, and the hater of 
life : and this is the fublunary place, con- 
taining likewife in itfelf matter, which 
they call a profundity, They are of 
opinion, that there is one principle of 
things; and this they celebrate as’ the 
one, and the goodt. After this, they ve- 
nerate a certain paternal profundity?, 
confifting of three triads; but each triad 
contains, father, power, and intelleé. 
After this is the intelligible Iyzaj}, thea 
the Syzoches, of which one is empyrean, 
the other etherial, and the third mate- 
rial. The Yeletarcoe follow the Sy- 


* Thefe are the inerratic fphere, the feven 
planetary fpheres, and the fublunary region. 
+ So Plato. ‘ 
{ This is called, by the Platopifts, the 
intelligible triad; and is celebrated by Plato in 
the Philebus, under the names of sound, infinite, 
and the mixed; and likewile of J[ymmetry, 
truths and dc.zty, which triad, he fays, is feated 
in the veftibule of the good. 
|| The Eyzx, Synoches, and Teletarche of the 
Chaldzeans, compofe that divine order, which is 
called, by the Platonitts, the /ntelligible, and, 
at the fame time, ixte/leStual order ; and is cele- 
brated by Plato in the Phedrus, under the 
names of the fuperceleftial place, Heaven, and 
the fubceleffial arch, ~ 
noches, 
