3 .D>y -,-> > i> ^: o> ^ :> O^I>> ^^^: 3> ^'_ ^;r:QS-^g;^(; I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I Chap. ^X^Jd.% She/f Ji4 4^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. % ^o:> 7^ > ^ ;3>T.vr> ' >' r> ■ :>-> ~)>j>'' :s> > :>■ > 3&^33 ^5:S^ :3>?? , >r... or ^0:' = 9 5). Tj ^ ^2> > -) X :> > >: > > . > : .■» •' >^ m> J^ S> :> ' j> 3 .:> II >:3> ^^^ > J2> 3> 2» ^ > ^ 5^> >I3ifr '>3^^ _>. _> 1> J> .5 3»> !! AN ENQUIRY INTO Cfte ^vmtmi^t Colonif ation of fte twct% AND THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS; ILLUSTRATED BT A MAP OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF ECCLESIASTICAL AND ANCIENT CIVIL HISTORY. BY T. ilEMING, OF MAGD. HALL, OXON. These are the families of the Sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nationi : and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood. Gen. x. 32. Prima societas in ipso est conjugio ; proxima in lilieris ; deinde, una domus, communia omnia. Id autem est principium urbis, et quasi seminarium rcipublicae. Sequuntur fratrum conjunctiones, post consobrinorum, spbriiiorumque ; qui cum una domo jam capi non possint, in alias domos, tanquum in colonias exeunt. Sequuntur connubia et affinitates ex quibus ctiam plures propinqui. Qam propagatio et soboles, origo est fcrumpublicarum. Ciceionis de Ofiic. lib. i. ''SM ' nilNTED AND PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM PHILLIPS, GEORGE YARD, LOMBARD STREET. isle. To the Right Honorable William Wijndham Baron Grenville, Chancellor of the University/ of Oxford. My LORD, FROM a persuasion, that the existing- facts relative to the origin and advancement of moral and political communities, might he best illustrated by a General Map of the Infancy and Growth of Human Society, I was induced to make the present attempt : and if, my Lord, there be any essential principle in that impressive apophthem, " the proper study of mankind is man "—and, if a subject ought to be contemplated generally rather than abstractedly — surely the primordial is not the least important and curious part to be considered ; and yet it is a part that seems, through neglect, to have become almost obsolete in the study of man- kind. I was therefore ambitious, my Lord, under the force of the truths by which the primary inference resulting from a general view of human affairs is sup- ported, to have attached to the subject that distinction which your Lordship has done it the honor and service to confer : and I humbly trust that those obscurer ages will be less dubiously inspected, and that some facilities will be derived towards an acquaintance with them, from the strict though brief fidelity with which their relics have been canvassed. DEDICATION. Although, my Lord, many persuasive arguments and proofs have, it is presumed, been ingrafted into the various parts of the enquiry — although circum- spection has been scrupulously maintained under all the difficulties that have attended the execution of the task, it still stands in need of much apology ; and most particularly to your Lordship, who has so oblig- ingly condescended to this especial favor, do I desire to apologize for its imperfections, by preferring that palliative plea which the eminent author of " Origi- nes Babylonicae " thought it reasonable to introduce. Ardui sane et multis difficultatibus impediti laboris aggreditur opus, qui res antiquissirai temporis eruen- das sibi sumit. I have the honor to be, with due submission, My Lord, Your Lordship's Obedient humble Servant, T. HEMING. Oct. 1, 1816. PREFACE. The genuine fragments of Ancient History, scant and scattered as they are amidst compositions of irre- lative matter, admit, as verbal monuments alone, of only such partial, transient, and superficial observa- tion, that one image which they may have created is, most likely, obliterated from the mind, before other^ with which it is perhaps intimately connected^ pre- sent themselves to strengthen and confirm the wanino* impression. Something more than a mere literal vehicle is therefore required, and geographical illusi- tration is that auxiliary which history has always sor licited to give due and permanent effect to its descripf tions. The expediency and utility of it, in this re- spect, are not likely to hs questioned; so that argu- ment is unnecesary in defence of its sufficiency, which may doubtless be asserted without liability to the charge of dogmatism. Piecemeal scraps of chorography, defective and inac- curate in particulars, coarsely delineated, and pro- jected without regard to order or design, embodied under the denomination of " An Atlas," though they may be, in some degree serviceable, particularly to those who have previously attained to proficiency in the ii PREFACE. science, yet are they insufficient for conveying to the less versed, a competent idea of the relative dis- tances, bearings, and local comparisons of countries and people to one another ; and to regulate and methodise such confused notions as are commonly produced, froin the promiscuous and frequently abrupt coruscations of remarkable traits and important incidents of history, interspersed throughout the old classics ; and which, when collected, and blended to each other in a sys- tematic manner, effect very beneficial and permanent memento's in the mind, and contribute that assistance which is indispensible to a proficiency in history. To obviate, therefore, in some measure, the incon- venience of turning from one detached survey to ano- ther whilst reading; and the difficulty of disposing and arranging the maps of ancient districts commonly consulted, in such a manner as is generally necessary for obtaining satisfaction ; and to facilitate, by the most approved mode, the acquirement of correct ideas, regarding the circulation of human societies through the remotest periods, it was designed to com- pass, in a General Map, the whole scope of territory connected with the Sacred, Civil, and ProfaneWritings of i^ntiquity, on such a competent scale as appeared sufficient for every requisite illustration, from the first colonial migrations of mankind, to the rise of the present nations of the earth, and still to confine the same within such a dimension, as might render it con- PREFACE. HI venient for the most ordinary and general application and reference. In order to shew the materials upon which such a scheme of the early cantonments of mankind must be constructed, it was deemed indispensible to attach to it a brief dissertation of the chief facts and arguments relative to the foundation of the first, and some of the succeeding, states of the world ; and also, to examine therein, the primary points and principles to which the study of ancient history must be invariably refer- red; and by which it must, on all occasions, be duly restrained and adjusted. In the parts of the Map referring to the Scriptures, positions and tracks have been inserted from the sa- cred authority itself, wherever it was found sufficiently definite and decisive : and on such points as it was necessary to consult annotations, those which, amongst the multifarious opinions appeared, upon a critical and impartial test, most substantial and concurrent, have, in all instances, been adopted. The historical events which have been transmitted through the sacred records, having, in numerous in- stances, been corroborated and elucidated by civil and profane writers, it was deemed essential to the pur- posed utility of the present undertaking, to unite as much, both from the Scriptures and ancient Classics, a« could be conveniently and distinctly included ; as the frequent similarity of names in the latter to those iv i*aEFAcis. found ill the former, allowing- for consequent mtitd- tion in their passage from age to age, or from one language or dialect into another, not only affords