sorore suâ procreavit Phoroneum, qui primus mortalium dicitur regnâsse. Homines ante secula multa sine oppidis legibusque vitam exegerunt, unà linguâ loquentes sub Jovis imperio. Sed postquam Mercurius sermones hominum 49 interpretatus est, unde Hermeneutes dicitur interpres

Idem nationes distribuit; tum discordia inter homines esse cœpit. Inachus, whose father was Oceanus, had by his sister Archia a son named Phoroneus, who was the first king upon earth. Before his reign people had but one language; and lived for many ages under the direction of Jupiter, without any cities being founded, or any laws promulged. But after that Hermes had diversified the language of man, from whence Hermeneutes came to signify an interpreter, he proceeded, and divided them into nations. Upon this there immediately commenced feuds and commotions. It is a short account, but contains much interesting matter; and we learn from it, that immediately after the dispersion the first war ensued.

49 Interpretatus est. It is difficult to arrive at the author's precise meaning.

OF THE

ORIGINAL CHALDAIC HISTORY,

AS TRANSMITTED BY

ABY DENUS, APOLLODORUS,

AND

ALEXANDER POLYHISTOR,

FROM

I

BEROSUS OF BABYLONIA.

CANNOT proceed without taking notice of some extracts of Babylonish history, which time has happily spared us. From what has been already said it is evident that the history of nations must commence from the æra of Babylon, as here the first kingdom was founded; and here was the great scene of action among the first born of the sons of men. The history therefore of the Babylonians and Chaldeans should be the first in order to be considered. Not that I purpose to engage in a full account of this people, but intend only to consider those extracts of which I have made mention above. The me

morials are very curious, but have been greatly mistaken and misapplied. The person to whom we are beholden for them was Berosus, a priest of Belus. He was a native of Babylonia, and lived in the time of Alexander, the son of Philip. The Grecians held him in great esteem; and he is particularly quoted by the oriental fathers, as well as by Josephus of Judea. He treated, it seems, of the origin of things, and of the formation of the earth out of chaos. He afterwards speaks of the flood, and of all mankind being destroyed, except one family, which was providentially preserved. By these was the world renewed. There is a large extract from this author, taken from the Greek of Alexander Polyhistor, and transmitted to us by Eusebius, which contains an account of these first occurrences in the world. But it seems to be taken by a person who was not well acquainted with the language in which it was supposed to be written; and has made an irregular and partial extract, rather than a genuine translation. And as Berosus lived at a time, when Babylon had been repeatedly conquered; and the inhabitants had received a mixture of many different nations: there is reason to think that the original records, of whatever nature they may have been, were much impaired; and that the natives in the time of Berosus did not perfectly understand them. I will soon present the

reader with a transcript from Polyhistor of this valuable fragment, in which he will perceive many curious traces of original truth; but at the same time will find it mixed with fable, and obscured with allegory. It has likewise suffered greatly by interpreters; and there are some mistakes in the disposition of the transcript, of which I shall hereafter take notice, and which could not be in the original.

Other authors, as well as Alexander Polyhistor, have copied from Berosus: among these is Abydenus. I will therefore begin with his account, as it is placed first in Eusebius; the tenor of it is in this manner.

"So much concerning the wisdom of the "Chaldeans. It is said that the first king of "this country was Alorus, who gave out a re

port that he was appointed by God to be the shepherd of his people. He reigned ten sari. "Now a sarus is esteemed to be three thousand "six hundred years; a nereus is reckoned six "hundred; and a sosus sixty. After him Alaparus reigned three sari: to him succeeded "Amillarus from the city of Pantibiblus, who

2

2 Sometimes Pantibiblus, at other times Pantibiblon occurs for the name of the place. See Syncellus. p. 38.