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The Design of his First Book against Apion, is, to prove the Truth of the Jewish Antiquities against the Greeks, from the Writings of the Egyptians, Phenicians and Chaldeans. Jofephus fays, He wonders at those, who think that the Greeks alone ought to be regarded in Matters of Antiquity; whereas there was nothing to be found among them of Ancient Date: their Cities, their Arts, their Laws, were but of late Original, and their Histories later than all these. But the Greeks themselves confefs that there were very ancient Accounts of former Times among the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, and the Phenicians; For I omit, fays he, for the prefent, to put our own Nation into the number with them. This is far enough from faying, that he durft not presume to enter into a Comparison; for he doth fhew foon after, that the Jews had taken as much care in the writing and preferving their Antiquities, as these Nations, or any other, could poffibly do. But it had not been to his purpose to mention the Jews in that place with the reft; because he brings his Argument from the confeffion of Foreign Hiftorians, who were acknowledged by the Greeks to be of much greater Authority in things of this nature, than they could pretend to themselves.

↑ A little before, having translated something

τὰ Ἐῶ γ νω ἡμᾶς ἐκείνοις σωκαζαλέξειν.

Oracles of Reason, p. 218.

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out of Ocellus Lucanus, to prove the World Eternal, this Gentleman thus fubjoins, Now it is very much, that this Author, Ocellus Lucanus, who, for his Antiquity, is held to be almoft Contemporary with Mofes, (if not before him) should have fo different a Sentiment of the World's Beginning from that, which Mofes had: methinks, if Mofes his Hiftory of the Creation, and of Adam's being the First Man, had been a general received Opinion at that time; Ocellus Lucanus, who was fo ancient and fo eminent a Philofopher, fhould not have been altogether ignorant thereof. But what fhall we say? if Ocellus Lucanus was not fo ancient, but of no Antiquity in comparison of Mofes; then, methinks, this Author might have spared his Pains and his Inferences. And of what Antiquity Ocellus Lucanus was, is fhewn by Ludovicus Nogarola, who tranflated this Piece of Ocellus Lucanus into Latin, and publish'd it with his own Obfervations upon it. For he makes it appear, from Plato, that the Ancestors of this Ocellus being banish'd from Troy, under Laomedon, came to Myra, a City in Lycia; but Laomedon was the Father of Priamus, in whose time, as every body knows, happen'd the Deftruction of Troy; and Jair was then Judge of Ifrael, about Three hundred Years after they had been in poffeffion of the promised Land. He farther fhews, from Lucian, that Ocellus Lucanus was a Scholar of Pythagoras; who lived, fure, long enough after Mofes, to fave our Author's Criticism, or to expofe it. Indeed, the

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best Account we have in Heathen Antiquity, agrees exactly with the History of Mofes, concerning the Creation of the World. Ariftotle himself was not fatisfied in his own Doctrine of the Eternity of the World; and he confefses, that all the Philofophers afferted the Creation of it: and as for the manner of the Creation, he says, it was esteemed a very ancient Doctrine, and thought, by fome, to be the Do&rine of the most ancient Theologists, That it was formed out of Water. It is certain, that Thales, the first Greek Philofopher who treated of these things, one of the Seven Wife Men of Greece, and the Wifeft of them, in Tully's judgment, taught, That God formed all things out of Water. Which Notion, Homer, as well as Thales, was 'fuppofed to learn from the gyptians.

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The fame Gentleman has observed, That the Epicurean Deifts labour to have their Vices imputed rather to a Superiority of their Reason above that of others, than to a Servitude of their Reafon to their own Paffions; which fhews, Vice is naturally esteemed a bafe and low thing. This is transcribed from " Mr. Boyle, without any mention of him: Mr. Blount, it seems, had a mind to give himself the honour of the Obfervation.

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It is but too plain, that this was his own case, as his unhappy Death declared.

This, I think, is fufficient to fhew, how little this Book deferves the vain Title of The Oracles of Reason: it will be hard to meet with any Book, which has lefs right to fo high a Pretence. I shall take notice but of one thing more, and that is, Mr. Gildon's Attempt to prove the Materiality of the Soul; his Arguments are as unlikely to prove it, as moft I have feen: but I fhall fhew the Notion to be abfurd in it self, and impoffible to be maintained.

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The Effence of all Matter must be the fame, whether Extenfion, or any thing elfe, be affign'd as the Effence of it; and though we may be ignorant of the Effence of Matter, yet we know it cannot be effential to it to Think: for then all Matter would neceffarily Think. But the difference in the feveral forts of Matter can be only in Accidents, that is, in Bulk, Reft, Motion, Situation, and Figure, none of which can render Matter capable of Thought. For ifa, different Bulk of Matter could produce Thought. in it, and the Subtile Matter fhould be able to Think and Reason, though the Grofs cannot ; then the Parts of a Stone would think, *hen it is ground to Duft; though when they are joined and compted together, they make up a Body, as unlikely to think, as any thing we can imagine. If Reft could. caufe Matter, to

Ibid. p. 187.

think, a Stone would be the most thinking Creature in the World. If Motion could cause it, then that which moves with most quicknefs, would think most, as Fire, and the Sun, and Stars: but Motion is only a fucceffive change of Place, and there is no reason why Matter should think in one place, rather than in another; or why it fhould think, when it is moved in a Right Line, or in a Circle, or in any Curve Line, rather than when it lies ftill. Again, There is no reason why Matter fhould be able to think, or not think, according to its Situation or Pofition; why it should think in the Brain, rather than upon the Trencher; or when it is digested, and reduced to Animal Spirits, rather than when it is in a more compacted Substance, and has a different relation to the parts of Matter about it. Laftly, If any fort of Figure could produce Thought, Stones must certainly think, as well as the best of us; and fo, indeed, might any thing else: for what Body is there that may not fubfist under all varieties of Figure?

Neither can any lucky conjuncture of all these together produce a Power and Faculty of Thinking. For, imagine what Bulk, Reft or Motion, Situation and Figure you can, to meet together, they are all alike uncapable of fo much as one Thought; fince there is nothing in the Nature of any of these Accidents or Modifications of Matter, but it is as far from any Power of Thinking, as Matter it felf is ; and therefore b a Think