be modest sweet and moderate whereupon he much diaspproves the heat of most of the Controvertists and the false delicateness of some Divines who make capital errours of every thing and who as soon as they see any stumble or to swerve from their Opinion endeavour to make him be considered as an Enemy to Truth to the good of the State and the Salvation of Souls 4. He sheweth that order is the life of Books and that those who have no method have but confused Ideas of what they advance In the fourth Chapter he examines wherein consists the solidity of Writing In the 5th How clear it ought to be In the 6th He shews how briefness is acceptable and the difference there is betwixt Plagiaries Centons and those who make a judicious use of their learning In the 7th he treats of Reading in general and proves that it is so far from doing any injury to Divines that they cannot throughly understand the Sacred nor Ecclesiastical Authors if they are not well acquainted with profane Writers The 8th speaks of the choice of books and how to read them with advantage and the 9th of several famous Library-keepers and of divers Princes who favoured Learning II. The second Part treats in five Chapters 1. Of the hatred People have for books and of its principal causes sloath avarice 2. The love of novelty which makes us despise the labours of the Antients 3. The pride and foolish vanity of the Learned who contemn one another 4. The mutual envy they bear one another 5. In fine he endeavours to find the means to shelter Authors from the envy or hatred which may be conceived against their Works and speaks of the different destiny of books We have two other Treatises of our Author Otia Theologica Concionator Sacer. A Voyage to Dalmatia Greece and the Levant by Mr. Wheeler enrich'd with curious Medals and Figures of the chief Antiquities which are to be found in those Places The Description of the Customs Cities Rivers Sea-Ports and of all that is most remarkable therein Translated from the English Amsterdam for John Wolters Bookseller in 12. 607 p. T IS not above Ten or Twelve Years since the Celebrated Mr. Spon gave a very handsom Relation of this Voyage to the Levant with Mr. Wheeler Which hath receiv'd such applause from the Publick that there 's no reason to fear this will be less welcome For as Mr. Wheeler's Curiosity hath carry'd him to many more Subjects than the other has treated on so he likewise having made a longer abode in those Countries that he describes has much more enriched and diversifyed his History Whereas Mr. Spon engaged himself chiefly to the Observation of the Monuments of Antiquity and made it his particular Study It may be said of our Author that he forgot nothing that was considerable in any place he pass'd through of what nature soever With the exact Descriptions he hath given of the Principal Monuments he saw he has very agreeably added an Account of all the Plants of each place the Cities most of the Villages Mountains Plains Sea-Ports Rivers and all that he met with remarkable in his Voyage He carefully observed the Genius Manners and Religion of the Inhabitants the nature and price of the Commodities of the Country what Foreign Goods sell there to the best Advantage with the distance of the Ways and many other things of this nature As he opened that both the Old and New Geographers were deceiv'd in the Situation of divers places so he Marks what he thought the most agreeable to Truth He gave himself the trouble to draw out a new Map of Achaia incomparably more Correct than was ever seen before The whole Work is divided into two Books each of which is subdivided into three others The first contains 1. The History of our Authors Voyage from Venice to Constantinople 2. A Description of Constantinople the Neighbouring places and their Antiquities 3. The particulars of his Voyage through the Lesser Asia In the second Book is comprehended 1. The Voyage from Zant to Athens and through divers parts of Greece 2. The Description of Athens and it's Antiquities 3. Several Voyages from Athens to Corinth c. With an Account of whatsoever he saw remarkable therein Being at Venice that these two Illustrious Friends entred upon their Voyage together Mr. Wheeler thought he was oblig'd to begin his History with a short Description of the Original of this great Republick of it's Progress Losses and in fine the Estate it was in at 1675. when they were there The first considerable Place they visited in their course was Pola where they found divers Monuments of Antiquity which evidently shew'd it to be one of the Antientest Towns of Istria and that it was formerly a free State At one of the best places of Dalmatia which is the Chief City thereof call'd Zara they found nothing less considerable which place is more secured by the number and courage of the Morlaques the natural Inhabitants of the Country of whom the greatest part of the Garison are compos'd than by the goodness of it's Fortifications they having an irreconcilable hatred to the Turks But one of the most curious Pieces of Antiquity that this Country affords is the residue of a Palace that Dioclesian caus'd to be built near Salone which was the place of his Birth that he might pass the rest of his Life in this happy Retirement when he had renounced the Empire Those who have form'd an advantagious Idea of Ithica because it was the Country of Vlysses and the particular place of his Residence will be surpriz'd to hear our Author affirm it to be a pittiful little Isle that wou'd be a perfect Desert if a People they call Thiaki went not from time to time to cultivate it In this last is seen the Ruines of an Old Castle which the Thiaki pretend was formerly the Palace of Vlysses Samos that 's now known only under the Name of Cephalonia was the greatest Isle under the Command of this Prince For according to Mr. Wheeler 't is 60 Leagues in Circumference altho' Strabo allowed it to be but 300 Furlongs which makes not above 19 Leagues and Pliny but 22 Leagues Zant formerly call'd Zacynthos is nothing nigh so large since the utmost extent is but 15 Leagues 'T is very fruitful and nothing cou'd be added to make it more agreeable were it not for the Earthquakes which in the greatest part of the Spring are very often twice a week From this Island now comes the greatest part of those Raisins without Stones that they call Corants the Plant of which Fruit is not like our Gooseberrys as without reason has been an Opinion generally receiv'd but a Vine differing very little from the other sort of Raisins At the foot of one o' the Hills of this Island is a Fountain which to admiration casts forth with it's streams that are very bright and clear lumps of Pitch in Quantities so great
