'Out of Cudworth' (early 1680s)

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Out of Cudworth

Democritus, as Laertius relates, was a great emulator of y^e Pythagoreans & seemed to to {sic} have taken all his Philosophy from them, & held w^th Leucippus that y^e Ear y^e earth was carried about y^e Sun in a Vortex p 13.

The Pythagorick monads were atoms. ib.

Posidonius, an ancient & learned Philosopher, did (as both Strabo & Empiricus tell us) avouch it for an old tradition, that y^e first inventor of atomical Philosophy was one Moschus a Phœnician, who as Strabo notes, lived before {y^e Trojan} war. Perhaps this Moschus was yⁿ that Mochus a Phœnician Phu|y|siologer {in Iamblichus} w^th whose successors Priests & Prophets he a'ffirms {sic} y^t Pythagoras sometimes {sojourning at Sidon} (his native city) had converst. p. 12.

Echphantus, Empedocles Pythagoreans & atomist{s} p 14, 15 Zenocrates {Heraclides} Ascl{epiades} Diodorus & Metrodorus c|C|hius atomists p 16, 17. The generality of Physiologers before {illeg} p{illeg} atomists holding all sense to be touch, resolving all sensible qualities {in}to figures & that there was no black & white w^thout sight nor bitter & sweet w^thout tast{e} p 9, 17

Thales \a Phœnician by extraction/ affirms y^t God made all things out of water. He was a Phœnician by ex{traction} & seems to have had \thence/ his two principles of water & {divine} spirit moving upon it. {Sanchu} niathon puts a turbid dark chaos & a spir{it} {was affected} w^th love towards its own princ{iples. Zeno} (also a Phœnician originally) tells us y^t Hes{iod's Chaos was} water & y^t y^e material {illeg}as well as earth was made out of water {illeg} So y^e new made heaven & earth or {illeg} Moses calls water. The sp^t of G^d saith he {moved} upon y^e face of y^e waters.

Preexistence & transmigration of Souls p 23, 38.

Aristotle (Met. l. 1, c. 3.) tells us y^t the oldest Philosophers of all, they who first theolog{ised} made y^e Ocean & Thetys Tethys to have been y^e original of generation & for this cause y^e oath of y^e Gods is said to be by water (called by y^e Poets Styx) as being that from w^ch they all derived their original. So Homer makes {y^e} y^e Ocean to be y^e father {&} Thet Tethys y^e mother of all y^e Gods. {illeg} This Theology Arit{illeg}|o|phenes {sic} thus describes, as if at first there {was} nothing but Chaos. Then on this vast Abyss night spreading o're her black wings laid y^e first eggs: whence sprang love (y^e worlds prolifick source) w^th golden wint|g|s: w^ch fluttering o're dark Chaos gendered all y^e store of y^e {illeg} \y^e numerous store/ of Animals & Gods. p 120, 121. By night understand y^e invisible deity whome {illeg} the Egyptians call             & paint w^th an egg in his mouth & by Love y^e spirit w^ch moved on y^e face of y^e wath|t|ers. D^r Cut|d|worth therefore is much mistaken when he represents this Philosophy as Atheistical.

Thales said that all things were full of Gods (as Aristot. de An. l. 1. c. 8 wri{illeg}|t|es) p 124. Perhaps by Gods he meanes worlds {illeg}

Anaximander \his scholar/ held infinite worlds coexisting & successively generated & corrupted \(Euseb Præp l. 1 p. 15 Plutarch)/ p 128. Anaximander|ri| opinio est Nativos esse Deos longis intervallis Orientes Occidentes, 3{illeg}|o|s innumerabiles esse mundos (Cic. de Nat. Deor. l. 1.) p 129.

Anaxagoras decryed for an Atheist merely because he held y^e sun to be a globe of fire & y^e moon to be an earth, that is denyed them to be animated Gods. p 129.

Putabat Herodotus Hesiodum et Homerum annis ante se 400 circiter Theogonian in Græcia primos prædicasse p 211.

The love w^ch formed y^e world out of Chaos, the first principle in y^e univers, y^e active cause of things, the chiefest of Gods. p 212.

The world made out of preexistent material & immaterial substances. p 215, 216.

A good & an evil Principle, (y^e son of God & Satan) called by y^e Persians Oromasdes & Arimanius, by y^e Ægyptians Osiris & Typhon. Theodosius in Photius calls y^e Persian Arimanius, Sat{illeg}|a|nas. p. 222.

