and best understood sense of it as to him and so to set down the Text. He takes the same course in this matter Iam itaqueverba Arabica ad locos hos tres pertinentia adscribere tempestivum est Quorum periodum ultimam doctioribus hujus linguae relinquimus I shall lay no claime to the Doctioribus but I doubt not to read the words right and then the place will easily be understood The Period which hee will not undertake upon is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abogalmasis indeed signifieth nothing it should be read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abogalubsis there 's but one letter mistaken and then the English of it will be And it is said that John delivered the Apocalyps to Pheugir This Pheugir was a Disciple of his as the same Arabick Author saith before The leaving of this Booke out of some Copies is just nothing against it you may say as much and as justly too of the Canonicall Epistles and there is the same reason for all These were more lately written and therefore not so soon received into the Canon as the rest I think every man ought to have a very reverend and singular opinion of that Epistle of Clemens Romanus to the Corinthians and yet I doe not thinke that either this or the rest of that Booke was of Teclaes owne hand writing no more then I beleive that Iohn Fox translated the Saxon Gospels into English I have seene the third Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians in the Armenian Tongue beginning Paul a Servant of Jesus Christ c. And an Epistle of the Corinthians to Saint Paul in the same Tongue beginning Steven Lib Ms Armenice cum versione Ital. apud ingeniosissimum virum Gilbertum North. c. to our Brother Paul greeting Kirstenius saith that there be many Epistles of Saint Paul in Arabick which we know not of yet The Armenian Priest I mentioned before told me they had more Bookes of Moses then we But now to discharge my selfe of all this that hath been said and to give up a sincere and sober account of the thing An indifferent man of any Nation under heaven could not deny but that this Booke throughout discovereth an incomprehensible secret power and excellency enabled to make any man whatsoever wise to Salvation And that Canon of it which is undoubtedly received on all hands is sufficiently entire And for detracting any the least jot or title from this unlesse it be notoriously made knowne to be heterogeneous and abhorrent and he that beleeveth this too must not make hast God shall take away his part out of the Booke of Life But for him that shall adde any thing thereto though it were a new Epistle of Saint Paul as to Seneca or the Loadiceans and as good as any of these we have God shall adde unto him the Plagues that are written in this Booke You must not reckon of the Scripture by the bulk It were the biggest Book in the world if it were lesse then it is and it was purposely fixed to that proportion it hath that it might compare and comply with our Size and Magnitude If you would have all written that Solomon disputed from the Cedar in Libanus to the Hysop that growes upon the wall or all that which was done and said by One that was Greater then he and spake as never man did The world it selfe would not be able to containe the Bookes that should be written Amen that is The Lord let it be so as it is ¶ It will not be so successeful an argument for this Book to the miraculous conservation and Incorruption of the Text. The Alcoran it selfe hath had much better luck That of the Old Testament how tenable soever it hath been made by their encompassing and inaccessible Masora I doe not finde it so altogether though wonderfully enough entire But for the New there 's no prophane Author whatsoever caeteris paribus that hath suffered so much at the hand of time And what of all this Certainly the providence was shewed to be greater in these miscarriages as we take them then it could have beene in the absolute preservation God suffered Tares to be sowed in the Genealogies while men slept or in some elementall parts that we might not insist upon those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Ben. Bar Jonah's Itinâ—rary Extracta quaestionum as these things are called and kept by the Jewes themselves It is an invincible reason for the Scriptures part that other escapes should be so purposely and infinitely let passe and yet no saving or substantiall part at all scarce moved out of its place To say the truth These varieties of Readings in a few by-places doe the same office to the maine Scripture as the variations of the Compasse to the whole Magnet of the Earth The Mariner knowes so much the better for these how to steere his Course ¶ For the style of this Scripture it is unspeakable good but not admirable in their sense who reckon the height of it from the unusualnesse of the phrase The Majesty of that Booke sits upon another Throne He that was among the Heardsmen of Tekoah did not write like him that was among the Priests at Anathoth Read Ben Syra and the Arabick Centuries of Proverbs Read the Alcoran it selfe Though the saying of our Saviour It is easier c. was originally It is easier for an Elephant Alcoran in Sirrat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Azoar 17. c. Yet Mahomet expresseth as our Saviour did They shall not saith he enter into Paradïse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till a Camell goe through a Needles eye You will get more by that Book to this purpose if you make no worse use of it then you should Yet you must have a care too for the Authors of that good confused heape have elsewhere exprest loosely enough They say in another Surat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That the Angels and God himselfe too say prayers for his Prophet that is that God prayes for Mahomet An odde saying you may think and yet how much different can you make it to be from that of ours where it is said that the Spirit maketh intercession for us c. but doe you make this use of it It is from hence that the Mahumetans expresse the memory of the Dead in God especially of the Prophet himselfe by those strange words Peace and the Prayer of God be upon them But if you would raise a Reputation upon our Scripture like your self and the dimensions of a man take it from those without I should think it to be very well that Aben Rois in his Arabick Commentaries upon Aristotles Moralls translated into Latine should call the greatest man of the East Augustin Steuch in Iob. ult Beatum Job Blessed Job and to urge him for an example of Fortitude Galen in his Booke De usu partium not knowing what to say to the haire of the Eye-lids why it should so strangely stand
the forme of Goates Therefore the eating of Goates flesh was forbidden them Notwithstanding nay for that reason the Magicall use of Goates was Holy and religious The Magicall preparation of a Kid hath a plaine respect unto the Seirim or Goat-Devills But for the reasons of the manner they cannot be given for then it were not Magicall 'T is enough that such a thing was used in the way of the Amorites and therefore expressely forbidden to the people of God Also it may very well be thought that the People of God themselves some of them drew downe this Example of the Zabii into their owne practise Why not this as well as sacrificing to the Seirim or Devill-Goats Levit. 17.7 If the people of God did so that is seeth a Kid in the milke of the Damme to hasten the maturation of their Fruits then this was the reason why the Prohibition is so often repeated in the Law Maimon quoteth a like practise of the Zabii out of their booke Avoda Henbattith They purified certaine things which the booke nameth having observed when the Sunne was in this or that degree They performed some Magicall operations and so went away with this perswasion that whosoever should besprinkle a new planted Tree with this charme the Tree would fructifie in a shorter time then otherwise would have done This affordeth another likelihood for the Karraites Tradition of seething a Kid c. that this also was to be found in the Zabians bookes though the learned Maimon had not yet met with it CHAP. XX. James 4.13 14 15. Go to now ye that say To morrow we will goe into such a City and continue there a yeare and buy and sell and get gaine Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away For that ye ought to say If the Lord will we shall live and doe this or that 1 Corinth 4.19 1 Pet 3.17 IT was a Custome among the Jewes especially and first to begin all things with God They undertooke nothing without this Holy and devout Parenthesis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If God will They otherwise exprest it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the Name please or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the Name determine so And by the Name they meane the great one Jehovah It was a phrase of so common speech with them that they contracted it into an Abbreviation of their kinde which to avoid repetition at large useth a letter for a word The Abbreviation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not onely a Phrase of the Jewes and Scripture but of all the men of the East You rarely meete with a booke written in the Arabick but beginneth Bismillahi In the name of God c. An Alcoran especially or any other booke of their Divinity And for the Alcoran it does not onely All or the whole Booke beginne so but every Surat or Chapter of that Scripture as they account it Not onely so but they make a common use of this very expression If God will Their words are and the Persians use the very same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si Deus voluerit or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the High or Almighty God will as Nassyr Eddyn in his Commentaries upon the Arabick Euclid at the end of his Preface to the tenth booke and elsewhere The Arabick Nubian Geographer beginneth his booke in the Name of the mercifull and compassionate God from whom is helpe And in the end of his Preface he saith the same thing in more words Quapropter potentissimi ac summi Dei quen unum solum esse fateor qui sufficientissimus atque optimus Protector est auxilium exposco From the Orientall part of the World this manner of speech descended downe upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth The Greekes render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same with the Latines Deo volente If God will Of which you may see more and very much to this matter if you consult with Brissonius de Formulis c. Lib. 1. p. 68 69. c. Indeed it were very much if we men of what Nation soever under Heaven should go about any thing without this seasonable condition of Gods helpe If we live and move and have our being in him as Saint Paul quoteth out of Aratus and the Scholiast Theon interpreteth to be meant of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 certainly we ought not to venture upon any thing without A Jove principium As he ought to be in all our thoughts so especially in those of enterprise and designe be it of the greatest nay be it of the smallest undertaking Especially we men I can beleeve the Angels of God doe so too for though the Gospell say that the providence of God cometh downe to the price of a Sparrow and were not two of these sold for a farthing Yet Maimon saith that God doth not take care for Oxen but setting all other things aside maketh it his onely businesse to procure the matters of Mankinde See his excellent discourse upon the Providence of God More Nevoch Par. 3. C. 17. Considering the engagements either of Gods provision or mens usuall Fatalities one would thinke this manner of speech to be equally naturall to the whole race of Mankind yet as I said before the Jewes gave the first example and they themselves brought it into use but upon this occasion It relateth to one of the wise sayings of Ben Sira an old Sage of theirs and beleeved by them to be Jeremie the Prophets Nephew The saying is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. The Bride went up into her Chamber but did not know what was to befall her Upon this the Perush there maketh this Explication 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. Let a man never say he will doe any thing without this exception If God permit There was a man who said To morrow I will sit with my Bride in the Bride-Chamber and will know her there They said unto him say If God will He said unto them Whether God will or will not to morrow I will sit with my Bride in my Bride-Chamber So he did He entered with his Bride into the chamber and sate with her all day At night they went both to bed but they both dyed before they knew one another When they found them dead in the morning each by other they said the saying of Ben Sira was true The Bride went up into the Bride-Chamber but did not know what was to befall her Vpon this they said Whosoever hath a purpose to doe any thing ought to say If God permit Otherwise he is not like to prosper The words of Saint James have a full respect upon this Tradition you may easily perceive it if you marke these words To morrow we will goe c. especially the close We shall live and doe this or that CHAP. XXI Amos 6.1 3 4.
