but by way of Dialogue, whereby the true Doc- trines of the Gospel are deliver'd in a Philofo- phical way, futed to the Defires and Benefit of the Greeks and Romans; and written by fome of the Hearers of Clement, and of other Companions V. That it was not at firft ordinarily quoted in that open manner as were the publick Books read in Churches; but rather after that more VI. I fhall give the Reader a Summary or short Epitome of the great Design and Scope of this Book, and of the nature of its feveral Parts. VII. I fhall make fome brief but useful Obferva- tions from the Contents of it. VIII. I fhall recommend fome of its remarkable Pafflages to the Reader's ferious confideration, and I. Rufinus's Accounts and Preface are as follow! De Adul- In one place be fpeaks thus: "Clement, the Dif terat. Lib. "ciple of the Apostles, who govern'd the Church "of Rome after the Apoftles, and was both a Bi- vagiods, that is, Recognition: Wherein, while แ "really Apoftolical, are explain'd under the Per- "fon of Peter, yet are the Notions of Eunomius "in fome parts fo directly fet down, that one "would believe Eunomius himself was the Speak- "er: I mean as to his Affertion, That the "Son of God was created out of nothing. Besides, "another kind of Interpolation appears to be in- "ferted, that it was not the Wicked nefs of free "the Nature of the Devil, and of the rest of the he faid, With Clement, and the other my Fellow- Phil. iv. ་ Doctrines, under the name of thofe holy Men, "which they are not to be fuppos'd either to "have believ'd or written, to make them cre"dible in the World?" And elfewhere the fame Rufinus fays, "After this we are call'd upon by Perorat, în "another Work, which we have been formerly Explicat. enjoin'd to do, but are now more vehemently Orig. in urg'd to finish by the bleffed Bishop Gauden-Rom. " " tius; I mean that of Clement, the Bishop of Rome, "and Companion of the Apostles. To whofe " Succeffors that I might communicate fome knowledg, thefe Books are by us turn'd into "Latin. In which performance I am very fenfible that one labour will follow another, if once the Work be undertaken. However I will certainly fatisfy my Friends herein, and will put my own Name in the Title, without leaving out the name of the Author. For that it may not be thought to be Rufinus's own Work, it fhall be nam'd Clement. ་ And more largely in his own Preface to his Ver Apud Cote- fion, which I muft here fet down intirely. "You, ler. p.485," Gaudentius, who are the great Ornament of "Learned Men among us, are endow'd with fo 486. great vigour of Parts, nay with fo plentiful a "Portion of the Spirit, that when you fay any "thing, even in ordinary Difcourfe, or preach ' any thing in the Church, it deferves to be re"corded in Writing, and handed down to Pofte "rity for their Inftruction. As for our felves, "who are naturally of flow Parts, and now ren"der'd much more dull and heavy by old Age; "we have at length, after many delays, un"dertaken to recover that Prize, and go thro "that Work which Silvia, the Virgin of vene"rable Memory, had laid upon us long ago; and "which you, as it were by right of Inheritance, "did demand from us: I mean the restoring Cle ment to our own Language. Thefe Spoils, as "things of great Value, have we ftolen away "from the Libraries of the Greeks, and brought "them hither, for the Ufe and Advantage of our own People; that while we are unable to "afford you any of our own,we may yet help you "by taking Nutriment from abroad. For what "is brought from other Countries is generally "more acceptable, and fometimes more profit"able In fhort, almost every thing that is use"ful for the Cure of our Bodies, which puts a "ftop to Difeafes, and is an Antidote against "Poifons, comes from foreign Countries. Judaa "fends us Balfam; Crete the Herb famous for "healing Wounds; Arabia Spices, and India "Spikenard: which Drugs, tho they come to us "in a more broken State than they were in where "they grew, yet do they retain their fweet "Sinell, and healing Virtue intire notwithstand"ing. Do you therefore, Dear Sir, receive our "Clement, " "Clement, who returns now to you: Receive "him now in a Roman Drefs, and be not furpri "zed if his appearance feems not to you to be "now fo florid and eloquent as it us'd to be for"merly. That is of no confequence, if his meaning be the fame as before. We therefore do "here import foreign Wares into our own "Country, with a great deal of pains. Tho in"deed I don't know with how favourable an Eye แ my Country-men will look upon me, now I bring the Spoils of Greece it felf among them, "and unlock the hidden Treasures of their Wif "dom by the Key of our Language. But may "God be favourable to your good wishes, that "no finifter Eye, nor envions Countenance may meet with us; that fo at leaft we may not be "fubject to fuch prodigious ill Fortune, that while thofe from whom I take this Book are not uneafy at it, thofe to whom I bring it "fhould bear me ill will on that account. But "'tis fit for me now to give you, who can read "the original Greek, as well as this Latin, an account of the nature and design of my Tranf"lation; that you may not think I have in fome, "things neglected the Rules of a juft Verfion. I take it for granted, you are not ignorant "that there are two Editions, and two kinds of "Books of this Clement in the Greek; I mean as "to the fame Work of the Recognitions; and those "confiderably different one from the other, but (ટ્ in many things of the fame contexture. In "fhort, the laft part of this Work, where the "Transformation of Simon is related, is in one "Edition only, but is not at all in the other. "There are alfo fome Difcourfes in both Edi"tions about the Unbegotten God, and the God "that was Begotten, and about fome other Points, which, to say no more, exceeded our A 4 "Under " "Understanding. Thefe Difcourfes therefore "have chofen rather to leave to others to tranf "late, as being beyond my Abilities, than to "curtail them in the Verfion. But as for the "reft of the Work, we have done our best to "keep clofe not only to the Senfe, but even to "the Language and Phrafes alfo: which thing "will make the tenour of the Stile lefs artful indeed, but will reprefent the Author more "faithfully. As to that Epiftle wherein Clement "writes to James, the Lord's Brother, about the Death of Peter, and informs him that he had left him the Succeffor to his See and to his Doctrine; wherein there are contained also "Rules about all forts of Ecclefiaftical Affairs; "I have not here fet it down before this Work, "because it is later in point of Time, and it has "been formerly tranflated and publish'd by me. "Tho indeed I prefume it will not be thought "improper for me to clear that Epiftle of an ab furdity, as to many it will probably feem to "be. For there are thofe that ask, how it could "be that Linus and Cletus were Bifhops of Rome before this Clement, and yet that Clement fhould "write to James that Peter deliver'd the See to him? The answer to which is this, as it has "been handed down to us, That Linus and Cletus "were indeed Bishops of Rome before Clement; but that was in Peter's Life time: and fo that they undertook the Duty of a Bishop, and he "difcharg'd the Function of an Apostle; as appears to have been the cafe alfo at Cafarea; where while he was prefent,he ordain'd Zacha“ us to be their Bishop. So that each Part may "be fuppos'd true by this manner of reconcilia tion, that they both may be reckon'd as Bi"fhops before Clement, and yet Clement might re"ceive the power of Teaching juft after Peter's "death. |