one Inftance of Rufinus's forfaking the Truth, and confequently, that he did not believe it, and fo would not ftuff his Hiftory with fuch an odd improbable Relation.

The Author of the Life of St, Athanafius, (another of Mr. Bingham's Hiftorians) in Photius, is an unknown Writer. Photius does not fo much as guefs who he was; and therefore, tho' he has the fame Story, yet being an unknown Author, his Evidence is of no weight in this Matter, efpecially if we confider, that he is fo fingular in one part of this Story, as to reckon, that what the Children did in their Play, was done by Divine *Instinct 02 Inspiration. A very extraordinary Addition this to Rufinus's firft Story, and which betrays the Credulity of this unknown Author, whoever he was Befides, if what he fays be true, it will follow, that this Baptifm was Authoriz'd and Commiffion'd by God himself, being done by a Divine Instinct, and fo fpoils Mr. Bingham's Defign in quoting this Story. But this, of a Divine Instinct in the Boys, none but those who give credit to idle Fables, will ever believe.

Another of Mr. Bingham's fuppofed Vouchers for the Truth of this Story, is Johannes Mofchus, pag. 31. But fure our Reverend Hiftorian is hard put to it for good Evidence, when he stoops fo low, as to make ufe of fuch ridiculous Authors as this Monk, who, in that very Book which Mr. Bingham quotes, viz. Mofchus Pratum Spir.] "relates

many trange Stories and Miracles that deferve little credit, (as Du Pin tells us ;) for Inftance, in his

Alexander ad fe vocat, auditque non illos facra irrififfe, fed ut ex eventu colligas feciffe Divino quodam Inftin&to, &c. Photii Biblioth. Cod. 258. pag. 1430.

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45th Chapter, he fays, "A Reclufe promifed the Devil, be would adore the Virgin's Image no more, "to be delivered from his Temptation, and that he was reprov'd by his Elder for doing fo. In the 47th, he relates, "That the Virgin having Appear'd twice to a Fefter uttering impious Speeches against her, and having warn'd him to do fo more, but to "no purpose, the Appear'd to him the third time, "and that having fign'd his Hands and Feet with the Sign of the Cross, he found himself, when he awoke, without Hands and Feet. In the 79th, "That a Catholick, being Servant to a Severian, having left with his Mafter the Key of his Cheft, "where he had laid up the Eucharift in a LinenCloth, the Mafter having defign'd to Burn it, be"caufe his Servant did not come back, found that "the Particles of the Eucharist had brought forth "Ears of Corn. In the 196th Chapter, he relates, That fome Children of the Province of Apamea would needs reprefent the Celebration of the Holy Myfteries, and that having chofen one of themselves to perform the Office of a Prieft, "and two others of Deacons, they fet fome Bread upon a Stone, and that he that acted the Prieft did ። pronounce the Words of Oblation, which he had gotten by heart. That having thus performed all the Ceremonies, before they brake the Bread, to give the Communion, Fire came down from Heaven, which confumed the Oblation, and "the whole Stone whereon it was laid. That the Bishop of the Place, hearing of it, built a Monaftery in that Place, and made all thofe Children "Monks. To this Example, he adds that reported "by Rufinus, of the Baptifm by St. Athanafius, who was then but a Child, to fome other Children. And in the 207th, "There is mention made of Twa

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Angels

Angels who flood Sureties for a Girl which had a "mind to be Baptiz'd.

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The fame Book is full of an infinite number of Relations and miraculous ftrange Stories of Apparitions, Revelations, Vifions, and Miracles faid to be wrought by Herinits, by Fore-telling Things to come, Difcovering Mens Thoughts, Commanding Lions and Wild Beafts; when Dead, fpeaking to the Living from their Graves; and fuch-like fabulous Trumpery Among thofe Whims, Rufinus's Story is alfo related. And let the Judicious determine, whether this Johannes Mofculus, a Monk of the 7th Century, fo foolishly Credulous even to Superftition, can give any Reputation to the Story before us. If this must be our Way to get at the General Practice of the Primitive Church, and we refolve to truft to fuch Legendary Writers as Johannes Mofchus, we fhall foon return again to all the Corruptions of Popery: For, where fhall we ftop, when we follow fuch Dreaming, Vifionary Guides, as he was?

