thing,—that was with him in the ark: that the fountains of the deep, and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the ark rested in the seventh

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month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark, which he had made: And he sent forth a raven; which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground: But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot s and she returned unto him into the ark.-And he stayed yet other seven days; forth the dove out of the ark:

and again he sent And the dove came

in to him in the evening; and lo, in her mouth was an olive-leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove: which returned not again unto him any more. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.

6 Genes. c. 8. v. 4, &c.

And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons wives with him. And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.

These are the principal circumstances in this wonderful occurrence; which I have produced in the words of the divine historian, that I might not do injury to his narration: and they are of such a nature, as, one might well imagine, would be long had in remembrance. We may reasonably suppose, that the particulars of this extraordinary event would be gratefully commemorated by the Patriarch himself; and transmitted to every branch of his family: that they were made the subject of domestic converse; where the history was often renewed, and ever attended with a reverential awe and horror: especially in those, who had been witnesses to the calamity, and had experienced the hand of Providence in their favour. In process of time, when there was a falling off from the truth, we might farther expect that a person of so high a character as Noah, so particularly distinguished by the Deity, could not fail of being reverenced by his posterity: and, when idolatry prevailed, that he would be one of the first among the sons of men, to whom divine honours would be paid. Lastly, we might con

clude that these memorials: would be interwoven in the mythology of the Gentile world: and that there would be continually allusions to these antient occurrences in the rites and mysteries; as they were practised by the nations of the earth.' In conformity to these suppositions I shall endea-. vour to shew, that these things did happen: That the history of the deluge was religiously preserved in the first ages: That every circumstance of it is to be met with among the historians and mytholo gists of different countries: and traces of it are to be particularly found in the sacred rites of Egypt,. and of Greece.

- It will appear from many circumstances in the more antient writers, that the great Patriarch was highly reverenced by his posterity. They looked up to him as a person peculiarly favoured by heaven; and honoured him with many titles; each of which had a reference to some particular part of his history. They styled him Prometheus, Deucalion, Atlas, Theuth, Zuth, Xuthus, Inachus, Osiris. When there began to be a tendency towards idolatry; and the adoration of the Sun was introduced by the posterity of Ham; the title of Helius among others was conferred upon him. They called him also M, and May, which is the Moon; the secret meaning of which name I shall hereafter shew. When colonies went abroad, many took to themselves the title of Minyadæ

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and Minyæ from him; just as others were denominated Achæmenidæ, Auritæ, Heliade, from the Sun. People of the former name are to be found in Arabia, and in other parts of the world. The natives at Orchomenos were styled Minya; as were also some of the inhabitants of Thessaly. It was the antient name of the Arcadians, interpreted Leanvita, Lunares: but grew obsolete. Noah was the original Zeus, Zeus, and Dios. He was the planter of the vine, and the inventor of 9 fermented liquors: whence he was denominated Zeuth, which signifies ferment; rendered ZEUS, Zeus, by the Greeks. He was also 10 Dionusos, interpreted by the Latines Bacchus, but very improperly. Bacchus was Chus, the grandson of Noah; as Ammon may be in general esteemed Ham, so much reverenced by the Egyptians.

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Και Αριςων ὁ Χιος, εν ταις θέσεσι και Διονύσιος ὁ Χαλκιδεύς εν πρώτῳ κτίσεως τα αυτά φασι, και εθνος δε Αρκαδίας Σεληνίτας είναι. Schol. in Apollon. Rhod. I. 4. v. 264.

9 Tok Origir Arcvvoor. Diod. Sic. 1. 1. p. 11.

• Αλλά και τις απηγριωμένην έχοντας χώραν, η προς φυτείας αμπελό ἀπηλλοτριωμένην, μαθών το κατασκευαζόμενον εκ των κριθων πόμα, βραχυ λειπόμενον της περι τον οίνον ευωδίας. Diod. Sic. l. 3. p. 207.

Nwe, is nexλntai úπo enan Aluxažiar. Theophil. ad Autolyc. 1. 2. p. 370.

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Ηφαιςος τις Αιγυπτιος εν τοις χρόνοις τε Νωε, ὡς Νως και Διονυσος, και Όσιρις καλείται. Hist. 395,

Tzetzes Chil. 10.

As many of these terms were titles, they were. not always uniformly adapted: nor were the antients consistent in their mythology. But nothing has produced greater confusion in these antient histories than that fatal turn in the Greeks of reducing every unknown term to some word, with which they were better acquainted. In short, they could not rest till they had formed every thing by their own idiom, and made every nation speak the language of Greece. Among the people of the east the true name of the Patriarch was preserved: they called him Noas, Naus, and sometimes contracted Nous: and many places of sanctity, and many rivers were denominated from him. Anaxagoras of Clazomenæ had been in Egypt; and had there obtained some knowledge of this personage. He spoke of him by the name of Noas or Nous; and both he and his disciples were sensible that it was a foreign appellation: yet he has well nigh ruined the whole of a very curious history, which he had been taught, by taking the terms in a wrong acceptation, and then making inferences in consequence of this abuse. * Οι δε Αναξαγοραίοι ἑρμηνεύεσι Νεν μεν τον Δία, την δε Αθηναν τεχνην-Προμηθεα δε Νεν ελεγον Προμηθεια γαρ

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"Euseb. Hist. Synagoge. p. 374. What is rendered Nes, should be expressed Νους, οι Νοῦς.