the scholar much interesting enquiry and exercise, but dften produces a disclosure of some new and valuable truth, or a solution of some historical or chronologi- cal hypothesis that may have been previously insti- tuted .i It is not to be expected that all the colonies which resulted from the first dispersion could be determined with critical accuracy, though succeeding circum- stances have contributed to the ascertaining of many of their seats : and indeed they are all established with sufficient truth for the end to which they are to be applied ; and which is — to lead us back, as near as possible, to the commencement of a series of facts con- cerning the advancement of human associations, a me- moir of which has descended to us, stamped with the sanctity of divine truth, and asserted by all the colla- teral proofs within the reach of human reason. To distinguish between the descendants of the three sons of Noah the names of Japhet and his posterity, to whom Europe and the northern parts of Asia are allotted, are written in Old English print, in crescent curves, with the hollow parts uppermost : those of the first generation having double lines on each side of the name ; those of the second, single lines ; those of the third, single dotted curves ; and subsequent gene?- FREFACEr % rations are written in the same form and character without being circum*^cribed by any line or mark. Shem and his offspring-, to whom the south and east of Asia are assigned, are denoted by the same kind of writing, and designated as to their generations by the Jike distinctions of lines and marks, but instead of curves, the names and lines are all straight and hori- zontal. Ham, also, and his offspring, to whom part of Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, and Lybia are allotted, are described and distinguished in their respective generations and positions by the same sort of writing and lines as the other families, except that the cres- cents are reversed, or contrary to those in which the descendants of Japhet have been represented, having their hollow side downwards. The positions of Canaan and his progeny will be found in that part of the Map which falls into the regular projection eastward of the Mediterranean sea, and which is appropriated particularly to the tribes who occupied it prior to the accession of the Israelites, except, that it was thought most suitable also, in this part, to mark the six departments of Galilee, Trachonitis, Samaria, Perea, Judea, and Idumea, into which it was divided, in a subsequent age, when it had become a province of the Roman empire. But as the space here was too confined to admit also, with- out confusion, of its divisions whilst under the twelve phylarchal corps of the Hebrews, this portion of VI TREFACE. country being, as it is, of such signal importance in its relations both to religious and civil history, has been superadded upon a scale sufficient to shew its more minute features; and its chief cities, distinguished into those of Refuge by a flag on each of their pin- nacles ; those of the Levites by a cross ; and those which were civil or common cities, by plain pinnacles. Places, also, where some of the most remarkable battles recorded in Scripture were fought, have been signified by strong parallel lines ; and references to the chapters wherein are contained the most memo- rable incidents and affairs concerning any place, have been annexed. Many other interesting topical allu- sions too circumstantial to admit of detail have like- wise been distinctly introduced into this detached part of the Map. The departure of Terah with Abram and Lot, to- gether with their families from Chaldea to Mesopo- tamia, being an event of no common interest or mo- ment, whether examined relative to its historical, geographical, or chronological import ; and the subse- quent pilgrimage of Abram and Lot into Canaan and Egypt, from the marvellous and providential inter- positions which accompanied it, and the affairs of history, &c. which it serves to adjust, being altogether with respect to time and circumstances, one of the most important local transmigrations in the annals of the world, this and the foregoing have been slightly PREFACE. Vll sketched, so as to convey a competent idea of what- soever is most material to be learnt on the subject. Another enterprize of tantamount consequence with respect to date and particulars, was the retreat of the Hebrews from Egypt, through the north-western gulph of the Red Sea, into the wilderness of Sin ; and their tedious peregrination thence to the country of Canaan. This has been marked by a dotted line interposed by small circles, to represent the several encampments described ; and which will assist the notion, in some measure, respecting- the tract which the wanderers were so long traversing, and which has become celebrated by such extraordinary and immortal manifestations. The three apostolic tours of St. Paul for the pro- mulgation of the Christian covenant, abounding as they do with adventures and affairs in which all man- kind are immediately and deeply concerned, have been distinctly traced — The first tour being expressed by small lines, intercepted by single dots — the second, by similar lines, intercepted by double dots — the third, by the like lines and triple dots : — and his voyage from Cesarea to Rome, as a prisoner, during which, some peculiar instances of divine superinten dance were so powerfully conspicuous, has been tracked in a similar manner with four dots between each line. The titles of extensive regions are uniformly in- scribed in large Roman print capitals shaded, and TIH PREFACE. the body strokes of each letter faintly lined, in order that these names might not be more than duly predo- , minant : and under all such geographical titles which are beyond the range of the primitive settlements, the ancestry or generic people of every country are denoted in Old English print very faintly lined; and the specific propagation or offspring derived from each original source, are all characterized in common Rot man print. Subordinate countries and provinces are specified by Roman print capitals of a smaller and plainer kind than those used to distinguish the more notable states or regions : and the seas, islands, lakes, rivers, forests, mountains, &c. are titled in Italic capitals of different sizes, according to the magnitude of each object. The writing is also uniformly parallel, except where some express object required it to be otherwise ; and thus, the references are more easy to be made than on maps, where the words, crossing each other in various directions, present much apparent confusion, and are sometimes very difficult to be found out and decyphered. The Map being intended to illustrate more the sub-e ject of progressive colonization than minute matters of topography, for the sake of keeping the principal tendency as visible and uncrowded as it required, only such cities and towns have been introduced as were most illustrious for their magnitude or great antiquity, or whose annals are otherwise highly famous : it being PREFACE. 