THE _Greeks_ and _Romans_ divided the Ages of the World into three Periods or Intervals, whereof they call’d the first the _Obscure_ Period, the second the _Fabulous_, and the third _Historical_. The dark and obscure Period was from the Beginning of the World to the Deluge; what pass’d then, either in Nature, or amongst Men, they have no Records, no Account, by their own Confession; all that Space of Time was cover’d with Darkness and Oblivion; so that we ought rather to wonder at those Remains they have, and those broken Notions of the Golden Age, and the Conditions of it, how they were sav’d out of the common Ship-wrack, than to expect from them the Philosophy of that World, and all its Differences from the present. And as for the other Nations that pretend to greater Antiquities, to more ancient History and Chronology, from what is left of their Monuments, many will allow only this Difference, that their fabulous Age begun more high, or that they had more ancient Fables. BUT besides that our Expectations cannot be great from the Learning of the _Gentiles_, we have not the Means or Opportunity to inform our selves well what Notions they did leave us concerning the primitive World; for their Books and Monuments are generally lost, or lie hid unknown to us. The Learning of the World may be divided into the Eastern Learning and the Western; and I look upon the Eastern as far more considerable for philosophical Antiquities, and philosophical Conclusions; I say _Conclusions_, for I do not believe either of them had any considerable Theory, or Contexture of Principles and Conclusions together: But ’tis certain that in the East, from what Source soever it came, humane or divine, they had some extraordinary Doctrines and Notions disperst amongst them. Now as by the western Learning we understand that of the _Greeks_ and _Romans_; so by the eastern that which was amongst the _Egyptians_, _Phœnicians_, _Chaldæans_, _Assyrians_, _Indians_, _Ethiopians_, and _Persians_; and of the Learning of these Nations, how little have we now left? Except some Fragments and Citations in _Greek_ Authors, what do we know of them? The modern _Brackmans_, and the _Persees_, or _Pagan Persians_, have some broken Remains of Traditions relating to the Origin and Changes of the World: But if we had not only those Books entire, whereof we have now the Gleanings and Reversions only; but all that have perish’d besides, especially in that famous Library at _Alexandria_; if these, I say, were all restor’d to the World again, we might promise our selves the Satisfaction of seeing more of the Antiquities, and natural History of the first World, than we have now left, or can reasonably expect. That Library we speak of at _Alexandria_, was a Collection, beside _Greek_ Books, of _Egyptian_, _Chaldæan_, and all the Eastern Learning; and _Cedrenus_ makes it to consist of an hundred thousand Volumes: But _Josephus_ saith, when the Translation of the Bible by the _Septuagint_