And  since  even  in  Paradise  itself,  the  tree  of  knowledge
was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  garden,  whatever  was  the
ambient  %^»  there  wanted  not  a  centre  and  rule  of  decus-
sation. Whether  the  groves  and  sacred  plantations  of
antiquily  were  not  thus  orderly  placed,  either  ,by  qua-
temios,  or  quintuple  ordinations,  may  favourably  be  doubted,
for  since  they  were  so  methodical  in  the  constitutions  of
their  temples,  as  to  observe  the  due  situation,  aspect,  man-
ner, form,  and  order  in  architectonical^  relations,  whether
they  were  not  as  distinct  in  their  groves  and  plantations
about  them,  in  form  and  species  respectively  unto  their
deities,  is  not  without  probability  of  conjecture.  And  in
their  groves  of  the  sun  this  was  a  fit  number  by  multiplica-
tion to  denote  the  days  of  the  year ;  and  might  hierogly-
phically  speak  as  much,  as  the  mystical  statue  of  Janus  f  in
the  language  of  bis  fingers.  And  since  they  were  so
critical  m  the  number  of  his  horses,  the  strings  of  his  harp,
and  rays  about  his  head,  denoting  the  orbs  of  heaven,  the
seasons  and  months  of  the  year,  witty  idolatry  would  hardly
be  flat  in  other  appropriations.
*  Ecdea.  ii.  f   V^-  Testamenti  Pharut,

t  Which  king  Nvma  set  up,  with  his  fingera  so  disposed  that  they
numerically  denoted  865. — Pliny.
"^  ar^UecUmical.']  "  Having  skill  in  architecture"  is  Dr.  Johnson's
definition  of  this  word : — and  he  quotes  a  passage  from  Browne,  Tract.
I,  vol.  iv.  p.  124.  But  he  seems  to  use  the  woid  more  generally  in  the
sense  of  relating  to  architecture.
Digitized  by  VjOOQIC


606  euBDSisr  of  cxEirs.
CBLIPTEE  n.