Portal were raised 15 foot higher and reached to both sides a little more than four feet Above this was to be seen a Picture which represented Susan the Capital City of Media which the Jews had caused to be put there in remembrance of Esther and of the feast of Purim That was the reason why it was called the Gate of Susan tho it was likewise named the Royal Gate because King Solomon had built the Wall on that side One being ascended to this Gate if he turned himself from the side whence he was come part of the Mount of Olives was to be seen on the right hand separated from Ierusalem by a deep Valley called the Valley of Hinnom or of Tophet or of Ashes There it was that the Idolatrous Israelites used to Sacrifice by an abominable superstition their own Children to Moloch Right against the Gate was the Mount of Olives where the custom was to Sacrifice a Red Cow Thither Men went by a way sustain'd by a double Vault fearing lest the Priest who was to officiate in this Ceremony should pollute himself as he went not knowing it upon some hidden Grave On the Left appeared the same Mountain of Olives separated from the City on that side by the Brook and Valley of Cedron As for the Gate of Susan it was not just in the middle of the outward Circumference of the Holy Mountain because the Temple was not placed in the midst of the Top but towards the North else it could not have been opposite to the Temple which was built on that siâ—e because the place of the Altar which the Fire from Heaven had marked and which was on the North had obliged Solomon to frame thereupon the building of the House of God There were two Gates on the South part of this Wall which were called the Gates of Hulda People went by these two Gates to the City of Ierusalem At the West on the side of Millo and Mount Sion there were four whereof that which was most North was called the Gate of the Rising or of Coponius By reason of the inequality of the Ground and of the depth of the Valley which was at the foot of Moriah Solomon had caused the Ground to be raised from his Palace to this Gate and this rising was garnished with Trees on both sides 'T was that way the Kings went to the Temple The next Gate was called Parbar and the two others were named Assuppim Within these two Gates was a building of the same name where part of the Treasures of the Temple were kept On the North side there was but one only Gate named Tedi or Tadde On this side the Wall which environed the Holy Mountain was not quite on the verge of the Top as on the other sides there remained some space which had been neglected to the end that Holy Place should make a perfect Square At the corner of this space which looked to the North-east a Tower was built called Baris which at first was the Mansion of some High Priests and the place where were kept their Holy Garments but since Herod rebuilt it otherwise and nam'd it the Antonian Tower in remembrance of Marcus Antonius it served to the Roman Soldiers for a Citadel and he that was Governour of it was called the Captain of the Temple Act. 4.1 After this entrance by one of the Gates we mentioned above as by the Eastern Gate there were to be seen along the Wall on the right and on the left three ranks of Marble Pillars holding up a Cieling which could keep out the Rain and the Sun and furnish a covered Walk of 365 paces There were like Porches on the four sides only that which went along the Southern part of the circumference had four ranks of Pillars which formed three Alleys The Cieling of that of the middle was much higher than that of the sides which was equal in heighth to the Cielings of the three other Porches and this same Alley was proportionably larger than the others The Pagans and polluted persons were suffered to enter into these Porches and there to walk round about the Temple as well as in the inward space which these Pillars environed on all sides Within this space was a long Walk surrounded with a Wall full of holes so that light came through by which one might discover all that passed about the Temple This walk encompass'd the Court of the Women and the ascent to it was by some steps No Pagan was permitted to enter therein The Doctors of the Thalmud call it Chel 'T was this which the Jews in the time of Iosephus call'd the second Temple whenas they named the space enclosed within this little Wall which surrounded all the Holy Mountain The first Temple which the Christian Authors call The Court of the Gentiles From the Court of the Gentiles men went up into the second Temple by fourteen steps 'T is in this space and in the Northern part of the Court of the Gentiles where was Situate that which is called properly the Temple with its two Courts When they entred into the second Temple on the East side they might see before them the gate and wall of the Court of the Women from whence one might be distant seven or eight paces and walk covered on all the sides of the Temple Those that were minded to enter into the Court of the Women might go in by three sides to wit on the East on the North and on the South and were to ascend by three steps which were before each door That on the East was more magnificent than the others and 't was for this they called it the Fair Act. 3.2 This Court was also a perfect square of 200 steps or thereabout in length breadth and which on the West had the Court of Israel It was embellished with Porches within as was that which they called the Second Temple excepting the corners where were buildings destined for divers uses In coming in by the gate whereof we now spake on the right hand was seen The House for Wood whereinto was put the provision of Wood requisit for the Altar and where the Priests that were polluted by some accident separated that which was worm-eaten from the other for it was thought unlawfull to put worm-eaten Wood upon the Altar On the left hand was the House of the Nazarites a building where those that had accomplished their Vow of Nazaritism and would return to their Ancient manner of Life boiled the flesh that remained of their offering At the Corner which looked to the South-West was seen the House of Oil wherein the Oil was kept which they stood in need of for the use of the Temple Over against that at the opposite Corner which points to the North-West was the House of the Leprous where were kept enclosed those that presented themselves to be purified from the Leprosie Between these different buildings were four Gates opposite to one another there was an Entrance from
