years which we now live, think that what we have said of them is false; or make the shortness of our lives at present an argument that neither did they attain to so long a duration of life; for those ancients were beloved of God, and [lately] made by God himself; and because their food was then fitter for the prolongation of life, might well live so great a number of years; and besides, God afforded them a longer time of life on account of their virtue, and the good use they made of it in astronomical and geometrical discoveries, which would not have afforded the time of foretelling [the periods of the stars] unless they had lived six hundred years; for the Great Year is completed in that interval. Now I have for witness to what I have said, all those that have written Antiquities, both among the Greeks and barbarians; for even Manetho, who wrote the Egyptian History, and Berosus, who collected the Chaldean Monuments, and Mochus, and Hestiæus, and besides these, Hieronymus the Egyptian, and those who composed the Phonician History, agree to what I here say: Hesiod also, and Hecatæus, Hellanicus, and Acusilaus; and besides these, Ephorus and Nicolaus relate that the ancients lived a thousand years; but as to these matters, let every one look upon them as he thinks fit.

CHAPTER IV.

not obey him. Nay, they added to this their disobedience to the divine will, the suspicion that they were therefore ordered to send out separate colonies, that, being divided asunder, they might the more easily be oppressed.

2. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah. -a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe.it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny,-seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!

3. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains. nor being in any degree negligent about the work; and by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cement

CONCERNING THE TOWER OF BABYLON, AND ed together with mortar, made of bitumen,

THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES.

1. Now the sons of Noah were three,Shem, Japhet, and Ham, born one hundred years before the Deluge. These first of all descended from the mountains into the plains, and fixed their habitation there; and persuaded others, who were greatly afraid of the lower grounds on account of the flood, and so were very loth to come down from the higher places, to venture to follow their examples. Now the plain in which they first dwelt was called Shinar.

that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, sirra they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them divers languages; and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon; because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood beGod also commanded them to send co- fore; for the Hebrews mean by the word Balonies abroad, for the thorough peopling of the bel, Confusion. The Sibyl also makes mention earth, — that they might not raise seditions of this tower, and of the confusion of the among themselves, but might cultivate a great language, when she says thus:- "When all part of the earth, and enjoy its fruits after a men were of one language, some of them built plentiful manner: but they were so ill in- a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend structed, that they did not obey God; for up to heaven; but the gods sent storms o which reason they fell into calamities, and wind and overthrew the tower, and gave every were made sensible, by experience, of what one his peculiar language; and for this reason sin they had been guilty; for when they flour- it was that the city was called Babylon." But shed with a numerous youth, God admonish- as to the plain of Shinar, in the country of ed them again to send out colonies; but they, Babylonia, Hestiæus mentions it, when he imagining the prosperity they enjoyed was not says thus:-"Such of the priests as were sav. derived from the favour of God, but supposed, took the sacred vessels of Jupiter Enys. ing that their own power was the proper cause lius, and came to Shir of Babylonia.' of the plentiful condition they were in, did

CHAPTER V.

AFTER WHAT MANNER THE POSTERITY OF
NOAH SENT OUT COLONIES, AND INHA-

BITED THE WHOLE EARTH.

AFTER this they were dispersed abroad, on account of their languages, and went out by colonies every where, and each colony took possession of that land which they light upon, nd unto which God led them; so that the whole continent was filled with them, both the inland and maritime countries. There were some also who passed over the sea in ships, and inhabited the islands; and some of those nations do still retain the denominations which were given them by their first founders; but some have lost them also; and some have only admitted certain changes in them, that they might be the more intelligible to the inhabitants; and they were the Greeks who beeame the authors of such mutations; for when, in after-ages, they grew potent, they claimed to themselves the glory of antiquity,-giving names to the nations that sounded well (in Greek) that they might be better understood among themselves; and setting agreeable forms of government over them, as if they were a people derived from theinselves.

CHAPTER VI.

