to a Fault degrading both their Industry and Abilities in terming what they do as a Representation of other mens Thoughts and that all the improvement they make is only the communicating them to those that knew 'em not before But I wrong them in not transcribing their own words which are these 'T is true in some sence Nil dictum quod non dictum prius the World is Learned and we wish it were more so the finest things that can be said are little else than old Sence with a new Turn and if ye deny this all the Orators in it must stand still and neither Divines nor Lawyers get any more than our Athenian Mercury Yet still what one man knows another man does not and a diffusing Knowledg is a sort of improving of it perhaps the best way And a little after in the same Question ` Besides we are pretty confident there are very many Questions here some of moment which were never before publicly decided especially in Morality which is by far the most useful part of Knowledg And 't would be no shame for us should we own our chief aim in this design were to convey under a pleasant Dress Notions of Virtue and Honour into the Commonalty and rather make them better than wiser tho' indeed in one we do both and cannot doubt in the mean while but the curious and ingenious Spirits will seldom take up our Paper but they 'll find something or other in 't that both may divert and please them For the less candid Judges they have done all they can against it already but avail nothing the Paper still lives and is still like to do so in spight of all their ill nature and finds that reception which we will say the Design thereof deserves I have thought fit to conclude with this Quotation out of the Works of the Society because it is a Recapitulation of all that I have said both as to their Design and Performances with a short modest Vindication of both if not a prophetical Assurance of its surpassing all the Oppositions it has or may meet with The THIRD PART of the History of the Athenian Society HAving in the First Part run through the Rise and Advantages of this Society in the Second their Performances that are already extant with a much greater Brevity than the nobility and copiousness of the Subject required I shall here anticipate their future Endeavours or at least give the World a Prospect of those beneficial Efforts it will soon be blest with from the matchless Industry and Learning of the Athenan Society which when compared with what has been already seen will justly raise all mens Expectation of those yet unthought of Discoveries the successful Progress of their Labors will in time produce when such great Attempts have been aimed at and effected in so little a time after their first Rise Their Care seems to have been to provide Means for the improvement of their Knowledg as I have observed in the First Part who had not the Abilities of Purse to arive to learned Education and to purchase all those voluminous Books which treat of those several Arts and Sciences which are required to the composing a Scholar This tho' the Weekly Mercuries would in time effect yet more speedily to occurr to the Impatience of some who perhaps may be uneasie in perusing so many things which tend to the satisfaction of others to find amongst them what themselves desire the Society have taken care for the compiling a Book entituled The young Student's Library containing the Substance and Pith of all that 's valuable in most of the best Books printed in England and in the foreign Journals from the year 65 to this present time to which will be added an Introduction to the use of Books in a new Essay upon all sorts of Learning written by the Athenian Society The Proposals sufficiently shew that this Work is to be a Translation from the Universal Historical Bibliotheque the Paris Iournal des scavanâ—… the Acta Eruditorum Lypsiae the Giornali de Litterali and other foreign Iournals to which the Society will add what is most considerable in the Extracts made by their own Countrymen that so to use their own words by going backward as well as forward we may render our account of Books compleat The Preface to the Proposals of printing this Book shew abundantly the usefulness of it Extracts having received Encouragement from the Ingenious of all Nations ever since they have been set on foot being necessary not only for them that cannot go to the price of the Books themselves or have not time to peruse so many large Volumes but also for all the Learned who in a little time may here find the Desiâ—…n of every Book and some observation in the Performance from whence they may frame a Judgment what Book to buy and what not if they are not fully satisfied with it in little for the chief Force and Matter of most Books lies in a little compass the ornamental parts of Language generally making up the bulk But I shall give you a concise account of this Book from Mr. De la Crose's Works of the Learned who having been formerly an Antagonist with the Society on account of Extracts may reasonably be supposed not to flatter any of their Performances especially in that kind His words are these in his Book for Ianuary 1692. It consists says he of the young Student's Library of Abstracts of Books in several Faculties as Divinity Critics History Geography Philosophy Law Physic c. many of which are collected out of the Iournals des Scavans of Paris and the Universal Bibliotheque and as I hear accurately translated but the most considerable tho' not the biggest part are two original pieces The first is written by a Divine