The millenium known to y^e Persian Magi. p 223.

Both Laertius & Diodorus represent it as y^e opinion of y^e ancient Egyptians y^t y^e world was generated or had a beginning, as also y^t y^e sun moon & other parts of y^e world were Gods. p 238.

The Mus Araneus being blind is said to be deified by y^e Ægyptians because they thought y^t dark{ness} was older then light (Plutarch. Sympos l. 4, Qu. 5) pag 248

Orpheus saith he will sing concerning Chaos how all things were \made/ out of it & concerning y^e much wise Love y^e oldest of all & self perfect w^ch actually produced them all separating one thing from another. p 249.

The Ægyptians represented all their Gods not standing upon land but in ships upon y^e water p 24{illeg}

Aristotle affirms that all before him did κοσμοποιεω, {illeg} that is all but a very few not worth naming p 250. The later Platonists & Chaldeans as well as Aristotelians held y^e world eternal p 251, 252. The former Chaldeans that it was made p 3{illeg}

The Pythagorick principles are y^e Orphick traditions. For what things Orpheus delivered mystica{lly} those {illeg} Pythagoras learned when he was initiated by Aglaophemus in y^e Orphick mysteries. <1v> Pythagoras himself affirming as much in his book called y^e Holy oration (w^ch yet perhaps not not {sic} Pythagoras's by|u|t writ by one of his scholars) p 296. Proclus upon y^e Timæus.

Pythagoras as we are informed by Porphyrius & Iamblichus, learned something from all these four, from y^e Ægyptians, y^e Persian Magi, y^e Chaldæans & Orpheus or his followers. And accordingly Syrianus wrot (MS. Coll. Caj. Cant. )|p|. 14) makes y^e Orphick & Pythagorick principles to be all one & y^e same.

It is Pythagorical to follow y^e Orphick genealogies. For from y^e Orphick tradition downwards by Pythagoras was y^e knowledge of y^e Gods derived to y^e Greeks (Proclus in Timæum p 289) Cudw. p 299.

Orpheus {illeg} y^e body a prison wherein y^e soul is kept till its debts or faults be {e}xpiated (Plato) p 299.

Orpheus his Cosmogomia p 300. Suidas in Orpheo. Timotheus apud Cedrenum et in {Eus}ebij Chron

Orpheus his Trinity ib. & p 547.

Pythagoras his Trinity p 547.

Simplicius a zealous contender for y^e worlds eternity makes Moses description of creation a tradition drawn from y^e Egyptian fables. p 313. Simpl. {illeg} in Aristot. Phys fol. 268 col 1.

Egyptians excelled {all} other mortals in wisdome p 311. Herodot.         1 Reg. 4. 30

The Chal{æan Cosmo}gomia 312.

The Indian Brahmans saith Strabo agreed w^th y^e Greeks in this y^t y^e world was made {& shall} {be} destroyed p 312.

The Ægyptians were y^e first authors assertors of y^e soud|ls| immortality & of its Transmigration after death. (Herod. Euterp.) p 313. In what sence they & y^e Pythagoreans asserted it p 313, 314. Viz^t that y^e soule was for offences banished & desended {sic} by way of punishment into these earthly bodies & some by way of further f|p|unishm^t {sank} lower into y^e bodies of Brutes, but vertuous & pious soules should after this life enjoy a state of happiness in celestial bodies.

That under y^e religious rites & theology of y^e Ægyptians, Persians, Syrians Indians & other nations was hidden a real learning & doctrine. p 314, 315

The Egyptians besides their sphinges had also Harpo{illeg}crates & Sigalions in their Temples w^ch were statues of young men pressing their lips w^th their finger. p 316 viz^t {illeg} viz^t {sic} to signify y^t y^e young schollars of y^e wise should first learn silence, as Pythagoras taught his schollars.