Of

that are able to understand, that so was the
entire nation once called. Thiras also called
those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but
the Greeks changed the name into Thracians,
And so many were the countries that had the
children of Japhet for their inhabitants.
the three sons of Gomer, Aschanax founded
the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the
Greeks Rheginians. So did Riphath found
the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians; and
Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as
the Greeks resolved, were named Phrygians.
Of the three sons of Javan also, the son o
Japhet, Elisa gave name to the Eliseans, who
were his subjects; they are now the Æolians.
Tharsus to the Tharsians; for so was Cilicia
of old called; the sign of which is this, that
the noblest city they have, and a metropolis
also, is Tarsus, the tau being by change put
for the theta. Cethimus possessed the island
Cethima; it is now called Cyprus: and from
that it is that all islands, and the greatest part
of the sea-coasts, are named Cethim by the
Hebrews: and one city there is in Cyprus
that has been able to preserve its denomina-
tion; it is called Citius by those who use the
language of the Greeks, and has not, by the
use of that dialect, escaped the name of Ce-
thim. And so many nations have the children
and grand-children of Japhet possessed. Now
when I have premised somewhat, which per-
haps the Greeks do not know, I will return
and explain what I have omitted; for such
names are pronounced here after the manner
of the Greeks, to please my readers; for our
own country language does not so pronounce

HOW EVERY NATION WAS DENOMINATED FROM them: but the names in all cases are of one

THEIR FIRST INHABITANTS.

and the same ending; for the name we here pronounce Noeas is there Noah, and in every case retains the same termination..

§1. Now they were the grand-children of Noah, in honour of whom names were im- 2. The children of Ham possessed the land posed on the nations by those that first seized from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains upon them. Japhet, the son of Noah, had of Libanus, seizing upon all that was on its seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning sea-coasts and as far as the ocean, and keepat the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they ing it as their own. Some indeed of its names proceeded along Asia, as far as the river Ta- are utterly vanished away; others of them nais, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling being changed, and another sound given them, themselves on the lands which they light upon, are hardly to be discovered; yet a few there which none had inhabited before, they called are which have kept their denominations entire: the nations by their own names; for Gomer for of the four sons of Ham, time has not at founded those whom the Greeks now call Ga- all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, latians [Galls], but were then called Gomer-over whom he reigned, are even at this day, ites. Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are by the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan nd Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes by the Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia and all the Grecians are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch; now they are Cappadocians. There is also a mark of their ancient denomination still to be shown; for there is even now among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those

both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Chusites. The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved in their name; for all we who inhabit this country [of Judea] exl. Egypt Mestre, and the Egyptians Mestreans. Phut also was the founder of Libya, and called the mhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also a river in the country of the Moors which bears that name; whence it is that we may see the greatest part of the Grecian historiographers mention that river and the adjoining country by the appellation of Phut: but the name it has now has been by

what had been done, he prayed for prosperity to his other sons; but for Ham, he did not curse him, by reason of his nearness in blood, but cursed his posterity. And when the rest of them escaped that curse, God inflicted it on the children of Canaan. But as to these matters, we shall speak more hereafter.

