related, with any tolerable degree of probability, concerning the Chaldean philosophy, may be comprized within a small compass. The Chaldean philofophers were the priests of the Babylonian nation, who instructed the people in the principles of religion, interpreted its laws, and conducted its ceremonies. They sustained the fame character with the Perfian Magi, afterwards to be noticed, and are often confounded with them by the Greek hiftorians. Like the priests in most other antient nations, they employed religion in fubferviency to the ruling powers, and made ufe of imposture to ferve the purposes of civil policy. This is confirmed by the general teftimony of antient history, and by the exprefs authority of the hiftorian Diodorus Siculus, who relates, that they pretended to predict future events by divination, to explain prodigies, and interpret dreams, and to avert evils, or confer benefits, by means of augury and incantations. They retained, for many ages, a principal place among diviners. In the reign of Marcus Antoninus, when the emperor and his army, who were perishing with thirst, were fuddenly relieved by a fhower, the prodigy was afcribed to the power and skill of the Chaldean foothfayers. No wonder that, as long as these Chaldean priests could perform fuch marvels, they retained their confequence in the courts of princes. The principal inftrument, which thefe impoftors employed in support of superstition, was aftrology. The Chaldeans were probably the first people who made regular obfervations upon the heavenly bodies. This kind of knowledge was in fuch high estimation among them, that a distinct order of men was appointed for this purpose, and supported at the public expence; whence the appellation of Chaldean afterwards became fynonimous with that of astroBut all their obfervations were applied to the fingle purpose of establishing the credit of judicial aftrology; and they employed their pretended skill in this art, in calculating nativities, foretelling nomer. L. ii. p. 81. Compare Dan. ii. 1, &c. Ecclus. xliv. 3. Vid. Juft. Mart. Cohort. ad Gent. p. 12. Lamprid. in Heliogab. c. 9. Claudian. in vi. Conful. Honor. Arrian. Exp. 1. vii, c. 16. the weather, predicting good and bad fortune, and other practices ufual with impoftors of this clafs. Teaching the vulgar that all human affairs are influenced by the ftars, and profeffing to be acquainted with the nature and laws of this influence, and confequently to pofsess a power of prying into futurity, they encouraged much idle fuperftition, and many fraudulent practices. Hence other profeffors of thefe mifchievous arts were afterwards called Chaldeans, and the arts themselves were called Babylonian arts. Among the Romans, these impoftors were fo troublesome, that it was found neceffary, during the time of the Republic, to iffue an edict', requiring the Chaldeans, or mathematicians (for they were commonly known by this latter appellation) to depart from Rome and Italy within ten days; and afterwards, under the Emperors, these foothfayers were put under the most severe interdiction. Still farther to lay open the true character of the Chaldean philofophy, it must be remarked, that it confifted, not in a free and diligent examination of the nature of things, but in the bare tranfmiffion of certain fettled opinions from father to fon. Diodorus Siculus (who herein fhews how little he himself was entitled to the character of a philofopher) commends the Chaldeans for having taken up their opinions upon the authority of their ancestors, and fays" that, in this refpect, they acted much more wifely than the Greeks, who, addicting themfelves to difputation, were ever ready to embrace new opinions, and thus obliged their difciples to wander through their whole lives in perpetual uncertainty "." Whether the Grecian method of proceeding, or the Chaldean, was most likely to lead to the discovery of truth, it can require no extraordinary fagacity to discover. But, for the purpose for which the Chaldean philosophy appears to have been chiefly inftituted, no mode of philofophifing could have been better chofen. Their myfteries were to be revealed only to a felect few, and to be ftudioufly concealed from the * Sextus Empir. adv. Math. 1. v. § 2. Aulus Gellius, 1. xiv. c. 1. Strabo. 1. c. Valer. Maxim. 