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Show =The JecondBooke of the first part rs Cu 17.6 .5, §. VI. of Hermes Trifmegiftne. n, Mercuri € Vt of allother whichthis age brought forth among the Heathe Trifine, was the moft famous,and renowned the fame which was alfo called Ar s. ye gifts, or Ter Maximus; and ofthe Greekes, Herme Manythere were ofthis name;and howto diftingvith,and fer them in theit SEAS) s S, Augufline & Lactantins finde it difficult, For that Atercury whichwa oth owne times,b andi Sea-men, and ts, Merchan of rs, Wreltle Godof the es, eltcemed the God ofThecu the famewithshat the God.of Eloquence (thonghallby one name cohfounded) was not aout nt. nowexta are ments omefrag workesf many whole of , Mertury ue Me. reckonf Greekes the of aine andcert , Arasbins Cicero, Clemens Alexandrinus, curies. OF which, two werc famousin Egypt, and there worfhipped 5 one, the fonneof their oT: arene Nilus, whofe namethe Egyptians feared to viter;as the lewes did s faidto haue the other,that Mercury,whichflew Argus in Greece, and flying into Egypt,i DiodorusatBut Lawes. em giuenth tohaue and ns, Egyptia the to e literatur d deliuere ont Lod-Vines - ae , firmeth, that Orphems,and othersafter him,broughtlearning and letters out of Egyptin- out by a oe "taGreece: whichPlateallo confirmeth, fay ing; Thavletters werenot found whom? "f Mercury which flew. Argus, but bythar ancient Mercury, otherwile Thenets Byblius writeth Taaatussthe Egyptians T)hoythsthe Alexandrians Thot; & theGreckests e warof Troy gins Enftb.lx,c6. before)Hermes. Anditathis Taautus,Sanconiatho,who liued aboutth which were bothE: es, Aercuri two making fime S.-4agu/ Bat . fletters inuentiono t the de Piap-Ena gyptians, calles neitherofthem thefon of Nilus;noracknowledgeth either of teal hauflaine-4rgus,, Forhefindesthis Mercury the flayer of .Argus,to be the grand-chi of that Atlas, whichlined while, 24a/es was yetyoung. Andyct L. Vines yponS.4Hgafline {eemesto vaderftand them to be the fame with thofe,whom Cicero, Alexanariim andthe refthaueremembred. But that conie@ture oftheirs, that any Grecian Mert) broughtletters into Egypr, hath noground. Foritis manifeft,(if there be any ruth 4, prophaneantiquiticthatall the knowledge which the Greekes had,was tranfported a ofEgypt or Phoenicia,& notout ofGreece,nor by any Grecian into Egyprtor they confels,that Cadmus broughtletters firlt into Beeotia,cither our of Egy pt,or out ofPhot nicia : it being true, that betweene Afercuréus,that liued at once with Mofes,and cen there were thefe defcents calt; Crotopus King ofthe Argiues,with whom Mofes ined,30 in. whofe time abourhis tenth yeere A40/es died ; after Crotopus,,. Sthenelus ,whoxtign' eleucn yeeres; after him Danaus fifty yeeres.; afternhimLinceus: in whofe time,and afte Hiniin the time of Adizos King of Crete, this Cadmusarriued in Boeotia. And therefor itcannot bee true that any Adercurius about Adofes his time, flying out of Greecefort flaughter of -4gus, brought literatuse out ofGreece into Egypt. Neither did either thofe two Mercuries of Egypt, whom Saint Augu/line remembreth,the one the gra father,the other the Nepheworgrand-child,come out of Gréece. Enpolemusand Arby ‘ wus note, that A4o/cs found out Lezters and tanglit the vie of themto the lewess ofae the Phoenicians thcieneighbors received them;& the Greeks of the Phoenicians by" ms, But thisinuention wasal(oafcribed to Ao/es,for the reafon before yemembre 1s, becaufe the lewes\&the Rheenicians had chem firtt from him; For euery Natio" oi ynto rhofe men the hoaour of firlt Inuentors,from whomthey teceiued the prom " 72u5S makes thar Adercury, Vpon parrof whofe! workes, hee Comimenteth; to haue4 ih Virgls,de- fouredefcentsafter Ago/es; which hehath outof,Virgil, whocalles Atdasgthat line ue mes Mofes the marernall grand -father of the firkt famous Afercury; whomotherss4 ho r4s,call the Counfailer and Inftruéter of tharrenowned /fis; wife of Ofir#. Bat Fi FicininPre~ Giucth.no rcafonfor his opinion herein. Burtharthe elderztercary intruded J's" : aemendes dorus Siculus affirmeth,and thar fuchian iafcription:was foynd.on:a pillar exette ‘hel weet. Lombeof Us. Lod. vines vponthe fixe and twentieth Chapter ofthe eight Boe xsoa Saint -dugufline, de Cinitate Deisconceiucth, thatthis A4eroany; whofe workes rd i Eufeb,de prap. Mee not the firwhich wasenticuled Ter maximusbut his Nephew or exand-¢ x * Euanzlice, *oniatoz,an ancient Phoenician wholived fhortly.after azofeshath otherfancie> Mercury;atfirming that he wasthe SeribeofSatwrnesand called by the Phiosviciar® pels #055 andby the Egyptians Thoot, or Theyt. It may be, thatthe many yeer<s which Cuar.6i§.6. oftheHiffory ofthe World. faid to haue liuedy to.wit, three hundred yeeres, gaueoccafion to fome Writers to finde ,Vines him in onetime, and to others in' other times. But! by thofe who haue