change given it from one of the sons of Mesraim, who was called Lybyos. We will inform you presently what has been the occasion why it has been called Africa also. Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, inhabited the country now called Judea, and called it from his own name Canaan. The children of these [four] were these: Sabas, who founded the Sabeans; 4. Shem, the third son of Noah, had five Evilas, who founded the Evileans, who are sons, who inhabited the land that began at called Getuli; Sabathes founded the Sabath- Euphrates, and reached to the Indian ocean; ens; they are now called by the Greeks, Asta- for Elam left behind him the Elamites, the borans; Sabactas settled the Sabactens; and ancestors of the Persians. Ashur lived at Ragmus the Ragmeans; and he had two sons, the city Nineve; and named his subjects Asthe one of whom, Judadas, settled the Juda-syrians, who became the most fortunate nadeans, a nation of the western Ethiopians, tion, beyond others. Arphaxad named the and left them his name; as did Sabas to the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans. Sabeans. But Nimrod, the son of Chus, staid Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks and tyrannized at Babylon, as we have already call Syrians; as Laud founded the Laudites, informed you. Now all the children of Mes- which are now called Lydians. Of the four raim, being eight in number, possessed the sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and country from Gaza to Egypt, though it re- Damascus; this country lies between Palestained the name of one only, the Philistim; tine and Celesyria. Ül founded Armenia; for the Greeks call part of that country Pa- and Gather the Bactrians; and Mesa the lestine. As for the rest, Ludieim, and Ene-Mesaneans; it is now called Charax Spasini. mim, and Labim, who alone inhabited in Libya, and called the country from himself, Nedim, and Phethrosim, and Chesloim, and Cephthorim, we know nothing of them besides their names; for the Ethiopic war,* which we shall describe hereafter, was the cause that those cities were overthrown. The sons of Canaan were these: Sidonius, who also built a city of the same name; it is called by the Greeks, Sidon; Amathus inhabited in Amathine, which is even now called Amathe by the inhabitants, although the Macedonians named it Epiphania, from one of his posterity: Arudeus possessed the island Aradus: Arucas possessed Arce, which is in Labanus; 5. I will now treat of the Hebrews. The --but for the seven others, [Eueus], Chetteus, son of Phaleg, whose father was Heber, was Jebuseus, Amorreus, Gergesus, Eudeus, Sin- Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was eus, Samareus, we have nothing in the sacred born Nahor; his son was Terah, who was the books but their names, for the Hebrews over-father of Abram, who accordingly was the threw their cities; and their calamities came upon them on the occasion following:

|

Sala was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews Hebrews.† Heber begat Joctan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he their several countries; for Phaleg, among was born at the dispersion of the nations to the Hebrews, signifies division. Now Joctan, one of the sons of Heber, had these sons Elmodad, Saleph, Asermoth, Jera, Adoram, Aizel, Decla, Ebal, Abimael, Sabeus, Ophir, Euilat, and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of Asia adjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning the sons of Shem.

tenth from Noah, and was born in the two hundred and ninety-second year after the Deluge; for Terah begat Abram in his seventieth year.

3. Noah, when, after the Deluge, the earth was re-settled in its former condition, set about its cultivation; and when he had plant- was one hundred and twenty years old; NaNahor begat Haran when he ed it with vines, and when the fruit was ripe, hor was born to Serug in his hundred and and he had gathered the grapes in their sea- thirty-second year; Ragau had Serug at one son, and the wine was ready for use, he of-hundred and thirty; at the same age also Phafered sacrifice, and feasted, and, being drunk, leg had Ragau; Heber begat Phaleg in his he fell asleep, and lay naked in an unseemly hundred and thirty-fourth year; he himself manner. When his youngest son saw this, being begotten by Sala when he was an hunhe came laughing, and showed him to his bre-dred and thirty years old, whom Arphaxad thren; but they covered their father's nakedAnd when Noah was made sensible of

ness.

• One observation ought not here to be neglected. with regard to that Ethiopic war, which Moses, as geGeral of the Egyptians, put an end to, Antiq b. ii. chap. I.. and about which our late writers seem very much unconcerned, viz. Ihat it was a war of that consequence, to occasion the removal or destruction of six or seven nations of the posterity of Mitzraim, with their cities: which Josephus would not have said, if he had not had ancient records to justify those his assertions. though ose records be now all lost

progenitor Heber, our author Josephus here rightly af + That the Jews were called. Hebrews, from this their firms; and not from Abram the Hebrew, or passenger over Euphrates, as many of the moderns suppose. Shem is also called the father of all the children of Heber, or of all the Hebrews, in a history long before Abram passed over Euphrates (Gen. x. 21), though it must be confessed that (Gen. xiv 13), where the original says they told Abram the Hebrew, the Septuagint renders it the passenyer, T. But this is spoken only of Ahram himself, who had been lately passed over Euphrates: and is another signification of the Hebrew word, taken as an appeliative and not as a proper name,

