was Scarcity of Prey, with Intent to devour the Flesh of Lambs and young Kids, flies towards the Springs of GANGES, (m) or HYDASPES, (n) (which are Rivers of INDIA) but in his Way lights on the barren Plains of SERICANA, (0) where the CHINESE (p) drive third Part of Afia. The Romans called it Scythia, i. e. Wrathful and furious; or Teut. Schieten, i. e. Shooting; because the Scythians were excellent Shooters, or Marks-men. The Perfians and Chinese call it Tataria and Tata, i. e. Invaders and Robbers, from Tatar, the eldest Son of Alanza-Chan, who was their Founder. The Tatars became better known in Europe about A. D. 1168, when they fubdued Part of Moscovy, and became Mafters of China; tho' it is not thoroughly known to this Day. The Epithet Roving is very proper; because they wander about in Companies, in Tents, feeding their Cattle, without any fixed Houses, or Habitations. See, the Genealogical Hiftory of the Tatars, tranflated from the Tatar Manufcript, A. D. 1730. (m) Ganges; Ind. i. e. The River, or from a King of that Name. A famous River of India, larger than any in Europe, except the Volga and Danube, especially when it overflows; but noted for the Goodness and Lightness of its Water. The Indians fay, it fanctifies them when they drink or wafh themfelves in it. Four or Five Hundred Thousand of them are seen about it, throwing Money into it, . which they think may be useful to them when dead. The Great Mogul and all others drink the Waters of it; for it is carried far and near, and fold at a dear Price, because they foolifhly fanfy that it fprings from Paradife. It rifes on Mount 1mays in Tatary, divides the whole Empire into two Parts. after a Courfe of 300 German Miles, or 1300 English, difcharges itself into the Bay of Bengal in five chief Mouths. In fame Places it is five Leagues over: There are many large Iflands in it befet with fine Trees, which give a delightful Profpect. It overflows at the ufual Time of the Year, as the Nile, Niger, Euphrates, &c. from the fame Caufe. Now Ganga, by the Inhabitants there. (n) Hydafpes; Ind. from a King of that Name. Another famous River of India, which runs by Nyfa, Labor, and other great Cities, into the Indian O cean. (0) Sericana; Arab. i. e. The Country of Seres; the Pofterity of Joktan, who from Arabia Falix peopled that Part of India, between Indus and Hydafpes, near to China, now called Cathay; Tat. i. e. A great Eaftern Country. Thofe antient People were the Inventors and firftWorkers of Silk, from whence it is called Sericum. This and China was (p) drive their light cany Waggons with Wind and Sails: So the Fiend walk'd up and down, alone, upon this new Region, bent on his Prey; alone indeed, for in the Place where he now was, no other Creature might be found, living or dead; none as yet, but afterwards like airy Vapours flew up from the Earth great Store of all tranfitory and vain Things, when SIN had fill'd the Works of MEN with Vanity, and not only all vain Things, but all who in vain Things built their fond Hopes of Glory, or lafting Fame, or their Happinefs, either in this or the other Life; all who have their Reward upon Earth, who go about only feeking to gain the praise of MEN, the Fruits of painful Superftition and blind Zeal; fuch find here a fit Retribution, as empty as their own Deeds: All the unfinish'd Works was called the Silken Kingdom; for in one Province of China (as Le Comte fays) there feems to be Silk fufficient for all the World. See Pag. 138. † OBS. Silk was known in Europe first in Jufinian's Time, about the Middle of the 5th Century, by two Monks, who came from India. (p) Chinefe; The People of China. The antient Hebrews called it Sin; the Moderns, Zin; the Arabs, Effin; the Perfians and Tatars, Ischin; and the Europeans, Sinarum Regio, and China, from the Sine, from one of its antient Monarchs, Cina or Chine; or from Chung; i. e. The Kingdom of the Middle: Because the Chinese think it lies in the Middle of the Earth: Or, an Excellent Country: Or, from Sem, whofe Pofterity