thefe Books were confulted (which was the greatest Expedient in thefe difficult Cafes.) And again, it was deliver'd by the Duumviri, (a) Indignum Diis vifum, honores vulgari, difcriminaq; gentium confundi. Whereon Livy, Præterquam majeftate petentium, religione etiam attoniti homines, patricios omnes, partem magnam, honoratiffimum quemque tribunos militum confulari poteftate creavere, &c. By this Stratagem they carry'd it for the Nobles. Can a Man think here this was the Direction of the Sibylls, or the Artifice of the Confulters, who knew how to reconcile and over-awe the People with Pretences of Divine Authority? And truly, a Man muft read thefe Tranfactions with a marvellous Blindness and Stupidity, not to difcern Ends fo apparent and palpable. To urge no more. In another Cafe, whenthe People were almoft under perfect Diftraction (which indeed fmall Matters would raife.) (b) Interim, faith Livy, ex fatalibus libris facrificia aliquot extraordinaria facta, inter Quæ, Gallus & Galla, Græcus & Graca, in foro Boatio, fub terrà, vivi demiffi funt, in locum, faxe, confeptum, &c. Can any Man think this found in the Sibylline Books?.

B. I much queftion, whether Gaul was much known to the Romans at the Time when these Verfes were prefented to Tarquin, much less could they be known in the Sibyll's Time, if fo antient as generally fuppos'd, unless we admit the Suppofition of their Infpiration.

A. Authors of latter date have exprefly charg'd Frauds upon the Confulters, and highly refented them. That great Statefman Cicero hath fpoke out clearly at many Places, that they of ten apply'd the Authority of the Sibylls to determine the Senate and People agreeably to po

(a) Lib. s. p. 205. (b) Lib. 22. p. 514.

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litick Ends, or their own particular Inclinations and Factions. As in that Queftion, whether they fhould affift Ptolemy in the Recovery of his Kingdom? And the Senate, upon his -Sollicitation, having pafs'd a Decree in his favour, it was immediately deliver'd as an Oracle, If the King of Egypt should be reduced to great Diftrefs, and fhould implore your Affiftance, refufe not bis Friendship, but at any rate assist him not with Arms. Upon which the former Decree was abrogated, fo (c) Dion Caffius. This was a meer Trick, faid (d), Cicero, a counterfeit Pretence of Religion and the Sibylline Oracles. To which Dion Caffius fubfcribes, and reprefents it a Stratagem of Cato's. And indeed 'tis altogether im probable, that any fuch Oracles fhould be found in the Sibylline Verfes, fuch exact Descriptions and Delineations of Perfons and Times, as the foremention'd implies. And I think, hence must be allow'd either great Fraud in the Confulters, who gave them fuch clear Turns, as made them fit Perfons and Times at this rate, or else fomething Extraordinary in the Sibylls, the Authors of thefe Verfes, or more properly of fuch clear Predictions, as will advance them to the Rank of Perfons Divinely Infpir'd. If the first be granted, that they acted fraudulent ly, and contriv'd Oracles much according to their own Wit, Inclination or Faction; as they favour'd particular Things or Perfons, or were courted or brib'd; what thefe Confulters gave out as Sibylline Oracles, will give but little Light to the Question, what was really in thefe Books, and confequently will afford very flen der Proofs against the Fathers, that they quoted

(c) Lib. 3. (d) Cic. ad Lentulum, Lib. 1. Ep.1.

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an idle fpurious Work, because of the Dif agreement of the Matter contain'd in those Verfes, If the latter be fuppos'd, that really thofe Prophecies were in thefe Verfes, what becomes of the Argument (of which hereafter) against the Authority of the Fathers, drawn from the Clearnefs and Exactness of the Predictions? Why might not thefe Sibylls foretel as clearly of our Saviour, as of Ptolemy, a little Diminutive King of Egypt? Betwixt thofe two Things, it may not be impoffible but those poor Men, the Fathers, may efcape.

