reading fome Arabic Books, which are either fuppofititious and forged to deceive the Unwary, or by a falfe Veil of Antiquity thrown over them, have many falfe and foolish Accounts in them and are publifhed to palliate Errors: fuch is the Book published by a Perfon well fkilled in Languages in the Name of Eutychius Patriarch of Alexandria, about the Beginning of our Troubles in 1741. to weaken the Polity and Discipline of our Church; wherein contrary to the Faith of all History that Trumpery and fictitious Author affirms that for 200 Years after St. Mark there were no Bishops as diftinct from Prefbyters, in Egypt, and that the Patriarch of Alexandria was elected and confecrated by Pref byters, who had the fole Management of all fuch Affairs, as were afterwards tranfacted by Bishops. What Credit ought to be given to this fabulous Writer (whoever he was) appears from hence, that the

fame Author is not ashamed to affert there were 1000 Bishops prefent at the Council. of Nice: when from all both Greek and Latin Writers, of whom many lived at the fame Time, fome were prefent at the Council, it is a Thing proved and allowed by common Confent, that there were only 318 Bishops prefent: I thought proper to

obferve

obferve this to fhew what Credit his Work deferves. This idle Tale of the Prefbyters and Bishops is fully refuted by that very learned Man John Morinus, in his Book of Ordinations, 3 Exerc. VII. chap. 7. which those who would fee more may confult." He has fhewed us a few Forgeries, to leffen the Authority of the Governors in the Chriftian Church. I own, 'tis a fevere Infinuation, and perhaps, the Doctor did not think that fuch an Obfervation or Reflection would be made: He has given abundance of Eulogiums to these People, and $7, very high Commendations of this forged Language; but I do not find he has faid any Thing of their Forgeries to deftroy the Authority of our Lord and Mafter Chrift, tho' their whole Undertaking tends to that End. After all this Villainy was fettled, he tells us, § 15, about the Year of Chrift 900, Rab. Saadias, a Chaldee few, made a Translation of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic, retaining the Hebrew Letter, of which we only have the Pantateuch; he calls it a Paraphrafe, very wide from the Hebrew, &c. § 17, that it was wrested into the Rabinical Senfe. Let us ftate the Condition of Things when this was attempted: He, befides being an apoftate Jew, was further

poisoned

poifoned with all the Forgeries they were, then hatching and recording, which, if poffible, outdo thofe in the Alcoran, and therefore of Courfe would falfifie many Points on purpose. If he had not lived among Arabians, we cannot fuppofe that he had undergone the Inftruction of the. Mahometan Schools; that was never permitted: And if he had, that they would not have helped him much; those who were but learning to write, were but learning to teach. If he had got the Alcoran, &c. privately into his Hand, he durft not confer about the Meanings of the Words with Mahometans; that was Death. If he had lived among Arabians, these Jews always retained their own Tongue, and when they learned any other Language, they pronounced it awkwardly. If he went upon the Pronunciation or Dialect of of the People who fpoke it, that not only varied then in divers Places, but, if half as bad as 'tis now, none could write after them. If there were then a few Books tranflated out of other Languages, by School-learn'd Arabians, tho' it was not lawful for a few to read Heathen, Mahometan, nor Chriftian Books, he had the Chance of their or his understanding the Arabic, and of each of thofe Languages tranflated; and VOL. IV.

L

'tis

'tis like they had little Relation to Hebrew, or the Bible. The Ignorance of these Rabbies in the Hebrew, is well enoughknown. Thus prepared, as the Arabic has more Letters than the Hebrew, and many which have different Powers or Sounds, when he attempted to use the Hebrew Letters to tranflate the Bible into Arabic, he was forced, without any Rule or Precedent but his own Fancy, to place each of the Hebrew Letters which he thought would pretty near Answer for a Letter which he knew was, or he thought fhould be, ufed in the Arabic: And when he used a Hebrew Letter where he knew or thought an Arabic Letter was, or fhould be used, which answerd it not, he was forced to add a Mark, to denote that Letter was used for fuch an Arabic Letter; and fo a different Mark to cach Hebrew Letter which was placed for an Arabic Letter, which differed as aforefaid. The Impoffibility of finding Words in the then spoken or written Arabic used in the Senfes Words are used in the Bible, has been, and will hereafter be fhewed; all which put together, is furely enough. to make it uncertain and ufelefs, in Point of Evidence to Chriftians. Others fay, that he tranflated that, and other Parts, into Arabic, with the Arabic Letter; but

I think it was fcarce come into Ufe then, because, as I faid, if it was fettled or fixed then, it had but been fo a little before, and none but Converts were allowed to read their Alcoran, &c. in their Dominions, but at the Rifque, if difcovered, of turning Mahometan, or being put to Death; and none but Mahometans were fuffered to ufe that Character, till long after. See Dr. Pocock's Preface to the various Reading of the Arabic, in the Pol. Vol. VI. He has fhewed what Materials he had to compofe that in the Polyglot, and the various Readings; and they have altered what concerned the Trinity, and many other chief Points, to serve their Purposes, in too many Inftances, and too impudently to be inferted here. He fuppofes two of his Copies of the Pentateuch to have come from Saadias's Tranflation, but to have been altered fince, in fome of thofe Points, whether by a few, a Samaritan, or a Mahometan, he and others feem to doubt. I think Dr. Walton does not pretend to fay, that there was any Tranflation made into Arabic, till after the Alcoran made that which they call Arabic be used, and the Jews and Chriftians were forced to use it in other Countries. Befides all the Objections to this Language, if they had been indifferent and honeft, the Skill which L 2

any