they are. China is a moft antient and large Empire in the Eaft of Afia: It was founded foon after the Flood, and go verned by its own Emperors above 4000 Years, till the Tatars expell'd the laft Emperor, called Factius or Fachir; A. D. 1278, and was not known to the Europeans till the 12th Century. It is about 1380 Miles in Length, 1260 Miles in Breadth, and confifts of 16 Provinces, moft of which are as large, as any Kingdom in Europe. The People, for their Numbers, Learning, Laws, Customs, &c. differ from all others, because they had no Converfation with any. They are verycunning,conceited, induftrious, almost allPagans and Grand Cheats. The Chinese have above 60,000 Letters, yet not above 300 Words, and write from the Top to the Bottom of the Page. Their Country is fa plain, that in many Places of it, they drive Waggons made of a Sort of Cane, with Sails and Winds. Works of Nature, all that are abortive, monftrous, or not mix'd according to Kind, being diffolv'd upon Earth fly hither, and wander vainly here 'till final Diffolution; not in the neighbouring Moon, as ARIOSTO and fome others have dream'd, (that bright Planet may more likely be fuppos'd to be inhabited by tranflated Saints, or Spirits of a middle Nature, betwixt the angelical and human Kind) hither, to this Limbo of VANITY, came first those Giants, who were born when the Sons of GOD join'd themselves ill to the Daughters of those who were not of GoD: The next who came were the Builders of BABEL upon the Plain of SHINAR, (q) who still had they wherewithal would build new BABELS: Others came fingle, EMPEDOCLES, (r) who, that he might be thought a God, fondly leap'd into the Flames of the burning Mount ETNA; and CLEOMBROTUS, (s) who leap'd into the Sea, (q) Shinar; Heb. i. e. Scattering: Because the People were scattered over all the Earth: Or, ftriking out of a Tooth, from the Confufion of Languages, Gen. 10. 10. A Part of Chaldea, where Nimrod built his Tower. For Countries were called from the Captains of thofe that firft fettled in them: But this is fo called, to keep up the Memory of that fad Accident to future Ages. (r) Empedocles; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Stable in Glory: A vain-glorious Philofopher, Hiftorian and Poet; and Difciple of Pythagoras; born at Agrigentum in Sicily, the Son of Meon, who once refufed a Kingdom. He flourished in the 84th Olympiad, A. M. 3558, and before Jefus Chrift 486. He . wrote a Book of Natural Philo fophy in Heroic Verfe, and is fuppofed to be the first that had any Knowledge of Rhetoric. To be honour'd as a God after Death, he ftole from his Company by Night, and threw himfelf into the Mouth of Mount Etna, as if he had been tranflated into Heaven: But the Flames threw up his Brazen Sandals, and foon betray'd his Ambition. See Horat. de Arte Poet. But others fay, that he fell into the Sea, and was drowned. (s) Cleombrotus; Lat. Gr. i. e. The Glory of Mortals. A foolish young Greek of Ambracia, a City of Epirus, who was fo inuch taken with Plato's Book of the Immortality of the Soul, that he leaped headlong from a Wall Sea, to enjoy the Elyfium of PLATO; (t) and many more too tedious to mention; Embrio's, Idiots, and Hermits; (u) Fryars, white, black, and grey, with all their foolish Trumpery: Hither PILGRIMS (x) Foam, that have wander'd fo far, to feek him dead in GOLGO Wall into the Sea, the fooner to be a Partaker of the Blifs in Elyfum. Cicero. Two of that Name were Kings of Sparta, long before this Man.. (t) Plato; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Broad: Because he was hunch-back'd and broad in his Forehead. His firft Name was Ariftocles, Gr. i.e. The beft Glory; for the Name of his Grandfather; but he retained the latter. A famous Philofopher, born at Athens in the firft Year of the 88th Olympiad, A. M. 3576, before Jefus Chrift 482, and died in the first Year of the 88th OLympiad, before Jefus Chrift 348, Aged 81, and upon the fame Day he was born Being an Infant, and fleeping one Day under a Myrtle Tree, a