_B._ If we may give credit to old histories, the first that studied any of the natural sciences were the astronomers of Ethiopia. My author is Diodorus Siculus, accounted a very faithful writer, who begins his history as high as is possible, and tells us that in Ethiopia were the first astronomers; and that for their predictions of eclipses, and other conjunctions and aspects of the planets, they obtained of their king not only towns and fields to a third part of the whole land, but were also in such veneration with the people, that they were thought to have discourse with their gods, which were the stars; and made their kings thereby to stand in awe of them, that they durst not either eat or drink but what and when they prescribed; no nor live, if they said the gods commanded them to die. And thus they continued in subjection to their false prophets, till by one of their kings, called Ergamenes, (about the time of the Ptolemies), they were put to the sword. But long before the time of Ergamenes, the race of these astrologers (for they had no disciples but their own children) was so numerous, that abundance of them (whether sent for or no I cannot tell) transplanted themselves into Egypt, and there also had their cities and lands allowed them, and were in request not only for astronomy and astrology, but also for geometry. And Egypt was then as it were an university to all the world, and thither went the curious Greeks, as Pythagoras, Plato, Thales, and others, to fetch philosophy into Greece. But long before that time, abundance of them went into Assyria, and had their towns and lands assigned them also there; and were by the Hebrews called Chaldees. _A._ Why so? _B._ I cannot tell; but I find in Martinius’s Lexicon they are called Chasdim, and Chesdim, and (as he saith) from one Chesed the son of Nachor; but I find no such man as Chesed amongst the issue of Noah in the scripture. Nor do I find that there was any certain country called Chaldæa; though a town where any of them inhabited were called a town of the Chaldees. Martinius saith farther, that the same word Chasdim did signify also Demons. _A._ By this reckoning I should conjecture they were called Chusdim, as being a race of Ethiopians. For the land of Chus is Ethiopia; and so the name degenerated first into Chuldim, and then into Chaldim; so that they were such another kind of people as we call gipsies; saving that they were admired and feared for their knavery, and the gipsies counted rogues. _B._ Nay pray, except Claudius Ptolomæus, author of that great work of astronomy, the Almegest. _A._ I grant he was excellent both in astronomy and geometry, and to be commended for his _Almegest_ ; but then for his _Judiciar Astrologie_ annexed to it, he is again a gipsy. But the Greeks that travelled, you say, into Egypt, what philosophy did they carry home?