IV.

the places into which they had retired, and CHAP. became the progenitors of the present race of men. The number of perfons, whom they suppose to have been thus faved, nearly approaches to that mentioned in the Mofaical account. It confifts of feven. Perhaps it may not be very difficult to account for the deficiency of the eighth. The original tradition, like that of the Hindoos", may have been, that a pious prince, with feven holy men, were faved from the general destruction which prevailed around them. In process of time, the head of this company may have been forgotten; and, in that cafe, the exact number seven, comprehending only his followers, would remain.

3. It is mentioned in a treatise written by a Portugueze friar, that the Brazilians have likewife preferved a traditional account of the deluge. When that event took place, all mankind perished, one perfon and his fifter only excepted, who escaped on a Janipata. From this pair the

Cited by Purch. Pilgrim. b. ix. c. 8.

u Vide fupra, p. 139.

* Cited by Purch, Pilgrim. b. ix. c. 5.

VÓL. I.

M

Brazilians

3.

Brazilian

SECT. Brazilians deduce their origin. Lerius reI. lates, that he was prefent at one of their

an.

affemblies, when, in a folemn chorus, they chanted a kind of requiem to the fouls of their ancestors. In the courfe of the song, they did not fail to notice the catastrophe of the deluge; in which the whole world perished, excepting fome of their progenitors, who escaped by climbing into high

trees.

4. Peter Martyr informs us, that when Nicaragu- the Spaniards first discovered Nicaragua, they attempted to perfuade the prince of the country to become a Chriftian. Upon this, he immediately inquired, whether thofe, who profeffed the religion of Jefus, had any knowledge of the flood; which, according to traditional accounts received from his predeceffors, had once covered the whole earth, and had destroyed both men and beafts. In fhort, all the inhabitants of the vast country of America appear more or less to be acquainted with this awful inftance of Divine justicea.

IV.

IX. 1. Jofephus has enumerated a va- CHAP. riety of ancient authors, who concur in afserting, that the world had once been deftroyed by a flood of waters.

66

IX.

"This de- Authors

who speak

I.

Those men

luge," fays he, "and the ark, is men- of the de"tioned by all those perfons, who have luge. "written Barbaric hiftories; one of whom tioned by "is is Berofus the Chaldean. Speaking of Jofephus. "the flood, he gives us the following nar"rative. It is faid, that in Armenia, upon "a mountain of the Cordyeans, part of "the hip is even yet remaining. It is a "custom to scrape from off it fome of the "bitumen, with which it was covered, and "to carry it about the perfon, as a ta"lifman to avert diforders. Jerome like"wife, the Egyptian, who wrote the an"cient hiftory of Phenicia; and Mnafeas; " and many others; make mention of thefe " events. Nicolaus Damafcenus, in his

66

ninety-fixth book, gives an account of "the fame events, in these words. There "is a great mountain in Armenia, fituated "above Minyas, which is called Baris. A "report prevails, that, at the time of the deluge, many perfons fled here, and were "preferved. One, in particular, was con

veyed in an ark, to the very fummit of

SECT. "the mountain, and a confiderable part of I. "that veffel yet remains. He perhaps

2.

Melo.

Flato.

may be the man, concerning whom "Moses, the Jewish lawgiver, wrote."

2. Melo, a bitter enemy of the Jews, relates, that the perfon, who was faved along with his fons from the waters of the flood, was afterwards driven away from Armenia by the natives, and expelled from his house and poffeffions. Upon this, he retired into the mountains of Syria.

This teftimony is the more valuable, as coming from a profeffed enemy. However Melo may have perverted the truth, enough remains to fhow, that, prejudiced as he was against the Jewish nation, he was nevertheless constrained to allow the reality of fuch an event as the deluge.

3. 3. Plato mentions, that an Egyptian priest declared to Solon, that, previous to the partial deluges of Ogyges and Deucalion, an universal one had taken place, in

b Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. lib. i. p. 12. edit. Hudson. and Zonar. Annal. vol. i. p. 19.

Eufeb. Præp. Evang. lib. ix. c. 19.

which the original constitution of the earth CHAP. was much affected and confiderably altereda.

IV.

4.

Diodorus

4. Diodorus Siculus varies from Plato in fome degree, by afferting, that the Egyp- Siculus. tians maintained the flood of Deucalion to have been general; but this difcrepancy is not of fufficient moment to invalidate the pofition, that the Egyptians did believe in a deluge that was univerfalf.

5. Epiphanius fays, that in the high Epiphatract of country in Armenia, called the nius. Gordyean hills, one mountain in particular, loftier than the reft, bore in his days the name of Lubar, which, in the Armenian language, fignifies the defcending place. In all probability, it is the fame hill, which Nicolaus Damafcenus calls Baris.

6. Abydenus, after giving an account of the deluge from which Xifuthrus, the Chaldean Noah, was faved, concludes with afferting, in exact concurrence with Berofus, that the ark first rested in the moun

d Plat. Tim. p. 23.

e Bibl. Hift. lib. i..

f Vide fupra, Rule II. p. 21. and 30.

Epiph. Adv. Hær. lib. i.

6.

Abydenus.