1

Siculus, mention is also made of some service imposed upon the conquered nations, which is conformable to the account given by Moses. 41 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer; which service undoubtedly consisted in a certain tribute, as Diodorus rightly informs us. There are two circumstances in which this author, as the text now stands, does not accord with the original history. He mentions first, that the king of Assur was in league with the king of Arabia; and in the next place, that after the subduing of the Babylonians, he attacked the Armenians. In respect to Arabia, there was probably no country in that age so called; nor could it be the king of Arabia with whom he was in alliance, no more than it was the Armenian with whom he was at war. These two names, Arabia and Aramia, are very similar, and have therefore been confounded; and the history by these means has been rendered obscure. The prince with whom the king of Nineve had entered into an alliance was not the king of Arabia, but Aramia. He was a branch of the same family as Melech Al Asur, the king of Nineve, and his country was styled Aram. 4 Τις γαρ ὑφ ̓ ἡμων Συρας καλεμενες υπ' αυτών

των

41 Genesis. c. 14. v. 4. See Diodorus above, eraĘS TEλEIV Форнс.

42 L. 1. p. 71.

43

Σύρων Αρμενίας, και Αραμμαίες καλείσθαι. Those, says Strabo, whom we Grecians name Syrians, are, by the Syrians themselves, called Armenians and Aramæans. On the other hand, the people, whom Diodorus by mistake styles Armenians, were the same that in aftertimes were called Arabians. The countries of the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Amalekites, and the 3 Horites, lay in Arabia Petræa; and these were the people upon whom this inroad was made. It lay nearest to Babylonia, though separated by a desert. It was accordingly invaded by the confederates, after they had made themselves masters of Singara. We should therefore for Arabia, in the first instance, replace + Aramia; and for the Aramians, in the

43 The Horites were Hivites of the race of Ham. Zibeon, Seir's son, is so styled. Gen. c. 36. v. 2.

Αρταπανος δε φησιν εν τοις Ιεδαϊκοις—εν δε αδεσποτοις ἑυρομεν τον Αβρααμ αναφέροντα εις τες Γίγαντας τέτες δε οικέντας εν τη Βαβυλωνια δια την ασέβειαν ύπο των Θεων αναιρεθήναι, ὧν ἕνα Βηλον, κ.τ.λ. Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. 9. p. 420.

44 Arabia has more than once been put for Aramia, or rather for Armenia. A mistake of this sort is to be found in Theophilus. Every body knows that the ark of Noah is said to have rested upon Mount Ararat, in Armenia. But this writer makes it rest upon the mountains of Arabia; and says, that the remains of it were to be seen in his time. Ἡς κιβωτε τα λείψανα μεχρι το δευρο δεικνυται είναι εν τοις Αραβικοις ορεσι ; for Αραμικοις ορεσι, the mountains of Aram. Ad Autol. 1. 3. p. 391.

latter part, read Arabians. This small change makes the whole perfectly agreeable to the truth. It corresponds with the account given by the Armenian writer above; and a wonderful attestation is hereby afforded to the history of Moses.

Thus have I given an account of the antient Titans, or worshippers of fire, who were engaged in building the tower called Babel, and the city of the same name. They seem to have been a very numerous body, who had attached themselves to the spot, and were determined never to leave it. But they were wonderfully dissipated, and fled to different parts. Some of the remoter clans seem not to have been involved in the first calamity; whom, however, vengeance pursued: for the family of Shem boldly attacked these formidable tribes, which for courage and stature had been deemed invincible. They carried it with a high hand, and seem to have reduced many nations to a state of obedience, from the Euphrates downwards to the entrance of Egypt. From thence they turned, and passing upwards by the west of Jordan, they took in all those nations which had before escaped them. From the service imposed, and from the extent of the conquests, we may perceive that the king of Elam and his associates entertained the same views which had been condemned in their adversaries, They were laying the foundation of a large em

pire, of which the supremacy would most probably have centered in the kings of Elam. But the whole scheme was providentially ruined by the Patriarch Abraham. He gave them an utter defeat, and afterwards pursued them from Dan quite up to 45 Hobah and Damascus.

These are the events which the most early writers, Linus, Olen, 4 Thamyras, and Thymotes, are said to have commemorated under the titles of the flight of Bacchus, in which were included the wars of the Giants, and the sufferings of the Gods. 47 Τα περι της Τιτανομαχίας, και το σύνολον την περι τα πάθη των Θεων ίσοριαν. I have before mentioned, from Hyginus, an account of Phoroneus, the first king upon earth, wherein is contained an epitome of the Noachic history, and where there are also some allusions to the dispersion, and to this war. 48 Inachus, Oceani filius, ex Archiâ

45 Genesis. c. 14. v. 15.

46 Πεποιηκεναι δε τετον (Θαμυριν) ισορείται τον Τιτάνων προς τις Deus woreμov. Plutarch. de Musicâ.

Τιτανων γενος, και Κυκλώπων, και Γιγαντων Πληθυνὧν μεμνηται Απολλωνίδης, ο και Ωραπιος επικληθείς, εν βιβλω τη επιγραφομενη Ep. Theoph. ad Autolyc. 1. 2. p. 352.

47 Diodorus. 1. 1. p. 87.

Πλάνας, και διαμελισμός, και πολλα τοιαύτα παθήματα. Flutarch. Isis et Osir. p. 355.

48 Fab. 143.

sorore suâ procreavit Phoroneum, qui primus mortalium dicitur regnâsse. Homines ante secula multa sine oppidis legibusque vitam exegerunt, unâ 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.