à facie Jehoschue filii Nunis prædatoris. Islands or Canaries were not unknown; 1 interpret that speech in Homer of Proteus

Sed te qua terræ postremus terminus e Elysium in Campum cœlestia numina c The like might we affirm from credible France and Germany, and perhaps also of For omitting the fabulous and Trojan ori Jeffrey of Monmouth, and the express t that the race of Japhet did people the is tiles; the British original was so obscure that he affirmeth the inland inhabitants that is, such as reported that they had t the island. That Ireland our neighbour is time without inhabitants, may be made pr accounts, although we abate the traditio the Scythian, who arrived three hundred flood, or the relation of Giraldus, that Cæs of Noah, dwelt there before.

Now should we call in the learned accou deducing the ancient names of countries who by their plantations, discoveries, and have left unto very many countries, Pho tions, the enquiry would be much shorter; the Phoenician original, be but the region tania, or Portugal, the country of almon were at first Baratanaca, or the land of ti Ireland were but Ibernae, or the farthest these names imposed and dispersed by Ph in their several navigations, the antiquit might be more clearly advanced.

Thus though we have declared how large *Bochart. Geog. Sacr. part 2.

three hundred years.] This yeare, 1650, is the worlde since the creation; out of which, yf you ta floodd, viz. in the yeare of the world 1656, and a more here mentioned, the summe will be 1956, deducted out of the present yeare of the world! 3644 yeares this yeare, since Bartolanus is said to which neither Scripture nor any story mentions, feigned and foolish tradition.-Wr.

inhabited within the space of 1300 years, yet must it be conceived more populous than can be clearly evinced; for a greater part of the earth hath ever been peopled, than hath been known or described by geographers, as will appear by the discoveries of all ages. For neither in Herodotus or Thucydides do we find any mention of Rome, nor in Ptolemy of many parts of Europe, Asia, or Africa; and because many places we have declared of long plantation, of whose populosity notwithstanding or memorable actions we have no ancient story; if we may conjecture of these by what we find related of others, we shall not need many words, nor assume the half of 1300 years. And this we might illustrate from the mighty acts of the Assyrians, performed not long after the flood, recorded by Justin and Diodorus, who makes relation of expeditions by armies more numerous than have been ever since. For Ninus,9 king of Assyria, brought against the Bactrians 700,000 foot, 200,000 horse, 10,600 chariots. Semiramis, his successor, led against the Indians 1,300,000 foot, 500,000 horse, 100,000 chariots, and as many upon camels.1 And it is said Staurobates, the Indian king, met her with greater forces than she brought against him; all which was performed within less than four hundred years after the flood.

Now if any imagine the unity of their language did hinder their dispersion before the flood, we confess it some hindrance at first, but not much afterward. For though it might restrain their dispersion, it could not their popu losity, which necessarily requireth transmigration and emission of colonies; as we read of Romans, Greeks,

9 Ninus] Soe Ninus had in his armye 974,200, reckoning to every chariot six fightinge men (on each side three) besides the charioteer; but Semiramis her army was not less then 2,000,000, i. e. above twice soe manye; and yf Staurobates his army were greater, doubtless never any since that time came neere those numbers. Then reckoninge at the least of horses, 4 in each chariot, and of camels, in all 500,000 beasts in her armye, and as many or more on the adverse side, what countryes could hold, much less feed them? For Sennacherib's army did not reach to the twentithe parte of these conjoyned numbers, and yet he boasted to have drunk the rivers drye.- Wr.

upon camels.] 300,000 ox hides stuffed to represent elephants, and carried upon camels.-Jeff.

Phoenicians, in ages past, and have beheld examples thereof in our days. We may also observe that after the flood, before the confusion of tongues, men began to disperse. For it is said they journeyed towards the east, and the Scripture itself expresseth a necessity conceived of their dispersion, for the intent of erecting the tower is so delivered in the text, "lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth."

Again, if any apprehend the plantation of the earth more easy in regard of navigation and shipping discovered since the flood, whereby the islands and divided parts of the earth are now inhabited; he must consider that whether there were islands or no before the flood, is not yet determined, and is with probability denied by very learned authors.

