3. Of the Letter, that goes under the Name of St. Chryfoftome, written to the Monk Cafarius, and of fome other Books mentioned the firft Time in the Writings of St. John Damafcen.

Of feveral Letters, commonly thought to have been written to Petrus Fullo, and occafioned by the Addition to the Trifagion; and of the Profelfion of Faith to be found in the Works of Justin Martyr.

5. Of praying for thofe, who died in the Chriftian Faith, and of Purgatory, according to the Opidion of the Eastern Church.

6. De Azymi, and of the last Paffover of our Lord.

7. Of the Nazaraans, and their Belief, and of the Ebionites.

We wish we might enlarge upon thofe Learned Differtations, and give a particular Account of them; but the narrow Bounds, within which we are confined, do not allow of it.

The Life of St. John Damafcen, written in Greek by John Patriarch of Jerufalem, and attended with the Editor's Notes; fome Latin Difcourfes upon the fame Subject, and the Teftimonies of the Ancients concerning our Holy Doctor, make the Conclufion of thefe Prolegomend.

Father Lequien having mentioned the different Editions of St. John Damafcen in his Preface, proceeds in the remaining Part of it to make fome Reflexions upon the Writings of that Saint; and then fupplies fome Omiffions, and mends fome Miftakes in his Notes and Differtations. This laft Head can only Vol. IV. please

M

please those Readers, who are acquainted with the Queftions treated by the Learned Editor; and therefore we shall not dwell upon it, being contented to give a fhort Account of the firft.

The first Obfervation of Father Lequien concerns the Number of St. John Damafcen's Works. It is impoffible to determine it; for which two Reasons may be affigned:

1. Because there is no Catalogue of them written by any Contemporary Writer; the Tyranny of the Sarracens, who fpread themfelves all over the Eaft, having banished Learning from thofe Countries.

2. Because many fuppofititious Pieces have been afcribed to him, which none can distinguish from those that are genuine, without being perfectly acquainted with his Opinions, and way of Writing. Befides, Father Lequien believes there are ftill many Writings of that Saint, which lie concealed in Libraries, and that many are loft.

The Editor proceeds to examine the Style of his Author. That Style (fays he) is very clear and plain in the dogmatical Works; but in the Sermons and Homilies, it is more diffufe, full of long Periods, and generally made up of Paffages and Expreffions of the Holy Scripture. The Poetry of St. John Damafcen, that is, his Hymns and Canticles, equal him to the most excellent Greek Writers in that Kind.

In the next Place, Father Lequien endeavours to excufe him for giving out feveral Fabulous Stories, like fo many Truths. He afcribes that Fault to Want of Criticism in the Writers of that Time, and ge nerally in moft Fathers; but he juftifies him in fome Particulars relating to this Head, and takes notice of a Blunder of the great Caufaubon, who, in his Obfervations upon Baroni, applies to St. John Da

+

mafcen

mafcen Two Cenfures of that Annalist, which con.
cern only a Fabulous Piece of Joannes Malala. Our
Holy Doctor is alfo blamed for being too fond of
Logical Cavils. But that Method was the more ne
ceffary, at that Time,
at that Time, because moft Hereticks
grounded their Doctrine upon the Sophifms and
Subtilties of Dialectic, and could not be thorough.
ly confuted without being attacked with their own
Weapons.

Father Lequien concludes with a Catalogue of the Works contained in these Two Volumes. Those that have a Star prefixed to them, had never been published, or had only appeared in Latin.

ARTICLE XXXIII.

UP SAL.

M PERINGSKIOLD is preparing a large Cal lection of Bulls and Briefs written by the Popes to the Kings of Sweden: They are taken from the Royal Archives.

LEIPSICK

t

M. DETLINGIUS (See the firft Account of this Book above, Art. XXIX. undertakes to prove in the XIIIth Obfervation, that the High Prieft went four Times into the Holieft of all, upon the Feaft of the Expiation. And because we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chap. IX. v. 7. That the High

M 2

Prieft

Prieft went into it alone once every Tear, the Author pretends that thofe Words are to be understood of one Day in the Year, on which he went Four Times into that Holy Place. In the XVth Obfervation M. Deylingius maintains against Sir John Marfham, that the bražen Serpent was not erected by Mofes in Imitation of fome Preftiges practifed in Egypt; and confutes the late M. Burman, and M. Vitringa, who will have that Serpent, to be a Symbol of the Devil. Our Author is of Opinion, that all the Jewish Medals, ftamped with. the common Hebrew Letters, are Suppofititious. As for thofe that have Samaritan Characters upon them, he takes them to be Genuine. M. Deylingius makes it his Business to confute, through the whole Book, thofe Writers, whofe Opinions upon the Subjects he treats of, do not appear to him Orthodox,

2

If this Book comes into England, I shall give a further Account of it.

M. Hanfchius defigns to publish a Pofthumous Work of the Famous Kepler, entitled,

Hipparchus, five Demonftrationes multe & pulcher rime de magnitudinibus & intervallis trium corporum Solis, Lunæ, & Telluris, ubi plus fere admirationis merctur ingenium humanum ad cognitionem Dei viam moliens, quam opera ipfa Natura per fe brute.

Kepler look'd upon this Book as his Mafter-Piece. M. Hanfchius, who has bought of Hevelius's Heirs all the Manufcripts of Kepler, will no longer deprive, the Publick of fuch a valuable Piece. Every Thing, relating to Eclipfes is treated at large in it..

The following Treatife, publifh'd in 1689. has been lately reprinted. real by La vile st

D. Johannis Bobnii Profeff. Lipf. de Renunciatione. vulnerum, feu vulnerum lethalium examen, cui acceffe

runt

&

runt Differtationes bine de partu enecato, an quis vivus mortuufve aquis fubmerfus, ftrangulatus aut vulneratus fuerit. Lipfie 1711. In 4to. Y et ard M

f

M. Bobne examines this Queftion, among others Whether a Man, that is found in the Water, was dead or alive, when he fell into it. Some pretend, 1. That the Fingers of the dead Man ought to be viewed; and that if they are torn at the Ends, 'tis a Sign" the Man ftruggled to get out of the Water, and con fequently that he was alive. 2. That if he foams in the Mouth and the Nofe, 'tis also a Sign that he was drowned, becaufe foaming is a natural Effect of Suf focation. 3. That if the Breaft and the Stomach are full of Water, one may certainly infer from it that he was alive.

Thofe Three Reafons do not appear convincing to M. Bohne. A Child thrown into the Water, and immediately ftifled by it; a Madman, or a Melancholy, and drunken Man, who drown themselves with a premeditated Defign, and confequently do not ftruggle to come out, have not their Fingers ends torn

As for what concerns Foaming in the Mouth, the Water which occafions the Foam by a Suffocation, may easily carry it off afterwards.

"The Author wonders any one hould believe that the fwelling of drowned People proceeds from the Water that gets into their Body; whereas it is only to be afcribed to the Air that is kept in the infide for want of Refpiration. Whereupon he obferves that having one Day opened a Woman, who had been drowned, he found no Water, neither in her Belly nor in her Stomach: He adds that if any one drowns a Dog, and then opens its Body, no Water will be found in it.