Philofophy. Philo of Biblos in one Place (a) feems to think, that Taautus himself wrote his Sacra, and his Theology, in a Way above the Understanding of the common People, in order to create Reverence and Respect to the Subjects he treated of, and that Surmubelus and Theuro, fome Ages after, endeavoured to explain his Works, by ftripping them of the Allegory, and giving their true Meaning; but I cannot think a Writer fo ancient as Athothes wrote in Fable or Allegory; the first Memoirs or Hiftories were without doubt short and plain, and Men afterwards embellished them with falfe Learning, and in time endeavoured to correct that, and arrive at the True. All therefore that I can collect from this Paffage of Philo Biblius, is this, that Thyoth's Memoirs did not continue fuch as he left them, Surmubelus and Theuro in fome time altered them, and I fear, whoever they were, they altered them for the worfe; for fuch were the Alterations which fucceeding Generations made in the Records of their Ancestors, as ap

(a) See Eufeb. Præp. Evang. 1. 1. c. 10.

pears from what the fame Writer further offers (a). "When Saturnus," fays he [now I think Saturnus to be only another Name for Mizraim] "went to the South," [i. e. when he removed from the Lower Egypt, into Thebais, which I have taken notice of in its Place,] "he made Taautus King of all Egypt,and the Cabiri" [who were the Sons of Mizraim] "made Memoirs of these "Tranfactions:" Such were the first Writings of Mankind; fhort Hints or Records of what they did, and where they settled: "But the Son of Thabio, one of the first Interpreters of the Sacra of the Phanicians, by his Comments and Interpreta"tions, filled thefe Records full of Alle"gory, and mixed his Physiological Philofophy with them, and fo left them to "the Priefts, and they to their Succeffors; "and with thefe Additions and Mixtures

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they came into the Hands of the Greeks, "who were Men of an abounding Fancy, " and they, by new Applications, and by increasing the number, and the Extra"vagancy of the Fable, did in time leave "but little Appearance of any thing like

(a) See Eufeb. ibid.

<< Truth

"Truth in them." We have much the fame Account of the Writings of Sanchoniathon. "Sanchoniathon of Berytus, we are "told (a), wrote his Hiftory of the Jewish

Antiquities with the greatest Care and "Fidelity, having received his Facts from "Hierombalus a Priest; and having a mind "to write an univerfal Hiftory of all Na"tions from the Beginning, he took the

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greatest Pains in searching the Records " of Taautus; but fome later Writers [probably the Perfons, before-mentioned] "had corrupted his Remains by their Allegorical Interpretations, and Physical Additions; for (fays Philo) the more modern iɛgλoyo, Priests, or Explainers "of the Sacra, had omitted to relate "the true Facts as they were recorded, in"stead of which, they had obfcured them "by (b) invented Accounts and myfte

a 4

(a) See Eufeb. Præp. Evang. 1. 1. c. 9.

"rious

(b) We have an Infiance in Plutarch, Lib. de Ifide p. 355, of the Manner in which the ancient Records were obfcured by Fable. The ancient Egyptians had recorded the Alteration of the Year which I have treated of, and perhaps obferved, that it was caused by the Sun's Annual Courfe becoming five Days longer than it before was, and that the Moon's Courfe was proportionably fhortned: The Mythologic Priefs turn'd this Account into the following Fable: Rhea, they fay, having privately lain with Saturn, begg'd of the Sun that he might bring forth in no Month nor Year; Mercury hereupon was fet to play at Dice with the Moon, and won from her the feventy fecond Part of each Day, which being given to the Sun, made the five addi

rious Fictions, drawn from their Noti"ons of the Nature of the Universe; fo "that it was not easy for one to distin"guish the real Facts which Taautus had "recorded, from the Fictions fuperadded "to them. But he [i. e. Sachoniathon] finding fome of the Books of the Ammo"nei, which were kept in the Libraries or Registries of the Temples, examined every thing with the greatest Care, and rejecting the Allegories and Fables "which at firft Sight offered themselves, "heat length brought his Work to Perfec❝tion. But the Priefts that lived after him,

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adding their Comments and Explica"tions to his Work, in fome time brought "all back to Mythology again." This, I think, is a juft Account of what has been the Fate of the ancient Heathen Remains; they were clear and true, when left by their Authors, but After-writers corrupted them by the Addition of Fable and falfe Philofophy; and therefore any one that would endeavour to give a probable Account of Things from the Remains of Thyoth, or

tional Days, over and above the fettled Months of the Year, in one of which Rhea was brought to Bed. Five Days are the feventy-fecond Part of 360 Days, which was the Length of the ancient Year.

Sancho

Sanchoniathon, muft fet afide what he finds to be Allegory and Fable, as the fureft way to come at the true Remains of thefe ancient Authors. This I have endeavoured to do in my Accounts of the Phoenician and Egyptian Antiquities. I have added nothing to their History, and if their ancient Remains be carefully examined, the Nature of what I have omitted, will juftify my omitting it; and what I have taken from them, will, I believe, fatisfy the judicious Reader, that these ancient Writers, before their Writings were corrupted, left Accounts very agreeable to that of Mofes.

Some Perfons think the Remains we have of Sanchoniathon, and the Extracts from Taautus, to be mere Figments, and that very probably there never were either fuch Men or fuch Writers. But to this I answer with Bishop Stilling fleet (a). Had it been fo, the Antagonists of Porphyry, Methodius, Apollinaris, but especially Eufebius, who was fo well verfed in Antiquities, would have found out fo great a Cheat; for however they have been accufed of admitting Pious Frauds,

(a) Origines Sacræ, P. I. c. z.

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