which an eagle let fall upon it. Certainly it was a very great mistake in the perspicacy of that animal. Some men critically disposed, would from hence confute the opinion of Copernicus, never conceiving how the motion of the earth below, should not wave him from a knock perpendicularly directed from a body in the air above.

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7. It crosseth the proverb, and Rome might well be built in a day, if that were true which is traditionally related by Strabo; that the great cities, Anchiale and Tarsus, were built by Sardanapalus, both in one day, according to the inscription of his monument, Sardanapalus Anacyndaraxis filius, Anchialem et Tarsum uná die ædificavi, tu autem hospes, ede, lude, bibe, &c. Which if strictly taken, that is, for the finishing thereof, and not only for the beginning; for an artificial or natural day, and not one of Daniel's weeks, that is, seven whole years; surely their hands were very heavy that wasted thirteen years in the private house of Solomon. It may be wondered how forty years were spent in the erection of the temple of Jerusalem, and no less than an hundred in that famous one of Ephesus. Certainly it was the greatest architecture of one day, since that great one of six; an art quite lost with our mechanics, a work not to be made out, but like the walls of Thebes, and such an artificer as Amphion.

8. It had been a sight only second unto the ark to have beheld the great Syracusia, or mighty ship of Hiero, described in Athenæus; and some have thought it a very large one, wherein were to be found ten stables for horses, eight towers, besides fish-ponds, gardens, tricliniums, and many fair rooms paved with agath and precious stones. But nothing was

6 Anchiale and Tarsus.] A single fortress, as that of Babell, is called a city. Genes. xi. 4. In imitation whereof, built by Nimrod, the first Assyrian Monarch, itt is possible that Sardanapalus, the last Monarch, but withall the greatest in power, and purse, and people, might easily raise such a fortresse in a daye, having first brought all the materials in place, and if one, he might as well have built ten in several places. Now these cityes were about 4 hundred miles distant, Tarsus on the banke of Sinus, Issicus in Cilicia, and Anchiala on the banke of the Euxine Sea in Pontus, both border townes, dividing Natolia on the lesser Asia from the greater Asia, and were the 2 frontire townes of the Assyrian Monarchie, and were built for the ostentation of his vast spreading dominions, and both in a day raised, for ostentation of his power.-W.

impossible unto Archimedes, the learned contriver thereof; nor shall we question his removing the earth, when he finds an immoveable base to place his engine unto it.

9.7 That the Pamphilian sea gave way unto Alexander, in his intended march toward Persia, many have been apt to credit, and Josephus is willing to believe, to countenance the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea. But Strabo, who writ before him, delivereth another account; that the mountain climax, adjoining to the Pamphilian sea, leaves a narrow passage between the sea and it; which passage at an ebb and quiet sea all men take; but Alexander coming in the winter, and eagerly pursuing his affairs, would not wait for the reflux or return of the sea; and so was fain to pass with his army in the water, and march up to the navel in it.

10. The relation of Plutarch, of a youth of Sparta that suffered a fox, concealed under his robe, to tear out his bowels before he would, either by voice or countenance, betray his theft; and the other, of the Spartan lad, that with the same resolution suffered a coal from the altar to burn his arm; although defended by the author that writes his life, is I perceive mistrusted by men of judgment, and the author, with an aiunt, is made to salve himself. Assuredly it was a noble nation that could afford an hint to such inventions of patience, and upon whom, if not such verities, at least such verisimilities of fortitude were placed. Were the story true, they would have made the only disciples for Zeno and the Stoicks, and might perhaps have been persuaded to laugh in Phalaris his bull.

11. If any man shall content his belief with the speech of Balaam's ass, without a belief of that of Mahomet's camel, or Livy's ox; if any man makes a doubt of Giges' ring in Justinus, or conceives he must be a Jew that believes the sabbatical rivers in Josephus; if any man will say he doth 7 9.] First added in the 6th edition.

the sabbatical river.] A singular discrepancy exists on this point between the statement of Josephus and that of Pliny. The former (De Bell. Jud. lib. vii. c. 24) saying that the river flows on sabbath, but rests on every other day-while Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxi. § 13) relates that it flows most impetuously all the week, but is dry on the sabbath. All the Jewish rabbinical authorities adopt the latter as the fact, in opposition to Josephus, whose account is so singular, that several of his commentators have not hesitated to suppose a transposition to have

not apprebend how the tail of an African wether out-weigheth the body of a good calf, that is, an hundred pounds, according unto Leo Africanus, or desires, before belief, to behold such a creature as is the ruck1 in Paulus Venetus,for my part I shall not be angry with his incredulity.

12. If any one shall receive, as stretched or fabulous accounts, what is delivered of Cocles, Scævola, and Curtius, the sphere of Archimedes, the story of the Amazons, the taking of the city of Babylon, not known to some therein in three days after, that the nation was deaf which dwelt at the fall of Nilus, the laughing and weeping humour of Heraclitus and Democritus, with many more, he shall not want some reason and the authority of Lancelotti.*

13. If any man doubt of the strange antiquities delivered by historians, as of the wonderful corpse of Antæus untombed *Farfalloni Historici.

occurred in his text, producing the error in question. Our poetical Walton alludes to this marvellous river, but he has adopted the proposed correction, citing Josephus as his authority, but giving the Plinian version of the story, doubtless thinking it most fit that the river should allow the angler to repose on Sunday, and afford him, during the six other days, "choice recreation." The classical authorities declare that the river has long since vanished. But recently, a learned Jew, Rabbi Edrehi, has announced a work, asserting the discovery of the lost river, but affirming it to be a river of sand! This is apt to recal to mind an old proverb about "twisting a rope of sand!"

