and Grecian Philofophers with reference to the Formation of the Earth, the Rife of Mankind, and the principal Catastrophes of our Syftem; and hereunto he premises the three following Principles: I. That none of the Greek or Barbaric Phyfiologifts had any Idea at all either of Creation or Annihilation, nor a Word in any of their Languages or Forms of Speech expreffive thereof. II. They never enquired any farther than into that infinite Wisdom which difpofed Things into the Order and Arangement wherein they fubfift: being perfuaded the Substance and Matter of them were eternal and immutable. III. They readily allow'd of a first Mover, and that all things owed their Forms to an Almighty Artificer: but then they fuppofed, that having received their specifick Properties, and due Degrees of motive Energy, there needed no further Concourfe or Interpofition of the Deity, but that they proceeded to answer all the Purposes they were capable of, by virtue of thofe neceffary and original Impreffions.

In the feventh Chapter we fee what Notions the moft remote Antiquity entertained of material and fpiritual Subftances. The Philofophers acknowledged but one individual Subftance, which however they regarded under a triple Diftinction, and which admitted of innumerable Modifications. These Modifications are the particular Beings or Creatures whereof the Universe confifteth. In fhort, their System was at the bottom the fame as Spinoza's. The most sublime and noble Part of their imagined Subftance was that which constituted the Effence of the Gods, Angels and Genii; this tranfcended human Comprehenfion, and expanded itfelf throughout all the Refidue of Nature. The next inferior Divifion was that which made the Sun, the Stars and Planets, and whatfoever had in it a native and underived Splendor. The laft and loweft of all was that which composed Animals, Vegetables, and, in general, the whole Compages of fublunary things.

It is eafy from hence to infer, that the Ancients had no Notion of any fuch Diversity of Substance as we now maintain; thinking and unthinking, confidered as Subftance, was in their Apprehenfion the fame; and the Difference lay wholly in fome adventitious Property or Modification. Our Author has collected their Senfe of this Matter from Proclus, Porphiry and Famblichus; and tells us, that the Doctrine here fpoken of obtains to this Day in China, where the Tenets of the antique Philofophy are yet prefer

ved.

These things being prefuppofed, it is eafy, he fays, to account for the Defects and Disorders fo apparent here in our fublunary State, while all the reft of the Univerfe is fo compleat and regular: It is becaufe this

is

I am not certain whether our Author fpeaks his own Sentiments here, or whether he is reporting those only of the Ancients; but I have obferved fome modern Writers on the Subject of Evil expreffing themselves in this Strain, and very readily fuppofing that all Parts of the Universe befides this we inhabit are all Order and Harmony. What Ground they have for fuch a Prefumption, I know not. Are they fure the other Globes are not ftock'd with Animals as this is; or that they are not fubject, as ours are, to Vice and Mifery? This is a Query they can never be able to refolve, and confequently can never advance any thing upon this Head beyond a precarious Hypothefis. Do they judge from the Conftancy and Regularity of their Motions in their feveral Orbits? Our Earth is not behind them in this Particular. Is it from their having no Hint of any fuch thing in Scripture, that they form fo arbitrary a Conclufion? That would be a very weak Foundation to build on, feeing God is not obliged to reveal to us what we have nothing to do with: But, in truth, there are feveral broad Hints there of the Cafe being juft the contrary. What else are all the Paffages therein concerning the Sin and Fall of the Angels; or those which feem to imply that the Sun, Moon, and other Lights of Heaven fhall undergo the like Catastrophe with our World, and be involv'd in the fame Conflagration? In fhort, we are almost entirely in the Dark, as to the Circumftances of all other Creatures than thofe which are Fellow-Inhabitants with us of this Planet; and we are vaftly far from a thorough Acquaintance with our own. We know that we are at prefent unhappy; and it is to Revelation alone that we owe any Hope of a better Condition hereafter Reafon could never afford us a Bafis for any fuch Confidence feeing if it be not inconfiflent with INFINITE Goodnessthat we should be miferable an Hour, it is not incompatible there

is the Region of corporeal Matter, which is effentially liable to Mutation and Corruption, and from which unavoidably fpring Things of divers oppofite Qualities, which must therefore often clafh with, and deftroy one another. The fupreme Subftance, or God, defires and endeavours the Order of all things here; but corporeal Subftance is a rebellious Subject, it refifts his Will, it is not fubtle and pure enough to take the Impreffion of the divine Ideas. Infinite Wildom is employed in reducing its Irregularities; but even that is ineffectual to prevent, or entirely to cure them. It was thus the Ancients accounted for the Existence of Evil. Their Reafonings upon this Head were calculated to fecure the Honour of the divine Goodnefs, tho' at the Expence of his Power.

