to find, that a Provincial Council of Bishops was affembled at Alexandria, upon the Account of this pretended "famous Tranfaction," and that they had made fome new Canon, as the Council of Eliberis did, about Lay-Baptifm? For, he fays, it drew on a like Determination; " when, behold, parturiunt montes, &c. a Mountain has brought forth a Moufe. This famous Tranfaction was nothing but Boys Play, in the Eaft, i. e. at the Water-fide near Alexandria; and the Determination it is faid to have drew on, was no more than this, That the Bishop of Alexandria, (having taken Council with the Priefts that were about him, whom he was before expecting to Dine with him) is faid to have determin'd, that the Boys Baptiz'd in Play, fhould not be Baptiz'd again: A famous Tranfaction this! and as important a Determination too! If it had been true in fact, which we have no reafon to believe it was, if we confider, It, The Ecclefiaftical Writers whom Mr. Bingham appeals to for the Truth thereof. 2dly, Its little or no Credit among Learned Men. And 3dly, The Circumftances of the Story itself. For,

First, The known Perfon, from whom we originally have this Story, is no other than Rufinus; and from him Sozomen alone, among the ancient Ecclefiaftical Hiftorians. The First, a Man remarkably credulous, and befides fo very careless in his Ecclefiaftical History, that Socrates Scholafticus complains of it, and fays, That he "bas err'd concerning the Notation of the Times:" And gives one Inftance thereof in the Troubles of St. Athanafius; That "he was alfo ignorant of

* Socrates Ecclef. Hift. Book ii. cap. 1.

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dence for the Truth of it, fo that it ftill ftands only upon the firft Foundation which Rufinus laid; and what that is, will be fomething more difcover'd, by what I have farther to fay concerning Socrates Scholafticus: In the mean time, we have no more reafon to regard this Story, for Sozomen's having tranfcrib'd it from Rufinus, than we have to efteem other Trivial and Childish Paffages which are found to occur in feveral Places of Sozomen's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, and which he might probably have taken from other Writers who follow'd Conjectures, in their Relations, and for that reafon were often mistaken; of this fort, of Trifling and Childishness, is, "his Digreffion, in his 1ft Book, concerning the Building of the City Hemona; and concerning the Argonauts Carrying the Ship Argo on their Shoulders fome Furlongs; alfo bis Defcription of Daphne without the Walls of the City Antioch, which occurs at Chap. 19th of his 6th "Book; and that Obfervation of his, concerning the

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Beauty of the Body, where he treats of that Virgin "with whom the bleffed Athanafius Abfconded a long "while." All which, betray what Judgment he had, as an Hiftorian, and make him to be lefs valuable, in that refpect, than Socrates Scholafticus was.

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For this latter, in collecting his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, has made ufe of a fingular Judicioul"nels and Diligence : His Judicioufness is ma"nifefted, by his Remarks and Sentiments interwoven every where throughout his Books.

"He judges incomparably well, both of Men, and "and alfo of Ecclefiaftical Bufinefs and Affairs. "There is nothing in him but what is Gave and

* Valefius, of the Life and Writings of Socrates and Sozomen. + Ibid.

