6.6

"Deity, whither he was to go, he was answered, "To the Gods: upon which he offered up a prayer for the good of mankind. Thus he obeyed the divine admonition: and the vessel, "which he built, was five stadia in length, and “in breadth two. Into this he put every thing "which he had got ready; and last of all con"veyed into it his wife, children, and friends. "After the flood had been upon the earth, and 66 was in time abated, Sisuthrus sent out some "birds from the vessel; which not finding any "food, nor any place to rest their feet, returned

to him again. After an interval of some days, "he sent them forth a second time: and they

now returned with their feet tinged with mud. "He made trial a third time with these birds: "but they returned to him no more: from whence "he formed a judgment, that the surface of the "earth was now above the waters. Having there"fore made an opening in the vessel, and finding 28 upon looking out, that the vessel was driven "to the side of a mountain, he immediately quitted it, being attended with his wife, chil

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28

This is wonderfully consonant to the Mosaic account; which represents Noah and his family as quite shut up, without any opening, during the time of the deluge.

"dren, and " the pilot. Sisuthrus immediately "paid his adoration to the earth and having "constructed an altar, offered sacrifices to the "Gods. These things being duly performed, "both Sisuthrus, and those who came out of the "vessel with him, disappeared. They, who re"mained in the vessel, finding that the others did

not return, came out with many lamentations, " and called continually on the name of Sisuthrus. "Him they saw no more; but they could distin"guish his voice in the air, and could hear him "admonish them to pay due regard to the Gods; " and likewise inform them, that it was upon ac"count of his piety that he was translated to live

દ

with the Gods; that his wife and children,' "with the pilot, had obtained the same honour. "To this he added, that he would have them

make the best of their way to Babylonia, and "search for the writings at Sippara, which were "to be made known to all mankind. The place "where these things happened was in Armenia. "The remainder having heard these words, of

Berosus would hardly

29 This is scarcely the true account. suppose a pilot (xvents), where a vessel was totally shut up, and confessedly driven at the will of the winds and waves. I can easily imagine, that a Grecian interpreter would run into the mistake, when he was adapting the history to his own taste.

"fered sacrifices to the Gods; and, 30 taking a "circuit, journeyed towards Babylonia. Berosus " adds, that the remains of the vessel were to be

seen in his time upon one of the Corcyrean "mountains in Armenia; and that people used to scrape off the bitumen, with which it had been outwardly coated, and made use of it by way "of an alexipharmic and amulet. In this man"ner they returned to Babylon; and having "found the writings at Sippara, they set about "building cities, erecting temples; and " Baby"lon was thus inhabited " again."

Пegi Topεvonval, Eusebius. This confirms what I supposed about the rout of the Cuthites, as mentioned Genesis c. 11. V. 2.

31

If Babylon survived, one would imagine that other cities would have been in like manner preserved; and that the temples, if any had been in the world before, would have remained, as well as that at Sippara: whence it would naturally appear unnecessary for these few people to have been in such a hurry to build. In short, they are not the genuine words of Berosus: for he knew too much not to be apprised that Babylon was not an antediluvian city.

32 An epitome of the foregoing history is to be found in an extract from Abydenus. Μετα Ευεδωρεσχον αλλοι τινες ήρξαν, και Σισιθρος. Τῳ δη Κρονος προσημαίνει εσεσθαι πληθος ομβρων Δαισι8 15 κελευει δε παν ὅ, τι γραμματων ην εχομενον εν Ηλις πολει τη εν Σιπ πάροισι αποκρύψαι. Σισιθρος δε ταυτα επιτελέα ποιησας ευθεως ἐπ Αρμένης ανέπλωε και παραυτικα μιν κατελάμβανε τα εκ τ8 Θε8. Τρίτη

In this history, however here and there embellished with extraneous matter, are contained wonderful traces of the truth; and we have in it recorded some of the principal and most interesting circumstances of that great event when mankind perished by the deluge. The purpose of the author was to give an account of Babylonia, with which the history of the world in its early state was connected. If we consider the three writers, to whom we are indebted for these fragments, we may perceive that none of them were translators, or regularly copied any part of the original; but were satisfied with making extracts, which they accommodated to their own taste and fancy, and arranged as seemed best to their judgment. And in respect to what is more fully transmitted to us by Alexander Polyhistor, from Berosus, we may, upon close inspection, perceive, that the original history was of a twofold nature, and obtained by different means from two separate quarters. The latter part is plain and obvious, and was un

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δε ήμερη, επεί τε ύων εκόπασε, μετίει των ορνιθαν, πειξην ποιεύμενος, ύδατος εκδυσαν. Αιδε, εκδεκόμενο σφεας πελαγεις αμφιχανίας, απορεύσαι, έχη καθορμησονται, παρα Σισιθρον οπίσω κομίζονται, και επι αυτησι ἑτεραι. Ως δε τησι τρίτηση επετυχειν, βαπικέατο γαρ δη πηλο καταπλεοι τις ταςσες) θεοι μιν εξ ανθρωπων αφανίζεσι. Το δε πλοίον εν Αρμενιη ξυλα περίαπτα αλεξιφαρμακα και τοισι επιχωρίοισι παρείχετο. Eusebii Chron. 8.

p.

doubtedly taken from the archives of the Chaldeans. The former is allegorical and obscure, and was copied from hieroglyphical representations, which could not be precisely decyphered. Berosus mentions expressly, that the representations of the characters, which he describes in his chaotic history, were in his time extant in Babylonia. In consequence of his borrowing from records so very different, we find him, without his being apprized of it, giving two histories of the same person. Under the character of the man of the sea, whose name was Oannes, we have an allegorical representation of the great patriarch, whom, in his other history, he calls Sisuthrus. 33 His whole body, it seems, was like that of a fish; and he had under the head of a fish another head, &c. and a delineation of him was to be seen at Babylon. He infused into mankind a knowledge of right and wrong; instructed them in every science; directed them to found temples; and to pay regard to the Gods. He taught them also to distinguish the different sorts of sceds; and to collect the fruits of the earth; and to provide against futurity. In short, he instructed mankind so fully, that nothing afterward could be added thereto. This is the character given afterwards to 34 Si

33 Euseb. Chron. p. 6.

34 Ibid. p. 8.