Many things historical, which seem of clear concession, want not affirmations and negations, according to divided pens: as is notoriously observable in the story of Hildebrand or Gregory the Seventh, repugnantly delivered by the imperial and papal party. In such divided records, partiality hath much depraved history, wherein if the equity of the reader do not correct the iniquity of the writer, he will be much confounded with repugnancies, and often find, in the same person, Numa and Nero. In things of this nature moderation must intercede; and so charity may hope that Roman readers will construe many passages in Bolsec, Fayus, Schlusselberg, and Cochlæus.

7. Every ear is filled with the story of Friar Bacon, that made a brazen head to speak these words, time is.8 Which though there want not the like relations, is surely too literally received, and was but a mystical fable concerning the philosopher's great work, wherein he eminently laboured: implying no more by the copper head, than the vessel wherein it was wrought, and by the words it spake, than the opportunity to be watched, about the tempus ortus, or birth of the mystical child, or philosophical king of Lallius; the rising of the terra foliata of Arnoldus, when the earth, sufficiently impregnated with the water, ascendeth white and splendent. Which not observed, the work is irrecoverably lost, according to that of Petrus Bonus: Ibi est operis perfectio aut annihilatio; quoniam ipsá die, immo hora, oriuntur elementa simplicia depurata, quæ egent statim compositione, antequam volent ab igne.*

Now letting slip this critical opportunity, he missed the intended treasure, which had he obtained, he might have made out the tradition of making a brazen wall about England: that is, the most powerful defence, and strongest fortification which gold could have effected.

8. Who can but pity the virtuous Epicurus, who is commonly conceived to have placed his chief felicity in pleasure Margarita pretiosa.

*

patrum, peperit Papissa papillum,"-but even her very existence itself seems now to be universally rejected by the best authorities, Protestant as well as Catholic, as a fabrication from beginning to end.

8 a brazen head.] This ridiculous story was originally imputed, not to Roger Bacon, but to Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln.

and sensual delights, and hath therefore left an infamous name behind him? How true, let them determine who read that he lived seventy years, and wrote more books than any philosopher but Chrysippus, and no less than three hundred, without borrowing from any author: that he was contented with bread and water; and when he would dine with Jove, and pretend unto epulation, he desired no other addition than a piece of Cytheridian cheese: that shall consider the words of Seneca,9 Non dico, quod plerique nostrorum, sectam Epicuri flagitiorum magistrum esse: sed illud dico, male audit, infamis est, et immerito: or shall read his life, his epistles, his testament in Laërtius, who plainly names them. calumnies, which are commonly said against them.

The ground hereof seems a misapprehension of his opinion, who placed his felicity not in the pleasures of the body, but the mind, and tranquillity thereof, obtained by wisdom and virtue, as is clearly determined in his epistle unto Menæceus. Now how this opinion was first traduced by the Stoicks, how it afterwards became a common belief, and so taken up by authors of all ages, by Cicero, Plutarch, Clemens, Ambrose, and others, the learned pen of Gassendus hath discovered.*1

CHAPTER XVIII.

More briefly of some others, viz. that the Army of Xerxes drank whole Rivers dry; that Hannibal eat through the Alps with Vinegar; of Archimedes, his burning the Ships of Marcellus; of the Fabii that were all slain; of the Death of Eschylus; of the Cities of Tarsus and Anchiale built in one day; of the great Ship Syracusia or Alexandria; of the Spartan Boys.

1. OTHER relations there are, and those in very good authors, which though we do not positively deny, yet have *De vita et moribus Epicuri.

• That shall consider the words of Seneca.] That is, "let them determine the words of Seneca," &c.

Who can but pity, &c.] Ross is unmerciful in his reprobation of our author's defence of Epicurus. Yet some of those who were among the opponents of that philosopher's doctrines,-for example, Cicero, Plutarch, and Seneca, have awarded him, in reference to the particular charges here spoken of, the same acquittal which Browne has pronounced.

they not been unquestioned by some, and at least as improbable truths have been received by others. Unto some it hath seemed incredible what Herodotus reporteth of the great army of Xerxes, that drank whole rivers dry. And unto the author himself it appeared wondrous strange, that they exhausted not the provision of the country, rather than the waters thereof. For as he maketh the account, and Buddeus de Asse correcting their miscompute of Valla delivereth it, if every man of the army had had a chenix of corn a day, that is, a sextary and a half, or about two pints and a quarter, the army had daily expended ten hundred thousand and forty medimnas, or measures containing six bushels.2 Which rightly considered, the Abderites had reason to bless the heavens, that Xerxes eat but one meal a day, and Pythius, his noble host, might with less charge and possible provision entertain both him and his army; and yet may all be salved, if we take it hyperbolically, as wise men receive that expression in Job, concerning behemoth or the elephant, "Behold, he drinketh up a river and hasteth not; he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth."

