_Ctesias_ was Physician to _Artaxerxes Mnemon_ as _Diodorus Siculus_[A] and _Strabo_[B] inform us. He was contemporary with _Xenophon_, a little later than _Herodotus_; and _Helvicus_ in his _Chronology_ places him three hundred eighty three years before _Christ_: He is an ancient Author, 'tis true, and it may be upon that score valued by some. We are beholden to him, not only for his Improvements on the Story of the _Pygmies_, but for his Remarks likewise on several other parts of _Natural History_; which for the most part are all of the same stamp, very wonderful and incredible; as his _Mantichora_, his _Gryphins_, the _horrible Indian Worm_, a Fountain of _Liquid Gold_, a Fountain of _Honey_, a Fountain whose Water will make a Man confess all that ever he did, a Root he calls [Greek: paraebon], that will attract Lambs and Birds, as the Loadstone does filings of Steel; and a great many other Wonders he tells us: all of which are copied from him by _Ælian, Pliny, Solinus, Mela, Philostratus_, and others. And _Photius_ concludes _Ctesias_'s Account of _India_ with this passage; [Greek: Tauta graphon kai mythologon Ktaesias. legei t' alaethestata graphein; epagon hos ta men autos idon graphei, ta de par auton mathon ton eidoton. polla de touton kai alla thaumasiotera paralipein, dia to mae doxai tois mae tauta theasamenois apista syngraphein;] i.e. _These things_ (saith he) Ctesias _writes and feigns, but he himself says all he has wrote is very true. Adding, that some things which he describes, he had seen himself; and the others he had learn'd from those that had seen them: That he had omitted a great many other things more wonderful, because he would not seem to those that have not seen them, to write incredibilities_. But notwithstanding all this, _Lucian_[C] will not believe a word he saith; for he tells us that _Ctesias_ has wrote of _India_, [Greek: A maete autos eide, maete allou eipontos aekousen], _What he neither saw himself, nor ever heard from any Body else._ And _Aristotle_ tells us plainly, he is not fit to be believed: [Greek: En de taei Indikaei hos phaesi Ktaesias, ouk on axiopistos.][D] And the same opinion _A. Gellius_[E] seems to have of him, as he had likewise of several other old _Greek Historians_ which happened to fall into his hands at _Brundusium_, in his return from _Greece_ into _Italy_; he gives this Character of them and their performance: _Erant autem isti omnes libri Græci, miraculorum fabularumque pleni: res inauditæ, incredulæ, Scriptores veteres non parvæ authoritatis_, Aristeas Proconnesius, & Isagonus, & Nicæensis, & Ctesias, & Onesicritus, & Polystephanus, & Hegesias. Not that I think all that _Ctesias_ has wrote is fabulous; For tho' I cannot believe his _speaking Pygmies_, yet what he writes of the _Bird_ he calls [Greek: Bittakos], that it would speak _Greek_ and the _Indian Language_, no doubt is very true; and as _H. Stephens_[F] observes in his Apology for _Ctesias_, such a Relation would