We also fee that there is mention made in the book of Joshua of a city in Palestine, named Dabir. The facred hiftorian obferves, that that city was formerly called Cariath-Sepher. The name by which that city was originally known, leads us to believe, that, in the early times, they had in Palestine public fchools where they taught the fciences. Cariath-Sepher in effect fignifies the city of books, or of letters. A fimilar denomination feems to fhew, that they had commonly a great number of learned men affembled in that city. The fciences must confequently have been much cultivated in Palestine from the firft ages after the deluge. We ought not moreover to be furprised at this. These countries had been certainly the first which were policed: it is natural then that they should have produced in it very early many philofophers. Thus we fee that the first systems of philofophy afcended among the Phoenicians to very remote epocha's. This is what we learn from the writings of Sanchoniatho. That author has drawn from ancient works the ideas which he has propagated about difintangling the chaos, of the original state of the world, and of the first events which happened in it. It is certain then, that, in the moft early times, the Phoenicians had carried their fpeculations fo far as to explain the manner in which the world had been formed. How obfcure and how perplexed foever their cofmogony was, it fuppofes neverthelefs fome studies, some researches, and some reasonings. For the reft I do not think I ought to dwell upon the ideas these Afian philofophers had about the origin and formation of the world: and enow other critics and literati have already taken care to explain that system, for me to be difpenfed with from gi ving an account of it. I fhall only remark, that the nearer we go to the ages bordering on the creation, the more tra ces we fhall find of that great truth, which the prefump a Joh. c. 15. v. 15. tion and rafhness of man has in vain endeavoured afterwards to obfcure *. One Mofchus of Sidon furnishes us with the most ancient example of this foolish enterprise. He has been looked upo n as the first who has fhewed the abfurd fyftem of the formation of the world by the fortuitous concourfe of atoms; a fyftem which, many ages afterwards, Epicurus endeayoured to renew in Greece. Strabo further tells us, that Moschus, of whom we now speak, wrote about the time of the war of Troy . We cannot decide whether this opinion is well or ill founded, Strabo being, as I think, the only one of the ancients who has spoken of this Moschus. With refpect to the fciences properly fo called, the na Eufebius, and after him some modern writers, have thought that the Cofmogony of Sanchoniatho led to Atheism, because this author appears to give little, or no part to the fovereign being in the formation of the world. But Cudworth, in his intellectual fyftem, pretends, and with reason, that Sanchoniatho admits two principles, of which one is an obfcure and dark chaos; the other Пva, a fpirit, or rather an intelligence endowed with goodness, who has arranged the world in the state in which it is. This fentiment is fo much the more true, as Sanchoniat ho had drawn his cofmogony from the writings of Thaut; and the fame Eufebius teaches us after Porphyry, that Thaut was the first who had writ of the gods in a manner more elevated than the vulgar fuperftition; Syrmumbelus and Thuro, writers posterior to Thaut by many ages, have cleared up his theology concealed till their times under allegories and emblems. That obscurity and this enigmatic ftyle have impofed on Eufebius, and the modern authors of whom I fpeak. Yet they could not hinder themselves from acknowledging and agreeing, that the design of Sanchoniatho was to give credit to idolatry. Now, nothing is more oppofite to idolatry than Atheism. In another fragment drawn from the fame Sanchoniatho, it was faid that Thaut had meditated much about the nature of the ferpent called by the Phoenicians Ayatodaíμwr, good genius. Philo teaches us, that Zaroafter, in his facred commentary on the ceremonies of the Perfian religion, has spoken of this good genius in an admirable manner, by saying that this God is the mafter of all things, exempt from death, or eternal in his duration, without beginning, without parts, &c. Apud Eufeb. praep. evang. 1. 1. c. 10. p. 41, & 42. I ask if fuch ideas lead to Atheism? I have already faid, Eufebius, and the modern authors who have followed him, have been deceived by the enigmatic ftyle of Sanchoniatho. It was, befides, the general taste of the learned of antiquity, They affected to speak only in riddles, by emblems, and in a manner almoft unintelligible. No philofopher of these ancient times has prefented his doctrine plainly and fimply. No one has even fhewn any part of the fciences whatever it was, in a clear and intelligible manner. This tafte till reigns at this time in all the eaftern writings. Strabo, 1.16. p. 1098. b Id. ibid, vigations vigations of the Phoenicians must have contributed much to the advancement of aftronomy and geography. It was in the ages of which we are now fpeaking, that thefe people undertook thofe voyages of great extent which have rendered their names fo famous in antiquity. They paffed the traits of Cadiz, and trufting themselves on the ocean, they advanced on one fide to the western extremity of Spain, and on the other to the coaft of that part of Africa which is wathed by the Atlantic. The difcovery which the Phoenicians made of the help they could draw from the obfervation of the polar ftar to direct the course of a veffel, was the caufe of the fuccefs which accompanied their maritime enterprises. I referve the circumftances of them for the article of navigation. The details into which I fhall then enter, will make us better perceive to what degree the Phoc-nicians must have poffeffed, even in the ages which at prefent fix our attention, the principal parts of mathematical £ciences. H1 Iftory, in the ages we are at prefent fpeaking of, will furnish us with many lights on the ftate of sciences in Egypt. 