2. That Hannibal ate or brake through the Alps with vinegar may be too grossly taken, and the author of his life annexed unto Plutarch, affirmeth only he used this artifice upon the tops of some of the highest mountains. For as it is vulgarly understood, that he cut a passage for his army through those mighty mountains, it may seem incredible, not only in the greatness of the effect, but the quantity of the efficient, and such as behold them may think an ocean of vinegar too little for that effect. 'Twas a work indeed

2 bushels.] But the wonder is not soe much how they could consume soe much corne, as where they could have it soe sodenly. But it seemes the learned author heere mistooke his accompte. For 1,000,000 quarts (allowing for every one in his army a quarte, and 16 quartes to a bushell), amount to noe more then 62,499 bushels, or 10,416 medimnas, which would not loade 1000 wagons, a small baggage for so great an army not to be wondered at.- Wr.

3 an ocean, &c.] There needed not more than some few hogsheads of vinegar, for having hewed downe the woods of firr growing there, and with the huge piles thereof calcined the tops of some cliffes which stood in his waye; a small quantity of vinegar poured on the fired glowing rocks would make them cleave in sunder, as is manifest in calcined flints, which being often burned, and as often quentcht in

rather to be expected from earthquakes and inundations, than any corrosive waters, and much condemneth the judg ment of Xerxes, that wrought through Mount Athos with mattocks.

3. That Archimedes burnt the ships of Marcellus, with speculums of parabolical figures, at three furlongs, or as some will have it, at the distance of three miles, sounds hard unto reason and artificial experience, and therefore justly questioned by Kircherus, who after long enquiry could find but one made by Manfredus Septalius* that fired at fifteen paces. And therefore more probable it is that that the ships were nearer the shore or about some thirty paces, at which distance notwithstanding the effect was very great. But whereas men conceive the ships were more easily set on flame by reason of the pitch about them, it seemeth no advantage; since burning glasses will melt pitch or make it boil, not easily set it on fire.

4. The story of the Fabii, whereof three hundred and six marching against the Veientes were all slain, and one child alone to support the family remained, is surely not to be

*De luce et umbra.

vinegar, will in fine turne into an impalpable powder, as is truly experimented, and is dayly manifest in the lime kilnes.- Wr.

Dr. Mc Keever, in a paper in the 5th vol. of the Annals of Philosophy, N. S. discusses this question, and arrives at the conclusion that, in all probability, the expansive operation of the fire on the water which had been percolating through the pores and fissures of the rocks, occasioned the detachment of large portions of it by explosion, just as masses of rock are frequently detached from cliffs, and precipitated into adjoining valleys, by a similar physical cause. Dr. M. notices the annual disruption of icebergs in the Polar seas, on the return of summer, as a phenomenon bearing considerable analogy to the preceding. Mr. Brayley supposes that Hannibal might have used vinegar to dissolve partially a particular mass of limestone, which might impede his passage through some narrow pass. Dr. M. suggests that he might attribute to the vinegar and fire what the latter actually effected by its action on the water, and would have effected just as well without the vinegar. But perhaps after all the only vinegar employed might be pyroligneous acid, produced from the wood by its combination, without any inten tion on the part of Hannibal, though its presence would very naturally have been attributed to design by the ignorant spectators of his operations, which, on this theory, may be supposed to have been conducted on a full knowledge of the effects they would produce, in the explosive removal of the obstacles which obstructed his advance.

paralleled, nor easy to be conceived, except we can imagine that of three hundred and six, but one had children below the service of war, that the rest were all unmarried, or the wife but of one impregnated.4

5. The received story of Milo, who by daily lifting a calf, attained an ability to carry it being a bull, is a witty conceit, and handsomely sets forth the efficacy of assuefaction. But surely the account had been more reasonably placed upon some person not much exceeding in strength, and such a one as without the assistance of custom could never have performed that act, which some may presume that Milo, without precedent, artifice, or any other preparative, had strength enough to perform. For as relations declare, he was the most pancratical man of Greece, and as Galen reporteth, and Mercurialis in his Gymnastics representeth, he was able to persist erect upon an oiled plank, and not to be removed by the force or protrusion of three men. And if that be true which Athenæus reporteth, he was little beholding to custom for his ability; for in the Olympic games, for the space of a furlong, he carried an ox of four years upon his shoulders, and the same day he carried it in his belly; for as it is there delivered, he eat it up himself. Surely he had been a proper guest at Grandgousier's feast, and might have matched his throat that eat six pilgrims for a salad.*

6. It much disadvantageth the panegyrick of Synesius,t and is no small disparagement unto baldness, if it be true what is related by Elian concerning Eschylus, whose bald pate was mistaken for a rock, and so was brained by a tortoise

*In Rabelais.

Who writ in the praise of baldness. An argument or instance against the motion of the earth.

3.] This and the following paragraph, as well as § 12, were first

added in 2nd edition.

5 an ox, &c.] An ox of 4 years in Greece did not æqual one with us of 2; whereof having taken out the bowels and the heade and the hide, and the feete and all that which they call the offall, we may well thinke the four quarters, especially yf the greate bones were all taken out, could not weigh much above a 100lb. weight. Now the greater wonder is how he could eate soe much, then to carry itt. Itt is noe newes for men in our dayes to carry above 400 weight; but few men can eate 100 weight, excepting they had such a gyant-like bulke as hee had.-Wr.