had for his son in the hundred and thirtyfifth year of his age. Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the Deluge. Now Abram had two brethren, Nahor and Haran: of these Haran left a son, Lot; as also Sarai and Milcha his daughters, and died among the Chaldeans, in a city of the Chaldeans, called Ur; and his monument is shown to this day. These married their nieces. Nahor married Milcha, and Abram married Sarai. Now Terah bating Chaldea, on account of his mourning for Haran, they all removed to Haran of Mesopotamia, where Terah died, and was buried, when he had lived to be two hundred and five years old; for the life of man was already, by degrees, diminished, and became shorter than before, till the birth of Moses; after whom the term of human life was one hundred and twenty years, God determining it to the length that Moses happened to live. Now Nahor had eight sons by Milcha; Uz and Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Azau, Pheldas, Jadelph, and Bethuel. These were all the genuine sons of Nahor; for Teba and Gaam, and Tachas, and Maaca, were born of Reuma his concubine; but Bethuel had a daughter, Rebecca,—and a son, Laban.

CHAPTER VII.

HOW ABRAM OUR FOREFATHER WENT OUT OF
THE LAND OF THE CHALDEANS, AND LIVED
IN THE LAND THEN CALLED CANAAN, BUT

NOW JUDEA.

plain, that so far as they co-operate to our advantage, they do it not of their own abili ties, but as they are subservient to Him that commands them; to whom alone we ought justly to offer our honour and thanksgiving." For which doctrines, when the Chaldeans and other people of Mesopotamia raised a tumult against him, he thought fit to leave that country; and at the command, and by the assistance of God, he came and lived in the land of Canaan. And wher. he was there settled, he built an altar, and performed a sacrifice to God.

2. Berosus mentions our father Abram without naming him, when he says thus:"In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skilful in the celestial seience." But Hecatæus does more than barely mention him; for he composed and left behind him a book concerning him. And Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his history, says thus:-" Abram reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans. But after a long time he got him up, and removed from that country also with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but now the land of Judea, and this when his posterity were become a multitude; as to which posterity of his, we relate their history in another work. Now the name of Abram is even still famous in the country of Damascus; and there is shown a village named from him, The Habitation of Abram.”

CHAPTER VIII.

THAT WHEN THERE WAS A FAMINE IN CANAAN
ABRAM WENT THENCE INTO EGYPT; AND
AFTER HE HAD CONTINUED THERE A
WHILE, HE RETURNED BACK AGAIN.

§ 1. Now, after this, when a famine had invaded the land of Canaan, and Abram had discovered that the Egyptians were in a flourishing condition, he was disposed to go down to them, both to partake of the plenty they enjoyed, and to become an auditor of their priests, and to know what they said concern

§ 1. Now Abram having no son of his own, adopted Lot, his brother Haran's son, and his wife Sarai's brother; and he left the land of Chaldea when he was seventy-five years old, and at the command of God went into Canaan, and therein he dwelt himself, and left it to his posterity. He was a person of great sagacity, both for understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not mistaken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to renew and to change the opinion all men happened then to have concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish this notion, That there was but one God, the Creator of the universe; and that, as to other [gods], if they contri-ing the gods; designing either to follow them, buted any thing to the happiness of men, that each of them afforded it only according to his appointment, and not by their own power. This his opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the sun and moon, and all the beavenly bodies, thus: "If [said he] these bodies had power of their own, they would certainly take care of their own regular motions; but since they do not preserve such regularity, they make it

if they had better notions than be, or to convert them into a better way, if his own notions proved the truest. Now, seeing he was to take Sarai with him, and was afraid of the madness of the Egyptians with regard to women, lest the king should kill him on account of his wife's great beauty, he contrived this device. -he pretended to be her brother, and directed her in a dissembling way to pretend the same, for he said it would be for their benefit. Now, as soon as he came into Egypt, it hap

pened to Abram as he supposed it would; for the fame of his wife's beauty was greatly talked of, for which reason Pharaoh the king of Egypt would not be satisfied with what was

CHAPTER IX.