3^1 contemplated, in case of the present work obtaining a favourable reception, to attempt some further similar illustrations of the writings of antiquity, which appear to have been much slighted. The projection of the Map is that which best pre- serves the proportion of countries relative to one ano- ther; and it was carefully divided throughout into half degrees, in order that the particular features of every country might correspond to the best and most accurate chorographical performances of the present time : and in delineating the coasts, and pointing im- portant positions, the most perfect geographical tables both English and foreign, have been also consulted, and the best charts examined, so as to complete the whole basis and outline as perfectly as possible. Having thus explained the principle and design of the work, it is hoped that the utility which has been calculated will be derived from the attempt ; and that the execution of an undertaking, enveloped in nume- rous and abstruse difficulties, will be looked upon with as much indulgence and allowance as it is reasonable to intreat. CONTENTS. Chap. I. PAGE On the validity of the documents of Moses — Evidences from the Jewish Sects — Examination of the Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Chinese, the Phoenician, the Scy- thian, the Indian, the Arabian, and the Persian Anti- quities — Proofs deduced from civil and profane wri- ters — the objects of the chapter and conclusion .... 1 Chap. II. Enquiry concerning the place of the mountains of Ararat c 3& Chap. III. Of the dispersion and several settlements of the de- scendants of Noah, whom we find enumerated in the Book of Genesis • . 54 Chap. IV. Considerations on the time of the general dispersion, and the number of persons that had arisen — the con- founding of Language — Genealogy of the Hebrew and Greek Bibles examined — Original nations founded subsequent to the first dispersion — the earliest nations of whom there are written documents ; and the re- sults and connexions relative to them which may be derived from the foregoing sketches AN ENQUIRY INTO THE PROGRESSIVE COLONIZATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS. CHAP. I. On the vaiiditT/ of the documents of Moses — Evidences from the Jewish sects — Examination of the Egyptian^ ihe Assyrian^ the Chinese^ the Phoenician, the Scy- thian, the Indian, the Arabian, and the Persian Antiquities — Proofs deduced from Civil and Profane zsriters-^the object of this chapter , and conclusion. THE advancement of a train of facts, in order to glrengthen the universal credit which the writings of Moses have gained, may be thought supererogation, when it might fairly be insisted upon as a postulate, that what he has written is truth; and such an im- putation would be justly alleged, were not the task before me one of that sort that demands more than ordinary circumspection : — thus, it becomes indispen- sible, that an effort be made, substantially to establish the bottom of my structure, for which I protest there A is no solid bearing but the writings of Moses ; and therefore, it seems incumbent on me to adduce a suf- ficiency of facts to prove, to every one, that the cos- mogony, and account of the earliest state of human society, which has been bequeathed bj him, is alone g^enuine ; and that, ever}/ other writing of a similar tendency is, altogether, spurious and unwarranted. Althougli every civilized being be supposed to kno'^ the important history of his own origin, ac- cording as it hath been specially communicated by the pen of the chosen scribe — although it be univer- sally believed, that the world was formed out of nothing by the omnific word of God — that the earth was endued with all the varieties of vegetable life by the same Almighty cause — that the earth, air, and waters brought forth their respective tribes at th& expression of the divine will- — that the body of man was at first fashioned out of mere earth by the ope- rative hand of the Creator, and was afterwards in- tellectually animated with divine breath — although these, and many other mysterious truths, from their own incomprehensible quality, being far beyond the reach of the human mind, have been extensively espoused on the current veracity of the recorder, yet may many who implicitly confide, wish to see the do- cuments, on which they place such sincere reliance, contrasted with others which have contended against them ; and therefore, I hope that the enquiry which I am about to institute, will add something to the satis- faction of the most perfect adherents to the Mosaic oracle : for as I am not upon a religious enquiry, I must not avail myself of the spiritual inspiration of the historian ; neither must I appeal to his friends and advocates ; but by the investigation of his chief competitors and opponents am I compelled to establish 3 the proof I want — namelj--that there is no other Source but the Book of Genesis from which the Origin of Nations can be faithfully traced. tiVliJENCES FkOM THE JEWISH SECtSs The Samaritans — the Sadducees-^the Pharisees—^ the Essenes-^the Nazarites— ^the Caraites — and every other sect of Jews, each violently hostile to the otherSj evdr held, alike^ the Writings of Moses altogether genuine and authentic. The unanimous veneration of these discordant bodies for the hooky would, alone, stand as no light evidence of the indisputable authen- ticity and irrefragable character of the divine his* torian ; particularly when the test and scrutiny is considered to which every writing was subjected by the synagogues, before it could be admitted into the Canonical pandect. It never having been disputed by any of the sectS^ there is no good reason to doubt but that the manu^ script which was discovered by Hilkiah, deposited in the ark of the covenant, was the real autograph— the Very penmanship of Moses himself. Had it been a forgery, or a trick attempted by the high priest, there were numerous doctors of the hostile parties that would, most likely, have detected and exposed it: but nothing can be more rationally probable, than that, after the necessary copies had been made and dispersed for the instruction and future regulation of mankind, the original treasure would be carefully secured ; and, there was no place so sacred as the ark wherein it is reported to have been discovered. It is not likely that it would be often referred tO; or un- necessariiy exposed, after the copies in(ended for pro- mulgation had been transcribed ; and it might have been left shut up for ages, in the state in which it is reported to have been found : the characters also of the writing corroborate strongly the avowed origi- nality of it ; and every other circumstance, in favor of this extraordinary discovery, seems consistent with- probability and reason. The Egyptian, Chaldean, and Chinese chronicles-^ date the origin of mankind much before the time at which it is appointed by the Hebrew chronicle ; but from the subsequent review of their assumed priorities, it will be obvious that great mistakes must have crept into their registers, some of which may easily be detected : and although the Scripture is not expected to be canvassed as a canon of chronology, yet has it brought down to us a progressive series of generations of mankind preceding the nativity of the Saviour, in which is comprehended, according to the opinions of Newton and other eminent calculators, a period of 4004 years. It may be necessary here to remark, that this period must be considered as the term of human generations, and does not refer to the age of the world, which, according to the Mosaic history of the beginning, might have existed for a time incalculable and indefinable, previous to the being of n. n; and had not the im- portant, though infantile, science of geology con- tributed to raise a light from the spark that slumbered in the Genesis of Moses, it is to be inferred that we might have erroneously continued to ascribe the era of human generation to the sixth day after the matter of the world hEid been created out of nothing ; whereas it seems evident from facts relative to the structure of the earth, that the four first verses of the Genesis, record operations antecedent to the present order of diurnal periods. But in our enquiry, it is only neces- sary for us to consider the point of time at which man first occupied the earth : and this having- been as- signed by one of such high celebrity and compe- tence as Newton to 4004 years before Christ, which date appears perfectly to coincide