Conjectura cabbalistica

after, is the dictate of the free reason of my mind, heedfully considering the written Text of Moses, and carefully canvassing the Expositions of such Interpreters as are ordinarily to be had upon him. And I know nothing to the contrary, but that I have been so successful as to have light upon the old true Cabbala indeed.

Of which in the third place I will set down some general probabilities, referring you for the rest to the Defence of the Cabbala's themselves, and the Introduction thereunto.

And first that the Literal Cabbala is true, it is no contemptible argument, in that it is carried on so evenly and consistently one part with another, every thing also being represented so accommodately to the capacity of the people, and so advantageously for the keeping of their minds in the fear of God, and obedience to his law, as shall be particularly shown in the Defence of that Cabbala. So that according to the sense of this Literal Cabbala, Moses is discovered to be a man of the highest Political accomplishments, and true and warrantable prudence that may be.

Nor is he to fall short in Philosophy; And therefore the Philosophical Cabbala contains the noblest Truths, as well Theological as Natural, that the mind of man can entertain herself with; Insomuch that Moses seems to have been beforehand, and prevented the subtlest and abstruseest inventions of the choicest Philosophers that ever appeared after him to this very day. And further presumption of the truth

truth of this Philosophical Cabbala is; that the grand mysteries therein contained are most-what the same that those two eximious distinguished or eminent Philosophers Pythagoras and Plato brought out of Egypt, and the parts of Asia into Europe. And it is generally acknowledged by Christians, that they both had their Philosophy from Moses. And Numenius a 2nd-century Neopythagorean philosopher the Platonist speaks out plainly concerning his Master; What is Plato but Moses Atticus? original: "an Attic-speaking Moses" And for Pythagoras it is a thing incredible that he and his followers should make such a deal of do with the mystery of Numbers, had he not been favoured with a sight of Moses his Creation of the world in six days, and had the Philosophic Cabbala thereof communicated to him, which mainly consists in Numbers, as I shall in the Defence of this Cabbala more particularly declare.

And the Pythagoreans oath swearing by him that taught them the mystery of the Tetractys the mystical number four, what a ridiculous thing had it been if it had been in reference merely to dry Numbers? But it is exceeding probable that under that mystery of Four, Pythagoras was first himself taught the meaning of the fourth day's work in the Creation, and after delivered it to his disciples. In which Cabbala of the fourth day Pythagoras was instructed, amongst other things, that the Earth was a Planet, and moved about the Sun; and it is notoriously well known, that this was ever the opinion of the Pythagoreans, and so in all