attendite miseremini succurrite accurrite Exsurge Deus vindica causam tuam salvos fac sperantes in te ne quando dicant gentes ubi est Deus eorum Fugite impii cedite fugite pavidi saucii territi perditi cadite crimina mortibus luite dentibus fremite tabescite Arabes Tartari fugite cadite gladio occumbite dissipamini occumbite Virtus Domini obvallavit Regem qui redemit Israel qui factus est Columna in Templo Dei in qua scriptum est nomen Majestas Dei Sabaoth Quis est iste Rex gloriae Fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Ioannes hic venit Benedictus qui venit hic vicit Benedictus qui vicit in nomine Domini hosanna in excelsis hosanna in terris hosanna in excelsis Paralelle de Jules Cesar du Roy de Pologne Venit vidit vicit Quidni In proximo agebat bellum in sequanis meditabatur Viribus potior veterano milite legionibus octo formidandus Improvidum imparatum foederis fide securum pace sopitum Ariovistum oppressit Vt rempublicam opprimeret Noxae ideo dedendus Catonis sententia germanis tradendus Meliori causa feliciori successu Poloniae Rex Magnus Lithuaniae Dux c. E remota Lithuania advolans dissitas regiones emensus Conscia virtute fretus Caesare Promptior Iustior Fortior Venit Vidit Vicit Immanem Turcarum Tyrannum Nulla lacessitum injuria bellum gratis capessentem Assyriam Mediam Thraciam Aegyptum Tartariam Asiam Sub signis trahentem Orbi Christiano Strages incendia vastationem vincula minitantem Alexandri sui in victorias adolescentis manu subnixus Numine plenus Disrupit fregit profligavit Vt Europam liberaret Porro bellatorum Iuli optime Oblatum à Tribuno plebis Diadema recusasti Factum bene Ioannem bellatorum Maximum Triplici Diademate Sarmatico adepto Hungarico vindicato Romano protecto Coronari sine Acclamatum in orbe Christiano millies millies millies Some LETTERS Containing an Account of what was most remarkable in a Voyage into Swisserland Italy and a part of Germany in the years 1685 and 1686. Written by Dr. Burnet to M.B. The Second Edition Corrected by the Author With Additions concerning Swisserland Italy Communicated by a Person of Quality At Rotterdam Sold by Acher 1687. in Octavo p. 336. THIS Book contains Five Letters and is both in French and Dutch as well as English There have been lately added some Remarks Written in French by a Person of Quality originally of Italy and who hath lived there a long while These Remarks are but Fifteen Pages and respect only some particularities touching the Country of the Switzes Grisons the Dutchy of Ferrara the City of Bologne and the Government of the Pope We see thereby as well as by the Letters of Bishop Burnet that the greatest part of Italy and particularly that which belongs to the Pope is altogether deserted and ruined because of the too absolute Government which is there every where exercised and of the Maxim of those People to lay always the greatest Taxes that can be Princes in this Country seem to envy their Posterity the enjoyment of their Estates they take such care to ruine them without remorse and this evil is but too common elsewhere But Dr. Burnet observes in all this Voyage the same rules which he hath proposed to himself in his History He praiseth and blameth according as natural equity seems to require it without having respect to Parties in which those he speaks of are engaged So he praiseth the fine qualities of Cardinal Howard in his Fourth Letter and remarks what may be reprehended in the conduct of the Divines of Swisserland and Geneva in regard to a Form which those who are received Ministers are obliged to Sign in that Country As he who hath made the Extract of the Voyage of Dr. Burnet which is in the French Republick of Letters hath not spoken of this place it shall be altogether inserted here It is in the First Letter dated from Zurich the 1 st of September 1685. As the Medium which Amyraut and Daille have taken in the Controversies agitated in Holland touching the Decrees of God and the Extent of the Death of Iesus Christ had been almost universally embraced in France this same opinion hath found some defenders at Geneva and in Swisserland These Gentlemen maintain the Universality of the death of Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of Grace objective given to all Men affirming otherwise that God hath freely chosen a certain number of Persons to whom alone he gives a Grace subjective efficacious They are called Universalists and their number had begun to be considerable at Geneva because two Professors in Divinity openly favoured this Opinion Those who incline to the contrary Sentiment were extreamly moved at it and the Dispute grew so warm that almost the whole City entred either into one or other of the Parties If the Magistrate had imposed silence on both he had certainly done very well for the Question was of Speculations so uncertain and so little Essential to Religion that the diversity of Sentiments ought not to cause any Quarrel or Faction But though the Party of the Universalists was pretty considerable at Geneva it was extreamly weak in Switzerland Therefore some Divines of that Country upheld the received Opinion and made Articles wherein they in the first place condemned the Opinions of the Universalists and some Speculative Sentiments touching the Immortality of Adam and the qualities he had according to those Divines in the state of Innocency Moreover Cappel and other Criticks having maintained not only the novelty of the Points of the Hebrews but also taken the liberty of correcting the Text in some places upon supposition that there were errors of the Copists in the Bible both as to Vowels and Consonants to oppose these Sentiments all the Corrections were condemned which might be made in the Hebrew Text and the Antiquity of the Points was asserted at least as to the force or manner wherein they have determined the Reading If hereby all Divines are not engaged to be of the Sentiment of Buxtorf as to what regards the Antiquity of Points the Correcting of any thing whatever is hindered in the punctuation of these times If this Consent of Doctrine for so this Form is named had been established as a Rule against which it was not lawful to Teach any thing without incurring some censure severity would have been more sufferable But all those are obliged who aspire to the Ministery or to a Chair of Professor to subscribe Sic sentio I am of this opinion This Form being established at Berne and Zurich the Authority of the Divines who had made it caused its being â—ent to Geneva where the Moderator and Secretary of the Company of Ministers Signed it in the Name of all So they were not satisfied to make a regulation touching these matters but by a Maxim
