Pseudodoxia epidemica, or, Enquiries into very many received tenents, and commonly presumed truths / By Thomas Brown Dr. of Physick.

  • Browne, Thomas, Sir, 1605-1682.
Date:
1658
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pseudodoxia epidemica, or, Enquiries into very many received tenents, and commonly presumed truths / By Thomas Brown Dr. of Physick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    62/572 (page 38)
    a mokeu Sea of ten Cubits, from brim to brim round in compar¬ and five Cubits the height thereof, and a line of thirty Cubits did compafs it round about. Now in this ddcription, the circumfe¬ rence is-made juft treble unto the Diameter: that is, as io. to 30.0x7. to 21. But Archimedes- demonftrates, that the proportion l« his O dd c‘ie Diameter, unto the circumference, is as 7. unto aim.oft 22, raerria. which will occalion a fenfible difference, that is almoft a Cubit. Now if herein I adhere unto Archimedes who fpeaketh exactly, ra¬ ther then the facred Text which fpeaketh largely;! hope I ihall not offend Divinity : I anvfure I Audi have reafon and experience of every circle to fupport me. Thus Moral Writers, Rhetoricians and Orators make life offe- verall relations which will not conlift with verity. Arifiotie in his Ethicks takes up the conceit of the Beveri, and the divuh'ion of his Tefticles. The tradition of the Bear, the Viper, and divers others are frequent amongft Orators. All which although unto the il¬ literate and undifeerning hearers mayfeenia confirmation of their reaftcies; yet is this no reafonable eftablifhment unto others, who will not depend hereon otherwife then common Apologues: which being of inipollibie faliities, do notwithftanding include wholfome moralities, and fuch as expiate the trefpafs of their abfurdities. The Hieroglyphical do&rine of the -Egyptians (which in their four hundred years cohabitation fome conjecture they learned from the Hebrews) hath much advanced many popular conceits. For ufing an Alphabet of things, and not of words, though ftie im¬ age and pictures thereof, they endeavoured to fpeak'.ifheiVhidden conceit, in the letters and language of nature. Iii pfirfiiit whereof, although in many things, they exceeded not their true and real apprehenfions; yet in fome other they either framing- the ftory^ or taking up the tradition, conduceable unto their attentions, obli¬ quely, confirmed many faliities ; which as autheutick and conceded truths did after pafs unto the Greeks; from them unto other Na- tions, are .(till retained by fymbolical Writers, Tmbleniarifts, He¬ 's raldes, and others. Whereof fome are ftri&Iy nutntained for truths, asv natuarally making igood their artificial representations; others - & . i/.: fymbollically intended, are literally received, and fwal lowed in the rirft fenle,without all guft of the fecond. Whereby we pervert the profound and myllerious knowledge of /Egypt; containing the Arcana’s of Greek Antiquities ; the Key of many obfcirrities^and ancient learning'cxtanr. Famous herein in former am-’s were Hera- ifciiS} CheremoHyEpiuf, efpeciallyOrus Apollo Whacus ; who lived in the reign of Thecdofiuf, and in /Egyptian language left two books of Hieroglyphicks ; tranflated into Greek by Philippus, and a large collection ot all made after by Pierius, But no man is likely to pro- foi nd the ocean of that Doftrine,beyond that eminent example of induftrious Learning,Kirckerm. ' fa, uters t ■ cm, • I ’