GREGORII OPUSCULA OR NOTES OBSERVATIONS UPON Some Passages of SCRIPTURE With other Learned Tracts WRITTEN BY JOHN GREGORY M. A. and late Chaplaine of Ch Ch in Oxon. LONDON Printed for R. ROYSTON at the Angel in Ivie-lane 1650. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS UPON SOME PASSAGES OF SCRIPTVRE By I. G. late Master of Arts of Christ-Church OXON R. Hillel said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si non ego mihi quis mihi Et cum ego mihimet ipsi quid ego si non modo quando The second Edition LONDON Printed by R. C. for Richard Roiston dwelling in the Angel in Ivie-lane MDCL TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD BRIAN Lord Bishop of Sarum and Tutour to both their Highnesses The most Illustrious CHARLES the Prince of Wales and the most noble JAMES the Duke of York my most Honored Lord and Patron Right Reverend Father in God YOUR Lordship hath oftentimes call'd upon me to goe out and shew the people their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their sins Next to my owne conscience I confesse my selfe bound to give your Lordship satisfaction To fall foul upon the degenerous and intractable nature of this people cannot answer you for it doth not me I doe not say I am not eloquent and therefore that you would send by the hand of Him whom you should send When I am indeed able for these thing I doubt not so have Him with my mouth because I mean to leave all my self out There was never more provocations for all men to speak then now when all the mischief that other ages did but imagine are practised by a Law and in the mean time the dumbe Asses are taught to forbid the madnesse of the Prophets The Harvest is confessedly Great but then the Labourers are not few And if while so many are thus excellently imployed about the rest of the Building some one or other doe as well as hee can towards the making good of the Ground-work I think he may be let alone at least The hopes of the Superstructionâ—ly from the assurance of the Foundation I shall give them leave to be Pillars This I am sure is the Corner-stone and I need not tel you how rejected I mean it not of all but of the Common Builders If the Church be an Ark he that hath never so little to do with the Compasse though he sit still in his place yet does as much or more then all the other necessary Noise in the Ship the Comparison is quit of arrogance for it holdeth in the design it is not meant of the performance The course I have run here is Labour too and in the same Vineyard And I trust my self for this that my accounts will bee as well pass't above if I reckon upon these pains the pretence whereof though not so popular yet is as substantially proficient towards the main Aedification I have principally endeavoured to redeem my Reader from that slavery by which I have so long sate down my self in not printing so near as I could I have not the same things over again I am sure I have set downe nothing but what I beleive if more sometimes then I wel understood I have company enough and the acknowledgement of an errour is more ease to me then the committing of it was Why I should make these addresses to your Lordship there is all the reason in the world what have I but what I have received from you and that which is would be Nothing of it selfe Rayes of incidency contract no warmth upon the Earth unlesse reflected back upon their originall Sun My Lord As once the Sons of the Prophets said unto the Man of God Behold now the place where we dwell is too straight for us Wee are humbly expecting the last course of that Iudgment which began at the House of God What shall be done to the dry Tree or where the sinner will appear is to be left to him to whom vengeance belongeth The Great Genius of this Place must now burn a while like those Subterraneous Olibian Lampes under the Earth We shall see it but not now we shall behold it but not nigh Bernardin Scardâ—onius de Priscis civibus Paià vin Lib. 1. Have salve sit tibi terra Levis Abite hinc pessimi fures Quid vostris vultis cum oculis Emissitiis Your Lordships most faithfull Servant and Chaplain JOHN GREGORY To the Reader THE Mahumentans say Chronicon de viâ—is Mahumet successor Ben Sidi Aali de Dogmat. Musle mannor vid. Maronit De Morib Orientâ—â— C. 14. that the first thing that God created was a Pen Indeed the whole Creation is but a Transcript And God when he made the world did but write it out of that Copy which he had of it in divine understanding from all Eternity The Lesser worlds or men are but the Transcripts of the Greater as Children and Bookes the Copies of themselves But of other Bookes the Wise man hath pronounced upon them their doome already that in making them there is no end and that the reading of them especially many of them is a weadinesse unto the flesh But if you will heare the end of all there is one Booke more besides the great Volume of the World written out of God himselfe such a one as may indefatigably be meditated in day and night This indeed is the only Text wee have all other Bookes and arts and men and the world it self are but Notes upon this So unworthy are they to unloose the Seales of this Booke or to looke thereon who recessefully and impertinently pretend to a Spirit of Interpretation Ephraims that feed upon the winde This is indeed a Spirit that bloweth where it listeth and no man can tell whence it cometh nor whither it will goe I would have you tell me by this spirit of what kinde the Dyall of Ahas was or how the Sunne could goe ten degrees backwards For the kinde I 'me sure 't was like none of ours now in use and if the Retrocession could be meant of the shadow and some men look no further the same thing may be made to fall out every day upon an ordinary Dyall Pet. Nonius and notwithstanding what a good Mathematician hath said to the contrary in a Site and Position of Spheare without the Tropicks Therefore the going back is to be meant of the Sun it selfe Tell me by the same Spirit how darknesse could be upon the Face of the whole Earth at the Passion of our Saviour and no Astronomer of the East nor any man of all that Hemisphere excepting those of Hierusalem perceive it Make it good if you can out of the mouth but of two witnesses what 's Phlegon and Apollophanes or if the first be one the Notice is so single that it will not serve to celebrate but bring the Wonder into doubt The Sun was not totally Eclipsed as to all the World One Hemispheare of his body shined still And the Face of the whole Earth
Baptismum instituit ex aqua spiritu ad abluenda peccata c. Excitat omnes voce Charitatis reverentiam exhibere jubens versus Orientem ut pergant in via vitae gloriosae He instituted Baptisme by water and the spirit to wash away sins Hee stirr'd all men up in the voyce of Charity and gave command that they would worship towards the East that they might goe forward in the way of a glorious life If the Stone say true you have reason to take it so much the better which you will finde hereafter said of this Leading Ceremony But whether you doe or doe not I shall make bold to tell you here that this was the reason why our Saviour so often made use of the Mount Olivet which was upon the East side of Hierusalem for his Private Devotions And because I am falne upon this I will here satisfy something which hath beene objected unto me as concerning this Adoration towards the East how it can bee made good upon all positions of the Spheare Suppose Hierusalem to bee the Center and the Aequinoctiall East of that to bee the East of the whole world because it answers to the place of our Saviours especiall presence in the Heaven of Heavens It is required that I tell which way they shall worship who live a quadrant of the Equator or more East from the Horizon of the Holy City The answer is ready They are to worship toward the West in respect of the rising of the Sun which is not the thing regarded in this matter for I am not engaged to account for the word but as to this Northerne Hemispheare the Center whereof Hierusalem is to bee and the Aequinoctiall East of that the Center of all Adoration and devotion from all degrees of the whole Circle be it where it will For the Stone I mention'd the Originall could not so well be brought off from the Place But Alike to that they can shew you still at Rome in Bibliotheca Domus professa There is a short and admirable Tradition of the whole Creation in Hieroglyphicall Scripture where you may see the great world written all out into a lesser print then that of a Man In the lower Limbe and second Scheme of the Tabula * An Hieroglyphical table given to the Publique Library with an Arabick Map and many other Monuments of ancient unusuall Learning by that great example of excellency and Fatality the Most Reverend Father with God William Laud Archbishop of Canterbury and the ever to be honoured and remembred Chancellor of this University Vid. Athanas Kirch recondiâ—issimae eruditiâ—â—â—s virum in Prâ—d Câ—pt cap. ult Laudina Hieroglyphica it is the same with that which the Cardinall Bembus had there is set downe the Figure of the Scarabaeus or Beetle for the Trunke but with the Head and Face of a Man and holding a little Table with this Coptick Inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 About the Neck a Number of Concentrick Circles to expresse the Orbes and motion of the Heavens upon the top of the Head a Face of the increasing Moone to shew her Monethly Revolution within that a Crosse marke for the foure Elements near to all this above a winged Globe and wretched about with two Serpents The meaning of this last is told you by Barachias Albenephi in his Booke of the Ancient Aegyptian learning and in that part thereof where he discourseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Pharaohs Obelisques Hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. The winged Sphear wreathed about with Serpents is the Hieroglyphick of the soule and spirit of the world The Humane face is meant of the Sunne and his courses For the Holy Beetle which an old Aegyptian durst not tread upon Horus Apollo saith it signifyeth for the Figure of the world and he giveth this reason and secret for it The Beetle saith he when it hath a minde to bring forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Taketh the excrement of an Oxe which having wrought into small pellets round as the world it turneth them about from East to West it self in the mean time as to call up Great Nature to these Travailes turning towards the East The Aegyptian word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 held out in the Table is the same with the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew that the whole frame hangs together by a true magnetick Love that invisible Harmony and binded discord of the Parts ¶ I cannot think that time sufficiently well imployed which hath bin spent upon the Integrity and distinction of Scripture into Canonicall and Apopcryphall There 's no Apocrypha in the Alcoran It is told you in the Synodicum set forth by Pappus that the Councel of Nice made a miraculous Mound betwixt those two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They set all the Bookes in a Church a little below the Holy Table Pappi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syno 34. and prayed God that those of the company which were done by his inspiration might bee found above but the spurious part underneath and God did so Doe you beleeve this The Canon of Scripture subjoyned to the Councell of Laodicea is much depended upon for this matter of distinction And yet his very Canon it selfe is not extant in some very ancient Manuscripts It is wanting in one Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gr Ms in Arch. Baroc cod concil Ara. Ms in Arch. Roan Bib. Bod. and moreover then so it is not to be found in Joseph the Aegyptian's Arabick Code And there is no man of sense but must thinke that this was a thing more likely to bee put in into some Copies then left out of any The Hebrew Canon indeed is a good sure ground And yet you must not thinke that all no nor any of the Apocryphall Bookes were first written in the Greek The Hebrew Edition by the Jewes at Constantinople is the undoubted Text of Tobit Saint Hierome saith as much for Judith Libellus vere aurcus as Munster said truly of it For that of the Son of Syrach it is confessed in the Preface where I must tell you by the way that this Booke of Syracides was heretofore accounted among the Hagiographa Talmud in Baba Kama cap. 8. fol. 92. b. I know not what else to make of that in Baba Kama where the Talmudists quote this Proverbe out of the Cetubim which is the same with Hagiographa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Every Bird sorteth it selfe with one of the same kind Birds of a Feather c. and so every man to his like The Tosephoth say to this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. perhaps it is in the Booke of Ben Syra was Ben Syra reckoned for Canonicall too but sure enough there 's no such saying in that Booke In the Booke of Syracides you meet indeed with it Chap. 13. ver 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Wisedome of Solomon a Booke worthy enough of that