a Member of the Athenian Society who has spent several years in the study of the Hebrew Tongue and shews a great deal of Learning and Piety in maintaining the Antiquity of the Point-Vowels against Lewis Capel and his Followers He pretends they are at least as ancient as Ezra The second Original Piece is an Essay upon all sorts of Learning as Divinity Physic History Poetry Geometry Architecture Music Civil Law Canon Law Optics Dyalling Thus far Mons. De la Crose And I have nothing to add of the main Substance of the Book but that there will be two English Abstracts added by the Society and that they will as the Proposals inform me supervise the Translations but of these things you 'l be farther informed in the Preface to it which is now almost finished And I 'll only add this Remark That the Abstract of the Works of the Learned wholy owes its Rise and Progress to this Society all things of that nature having been entirely forgotten in England tho' of such great use as appears ' at large in the Preface to the First Volume and I suppose will be yet set in a clearer Light in
taken up with Subtilties and Notions deduc'd from these Principles they too being all of the Clergy to devise any means of making the rest of men wiser than before But that which gave me the greatest cause of wonder was that since the benefit of Printing Books and consequently Learning grew more general and with that an universal Inclination of most men to spread it still farther that nothing of this nature should by none of the Great men and Virtuoso's of our own or foreign Nations be found out before about a year since I am not ignorant that there is a Book called Sphinx Theologico-Philosophica that bears some resemblance to the Athenian Mercury but then it differs so much when you come to peruse it that if it had not been to obviate some mens unreasonable Fancies I would not have nam'd it for there the Author proposes his Difficulties and solves them himself but with an endless number of vulgar Errors grounding all his Answers on ill Authorities School Divinity and those antiquated Systems of Philosophy which were compos'd as I said before out of the misunderstood Writings of Aristotle who if we may credit his Letter to Alexander the Great never intended any one should reap much Knowledge from them except his own select Scholars for that great King being fired with generous Ambition of excelling all Mankind in Knowledge as well as Power when he was inform'd that Aristotle had publish'd his Acroamatick Books sent him a Letter of Reprimand in which were these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander to Aristotle Health YOU have not done well to publish your Acroamatick Books for now I would feign know in what we shall excell the rest of Men if that Learning iâ—… which you have educated us be made common to all And indeed I profess I had rather excell in Knowledge than Power To this Letter of Alexander Aristotle returns this Answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotle to Alexander Health YOU writ to me about my Acroamatick Books which you judge should be kept as a Secret and not divulged For your satisfaction therefore know that they are published and yet they are not for they can be understood only by such who have heard me deliver them From hence we may suppose what Exactness and Reason there was in Systems composed after this Model and I assure the Reader the Author of the fore-nam'd Book falls yet lower and dwindles into Old-wives Tales and common Sayings In short if any man of Sence shall happen to see that Book they will find that it bears no likeness to the Athenian Mercury but the form of Question and Answer the Authors of which Method the Gentlemen of this Society are far from pretending to be and it was made choice of as the only way of satisfying every ones Curiosity and Doubts when each propos'd his own I never yet upon enquiry could understand that any thing like this was ever advanc'd either before this time or in any other Nation England has the Glory of giving Rise to two of the noblest Designs that the Wit of Man is capable of inventing and they are the Royal Society for the experimental improvement of Natural Knowledge and the Athenian Society for communicating not only that but all other Sciences to all men as well as to both Sexes and the last will I question not be imitated as well as the first by other Nations This leads me into a consideration of the Advantages this Undertaking has afforded the World which are so many and so evident that I may seem to the Judicious to lose time in endeavouring to demonstrate what every man of Sence must acknowledge Yet to silence the Enemies of Reason as well as of the Athenian Society I shall instance in some few particulars as first the promotion of Printing for as that Art contributed extreamly to the spreading and progress of Learning so has this Project made grateful Returns already to the encouragement at least of the Masters of that Art witness the Controversie with the Anabaptists the Quakers and with Mr. Iones on the Subject of Usury which though it be stretched into too great a Latitude by the Practices of some yet is with no Reason in the World absolutely condemn'd by him as this Learned Society have already made evident to any discerning Judgment Nor has the little Endeavours at an Answer by some nameless Scribler mov'd me at all to think otherwise he having not answered any Proof the Society brought nor indeed do I believe he understood great part of them but with a canting