Part I.

THALES.
Reign, that is to fay, Aggseus, Zachanas, and Malachy, who taas one of. the twelve, feeing that they Rrophefied in the firji year of the forty eight Olympiad,weremore ancient than Pythagoras,
IS f aid to have been in the fixty fecond Olympiad-, and then Thales eldeji of the Greek Sages, who was about the fiftieth Olympiad -, as if this were not rather an Argument to prove thefe Prophets contemporary with Thales, which Eufebius al¬ lows. About the time (faith he)^/ Cyrus King * Prxpaf. ofReiRd, the fevenwife Alen flouri/hed-, this was
Evangel. 10.4. Hebrew Prophets
Prophecied,finceTioj, above fix hundred years afterMo&s, no lejs than fifteen hundred years. But if with Clemens Alexandrinus we account thefe Prophets coastaneous with Darius Hiftafpes, they will appear much younger than Thales, for Darius began his Reign in the lalb year of the fixty fourth Olympiad.
CHAP. III. His Trcdbels.
d Laert.
E employed the firft and greateft part of his _ time in Travel j he went to Creet, to in¬ form himlelf of the Myfteries of their Religion, (for that Ifland was famous,for the Birth of Ju¬ piter) as is acknowledged by himfelf in an ' Epiftle to Pherecydes.
That he Travelled alfo into Afia is affirmed in the fameEpiftlesj fome fay into Phcenicia, argu¬ ing from his Aftrology which he is thought to have learned of the Phcenicians, Mafters ot that Science|,and particularly becaule he is faid to have firft obferved the conftellation of the Leffer Bear by which the Phcenidans failed. Vojfius, eflays to prove the word Cynofura to be Phoenician, not as derived from aej? but from DJ3 and *1''^ as being a Colledion of Light 5 or tyJlD Umbilicus igneus.
His laft Journey (being ' in years) was in to Mgypt, to confer (as he acknowledgeth in his Epiftle toPherecides) with Priefts and Aftro- nomers. There he was inftrufled by the Priefts at Memphis, particularly, faith (faith ^ Jamli cus) by thole of Jupiter. Laertim affirms he learnt Geometry of them ^ Plutarch implies as much of his Philofophy.
He was there in the Reign of Amafis, by sy mp. fcpt.fap. much favoured and admired for many things,
efpeciallyfor meafuring the height of the Pyramids by the Jhadow ■, until at laft accufed to him of dif affeUion to Monarchs and that hand of Govern¬ ment, to lohich effehi many bitter fayings of his were alledge d corner ningTyr ants. AswhenypA- pagotas an eminent Pprfon of Ionia demanded what was the ft range ft fight he ever' f aw, he anfwe'red, a Tyrant old. Another time be¬ ing at a feaft where a queftion arofe, what Beafts were moft dangerous ~ of Wild, faith he, a Tyrant, of Tame, a flatterer •, and Princes (faith Plu¬ tarch) however they profefs themf elves far diffe¬ rent from Tyrants, yet take no pie afire in J'uch Apothegms ; Hereupon he loft the favour of A- mafis. Thus having Studied Philofophy in JT.- gypt, he returned to Aiiletus, and ' ■ Tranfpor- ted that vaft Stock of Learning which he had there gollefted, into his own Country.
h Dt Scien. Mathmat. cap. 3 2.
c Pint, de ylac. phil. 1
* Vtt. Pythag.