name and comparing with any that was ever writ by the hand of Man That this Booke was written in Chaldee is certain for R. Moses Ben Nachman quoteth it so out of Chap. 7. v. 5. c. v. 17. c. in the Preface to his Comment upon the Pentateuch One of the Bookes of the Maccabees are known to bee in Hebrew and the worst of all the company and excepted against by Bellarmine himselfe though appointed to bee read in our Churches that is the fourth Esdras will bee clearely of another credit and Reputation to you Ms Arab. in Arch. Bibl. Bâ—d if you read it in the Arabick The story of the Woman taken in Adultery hath met with very much adversity Saint Hierome noteth it wanting in severall Copies of his time The Paraphrast Nonnus had nothing to say to it Nor is it noted upon by Theophylact c. The Armenian Church as one of their Priests informed me allow it not a place in the body of the Gospell but reject it to the latter end as suspected peice The Syriack Paraphrast leaveth it out that is the Printed Paraphrast But in some of the Manuscripts it is found to bee though not received as the rest of Scripture but written upon with this Asterisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That it is not of the Text. But the Arabick hath it and in the Greek Manuscripts it wanteth but in one of seaventeene sed ita saith Beza ut mira sit sectionis varietas enough to make me he saith so too ut de totius istius narrationis fide dubitem But Eusebius noted long agoe Eccles hist lib. 3. fol. 32. b. that the setter forth of this History was the ancient Papias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that it was to bee had in the Gospell Secundum Hebraeos Et suspicari merito quis possistâ— saith Drusius ex Evangelio illo ad exempladia rimanasse though I shall conclude from hence but as he doth with a Nihil affirmo To say nothing here of Salomons Psalter lately put forth by de la Cerda our account of Davids Psalmes is 150. but the Arabick and some other Translations set downe one more Josephus Hypomnesticus saith that David made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioseph Christian graec Ms Athanas ia Synop an infinite number of Psalmes Athanasius saith he made 3000. and reckoneth this to bee one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. In the Greek Psalters it is no rare thing to meet with it in the Manuscripts 'T is extant in more then one or three in our publick Library One hath it in Magdalen Colledge another in Trinity Colledge and a third in Corpus Christi Colledge given them by Claimund their first President In the late printed Copies you are not to looke for it but in the older ones you will finde it in that of Aldus especially And Justine Decaduus who wrote the Epistle to the Reader tels you that having gotten so excellent an Assistant as Aldus indeed was they were resolved to begin to the world printing was not very ancient then with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Booke of Psalmes inspired by God And yet they reckon this supernumerary for one of the company You may take it perhaps as forbidden by the Laodicean Canon among the Idioticall Psalmes But the Arabick Scholia to that Cannon will minde you of another matter Ioseph Aegypt Cod. Concil Arab Ms in Arch. Roan Bibl. Bod. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. No man shall read in the Church any other Psalmes then those of David for it had beene related to the Holy Synod that certaine men among the Heretickes had made to themselves other Psalmes over and above those which were made by the Prophet David and that they read them in the Church saying for themselves boastingly that they were good and honest men as well as David the Prophet and that they were able to Prophency as well as Hee And they alleadged for themselves out of the Booke of the Acts that of the Prophet Joel Your Sonnes and your Daughters shall Prophecy and your old men shall see Visions c. And there were that received these new made Psalmes but the Councell here forbids them But I can tell you something which will not make very much towards the repute of this Psalme In the Maronites Edition you find the Number in the head of it and which is worse then that it is there said that David fell'd the Gyant with three Stones which he flung out in the strength of the Lord. You will not easily meet with either of these things in the Manuscripts Here are severall to be seen and one I have of my owne but all without mentioning the Number or this Particular The Revelation of Saint John you know what Erasmus himselfe hath said of and how little Beza hath said to that What if it be wanting in some of the Syriack Copies 't is extant in others 'T is wanting in a Manuscript Arabick translation in Queenes Colldge The Printed Arabick hath it so the Coptick Armenian c. What if the Laodicean Canon acknowledge it not It is more to be marvail'd at that it should be found in the Apostolicall In the Greek I do not say but in the Arabick Translation it is thus mentioned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sixth is the Revelation of Saint John called Apocalipsis Judicious Calvin once askt his opinion concerning the Apocalypse made answer Bodin method Histor c. 7. sub init ium cap. Se penitus ignorare quid velit tam obscurus scriptor qui qualisque fuerit nondum constat inter eruditos That for his part he was altogether ignorant what that obscure Author would have and that no body yet knew who or what he was For the first part of the Answer it will passe well enough Cajetan said right Exponat qui potest The latter words if they were his doe not become the Writer of the Revelation or the man that spake them Kerstenius in his Notes upon the Lives of the foure Evangelists written in Arabick letteth fall this Observation Observandum quoque est hunc Authorem ne verbo quidem uno mentionem facere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Joannis quam quidem hunc Evangelistam in Pathmo scripsisse asserunt qua authoritate ipsi videant atque ideo semper iste liber inter Apocrypha reputatus est You are to note here too saith he that this Author maketh not any mention at all of Saint Iohns Apocalyps no not in one word and therefore they would do well to consider what they doe who affirm that this Evangelist wrote that booke in Patmos Indeed the Booke was ever yet reckoned among the Apocrypha And yet his great reason is because this Arabick Authour maketh no mention of the Booke But you will finde the Learned man it might easily bee very much mistaken His order is not to make a full and answering translation of the Arabick but to turne the principall
Because God hath depriv'd her of wisedome neither hath he imparted to her understanding And yet what time she lifteth up her selfe on high she scorneth the Horse and his Rider Indeed if ever any Nation perished for want of knowledge we are like to be the Men. NOTES VPON SOME PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE CHAP. I. Also he had them teach the Children of Judah the use of the bow Behold it is written in the Booke of Jashar 2 Sam. 1.18 A Strange Parenthesis to all Respects but especially that of the Bow Yet so the Targum reads it and so the Rabbines constantly expound Rab. Solomons glosse is And David said from henceforth seeing that the mighty in Israel are falne it will be necessary that the men of Judah learne to exercise their armes and to draw the bow Levi ben Gersom saith that inasmuch as David saw that the death of Saul was caused by his feare of the Bowmen and that there was none in Israel skill'd in this kinde of Artillery he gave order that the men of Judah as being the principall men at Armes should be taught the use of the Bow c. To the same purpose R. David and others quoted in the Celi Jakar fol. 264. a. b. And yet R. Isay saith that Saul and Jonathan taught the sonnes of Judah the bow because the sonnes of Judah were mighty men and fit to draw the Bow by the blessing of Jacob Gen. 49.8 Where it is prophecied that the hand of Judah shall be in the neck of his Enemies that is saith Chimhi as some of our wisemen expound the Bow Therefore they take the Booke of Jasher to be the first of Moses called Genesis in which the Acts of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Jesharim or upright men are recorded but especially they take the Booke to be Beracoth Jacob or the Blessings of Jacob. Thus the Jewes Though we have wisemen of our own to follow them in the Interpretation of the Bow yet they will appeare to be as idle in this as in their conceipt of the booke Is it a thing to be thought that the men of Judah were now to learne the use of the Bow 'T was the common Tactick practise The Hebraisme of Bow is like that of Bread It nameth for all other kinde of Ammunition And where 's the consequence here that because Saul and Jonathan excellent Archers themselves for the Bow of Jonathan turned not back fell downe before the Arrowes of the Philistines that therefore the men of Judah should be taught the use of the Bow But the Coherence is worse And David c. The Author of the Booke bringeth David in beginning an epicedium upon the death of Saul and Jonathan and immediately breaketh him off with an impertinent command to the sons of Judah that they should learne to handle the Bow And where is it or why is it that this should be written in the Booke of Iashar Therefore Mariana very understandly stept aside out of the common Road of Interpretation and considered with himselfe that the Bow here might be taken for the Title of the Song which cannot be strange to them that will compare this with the granted superscriptions upon David's Psalmes as Psal 69. To the chiefe Musitian upon Shoshannim Psal 67. Upon Neginoth Psal 59. To the chiefe Musitian Altashith c. So here to the chiefe Musitian Kâ—sheth or the Bow For so the Text is to be read And hee bade them that is the chiefe Musitians Heman Ethan and Jeduthun to teach the ignorant people how to sing this Lamentation of David upon the death of Saul and Jonathan It was intituled Kesheth or the Bow because it was occasioned by the Philistin Archers 1 Sam. 31.3 But especially respecting to the Bow of Ionathan which returned not back from the bloud of the slaine as the Song it self expresseth And David could not but remember the Bow of Ionathan out of which that Arrow was shot beyond the Lad 1 Sam. 20.36 It was the time when that Covenant was made and that affection expressed betwixt them which was greater then the love of women And 't is said there too that David exceeded v. 41. And there also Ionathan required that this kindnesse of the Lord should be shewed unto him longer then he lived And thou shalt not only whilest yet I live c. v. 14 15. The Lxx will beare out this Interpretation The version there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And David lamented this Lamentation upon Saul and Ionathan his Sonne and caused it to be taught to the Sonnes of Iudah Behold it is written in the Booke of the Just man So the vulgar Planxit autem David planctum hujusmodi super Saul super Ionathan filium ejus praecepit ut docerâ—nt Filâ—os Iudah planctum sicut scriptum est in libro Iustorum And here 't is plainer yet that David commanded to teach the Sonnes of Iudah this Lamentation 'T is true the late Editions of this Translation have shifted in the word Arcum instead of Planctum But in the ancient Manuscripts it is so as I have quoted it And in the Elder printed copies 't is Arcum but in the Margin onely which afterwards crept into the Text if I may call the Translation so Therefore also by these two great Authorities that which the Sonnes of Iudah were commanded to learne was not the use of the Bow But the Bow as 't is originally set down that is a Song of David so called or this Song of Lamentation over Saul and Ionathan And this is that which was written in the Booke of Iasher Why this Booke was so called or who was the Author of it I cannot tell you That it was not the first of Moses as the Rabbines would have it is ridiculously plaine Josephus hath let us know thus much that it was a Record in the Temple and you must not thinke it hard if it be lost to us as yet you shall heare more of this hereafter It is quoted twice in Scripture here and Josh 10. And if both places be considered 't is to be judg'd that nothing was recorded in this Booke but Memorialls of this kinde and which is more to be noted they were metricall too The place in Joshua put to this here maketh it cleare There it is quoted out of the Booke of Jasher that the Sun stood still in Gibeon and the Moone in the valley of Ajalon This Quotation is a plaine Canticle Chimhi commeth so neare to the matter as onely to make a doubt of it But the thing is certain It is reckoned among the 10 Songs by the Mechilta an old Commentary upon Exodus to the 15 Chapter The 4 is that of Moses before his decease and the 6 is that of Deborah and Barak and this of Joshua is the fifth I would say more of this had not the learned Masius prevented me upon the place Josh 10 12. This is enough to shew that the Song of the Bow might but