inconsistent Ramble hastens to the end of his mighty Vindication I shall say no more of this Controversie now because it is not yet finished and the other I shall have occasion of speaking of in the Second Part of this Discourse But the Booksellers and Printers are not the only Gainers in this Affair that Branch of the Royal Revenue the Post I mean both the General and Penny-Post being not inconsiderably improved by it they having in the first year received some Thousands of Letters So that it seems to me the Interest of the Government to espouse the Quarrel of this Society so far as to suppress any Interloper the Result of whose unjust Endeavours must be the Ruin of such an encreasing Advantage to Their Majesties Interest But I shall say more of this in my last Part and here shall leave the Benefit that arises from the Athenian Mercury to the Purses of both the Publick and Private to consider a little of that which the Mind the nobler part of Mankind will reap from it that being its chief aim and design the others but accidental What an improvement this will be to Learning I presume none that will give themselves leisure to reflect can be insensible of for a diffusing Knowledge among all that Heaven has made capable must certainly be the occasion of more Discoveries in Truth and Nature because the number of the Learned will be encreased of the Learned I say for I cannot see any reason why Languages should be thought so necessary an Ingredient for the composing a Scholar if it were not for the opening the Secrets that are locked up in them which Prison this Noble Societies Undertaking will in time free 'em from for indeed 't is very hard that those whose Pockets could not arrive to better Education and yet are blest with abler Brains than many who spend their time in Books should be hindered from thoseadvantages they could so well make use of The French have remov'd in some measure this Obstacle and made all Authors familiar to every one that can but read and understand their own Mother-tongue by translating all Books of any value into their own Language 'T is true we have imitated them a little in that way but under a different Capacity for here there are a sort of little Ignorant Foreigners who understand neither our
Tongue nor that from whence they translate employed by the Booksellers on this difficult Task because they murder a noble Author cheaper than a Man of Parts willdo him Justice and like a Spaniard will live upon a Clove of Garlick and work hard for what will but suffice to buy 'em a great Coat to keep 'em from the Cold This is the cause we have few good Translations Whereas the French are more accurate because they who give themselves to Undertakings of that kind among them are such whose Business is Learning and who are otherways provided for than to depend on the Generosity of a Bookseller for their Bread And whilst a business of that consequence is carried on by such Hands we have no reason to expect any greater Performances But had we the good Fortune to have all the Arts and Sciences and all the fine thoughts of all those great men that have writ they would be so voluminous that many a man of Sence would labour under as great a difficulty as before both for time to peruse and Money to purchase them But this difficulty is quite removed by the Athenian Society for One hour in a week is all the time that is required to peruse them and Two pence weekly sufficient to purchase those Papers in which every one may find the Marrow of what great Authors have writ on any curious Subject with the improvement of many ingenious and learned men upon it Nor is the Reader confined to that silly Magisterial Argument of some of the old Pythagoreans an ipse dixit but is only desired to yield to the force of Reason it self and what Authorities are brought will easily be seen to be supernumerary Proofs unless about Matter of Fact and the verity of any Passage in History as that of Iosephus about our Saviour Iesus Christ which can be decided by nothing but the Testimony of all Ages up to the time when such Book was writ which is a much more natural and rational way to come to the Truth than by the conjectural Arguments of some opinionated men of this present Age who would needs preferr a meer Ghess to a Cloud of Witnesses a method quite contrary to all the Justice and Proceedings in the World If the Reader will consider what I have said I am confident he can't but in Justice acquit me of Flattery when I shall say that all the Endeavours of the great men of all Nations and Ages from the beginning of Learning to this time have not contributed to the encrease of Knowledge so much as this Institution of the Athenian Society What the Ancients did I have already in a few words discussed and tho' I will not deny that the Advance that has been made since the Restauration of Learning is very extraordinary yet it must be granted that it falls short of this 'T is true it was great to cast off Authorities and to have Recourse alone to Reason and Experiment the only sure Foundation of all Learning without which we spend our Years in painful Study to fill our Heads with false and empty Notions foreign enough from Truth which is the aim of all Study for without a pretty good assurance of that the Mind can never be satisfied But though the Treasure of Knowledge encreased so vastly yet the Possessors of this Treasure did not grow much more numerous than of old so that the Benefit of it reached only to such as could go to the expence of Studying at the chargeable places