with scriptural genealogy, we are bound to receive it as authentic ; and such of our readers as are unacquainted with the geological arguments on the cosmogony of Moses, we beg to refer to an intelligent paper on this subject inserted in Tilloch's " Philosophical Magazine and Journal" for September, 1815, which is subscribed " Homo," and which has been followed by some very sound reasonings on the subject, published in the same work, for October, 1815, and contributed by Dr. Pritchard, late of Trinity College, Oxford. EXAMINATION OP THE EGYPTIAN ANNALS. Diodorus Siculus informs us, that there were two distinct chronologies in Egypt, which differed no less than 13,000 years from one another. Varro has also distinguished the antiquities of Egypt into the fabu- lous and the historical ; so that, from their testimonies, there does not appear to have been one systematic table of events, commencing from their first epoch, and regularly descending thence to the present period. Diodorus in agines, that the great difference be- tween the two reckonings must have arisen from the 6 first computations being made according to lunar periods ; and that, after a considerable time had elapsed, they chose to alter their reckonings to solar time, instead of lunar : that, therefore, their former chronicles had been rectified to the solar time by some, and omitted by others ; which is far from an injudicious or improbable supposition. An opinion very similar to that of Diodorus is also advanced by Censorinus, in his ingenious and intelli- gent book on the birth of man, entitled, *' De Die Natali" ; in which he treats very satisfactorily of the years, months, weeks, days, &c. of the ancient natives of various parts of the world. This disparity of dates in the Egyptian chronicles is not unlikely to have arisen^ from their chronologers having used an artificial epoch in computing some of their cycles, similar to that used in the computation of the Julian cycle, or Julian period, amongst many pf the modern nations ; and which, if we here digress to explain, may, perhaps, serve to shew another pos?. sible cause of some of the great incongruities which we find in ancient chronology. Astronomy is the only true means of measuring time; but it has never yet been able to produce a cycle, or a revolution of years, by which every people of the earth would consent to register their events. There is one period, or round of years called the Cycle of the ^un, or Solar Cycle ; that is, a certain number of years, at the expiration of which, the same day pf the week begins again the same day of the month ; for instance — suppose Monday to be the first day of January, the space of 28 years must elapse before the first of January would fall on a Monday again ; therefore this cycle consists of 28 years. Another cycle supposes the sun and moon to be together in some point of the Zodiac — imagine, for example, tiiat they are on the first point of Aries ; at the end of 19 years they would both meet together at the same point — therefore 19 years is the term of the Lunar Cycle. The Romans made use of a cycle consisting- of 15 years, called the Tndiction Cycle, because it served to indicate the time when certain payments became due to the g-overnment, and which was not regulated by astronomical revolutions, but by national insti- tutions, similar to the Grecian Olympiads. Now it had always been a desirable object to invent a, cycle or period which might suit every people, so that, in one continued and unbroken chain of years, all the memorable events, from the beginning of the world, might be comprehended. Julius Scaliger, there- fore, proposed to convert the three foregoing cycles, namely, the solar, lunar, and indiction, into one ; which includes a period of no less than 7980 years ; being the product of the terms of the three cycles — that is to say, 28 X 19 X 15 == 7980; and which grand circuit of time is called, in commemoration of him who instituted it, the Julian Period. This term of 7980 years is the time required for all these three cycles to coincide, or begin and end together. Now, it is ascertained, that they would all have been com- mencing on the same day, 764 years previous to the creation ; therefore, we imagine an artificial epoch to begin with, and say, the creation was in the 764th year of the Julian Period. This is a very ingenious and useful device, and would, had it been possible for such a one to have been adopted and pursued by the ancients, have saved much useless and frivolous con- tention; as it is easy to regulate the time of any 8 occurrence whatever to this cycle, if it be known in what year of either of the three periods it happened. Computing by cycles was much practised in former ages ; but unless these projects be systematically es- tablished, they can never be permanent ; and are, if subject to caprice, of the greatest injury to chronology; for they may entirely mislead the multitude, and be converted to the purposes of vanity or craft without being liable to be generally detected; and there is little doubt but juggling has been sometimes had recourse to, in order to puff up silly potentates with the vain belief that they inherited their domains, in direct succession, from the primitive masters of the earth. Indeed we have no reason to marvel at the strange disparities in the chronology of antiquity, when we witness the inflexible prejudice which still exists in our own enlightened age and country, in favor of error, in this particular ; and which is being traditionally consigned, from generation to generation, without the least symptom of abolition; for who coulcl have supposed it possible, that, after upwards of three score years breathing, we should hear, probably three- fourths of the people of England, talk of commemo- rating Old Christmas, Old St. Valentine, and all the other old festivals ? We ought, therefore, with Dio- dorus and Censorinus, to impute the errors of the ancient chronologies oftener to stubbornness and ignorance, than to illicit and fraudulent design. In their squabbles about predecessorship, ancient superstition could generally make shift to trace an origin to immortal ancestors ; and this absurd affecta- tion was powerfully prevalent among the Egyptians ; but it fortunately happens that the preternatural pedi- gree which they attempt to establish, is altogether, conformable to the origin imputed to them by Moses. Thus Egypt, according to Perizonius's " Egyptian Antiquities," was first called Ham ; and Thebes, re- puted to be its most ancient city, was originally called No. By Herodotus and others we are informed that Hamtnon-No was the Egyptian Jupiter; and it is certified from Moses, that Ham, the Son of Noah, settled in Egypt, and peopled Africa : this coincidence is, therefore, parallel enough. Again, Mizraim succeeded his father Ham in the principal possession of Egypt, which was also called after his name : and Mizraim, according to the Egyp- tian tradition, was the father, and founder of the nation — that is, their first king; for Hammon was reputed a deity, or demigod ; and thus does their ge- nealogy commence, by their own report, from the same root as Moses has appointed them. But that which shews the fabulous character of their divine parentage, most glaringly, is that part of their own history, which ascribes some of their most useful inventions to petty kings ; and all this, after having enjoyed a boasted existence as a nation, for ages be- fore, under the dynasties of gods and heroes. That these immortal fathers should have let them continue, for so many generations, without laws, letters, archi- tecture, physic, and agriculture, and have left these to be discovered by such subordinate gentry, argues, that the safety and comforts of their mortal off"spring were treated with great indifference