stance will serve to explain the meaning of the
Author, yet 'tis very improper, because 'tis utterly impossible to
give a Man that is born Blind, the least notion or
idea of Light or Colours_.]

[Footnote 11: _The Hanifitick Sect,_ and the _Mahometan_ Religion,--_That
is, not only the_ Hanifitick _Sect, but even the_ Mahometan _Religion
too, of which that Sect is a Branch, does forbid the over
curious enquiring into these abstruse Matters. This Sect was
very early among the_ Mahometans, _for it had its Name from_
Abu Hanifah Al Nooman, _who was born,in the 80 year of_
Hegira, or according to others in the 70. _I must confer,
that it seems something odd, that he should mention that Sect first,
and then the_ Mahometan _Religion which includes it, and if it
had not been for the word_ Asshariyato, _which, if I mistake not,
is never us'd to express any particular Sect, but signifies a Religion,
or Law of God, I should have understood those Words of the
Sect of_ Mahomet Ebn Edris Asshaphiensis. _See Dr._ Pocock _'s
Specimen_ p. 295. _Or else the_ Hanifitick _Sect and the_ Mahometan
_Religion may signifie the same thing, because_ Abraham,
_(whose Religion the_ Mahometans _pretend to follow) is called in
the_ Alcoran Hanif. _Dr._ Sike.]

[Footnote 12: Alpharabius,--_Without Exception, the greatest of all the_
Mahometan _Philosophers, reckon'd by some very near equal to_
Aristotle _himself_. Maimonides, _in the Epistle which I just
now mention'd, commends him highly; and tho' he allows_
Avicenna _a great share of Learning, and_ Acumen; _yet be prefers_
Alpharabius _before him. Nay_, Avicenna _himself confesses, that
when he had read over_ Aristotle's _Metaphysicks forty times, and
gotten them by heart; that he never understood them till he
happened upon_ Alpharabius_'s Exposition of them. He wrote Books
of Rhetorick, Musick, Logick, and all parts of Philosophy; and
his Writings have been much esteemed; not only by_ Mahometans
_but_ Jews _and_ Christians _too. He was a Person of singular
Abstinence and Continence,and Despiser of the things of this World.
He is call'd_ Alpharabius _from_ Farab, _the place of bis Birth,
which according to_ Abulpheda _(who reckons his Longitude not
from the Fortunate Islands, but from the extremity of the Western
Continent of_ Africa) _bar_88 deg. 30 min. _of Longitude and_
44 deg. _of Northern Latitude. He died at_ Damascus _the Year
of the Hegira_ 339, _that is, about the Year of Christ 950,