called the
Cabbalists, so those who studied and taught the Masorah were called the
Masorites. As the whole business of the Cabbalists and Masorites was the
study of the true reading of the Hebrew Scriptures, to preserve and teach
the proper text, they certainly are justly held the most likely to have
invented, or at least {57} received and preserved these vowel points,
because the whole use of these points is to serve to this purpose.[64]

About this time, in the reign of Darius, otherwise Artaxerxes, who sent
Ezra and Nehemiah to Jerusalem to restore the state of the Jews, first
appeared in Persia the famous prophet of the Magi, whom the Persians call
Zerdusht, or Zaratush, and the Greeks Zoroastres: born of mean and obscure
parentage, with all the craft and enterprising boldness of Mohammed, but
much more knowledge. He was excellently skilled in all the learning of the
East that was in his time; whereas the other could neither read nor write.
He was thoroughly versed in the Jewish religion, and in all the sacred
writings of the Old Testament that were then extant, which makes it most
likely that he was, in his origin, a Jew. It is generally said of him, that
he had been a servant to one of the prophets of Israel, and that it was by
this means that he came to be so well skilled in the Holy Scriptures, and
all other Jewish knowledge. From the collation of authorities made by Dr.
Prideaux,[65] it would seem that it was Daniel under whom he served;
besides whom there was not any other master in those times, under whom he
could acquire all that knowledge, both in things sacred and profane, which
he was so well furnished with. He founded no new {58} religion, but only
reformed the old one. He found that the eminent of the Magi usurped the
sovereignty after the death of Cambyses. But they were destroyed, and by
the slaughter which was then made of all the chief men among them, it sunk
so low, that it became almost extinct, and Sabianism everywhere prevailed
against it, Darius and most of his followers on that occasion going over to
it. But the affection which the people had for the religion of their
forefathers, and which they had all been brought up in, not being easily to
be rooted out, Zoroastres saw that the revival of this was the best game of
imposture that he could then play; and having so good an old stock to
engraft upon, he with greater ease made his new scions grow. He first made
his appearance in Media, now called