That the British Churches have a right of absolute judging of all that happens in the Extent of their Jurisdiction seeing they have no less Priviledges than those of Africk For fear this Canon should be contradicted by the Bishops who might have a more extended Jurisdiction the Council made another which intimates That according to antient Customs the Bishop of Alexandria should extend his Jurisdiction over Aegypt Libya and Pentapolis seeing the Bishop of Rome had a like Custom and so likewise at Antioch and in the other Provinces the antient Priviledges of Bishops should be kept that no Bishop should be created without the consent of the Metropolitan and that when differences should arise the Plurality of Voices should decide them There are according to our Author three remarkable things in this Canon 1. A Confirming the Priviledges of some of the greatest Bishopricks as of Rome Alexandria and Antioch 2. A securing those of other Churches against Invasions 3. To put out of contestation the Rights of the Metropolitan Churches For the last of these three things it is so clear that there is no stopping at it but the others chiefly the second are much inlarged upon It seems that the Church of Alexandria was the occasion of this Canon and thereby it appears that the Bishop of the City had a much more extended Jurisdiction than that of the Metropolitans seeing it reached over three Provinces named in the Canon upon which here are divers Remarks which we shall pass over Some Learned Men have maintained that there were no Patriarchs in the time of the Council of Nice but without disputing about words Dr. Sillingfleet shews by this Canon and other Proofs that the Bishop of Alexandria had already before the Council of Nice a true patriarchal Power over Aegypt and which answered to that of the Governour named Praefectus Augustalis Some pretend that the Power of this Bishop was only that which commonly the Metropolitans had because the Provinces of Aegypt had no other Metropolitan but him and depended immediately of him But tho this Authority was as that of Metropolitans as to what concerns the manner of exercising it was Patriarchal in respect of the extent Such was also that of the Bishop of Rome who had under him no Metropolitans and who received immediately the Appeals of divers Provinces Dr. Stillingfleet believes that the Council of Nice provincially confirmed the custom of Alexandria fearing that if it were abolished in remitting to the Provincial Councils of Aegypt the Supream Authority as was done for the most part by other Provinces the Arians should draw an advantage thereby fearing also that this should draw too much hatred upon the Bishop of Alexandria if he were named alone those of Rome and Antioch were added notwithstanding afterwards these Regulations of the Council of Nice were abused several Churches aspired to the Patriarchship and that of Rome tho' named only upon occasion pretended that its Universal Supremacy was established therein The Agents of the Bishop of this City had the boldness to falsifie the Title of this Canon in the Council of Chalcedon and of drawing an Advantage from it The other thing that they principally proposed was to preserve the Priviledges of other Churches for it is known that Exceptions render the Laws more uncontestable in unexcepted Cases so the Provinces which are not excepted in this Canon have a right to govern themselves by their Provincial Synods without acknowledging any Superiour Authority Whence it 's concluded that the British Churches ought peaceably to enjoy this Right seeing they never have submitted to the Patriarch of Rome This Bishop hath never had the right of Consecrating the Metropolitans or British Bishops he hath not convocated them to his Assemblies at Rome none of their Synods have been called to him so that the British Provinces have the Right according to the Council of Nice of governing themselves independant of every other Church It was upon this Principle that the Council of Ephesus condemned the Patriarch of Antioch who pretended to have right of Consecrating the Metropolitan of Cyprus against the antient Custom The Canon of this Council may be seen in our Author who defends it against the Carpings of some Roman Catholick Doctors and shews the true sense thereof particularly against F. Martin Notwithstanding these same Doctors pretend that the Pope hath always had a Patriarchal Power over all the Churches of the West It is granted that he had this Authority before the Council of Nice over the Diocess of Rome or the Suburbicary Provinces but it is maintained that it reached not any farther and divers Doctors are refuted who have pretended the contrary Mr. Schelstrate is particularly opposed who in the second Dissertation of his Antiquitas Illustrata hath undertaken to prove That the Bishop of Rome hath this Patriarchal Power upon all the West We agree with him that the Patriarchal Rights consist in these three things 1. The Right of Consecrating Bishops and Metropolitans 2. In calling them to a Synod 3. In receiving Appeals and deciding ' em 1. As to that which concerns the Consecration of Metropolitans and Bishops in all the Western Churches Mr. Schelstrate grants That it was not exercised by the Pope His Adversary shews even that St. Ambrose was elected Bishop of Milan without asking the consent of Damasus who was then Bishop of Rome indeed the Diocess of Rome extended not unto Milan but comprized only 5 Provinces or 70 Bishops Some call these Provinces thus Marsi Compania Thussia Vmbria and Marchia and others thus Latium Valeria Tuscia Picenum and Vmbria To prove that the Diocess of the Bishop of Rome extended further a Letter from Pope Syricius to Anysius Bishop of Thessalonica is cited where the Latter is declared Legate of the Pope in Illyria But our Author shews at length that that begun but in the time of Syricius upon the end of the fourth Age and that this Pope did thus to oppose the Grandeur of the Patriarch of Constantinople who extended his Diocess too far upon which there are Remarks in the Original that cannot be related here Tho' the Library of the Pope is obliged to grant That the Bishop of Rome consecrated not all the Western Bishops he pretends to shew that before the Council of Nice he had the power of deposing the Bishops of the Gauls He proves it by the Example of Marsian Bishop of Arles who was deposed by Pope Stephen But it appears That nothing else was desir'd of the Pope in this Rencounter but to join his Authority to that of the Bishops of the Gaules that acting jointly the People should the more easily submit to their Order as appears by the LXVIII Letter of St. Cyprian wherein he speaks to this Pope as his Equal exhorting him to do what we have said Dr. Stillingfleet refutes also two other Proofs of his Adversary not very considerable we shall not stop at 'em that we may not be tedious 2.