Mr. Bingham tells us, That Nicephorus Califtus relates the fame Story: Upon this, one would have thought, that Nicephorus gives us a particular Account of it; but when we look into his Hiftory, there we find, that after he has told a Story of a few, Baptized with Sand inftead of Water, in a Defart Place where no Water was to be had, and of his being afterwards commanded to be Baptized with Water; he then adds only this, "Hiftories fay, that fomething like this happen'd alfo in the time of the Great Athanafius. " This is all that Nicephorus fays.

Niceph. Calift. Ecclef. Hift. lib. 3. cap. 37, Paris 1630. Simile quiddam accidiffe etiam fub Athanafio magno Hiftoriæ tradunt.

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And how can it be affirm'd, that "Nicephorus "Califtus relates the fame Stopy, when he only fays those few Words? And what he fays, amounts to no Relation of the Story at all; fince nothing of the Boy Athanafius's Baptizing his Play-fellows, or of Alexander's Determining the Validity of this fuppos'd Ludicrous Baptifin, can be gather'd from Nicephorus's Words, confider'd as they ftand in his Hiftory, feparate from any other that was written before him. Indeed, he does immediately add another Story of a Jew Boy, Baptiz'd in Play, by Chriftian Children, at the Sea-fide near Conftannople, in his own Days: But then, if we confider that this Writer Nicephorus Califtus, a Monk of Conftantinople, liv'd and wrote in the 14th Century, that he has mix'd his Hiftory with a great many Fables, and has fall'n into many Mistakes, (as the learned Du Pin informs us) 'tis eafie to account for Nicephorus's relating fuch Stories as this; and the eafie Credulity of a Fabulous Writer in the 14th Century, is but a forry Evidence for, nay, a Dif-reputation to, the Truth of any Tales of this nature. Mr. Bingham's referring us to fuch Autho2s, for the Confirmation of Rufin's Story, is no-ways answerable to the Character he has acquir'd among Learned Men; and, for a Reverend Prieft of the Church of England to referr us to the Authority of fuch Fabulous Writers, as Johannes Mofchus, and Nicephorus Califtus, in the Dark Ages of the Church, to convince us of the Truth of an odd whimsical Story, which in its natural Confequences tends to the utter Abolition of the whole Prieftly Character, if the Matter thereof be allow'd

Du Pin's Ecclef. Hift, Cent. xiv. pag. 87. Lond.

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to be true, juff, and right, is a very aftonishing thing, and the Principle from whence it proceeds hard, if at all, to be accounted for, especially in a Man who doubtless, has given his Affent to the 21ft and 22d Articles of the Church of England, which warn us against trusting to Mens Miftakes, and ill-grounded fabulous Inventions in Matters of Religion.

The Reader, I hope, will charitably cenfure the Zeal of this Reflection, fince it proceeds from nothing else but a neceffary Indignation, which all good Chriftians ought to have, against fuch fabulous Stories, as ftrike at the very Root of our Saviour's Holy Inftitutions. But 'tis time to proceed.

Secondly, We have no reason to believe that there is any Truth in this part of the Story, fince it has fo little or no Credit among Learned Men : The Induftrious and Judicious Ecclefiaftical Hiftorian Socrates, a very good Judge, and Competent by reafon of his Abilities, the beft Monuments he procured from all Places, and the early Days he liv'd in, this Writer, fo well qualified, as I have before obferved, tho' in his Two firft Books he follows Rufinus in many things, yet, in his ift Book, and 15th Chapter, where he Copies one part of the Story from Rufinus, he abfolutely paffes over in filence the other part of it, about the Ludicrous Baptifin, and the pretended Determination relating thereto, as not worthy the Notice of himfelf, or his Reader; which certainly he would not have done, if he had believ'd that it was fo Famous a Tranfaction as Mr. Bingham calls it, and if he had found any fuch Determination of the Bishop and his Clergy about it, as our Reverend Hiftorian talks of; for Socrates fays of himself, That he makes "ufe of fuch Paffages, in the Relation whereof CC Rufinus