Chæremon & others acknowledg nothing before this visible & corporeal world ad|l|ledging for y^e countenance of their opinion {illeg} such of y^e Egyptians as talk of no other Gods but y^e Planets & those sta{l}|r|s y^t fill up y^e Zodiack or rise together w^th them, their Dæcanes & Horoscopes & robust Princes as they call them; whose names are also inserted into their Almanacks or Ephemerides together w^th the times of their risings & settings & y^e Prognosticks or significations of future events from them For he observed that those Egyptians who made y^e Sun y^e Demiurgus or Architec{illeg}|t| of y^e world, interpreted y^e Stories of Isis & Osiris & all those other religious fables into nothing but stars & Planets & y^e River Nile, & referred all things universally into natural or inanimate nothing into incorporeal & living substances. |Hæc| Porphyrius in epistola ad Anebo sacerdotem Ægyptium — apud Euseb. Pr. Eu. l. 3 c 4. To w^ch Iamblicus answers that these stars were y^e least part of y^e Hermetical institutions &c.|,| But that is y^e least part of those things he understood because &c p 317, 319.

A dispute between Theuth & Thamus King of Egypt concerning y^e convenience & inconvenience of letters mentioned by Plato p in his Phædus. Cudw. p 321. |This Thamus Plato saith reigned in Thebes. p 340.|

{illeg} The destruction of y^e world by fire & restauration thereof an Egyptian doctrine p 328.

Hermes acknowledged a δημιουργος λογὸς του πάντων δε σπότου set over this world as g{illeg}|over|nour, y^e son of y^e first being. p 330. Cyril. cont. Iul. {illeg} lib. 1 p 33.

The Egyptian Trinity p 413, 414, or rather p 353, 354

Saturn & Iupet {illeg} named together by Plato as y^e oldest of y^e Gods p 374.

The worship of y^e Gods being prescribed in y^e \Pythagorean/ golden verses, Laertius saith y^e Gods of Pythagoras were y^e Sun Moon & Stars. p 371.

Against Anaxagoras for holding y^e Sun to be fire & y^e Moon an earth Plato in his book of laws thus \lib 10 p 886./ complains. When you and I, saith he, endeaving {sic} by arguments to prove that there are Gods, speak of y^e Sun & Moon Stars & Earth as Gods & divine things, our young men presently being principled by these new Philosophers, will reply, that these are nothing but earth & stones w^ch therefore cannot mind nor take notice of any humane affairs. p 381.

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The harmony of y^e stars in moving according to number & measure p 396, 397. The supreme God (signified by Sol w^th his p|h|arp) being y^e Coryphæus or præcentor.

Socrates in his \own/ Apology, \as/ written by Plato acknowledges y^e Sun Moon & Stars for Gods. p 401

Plato's {illeg} Gods were most of them fiery yet he affirmed y^e earth to be y^e oldest of y^e Gods. In his book y^e {sic} Legibus \{illeg}/ he insists much upon y^e Godships of y^e Sun Moon & Stars. The protestations, saith he, & adorations that are used both by the Greeks & all Barbarians towards y^e rising & setting Sun & Moon (as well in their prosperities as adversities) declare them to be unquestionably esteemed Gods. De Leg. 10 p.       (Cudw p 403.

Plato's trinity. His third person Psyche y^e Sould|e| of y^e world. p 406, 407, 551.

It hath been delivered down to us (saith Aristotel) th|fr|om very ancient times that y^e Sta{rs} are Gods also, besides y^e supreme Deity w^ch conteins y^e whole nature. But all y^e things were added hereto for \fabulously/ added hereunto for y^e better per{suasion} of y^e multi{tude} As for example that these Gods are of humane form or {like to other} Animals {or} such other things as are consequent hereupon (Arist. Met. l. 14. c 8) Cudw p 417. So Aristotel took all y^e heathen Theology couched in fables, Allegories, & Hieroglyphicks devised only for promoting y^e worship of y^e Stars.

The Stoicks held that all y^e Gods \(except Iove)/ were generated & that they shall all be {destroy}ed by fire they supposing them to be meltable as if they were waxen {& leaden} things {p} 425, 426.

The heathens, sometimes \y^e Platonists/ made y^e \animated/ world or soule thereof, (called by them {Psyche}) so{metimes} y^e second God, omitting y^e {illeg} νοῦς or λογὸς & sometimes y^e third in their trinity of Gods F pag 462, 463, 465. For they conceived every Star & Planet to be animated & therefo{re} to be Gods & their divinity they placed in their anima's. And by Plato's Psyche they under{stood} the anima of y^e earth extending far & wide.