small Difficulty to found any thing thereon It seems the People sometimes stoned those that were accused without staying for any Sentence or Order of the Judges according to the Custom of the Romans Obruere ista solet manifestos poena nocentes Publica cum long as non habeâ— ira moras Whether it was so or no they observed no Formalities towards St. Stephen except the Witnesses according to the Law Deut. 17.7 The hands of the Witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterwards the hands of all the People The Law most wisely established this That provided he that was put to Death was Innocent the Witnesses who were the cause of his Condemnation were only guilty of his Death since he was kill'd by them before the rest of the People cast any Stones against him Some say the Martyrdom of St. Stephen was three Years after the Death of Iesus Christ Eusebius supposed it to be a little afer his Ordination and the Excerpta Chronologica published by Scaliger places his Death at the end of the eighth Month after the Ascension of our Lord. Lucian the Presbyter saith St. Stephen was Stoned in the North of Ierusalem at the side of the Brook Cedron a little without the Gate that hath since been called the Gate of St. Stephen and formerly according to some the Gate of Ephraim after others the Gate of the Valley or the Gate of the Fish Some Travellers to the Holy-land tell us that they have seen the place where St. Paul kept the Garments of those that Stoned this Martyr The Empress Eudocia had formerly caused to be built near this place a Temple which bore the name of St. Stephen And as those who are curious after the Search of Relicks never fail to find what they please so they have discovered not only the place where St. Stephen was stoned but also the very Stone that he kneel'd upon which was afterwards carried to Mount Sion and placed in the Church that was built in Honor of the Apostles Baronius also relates That some devout Persons kept one of the Stones with which St. Stephen had been stoned and that it is still to be seen in the Treasury of Ancona I shall rehearse these things as Dr. Cave has done without refuting of them tho' he says enough to testifie he does not give Credit thereto He yet reports other Circumstancâ—s drawn from Lucian's Epistle and from the Menology of the Greeks which I shall not repeat lest it should savour too much of the Legend and only relate what Lucian Presbyter of Caphargamala in the Diocess of Ierusalem saith that in the 415 th Year of our Saviour that Gamaliel formerly Lord of that City after being converted from the Jewish to the Christian Religion had revealed to him in a Vision that St. Stephen was buried there The Bishop of Ierusalem thus advertised by Lucian made these Relicks be taken up and carried to Mount Sion from whence they were sent to Constantinople as Nicephorus informs us who hath been very diligent to relate all Histories of this Nature With a great deal of Reason Dr. Cave observes that excessive Veneration to Relicks was one of the Defects of that time by consequence one cannot much confide in these sort of Histories He brings another out of Baronius not less Marvelous than the precedent 'T is thus that a Viol full of the Blood of St. Stephen brought to Naples by one Gaudois an African Bishop used to boyl of it self every third of August according to the account of Ancient time as if it had been just shed But since that Pope Gregory XIII having corrected the Calender this Blood doth the same at the end of the thirteenth of August in which day after the new Reformation the Feast of St. Stephen is kept a manifest Proof say they that the Gregorian Calender is received in Heaven altho' in some Countries Hereticks have refused to follow it The Author adds not so much Faith to Modern Miracles as to those who did them and to what is spoken of in the time of Honorius It seems not Irrational to believe that there was a great number of Sick Persons who were cured by the admirable Odour that proceeded from St. Stephen's Tomb the first time it was opened if we may give credit to Lucian and Photius But he relies more on what St. Augustine says in his City of God Liv. 22. c. 8. of Miracles done in a Chappel where some of St. Stephen's Relicks were kept carried from Ierusalem into Africa by Orosus Dr. Cave believes God might do Miracles then to convert the Heathens which were in great Numbers amongst the Christians in those days where altho' there was no necessity of them yet he could not tell what might be done The Author of the Logick of the Port-Royal speaking of the same Miracles maintains that all men of Sense whether they had Piety or not must acknowledge them as true But one of a good Understanding and Pious too could not well think that St. Augustine should suffer himself to be deceived in things of that nature and upon slight ground would take that for a Miracle which was not so or that he made use of them as proper means to convert the Heathens without examining whether they were Matter of Fact or not it is very certain that he relates them with great Assurance and at this day apparent Falshoods are advanced with no less Confidence Tho' this is not a place to examine the Miracles of St. Augustine 'T will be more to our purpose to pass to the Life of Iustin Martyr Who was born in a City of Samaria formerly called Sichem afterwards by the Inhabitants Mabarta and in fine by the Romans Neapolis and Flavia Cesarea because of a Colony sent thither by Vespasian His Father whose Name was Priscus brought him up in his own Religion and took a great deal of care to have him well instructed in Philosophy He engaged himself particularly to that of Plato which was a means as he himself has declared of his embracing Christianity Having conceived a dislike against the other Sects of Philosophers he becomes a perfect Platonist and from that a Christian after he had some Conference with an Old Man of that Persuasion in Palestine He gives an account of his Conversion in his Dialogue with Tryphon but the Learned receive this as a feigned History or at least look upon it to be extremely imbelish'd Dr. Cave believes it to have been about the 132 d Year after our Lord. Nevertheless he quitted not his Habit of Philosopher for amongst the Greeks they were not attired like other Men. St. Ierom says the same of Aristides an Athenian Philosopher and Origen of Heraclus who was since Bishop of Alexandria The common People generally wore a single Tunick without a Cloak those that were of a better Quality or Richer had always a Cloak besides which the Philosophers had also but no Tunick
