The Tower of Confufion of But when the Threats of the Great God are accomplish'd, with which he threaten'd the Men who built the Tower of Babel in the Country of Affyria, then all spake the fame Speech, and feem'd to defign to afcend as high as the Stars; then the Immortal God fent a Wind, and when it had overthrown the very high Tower, and had occafion'd a Contention amongst one another, Men gave to that Town the Name of Babylon : but after the Tower fell, and the Speech of Men differ'd by all forts of Words, then all the Earth was divided, and fill'd with different Kings, and then was the tenth Generation of Mankind, from the time the Flood came on the first Men, and then reign'd Saturn, and Titan, and Fapetus, Note, This Account of Babel differs from that in Scripture, but there is the fame Hiftory of it in Jofephus; and Mr. Gregory, in his defcription of that Tower, which is part ftanding, fays, the firft Design of it was never finish'd; but we may well conjecture by this Account from the Oracles and Jofephus, that the top of it was blown down by a Tempeft, and the reft ftands as a fufficient Testimony of the Truth of this ancient History: and the fame Tempest of Thunder might fo alter the Speech of the Workmen, that their Tongues becoming like Paralytics, might occafion different Dialects of the fame original Language, that is, the Perfians, Arabians, Syrians, and Hebrews Language, were only different Dialects of it, and from the mixtures and different Pronunciations all other Languages arose. Note Note farther, Here is continu'd the Hiftory of the times after the Flood, which is begun in the first Book, and there abruptly broken off. Note farther, That the Reign of the Titans is in the feventh Generation in the firft Book, but then the Generations were reckon'd from Adam; but here the reckoning is from the Flood, the tenth Generation of Men, the firft is more properly call'd Periods, or Ages. the best Children of the Earth; and they were call'd Celestial Men, by giving them their Name from the Earth and Heaven, because they were the most excellent of all Men: The Earth was divided into three parts, according to the Lott of each; and each of them ruled in their own Share. And then they had no Wars, for they were bound by an Oath, which their Father impos'd; and their Shares were just and equal: But when their Father was dead, in his Old-age, the Sons tranfgrefs'd their Oaths very much, and they began Strife amongst one another, who fhould have the Kingly Government over all Mankind; and Saturn and Titan fought, but Juno, the Saturn's Reign Barth, and Venus, who delights in Garlands, the Fitans. and Ceres, and Vefta, and beautiful Diana, reconcil'd them, caufing them to meet, and telling them, That they were all Brothers, of the fame Blood as other Men, and that they were of the Blood of the fame Parents; and they decreed that Saturn fhould be the King who fhould rule all Men, because he was eldeft, and most Majestick: But Titan impos'd and Fight with impos'd this great Oath on Saturn, not to breed up any Male Child, that he might: reign when Saturn grew old, and dy'd.. When Rhea brought forth, the Titans were. prefent, and they deftroy'd all the Males, but permitted the Mother to preferve the Females. But when Venerable Rhea lay in the third time, fhe was firft deliver'd of Juno; and after they faw fhe was a Female, the Savage Titans departed: But afterwards Rhea brought forth a Male Child, and prefently fent him into Phrygia, to be nursed privately. She chofe three Cretans, and bound them by an Oath, therefore he was call'd Aia, because he was fent (by Men bound by an Oath, which is esteem'd Divine) and Neptune was alfo fent privately thither, But the Divine Rhea was deliver'd again of Pluto, the third Son, when the pass'd by Dodona, whence the Stream of the River Eurotas and Pe- Eurotas flows, and falls into the Sea, and news in Theffaly mixes with Peneus, which is call'd the Sty The firft Moarchies. gian Waters. When the Titans had heard that there were Sons born to Saturn and Rhea, privately kept, Titan gather'd fixty of his Progeny; he bound Saturn and Rhea in Bonds, and kept them in a dark Prison, under the Earth; but the Son of strong Saturn heard of it, and rais'd a great War, and a Tumult: and this is the beginning of War amongst Men, and the first course of humane Wars. Then God brought Evil on the Titans and all the Generations of the Titans and Saturn Saturn dy'd; but in future Ages afterwards he rais'd the Kingdom of Ægypt, and then that of the Perfians and Medes, Ethiopians, and Babylon in Affyria, and afterwards of the Macedonians, and of Egypt again, then of Rome. Note, By this old Fable of the Gentiles, the firft Wars amongst the Pofterity of Noah are defcrib'd. This Age was accounted the fabulous Age, because the Gentiles wanted the true Hiftories of the Times after the Flood; they believ'd that their Gods were born in Crete, and thence the Rites of their Worship were deriv'd to other Countries: In Phrygia, Rhea was worthipp'd. By this Hiftory the Sibyl proves, that the Heathenish Gods were Noah's Sons; and by this inftance, we may discern that this Sibyl us'd the History of the World as they found it in the Gentile Hiftorians. Then the Voice of the Great God darted fuddenly into my Mind, and commanded me to prophecy in every Country,and to declare what shall happen to all Kings. Then God alone communicated this first to me, how many Kingdoms of Men fhould rife, for the House of Solomon fhall firft Reign, then the Governour of Phoenicia and Afia, and other Islands, the Kingdoms of Pamphylia, Perfia, Phrygia, Caria, Myfia, and of the Generation of the rich Lydians; and after all these Kingdoms, the proud and impure Grecians; and then the great and various Nation of the Macedonians fhall afflict Men with a terrible Cloud of War, but the Heavenly God fhall destroy them utterly.. After The Romans. of the Titans Afterwards there fhall a new Kingdom begin, wearing white Helmets, on the West of the Sea, which fhall reign over many Countries, and shake many, and terrifie all Kings; at laft it fhall gather much Gold and Silver by plundering many Cities, and then Silver and Gold and great Ornaments fhall abound in the whole World, and they fhall afflict Men, but afterwards thefe Men fhall fall; when they govern with a wicked Pride, they will presently be over-run with a Load of Impiety; they will be guilty of Sodomy, and will appoint young Boys to be kept in fhameful Houfes: And there fhall be in those days a great Affliction amongst Men, which fhall disturb and destroy all things, and fill all places with Calamities, fhameful Covetoufnefs, and ill-got Riches, but especially Macedonia, by which a Hatred will be rais'd; and all manner of Deceit will be amongst them to the seventh Kingdom, in which the King of Egypt fhall rule, who is of the Grecian Stock. Note, The fixth Ptolemy was protected by the Romans, against Antiochus, and then the Jews, be ing deliver'd from his Oppreffion, flourish'd. And then the People of the Great God fhall become ftrong again, who fhall inftruct all Men in the Ways of Life. The Punishment But why has God put it into my Mind to fpeak this alfo, what Evils fhall come firft, what afterwards, and what fhall be laft and Saturn, a. |