THE ASSYRIAN WAR.

reported of her, but would needs see her him- THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SODOMITES BY self, and was preparing to enjoy her; but God put a stop to his unjust inclinations, by sending upon him a distemper, and a sedition against his government. And when he inquired of the priests, how he might be freed from these calamities, they told him that this his miserable condition was derived from the wrath of God, upon account of his inclinations to abuse the stranger's wife. He then out of fear asked Sarai who she was, and who it was that she brought along with her. And when he had found out the truth, he excused himself to Abram, that supposing the woman to be his sister, and not his wife, he set his affections on her, as desiring an affinity with him by marrying her, but not as incited by lust to abuse her. He also made him a large present in money, and gave him leave to enter into conversation with the most learned among the Egyptians; from which conversation, his virtue and his reputation became more conspicuous than they had been before.

2. For whereas the Egyptians were formerly addicted to different customs, and despised one another's sacred and accustomed rites, and were very angry one with another on that account, Abram conferred with each of them, and, confuting the reasonings they made use of, every one for their own practices, demonstrated that such reasonings were vain and void of truth; whereupon he was admired by them in those conferences as a very wise man, and one of great sagacity, when he discoursed on any subject he undertook; and this not only in understanding it, but in persuading other men also to assent to him. He communicated to them arithmetic, and delivered to them the science of astronomy; for, before Abram came into Egypt, they were unacquainted with those parts of learning; for that science came from the Chaldeans into Egypt, and from thence to the Greeks also.

Ar this time, when the Assyrians had the dominion over Asia, the people of Sodom were in a flourishing condition, both as to riches and the number of their youth. There were five kings that managed the affairs of this country; Ballas, Barsas, Senabar, and Sumobor, with the king of Bela; and each king led on his own troops; and the Assyrians made war upon them; and, dividing their army into four parts, fought against them. Now every part of the army had its own commander; and when the battle was joined, the Assyrians were conquerors; and imposed a tribute on the kings of the Sodomites, who submitted to this slavery twelve years; and so long they continued to pay their tribute; but on the thirteenth year they rebelled, and then the army of the Assyrians came upon them, under their commanders Amraphel, Arioch, Chodorlaomer, and Tidai. These kings had laid waste all Syria, and overthrown the offspring of the giants; and when they were come over against Sodom, they pitched their camp at the vale called the Slime Pits, for at that time there were pits in that place; but now, upon the destruction of the city of Sodom, that vale became the Lake Asphaltites, as it is called. However, concerning this lake we shall speak more presently. Now when the Sodomites joined battle with the Assyrians, and the fight was very obstinate, many of them were killed, and the rest were carried captive; among which captives was Lot, who had come to assist the Sodomites.

CHAPTER X.

HOW ABRAM FOUGHT WITH THE ASSYRIANS,
AND OVERCAME THEM, AND SAVED THE
SODOMITE PRISONERS, AND TOOK FROM THE
ASSYRIANS THE PREY THEY HAD GOTTEN,

3. As soon as Abram was come back into Canaan, he parted the land between him and Lot, upon account of the tumultuous behaviour of their shepherds, concerning the pastures wherein they should feed their flocks. However, he gave Lot his option, or leave, to § 1. WHEN Abram heard of their calamity, choose which lands he would take; and he he was at once afraid for Lot his kinsman, took himself what the other left, which were and pitied the Sodomites, his friends and the lower grounds at the foot of the moun-neighbours; and thinking it proper to afford tains; and he himself dwelt in Hebron, which them assistance, he did not delay it, but is a city seven years more ancient than Tanis marched hastily, and the fifth night fell upon of Egypt. But Lot possessed the land of the plain and the river Jordan, not far from the city of Sodom, which was then a fine city; but is now destroyed by the will and wrath of God; the cause of which I shall show in its proper place hereafter.

the Assyrians, near Dan, for that is the name of the other spring of Jordan; and before they could arm themselves, he slew some as they were in their beds, before they could suspect any harm; and others, who were not yet gone to sleep, but were so drunk they