the reason saith he why some religious worship God that way But the Aequinoctiall East passeth through the whole Circle Of Necessity therefore 't is to be meant of some certaine position nor is it possible to meane it but of the Horizontall segment of the then Habitable world the uttermost bounds whereof from Sunne to Sunne they absolutely termed East and West In the Philosopher's time the Circle of this Horizon passed through the Pillars of Hercules in the west and the Altars of Alexander in the East Those of Hercules if as it is most received and probable and which I my selfe have seene saith Aben-Rois they were the Calpe and the Abyla raised up at the letting in of the Sea it is the place where the Arabians fixe their great Meridian but in honour to Alexander unto whom and not as others unto Hercules they ascribe this Labour For those of Alexander as both himselfe and his Geometers Beton and Diognetus deliver it the River Hyphasis or as Ptolomy calleth it Bipasis was Terminus itinerum Alexandri Alexander's Non ultra Exuperato tamen Amne arisque in adversa ripa dicatis which yet he transpassed and set up Altars on the other side whereabouts they are found in the Emperours Provinciall Chart with this Adscription Hie Alexander Responsum accepit usque quo Alexander that here the Oracle should say Alexander no further Tabul Peutingerian Segment 7. The Arabicke Meridian passeth through the tenth degree of Longitude from that of Ptolemy Abulfed Arab. MS. in Arch. Biblioth publ Cantabrigiens so Abulfeda the Prince in the beginning of his Geography The River Hyphasis Ptolemy placeth in 131.35 The difference of Longitude is about 120 degrees The second part of this is 60. And because the Meridian of Hierusalem is 70 degrees from that of Ptolemy that is 60 from the Arabian the Holy City was as it was anciently termed Vmbilicus Terrae the Navell of the Earth Ptol. Geog. l. 7. Asiâ— Tab. 10. precisely placed betwixt the East and West of the Habitable world Therefore the Equinoctiall East of Hierusalem is the Equinoctiall East of the whole and answering to the first Movers Receipt which therefore was said to be in Orienti Aequinoctiali This is faire for the Heathen The Christian hath farre greater reason to beleeve it and yet beleeveth it lesse But for late resentments they are not much to be valued This is not the onely old truth which is overgrowne with Time and Interests Some men purposely yeeld themselves intractable to such things as they are not willing to heare of This is the strongest and most impertinent kinde of unbeliefe fitted onely for this or that Generation and getting up for the present to a repute of wisdome above that of the Children of Light There is a foolishnesse of God which is wiser then all this For the matter the best and the oldest of the First times were fully satisfied of this Article for it may be reckoned among those of their substantiall beliefe The Notion of Paradise in the Christian acception was that part of Heaven where the Throne of God and the Lambe is The Notion is elder then so 'T was the Reverend Say of Zoâ—oaster the Magician in the Chaldaean Oracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeke Paradise that is as the Scholiast Pletho 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The all enlightned Recesse of Soules The Scholiast Psellus yet more sagely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldaean Paradise saith he is a Quire of divine powers incircling the Father This grave saying of Zoroaster holdeth very well with Irenaeus his Tradition Irenaeus adv Hâ—es Lib. 5. C. 5. He delivereth That the Receipt of Just and Perfect Men is a certaine Paradise in the Easterne Part of the Third Heaven And moreover he saith that he received this Tradition from the Elders that is as he himselfe interpreteth ab Apostolorum Discipulis from those which heard it from the Apostles See Saint Basil De Sp. Sanct. 6.27 Gregory Nyssen orat 5. in Orat. Dominic Euseb Hist Ecclesiast Lib. 9. C. 17. or fol. 97. b. of the Greeke Gregentius in Bibliotheca Patr. Anastas Sinait in Hexatmeron C. 7. c. in all which you shall finde as much as this comes to But you have Scripture for it also The Sunne of the Morning said I will ascend up into Heaven and sit in the sides of the North that is if Hieronymus Magius may expound it in the left side of the North or Easterne part of Heaven where the Throne of God is thought to be He makes himselfe the surer of this because of that horrible vision in Esdras the appearance whereof was from the East But the vision in Esdras hath no greater Authority then a Latine Translation corrected by no Originall besides what Interpolations there be not coming so neare to Canonicall Scripture as to be taken for Apocryphall But the fault is not so much in the Booke it selfe The Originall we know whatsoever it were is given over for lost as yet But the Arabicke Translation hath escaped The Manuscript I meet with entituleth two Bookes unto Ezra the writer of the ancient Law Cod. Arab. MS. in Arch. Bod. The second containing the Canonicall and received Ezra and Nehemiah The first is this fourth Apocryphall but very cleare of the suspected passages No mention here of the two strange Beasts Henoch and Leviathan No dividing of the Age into twelve parts c. I have cause to beleeve that it is the most authenticke remaine of this Booke though for the horrible vision it availeth me nothing for it beginneth at the third Chapter of the Latine and endeth in the fourteenth not imperfectly but acknowledging no more In the Visions of the Temple The Glory of the God of Israel passed through the Easterne Gate Therefore that Gate was shut up and might not be opened any more but to the Prince Ezech. 44.2 It is generally confessed that the representations there made cannot be taken for any Temple which before was or which afterwards was to be in Hierusalem also that it is to be meant of the Hierusalem which is above And so the Easterne Gate may be said to be Extra terminos hujus mundi not in this but in the other world as Saint Hierome concluded But whatsoever the Vision describeth whether a Temple made with or one made without hands yet this is plaine That the Glory of the God of Israel was seene to come by the way of the East But of this I make no great matter That in the Relation Chap. 7.2 If it looke not this way I know not which else it can The words are And I saw another Angell ascending from the East from the rising of the Sunne having the Seale of the Living God c. Some of the best of the Ancients as Primasius c. doubt not to set downe here Christ himselfe in stead of this other Angel Then it was he that ascended from the Rising of the Sunne But
the Earth as they did from that other Deadnesse of their Mothers wombe Wee our selves grow thus up too like the Grasse of the Field we are not seen but found to doe so 'T is so with these fore-running parts If you draw neare to touch a head or a legge you shall perceive no more of this Resurrection for that time but if you give backe and leave the Miracle to it selfe you shall presently finde it more a man at your returne Because I meane to make no more use of this wonderfull prevention of those that sleep then what I first pretended to I shall be bound to trouple you the lesse with any much repetition of the particulars You may finde a competent store of this matter in Camerarius his Historicall Meditations C. 73. of the first Century I will adde to that this onely out of Simon Goulartius from the Relation of one Steven Duplais an eye-witnesse and a man of very good and sober note in his acknowledgement Il me desoit d'avantage avoir comme aussi firent les autres touche divers membres de ces resuscitans Sim. Goulart Histoires admirabil T. 1. fol. 32.34 c. Et comme il vouloit se saisir d'une teste chevelue d'enfant un homme du Care s'escria tout haut Kali Kali ante materasde c ' est a dire Laisse Laisse tu ne scais que cest de cela i. e. And hee told me moreover that hee had and others had done so too touched divers of these rising Members And as he was once so doing upon the hairy head of a Child a man of Cairo cryed out aloud Kali Kali ante materasde that is to say Hold Hold you know not what you doe That which seemeth to bee wanting to the authority of this strange thing is that there should be no ordinary memory none at all I can meete with yet of the matter in any of their owne Bookes That in the Greeke Liturgies out of the Lesson for the time I know not how to make reckoning of as enough to this purpose in any other Bookes of theirs and some likely ones too I meet not with any notice at all And yet as to that I can retort this answer upon my selfe that a thing of so cheape and common beleefe amongst them could not fitly be expected to bee written out as a rarity by themselves and sent forth into these unbeleeving Corners of the World Which though it may passe for a reason why there should not be any such common report of the thing yet leaveth me scope to think that there is some speciall mention of it in the Arabick or Coptick Histories which when it shall be met with if it be found to referre up the Wonder to some excellent and important Originall it will the better defend this matter of Fact from the opinion of imposture Indeed the rising of these armes and legs otherwise is but an ill argument to be used for the Resurrection of our bodies for 't is easier to beleeve this then that The Arabick Nubian Geographer telleth of a place in Aegypt called Ramal Alt sinem or the Sands of Tsinem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Where there is a great miracle of the most Glorious God And it is that if you take a bone and bury it in these Sands for the space of seven dayes by Gods permission it shall turn into a very hard stone c. Clim 3. Part. 3. And what if all our Bones were buryed in the Sands As if God were not able even out of those Stones to raise up Children unto Abraham If the Phoenix of Arabia should prove to be an Vtopian Bird as I will not now suspect after such a size of Apostolicall Authority and so sufficient a countenance given to that It will be enough for us that the Swallowes know their time too as well as the Storke and after such a manner as if they knew or at least would have us to know it ours too These at the beginnings of winter use to fall down in heaps together into the dust or water and there sleep in their Chaos till hearing the voice of returning nature at the Spring they awake out of this dead sleepe and quicken up to their owne life againe Georgius Major A Commentatour upon the Corinthians to this fifteenth Chapter affirmeth that he himself found a company of Swallowes lying dead under an old Table in a Church at Witteberge which for want of the naturall time of the yeare were by an artificiall heate recovered unto life againe CHAP. XXVIII Matth. 3.4 And the same John had his Raiment of Camels haire and a Leatherne Girdle about his Loynes and his meat was Locusts and wild Honey THe rest is plaine enough but for the Locusts there hath been a great deal of unnecessary Criticisme devised and as it fals out to make the word in a worse case then it was before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word it can signify nothing here but Locusts and the question needs not to be whether these be mans meat or no it is certain that the Jewes might eat them by the law of Moses Lev. 11.22 In Dioscorid Lib. 2. C. 46. And Mathiolus upon Dioscorides saith that this was the reason why John Baptist made use of them as a strict observer of the Law But that they are eaten in the East and elsewhere you may see Kerstenius his Note upon an Arabick Translation of Saint Mathew's Gospell And John Leo in his Description of Africa But that which is here to the purpose is the note of Agatharchides in his Tract upon the Red Sea where he speaks of the Acridophagi or eaters of Locusts He saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That their habit of body is thinne and meager c. So Cleonards Note of the Countrey people of Fez in Africa will be fit to the matter It is in his last Epistle to his Tutour Latomus towards the latter end Nova de Bellis nihil ad Brabantinos neque enim strepitum armorum audietis alius est Exercitus quem Deus his regionibus immisit paucis ante diebus Fesae vidisses Coelum obductum locustarum agminibus quae hic non solum saltant sed avium ritu volitant Jam coram video minas priorum prophetarum multis in locis Nocte una sata perdunt universa bellum strenue cum iis gerunt rustici Nam plaustra plena Locustis advehunt Fesam nam hos hostes vulgo hic commedunt Ego tamen sum tam delicatus ut malim perdicem unam quam locustas viginti quod totam hanc regionem gens locustica devoravit i. e. I can tell you newes of warres but not like yours in Brabant Vid. Eustath in Hexaemeron No noise of weapons here 't is another kinde of Army which God hath sent into these Coasts Within these few dayes you might have seene the whole Heaven clouded over with Troops of Locusts such as doe
Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles The Booke is written as well in Latine as Greeke but both in the same greeke Character And it is that of the great Capitall kinde which in their opinion who use to judge of these things is the uttermost reputation of antiquity which could be pretended to In this booke the Clause is not to bee found so farre as possibly I can remember either in the Greek or Latine I had occasion once to say as much as this amounts to before the most Reverend and Learned the Primate of Armagh and the Doctour of our Chaire the now worthy Bishop of Worcester but was forc't to yeild to so great a presence with this onely answer that even this Copy too was corrupted by the Heretiques I knew it might be and deny not but it may in some other part of Genealogy or the like but how any Haeresie could possibly serve its turne upon this Clause I know that of the Trinity at least to mee the way doth not so easily approve it selfe I confesse the Syriack hath it but I know not what then The Arabick hath it too not onely the printed Copy by Erpenius but a Manuscript too of very good and gallant note in Queenes Colledge Library Yet in the Medicean Copy I do not meet with it And in that which Kerstenius hath noted upon the Clause indeed is set downe but not running along with the Text. 'T is written above in Red letters and pointed to by this Note in the Margin Non haec in Aegyptiaco sunt in Romano Syriaco So that there is no more to be gained by this then that the Clause is extant in the Syriack and the Roman that is the Greeke here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alrumi signifieth so too which is no more then we knew before for the Adversary part and so much lesse too that it is not to be found in the Coptick or Aegyptian forme which also may be known to be so by that Specimen in Athanasius Kircherus See the learned Master Seldens Commentary upon Eutychius The Mahumedans have another Lords Prayer called by them the Prayer of Jesus the sonne of Mary But that endeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And let not such a one beare rule over mee that will have no mercy upon mee for thy mercies sake O thou most mercifull But this is not materiall enough Indeed the Mahumedan formes of prayer are more for then against the thing But it moveth not a little that the Clause should not be extant in the Gospell of the Nazarites or that secundum Hebraeos as it useth to be called This Gospell was commonly beleeved in Saint Hieromes time to bee ipsius Matthaei Authenticum Very ancient how ever it was And that the prayer it selfe was there I am sure for Saint Hierome upon those words Panem nostrum quotidianum But for the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Give us this day c See the Learned Salmasius about the latter end of his third Booke De Foenore Trapezitico c. noteth that the Hebrew in this Gospell was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mahar panem crastini da nobis hodie who because he takes no notice of this clause doth as good as say it was not there for if it had so substantiall a variety and concerning him so much could not possibly have escaped his Annotation The whole engagement of the Latine Church against this Clause though very strong and preponderating I let alone The Greeke use of it is more against us then the Latin leaving of it out Their Services equally subjoyne it to other Oraisons and to this As to the Prayer that beginneth O' 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Eucholog fol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 B. To the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Euchol fol. B. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Euch. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A To the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Prayer to bee said over such as had eaten of any unclean thing to renew in them a capacity for the holy mysteries Euchrl 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. To the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A prayer which they said at the foundation of a house Euch. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. They subjoyne it also to their Hymnes as to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Typic fol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 B. Col. 1. But it is yet more manifest for secondly we find sometimes the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 B Col. 1. In the Eucholog fol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 B. where also the Rubrick writeth over it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as under 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Eod. A giving us to understand that they have it in no other condition then of any other Loud Respond as by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I undertake them to mean Other times again we find the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in the Typic fol. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. Col. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. Col. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. Col. 1. 2. Moreover also whensoever we find them immediately wee finde them still distinctly rehearsed and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is alwayes the peoples the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is alwayes the Priests Repetition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Eucholog fol. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. B. Typic fol. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. Col. 2. B Col. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. B. Col. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. B. Col. 1. 2. and infinitely elsewhere And yet for all this and more then this too if I had a mind to put it downe here I will not say as Erasmus did magis taxanda fuerat illorum temeritas qui non veriti sunt tam divinae precationi suas nugas assuere Hee doubts not to call it but a Trifling patch tacked to this Holy form by some rash and unadvised hand Nay I will not say so much though that be much lesse as Kirstenius did quae certe a pio quodam fidei imbecillis tanquam nova precatio addita fuit that it was added anew by some good meaning man but not very well knowing what hee did I would not be moderate against the Scripture where I can possibly avoid it Therefore I note here two things which doe principally prevaile with mee for the Antiquity and Authority of the Clause In Lucian's Philopatris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let those alone saith Triephon to Critas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And say that prayer which beginneth from the Father and let the glorious Hymne conclude it Rigaltius noteth upon Tertullian that by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pagan meant the Lords Prayer◠if he did then it may very well bee thought that the 〈◊〉
this Reason from the unhealthfulness of the Place which happened to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. by the varietie and constancie of the diseases which reigned among the People For besides the general distemperature of the air of Egypt which was calidus nocivus Joh. Leo African hot and hurtful as it is affirmed by * one that knew it well insomuch that a Plague at Grand Cairo could cut off twentie thousand in one daie besides I saie these more universal Conditions Philo intimateth from a particular Caus that there should bee a more usuall Mortalitie heer then elswhere and that was The Concours of all manner of living Creatures to â—his Place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And it is to bâ—â— conceived that the Autor meaneth by this not onely a multitude of Men but also that great varietie of strange Beasts and Fowls which were continually bred up about the Court in Alexandria mention whereof is made by Ptolomie the King in his Commentaries Lib. 12. which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And these Creatures were transported from all parts of the world and there bred up not onely for their Raritie and the Kings Recreation but also to furnish his Table for so it seemeth by Ptolomie's words in that Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where hee noteth concerning those Phesants that were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the King of Egypt had of them not onely brought out of Media but also hatch'd at home in such a Number that his Table might bee served with them when hee pleased though wee may observ by the waie that these kinde of Birds in those daies were for the most part kept for the Eie rather then for the Bellie insomuch that Ptolomie the King in the book before cited professeth that hee never tasted of a Phesant in all his life whereupon Athenaeus observeth That if this noble King had liv'd in his daies wherein the Luxurie was such that everie man must have a Pheasant at his Table though hee had alreadie written 24. Books in this kinde yet hee saith that hee would surely have written one more purposely to note out this thing This by the waie becaus Philo saith that the Places within the Citie were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full of all manner of Creatures And this howsoever urged by him onely for a greater Caus of Infection yet it may bee thought by som to have a further aim for the Egyptian beeing aware of this that the Jew was bound to make a distinction between clean and unclean beasts might apprehend it in the strictness and therefore carefully remove the Seniors from the verie sight of those things which were an abomination unto them But in this wee have but prevented the Curious and therefore if the Conjecture bee not sound enough it may bee the less regarded But more then what is urged by Philo for the ill disposition of the place may elswhere bee observed The Prophet Nachum saith that Alexandria is situate upon the waters not onely becaus the waters laie all about it but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that they were conveied into it under ground as Chimhi there hath it And the Arabian more plainly in the Nubian Geographie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the river Nile comming from the West runneth under the Arches of all their Houses The manner how this was don is set down by John Leo in his description of Africa Cuique ferè domui Civitatis ingens cisterna concamerata crassisque innitens fornicibus substructa est in quas exundans Nilus per Aquaeductum in planitie magno artificio constructum extra Alexandriam deductus sub eâ—us moenibus demittitur c. This artificial conveiance of the River though it bee otherwise acceptable to the Inhabitants yet it could not bee without som annoiance to the Air the Complexion whereof suffered much alteration by the noisom vapors which rose up out of the waters which in tract of time putrified in their Cisterns It is the experience of this John in the words following Cisternae porrò temporis successu turbidae ac coenosae redditae plurimis aestivo tempore languoribus occasionem praebent c. And the same Autor affordeth us yet another inconvenience to make us more sure of the Insalubritie of this Place And it ariseth by reason of certain little Gardens planted near to the Citie the fruits whereof were of such an ill Condition that the Inhabitants were thereby made subject to verie noxious Feavers and manie other diseases for so John reporteth in the Chapter aforesaid Juxta aquaeductum per quem Nilus in civitatem transmittitur exigui visuntur Horti sed quorum fructus ad maturitatem perventi accolas noxiis febribus aliisque morbis afficiunt c. These things considered the Reason was good why the Isle should bee chosen rather then the Citie to bee a Place for the Interpreters Thus much therefore wee are com to know upon good Autoritie that our Translation was made in the great Tower of the Isle Pharos near to Alexandria in Egypt wee go on to a more distinct designation of the Place the consideration whereof shall also discover unto us after what manner the thing was don FOr the Manner of the Translation The opinion of som is that the Seniors were assembled in one and the same place where they performed the work by comparing what was severally don by each of them and delivering up that for granted which could bee agreed upon by all This opinion hath received it's ground from the words of Aristaeas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And indeed the incouragement from hence for that waie seemeth to bee verie good the words themselvs beeing scarcely able to bear anie other construction then according to that which hath been said Nevertheless it is believed by others that they did the work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as John Zonaras hath i◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Each of them beeing in a several Room and when the work was finished they all met and compared together what everie Man had don and it was found that they differed nothing either in sens or manner of expression but agreed in all c. This later waie of the Storie however it may seem to exact upon our belief as making Report of more incredible circumstances yet it may bee taken up upon the greatest trust of Antiquitie having to alledg for it self the constant and most undeniable Testimonie of the Antients The Jews report it from an immemorial Tradition which their Talmudists deliver in the 10 Book of Soeder Moed in the Chap. Megillah Nikra which is the 3d. and fol. the 8. B. and the 9. A. where the text of the Talmud saith on this manner Talmud in Soed Moed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is There is no difference between the Sepharim and the Tephillim and Mezuzoth save onely that the Sepharim may bee written in anie Language but the