and negligence. Both Herodotus and Diodorus contribute this proof, that the infancy of Egypt was correctly related by Moses. Notwithstanding the antiquity of Egypt might be very securely settled without prolonging the disquisi- tion,.yet it will be well to mention Manetho, an Egyp- tian priest and astrologer, from whom the grand au' 10 thority of the supernatural beginning and govern- ment of Egypt, has been principally derived. After his country had actually subsisted between two and three thousand j'ears, Manetho pretends to have made the extraordinary discovery of some pil- lars, which had been erected by one of their tutelary deities, named Thoyth, (Mercury) and which bore his inscriptions. Thoyth reigned, according to this ecclesiastical diviner, " in the beginning of ages ; " and so far did he excel Moses in knowledge of futu- rity, that he left a history of the world for 50,000 years to come ! " The inscriptions were written," says Ma- netho, in " Eg7/ptian Ifieroglj/phics /^ but the dialect was so ancient, and of so sacred a cast, that had it not been for the access, which his capacity of priest authorised, to the books of Agathoderaon, the father of Taauyt, he himself could never have decyphered them : but that he had been able, by the assistance of Agathodemon's key, to interpret them faithfully, and to indulge the world with a translation of them in the Greek language. " The pillars" says he, " are "hermetic" — "nothing can dissolve them" — "the " deluge, and all the effects of time, had made no " impression upon them" — and " they still" says he, " remain in the land qfSeriod!^^ He has, however, entirely omitted to say in what part this extraordinary land lies — no latitude and longitude — no clue by which we might be winding to- wards it — no index to direct posterity to this memo- rable place, and these everlasting pillars :— -and as no other geographer or historian has afforded us any information about the " land of Seriod,'^ or the re- liques of Thoyth, we must be, I suppose, satisfied with the translation of them with which Manetho has oblisred us. But what is much more wonderful thaa 11 l!ie tale itself is, that others should have had recourse to this mummery of Manetho, and have used it as an sargument for the eternity of the world ! — See Perizo- nius's " Egyptian Antiquities," and Stillingfleet's #' Origines Sacrae." If it were worth while, and likely to aifect our par- ticular purpose, we could, from Herodotus, Diodorus, Plutarch, Varro, and others, with almost moral cer- tainty, demonstrate, that Thoyth and Taautes are identical ; and that they are only fictitious metamor- phoses of Moses himself, whom, when stripped of their allegorical apparel, they resemble in almost every feature. Diogenes Laertius informs us, that the Egyptians assert that they have on record a series of eclipses of the sun and moon, from the reign of Vulcan to the age of Alexander the Great ; in which length of time there happened, they say, 373 eclipses of the sun, and 832 of the moon ; and this period is estimated, accord- ing to their reckoning, to have comprised no less than 48,853 years ! Now it is rather singular, that this should be about the number of eclipses that would happen in the time from Tubal-cain, mentioned by Moses, to the conquest of Babylon by Alexander : but Dr. Halley, who was most sedulously careful to col- lect the history of astronomy, and whose judgment and penetration are, doubtless, most pre-eminent on these subjects, assures us, that the oldest astronomical observations of the Egyptians, of which we have been able to obtain any knowledge, were not made 300 years before the Christian era. If our reader is satisfied that there is no just com- petition between the Egyptian annals, and the scrip- tural — and, that the origin of the plantation of Egypt is more rationally, both in time and manner, recounted v*i- 12 by Moses, than in their own records, it is what we have sought to shew bj this brief contrast; and, we shall therefore presume, that, having done it, we may , proceed forward to the next subject. THE RECORDS OF ASSYIIIA. Ctesias is thought to have given a better detail of the early history of Assyria than Herodotus, as he seems to have been mere regarded by Diodorus, Justin, and Trogus, who have followed his opinions. The outline of the Assyrian pretentions to an earlier origin than the Scripture has assigned them, seems to be as follows. Zoroaster, their lawgiver, they assert, lived 6000 years before the death of Plato; and that after he had instructed them, and ratified their code of legislation, he went into India and became preceptor to the Magi, They afterwards tell us that he had communications with the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel ; and also that he was contemporary with Ninus their first king. Now it is certainly known that Ezekiel and Daniel were not contemporary with Ninus ; and that, there- fore, if Zoroaster had communications, as it is de- clared he had, with those prophets, he must have been much after the reign of Ninus : but if, agreeable to the other assertion, he were contemporary with Ninus, he could not have flourished 6000 years before the time of Plato ; for it may be certified, that Ninus reigned but about 1700 years before the birth of the Grecian philosopher — therefore, some enormous blun- ders are evident in this tale of Zoroaster. The Chaldean chronicles have also been excessively 13 erroneous in the registry of things very well know% which do not appertain to their own pretended anti- quity, but which serve to shew that very little reliance is to be placed on any of their chronological articles. Between the foundation of the city of Athens and the time of Solon, they include a period of 9000 years. They also have set down the reign of Bacchus in India 6400 years before the time of Alexander the Great. It would be only waste of time to attempt to account for such defective computation ; and it is only the great and undue celebrity of their early astronomical excel- lence that occasions farther observation. About 740 years before the Christian era their astronomy may be called commencing — preceding this time, whatever they might have collected, must have been very insignificant and trivial. Neither Aristotle, Diodorus, nor Ptolemy, the latter of whom had pene- trated all their archives of science, as well as of every other people within his reach, ascribe any thing more than very unimportant observations previous to the «ge of Nabonassar; about which time they began to be able to predict eclipses. On the capture of Babyloa by Alexander, all their astronomical memoranda there, was collected by Aristotle, and sent into Greece : but it could have been scarcely worth preserving ; at least, that part of it which had been made antecedent to the time beforementioned. The Greeks were capable, at that time, of duly estimating and appropriating any treasures of this kind ; and, had there been any records of very remote antiquity that deserved attention, they would have been made the best of by their new pos- sessors : but it is certain, that whatever they discovered amongst these calendars, older than about three cen- turies before Alexander's time, was altogether devoid of interest and value. Dr. Halley says, " that Ptolemy 14 " knew the compass of their science — that they vvefi^ *' more addicted to visionary and hypothetical than t6 << solid and sound learning" — and the same discreet and competent judge assures us, that " all the evidences *' of their ancient astronomical fame are seven eclipses *' of the moon, which are very clumsily set down, and " the oldest of them not 700 years before the Christian "era." According- to the Mosaic institute Assyria has a very high and honourable rank amongst the earliest nations ; and Ctesias supposes