69:

destined to the southern parts of the great continents, which they were to inhabit, could not so easily and uniformly proceed; there being but few outlets to their place of destination. For the high Tauric ridge and the " Gordyean mountains came between, and intercepted their due course. How difficult these mountains were, even in later times, to be passed, may be known from the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, who had served under Cyrus the younger. They came from these very plains of Shinar; and passing to the east of the Tigris, they arrived at these mountains, which with great peril they got over. But in the times of which we are treating, they must have been still more difficult to be 7° surmounted for after the deluge, the hollows and valleys between these hills, and all other mountainous places, must have been full of slime and mud; and for a great while have abounded with stagnant waters. We know from ancient history, that it was a long time before passages were opened, and roads made through places of this nature. I should therefore

69 Strabo. 1.11. p. 798.

7o In later times there were only two passages southward. Armenia orientales.Cilicia fines attingit, atque ad Taurum montem patet-atque ex eâ duo aditus in Syriam patent. Moses Chorenens. Geog. p, 354.

think, that mankind must necessarily for soine ages have remained near the place of descent, from which they did not depart till the time of the general migration. Armenia is in great measure bounded either by the Pontic sea, or by mountains; and it seems to have been the purpose of Providence to confine the sons of men to this particular region, to prevent their roving too soon. Otherwise they might have gone off in small parties, before the great families were constituted, among whom the world was to be divided. The economy and distribution assigned by Providence, would by these means have been defeated. It was upon this account, that, at the migration, many families were obliged to travel more or less eastward, who wanted to come down to the remoter parts of Asia. And in respect to the Cuthites, who seem to have been a good while in a roving state, they might possibly travel to the Pyle Caspiæ, before they found an outlet to descend to the country specified. In consequence of this, the latter part of their rout must have been in the direction mentioned in the Scriptures, which is very properly styled, a journeying from the east. I was surprized, after I had formed this opinion from the natural history of the country, to find it verified by that antient historian Berosus. He mentions the rout of his countrymen from Ararat after the deluge; and says, that it

was not in a strait line: but the people had been instructed " περιξ πορευθήναι εις Βαβυλωνιαν, to take a circuit, and so to descend to the regions of Babylonia. In this manner the sons of Chus came to the plains of Shinar, of which Babylonia was a part; and from hence they ejected Assur: and afterwards trespassed upon Elam in the region beyond the Tigris.

It may still be urged, that all mankind must certainly have been at Babel: for the whole earth and its language are 7 mentioned; and it is said, that God confounded there the language of all the earth. But this, I think, can never be the meaning of the sacred writer: and it may be proved from the premises, upon which those in opposition proceed. The confusion of speech is by all uniformly limited to the region about Babel. If we were to allow, that all mankind were included in this spot, how can we imagine, that the sacred historian would call this the whole earth? If mankind were in possession of the greater part of the globe, this figurative way of speaking would be natural and allowable. But if they are supposed to be confined to one narrow interamnian district; it is surely premature: for we cannot

7 Euseb. Chron. p. 8. П, xuxλw. Hesych.

suppose that the language of the whole earth would be mentioned before the earth was in great measure occupied; which they do not allow. And if what I assert be granted, that the earth was in some degree peopled, yet the confusion is limited to Babel; so that what is mentioned in the above passage can never relate to the whole earth.

There are two terms, which are each taken in different acceptations; and upon these the truth of this history depends. In the first verse of this chapter it is said, that, Col Aretz, the whole earth was of one language (or rather lip), and way of speaking. The word Col signifies the whole, and also every. By Aretz is often meant the earth: it also signifies a land or province; and occurs continually in this latter acceptation. We find in this very chapter, that the region of Shinar is called Aretz Shinar; and the land of Canaan "Aretz Canaan. The like may be seen in the preceding chapter, and in various parts of Scripture. I shall therefore adopt it in this sense; and lay before the reader a version of the whole

pas

73 V. 32. So Aretz Havilah, the land of Havilah. Genesis. c. 2. v. 11. 1 P, Aretz Cush, v. 12. the land of Cush. The Psalmist makes use of both the terms precisely in the sense which I attribute to them here. Their sound is gone out into every land: Col Aretz, in omnem terram.

Ps. 19. v. 4.

sage concerning Babel; rendering the terms a bove as I have observed them at times exhibited by some of the best judges of the original.

1. And every region was of one lip and 74 mode of speech.

2. And it came to pass, in the journeying of people from the east, that they found a plain in the (Aretz) land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.

3. And one man said to another; Go to; let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly: and they had brick for stone; and slime had they for mor

tar.

4. And they said; Go to; let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven: and let us make us a mark or signal, that we may not be scattered abroad upon the surface of every region.

5. And the Lord came down to see the city, and the tower, which the children of men were building.

6. And the Lord said; Behold, the people is one (united in one body): and they have all one lip or pronunciation: and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

74 Et omnis terra labium unum, et verba una. Versio Ariæ Montani. xa Quin uia wasi. Sept.