Plato in his Cratylus writes that |of| y^e first & most ancient in{habitants of Greece} That they seemed to him, like as other Barbarians at that time to have acknowledged no other Gods then such as were visible & sensible, as y^e Sun, & y^e Moon & the Earth & y^e Stars & y^e heaven, w^ch they perceiving to run round perpetually called them θεούς from θέω f|t|hat signifies to run: but that \wⁿ/ afterwards they to {sic} took notice of {other} invisible Gods also, they bestowed the same name of θεοι upon them likewise. p 45{5}

Some thought y^e soul of y^e sun y^e highest God, some y^e soul of y^e world or earth, some acknowledged an higher deity p 456.

The ancient Germans as Cæsar affirms, Deorum numero eos solos ducunt quos cernunt et quorum opibus {illeg} aperti juvantur, Solem, Lunam et Vulcanum. {illeg} Yet h{illeg}|e| is contradicted by Tacitus & others have recorded that they acknowledged a supreme God under y^e name of Thau first & then of Thautes & Theutates. See Sched. de Dijs Germanis. p 4{28} Cudw p 459

When Pythagoras makes numbers y^e essences | cause of all things, by numbers he means substantial Ideas. p 388 The Ideas of \Pythagoras/ Parmenides & Plato were Gods: viz^t y^e souls of y^e stars &c p 553.

All y^e heathen Philosophers except Democritus Leucippus & Epicurus & those who make attoms & Vacuum y^e sole princil|p|le of all things supposed y^e whole world to be a{re}|n| animal & governed by providence. And y^e soule of y^e world was by y^e Stoicks & some others taken for y^e highest Numen. p 462|1|, 462. \See p 499./ Some mady|e| y^e world or its soul y^e fir second God, some the third p 462, 463, 464, 465.

Pan y^e universal Numen plays upon y^e world as upon an instrument according to y^t of Orpheus, Αρμονίαν κόσμοιο κρέκων φιλοπαίγμονι μολπῇ. p 483.

All y^e Heathen Gods but one God in several appearances & respects. p 479 to

It was y^e opinion of y^e Iews that Idolatry began w^th worshipping y^e Stars p 465, 466, 467, 468.

Love y^e second God {illeg} \framer of y^e world/ called by Orpheus Phanes, by Pherecides Syrus Iupiter p 529

The Persians worshipped the elements but condemned all statues & Images & were against Gods in Temples p 538.

The Egyptians Philosophers f{illeg} said that y^e Poets feigned Saturn Iupiter Iuno Mars &c to be so many persons existing to y^e deception of their Auditors p 531

Go One God displaied & worshipped in y^e several parts of y^e world p 530, 538, 539.

All the Theology of y^e Greeks from Orpheus. p 547.

The T{illeg}|rin|ity of Orpheus Pythagoras & other Heathens p 547, 8, 9, 550

Platos Psyche or third principle \or God/ (by Aristotle's testimony) the {illeg} soul of y^e world sup{posed} \by Plato/ to be generated or created w^th y^e world p 552.

This whole corporeal world is made a god by the soule thereof. And y^e Sun is al{so} a God because animated; as likewise are all y^e Stars thereof Gods. [And a little after] <2v> That w^ch is to these Gods & Godesses the cause of their being Gods must needs itself be o|t|he elder God or Godess [viz^t y^e soul of y^e world] Plotinus p 483 apud Cudworth p 593. |So yⁿ y^e {sou}|thi|rd {illeg}|had| {illeg} y^e soule of y^e world or Earth w^ch they y^t supposed y^e earth in y^e centre supposed to be y^e {soul} cause of all y^e other soules &c.|

Plotinus made y^e souls of men of y^e same species w^th y^e soule of y^e world|,| p {illeg}. {sic} & therefore {in} like manner venerable. p 593.      Which doctrine was doubless {sic} y^e ground of y^e {heathen} dæmonology, as y^e doctrine of y^e soule of y^e Earth or world was of their trinity. For I do not find that they assigned any other soule to y^e earth yⁿ y^t of y^e world.

{Quæ vero} traduntur a senioribus et antiquis in fabulæ figura dimissa posterioribus {qu}od Dij {sunt hi} et quod ipsum divinum continet naturam totam. Reliqua verò fabulose jam {adducta} sunt ad persuasionem multorum et ad usum qui ad leges conferens. Conformes {enim hominibus hos} & {ali}orum animalium quibusdam similes dicunt et his his {sic} altera consequentia & dictis similia. A quibus siquis separans id existimans quod primum Deos existima{verunt} primas subs{tantias} esse: divine uti dictum esse putabis &c. Arist. Met l 14 c {illeg} ♄ Ægyptijs \{Copthitis}/ Repha {Bo}ch{illeg}og. p 67) Ciun (ib.     Minerva Neith.