in quibus Carmelitana Religio perseveravit ad haec usque tempora pervenit quamvis post modum insignes viri surrexerunt qui servatis principalioribus observantiis Carmelitanae Religionis maximè tribus votis cum quibus etiam in antiqua lege sed non adeò perfectè stetit illa nostra Religio adjunctisque aliis novas Religiones tam in Oriente quà m in Oâ—cidente fundaverunt Dicti sunt Patres nostri in illa veluti secunda Religionis atate Therapeutae Eremitae Anachoretae Solitarii Ascetae Philosophi ac Coenobitae Et sicut in monte Carmelo singulari Dei providentia etiam tempore Iudaicarum captivitatum cùm totus pene populus in Assyrios fuit translatus Carmelitae natali Religionis solo potiti sunt ita etiam in primis Ecclesiae saeculis usque ad annum 1290. quo scilicet à Saracenis è Carmelo expulsi sunt quem tandem nostri Discalceati anno 1631. recuperarunt Interdum floruerunt Carmelitae quâ—mplurimi ut Ioannes Vigesimus quarâ—us Patriarcha Hierosolymitanus Praesul sanae Orthodoxae fidei Author libri de Institutione Monachoâ—um qui habetur in Bibliotheca Patrum tom 〈◊〉 quicquid in contrarium dicant antiquitatis nostrae aemuli qut etiam Monachisâ—um Cyrilli fabellam malè arbitrantur fuit enim verè Carmelita inde assumptus in Patriarcham Alexandrinum in Ephesiono Concilio Caelestini primi legatus S. Anastasius Martyr Petrus Eremita S. Antonius Abbas S. Hilarion S. Basilius S. Pachomius S. Simplicianus Magister S. Augustini S. Romanus Monachus Director S. Benedicti V. F. Gerardus Institutor Hospitaliorum S. Iohannis Baptistae S. Hieronymus Ecclesiae Doctor S. Honoratus Fundâ—â—or Monasterii Lirinensis in Gallo-Provincia S. Cassianus Fundator Monasterii Massiliensis S. Victoris S. Palladius Scotorâ—â— Apostolus Cyrillus Constantinopolitanus alii pene innumeri Sed omitâ—erenoâ— possum Simonem Stochium cui Beata Virgo sacrum Scapulare concessit cujus dovotae gâ—â—â—atiani deinde privilegium Buâ—lae Sabbatinae voluit annexum ut devotum sibi Ordinem se specialiter tueri demonstraret per innumeros Carmelitanae Propheticae Elianae vitae Professores ad finem usque mundi duratures osâ—enderet Patriarcham nostrum Eliam esse qui Prophetas facit successores 〈◊〉 se. Has Theses Deo dante auspice Deiparâ Ordinis Patronâ tuâ—bitur in Comitiis Provincialibus Provinciae Tholosae Bitteris congregatis die Mensis Aprilis anni 1682. hora secunda pomerâ—diana apud Carmelitas R. P. Philippus Teissier Carmelita Sacrae Theologiae Doctor Sunt autem defensae hae Theses per triduum The Printed Copies of this Thesis are so very scarce says our Abridger I cou'd not get any of 'em so that he was forced to make use of some Manuscript Copies two of which he confesses were very defective and as ill Decyphered but happily one supplyed what the other wanted so that with the help of a Book that he sometimes consulted he says he thinks he has avoided any considerable faults that might have slipt into this Edition either in respect to proper Names or any thing else He says that the Carmelite Fathers cannot complain that he has falsified there Positions for if it is not exactly conformable to the Original it is only in respect to a word or so which signifies nothing to the Affair it self The Book that assisted him was Intituled Elias Thesbites sive de rebus Eliae Prophetae Commentarius in Quarto Printed at Paris 1631. It is full of Learning Reading and Curious Enquiries but there are many Fancies and Chimera's in it as well as in the Thesis of Beziers They ought not to permit that such things be publickly maintained as constant Truths for the least Advantage that the Protestants wou'd draw from thence is that it plainly appears that under the Benefit of Tradition they maintain and deny what they please The Incredulous take a great advantage from thence to insult over Faith and it is certainly Pernicious to Religion to introduce so many Fabulous Stories Permit me says our Abridger to cite here a Thought of Mr. Rohault's that Celebrated Philosopher whose Posthumous Works were Printed by the care of his Father in Law who lived but a little after this Edition He says in the Preface to his Treatise of Phisicks that nothing has prodoced more unhappy Dispositions in Scholars than to see Those who publickly maintain any Doctrin whatsoever always Triumphing over those that endeavour to prove the contrary so that upon their Accounts all things pass only for probabilities They look not on Study as a means to discover new Truths but as a Sport for them to Exercise their Wits upâ—n the end of all which is only so to confound Truth with Falshood by some subtility that they may equally maintain both without ever appearing to be convinced by any Argument how unreasonable soever the Opinion may be that they maintain And it is in effect the general Success of all Publick Actions where often in the same Pulpit Opinions are Alternatively deliver'd perfectly contrary and equally triumphing without any Tenet being the better clear'd or Truth the more Establish'd I don't think continues he that such Persons as wou'd defend all the Propositions maintain'd by the Carmelite Friers as true are very proper to Convert Socinians Isaaci Vossii Variarum Observationum Liber at London 1685. in Quarto MR. Vossius begins this Book with a Discourse upon the greatness of the Antient Roman City upon which he has several Thoughts which appear incredible to many Men for he says That in the time of Augustus the Walls were above thirty thousand Paces round altho ' they enclosed not that part of the City that was situated upon the Confines of Tyber which contain'd twenty thousand Paces And if so the Circumference of Rome wou'd be above fifty thousand Paces without the Suburbs Our Author in taking them into the Computation found that the whole contain'd 72 thousand Paces in so much that its Area or Content was greater by 3 11 than that of Babylon which was a square City of sixty thousand Paces about Rome appears to us already of an excessive greatness but what wou'd it be if we added to it that part beyond the Tyber which has not yet been counted Because they did not formerly look upon it as a part of the City The Palace of Nero encompassed Rome on that side and it was of so prodigious an extent that Mr. Vossius did not believe that there was then any City in Europe so large He durst not say positively that the Quarter on that side the River extended even to the Ocriculum for the space of 36 thousand Paces but he shews that it took up much Land upon the Ianicule the neighbouring Mountains and along the way of Flaminius which being that whereby Men entred in Triumph into the City 't was necessarily full of Houses He proposes some considerable Difficulties and answers them very learnedly He says amongst other things that the Walls