1 fhall treat each object feparately, and under different articles; and I fhall fhew their ftate and progrefs relatively to the times which make the fubject of the second part of my work. ARTICLE I. Of Medicine. IN examining the origin and ftate of medicine in the firft part of this work, I have faid that there was no mention See infra, book 4. chap. 2. VOL. II. * See ibid. loco cit. Hh made made of physicians by profeffion before the time of Moses. I have related the ways which they used originally in treating the fick, and the expedient they had invented to the end that every body might profit by particular discoveries. They exposed the fick in public to enable them to receive the falutary counfels which each could give them 1. It is proper to remark, that then they did not know writing. Since the invention of that art they put in practice a.other custom which muft ftill have contributed more to make known the different remedies which they could use. Those who had been attacked with any distemper, put in writing how and by what means they had been cured. These memoirs were placed in their temples to ferve for the inftruction of the public. Every one had a right to go and confult them, and to chufe the remedy of which he thought he had need *. Afterwards, the number of these receipts being augment ed, it became neceffary to put them in order. Those who were charged with this care, came to know more particularly the compofition of the different remedies. By comparing the one with the other, they learned to judge of their virtue, They acquired by that means more exact knowledge than what they had before. They began from that time to confult thefe forts of perfons, and to call them on critical occafions. As Mofes fpeaks of physicians by name " we may, I think, refer to the ages in which he lived, the origin of that profeffion. We ought to look upon the Egyptians as the first who reduced into principles, and fubjected to certain rules, the vague and arbitrary practices by which they were guided 1 See parti. book 3. chap. 1. * In Egypt, these sorts of regifters were depofited in the temple of Vulcan at Memphis. Galen. de compofit. medicament. per genera, l. 5. c. 2. t. 13. p. 775. edit. Charterii. The fame cuftom was also observed in other countries. See Plin. 1. 29. c. 1. p. 493.; Pauf. 1. 2. c. 27. & 36.; Strabo, 1. 8. p. 575. It was from these registers, according to Pliny and Strabo, that Hippocrates had drawn a great part of his knowledge. Plin. loco cit.; Strabo, 1, 14. p. 972. Exod. c. 21. v, 19. for for a long time. They paffed in antiquity for having cultivated medicine more anciently and more learnedly than any other people. It is not very difficult to give a reason for this. There never had been a country where physicians had been, and ftill are more neceffary than in Egypt. The overflowings of the Nile expofed them at all times to frequent maladies. The waters of that river having no free course during the two months and an half which precede the fummer-folftice, it must neceffarily happen that they fhould be corrupted. When the inundations are great, the Nile in retiring forms marthes which infect the air ». Thefe ftanding waters have always occafioned in Egypt epidemic diftempers. They must particularly have felt the pernicious effects in the first ages, when they had not yet taken the neceffary precautions to facilitate the running off of the waters. But these very precautions must have been for a long time baneful to the inhabitants of that climate. The moving of the earth occafioned by the conftruction and maintaining of that innumerable quantity of canals with which Egypt was formerly watered, and the works which they must have made to drain the moraffes, muft have produced most troublesome accidents. It is known what malignant vapours thefe forts of earths juft moved produce. Befides, the inhabitants of the cities and the villages which were not upon the borders of the Nile, did only drink for the greatest part of the year ftanding and corrupt water. That of the wells is not better. Springs are extremely uncommon in Egypt. It is a fort of prodigy to meet with one . Besides, from the report of travellers, the air there is Hom. Odyff. 1. 4. v. 231.; Ifocrat. in Bufirid. p. 329.; Plin. 1. 7. c. 56. p. 414.; Clem. Alex. ftrom.1.1. p. 362. • Voyage de l'Egypte par Granger, p. 19. & 20. P Description de l'Egypte par Maillet, p, 15, & 26. • Granger, p. 25. It is the water of marshes formed by the oerflowings of the Nile. Plut. t. 2. p. 367. B. Maillet, p. 16. Hh 2 very |