Alexandria becaus even the opinion of a new waie in Religion can never prosper without a Precedent and such an one as is beyond all exception and though it bee never so wisely suggested yet it seldom gaineth reputation from lesser examples then that of a King And it seemeth by that wee finde in Justin Martyr that the Miracle wrought the verie same effect in Ptolomie as wee would have it for hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that the King perceiving that these seventie Men had all agreed not onely in the matter but also in the Manner of their Interpretation insomuch that no man differed from another not in a word but everie man expressed the same conceit and by the same phrase hee stood amazed and nothing doubting but that the Interpretation was wrought by Divine Power hee acknowledged that the Interpreters were worthie of all honor as beeing Men to whom God did bear a peculiar respect and having first given them condign reward hee took order for their departure into their own Countrie c. And the same effect which the wonder wrought upon the Prince it wrought also upon the People for so it appeareth by that which is alreadie observed out of Irenaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thus wee see that the purpose of God in the Translation would not onely endure but did also varie conveniently require that somthing in the Business should bee miraculous for the King 's better instruction and that the Scriptures might have so much honor and admiration as might gain them somthing in the Opinion of the Heathen and preserv them from the Injuries of Time And this was to bee the first Reason The second Reason for which the King ought to take such a waie for the Translation is For that hee made question of their Fidelitie And that this may bee accepted for a sufficient Caus it shall bee set down That the King's mistrust was raised upon such surmises as were no way frivolous but contained in them matter of moment For it could not bee exspected from anie Nation in those daies that they should bee trustie in revealing the Secrets of their Religion but from the Jews it would bee thought impossible for this Nation stood so nicely affected to their Sepher Hattocah or Book of the Law that even in the slightest Circumstances it was observed with an incredible Curiositie of Devotion Mahomet Abulcasim the Son of Abdalla regardâ—d the esteem of his Alcoran so far as to provide by a Law that upon the outside thereof this Caution should bee alwaies written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no Man touch this Book but hee that is Pure And the Law is yet in force among the Turks for som special Alcorans of note one of which sort inscribed in the same manner may bee seen in the Archives of our publick Librarie But the Jews not contented with so much Care used a more intolerable kinde of Circumspection for Rabbi Nehemiah saith in the Massichta Sopherim Chapter 3. Halak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That no man may laie their book of the Law upon his Knee nor lean upon it with his Elbows when hee readeth it And Halac the 10. it is commanded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no man shall spit in presence of this Book nor offer to turn his back upon it And in the same Tract Halac 13. it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is That no Man shall laie this Book under or upon his bed or at his beds feet neither shall anie Man sit upon his Bed having this Book lying upon him for Rabbi Eliezer did thus and a Serpent came and bit him All this Care was taken for the out-side but much more for that which was within To let pass other Circumstances which would make this manifest wee have need onely of that one which most of all concerneth our matter in hand And it is That for the most part among the Jews it was accounted an odious profanation of this Law if it were anie waies communicated to the Heathen To this purpose note that of the Junior Becchai 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Becaus saith hee there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the wisdom of our Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pure words and worthie to bee kept secret Therefore saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou art bound to conceal them and never to impart them according to the sens of that which is written They shall bee to thee to thee alone and not to the stranger with thee So the son of Afer at the begining of his Commentarie upon the Law fol. 3. A. Col. 1. Therefore that which Maimon saith contrarie to this in Halaca Tephill of his Misne Torah cap. 10. must bee otherwise excused for Elias the Levite in his second Preface to the Hammasoreth expresly affirmeth from the Tradition of the Antients that nothing might bee communicated to the Gentiles save onely the seven Precepts of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sons of Noah but as for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Historie of the Creätion the Law and such like whosoever shall impart these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Heathen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee shall go down to the grave in sorrow and his life and soul shall bee consumed c. The Rabbin goeth on and hath much ado to excuse himself there to the Jews by whom hee was given over for a Reprobate onely for teaching his great Patron Cardinal Giles the Hebrew tongue becaus their fear was lest by this means the Cardinal might com to the understanding of their Law But more then this that it was unlawful for the Jew to make anie other Nation acquainted with their Law it may bee added that there was a reason in special why it should bee dissembled to this Ptolomie Becaus the Communication of it had succeeded so ill in the daies of his Father For Ptolomie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having learned that the Jew would do no manner of Work upon a Sabbath daie made that an opportunitie to take their Citie which was as easily as ingloriously don becaus no man upon that daie would resist him For to them it was a breach of the Sabbath even to save their lives And this is objected unto them by Agatharchides of Cnidus who wrote the Historie of Alexander's Successors where hee setteth down this Storie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is There is a certain Nation called the Jews and they inhabit the great and well fenced Ciâ—ie Jerusalem This Citie they negligently yielded into the hands of Ptolomie and would not take up arms for their own protection chusing rather to becom vassals to a stranger then to defend themselvs upon the Sabbath daie These Reasons if they stood alone had enough in them to make the King mistrust his Interpreters and yet if Antiquitie have not misinformed us there will bee one Reason more which it self alone ought to have prevailed though all the rest had been wanting For
renown of Alexander which other Autors have said Parte jâ Climat 4. concerning his Non ultra in the East and yet the Arabick Geographer asscribeth also unto him the Pillars of Hercules in the West and saith moreover that by the help of his Mathematicians hee digged up an Isthmus and joined two seas together See this Autor in his first Part of his 4. Clime That which is already recorded of this Mightie Conqueror by Historians more commonly known is as great a burden as fame can bear and yet I have seen two Greek unpublish'd Autors in the Baroccian Archives Archivae Bara Bâ—blioth Bod. that have gon beyond all that is yet extant as if they would set down not how much Alexander could do but how much 't was possible for the Reader to believ for so they have scrued up his Acts to a most prodigious and incredible hight that nothing more can bee exspected from the Historia Lombardica or the most impudent Legend and yet I finde nothing at all said of this Agger Justin hath said much for Alexander out of Trogus Pompey and much is set down by Diodorus to saie nothing of Zeno Demetrius printed at Venice in vulgar Greek and a French Autor not extant both which have written the life of Alexander and that they might lie by Autoritie they have don it in vers and yet none of all these ever durst to saie that this was anie of his Acts to join Pharos to Alexandria nay Plutarch in the life of this Alexander saith that Pharos was an Isle in those daies and verie well intimateth that the Isthmus was congested in after times Therefore if this would not bee remembred neither by those who knew all that Alexander did nor yet by others who durst to write more then they knew Bar-Jonah is not to bee regarded in this matter But Joseph Scaliger troubleth us further for hee saith that this Isthmus was raised per Superiores Ptolemaeos by the former Ptolemies and his Autoritie for this is out of Julius Cesar in the third book of his Commentaries De Bello Civili towards the later end of that Book there Cesar saith thus Haec insula objecta Alexandriae portum efficit sed â superioribus regionibus in longitudinem passuum 900. in mare jactis molibus angusto itinere ponte cum oppido conjungitur At the first reading of these words I marvailed how Scaliger could pick out the thing which is pretended seeing that here is no intimation to that purpose but upon a further inquirie I found in the Critical Notes upon this Place that Brodaeus would have it read A superioribus Regibus and out of this varia lectio Scaliger got his Superiores Ptolemaeos Suppose wee then that the true waie of reading should bee according to Brodaeus yet how will Cesar bee trusted for this in whose judgment wee all know that the Pailing up of an Isthmus would bee too great a work for a woman in comparison whereof Cesar's Ditches and Trenches could bear no reputation Therefore it concern'd the Dictator to darken the glorie of Cleopatra for fear that should eclips his own therefore the exploit is obscurely suggested in terms of generalitie and ambiguitie that it was don A superioribus Regibus which whether it bee to bee understood of Ptolemie Lagus and Philadelph or of those which succeeded who can tell us and if it bee not it maketh nothing against us But why are wee bound to read Regibus seeing that in the most antient and the correctest Copies wee finde it constantly written A superioribus Regionibus and so it is to bee referred to in longitudinem passuum 900. à sup Region c. or otherwise it may follow the force of the Conjunction sed which leadeth to another waie of Interpretation and either of these waies seemeth fully to satisfie the Autor's meaning and affordeth a Construction proper to the Place So wee see that these words of Cesar are not of force enough to overthrow the Testimonie of Ammianus Marcellinus therefore it holdeth still that Pharos remained an Isle till the daies of Cleopatra and wee are sure that Aristaeas was dead long before therefore for him to make mention of the Heptastadium is an inexcusable Anachronism and there needeth nothing more to prove the first thing which was required That the Autor of the present Historie of the Seventie cannot bee that Aristaeas who was to live in the daies of Ptolemie Now wee are to prove that the true Aristaeas had this passage of the Cels. And this will bee easie to do becaus Gedaliah in his Shalshelet Hakabbala professing to set down this Historie of the Seventie Interpreters briefly out of Aristaeas toward the later end of his Abstract useth these words R. Gedalea in Shalshelet fol. 23. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And everie daie the King asked them the Interpretation of som hard sayings and dark sentences which may bee seen at large in this * Of Aristaeas hee meaneth Book And they still gave him such an Answer as was to the purpose and well-pleasing in his sight insomuch that the King marvailed greatly c. After this saith hee they were conducted to a certain Island 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about a mile distant from Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to each of them was appointed a several Conclave c. Wee cannot imagine the Autor to bee so notoriously impudent as to have cited this out of Aristaeas if it had not been there Therefore now if wee give the reason why Josephus should leav it out wee have brought that to pass which was required to bee don Josephus having had good experience of the Heathen not onely by his conversation with their Books but also with themselvs made observation of that whereof hee himself afterward found caus to complain that as they made little account of the Nation of the Jews and their Religion so they slighted their Antiquities and misbelieved anie thing that could bee said or written for their Renown Josephus beeing well aware of this and desirous by all means that his work might finde Acceptation with the Gentiles took diligent heed to make the disposition of his Historie of such a temper as that nothing should bee proposed so incredible as not to bear som congruitie with such things which had been known to bee before and were like to bee hereafter Therefore when hee cometh to the miraculous passages of Holie Writ hee useth a fair waie of Dissimulation still moderating the wonder of a work that hee may bring it down to the Heathens Faith and make it fit for ordinarie belief The Reader shall willingly believ this after experience made in an Instance or two When Josephus cometh to tell of Israëls departure out of Egypt and how they passed through the mid'st of the Sea upon drie land hee relateth the Storie bonâ fide but withall superaddeth thereunto a most unwarrantable Extenuation His fear was lest the