collected the in groundsofithe Egyptian Philofophie and Diuinitie;: he is found more ancient than A70-¢ fess becaufertlienlnuentot of the Egyptian wifedome; wherein it is faid, thar Afofes was excellently learned. Iristtues thar-although ‘this A4ercurie orHermes doth in his Dininitie differ in many particulars frommthe Scriptures, e{pecially inthe approuing of Images, which Atofes of all things moft detefted : yet whofoener fhall reade him with an euen indgement,willrather refolucythat thefe workes: which are nowextant, were by the Greekesatd Egyptian 16 Priefts corrupreds and thofefooleries inferted, than thateuer they wereby the hand of Hermes wiisten, ov by hisheart andfpiric denied. For there is noman of vnderftanding, and mafterof hiisowne wits, that hatlraffirmedin onc andthe famie Tra@, thofe things which aredireG@lycontrary in.doctrine; and in nature.: For out of doubt (Adofes excepted) there was acucr any man of thofe elder times that hath attributed more, and ina ftilemore reucrend anddiuine,vnto Almighty God, than he hath done. Andtherefore ifthofe his two Treatifes, now among vs; the one converted by _4ouleiws, thé other by that learned Fécizus , had beene foundin all thingslikethemfelues: I thinke ir had nor beene perillous tohauc thought with Expolemus, thatthis Hermes was AMofes him{elfe; and thatthe Egyptian Theolozie hereafter written, was deuifed by the firft, and morean- "4" 20 sient: Afencurzewhichotaets hauc thought to haue been Jofeph, the fon of dacoh : whom after the¢xpofition oftP/arazohs.dreames, theycalled Saphametphane, whichis as much to fay, as:ab/oonditorum repertor 3.4finder ont ofhidden things. But thefe are ouct-ventu- Tous Opinions Hor whatuaisiman was;itis knownto God.Enuy andagedtimehath parrly defacedsarid:partly, wore Outithe certaine knowledge of him : of whom,whofoever he were, 4 @aptivs writeth in this forts: Hic feripfit libros; quidem miultos, adcognitio> L.1-c.6.fol Hern didinarum rerum pertineates, in-guibus. Mazeftatem{ummiac fingularss Dei afferit ofdemque nobpinibusaphellat, guibusnos, Denna ce Ratrem 3 Hee hath written manybookes Lclonvingrtozon exprefsing the knowledge ofdinine things}:in which heaffirwieththe Maiefly of themoft Highand one God, calling himby thefame names of God and Father , whichwee 3640. Thei{anre: Father alfo feareth not to number <himvamongthe sybils and Propiets. Andifo contraryare theleihis.acknowledgementsto thofe Idolatrousfictions of the Ea Oyptiass andGracians, astormy f{elfeLamperfwaded 5 thar wharfoeuer is found in: him contrary.-chereunto ,: was, by: corruprion-inierted., Forthus muchhimfelfe confefleth: Deus ampinn Dominus;hater, fous O-vita, poteetic Grlax;c> mens, C[piritus roms MAM U0,fab splofunt.. Verbum enimex eiuseff@prodiens , perfectifsinum exiflen3, cs Reueratareropifex,oe. God(faith hetheLord and Father ofallthings, the fountaine, and life, and power; and ‘ght: ava minde, andfpirit: andallthings aretn himand vader hini For his wordout ofhingfelfe proceeding, moftperfec?, and-gereratine, and operatine, falling upon, fruitful nature, madeitallo fruitfull and producing. And hee wastherefore (faith 40 Sayds) called, Ter maximnens} quiade Frinitate loquutus eft :in Trinitatevaum ee Deana Uferensi\ Betaufe heefoahe ofthe Trinity, affirming that there is one Godvin Trinity, Hit ruinam( faith Ricinus) prenidit prifce, Religionix, hicortumnone fideis hic aduentum Chriftt, ; hic, futurans-indicinm, nefarreclionémfecult, beatorumgloriam, fupplicia peccatorums This In PrefMere, Metcurie-forelaw theraine ofthe old or fuperflitions Relizion, andthe birth ofthe newfuith, Te and of theconmuing of Ghrifhithe future tudgement, the rofurrection, theglory of the Bléffed, and the torment or affiition of the wicked or damned. ie Tothis [will onely addehistwolaftfpeecties reported by Calcidius the Platonift, and by Kolteran ourokSuylas, .Hactenusfili pulfus patria; wixiperegrinus G exul, nunc inca sumesrepeto: .cumgspoft paidam 2 riobiscoxporeis vinculis ab/olutus difceffero, videt ore we me 5° guaft mortunen lug ¢atu's, Nam adillam optimam beatamg;Cinitatem regredior, adquam Ont merficines meprtes conditione wenturifunt, [bi nang;folus Deusefffumuiss Princeps :quiciwes Jaes repletfuauitate mézifica', adquamhac, quam multi vitam exiflimant mors efpotivs din cenie guamvitas Hitherto, \O Sonne being drinenfrom my Country , 1 bawe lived a frangen aad banifbed man > bit govet.am repaired bome-ward againe infefty. And mber 1{ballatten afemdayes (or ina {hare time) by being leofedfrom thefe bondsof fie: andbloua depart from 764,fcethat you doc.uot bewsile me asaman dead, for I doebut returneto thar bet anudbleffed Citgo which all her Citizens by the condition ofdeath)hall repaire. Therein is the onty God, the myft bigh and chhefe Princes whofilletb orfeeder h his Citizens with oectnef[e more than Dd 3 maruclloss |