wherein all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted, and

hut24- H3rmaick Booh acknowledged Book I.-,ticmd the other JJx, treating of medicinal things, ly the Paflopheri.From wliich place we underhand, that at lead forty two books of the ancientHermes Trijhegiji, or inch reputed by the Egyptians, were flill extantin the time of Clctiieiis Akxandrinus, about tv/o hundred years afcer theChriftian epocha.Furthermore, that there were certain Books really Egyptian, and calledHermaical or Trifmegitlical, (whether written by the ancient Hermes Trifmegifihimfelf, or by other Egyptian priefts of latter times, according to thetenor of his dodtrine, and only intitlcd to himj which, after the times ofChriftianity, began to be taken notice of by other nations, the Greeks andLatins, feems probable from hence, becaufe fuch books are not only mentionedand acknowledged by Chriftian writers and fathers, but alio by Bap-74. g^ns and philofophers. In Plutarch^ difcourfe de Ifide i^ Ofiride, wereported to have been -written concerning [acred names ^that the p&wer aprointedto prefide over the motion of the fun is called by the Egyptians Horus (as by theGreeks Apollo) and that, which prefiies over the air and ivind, is called byfome Ofiris, by others Sarapis, and by others Sotlii, in the Egyptian language.Now thefe facred names in Plutarch feem to be fevera! names of God ;and therefore, whether thefe Hermaick books of his were the fame withthofe in Clemens Alexandrimis, fuch as were fuppofcd by the Egyptians tohave been written by Hermes Trifmegifl himfelf, or other books writtenby Egyptian priefts, according to the tenor of this doctrine •, we may bythe way obferve, that, according to the Hermaical or Trifmegiftick dodrine,one and the fame Deity was worftiipped under feveral names and notions,according to its feveral powers and virtues, manikfted in the world •,whichis a thing afterwards more to be infifted on. Moreover, it hath been generallybelieved, that L. Apulcius Madaurevfis, an eminent Platonick philofopher,and zealous aflertor of paganifm, was the tranllator of the Afclepiandialogue of Hermes Trifmegift out of Greek into Latin •,whichtherefore hath been accordingly publiflied with Jpuleius his works. And Barthitisaffirms, that St. Juflm does fomewhere exprefly impute this verfionto Apuleiits •, but we confcfs we have not yet met with the place. Howevt-r,there feems to be no fufficient reafon, why Cchius fhould call this into qucflionfrom the ftyle and Latin. Again, it is certain, that Jamblichus dothnot only mention thefe Hermaick books, under the name of rx. pisi^tvxa-c 'Eoju?, the books that are carried up and do^^n as Hcrmes'.t, or vulgarlyimputed to him ; but alfo vindicate them from the imputation of impofture.Not as if there were any fufpicion at all of that, which Cafaubon is fo confidentof, that thefe Hermaick books wire all forged by Chriftians ; but becaufefome might then pofTibly imagine them to have been counterfeited byphilofophers •, wherefore it will be convenient here to fet down the wholepaflage of Jamblichus ' concerning it, as it is in the Greek MS, Smy.cur.^i-j.4i Sea. VIII. Cap. IV. p. iCo. Edit. Gale.TWi/