Secondly, In adjufting this Matter between the modern Criticks, and antient Fathers, it feems to me, the former fometimes advance upon the Fathers with fome Forces and Authorities, not quite their own. The Fathers quote the Si bylline Oracles as Authorities to the Heathens of the Credibility of feveral high Points and Doctrines in the Chriftian Faith. It is all? Dez lufion, fay the Moderns. For thefe Oracles comprehended nothing, but the abfurd and fuperftitious Conceits of the Heathens. But how doth this appear? From Livy, and divers other Authors. But it is very clear, the antient Si bylline Verfes being generally allow'd to have been destroy'd in the burning of the Capitol; and the Fathers not pretending to quote thofe that were destroy'd, but only thofe that were in their Time, in the Hands of the Romans, viz. the modern Collection, the Authorities which prove the Antienti a Rhapfody of Heathenifh Rites and Fancies, will not prove the Modern the fame; unless the Modern Collection were the fame with the Antient, which the Critical Learning will hardly allow. Authors then which lay before us, the Idolatrous and Superftitious Practices, which were order'd upon pre

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tence of Warrant or Command from the Sibylline Verses, have no right to be urg'd, unless they anfwer in point of Time, unless they defcend below the Burning of the Capitol; because these Authors fpeak not of the Modern, but the Old Tarquinian Verfes. And if we proceed by this Rule, a good part of the beft Authorities will be withdrawn from fuch as militate against the Fathers; because at molt they can only prove of the antient Sibylline Verfes; but the Sibylls the Fathers quoted, must be understood to be the latter Collection, fuch as the Heathens then had. All Authors therefore that do not come down to thofe Times, are nothing to the Purpofe; and yet they have been urg'd all promifcuously and indifferently as Livy, from one end to the other.

B. Think you then that these antient Verfes contain'd any thing of found Doctrine or Morality, any true Predictions, &c?...

A. This I do not affirm, at fuch a diftance of Time; it is impoffible to determine fuch a Que ftion. But this I fay, there doth not appear Ground of that Certainty and Pofitiveness, which Men have been apt to profefs on the other fide. I proceed to the

Second Thing, whether the Sibylline Verfes aion of of latter Date, were of the fame Nature as the the Sibyl former, as those receiv'd by Tarquin? Mr. JenLine Verfes kins thinks they might. For notwithstanding made after the great Care was taken to preferve thofe Ver ing of the fes, and fuch extraordinary Penalties inflicted Capitol, in cafe of publishing them, a Copy of them was the efcaped in the Time of Tarquin, from which, fame as the 'tis poffible, the true Verfes might be recover'd Antient. Again, others think that all thofe Verfes were

not burnt with the Capitol. But thefe are Suppofitions that I think, want Authorities. The

Romans

Romans were very diligent in revifing and correeting this new Collection; and (a) Dionifius feems to make the manner of the Compofure the most material Mark of Diftinction, and the Rule whereby they judg'd between the Genuine and Spurious. The Acroftick, they rejected as Counterfeit, because they favour'd more of Human Art and Wit than Infpiration. And of this Opinion feem Cicero and Varro. Upon the whole there can be no doubt, but that the Romans thought they had ftill many of the true genuine Sibylline Oracles; and of which, thofe Jof Cuma they thought the moft Uncorrupts because these the Senate (b) forbid to be tranfcrib'd, under the fame Penalties as antiently, while the others they little regarded. All we can fay, with any fair fhew of Truth or Probability, is this. To imagine this New Collection entirely the fame with the Antient, is altogether improbable; cannot be fuppos'd; unlefs before the Burning of the Capitol, a Copy had pafs'd into other Hands, to which the proceeding of the Senate, in order to recover thofe Verfes, doth not well agree. For then what need of fending into fo many Countries and Places to collect them? This looks as if a Body of them had been form'd from all that they could meet with; as they lay fcatter'd in various Hands and Places. Neither on the other fide, can one eafily be induc'd to believe, that this New Collection was nothing of kin to the former. For fure, the firft Sibylline Verfes could not be fo entirely forgot, that any Thing never fo different in Matter and Form, could be obtruded for them.

(a) Dionyf. Halic. Antiq. Rom. p. 249. (b) Latan. Lib. 1. de falfa Religione. SAMLA

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