that they became soon very populous after the flood : above this can only be considered romantic and destitute of authority. THE ANTIQUITY" OF CHINA. The chronology of China, which has ventured to challenge the Scriptural, is more superficial, if possible, than either the Egyptian or Assyrian. The astronomy of these remote people, on which the value of their chronology entirely depends, has been very destitute of skill till within these few years. Even when they were visited by the Jesuit Magaillans, in the seventeenth century, their observatories, of which they were very proud and conceited, thinking there was nothing of the kind equal to them in the world, were found to be wretchedly defective ; their instru- ments insufficient for the most familiar operations o^f the science ; their tables of the planetary motions sa inaccurate, that they could not possibly predict phaeno- mena, or perform any astronomical experiments with certain, or tolerable effect: and indeed, what they have nreserved as specimens of the astronomy of their 15 early times, sufficiently evinces the impossibility of any perfect calculations. Cassini, who investigated their calendars most close- ly, has proved the truth of the foregoing- observations by shewing, that, in the computation of one planetary conjunction, they were mistaken no less than 500 years : and, in another instance which he has adduced, there is an error of 197 years. Now it is impossible that there can be a correct estimate or registry of time, without some proficiency in this science ; and we must measure the value of the Chinese chronology by our knowledge of their proficiency in astronomy. But, leaving their incapacity in the scientific method of chronologising, we will endeavour to dis- cover whether their chronicles, which are said to have been continued in a regular succession, from reign to reign, through such an extraordinary succession of generations, prior to what any other nations can pre- tend to, are more luminous and faithful than their science : and whether they are enough to invalidate the Scripture. Martinius, who has given an account of these re- nowned writings, and who seems an enthusiastic ad- vocate for their premature antiquity, informs us that their oldest records are written in hieroglj/phics. By this cosmogony we are, in the first place, taught that the world, for the first 30,000 years after its creation, was destitute of inhabitants — that the protoplast of all mankind was their first sire, Puoncuus-— that in his time their wonderful chronicle began to be established, and has regularly been continued from that time to this. This protoplast of theirs was, they say, brought forth out of chaos one night in the spring. He was succeed-? i^d in the autocrasy of their empire by Thienhoang, 16 tvho is designated as the civilizer of the woilcl ; dilcl in this sort of stjle they bring forward their succes- sion of rulers till they come down to Fohius, who, they inform us, overthrew their ancient religion and introduced idolatry amongst them. These three cha-* racters, if we had time to pourtray them more fullyj and if our purpose required it, might be shewn to be as strictly analogous, as separate things can be, to the likenesses of Adam, Seth, and Nimrod; indeed, there could scarcely exist such perfect models, without some acquaintance with the originals. The extensive com- merce of the Chinese would enable them to obtain very early copies of the Pentateuch ; how they may have applied these is shewn by the instance before us, unless our readers chuse to consider the Chinese cos- mogony the genuine, and that of Moses the counter- feit ; for, according to the common method of reason- ing, it is next to impossible but that one of these writings must have been coined from the other ; and which is the sterling, and which the adulteration, we leave to impartial examiners to decide. Martinius, in the next place, gives us to understand, that the translation of the former reigns — ^that is, of the hieroglyphic part of the chronicles did not takd place until the reign of Fohius, which I believe, ac- cording to the most authentic chronology, may be set down at 2250 years before Christ; and many thousands of years after the hieroglyphical portions are said td have been written : so we may reasonably conclude, that, from the transitions and vicissitudes of so many ages, great changes must have taken place in lan- guage, notwithstanding a country niiglit be ever so isolated; and that it would be difficult, if not impossi- ble, to find persons capable of expounding, and giving - 17 literal expression to these sjmbolical writings, which had remained inexplicable for such a length of time. There are, I believe, very few competent judges who have taken the trouble to expose the fallacy of the Chinese pretexts, and therefore Ave often hear the antiquity of these people spoken of with a sort of veneration, as though they really had been of a piece with eternity. Monsieur de la Loubere, in his "History of Siam," has, with considerable ability and deliberation, dis- cussed the quality of these memorials. He considers that their annals have not descended regularly from prince to prince, but that they are the records of con- temporary rulers of difl'erent provinces before it be- came one consolidated empire — and whose reigns ap- pear, he says, to have been arranged, not in contem- porary order, but consecutively — he imputes many of their blunders to error, but many more to the pride and caprice of the different Emperors in altering their epochsj which he plainly shews must have caused some of the unnatural intermissions in their chain of events, of which he has given several instances : and, as to their seniority, he treats it as nothing more than a dream of vacancy and superstition. He, however, notices one circumstance in which they accord with the Septuagint reckoning. " Yao," (Jeho, Jehovah) they say, " bathed his feet on the tops of the highest mountains ;" and they insert this event at the same time that the Septuagint translation of Genesis places the deluge ; which may be regarded as a very curious coincidence ; and which must strongly confirm the idea of their having copied their picture of the origin and early progress of the world, from the prototype of MoseSi It must be obvious, that, independent of the shallovv- ness of the Chinese credentials^ their computations B 18 have, from a variety of causes, been liable to gross errors, from beginning- to end ; and notwithstanding they may have been more methodically kept since the time of Fohius, yet are they still so far from deserving a preference, that they ought not to be admitted as authority or evidence in any case; and much less as the standard for measuring the age, and computing the origin of other nations of the earth. fH(ENICIAN RECORDS. The cosmogony of the Phoenicians attributed to Sanchoniathon, will not I suppose be likely in the present age to be produced in competition against Moses. I believe it is the oldest relique we have extant of these nautical people ; and for this reason I have thought it necessary to make an extract from it, as well as from having once heard it extolled as an ingenious and profound work. I confess that I was deeply disappointed to find it what it is, after a long and laborious search to obtain it ; and I may, perhaps, by a specimen of it here, save others the trouble and disappointment which I suffered respecting it. It will be observed, to entirely exclude the power of divinity from contributing to the creation of the universe : but a sample of the style and doctrine will best serve to shew its claim to originality and deference. " The world," says Sanchoniathon, " was once dark " and windy air ; or a wind made out of dark air, and " a turbulent evening chaos. — These things for a