Swarm of Bees fettled upon his Lips, which was taken for an Omen, that he fhould be very Eloquent, which happened to be true; and therefore he was called the Athenian Bee, for the Sweetness of his Style. By his Travels into Egypt, Chaldea, India, and reading the Books of Mofes and the Prophets,he attained greatKnowledge of God, Religion, and Nature; therefore he is called the Divine Plata. He was Scholar to Socrates, Euclid, and the beft Masters of the Age. He was a notable Rhetorician, Chief of the Academics, and produced many eminent Scholars: Nay, the Primitive Chriftians embraced his System of Philofophy, as far nearer to the Holy Scriptures, than that of the Epicureans, Stoics and Peripatetics. He has left many Books, which are written in the Form of Dialouges, except only his Epiftles. Quintilian says,that he seems not to speak the Languge of Men, but of the Gods. (u) Hermites; Gr. i. e. Dwellers in the Wilderness. At first, Holy Men for the Sake of Chrift and their Lives, in hot Perfecu.. tions, hid themselves in Defarts, Dens and Caves; and gave themfelves wholly to Fafting, Prayer, and great Aufterities. Paul the Theban, about A. D. 260, lived about 100 Years in a Cave: Anthony inftituted the Heremitical Life in Egypt, and died 4. D. 361. But the Church of Rome hath made many Innovations therein fince. (x) Pilgrims; Fr. from the Lat. i. e. Strangers; Men that travelled thro' foreignCountries, to pay their Devotions to Saints departed, Shrines, Relicks. The Chriftian Pilgrims went to Jerufalem, Rome, St. Iago, &c. and the Turkish to Mecca in Arabia, every Year in folemn Proceffions, to vifit the Tomb of Mubummed. GOLGOTHA, (y) who lives in Heaven; and they, who to be certain of going to PARADISE, put on the Weeds of Saint DOMINIC (x) when they are dying, or think to flip in, difguis'd in the Habit of Saint FRANCIS: (a) They pafs the feven Planets, (b) and the fix'd Stars, and all that is talk'd of, of Christaline Spheres and Primum Mobile: And now Saint PETER at the Entrance of Heaven feems to wait for them with his Keys, and now they lift their Feet as at the Afcent of Heaven, when a violent crofs Wind from either Coast, blows them tranfverfe through the pathlefs Air, ten Thousand Leagues awry: Then Cowles, Hoods, and Habits, with their Wearers, are flutter'd into Rags: Then Reliques, (c) Beads, (d) Indulgencies, (y) Golgotha; Heb. Syr. i. e. A Scull: Because of the Sculls and other Bones of Criminals executed there. The Place where Chrift was crucify'd on Mount Moriah, upon the North Side of Jerufalem, Mat. 27. 34. It was the fame Spot whereon Ifaac was to be offered 2000 Years before, and was a lively Type of this. (x) Dominic; Sp. Ital. Fr. Lat. i. e. The Lord. Dominicus, a Spaniard, was the Author of that Order, call'd Dominican Friars, inftituted A. D. 1205. The Inquifitors are of this Order. Some ignorant Creatures put upon dying Persons a Prieft's Robe of these Orders, to carry them fafe through Purgatory. (a) St. Francis was an Italian Merchant, first call'd John, who inftituted the Order of Francifcan Friars, A. D. 1192. (b) Planets; Lat. Gr. i. e. Wandering Stars; because of their various Motions. An A ftron. T. They are feven in Number, viz. Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, and and the Moon. (c) Reliques, or Relicks, Fr. Ital. Sp. Lat. i. e. Remains or Fragments of the Bodies and Cloths of Saints, preferved by Roman Catholicks, with great Veneration, viz. A Finger, a Toe, a Tooth, a Girdle, &c. and all worshipped by them. (d) Beads; Teut. Sax. Dut. i. e. Prayers, round Balls made of Amber, Wax, Woods, Glass, Silver, Gold, commonly of 15 Tens, &c. which the Romanifts count at Prayers, by reckoning of which they know how often they have repeated their Paternofter, Ave-mary, Credo, &c. as they are enjoined by their Priests, even in the Streets and at Work: like the old Pharifees, Turks, and Hypocrites. The Heathens of Malabar ufe Beads made of the Bark of Trees, as powerful Antidotes against Satan, Sin and Danger |