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better pleased with a few ingeniou rivals, than with a crowd of mere admirers. In the mean time I would acquaint my ftudious readers, whose curiofity leads them to know the origin of this divine science, and what progrefs was made in it by the ancients, that they may fee this fubject handled in a very learned and ingenious manner, by Mr. COSTARD, fellow of Wadham college, Oxon. in two letters to MARTIN FOLKES, Efq; which, in my humble opinion, are well worth the careful perufal of every lover of ancient learning.

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UPON

number, it brought to my mind that somewhat adequate to this meaning lay scatter'd among my loose anatomical papers; upon revifing them, I found as I conjectur'd, some observations upon the Membrana Pupillaris, for so I term'd it in my writings; and tho' it may be as the doctor obferves, that this membrane does not properly appertain to dogs, &c. yet may it be found in flink calves, which were the fubject my obfervations were extracted from, and that without any previous injection or preparation befides an artful diffection. This membrane was difcover'd in England, if not before the doctor's firft diffections in 1743, yet long before his essay was sent to the academy; fo that there is hardly an anatomist amongst us but what knows it, tho' I do not remember to have feen any where any inferences, or applications drawn from the difcovery; which I cannot but wonder at, because I think with great propriety it may be applied to adjuft the difference which has been fo eagerly contended for

between

between a glaucoma and @cataract, tho' indeed latterly the conteft has been lefs virulent. In which dispute the moderns feem to triumph, tho' perhaps they have been too hafty in concluding the terms and disorders as fynonimous. I from hence have no defign to espouse the difpute so far as to believe membranous cataracts frequent, but only to infist upon a poffibility of fuch a diforder; which when the doctrine of this membrane comes impartially under confideration, I believe few will be hardy enough to contradict. For I am now firmly of opinion, that the only cause of this grand dispute arose from their ignorance of any fuch membrane; and, indeed, well might they difpute it, fince without such a membrane it would be as abfurd from the anatomy of the eye to fuppofe fuch a diforder, as to fuppofe me capable of diftinguishing light even in the moft profound darkness. If therefore, there be any anatomist that has feen and does allow this to be a proper membrane of the eye, and at the fame time difallows the disorder in question, I would propose that through their great skill in determining, they would give a solution to a question, which will naturally arife from fuch a denial. What is become of the membrane? If it should be answered, obliterated; then at what time of life, or by what means does it become fo? Again, I would afk, where the abfurdity of fuch doctrine would be, to suppose such a membrane to exist to the end of life, even in adults, (which I own I suppose to be the fact) only become fo extremely diaphanous as to prove no moleftation to the rays of light in performing vifion; to which I expect the practical anatomist will answer, could fuch a membrane pass undiscovered in the multitude of eyes that I have diffected? But that cannot amount to a proof, because we know multitudes of foetus's have been diligently diffected and examin'd, before fuch a membrane was thought of. If upon diffections of the eye, no facts appear to contradict the notion of this membrane being to be found exifting in adults, but the membrane itself discovered, then the doctrine of the filamentous catara&t will become as familiar as

any

establish'd theory amongst us, one by supposing this, like alt other membranes, thicken'd and become opaque by disorders.

This, fir, I beg to fee in your next number, because the anatomical feafon is now advancing, and we may from thence expect to have what doubts at prefent exift foon clear'd up by the curious in their researches. I am your well-wisher, R. B. Philomed.

To the STUDEN T.

An attempt to restore the true reading of a passage in the book

SIR,

TH
Truns

GENESIS.

of

HE paffage under confideration in our English version runs thus. And LOT lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD deftroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comeft unto ZoAR. GEN. xiii. 10. The facred hiftorian here manifeftly compares the plain of Jordan, before the deftruction of the cities erected on it, and the formation of the fea of Sodom, for its fertility, beauty, and the streams with which it was refreshed to that part of the land of Egypt bordering upon ZOAR. But no fuch part of Egypt occurs, either in facred or profane history; no fuch place as ZoAR, within the limits of Egypt, is mentioned by any ancient author. The city of ZoAR was not fituated in Egypt, but on the lake Afphaltites, or the sea of Sodom; as moft clearly appears from MOSES himself, JoSEPHUS, STEPHANUS BYZANTIUS, and others. *

The word ZoAR, however, ftood in the text, as at prefent, before the existence of any of our prefent copies of the Septuagint verfion; all of which, in conformity to the original Hebrew, here exhibit ZOAR. With them those of the Samaritan pentateuch, of the Samaritan, Arabic, and Vul

* Gen. xiv. 2, 8. xix. 22, Jofeph. de bel. Judaic. lib. iv. c. 27. Steph. Byzant. de urb. in voc. Zéaga. Vid. Chrift. Cellar. geogr. antiqu. lib. iii. c. 13.

gate

gate Latin versions, as well as of the Targum of Onkelos, do likewise agree.