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"Serious; nothing that you can expunge, as "Superfluous; but, on the contrary, fome Paffages occur in Sozomen, that are Trivial and Childish. Socrates's Diligence is declar'd by many Inftances; chiefly by this, in regard he frequently annexes a Note of the Times, that is, the Confulates and Olympiads, efpecially where he mentions fuch Matters as are more momentous. Nor bus "he Carelessly or Negligently written his Hiftory, as "Rufinus did, who (as has been obferv'd before) feems to have compos'd his Two Books of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory without looking into any "Records. Our Socrates did far otherwife; for "having from all Places got together the Beft Monuments, that is, the Epiftles of Prelates, the Alts "of Synods, and the Books of Ecclefiaftical Writers, agreeable to their Authority, he compos'd his Hiftory. This Diligent and Judicious Ecclefiaftical Hiftorian is brought in by Mr. Bingham, to vouch for the Truth of Rufinus's Story, of Mr. Bingham's Famous Tranladion, of Baptifin by Boys at Play at the Water-fide; Mr. Bingbam names Socrates no lefs than twice, as an ancient Hiftorian who may challenge our Belief of this Story for he fays, before the beginning of it, That"There happen'd a Famous, &c. which drew on a Determination, &c. if we may give "credit to any of the Ancient Hiftorians, So"crates, &c. who all Relate it," pag. 29: And then, after the Conclufion of this Story, he fays, "Socrates, &c. have the fame Story," pag. 31. and is fo particular, as to refer us to Socrates's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Book 1. Chap. 15. For my part, I am confounded at Mr. Bingham's Pofitiveness in this Affertion, and wonder at the Greatnefs of his Miftake in fo plain a Matter, (if it be indeed a

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Miftake in a Man fo much converfant in Ecclefiaftical Writers as Mr. Bingham is.) However, I will not aggravate this Slip, left I should thereby make my felf guilty of too fevere a Cenfure: But this I am certain of, that

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Socrates Scholafticus fays not one word of the Boy Athanafius's Baptizing other Boys, nor of Alexander the Bishop's determining, that thofe Suppos'd Baptiz'd Children ought not to be Baptiz'd again. I fay, Socrates has not one word of this in all his Hiftory: And that the Reader may fee that I do not wrong Mr. Bingham, I will here tranfcribe from the 15th Chapter of the 1ft Book of Socrates's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, all that he relates concerning Athanafius's Play at the Water-fide, and of the Notice which Bishop Alexander took of it; and 'tis this: "Upon the Death of Alexander Bishop of Alexandria, Athanafius was promoted to the Prefidency over that Church. Rufinus relates, That this Perfon, when he was very young, did, together with thofe that were his equals in Age, play at a kind of an Holy Sport; this Play was an Imitation of the Sacerdotal Function, and of thofe Perfons Order that were Clergy-men; in this Sport, therefore, Athanafius was elected Bishop, and every one of the rest of the Children acted either a Presbyter or a Deacon. This Sport the Children play'd at, on that Day whereon was celebrated "the Memory of Peter the Martyr and Bishop. Alexander Bishop of Alexandria accidentally paffing by at that time, faw all their Play; and having i. afterwards fent for the Children, be enquired of them, what Place had been allotted to every one of them in the Play, fuppofing, that from what had been done, Something might be portended [concerning each of them; and he gave Order,

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"that the Children fhould be educated in the Church, "and inftructed in Learning, but most especially "Athanafius. Afterwards, when he was come to a maturity of Age, he Ordain'd him Deacon, and took him along with him to Nice, that he might affift him in the Difputations there, at fuch time as that Synod was Convened. Thefe Things Ru"finus bas related concerning Athanafius, in his "Books [of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory;] nor is it at all "unlikely that these things happen'd, for many fuch"like Acts are frequently found to have been done. "Thus much we have hitherto faid concerning "Athanafius.

Thus far Socrates, and he has nothing more relating to this Matter: So that we may plainly fee what part of Rufinus's Story he had reafon to believe, and hand down to Pofterity, and what part he reckon'd not to be agreeable to Truth; he fays, in his Hiftory, That he "makes use of thofe Paffages, in the Relation whereof Rufinus hath "not foglaken the Truth;" plainly intimating, that Rufinus, in fome Paffages of his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, had forfaken the Truth, and that he would not make use of any fuch his falfe Paffages; and therefore, in his Tranfcripts from Rufinus, what Socrates omits in his Hiftory, which Rufinus relates in his, may be look'd upon as falfe, or at leaft not well attefted, in the Opinion of our judicious Socrates; and fince Socrates has wholly omitted the Story of Athanafius's Baptizing the Boys in Play, and alfo of Alexander's determining, that they ought not to have their Baptifm repeated, 'tis a fign that he reckon'd this part of the Story to be

* Book 2. Cap. I.

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