Chap. 39. An Expo upon the Bookof J o B. Vert; 9 3 57 ' is feaced at the bofom of the Red-Sea, oppofite to Africa, ' bath there Vri in it ' And though no Author doth affirm, that Syria and Palefline ' yield chete wild Oxen, yet this doth not hinder, but that in old ' times, when the Ifraelites firft inhabited thofe Countreys, they. ' were there ; line it is no new thing, that the whole kind of ' fome wild creatures +would be utterly extina in chete Coun- ' treys, where formerly they have abounded, of which England ' gives us a plain teffimony in Wolves, Dionalfo reports the fame ' of Lions, which fometimes were bred in fomepares of Essrope, ' but now for many ages have not appeared there. And the fame witnelfeth Aniniianos (lib. 22.) concerning,the hippopotami in 'Egypt, ofwhich none are to be. found now to that Country. Thus far the learned Doaor , whore difcoutfe may be of much advantage and profit to the Reader, for the better under- f+anding ofthis place. But I find he hash a great Antagonif+, who though he agreeth socfi tiro tar withhim in the negative part of his opinion and difccur fe, That to lD rse t. - the Reemhere fpoken of in lob, is neither the Vnicorn nor the ; Rhinacerote, nor the Bufalns, northe Bifons ; yet he doll-mot agree with him in the afñ.mative part of his opinion, that the ,Reem is that ravage beat+ or wild Ox called Vries ; but firf+ gives a large account why the Reem cannot be that beat+ called Vrac, nor any of that kind ; and then concludes, that it is a kind of Goat, or of the Goatifh kind, by name the Oryx,being an animal in colour pure whitè, in LRature tall, in difpfition fierce and untraìa- ble, inhis;ate - ftately, lifting up. his head and horns on high. That this beaft is the Reem here fpoken oe, he proves by various teflimonies, taken efpecially out of the ancient Arabian, Chalde- an, and Hebrew Writers,and endeavours to remove feveral obje- &ions anfing from the feeming incompetency of any beaR of the Çoatifh rank or kind, to anfwer the'defcription given of that no- ble animal called Reern,both in the Text and in many other places of Scripture. Thus the learned are much divided in opinion about this crea- ture, and upon which to determine is not eafie. Yet becaufe the word Reem is every where in Scripture ren- dred by our Tranflators (ás alto by many others of great autbo- airy) Vnicorn; I shall leave that matter of difference to t
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