as is attested by the Latin proverb, Japeto vetuftior, and by the Audax Japeti genus of Horace. Ethiopian is a fimple tranflation of Chufhite. The capital of Egypt is yet called Mefr, from Mesraim, by its inhabitants; and the name of Egypt is a variation of Ai-caphtor, the island of Caphtor, from whence its old inhabitants are yet called Cophts. The Ruffians and Mufcovites, whofe frozen climates have never invited conquerors to come and change their names, derive them visibly from Ross and Mofoch (7). Confidering the variation of languages, and the frequent changes of habitation, one cannot hope to find, after so many ages elapfed, this fingular conformity but in nations either very antient or long fequestered from all others. It is fufficient that this occurs wherever thofe circumftances are found, and that fome traces of it remain in all antient languages spoken even by people very far removed from their antient ftocks and feats. But the great event of the deluge, acknowledged effect of the divine wrath, is confecrated by the traditions of every nation in every corner of the earth, even by those of America, though probably the last peopled region. The fact of the reftorer of mankind, not unknown to profane authors under his Hebrew name, or such as are evidently flight deviations from it, faved from the waters in a ship (m), is repeated by all nations from China to the fhores of the Mediterranean and Baltic feas. The facred books and mysteries, and the most folemn religious ceremonies of antiquity, recalled the memory of that catastrophe. In each of the respective annals of all antient nations we find fome circumstances, and from a review of them all we may collect every article, of the Mofaical account of the deluge,

D 2

deluge, from the entrance into the ark to the difperfion of mankind. The minute circumftance of birds fent out by Noah whilst yet in the ark, is not forgotten even in Peruvian story (7). The very variety of fables to which thefe incidents are accommodated fhews them to be uncommunicated fragments of original tradition. As well as the Hebrews, the Arabs and Tartars land the ark on mount Ararat (0), whatever particular spot of the mountains which environ Armenia may be defigned by that name. In fine, the agreement, by general acclamation, in all ages, of all nations, divided in languages, religion and manners, and feparated by immenfe tracts of sea or land, in the tradition of one fingular and awful event, which must have long remained deeply graven on the minds of men, is furely the most complete proof that was ever given of an historical fact.

Here then is one great and important event, which, attefted by the unanimous consent of nations, can no longer admit of reasonable doubt. It remains to determine its date by approximation, not indeed within a few ages, but within limits in which an age or two more or lefs may not be of great confequence on an object so distant from us. The combined refult of the most authentic traditions, and the confequences which may come out from the review and ftate of nations in times fomewhat better known, are the fole means which reafon points out to attain it.

I fhall not enter here into a minute difcuffion of the firft era of the existence of man, nor even on that of the deluge: they are too un

certain

certain to pretend to fix them with confidence. It fuffices for my purpose to prove that these events, and particularly the laft, cannot be carried up to an antiquity infinitely remote. The refult of the opinions most generally received amongst all nations determines the first within 6500 years, and the fecond within 4000 years before the Christian era. If fome nations, ambitious of very high antiquity, have carried ftill higher the origin of the world, let us remark, that it is no longer for the habitation of man, but for that of beings unknown to and rejected by reason. Even from the duration which they give to the human race much must be deducted, on account of years very different from ours. The greatest difficulty arifes from the circumftance that thefe years, varying from 365 days to 24 hours, being no where accurately distinguished in profane chronology, can never be applied with certainty to any period. A few words efcaped from feveral authors, alone give room to make now and then the diftinction. Neither muft we diffemble, that in the divers verfions of Genefis a very confiderable variation is found in their chronology on the distance of time, both before the deluge and after it, to the birth of Abraham: it is not occafioned, however, by any difference in the computation of the years, nor by any difcordancy in the facts, but purely results from fome miftakes of fome letters or cyphers denoting the ages of certain patriarchs at the birth of their fons. I fhall perhaps have occafion to speak of it hereafter. To escape from this labyrinth of difficulties we shall fuffer ourselves to be implicitly conducted by the judicious and not to be fufpected labours of Mr.

Bailly,

Bailly, a man of great learning, celebrated for his researches into early antiquity (p). Since the publication of his fyftem, which I shall particularly combat in my second letter, a system which requires a fucceffion, uninterrupted by any great revolution of the earth, not of 4.000, but of at least 30,000 years, he has given to the public another work on the astronomy of the Indians. His principal aim in this is to establish an epocha of 310k years before Chrift, founded upon real obfervations of the heavens. In a preliminary discourse he confiders the whole fucceffion of Indian ages; and to confirm this favourite epoch he reviews and weighs the chronologies of all other antient nations. Whatever may be his ultimate defign, one cannot refuse just praises to an arduous work of real merit and true value, contracted with great ingenuity into a small compafs. In this the fagacious author modifies the duration of the four ages of the Bramins (q). Abandoning to fable, or referving to future interpretation, the two first, he reduces to a very moderate computation the long supposed duration of the third age. He conjectures, that the years of this age are really to be refolved into fo many days; and proves it by a paffage of the Begavedam itself. Thus reduced, this age, including the interval reckoned by the Indians between the third and fourth age, contains about 2400 folar years. By fimilar operations, which he esteems fuitable to the divers methods of eftimating time in this very high antiquity amongst other nations, he reduces their several chronologies to a tolerably near conformity with the duration which he has given to this third Indian age. It 7

was

was during this period, fay the Indians, that the first men appeared upon earth; and Mr. Bailly decides, that it comprehends the times which, according to us, elapfed between the creation and the deluge. The refult of thefe learned refearches is, that the length of thisperiod, according to the corrected fupputation of these several nations, turns out as follows:

According to the feventy interpreters of the Old Teftament it contains (r)

According to the Chaldeans (s)

According to the Egyptians, 30,000 years reign of the fun

taken for days,

According to the Perfians, the reigns of the Peris,

According to the Indians, including the interval between the

third and fourth age,

According to the fame, calculation of feventy-eight generations at thirty years each,

Years.

2256

2222

2342

2000

2400

2340

Though the Hebrew text of Genesis gives only 1656 years for the interval between the creation and the deluge, we here see at least the antediluvian times reduced by Mr. Bailly himself, from the confrontation and moderate evaluation of the most antient chronologies, to a term of between 2000 and 2400 years. Let us now proceed to a period more interesting to us, the times elapfed between that event and the Chriftian era. Here follows the refult of the enquiries of the fame ingenious author:

The