his Geographical Commentarie upon Asia whose words I forbear to insert becaus they are but the meer Metaphrase of the description alreadie given Besides him * Pag. 159. Tigurinae editionis Vadian hath don the like in the Chapter which treateth of the Situation of Assyria So also Gemma Frisius in his 22 Chapter of the Division of the Earth and Marcianus Heracleotes who in the description of Susian the Province Marcianus Heracleâ—tes in cap. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee saith that the North limit of Susian is Assyria and Ptolomie had said before That the South limit of Assyria was Susian The agreement of these Autors I oppose to the distraction of others in reading whereof diligent heed would bee taken of the ambiguitie of the word Assyria lest the Reader not beeing sufficiently cautelous might happily bee then least acquainted with the Countrie when hee hath travelled most about it Longitudo Latitudo Assyriae The Latitude of Assyria is Northern cutting off from the Equinoctial towards the Pole Arctick an Arch of a greater Circle containing about 5 degrees and â…“ from the 34 degree to the 39 and 20 scruples The Longitude accounted in the middle Line from the great * In the assigning Geographical Longitude wee finde an observable difference The Moderns accounting from the Isles called Azores guided by the variation of their compass the Arabians account from the Pillars of Hercules or the Streights of Gebaltarck corruptly called Gibralter Titus Abelfeldea Som also from Arius under the Line and others otherwise but Ptolomie from the fortunate Isles and him here wee follow Meridian of the World is from the 78 degree to the 84. In assigning this Position wee wee have rather inclined to Ptolomie then the modern conjectures of later Writers for though instruments bee more exact and men's experience more universal yet what shall all that do cùm jam Seges ubi Troia fuit Ninus in ipsa Nino requiratur when 't is brought to such ruine that if the founder himself should rise again Ninus would scarce finde Ninive through hee sought it in it self According therefore to the Longitude and Latitude assigned The site of this Countrie is in the North part above the Torrid Zone between the Tropick of Cancer and the Arctick Circle under and about the fourth Clime the longest daie beeing som 14 hours and one second part This Situation is approved by Rabbi Abraham in his description of the Climes his words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The fourth Clime begineth at the end of the third to the Latitude of 36 degrees of the equal line in the North portion and his daie is fourteen hours and one second and passeth through Assur So far the Rabbin Wee conclude therefore That the position of this Region is an Oblique Sphear whose Phaenomena are these They enjoie as wee do both a Vernal and Autumnal Equinox the Sun beeing in Aries and Libra Their site is in the South part of the North temperate Zone therefore their air is pleasant Vitello Alhazen The Sun never culminate's in their Senith point that beeing placed beyond the Tropick of Cancer which is the extremest circle of the Sun's Motion in his Northern declination And becaus the Opticks teach that everie Opacous bodie projecteth his Shadow to a part directly opposite to the bodie luminous therefore the Sun beeing either in the Northern or Southern Signes their shadowes are never directed to the South but contrariwise therefore they are Heteroscii Lastly they have the Pole Artick alwaies elevated and the Antarctick alwaies hid For the Astrological site of this place it is comprehended within the first Quadrant in the part Oriental and Meridional and is therefore subject to the second Triangle under the Dominion Taurus Virgo and Capricorn the Planetarie Lords beeing Saturn and Venus Oriental in regard of whose rule in that earthly Triplicitie the inhabitants must needs bee of a disposition wanton and lascivious in apparel gorgeous in Religion Idolaters And becaus the Assyrian in special is subjected to Virgo and her influence is Mercurial therefore our inhabitants must bee great Astronomers Thus Ptolomie Cardan c. But whether it bee so or no let their Ghosts dispute before Minos and Rhadamanthus Thus much is certain That the manners of the Antient inhabitants most aptly corresponded with this Prognostication and if anie urge the contrarie at this daie these Autors may easily finde an answer that besides the translation of the Perigaeum and Apogaeum of the Planets the precession of the Equinox and the Suns lesser Excentricitie 't is apparent that the Signs in the eight Sphear have forsaken their places in the first Moover Aries now beeing in the dâ—…decatemorie of Taurus and Pisces in the place of Aries And so much may suffice for the general application of Theoretical Geographie to the Practical description of this Countrie Before wee enter the particular parts our discours shall tread awhile upon the Borders Where first on the North part wee meet with the Armenian Mountains which might have been slightly passed over but that they shew the place where once Noah's Ark rested That it rested in Ararat or Armenia Moses beareth witness that it rested in that part of Armenia wherein wee have placed it may bee a conjecture not without probabilitie becaus Ptolomie placeth the Countrie Gordiena directly upon the North adjoining in Situation to these Mountains Now that Countrie was so called from the Gordiaean Mountains upon which the Ark rested as is approved by a double Paraphrase of two Antient Chaldeans Jonathan the son of Vziel and Onkelos the one translating that Text of Moses to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Mountain of Ararat by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cardu the other by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cardon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elias in Methurgeman both entending the Gordiaean Mountains whereof Strabo and Curtius discours Elias also in his Methurgeman allowing their interpretation Of these Mountains Stephanus maketh mention in his Book De urbibus So also Elmarinus the Arabian translated by Erpenius and another of that Nation whose name is unknown cited by Schickard in his Taric of the Kings of Persia The later thus writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is This is Mount Godius upon which that Ship rested that Ship of Noach on whom be peace But whereas this Autor calleth the Mountain Godius Schickard admonisheth that it is an error of the Transcriber who in stead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gordi writ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gadi It is apparant then that the Ark abode upon the Gordian Mountains but where or upon which that is yet doubtful Rabbi Benjamin Tudelensis who travelled through all parts to visit his Countrie-men the ten Tribes dispersed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rab. Benjamin in Itinerario citante Schichardo giveth notice in his Itinerarie that the place where the Ark
in which wee have cited him but the Poëts intent is far otherwise as hee may understand that readeth his Scholiast who best understood him for Eustathius upon those words thus discourseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Tigris Euphrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eustath in Dion Afr. c. Wherefore according to the judgement of the Scholiast the meaning of his Poet is that the distance of the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates is as much as the best fitted traveller could go in seven daies that is as much as if hee had said Mesopotamia in breadth would prove to a good footman seven daies journie So though Tigris bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all Rivers the swiftest yet in this opinion hee hath made more haste then good speed Wee have sufficiently lingred upon the borders of Assyria wee will now travel in the Countrie begining first with Adiabene becaus becaus as Plinie and Solinus testifie Adiabene est Assyriorum initium The begining of Ashur is that part which is called Adiabene for here 't is probable that the founder made the first plantation of his Assyrians becaus the King Nimrod first conquered this place and setled the Government in a Metropolis erected by himself It was called Adiabene not as the Greeks have vainly conjectured from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 becaus this was a place of hard passage as Strabo Eustathius and the rest for this conceit is refuted by Marcellinus a traveller in these parts who witnesseth that hee passed over a certain River called Adiavas from which the place was called first Adiavene Ammianus Marcellinus in vita Juliani pag 302 edit Lugdun which word when it came among the Greeks they changed Ï… into β necessitie often urguing them to this for want of that letter in their Alphabet so where the Original readeth David 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Septuagint they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Evangelists reteining the same Ninive â—rbs In Adiabene that which first and best deserv's our diligence is the thrice noble seat of Ninus The Scripture Stile 's it both in Moses and the Prophets urbs magna Deo and therefore seeing God himself hath taken notice of it wee will take the more It was called Ninive from Ninus quasi Nini 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naveh that is the habitation of Ninus becaus Ninus set the last hand to the complement of this Citie and there kept his Court. But hee that laid the first foundation was the son of Cham not Sem though our English Metaphrase hath so translated To decide the matter hear Moses himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In which words our Translation taketh Assur for a person which beyond all doubt should bee taken for a place and then it run's thus From that land to wit Babylon hee that is Nimrod went out into Ashur and builded Ninive And this is the meaning of Moses in the minde of that most learned Jew Ramban or R. Moses ben Nachman as shall appear by his gloss upon the place as hee is cited by Abarbinel in his Commentaries upon Bereshith Ramban saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ramban in Abarbinelis Commen ad Bereshith These words intend thus much Out of that land went Nimrod to rule over the Countrie of Ashur and there hee built Ninivie and the rest of that Province's great Cities whereof Moses maketh mention and this Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all one as if it had been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thus Ramban who also citeth a Concordance necessarily requiring the like exposition in the like case as saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must bee rendred as if it had been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ramban in this is not singular nor hath wanted his deserved approbation among our own most learned Writers For thus readeth M. John Drusius so Tremelius judicious Calvin and diligent Paraeus none without good reason for what should Assur the son of Sem do among the children of Cham And again hee that built Babel was as likely to build Ninive The founder therefore of this Citie was Nimrod for the situation thereof it was set upon the River Tigris A late Writer of our own in his Microcosm hath made bold to displace it affirming that it was built upon Euphrates which if it do not otherwise appear I will ingeniously repent the mention of him whom notwithstanding I should also have spared in this place had hee himself spared great Scaliger in a lesser matter were it not that I count it frivolous to cite a modern Autor in a matter of Antiquitie to this one I could oppose the Autoritie of manie amongst whom Ninive upon Tigris is as ordinarie as London upon Thames But to fetch that situation upon this River from the same fountain which they did I appeal to the Antients Amongst the Latines Plinie is plain that Ninus the Citie stood upon the River Tigris Among the Greeks thus Herodotus speaking of a certain Trench 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where out of all doubt though the Text bee somthing cryptical yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to bee referred to Euphrates or the Trench but to Tigris as the same Autor expoundeth himself in Euterp where hee plainly saith that Tigris run's by Ninive Arrian in his book of the affairs of old India speaking of Tigris thus writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is Tigris runing out of Armenia antiently a great and famous Citie Arrian rerum Indie c. where a trustie and faithful Writer hath plainly set down our desire To these wee add the last and greatest our master Ptolomie according to whom wee have placed this Citie upon this River towards the Sun rising Besides this consent of the Greeks summ up the whole truth in the Autoritie of an Hebrew Geographer and hee testis oculatus to wit the forenamed Benjamin Tudelensis in his Itinerarie where making mention of that Citie which the Arabians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Benjamin Itinerar fol. and others from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Almozal saith that Citie is built upon Hiddekel that is Tigris on the one side over against Ninive a bridg onely between it and Ninive if therefore Mosal bee built upon Tigris there beeing but a Bridg between it and Ninive it is apparent in the judgment of an eie-witness that wee have placed it where it should bee Onely Diodorus dissenteth whether by an error in the Text or by misinformation one or other it is likely for wee must not forsake all these to lean to one The reason of his error might bee becaus in fine these two Rivers meet and becom one and the same Ninus therefore was set upon Tigris not as Diodorus upon Euphrates nor upon the River Lycus as M Nicolas Fuller in his Miscellanea who for that opinion citeth all those almost whom wee have