who repented after having kept them some time in Prison to put upon their cloaths violet coulor'd Crosses which they thus wore all their Life not being suffered to appear with other cloaths and with this clause that the Inquisition reserved a full power of changeing the Sentence pronounced as it should be thought fit whether those who had been condemned to wear the Cross were accused anew or whether there was no accusation at all Those whom they resolv'd to mortifie by a sad imprisonment were kept between four Walls where they were constrained to go of themselves and where they were nourished only upon Bread and Water The obstinate Hereticks were put into the hands of the Secular There was at that time in Gasconny of divers sorts as well as before In this Register are Vaudois and Albigeses condemned for divers pretended Heresies as of denying Transubstantiation and the seven Sacraments of the Romish Church of maintaining that we shall not rise in spiritual Bodies c. There have been besides Baguins certain Monks of the third Order of St. Francis who thought that it was not lawful for them to possess any thing whatever who called the Pope Antichrist because he suffered the Religious of St. Francis to possess Riches and who suffer'd themselves to be burned rather than to retract these Fantastick Opinions There is also the Condemnation of divers Manicheans And the proceeding against Peter Ruffit who quite to overthrow Concupiscence had with a Woman the same commerce as some Priests had with Young Women in the time of St. Cyprian a Custom which lasted so long that the Council of Nice condemned it As being us'd in the beginning o' th' fourth Age and that St. Basil St. Chrysostome and St. Ierome employ'd all their Eloquence to cure several Ecclesiasticks of this Custom in their time an exact account hereof may be seen in Mr. Dodwel's third Dissertation upon St. Cyprian Two small pieces of James Usher Archbishop of Armagh One of the Original of Bishops and the other of Proconsulary Asia to which is added an Appendix of the Priviledges of the British Churches At London by Samuel Smith 1687. in 8vo And at Rotterdam by Renier Leers THis is another Posthume Work of the Learned Vsher Archbishop of Armagh which sufficiently testifies that profound Learning that hath rendered him so famous and makes him still respected as one of the Oracles of England The Question he starteth here has so imploy'd the wits for some years past that instead of reuniting for the common Interest they cannot without much ado calm the Agitation which this dispute hath caused tho' it only concerns Exterior Order It is therefore pretended that in this Work Episcopacy is a Divine Institution founded upon the Old and New Testament and the Imitation of the Ancient Church Vsher immediately remarks that the chief of the Levites bore a Title which was translated in Greek by that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bishop of the Levites he expounds these Words of the Apocalypse Write to the Angel of Ephesus as if the word Angel was the same thing as that of Bishop The Succession of the Bishops of Ephesus appeared evident enough at the Council of Calcedon held in 451. And there 't is likely enough that Timothy or one of his Successors was the Angel to whom the words of St. Iohn are directed St. Ireneus says that he had seen Polycarp who was established Bishop of Smyrna by the Apostles Lastly he adds that Tertullian in his Book of Prescription against Hereticks and St. Irenaeus pressed the Hereticks by the Argument of the Succession of Bishops from the Apostles unto their time and chiefly upon that of the Bishops of Rome beginning with Linus Cletus or Clement that the Apostles had placed there and continuing until Elentherius the twelfth Bishop from the Apostles And it was Eleutherius who had the Glory of receiving into the Christian Faith Lucius King of England with all his Kingdom and that there were Bishops so well established from that time that ten years before the Council of Nice held in 325. three English Bishops assisted at the Council of Arles After having proved the establishment of Bishops by the Apostles Vsher examines the origine of the Metropolitans to whom he gives the same Antiquity For supposing as we have said that St. Iohn speaking of the seven Angels understands nothing else but Bishops he extends his conjecture so far as to say that St. Iohn having written to the seven Churches of Asia without denoting them more particularly it necessarily follows that they had some Preheminence and that they were distinguished by themselves that is to say by their quality of Metropolis He confirms it by this circumstance that the Prefects of the Romans resided in these Cities as Capitals and that the Adjacent Cities came for Justice thither Whence he concludes that they were as Mothers to the other Churches He concludes in shewing it to be the Sentiment of Beza and Calvin and proceeds to the second part of his Work which treats of the Proconsulary or Lydian Asia He observeth that the Name of Asia properly belonged to Lydia for they pretend that Asia was the Name of an ancient King of the Lydians and that it was Vespasian that made a Proconsulary Province on 't After that these three Questions are resolved The first if at the time of the Council of Nice all the Bishops were subject to the three Patriarchs of Rome Alexandria and Antioch It 's proved by the very Canons of the Council of Nice and by the first Council of Constantinople assembled under Theodosius the Great that each Patriarch had Power no farther than the extent of his Territory and over the Bishops of his particular Province And to inform us where the Patriarchats were limited he saith that that o◠Alexandria comprised Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis but that Africk Thebes nor the Mareotides were not subjected to it That of Antioch had not the whole Empire of the East whereof Constantinople was the Capital But only all that extended from the Mediterranean Sea towards the East to the Frontiers of the Empire That of Rome contained ten Provinces The Islands of Sicily Corse and Sardinia were three of them and the Continent of Italy on the East-side made the other seven that the ancient Lawyers called Suburbicaries But not to leave the work imperfect upon this Subject he examines in what dependance the Churches were who set up no Patriarchs To this purpose he observes that the Roman Empire was divided into thirteen Dioceses seven on the East-side and six on the West-side in all 120. Provinces Each Diocess had a Metropolis where the Primate resided as well as the Praetor or Vicar who decided appeals in Civil Affairs as also each Province had it's Metropolis It will not be useless to add that tho' Primates had the same Authority as the Patriarchs they preceded them notwithstanding in Councils and that Rome Alexandria and Antiochia were honoured