1.i. c. 3. Diod. Sic. 1. xvii. p. 622. Sueton. in Tiber. L. ii. p. 81. multitude, multitude, that a veil of fanctity might be caft over their doctrine, which would, by this means, be the more easily employed in the support of civil and religious tyranny. Another circumstance, which greatly contributed to produce the fame effect, was the care which was taken by the Chaldean priests to prevent the spread of religious and philofophical knowledge among the people. Instead of teaching their doctrine promiscuously to all who were disposed to receive it, after the manner of the Greeks, they confined it to a certain tribe and district. Inftead of communicating important truths to the people in intelligible language, they gave forth their dogmas under the veil of fymbols; hereby always referving to themselves a power of varying the popular fyftem, according to the exigencies of the times, or the pleasure of the ruling powers, without danger of detection. The implicit credit, which, by these artifices, the Chaldean priests obtained among the people is particularly remarked by Juvenal*: ⚫ Chaldæis fed major erit fiducia: quicquid From this account of the Chaldeans, it is eafy to perceive, what title they had to the appellation of wife men. No one, who has a juft idea of the nature and use of philofophy, can hesitate in difmifling them, from the rank of philosophers, to their proper ftation among impoftors. Whatever share of knowledge they poffeffed, it is evident that they applied it to the purposes of fuperftition. Little regard is, therefore, due to the encomiums which fome antient writers, particularly Philo, have paffed upon this race of fages; and still lefs to the general admiration, which, at a very early period, they obtained in the Eaft; for it is eafy to perceive, that this was the natural effect of the successful practice of the arts of impofture among an ignorant and credulous people. Omnia enim ftolidi magis admirantur amantque b It is not, however, to be inferred, from what is known of the manner in which philosophy was taught and propagated by the Chaldeans, that there was among them no variety of opinions. We learn, from the authority of Strabo and Pliny, which is confirmed by the testimony of the Jewish prophets', that there were, in Assyria and Chaldea, different fchools or fects. But the accounts which we have of these fects are so general and imperfect, that they will scarcely authorize us to do more than give it as a probable opinion, that they differed from each other chiefly in the mode of practising the arts of divination and astrology; and that their knowledge of nature extended little farther, than to the difcovery of the fuppofed magical uses of certain natural bodies, particularly minerals and herbs. Whatever were the tenets, or the inftitutions of each fect, they were implicity tranfmitted from father to fon; and it was feldom known, that the followers of one fect revolted to another. It is univerfally acknowledged by the antients, that ZOROASTER was the founder of the Chaldean philofophy. But learned industry has in vain attempted to draw afide the veil of obfcurity, which covers this celebrated name. "The accounts which have been given of him," fays Fabricius", are fo confufed and contradictory, that it would be a task of much greater labour than profit to compare them." The uncertainty which neceffarily arifes from the remote antiquity of the Chaldean history has been greatly increafed, in part by the abfurd attempts of the Greek writers to trace a refemblance between their own learning and religion, and that of the Eaftern nations, and in part from the vanity of the Perfians and Arabians, who have pretended to derive their religion from the Chaldean Zoroafter, and have supported the pretence by many extravagant fictions. Not greater uncertainty, however, attends the hiftory of Zoroafter, than has attended that of other antient heroes and wife men, who were the first authors of civilization, or inventors of arts and fciences; with refpect to whom it is now fcarcely poffible, to separate the real incidents of their lives from the fables with which they are involved. For this uncertainty feveral caufes may be affigned. These renowned benefactors of mankind lived at a period, in which ignorance and barbarism univerfally prevailed. To raise men from this favage ftate to rational and civilized life; to form them into communities; to afford them the protection of laws and government; and to furnish them with the conveniences and benefits arifing from arts and fciences, were the important objects of their labours. The ignorant and fuperftitious multitude, from a fenfe of obligation to fuch benefactors, have readily admitted the claims which, for the fake of establishing their authority, they have made to fupernatural powers; and, after their death, have delivered their names and actions to pofterity, furrounded with all the fictitious luftre of imaginary divinity. Nor have there been wanting artful men, who have accommodated this fuperftitious humour in the multitude to their own benefit, or that of the state, by inventing many fables concerning these illustrious men, and by paffing their own opinions or writings upon the world under the fanction of their names. tainty has been farther increased, by the contention which has arisen among different nations concerning their defcent, each claiming a Bibl. Græc. vol. i. p. 246, 247. The uncer them |