An Encomium on Synesius, one of Hypatia’s Scholars; who, tho’ a Heathen, was consecrated a Christian Bishop.

One of these, who has preserved to us the Names of several others, is the celebrated Synesius. He was a Native of Cyrene in Africa, on the Borders of Egypt, a very ancient Greek Colony, the Birth-place of Aristippus and Carneades, which Synesius forgets not to mention in his Writings. He travelled for Improvement to his neighbouring Country of Egypt, the undoubted Mother of the Sciences, where he happily succeeded in his Studies at Alexandria under Hypatia. This Personage alone may suffice for a Specimen, of the extraordinary Spirits that she formed. If we may rely on the Judgement of no less a Man than Nicephorus Gregoras, Patriarch of Constantinople (who wrote elaborate Annotations on his Treatise of Dreams, a Piece fraught with uncommon Learning) he says, There was nothing he did not know, no Science wherein he did not excel, no Mistery in which he was not initiated or skilled, with a great deal more to this Purpose. And it must be owned, that to all the Vivacity natural to his Country, there was joined the most profound Knowledge and solid Judgement. His Works are every one highly commended, but his Epistles are admirable, as Suidas very truly remarks, and in the Opinion of Protius, as well as of Evagrius, they are elegant, agreeable, sententious, and learned. He was a Man of noble Birth, which added no less Weight to his Learning then this relieved Lustre on his Quality; as both together procured him Credit with his Superiors, Authority over his Inferiors, and Admiration from his Equals. He went upon an Embassy, which lasted three Years, to the Emperor Arcadius at Constantinople, on the Behalf of his Country; which was miserably harrassed by the auxiliary Goths and other Barbarians, but which received considerable Relief from his Solicitations. It was then that with greater Boldness than any of the Grecians (as he tells us himself) he pronounced before the Emperor, that extremely fine Oration concerning Government; which, in a Country so justly fond of Liberty as ours, I wonder has never been translated. This defect I have supplied, and will impart it to the Public on a proper Occasion. As for Synesius’s being consecrated Bishop of Ptolemais, notwithstanding his Protestation, that he disbelieved some of the most essential Articles of the Christian Religion, we spoke enough to that Point at the latter end of Clidophorus; only we shall observe in this Place, how Petavius, the Editor of his Works, affirms, that, in some of the Books written after his Profession of Christianity, he appears as very a Heathen as ever. But this being no Prejudice to his Parts, however it may affect his Salvation, is none of our present Business to examine; much less to adopt the pitiful Excuses, or rather Prevarications, invented by some learned Men to defend him from this Imputation. The principal is Baromius.