Lastly, if we shall fall into apprehension that it was less inhabited, because it is said in the sixth of Genesis, about 120 years before the flood, "And it came to pass that when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth;" beside that this may be only meant of the race of Cain, it will not import they were not multiplied before, but that they were at that time plentifully increased; for so is the same word used in other parts of Scripture. And so is it afterward in the ninth chapter said, that "Noah began to be an husbandman," that is, he was so, or earnestly performed the acts thereof; so is it said of our Saviour, that he "began to cast them out that bought and sold in the temple," that is, he actually cast them out, or with alacrity effected it.

Thus have I declared some private and probable conceptions in the enquiry of this truth; but the certainty hereof let the arithmetic of the last day determine, and therefore expect no further belief than probability and reason induce. Only desire men would not swallow dubiosities for certainties, and receive as principles points mainly controvertible; for we are to adhere unto things doubtful in a dubious and opinionative way. It being reasonable for every man to vary his opinion according to the variance of his reason, and to affirm one day what he denied another. Wherein although at last we miss of truth, we die notwithstanding in harmless and inoffensive errors, because we

adhere unto that, whereunto the examen of our reasons, and honest enquiries induce us.2

CHAPTER VII.

Of East and West.

THE next shall be of east and west; that is, the proprieties and conditions ascribed unto regions respectively unto those situations; which hath been the obvious conception of philosophers and geographers, magnifying the condition of India, and the eastern countries, above the setting and occidental climates: some ascribing hereto the generation of gold, precious stones, and spices, others the civility and natural endowments of men; conceiving the bodies of this situation to receive a special impression from the first salutes of the sun, and some appropriate influence from his ascendent and oriental radiations. But these proprieties, affixed unto bodies, upon considerations reduced from east, west, or those observable points of the sphere, how specious and plausible soever, will not upon enquiry be justified from such foundations.

For to speak strictly, there is no east and west in nature, nor are those absolute and invariable, but respective and mutable points, according unto different longitudes, or distant parts of habitation, whereby they suffer many and considerable variations. For first, unto some the same part will be east or west in respect of one another, that is, unto such as inhabit the same parallel, or differently dwell from east to west. Thus, as unto Spain Italy lieth east, unto Italy Greece, unto Greece Persia, and unto Persia China; so again, unto the country of China Persia lieth west, unto Persia Greece, unto Greece Italy, and unto Italy Spain. So that the same country is sometimes east and sometimes west; and Persia though east unto Greece, yet is it west unto China.

Unto other habitations the same point will be both east

2 induce us.] And whatsoever is beyond this search must bee imputed to an invincible ignorance.—Wr.

and west; as unto those that are Antipodes or seated in points of the globe diametrically opposed. So the Americans are antipodal unto the Indians, and some part of India is both east and west unto America, according as it shall be regarded from one side or the other, to the right or to the left; and setting out from any middle point, either by east or west, the distance unto the place intended is equal, and in the same space of time in nature also performable.

year

To a third that have the poles for their vertex3 or dwell in the position of a parallel sphere, there will be neither east nor west, at least the greatest part of the year. For if (as the name oriental implieth) they shall account that part to be east wherever the sun ariseth, or that west where the sun is occidental or setteth; almost half the year they have neither the one nor the other. For half the it is below the horizon, and the other half it is continually above it, and circling round about them intersecteth not the horizon, nor leaveth any part for this compute. And if (which will seem very reasonable) that part should be termed the eastern point where the sun at equinox, and but once in the year, ariseth, yet will this also disturb the cardinal accounts, nor will it with propriety admit that appellation. For that surely cannot be accounted east which hath the south on both sides; which notwithstanding this position must have. For if, unto such as live under the pole, that be only north which is above them, that must be southerly which is below them, which is all the other portion of the globe, beside that part possessed by them. And thus, these points of east and west being not absolute in any, respective in some, and not at all relating unto others, we cannot hereon establish so general considerations, nor reasonably erect such immutable assertions, upon so unstable foundations.

3

Now the ground that begat or promoted this conceit

vertex.] This is spoken by way of supposition, yf any such there be, that dwell under the pole.-Wr.

and circling.] And aboutt the tenthe of Marche, before and after, the discus of the son wheles about the verge of the horizon, and rises not totally above itt for the space of almost as many dayes as there are minutes in his diameter: appearing by those degrees in every circulation (of 24 houres time) more and more conspicuous, as hee uses to doe, when he gets out of total eclypse.-Wr.