long " time had neither bound nor figure — at length this *' wind became enamoured of his own principles and *' produced Desire; and Desire was the beginning of 19 " the. making of all things, but Wind did not know its " own productions — of this Wind was begotten Mot," (which Eusebius, to whom we are indebted for the preservation of this precious document, has rendered Mud,) "and of this came all the seeds from which the " whole universe has sprung. There were first some *' animals which had no sense, but which were capable *■' of generating animals endued with senses, and which *' were called Zophesanim (spiers of heaven) ; these " being produced first of all from eggs — the sun, the *' moon, and all the greater and lesser stars of heaven, " arose, also, and shone from Mot ;" and thus he goes on to the birth of the Phoenician deities — " Celus," he tells us, " had many sons, amongst the rest Dagan^^ which in the Phoenician language signifies wheat — him he calls " the inventor of the plough and of the use of* *' bread corn." This deity of the Phoenicians will be recognized as the Dagon of the Philistines^ frequently mentioned in Scripture, and sometimes styled the God of Ashdod. Porphyry, a Phoenician of respectable genius and talents, but a very infatuated man, sought to refute thd Genesis of Moses, by advancing against it Sanchonia- thon's cosmogony ; in which effort, it is to be supposed^ that he relied more upon the reputation and influence of his own scientific eminence, than on any prepon- derating merit of Sanchoniathon : but he entirely lostj as it may be expected, his whole labour ; and though he no doubt exercised all his art and power, he could not avoid, in many instances, yielding to Moses the authority and originality which he aimed to have wrested from him. The zeal which Porphyry manifested in behalf of this meteoric theory, has induced many to fancy that it was an intrigue of his own under the feigned name B 2 20 of SanchonialhoD ; which, though a plausible conjec- ture, can scarcely be accredited. Porphyry, with such a knowledge of nature as he possessed, would surely have foisted something more subtle, specious, and imposing ^ for certainly, to good sense and judgment, Sanchoniathon is gross, unseemly, and repugnant. To be sure we do not know what degree of expansion tlie minds of the Phoenician people had, in those times, felt — we only know that they were pitiful devotees to paganism — and we know too, that Porphyry was a professed champion of infidelity ; and if he were dis- posed to have practised such a cheat, we must suppose that it was calculated to suit the tone and tension of the public mind : but Porphyry must at the same time have known, that it would be of very little use to propagate such matter as would work only upon these few infatuated folks, and infect no farther ; so that it is scarcely possible to fancy it the offspring of Porphyry himself, though he chose to run after the bubble to puff it abroad, in the hope of alluring after him a throng of fanatics to keep up the game. THE SCYTHIAN RECORDS. The following is an extract from the Edda of tlie Scythians ; which, from its antiquity, ought not, in this investigation, to be entirely disregarded : and from the remote fame, and high rank in the history of nations which these people have possessed, it must be some satisfaction to see the indirect concurrence which their Edda, or Sacred Writ, bears to the Mosaic oracle. *' The giant Nor was the first," says the Edda, " who inhabited Johunheira (the land of giants) — he 21 " had a daughter named Night, who was of dark com- *' plexion — she first married Naglefara (the universal " father), and had a son named Auder (air) — she then " espoused Onar (breath), and had a daughter named *' Airth (earth)^ — she wedded, at length, Daglingcr " (light), who is of the family of the gods — between " them they produced Dag (daj), a youth very beau- " tifiil and shining, as are all the family of the Uni- '' versal Father — then the Universal Father took " Night and Day and placed them in heaven, and *' gave to each a horse and a chariot that they might *' travel successively, one after the other, round the *' world — Night goes first witii her horse named Ri}7i- '•^ faxe (Frosty-mane), who every morning covers the ^* earth with the foam which Ise scatters from his chafed " mouth— -the horse made use of by Day is named ^' Skinfaoca (shining mane), who by the radiancy of f' his mane illuminates the air and earth-r-there was ^^ also a man named MundUfara (the father of the f' world) — he had two beautiful well-shaped children, " a son and a daughter — he called his son Mane " (moon), and his daughter he called Sunna (sun)* — " the gods, angry at their having such divine names, " carried them up into heaven, and obliged Sunna to " guide the car of Mane, and Mane was compelled to "= guide that of Sunna, as a punishment for their pre- " gumption." Thus in the sacred Edda of these ancients may we plainly discover a poetical metamorphosis of the crea- tion, as recounted by Moses. * It is worthy of remark, that, in the German language, which is certainly of Scythic origin, the sun is still of the feminine gender, and the moon is of the masculine, which I believe is not to be found in apy other language at the present day. 22 THE INDIAN RECORDS. The Indians, like most other ancient nations, derive their notions of the formation of the universe from divine authority. Their legislator Bramma had their Vedam they say from the hand of the deity himself. They have two other sacred books, the Shaster and Puran, which explain the Vedam to the priests who are to promuige it to the people. It teaches the belief and worship of God, called the Almighty, and Supreme — and that the good being is more powerful than the evil one. With respect to the creation, it informs us, that God determined to shew his excellency and power by creating a world and stocking it with intelligent ani- mals — that he created first of all the four elements — that he then confusedly mixed them, and formed there- from the several parts of the visible world — that the first race of mankind sowed the seeds of corruption and wickedness, which increased to such a degree that God destroyed them by a flood — that God afterwards resolved to renew the human race, and created three persons of greater excellency than the first he had created — that the name of the first was Brewian — of the second Yistnej— of the third Budderi — that after God had proved these to be faithful vicegerents on earth, he delivered to each of them a book, bearing his name, which the Indians believe to be divine. In the Vedam of the Hindoos it will be seen that there are many particulars so analogous to the Penta- teuch that they appear to be almost a paraphrase of the original. 