with this dignity which gave them the Preference because they were the three chief Cities of the World The second Question is whether the Bishop of Carthage was subject to the Patriarch of Rome or Alexandria and answer is made that he was subject to neither because he was a Primaâ—e himself of one of the thirteen Dioceses whereof we have spoken As to Jurisdiction he saith that according to the Canons of the Councils the order of the differences amongst Ecclesiasticks and all that concerned the Clergy was immediately to be carried before the Metropolitan and by an appeal before the Primate without acknowledging the Superiority of the Patriarchs That which makes the difficulty is that St. Augustine said that St. Cicilian in his difference with Donatus appeals to the Bishops beyond Sea But answer is made that that ought to be understood of the Council and not of a particular Bishop as that of â—ome who would draw the honour thereof to himself and attributed that Right to himself from the time that the Vandals under their King Genserick destroy'd all Africk as the Popes have done since in regard to the Greek Church by the fall of the Eastern Empire The third Question is an enquiry whether or no England ever depended on the Patriarch of Rome and it s decided in the Negative It had it's Primate who was the Bishop of York For although London according to the Relation of Tacitus was already famous through commerce notwithstanding the City of York was the Capital the Vicar of the Empire resided there and the Emperor Constance Father of Constantine the Great died there If the Gallican Church hath it's Liberties the English Church is not wanting this is examined in a Treatise which followeth those we have already spoken of but 't is not Vshers The Author establisheth for a Foundation that under the ancient Law the Priesthood and Royalty was joyned together and that when they were separated the whole Authority always remained in the Person of the Prince Which is justified by the example of Solomon who nominated Abiathar to perform the Function of High Priest and by other Examples inserted in the request that was presented to King Philip the Fair by all his Subjects against the enterprizes of Pope Boniface VIII And he thence concludes that the outward Policy of the Church belonged always to the Prince and that it 's he alone who hath the power to convocate Councils and in particular by that of Nice and Constantinople which were assembled by the Authority of the Emperours and confirmed by Constantine the Great and Theodosius the Great For tho' the Intrinsick Authority depended on the Word of God the Extrinsick nevertheless depended on the Imperial Seal to give them the force of publick Law From whence he infers Patriarchs were not erected but by the Councils and Authority of the Emperours and chiefly that of Rome the Author evidently demonstrates this dignity was not attributed to it but by the respect that the Fathers and Councils had for the Capital of the Vniverse which was adorned with the Senate and Empire To convince these who are most prejudic'd in favour of the Court of Rome we shall relate but the terms of the last Council save one The Canon of the Council of Calcedon as it is to be seen in the Manuscripts of the Libraries of M. de Thou and M. Iustel He says that the Priviledges of Rome were granted by the Fathers because it was the Mistris of the World Quod urbs illa imperarèt Neither by Divine nor Apostolick Institution as he observes but a motive purely Temporal Therefore also the same Canon grants to Constantinople new Rome the first rank after old Rome for the same reasons because it was also honoured by the Senate and Imperial Throne After that the Author descends to the Priviledges of the English Church and maintains it did not depend on the Roman Patriarch because it was a different Diocess and that it was not in the number of the Suburbicary Provinces This Verse only is a proof on 't Ad penitùs toto divisos orbe Britannos It 's also further justified by this particular circumstance that the English celebrated the Passover according to the Custom of the East and conformed not to the West Having thus prepared the Mind he shews that the Order of Parliament under Henry the 8. who shook off the Popes Yoak was not a new Law but the re-establishment of the Ancient Laws and Maxims of the Kings of England who have maintained in all Ages that the Excommunications of the Pope were void in England and he brings many Examples to prove it He thence draws this Consequence that the Church of England cannot be aspers'd with the odious term of Schismatick because it hath not raised Altar against Altar that it hath kept it's Ancient Government and can shew a Succession of Bishops not interrupted since the beginning of Christianity and consequently it had sufficient Authority to reform it self There is added to these Treatises the advice of Iohn Barnesius a Benedictine Monk Who much disapproved these flatterers of the Court of Rome who have incens'd the Minds of men in maintaining that the Kingdom of England owes any homage to the Holy See and have caused this breach with the Pope He saith it would be very happy if the Pope for the good of Peace would again receive into his Communion the Kingdom of England without rendering it dependant on him until a Council may cure the evil But the Court of Rome never lets go its hold and it 's long since that Pope Paul the fourth answered to this Proposition of Barnesius For the Embassadors of England under Queen Mary asking him Absolution in the Name of the whole Kingdom he omitted not to demand of them if he might send an Exactor of the Tribute of St. Peter declaring unto them that they should not expect this Apostle should open them the Gate of Heaven whilst they retained his Patrimony upon Earth Barnesius confesseth it 's very hard to be submitted to the Pope who when he pleaseth Arms the Subjects against their King and adds that the Councils of Constance and Basil having declared those Hereticks who hold that the Pope was not Inferiour to General Councils the Modern Popes are in the Case of Excommunication declared by these Councils This he saith not to quarrel with his Holiness but humbly to insinuate unto him the means of bringing back so fine a Kingdom into the bosom of the Church Notwithstanding the good Intentions of this poor Monk have been very ill acknowledged for he was sent out of Paris strip'd of his habit tied like a fierce beast and uncompassionately dragg'd to Rome and there cast into the dark Dungeon of the Inquisition where he miserably expired An Extract of the Letters of Grotius I. PART The Subject Criticks and Divinity WE have not seen until now but a very small Number of the Letters of this Great Man the