That premised for a ground work of what we shall say hereafter, St. _Marks_ Greek text carries it, πᾶσα θυσία ἁλὶ ἁλιθήσεται, every sacrifice shall be seasoned with salt; where the _Latin_ version which the Church holdeth, for θυσία a sacrifice, as in truth this Greek word signifies, all sorts of sacrifices, _hostia’s_, _victima’s_, and _ceremonies_: But _Porphyrius_ in his second book of sacrifices, doth particularize it to herbs that men offered to the Gods, for from the beginning they did not present them: this he spake of Incense, Myrrhe, Benjamin, Storax, Aloes, Labdanum and other the like odoriferous gums; but only certain green herbs; as certain first fruits of seeds that the earth produced; and trees were procreated from the Earth before Animalls, and the earth was clothed with herbs, before it produced trees. By reason whereof, the gathering certain _pieds_ of herbs all entire with their leaves and rootes, and seeds, they burned them, and sacrificed the odour and fume that proceeded therefrom to the Immortall Gods: and of this exhalation they cast, which the Greeks call θυμίασις _suffitus_, perfumed, whence comes the word θυσία _victima_ sacrifice. Therefore they do not refer them properly to bloody sacrifices, for the _Romans_ for more then 800 years since, by _Numaes_ Ordinance, had no Images of Gods, nor other sacrifices, then dough with salt, which were from thence called ἀνὰιμακτα, that is to say, without blood. Hitherto _Porphyrie_. It hath been said heretofore that there was nothing more common, nor lesse well known then fire. And as much we may say of salt: wherefore it is that _Moses_ made so great account of it, as to apply it to all sacrifices. Calling it the perpetual Covenant that God made with his people; of which alliance by the _Hebrews_ called _Berith_, they found three or four marks in the Scripture; The bow of heaven, _Gen._ 9. 9. _Gen._ 17. 2. Circumcision to _Abraham_, and the universall paction, _Numb._ 18. 19. Further yet the Paction of the Law received in _Horeb, Deut._ 5. 2, & 3. The Lord our God made a Covenant with us in _Horeb_; which hath been time out of mind in singular and venerable recommendation towards all sorts of people; you bless your tables by putting on of saltsellers (saith _Arnobius_ to the _Gentiles_.) But _Titus Livius_ in his 26. that they may have a saltseller & a dish or platter for Gods cause. And _Fabricius_, that thrice valiant _Roman_ Captain, had never gold nor silver but a little drinking cup, whose foot was of horn, to make his offerings to the Gods, & saltseller to serve for sacrifices forbidding, as _Plinie_ hath it, in his 33. book, 12. ch. to have other Silvery then those two. It was furthermore a marke and symbole of Amity, as was salt: Wherefore the first thing that they served strangers, comming to them, was Salt, to note a firmity of their contracted Amity. And the great Duke of _Muscovie_, as _Sigismund_ puts it down in his Treatise of the affairs of _Muscovie_,