called Universities few else being the better for this new Revolution in the Empire of Wisdom most of the rest of Mankind were an ignorant Generation that bore the Form the Shape the Image of Men and had the use of their Tongue to make known their Thoughts but it was only to discover how very little difference there was betwixt them and their Brothers the Brutes The Learned dealt with Mankind till now as some bigotted Clergy-men do in giving the greatest part to Ignorance here as they do to the Devil hereafter I confess those few and imperfect Translations we have did a little refine the Conversation of a great many who had not the good Fortune to be skill'd in Languages but those Books are as I have hinted before too large too difficult and too dear for several that are as willing and as fit to learn though they have not so good a Purse to spare either their Money or their Time on them from their necessary Occasions of getting their Livelihood But the Society have opened an easier way and set Learning in so fair a light that won with its Beauty every one must with eagerness embrace it in a form so agreeable to all Capacities and those who are so near a Kin to their Bodies as not to care for the Embellishments of the Mind will have a clearer Mark set upon them of sordid Ignorance If these and many more are the Advantages that will accrew to the Public from this Undertaking I believe the Learned will receive no less I mean those who are not so full of themselves that they cannot with Patience peruse the Works of any one else for all the knotty points of Philosophy Divinity Mathematics c. which have employ'd the curious part of the World thus long are form'd into Quaeries by the Inquisitive and answered with an abundance of Reason by the Society who are not only men of Parts but also blest with a Temper that is Industrious to the highest degree and by consequence must give a general Satisfaction in their Performances to the best of Judges in every Science But here methinks I see some plodding grave Gentleman that has been at the Expence of many a laborious Year to gain the Mastery of Latin Greek and Hebrew with a supercilious frown condemning this Society not for falling short of their first Pretence but because they keep up too close to it For says he What Honour will be due to Learned men that have spent so many years in the study of Languages and the Criticisms of them if the Kernel of that Nut they are so long a cracking be given to every illiterate Fellow that understands not what 's Latin for the Book he reads This desire of Honour and Veneration and to be esteemed something more than Men has been the cause of the small Progress of Learning in former Ages as I have already shewn and therefore ought to be cast away with the other Fopperies of those times which obstructed the Growth of Knowledge and the Gentlemen of this Kidney may satisfie themselves that the number of Illiterate Fellows will be much less and yet the Skill in the Languages be in as much esteem as it deserves as long as the study of ancient Authors especially the Poets which can never be delivered in any other Language with that Force and Beauty they have in their own shall be valued by the Ingenious Criticisms will still be pleasing though a thousand times repeated
without doubt obtain of all such who have the least desire to bestow any of their time for the Honour and Glory of their Country Nature has been extreamly fruitful of Wonders in these Kingdoms that compose the British Monarchy and 't is pitty Gentlemen of Estates shou'd be carry'd away with a desire of seeing the Novelties of other Countries before they have any tolerable insight into their own where they were born Certainly every Patriot will not think his time ill spent which is imploy'd for the discovery and knowledge of our selves or at least our Country of which each is but part This Generous desire has inspir'd several Learned Gentlemen to offer their service already as I have observ'd above tho' I am ignorant of all of them except ohe of whom by accident I gain'd this account He was the first that offer'd his Endeavours for the carrying on of this design with which he was so extreamly pleas'd at the first notice that was given of it to the World and indeed England I believe affords not a Gentleman better qualify'd for this Undertaking being first accomplish'd with variety of Learning having great skill in Experimental Philosophy and scarce his Equal in Chymistry a Science which is Mother of strange and wonderful Discoveries to all these acquir'd Excellences Nature has added a strong and admirable Judgment a nice and curious Fancy and an extreamly happy Memory with a Temper that is agreeable and generous and fortune or rather Heav'n for when I see Merit bless'd with a Competency I conclude it the effect of a wiser Dispoâ—…r than partial Chance has crown'd all for so it is in spite of Philosophy with a handsome Estate all which concurring he seems to me The Phenix Boyl reviv'd This Reader is all the account I am capable as yet of giving thee as to their present and future performances which as they have gain'd them no little Fame and Repâ—…tation so has that fame contracted Enimies and ungenerous Opposers Vertue when expos'd to the Eyes of the World seldom being without Enemieâ—… whose aim has been at least of the 〈◊〉 part of them to deprive the Publick of those many advantages I have made it appear it receives from this Undertaking and the Performances of the present Members of the Athenian Society by using