23 PERSIAN AND ARABIAN RECORDS. It does not appear that either of these countries has advanced any system of cosmogony, or pretext of premature antiquity, which deserves to be mentioned; and though they may each vie with any other part of the world in the early commencement of their respective dominions, yet are there no traditions of the Persian Magi, or the Arabian Dusares, sufficiently important to be called into question. But these two nations seem to have each produced an arch-imposter — Leratusch the Persian, of whose life and artifices much is said in Hyde's " De Reli- gione Veterum Persarum," will be found on compa- rison very little inferior in fraud and imposture to the Arab Mohammed, the particulars of whose infamy may be seen in Prideaux's " Connexions." The former is not so generally notorious as the latter, but is very little less flagrant-^Some have supposed that the im- poster Leratusch was the -Zoroaster whom we have mentioned in our considerations of Assyria: but as it does not come within the compass of our subject to debate this point, we shall leave this pair of impious jugglers, to pursue the object which is immediately before us. It will be recollected, that at the outset, we intended to satisfy our readers that there are no memorials f^ illS" documents extant, which, as a foundation for^*', tory of mankind, can reasonably be pre** T . ' r. , . , .... .':, ^, testimonies or even enter into competition with, *^ Moses : and from the passing -^^^^ ^* ^'^^^^ ""^ ^^f specimens which the div^-^ pretenders have uttered, an opinion may b. ^me^ ^f the nature of the ma- M terials with which they are severally composed, and a decision may be made, in judgment, whether any, or either of the candidates for the primitive and ex- clusive occupation of the earth, antecedent to the rest of mankind, possess arguments or tokens suflicient to invalidate the sacred warrantry with which it was meant that they should be respectively compared. But in order to establish the footing still more securely, and to convince the most fluctuating and dubious apprehension, to the popular or national vouchers^ which declare, although unintentionally yet very strongly, that they have sprung from the purer original, we will add some individual evidences from the most esteemed philosophers and celebrated geniuses; pf antiquity. HOMER AND HESIOD. Homer says, that " the seventh day closed the for-? ^' mation of all things." And both he and Hesiod signify that the seventh day is sacred. Parallelism of Hesiod's Theogony and Moses's Cosmogony. Hesiod deduces the pe- digree of all his deities om chaos. iforms us that ^ ^^£r Chaos ^ "^^"^ rthe 1 artarus, (>,^ H( immediateFv appeared ean deep abyss); and Amor, (the beauty of the world.) Moses derives the world from a rude unformed collection of matter called chaos. Moses next after the chaotic state speaks of the great deep, and then en-; sued the beautiful order *^*he world. 25 Hesiod describes the birth of Erebus and Nox, (darkness and night) to have been from chaos, Hesiod says, from Nox sprang- /Ether and Heme- ra, (air and day) which were produced by Amor and Erebus being mingled together. Hesiod says that Tellus begat Caelum, (the firma- ment) every way equal to itself and beset with stars. Hesiod next describes the birth of Pelagus and Pontus, (seas and gulphs.) Moses, while the world was in a state of chaos, says that darkness was upon the face of the deep. Moses expresses it by the light being divided from the darkness, which together made one day; by which we understand a day and night. In the words of Moses we find, that the dry land was called earth, and the firmament was called hea- ven — he made the stars also. Moses says, that the gathering together of the waters were called seas. Hesiod afterwards relates the birth of Oceanus, and a numerous progeny of other deities, amongst which was Saturnus, (Time) who issued from the embraces of Tellus and Coelum, a most philosophical and beauti- ful fancy. And thus does he fill the world with ter- restial and marine deities, as Moses has described it to have been replenished with the vegetable and animal creation : so that this v«ry ancient genius of Boeotia may be considered to have perfectly studied the Mosaic cosmogony, and to have metamorphosed it into a poe- tical and fanciful diction. The fable of Prometheus and Pandora is a fiction evidently drawn from the creation of man. Prometheus makes a man out of clay, and steals fire from heaven jto kindle the vital flame, which so enrages Jupiter 26 that he sends Pandora with a box to the earth, from whicli, when opened, there flies abroad all the evils and diseases which have infested mankind. Pandora, whom every deity contributed to make lovely, is a counterpart of Eve in her state of innocence, and whose transgression is represented by the fatal box which tilled the world with misery, disease, and death. In the reign of Saturn, says the poet, men and beasts spake one tongue. The wife of Saturn was Tellus, Rhea, or Ops, all which signify earth, Saturn is said to have cultivated fields and vines, and to have presided over drunkards. Saturn is described to have made a law that all should be punished who looked on the gods naked. Saturn is, by the poet, made to possess a fore- knowledge of the flood. Saturn in the fiction devours all his sons but three. In the age of Noah, says the Scripture, there was but one language in the world. The etymological inter- pretation of the name Noah is a man of earth. Noah, we are told, first planted vineyards, and was overcome with wine. Noah cursed Ham for having seen him naked, and behaving contrary to what his duty enjoined. Noah saved himself and family by his fore-know- ledge of it. Noah's three sons were saved with him in the ark, and all the rest of mankind were devoured by the de- luge. The fable of Bacchus may in like manner be drawn pkrallel to the Scriptural memoir of Nimrod. 27 The time in which Hesiod flourished has been dif- ferently set down bj Herodotus, Varro, ApoUodorus, and others, so that the time of his life is not completely ascertained. Some think that he preceded Homer — others that thej were contemporary — and it has been also maintained that he wrote about a century after Homer : we have, however, no literary reliques that can be fairly alleged to individuals so old as the works of Homer and Hesiod, except the Pentateuch. The happiness of man, during his state of innocency is represented in the beautiful allegory of the golden age, in which the earth is made to bring forth fruits without labour, and its productions are common to all — when perfect ease ajnd delight were uninterrupted — • the brazen and iron ages pourtray, in no less correct and fascinating simile, the fatal fall from rectitude, and the miseries incident to guilt and depravity. Vulcan, whom the fabulist has converted into a blacksmith, is doubtless the identical Tubal-cain of Moses ; which name by aphaeresis of the first syllable becomes Bal-cain, from which Vulcan is but a very slight deflexion. Tubal-cain in the original signifies a turner, or fashioner ; and according to Moses he was an artificer in brass and iron, so that both the de- scription of his performance, and the modification of the name by the poet, are indications close enough of the identity. THALES was one of the earliest philosophical enquirers into nature. One opinion which he maintained was " that " fluidity vras the beginning of all things, and that " God was the laaind which formed all things from the 28 " liquid principle or element : " This idea was in all probability derived from the declaration of Moses;, that " the Spirit of God moved upon the fkce of the waters." Thales also held that God himself was un- originate — and that darkness was prior to light, con- formable to the sacred doctrine. PYTHAGORAS appears to have adopted his general opinions from Moses, although as may be reasonably expected he differs from him in many particulars, and if there be found in the philosophy of these sages a particle of matter borrowed from Moses, it is something towards the grand sum of acquiescence in the integrity of the divine author. The creation of the world out of no- thing by a being who was himself the mover and sup- port of it, and of whose essence the souls of mankind were a portion, are notions that seem to have been adopted from the Mosaic oracle — the prohibition, also, of making any representation of the deity, " though it were but a ring ;" which being without an end, ap- pears to have been used as an emblem of eternity-^ the administration of holy offices barefoot, and many other opinions and usages are obvious imitations and principles from the Hebrew Master. PLATO taught that there was one eternal, self-ey^'stent being —that man and the whole world wer^ created by that mtA'-ilt ,«imllikl