But notwithstanding this, I cannot help suspecting, that MOSES wrote ZOAN, and not ZOAR. For, ZOAN, or Tanis, the head of a nome, was a most ancient and famous city of the Delta, as, from its figure, it was afterwards call'd by the Greeks, or Scripture Egypt, a † delicious country watered by the Nile, or rather the various branches of that noble river, and consequently in this respect resembling the plain of Jordan. MOSES was perfectly well acquainted both with this city, where, during his abode in Egypt, PHARAOH is supposed to have refided, and the nome, district, or province belonging to it, as may be collected from PSALM lxxviii. 12. Marvellous things did he in the fight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of ZOAN. And again, ver. 43. How he had wrought his figns in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of ZOAN. Thefe circumstances, exclufive of others that might be produced, seem to render it extremely probable, that the original word here penn'd by MOSES was ZOAN ; and that, by the ignorance, carelefnefs, or inattenfion of fome tranfcriber, its laft letter Nun was converted into a Refch.

What is here advanced will the more easily gain our affent, if we confider, that no small affinity may be observed between the Phoenician, or old Hebrew, Nun and Resch, as they fometimes appear upon ancient coins. The former (4) differs from the latter (q) only in this, that its head does not form a perfect femicircle, but is open at the top: the leaft inadvertency, therefore, or inattention, if the upper part of the Nun, by any accident, or celerity of the writer, approached a semicircle, might occafion a copift's mistaking this letter for the other.

And that in fact fuch a mistake as this has happened, after what has been faid, we have little reafon to doubt; especi

+Chrift. Cellar. ubi fup. 1. iv. c. 1. Hadr. Reland. de num. vet. Hebr. tab. ix. num. 5. Montfauc. palæogr. Græc. p. 123, 125. Honor. Arigon. Muf num. Phoenic. tab. i. num. 3. et ficl. Judaic. tab. vii. num. 4. Tarvifii, 1745

ally,

ally, if it be farther confidered, that the word ZOAN is still preferved in this paffage by the Syriac verfion. 'Tis alfo worthy observation, that the Syriac form of the Nun is not unlike that of the fame letter exhibited by the coins just referred to; which gives some countenance to my preceding conjecture. It must, therefore, be allowed highly probable, that in one instance, at least, our present copies of the original Hebrew text may be emended by thofe of the Syriac verfion, supported by good authors, and ancient coins, bearing Phoenician, or old Hebrew, characters upon them.

It may, however, be alledged by fome, who would adhere to the present reading, that a confiderable part of the verse now in view is a parenthesis, and that therefore the former part of it, And Lor lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, is connected, with the latter, as thou comeft unto, ZOAR. Which if we admit, ZOAR must be understood here to belong to the plain of Jordan, as it really did, and not to the land of Egypt. But from this fuppofition it will follow, that MOSES afferted all the plain of Jordan every where to have been well watered; and at the fame time confined to one part of this plain, in the neighbourhood of, or as thou comeft unto, ZOAR, his irrigations. This will render our hiftorian inconfiftent with himself, and confequently prove deftructive of his authority. Befides, it is repugnant to the true turn and genius of the whole paffage, as will evidently appear at first fight to every fagacious and intelligent reader. The parenthesis, therefore, here supposed will not remove the difficulty with which the present reading is clogged, nor in the least contribute to a fatisfactory folu→ tion of it.

I could offer feveral other reasons, in fupport of the emendation here submitted to the judgment of the learned, would the limits of your collection at present permit; but as they will not, I must now beg leave to subscribe myself,

Sir, your humble fervant,

Ch. Ch. Oxon.

Sept. 11, 1750.

CRIT. SA C,

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