body durft openly oppofe the Emperor's Will any longer : wherefore in the following Affembly of the States, they declar'd, that henceforth the Kingdom of Hungary thou'd be hereditary to the Houfe of Auftria, of the Imperial Branch; that for want of Heirs Male it should pass to the Daughters; and in defect of both, it fhould first belong to the Princes, and afterwards to the Princeffes of the Branch of Spain.

Quest. Why is the learning of the Tongues in fo little repute; and Perfons fo difficultly perfuad ed to it?

Anfw. By confeffing that the Knowledge of Words is nothing in it felf, we might eafily perfuade that without it we cannot come to know things; but whilft we fpeak as if we believ'd that to be acquainted with many Words, altho' it neither conduc'd to good Sente, nor help'd the Understanding, was an eftimable thing, few Perfons will be induc'd to ftudy the Languages. And this feems to be one of the chief Reafons why it is fo much neglected at prefent For 'tis very probable, twould be otherwife if thofe who apply themfelves to it, did not appear fo much to efteem this Knowledge for it felf, which 'tis very plain, ought only to be confider'd fo far as it may conduce to the understanding of things, and aflift us with the means to form the Mind, by helping us to converfe with all Na tions notwithflanding the dify

tance of time and place.

Queft. How came the Kings of England, to be fil'd Defenders of the Faith? And how long have they been call'd fo?

Anfw. King Henry VIII. writing a Book in Defence of the Romish Religion, against Martin Luther, had by Pope Leo X. the Title conferr'd upon him, of Defender of the Faith; which has been more juftly continu'd ever fince, they being the chief Maintainers of the Proteftant Religion.

Queft. Why were the Jews accustom'd to fast in the Month of Auguft, and after what manner did they perform it?

Anfw. They look'd upon the Creation of the World to be in September, and fo made it to be the beginning of their Year, and believ'd God would come to judge it about that time: Wherefore they fafted and pray'd divers Days toge. ther, baptizing themselves in Lakes and Rivers; they dipp'd themselves all over, thinking thereby to expiate their Sins; at which time they went to their Synagogues and ChurchYards, begging of God to pardon their Offences for the fake of the good Jews who were bury'd there; and it was likewife their Custom then to diftribute Alms very liberally.

Quest. I have had fome Curiofity to know the Opinions held by the Chinele, and the People of the feveral Parts of the Indies in respect to their Worship; and beg therefore fome general account of them?

Anfw. The Chinese are all Idolaters, excepting

wherefore fome were committed to the Earth, fome burn'd, some hang'd in the Air, and fome thrown into the Water. They believe one God made all things; that he rewards the Good, and punishes the Wicked; that every Man has a good and bad Spirit attending him; that after the World has ftood 8000 Years, it fhall be burn'd to Ashes, from whence fhall arise two Eggs, and out of them a Man and a Woman, who again fhall people the Earth. Their religious Orders are fo ftrict, that 'tis death to speak to a Woman: They feed only on Rice and Herbs, which they beg from Door to Door; have neither the Liberty to buy or fell, but always go bare-foot, and poor in babit: They are not permitted to nourish any Female whatever, and are fton'd if they drink Wine.

The People of Bengal, not only worship the River Ganges, but alfo pay Divine Honour to its Picture: Many go Pilgrims thither, and wash themfelves in it. And if any one can get fome of it to drink at his death, he thinks by virtue of it he shall obtain future Happiness. They adore a Well likewife that is among them, wherein by washing, and drinking of it, they purify themselves without and within. All are oblig'd to enter bare-foot into their Temples; the fick are brought and laid before their Idols, by whofe favour they hope to be reftor'd to their Health. They fometimes pray naked in the

Water, and do penance by lying flat on the Ground, kiffing the Earth, holding up their Hands to the Sun, and turning themselves round feveral times.

At Magor they are generally Pythagoreans, believing Tranimigration. They own one God, but have many foolish Fancies about him, believing he has appear'd on Earth in diverfe Forms, as that of a Fish, a Snail, a Hog, a Monfter resembling a Woman above and a Lion below; they adore feveral Idols, but efpecially one which represents a Woman with two Heads and many Hands. The King worfhips every Morning the Image of the Sun, and of Jefus Chrift. And thofe in the other Parts of the Indies hold much the fame Opinions with these already mention'd.

Queft. Is there any difference to be found in the Grammar of the modern Greeks? And in what sense have they taken the Word 'Ayan?

Anfw. Notwithstanding all the Revolutions which have oblig'd the Grecians of divers Countries to mix one with another, there is ftill fome difference to be observ'd among them: as for inftance, the Active Verb governs the Genitive Cafe, in the Language of thofe of Peloponnefus. Candia, Chio, of Zacynthus, and almost all the Isles of Greece; whereas it governs the Accusative Cafe, in the Attick Tongue, that of Thessaly, Macedonia, and Thrace: Tho' formerly, in the antient Attick Dialect, they oft

ner

ner join'd the Genitive Cafe to the Active Verbs, than in any other Dialect, as Simon Portius gives us an account. We find amongst the Significations that the modern Greeks have given to the Word 'Ayanos, that fo they call'd their particular Friends; as Falix IV. who took an Oath of Fidelity to Juftinian, whilft he was a Laick, was thereupon in a Greek Lift of the Popes call'd 'Ayano 18siars, The Well-beloved of Juftinian. They alfo call'd fuch Men Agapetes, or Beloved, as liv'd with Women, not in quality of Husbands, but only as Friends; and thofe Women were likewife diftinguifh'd by the fame name. This was the Custom in the time of Juftinian, as appears by his forbidding the Deaconeffes to permit any Perfons whatsoever to live with them, in the quality of Brothers, Coufins, Agapetes or Beloveds, as they were call'd; because these Names produc'd difadvantageous Sufpicions about their manner of living.

