IV.

air, forced by a fupernatural preffure into CHAP. the cavity of the great abyfs, would compel it to difgorge its contents in the most violent and dreadful cataracts; which being driven to an immenfe height in the air, and thence falling back in torrents, would agitate the ocean with a tempeft, of which we perhaps can fcarcely form an idea. To these last convulfions of an expiring world, the Hindoos appear to allude in the third incarnation of Vishnu; when the Soors and the Affoors churn the waters of the troubled fea with a huge mountain'. In short, humanly speaking, it seems neceffary that fome fuch diforder should have taken place, in the midst of which the ark was miraculously preserved; while every attempt of the wicked inhabitants of the earth to fave themselves was fruftrated, and their veffels either dafhed to pieces, or overwhelmed by the violence of the tempeft.

In the preceding Chinese account, mention is made of the heavens finking lower towards the north than what they had

• See Catcott on the Deluge.

Maurice's Hift. of Hindoftan, vol. i. p. 581.

I.

SECT. been previous to the deluge. It is not improbable, that the inclination of the axis of the earth, by which the diversity of seafons is occafioned, may be hinted at in this expreffion; as there is some reason to think, that such an alteration actually took place at the era of the flood. The general correspondence of profane traditions, in the opinion, that the earlier ages of the world enjoyed a perpetual fpring, and the inference, which may be drawn from the page of Scripture itself, both feem to favour this fuppofition. The variety of feasons, and their difference in point of heat, is mentioned for the first time immediately after the hiftory of the flood". Not a word is faid, relative to the diftinction between winter and fummer, previous to the narrative which is given of that awful event. The only paffage, which bears the most diftant allufion to any difference of seasons, is contained in the hiftory of the creation. “ And God faid, Let there be lights in the "firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night; and let them be "for figns, and for seasons, and for days, "and for years." Seafons indeed are here

66

Gen. viii. 22.

x Gen. i. 14.

men

IV.

mentioned; but there is no reafon to fup- CHAP. pose, that the word ", which is thus tranflated, is at all equivalent to feafons, when we ufe the term to defcribe the different portions into which the year is at prefent divided. According to the analogy of derivation, it fimply means, fixed and ftated times for the meeting of affemblies, and does not appear to have the least reference either to heat or cold. It is almost needless to obferve, that the different afpects of the moon, and the different altitudes of the fun in different parts of the day, would equally serve to mark out stated times for affemblies, whether the axis of the earth was inclined, or whether it was perpendicular to the plane of its orbit.

Another reafon for fuppofing that fome confiderable alteration took place at the deluge, may be deduced from the pertinacious adherence of the ancients to the year of three hundred and fixty days, till long experience had taught them the erroneousness of their calculation. But if we admit that fuch was really the length of the antediluvian year, the predilection of the early postdiluvians for that particular number,

L4

I.

SECT. number, will eafily be accounted for. It is far from being improbable, that a confiderable portion of aftronomical knowledge was tranfmitted to the inhabitants of the new world, through the medium of Noah and his fons. A paffage in Jofephus feems to favour the opinion, that the antediluvians were not deficient in that fcience, and that they were anxious to hand it down to their pofterity". Upon this fuppofition, another point of resemblance will be found between Noah and the Chinese Fohi. That prince is faid to have been deeply fkilled in aftrology, and to have understood the method of defcribing the motions of the heavenly bodies by mathematical figures.

The moral caufe of the deluge is affigned by the Chinese in a very striking manner. "All these evils arofe," fays the book Liki, "from man's defpifing the fu

preme Monarch of the universe. He "would needs difpute about truth and

y Vide Cedren. Comp. Hift. p. 1I.

Jofeph. Antiq. Jud. lib. i. p. 9. ed. Hudson.

a Martin. Hift. Sin. p. 22. and Kaempfer's Japan, p. 145.

IV.

"falfehood, and thefe difputes banished the CHAP. "eternal Reason. He then fixed his looks "on terrestrial objects, and loved them to "excefs: hence arofe the paffions. He "became gradually transformed into the objects he loved, and the celeftial Rea"fon entirely abandoned him. Such was "the fource of all crimes, and hence ori

ginated those various miferies, which are "justly sent by heaven as the punishment "of wickednefs "."

Gothic ac

VI. The fame univerfal tradition of VI. the deftruction of the world by the wa- count. ters of a deluge, prevailed among the ancient Goths. Their belief however in that event, as it has been already observed, appears to be confounded and blended with their notions refpecting the creation. Notwithstanding this circumstance, the grand outlines of the diluvian history are fufficiently confpicuous. All the families of the giants are drowned in the ftreams of blood, which flowed from the body of Ymer, excepting one, who escaped along with his family on board of his bark:

b Chev. Ramfay's Mythology of the Pagans.

c Vide fupra, p. 50.

and