in quibus magìs mihi probavit Doctrinam suam quà m Magnetis Naturam nam incertior sum quà m dudum Wee know what hee meaneth by amplissimos but why tres Commentarios Sure the Man had not read all his Books for the Dr wrote six but England was a kinde of Nazareth to this Great Scholar hee would not endure anie good should com out from hence But to give the Art and the Nation but their due Norman Burrough wright Gilbert Ridley Barlow Gillâ—bâ—and As there is no point of Philosophie so admirable and secret with Nature as this so none so immerst in visible practice and experiment and bred up from the verie Cradle to that growth and stature which now it hath in this verie Corner of the World by English Men. Manie other Experiments of great Wonder and Satisfaction are made by the Magnetical Philosophers upon the Stone but to the purpose I speak of these are the Principal which is to give the Reasons of the Needles turning towards the North and South which is the Original of the Mariner's Compass The North and South Windes thus assured by the Motion either of Direction or Variation of the Needle The Mariner supposeth his Ship to bee as it alwaies is upon som Horizon or other The Center whereof is that of the Ship The Line of North and South found out by the Needle a Line crossing this at right Angles sheweth the East and West and so they have the 4 Cardinal Windes and the Indian * They are drawn upon a white China dish filled with Water upon the Center whereof there hangeth a Needle of 6 inches long Compass consisteth of no more Cross again each of these Lines and they have the 8 Whole Windes as they call them Another Division of these maketh 8 more which they call the Half Windes A third maketh 16 which they call the Quarter Windes so they are 32 in all Martin Cortez noteth that som Mariners of his time divided that Division over again and so the Compass consisted of 64 Windes but hee noteth also that this Division was more exact then for the Use Everie one of these Windes is otherwise termed a several point of the Compass and the Whole Line consisting of 2 Windes as the Line of North and South or that of East and West is called a Rombe The Spaniards first gave that Name as Peter of Medina taketh it upon them yet not out of their own Language but fancying to themselvs that the Lines of the Compass as indeed they do much resembled the Spars of a Spining Wheel which in Latine is called Rhombus from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to turn about they call those Lines Rumbos and the Word hath taken The Compass therefore is an Horizontical Division of the 32 Windes upon a round piece of Pasteboard set in a Box in the Center whereof upon a pin of Laten cinque bored the Needle or Wyers first touched with the Stone are placed This Box hangeth in another Box between two hoops of Laten that however the outermost Box bee tossed up and down by the Motion of the Ship yet the innermost may alwaies hang level to the Horizon It is placed in the middle of the Pupe upon a right Line imagined to pass by the Main-mast through the Center of the Ship and so putteth the Pilot in his Waie These Compasses are represented as they may upon the Globe by those Circles which you see divided into 32 Parts with their Fleurç de Lis alwaies pointing to the North. And though the Windes are not set down by Name yet they may bee fetched from the Horizon without the Globe And the Rumbes are drawn out at length circularly if the Cours bee upon a Meridian the Equator or anie other parallel otherwise they are Helispherical Lines as they call them that is partly Circular and partly Helical or Spiral as you may see them described upon the Globe In the Globes set out by Saunderson and Molineux you have the Courses of Sr Francis Drake and Fourbisher's Voyages and in Janson's Globe that of Oliver Van-Nort described by the Rumbes whereby you may judg of the rest The Knowledg of all this is not of less use to the Geographer then the other Description by Circles aswel for the Reading of Sea-Voyages and Discoveries of New Lands and Passages as for that the verie Descriptions of the Earth for a great part cannot bee made without references to the Water As the Earth and Water are wholly represented upon the Globe so the whole Janson's Globe of the Year 1616. The Great Meridian passeth by the Pike in Tenariff The Lesser stand at 10 Degrees distance or anie part of either may bee described in Plano or upon a plane Surface in a Map or Sea-Chart And of these also somthing shall bee discoursed hereafter for the present Thus much of the Description now followeth The Use of the Terrestrial Globe and first of the Rectification THe first care of this is to see that the Foot of the Globe stand level or parallel to the Horizon for which purpose som Globes have a Plumb-line and there bee that advise for a Triangular Level of Wood with a Plummet for the purpose to bee applied to anie part of the Horizon after the manner as the Mechanicks trie their Planes but the matter is not tied to such a severitie of exactness but that a good Eie may pass for a sufficient Judg. The next thing is that it bee placed in the North and South-Position of the Earth as directly as it may This dependeth upon the knowledg of the Meridian of the place but may well enough bee don by a Needle whose Variation is known such an one as is used to bee set upon the South side of the Foot of som Globes for the same purpose then lift up the North-Pole above the Horizon so manie Degrees as will answer to the Latitude of the Place unto which you mean to rectifie which suppose to bee Oxford therefore the Pole is to bee lifted up 51 Degrees for that is the Elevation of this Place then finde out Oxford in the Globe and bring it to the Brass Meridian and there staie it with a piece of paper or the like put between the Meridian and the Globe And you have set before you Oxford with the verie same and all respects of Situation upon the Globe as it hath upon the Earth it self And this is called Rectification or right setting of the Globe By the known Place to finde out the Longitude and Latitude and by the known Longitude and Latitude to finde out the Place THese Terms of Longitude and Latitude are understood either of the same or several Places In the first sens they are absolutely called the Longitude or Latitude of this or that place In the other sens wee use to say The Difference of Longitude or Latitude between such and such a place The Longitude of this or that place is
same Author Antioch the Great in honour of the Emperour fixed their Aera in Cajus Julius Cesar and made this yeare of Grace the first Therefore this Aera of theirs was peculiarly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because at the fixing of this the Emperour did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is publiquely name himselfe to all the Title of Dominion c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and publiquely entitle them to all the Priviledges Immunities c. From this Antiochian use of the word and in this very State sense the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Saint Luke was and is to be taken Saint Luke was a Physitian of Antioch One of our Greeke Catalogues makes mention of D. Lucae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a certaine Recipe of Saint Lukes but I have not seene it as yet But the matter is that He was of Antioch and having occasion to record unto Theophilus the first naming of the Disciples Christians and that this was done at Antioch made use of their owne word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which he would be understood that the Imposition of this new name was openly and circumstantially done and in as solemne and publique manner as it might Saint Paul maketh use of the same word in the same sense Rom. 7.3 So then if while her Husband be living she be married to another man she shall be called the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she shall be notably called or notoriously knowne to be an adulteresse in common fame and voice Here indeed it is taken passively as no doubt it might but Saint Luke useth the word in the first and most originall way of acception for though we translate it were called as some Arabicke and almost all Translations doe yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is there to be understood And so it is And the Disciples first stiled themselves Christians c. You will perceive as much by this passage of Joannes Antiochenus concerning Augustus Caesar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. And the most Sacred Augustus then began to be the first and onely Monarch of the Empire and Prelate of the Holy Rites Sacrorum Antistes and he stiled himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus Caesar Octavian Trophaell Augustus the Mighty Emperour And he reigned c. And by this Passage you may correct a pitifull one of the same pretence there be many more in that Booke that need as much in the Chronicon Alexandrinum There it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Editioner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reader the Editioner perceived what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was to be But for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is to be set downe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the other place is to be read not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is the principall thing of note here as to the Active and first acception of the word Otherwise Rader is not so much to be found fault with for the Text as the Translation sometimes I confesse where he turnes the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by tributa or vectigalia though it be fearfully false yet is not so foule an escape as some others there There is a vast difference 'twixt Tributes and Telesmes for so the word ought to have beene rendred and yet might be easier mistaken by him as at that time then it can now be done right by some others CHAP. XXXVII Heb. 3.12 Take heed lest there be in any of you an Evill heart of unbeleife in departing from the Living God THe Arabick is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An obdurate and unbeleeving heart and which goeth farre or quite away from the Living God 'T is a fearefull thing too to fall out of the hands of God The Imaginations of mens hearts are onely evill and continually therefore the Spirit of God doth alwayes strive with them if it did our Spirit would faint under him and the Soules which he hath made If a man doe start aside as we all and often doe like a broken Bow God puts us together againe and fastens us unto himselfe as soone and taking as good hold as he can And these things saith Holy Job God will doe once and twice that is oft times for a man Hos 11.8 To day if we will heare his voice To day that is whensoever a sinner c. He will turne and repent his heart will be turned within him and his Repentings rouled together And all this that our hearts may not be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Every man whatsoever hath this long day allow'd him And O that thou hadst knowne even in this day of thine but now it is hid from thine eyes This is that hard heart of unbeleefe which we are bid here to take heed of this looseth all our hold and utterly estrangeth us from the life of God and leaveth us altogether without him in the World Our other back-slidings and variations from him how wide and distant soever yet may be thought to be but like those of the Compasse more or lesse according to a lesse or greater interposition of earthly mindednesse but this is like to that of the Magnet it selfe which while it lyeth couched in the minerall and united to the Rocke it conformeth to the Nature and verticity of the Earth but separate it from thence and give it free scope to move in the Aire and it will desperately forsake its former and more publicke instinct and turne to a quite contrary point So as long as a man is fastened to the Rocke Christ and keepeth but any hold there hee will still bee looking lesse or more towards the Author and finisher of his Faith but broken off once from thence and beginning to bee in the open Aire and under the Prince of that hee presently turneth aside from the living God and pointeth to a Pole of his owne CHAP. XXXVIII Matth. 6.2 For thine is the Kingdome c. Glory be to the Father c. I Am going about to conclude this small matter of Book with some notice upon these two Doxologies For the first the question hath beene made up so high as to leave us in doubt whether it be a peice of Scripture or no Beza confesseth it to bee magnificam illam quidem sanctificam a most high and holy forme of expression sed irrepsisse in contextum quae in vetustissimis aliquot Codicibus Graecis desit but to have crept into the Text and to be wanting in some very ancient Copies That it should be wanting in some others is the lesse wonder because it is not to be found in that Vetustissimus Codex given by himselfe to the Vniversity Library of Cambridge It is not a full booke of the New Testament but containing onely the foure