From this Syftem, after a deal of Canvaffing and Refinement, there at length fprung another, of great Eclat, and which in a fhort time fpread into almoft every Nation, and was in fuch high and univerfal Efteem that it became well nigh irradicable; infinuated itself into, and governed all the Offices of their Religion:

with that we should be fo for ever. This laft Sentence has fome Refpect to thofe, who, to fave the Gospel from what they own to be a very weighty Objection, explode out of the Chriftian Scheme the Catholick Doctrine of the Eternity of Hell Torments; upon this Principle, That it is incongruous with the BOUNDLESS Benevolence of the Deity, that any of his Creatures fhould, upon the whole, be miferable. But I would beg those who seem very fond of this Maxim, as they think it, to confider it well, before they fufpend thereon fo valuable a thing as the Credit of their Religion: They know it to be a Maxim in Logick, that whatever proves too much proves nothing: Now this is the very Cafe with refpect to their Principle; which fuffered to go on, will naturally proceed to this Conclufion, contrary to their own Senfe and woful Experience, That there neither is, or could ever poffibly be any Evil in the World. They will find upon a little Obfervation of their own Ideas, that to fay otherwife is no lefs abfurd, than to affirm that what is abfolutely White has yet a Mixture of Black in it, or any other Contradiction whatfoever. Nor is there any avoiding the foregoing Conclufion, but by taking up with one or other of the following, viz. That the Evil which is in the World was abfolutely unavoidable, not to be prevented by the Divine Power itself; or, That the Goodnefs of God is altogether different from that which we have a Notion of.

Religion: This was that of the two Principles, now commonly known by the Name of the Manichean Scheme. Our Author has given us a Summary of it, as well as the Hiftory of its Birth and Frogiefs. It never obtained, he tells us, either amongit the Greeks br Romans. The former of thefe People, however, who had as lively a Senfe as any, of the Difficulties attending this Point, had their own peculiar Hypothefes to account for the Origin of Evil; which are here likewife briefly mentioned.

In Default of Revelation, our Author thinks there was no Hypothefis whereby the Exiftence of Evil could be accounted for better than by that of the two Principles; and he juftifies this Opinion by a Detail of all the Phænomena which feemed to imply a ma◄ levolent Cause; and by fhewing how naturally they lead every Understanding, ignorant of the Hiftory of the Fall, to the Conclufion drawn from them by the unenlighten'd Barbaric Philofophers.

In the eighth Chapter our Author demonstrates the Grecian Arts and Literature to have been borrowed from the Barbarians. Tho' this derogates from the vain Pretenfions of the Greeks to the Honour of being the original Inventors of all these things, yet they must be allowed the Merit of improving to the utmoft Perfection whatsoever they derived from others, and of concentring in themselves the respective Sciences of several Nations. This Point being fully difcuffed, our Author proceeds to the Hiftory of the Greek Philofophy, of which he diftinguishes two Ages, that of the Sects, and that which preceded the Establishment of any: In this, which is the firft in Order, the Poets were the fole Philofophers, who not only wrote all in Verfe, but couch'd all their Do&trines under a Diverfity of amufing Fables. These poetical Sages had the Title likewife of Divine, and fometimes the more honourable one of Prophet, which in the firft Ages denoted those who were authorised by the State to teach the Populace, and to whom the Charge of registring remarkable Events

was

was committed. Some have fuppofed that the Greeks regarded the fabulous Philofophy in no other Light than we do our Romances, and went into that Taste merely for the pleafing their Imaginations: But our Author has deduced it from other Caufes, and fhews that People to have given into it for Reasons which appeared to them very important. One great End of their Mythology was to conceal the more fublime and awful Truths from the Vulgar, left they fhould defpife and prophane them. The Greeks carried their Affectation of Mystery beyond all others; and we here see what Effect this had upon their Theology. We here also see what a Treasure of Morality and Philofophy lay disguis'd under the Veil of their allegorical Reprefentations. Our Author speaks of this Method of philofophyfing, and the Authors of it, in Terms of Refpect, and favours us with a diftin&t and entertaining View and Explication of the most noble and lofty Subjects they infifted on.

The ninth Chapter commences the latter of the two Periods of the Greek Philofophy, viz. that of the Sects; and the first Part of it is taken up with an Account of the feven celebrated Sages, Thales, Pittacus, Bias, Solon, Cleobule, Myfon, and Chilon; the Forerunners of all thofe great Philofophers, which were afterwards both the Admiration and Ornaments of Greece. Our Author has taken fome Pains to inform us of the Occafion of appropriating to them only this illuftrious Title, and of the Ideas the Ancients had of Wisdom and Folly, and then draws up the respective Elogies of the Perfons now mentioned, to whom they attributed the former of thefe Qualities in fo eminent a Degree. The Chapter clofes with fome Reflections, which will enable us to form a just Estimate of their Doctrines, and a true Notion of their Stile, and their Manner of teaching.

In the tenth and laft Chapter of this Volume our Anthor has given us the Memoirs and Characters of three other Wife Men, who are generally rank'd after the above-mentioned, viz. Anacharfis the Scythian,

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