what means they can to discourage the gain of the Bookseller that so he may let fall so beneficial a Project tho' they cou'd never yet Effect it The first Opposers they met with were the Anabaptists who I have shew'd were silenc'd by the Society th en the demure Quaker put in for his share tho' to as little purpose and among the Opposers I must not forget tho' one of the most inconsiderable was the Vindicator of Mr. Iones on the subject of Usury But all these were upon particular Controversies and made Enemies by their being disoblig'd because the Society wou'd not Complement them so far as to subscribe to their Opinions But on the first of February I find in the Advertisement of the Athenian Mercury that some body else set up a Paper interfereing with their Design but it seems that the Author of that Paper became soon sensible of the Injustice of his undertaking and therefore was not asham'd in a public manner to acknowledge his Error for I find in the fifth Mercury of the sixth Volume a Letter from him to the Gentlemen of the Athenian Society which I shall transcribe To the Gentlemen of the Athenian Society BEing at length convinc'd that the Design I was lately engag'd iâ—… did not reach up to that Morality I aim at I thought my self oblig'd to desire you to insert this short Letter in your Mercury to satisfie the World of the Injustice as well as fruitless endeavour of such an undertaking If a breach of the Golden Rule may be term'd Injustice this must be so since I believe no Man that is the first Designer of any thing which by his Industry alone has turn'd to account will say he wou'd be content to have another make use of his Project and run away with the profit of his Labors But I am perswaded the Endeavours of any to interfere with you wou'd prove in a small time of as little advantage as the Attempt deserves For the Town will not give it self the trouble of perusing both when it may meet with all in one But if the Love which the World generally has for contention shou'd give a Temporary encouragement yet the clashing and Answers and Replies from one to an other wou'd divert both from the bus'ness and end of these Mercuries when they shall be fill'd up with Reflections Errors Mistakes and Recriminations the Answers to Queries will find but small room and the impatient Querists be forc'd to wait much longer for a Solution of his Niceties which must end in the destruction of both Undertakers In the small time I have been engag'd in this affair I have had a sufficient Experience of the uneasiness of the Wits and Woud be Wits that will be at the expence of sending in their Queries One peremptorily demands an answer in a time prefixt Another will not be content barely to demand a speedy reply to a Catalogue of Queries of half a Sheet of Paper but threatens upon neglect some mighty effort of Indignation And in a little time whoever shall go upon this design will find his hands so full of Bus'ness that he must incur the dissatisfaction of his Querists for one day brings in more Work than a Month can dispose of unless instead of half a sheet of Paper he wou'd publish weekly two Twelve penny Books for 25 and 30 Queries in a day were much within the Number I in that little time receiv'd To conclude since from the beginning of Learning to this day no body started this design but your selves for the weekly diversion of the Curious I hope you may for the future enjoy the benefit of it for I am satisfy'd the profit of any other will never compensate his trouble Yours to Command c. This Letter well observes the immorality of such an attempt since 't is evident that tho the Law take not hold of it yet it is of equal guilt to the Robbing of a Man's House or shop of his Goods with which he drives his Trade for a Project of this nature is a Commodity in which Booksellers deal and tho' it evades the Penalty that is laid on those of that Trade that shall print another Man's Copy yet it has nothing to justify it self but Impunity like several other Mischiefs which the Law has not yet provided against this will appear a little plainer by a comparison Our Laws have provided a greater punishment for those that counterfeit our English Coin than for such who do the same to any Foreign Money yet certainly no man that will pretend to thought will thence conclude that therefore the Cheat is less in one than the other since the Injustice that
and to be a Critic 't will be necessary to understand the original of those Books that teach them to be so Etymologies of Words and Terms of Art will require some Skill in Languages c. Nay this Athenian Project will rather contribute to that for the nature of many men especially those that are very curious is to desire to see the Author itself from whence such admirable things are drawn which will oblige them to study Languages to be able to understand them So that that sort of Learning is in no fear of being lost since now it may be some Hundreds may be excited to it which otherwise had never thought on it But I cannot imagine why a man may not be Master of as much Sence though he understand never a word of Latin as if he were perfect in the darkest places of Persius nor if his Sence can be thus improv'd can he come under the Contempt of Illiterate But to satisfie these Sparks that are for the keeping the World in Ignorance let them not be so uneasie for I dare engage there will still be Fools and Blockheads enough for them that will not make use of this Advantage Some of the Roman Pedants found the same fault with Cicero's