As for the "marvellous" of the story, it strikes me, that-only grant the existence of water-corn-mills in the time of the Emperor Titus (which it is not for me to deny),—and the whole is perfectly intelligible. The mills had been at work during the week, keeping up a head of water which had rushed along with a velocity (as Josephus describes it) sufficient to carry with it stones and fragments of rocks. On sabbathday the miller “shut down," and let all the water run through, by which means the river was laid almost dry. What should hinder, in these days of hypothesis, our adopting so ready and satisfactory a solution?

9 Leo Africanus.] What weights Leo Africanus meanes is doubtfull. Some have been brought hither, that being fatted, coulde scarcely carye their tayles: though I know not, why nature, that hung such a weight behinde, shoulde not enable the creature to drag itt after him by the strength of his backe, as the stag to carye as great weight on his heade only.-- Wr.

ruck.] Surely the ruc was but one, like the phoenix, but revives not like the phoenix.-Wr.

The roc of the Arabian Nights, conjectured to have originated in the American condor.

a thousand years after his death by Sertorius; whether there were no deceit in those fragments of the ark, so common to be seen in the days of Berosus; whether the pillar which Josephus beheld long ago, Tertullian long after, and Bartholomeus de Saligniaco and Bochardus long since, be the same with that of Lot's wife; whether this were the hand of Paul, or that which is commonly shown the head of Peter; if any doubt, I shall not much dispute with their suspicions. If any man shall not believe the turpentine-tree betwixt Jerusalem and Bethlehem, under which the Virgin suckled our Saviour as she passed between those cities; or the figtree of Bethany, showed to this day, whereon Zaccheus ascended to behold our Saviour; I cannot tell how to enforce his belief, nor do I think it requisite to attempt it. For, as it is no reasonable proceeding to compel a religion, or think to enforce our own belief upon another, who cannot without the concurrence of God's Spirit have any undubitable evidence of things that are obtruded, so is it also in matters of common belief; whereunto neither can we indubitably assent, without the co-operation of our sense or reason, wherein consist the principles of persuasion. For, as the habit of faith in divinity is an argument of things unseen, and a stable assent unto things inevident, upon authority of the Divine Revealer, so the belief of man, which depends upon human testimony, is but a staggering assent unto the affirmative, not without some fear of the negative. And as there is required the Word of God, or infused inclination unto the one, so must the actual sensation of our senses,2 at least the non-opposition of our reasons, procure our assent and acquiescence in the other. So when Eusebius, an holy writer, affirmeth, there grew a strange and unknown plant near the statue of Christ, erected by his hæmorrhoidal patient in the gospel, which attaining unto the hem of his vesture, acquired a sudden faculty to cure all diseases; although, he saith, he saw the statue in his days,

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2 senses.] And that this was not wanting to make good the storye in parte, is evident in the very next section.-Wr.

3 although, &c.] Why may wee not beleave that there was such a plant at the foote of that statue upon the report of the ecclesiastick story, publisht in the third ecumenical council at Ephesus, as wel as the statue itselfe upon the report of Eusebius at the first ecumenical coun

yet hath it not found in many men so much as human belief. Some believing, others opinioning, a third suspecting it might be otherwise. For indeed, in matters of belief, the understanding assenting unto the relation, either for the authority of the person, or the probability of the object, although there may be a confidence of the one, yet if there be not a satisfaction in the other, there will arise suspensions; nor can we properly believe until some argument of reason, or of our proper sense, convince or determine our dubitations.

And thus it is also in matters of certain and experimented truth. For if unto one that never heard thereof, a man should undertake to persuade the affections of the loadstone, or that jet and amber attract straws and light bodies, there would be little rhetorick in the authority of Aristotle, Pliny, or any other. Thus although it be true that the string of a lute or viol will stir upon the stroke of an unison or diapason in another of the same kind; that alcanna being green, will suddenly infect the nails and other parts with a durable red; that a candle out of a musket will pierce through an inch board, or an urinal force a nail through a plank; yet can few or none believe thus much without a visible experiment. Which notwithstanding falls out more happily for knowledge; for these relations leaving unsatisfaction in the hearers, do stir up ingenuous dubiosities unto experiment, and by an exploration of all, prevent delusion in any.

CHAPTER XIX.

Of some Relations whose truth we fear.

LASTLY, as there are many relations whereto we cannot assent, and make some doubt thereof, so there are divers

cil at Nice; who sayes he saw the statue, but repeates the storye of the plant out of Africanus, who lived within the 200th yeare of Christ: and out of Tertullian, who lived within 120 yeares after this miracle was wrought upon the hæmorroidall that erected the statue. For though the plant lived not till his time, yet itt was as fresh in memorye in the church as when it first grewe.-Wr.