4

Archimedes « of, Lib. I.

and reverence, fearing lest a moreeasie and familiar discovery, mightexpose them to contempt. Sic ipfamy fieri a fabularum cnniculis operitin-MacroBiia fur, fummatibus tantum viris,sapientias ° mn \ interpretesveri arcani confciis ; Contenti

Sap. 1.1. r r ,. . , J . -

r i slut reliqui , vtnerationem , jiguris

defendentibus a vilitate Jecretum i faitha Platonick.

Hence was it, that the ancient Ma-thematicians did place all their learn-ing in abstracted (peculations,refusingto debase the principles of that nobleprofession unto Mechanical experi-ments. Insomuch, that those veryAuthors amongst them, who weremost eminent for their inventionsof this kind, and were willing bytheir own practise, to manifest untothe world those artificial wondersthat might be wrought by these arts,as Dædalus , Archytas^ Archimedes, <&c.were notwithstanding so much infe-cted with this blind superstition, asnot to leave any thing in writing con-cerning the grounds and manner cfthese operations.

2>uin*