Queft. You have been often defir'd, and are again intreated to give fome account of the Original of Samaria, from whence it had its Name, whereabouts it was fituate, by whom the Temple was built at Gerizim, who deftroy'd it, and what were the feveral Changes which happen'd to this Province in refpect to its Inhabitants and Governors? And if the Samaritans are not deceiv'd, in saying they have always dwelt near Gerizim?

Anfw. This Country lay between Judea, properly fo call'd, and Galilee. The Mountain upon which it was built be

long'd to a certain Man call'd Shemer, of whom Omri King of Ifrael bought it, and thereupon this City was call'd Samaria, 1 Kings 16, 24. Some of the Antients, who did not remember this Paffage, have believ'd that this Word came from Shamer, to keep, becaufe the King of Affyria, who had led the Inhabitants of that Country away captive, fent new Colonies thither to keep it. And the modern Samaritans alfo, who rejected the Hiftories of the Jews, maintain that they had their name from that Hebrew Word, to keep; because, they say, they faithfully kept the Law of Mofes. But 'tis no uncommon thing to fee Hiftories maintain'd from pretended Etymologies, fince we have inftances enough of it both from the Greeks and Latins; one of which we have from the Romans, who faid, that Latium had its name from Latere, to hide : upon which they have invented that Circumftance in the Fable of Saturn, of hiding himself in Italy, that he might not be taken by his Son.

This Town was the Capital of the Ten Tribes, till it was taken by Salmanefer after a Siege of three years; when 'tis probable 'twas intirely raz'd, from Micah 1. 6. altho' the Sacred Hiftory fays nothing of it. And 'tis very likely 'twas again rebuilt by the Cuthites, who erected a Temple at Gerizim, which was thrown down by Hyrcanus an hundred and eight years before our Saviour's time. Jofephus tells us, that this Prince fo utterly deftroy'd both Tem

ple

ple and City, that there remain'd no Marks that there had ever been any Town ftanding there. A long time after which, Gabinius Governour of Syria reestablish'd it, perhaps to keep Judea in awe, and gave it the name of Gabinia; which it kept till Herod's time, who having embellifh'd it, call'd it Sebaftea in honour of Auguftus. Yet for all this, a neighbouring Town call'd Neopolis, and at this time Napaloufe, was afterwards more celebrated, and pafs'd for the Capital of Samaria. And fome modern Authors have confounded Sebaftea and Napaloufe; but Cellarius fhows their mistake, by proving that this laft City is the fame with the antient Shechem, fituated at the foot of Mount Gerizim, mention'd in Judges 9.7. After the King of Syria had fubdu'd Samaria, he fent Men to inhabit there from Babylon, from Cuth, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim. We have no very good account wherea. bouts thefe four laft places were; but 'tis very probable,the Cuthites were either best known or most numerous, because the Jews have fince call'd the Samaritans by that name. Jofephus and fome Authors after him have affirm'd that Cuth was in Perfia; and Huet fays, that one part of Sufian, which the Greeks nam'd Ciffia, was fo call'd: but Scaliger thought the Cuthites were a People of Colchide, because there was a Town call'd Cuteus, the Inhabitants whereof had receiv'd Circumcifion, which Custom he believ'd was introduc'd by fome of the Ifraelites being carry'd thither;

altho' this Opinion is contrary to what has been receiv'd from Antiquity. The Scripture fays abfolutely that the Ifraelites were led captive into Affyria and Media. And altho' the chief Habitation of the Samaritans is at Napalouse, yet fome modern Relations affure us, that there are some of 'em at Grand Cair, Gaza, and other places. They are very ignorant of their own Antiquity, because they will not receive any Account from the Jews, and have none that is peculiar to themselves, which is any thing exact. They believe themfelves all defcended from the Tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi. They were firft fubjected to the Affyrians, then to the Babylonians, and afterwards to the Perfians; who fent them Governours, the last of which was Sanballat, who obtain'd a Permiffion of Darius to build a Temple upon the Mount of Gerizim, in favour of his Sonin-Law Manaffeh Brother to Jaddus the High-Prieft of the fews: and after Darius was overcome by Alexander, he paid homage to the last, and affifted him with Soldiers at the Siege of Tyre.

But he dying, was fucceeded by Andromachus; whom, according to Quintus Curtius, the Samaritans burnt alive, being enrag'd by his great Severity towards them. Jofephus, who omitted nothing that could add to the Glory of his Nation, fays, that Alexander would not grant the Samaritans that Exemption of the feventh year's Tribute, as he did to the Jews. The fame