Design in translating the Philosophy of the Grecians into Latin for fear it should make Learning or at least its Professors too cheap But as that did not deterr him from prosecuting his Undertaking so this cannot be supposed to weigh at all with the present Athenian Society who have undertaken a Province of more general Good and carried it on with no less Force and Wit Here I must not forget that Great and Universal Good this Design affords to any Troubles of Mind in removing to use thâ—… words of the first Mercury those Difficulties and Dissatisfactions that shame or fear of appearing ridiculous by asking Questions may cause several persons to labour under who now have opportunities of being resolved in any Question without knowing their Informer and I may add without being known themselves And that these People might be wholly satisfied the same Mercury says farther thus And if at any time the Answer is not so satisfactory as they could wish let them as directed by the Advertisement mention in what particular and they shall have a fuller satisfaction in the next Paper To enlarge upon this would be superfluous since every man that is affected with any such Trouble will find how much Ease Advice will afford him especially when he can have it without discovering himself to be grieved It must stop many a desperate Hand which unnaturally else might attempt upon the Breast foolishly imagining that an end of this Life would put a Period to their Sorrows when it only adds an infinite Encrease to them Methinks there is something divinely mysterious in this that I can consult so many able Heads on my private Distractions and yet that they should still remain a Secret Nay they who propose these Questions are not the only that receive the Benefit of the Answer since that may serve for many at the same time under the same Exigencies and even Posterity that has not yet a Being will be indebted to it when in the like Cases which will happen again With good reason therefore has the Designer of the Emblem of that Society placed an Angel directing such unfortunate Desperado's to apply themselves to them for if any thing under a Divinity can avert their Misery it must be the force of their Reasons Having thus given a rough Draught of some of those Benefits which this Undertaking has and will produce to Mankind 't is fit that the World know its Benefactor and indeed Justice requires that he who first design'd and propos'd it should have that Reputation that is due to him and have his Name known to Posterity who will not have a little share in the Obligation He therefore who form'd the first Idea of this great this noble Project was Mr. Dunton the Bookseller for whom all the Mercuries are printed the Tenth of March 1690 1 he first brought the Embrio into form and as I am informed there were two occasions which gave Life to it the first upon reading that of the Acts 17. 21. For all the Athenians and Strangers that dwelt there gave themselves to nothing else but to tell or hear some New or rather new things This has relation to the foregoing Verses as I shall observe when I come to speak of the Reasons why they call themselves Athenians His frequent reflection on this Text concurring in time with some great Injury he had received gave Birth to this happy thought For being sollicitous how he should be instructed in that Evangelical Lesson of forgiving Injuries as it were by some Divine Instinct this Method came into his Head by which both himself and others might be satisfied in that and any other Doubt without being troublesome to those who would perhaps be not very well pleased with resolving Quaeries and Doubts unless they saw some Advantage beside the Good of the Quaerist The Thought seems to be accidental as we are apt to think all things for which we can give no positive Reason like the Birth of a great many other great things for all the greatest Events have had Rise from some Accident without a premeditated Design Were I a Pythagorean I should imagine that it was a reminiscence of something like what had happened some Thousands of years ago in some far Country or other which he had observed in the transmigration of his Soul through all parts of the World and that as some things or words we observe when we see or hear any remarkable thing will bring the whole to ones Memory so these concurring Circumstances had the same effect upon him but since we cannot find that there ever has been any such Design set a foot in any Nation or Age I must quit my Pythagoric Fancy to come to a nearer Ghess I have observed in History that there are certain Critical Minutes in time when strange and unforeseen things come to pass and that a Dream a random Word an unforeseen Action has begot mighty and surprizing Revolutions as well as great and noble Arts. Thus Martianus who was afterward Emperour of Constantinople travelling near Philipolis finding a man dead out of a Piety of those days alighted from his Horse to bury him which whilst he was doing some of that City coming by took him for the Murderer and being brought to the Scaffold by this strange Accident was delivered by the Confession of him that was really guilty and this gave Rise to his low Condition A more public Turn was that Philippicus who telling his Friend Tiberius who by his means had gain'd the Empire of Constantinople that he dreamed an Eagle alighted at his Head was banished immediately into a barren Island and from thence to the City Chersona where living in great Content without any sollicitous Thoughts about his