♃ Ammon

♂ {illeg}lo {Copthitis} ({Psycho p 87}) Heron

{Homo duas habet animas quod} ipsa Mercurij sacra \scripta/ ostendunt) una est a primo intelligibili {participat etiam de potentia} opificis; altera vero nobis inditur ex circuitu cœlestium {mundorum ad quem} anima Deum speculatura revertitur. His positis, anima quæ nobis {advenit a mundis} mundorum quo obtemperat motibus: illa verò quæ ab intelligibili {illeg}blic de myst. Sect VIII cap. 6

{Iamblicus} Sec. 1 cap 17 & 19 & alibi docet Deos in cœlis conspicuos {illeg} \cum/ substantijs incorporeis {conn}ecti. Iulianus idem docet. Et Aristoteles de intelligentijs disserent|s|.

Per animam suam hic mundus Deus est; sed et sol Deus est quia animatus, et eadem de causa stellæ reliquæ sunt Dij. Plotinus p 483. Idem Plotinus (Eu. 5. l. 1 c. 2 animas humanas ejusdem esse speciei cum anima mundi et propterea similiter venerabiles esse dicit.

Othos et Ephialtes Neptuni Aloi et Hiphimedes Neptunis filiæ filij mira magnitudine dicuntur fuisse. Hi singulis mensibus novem digitis crescebant. Ita cum essent annorū novem, in cœlum ascendere sunt conati, qui aditum sibi ita faciebant. Montem enim Ossam super Pelion posuerunt &c Alij autem autores dicunt Neptuni et Hiphimedes filios fuisse Dianam comprimere frustra tentarunt. Hyginius Fab. 28.

Venus filia Iovis, Vulcanus Iunonis. Hyginus initio Fabularum.

(1{illeg}|4|9) Iupiter Epaphum filium suum ex Io pellice procreatum in Ægypto regnare jussit. Is oppidum primum Memphim & alia plura constituit et ex Cassiopæa uxore procreavit filiam Libymen a qua terra est appellata. |(\Fab/ 150).| Postquam Iuno vidit Epapho ex pellice nato tantam regni potestatem esse curat in vanatu ut Epaphus necaretur, Titanos hortatur Iovem ut regno pellant & Saturno restituant. Hi cum [in Gigantomachia] conarentur in cœlum ascendere, eos Iovis cum Minera {sic} et Apolline et Diana præcipites in Tartarum deiecit. Atlas|n|ti \autem qui/ dux eorum fuit cœli fornicem super humeros imposuit Hygin. fab. 149. 150.

Alcione Atlantis filia. {A}|H|ygin fab 157 Auta ut est apud Pausan in Bœot

Melite Busiridis filia Hygin fab 157.

Atlas ex Oceanitide \[i.e. ex Pleione Oceani filia]/ duodecim filias habuit, Hyades quin quarum nomina Phæsyla, Ambrosia, Co{illeg}|r|onis, Eudora, Polyxo et Pleiades septa|e|m. Earum nomina hæc sunt, Electra, Alcyone, Celæno, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta, & Maia ex quibus Electram negant apparere propter Dardanum amissum Trojam sibi ereptam. Hygin Fab 192.

Pan {l}|C|apricornus est. Hyg. Fab 196. Dij in Ægypto cum Typhonis imanitatem metuerent, Pan jussit eos ut in ferias f|b|estias se converterent quo facilius ejus|m| deciperent, quem Iovis fulmine postea fulmine interfecit. Pan deorum voluntate quod ejus {m}onitu vim Typhonis evitarant in astrorum numerum relatus; & quod se in capram eo tempore converterat, inde Ægocerus est dictus quem nos capricornum dicimus. Hyg. ib.

Orion cum Dianam violare voluit ab ea est interfectus Hygin. Fab. 195.

Venus ex ovo quod pisces ad ripam evolverunt et super quod columbæ considerunt {illeg} est. Hæc postea Dea Syria est appellata. Hygin Fab 197

Iovis in India Thebas (urbem centum portarum) condidit. Hygin. fab. 275.