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Show ete A500 The firfl Boke of thefirst part Cuar.3.§.u4y ates aamamearemeneeanesiiieds Guar8.Sargis. ore hundred and one yeete : [ fee a¢ c i oe be and Phalesh Selsh,Breber in theinfancy ofthey but firlt age ;' when the bodies of men were moft 'pertect, € ane o. 203 65 uke the fame (Gifnot #gtearet)nitimber might be incr eafed's atid fo with. t 3 f 5 Soke soit an tripespeaen after ‘that is by fitchtittie as the*World ea we ‘ be - Afyria, Syria, and Egypt might bee pofleft before the Floye > as rey Sana - the Babylonian ant Afjrian Empire, thrall thofe people , whic a te pe AiRHandeePor 73 ocyeeres after the Fl6ud,cameinto Shinint and te, : - : wie? Noah hini(elfe came‘sitrof the Falt,as thereis tio Scripture ot ue Y ; pve it, ‘foallprobable cotireatire and'réafonit felfe denies it. Againe a tore a atid and powerfull htinbers; which selsifanzs (but thethird from NV fmred) foutid‘in ee eonbaeree withher owié Army ofthtec Millions, (and fhe left not all he : en émipty) doe well'proue, that if the ‘World had fuch plentyof people: eee oe a dfierthe Floud;it might alfo'be as plentifiullyfilled in like time befor eit-For a Gwhe accouiit Wikwi gouerned Babylonia and U//jria but 292. yeeres afterthie Noah. And thefe Troupés ofSemiranats were gathered out of allthofe Eafter ne a 7 domes! fiom Media to the Mediterran Sea s when there had now'paft from the F oll t thetime of this herinuafion; fomewhatleffe or more'than 360.yeeres : for muchmote time the true Chronology cannot allow;though I confeffe, thar in refpect of the fang greathefle of Semiramis Army, and theincredible multitudes gathered, this is as thorty atime as can well be giuen. And if butane halfe bee true of thatwhichis faid, That her Armyconfifted of'1399000,Footmen, and soo000: Horfemen, it mutt ache bee, that long before Semiramis Reigne,the greateft part ofAfia (whenceher ea i mie was gathered) wasfull of people: yea -4rabia it {elfe (much part whe reof is| at. ren) muftlong beforethis time of Semiramis haue beene plentifilly peopled ; when Ninw hauing a, determination'to. make himfelfe Matterof all Nations, entred (aot withftanding) in League with the King thereof: whom therefore hee cither feared, . foughe his.ailiftance. Andif Arabie were then fo well replenifhed, I fee ng cauie but Feypt mightalfo bee,peopled, Now if wee may belecue Tropus Pempeites | Epi miz dby Iufline) Ecypt was amoft flourifhing and magnificent Nation before Nini} was borne, For.thefebeehis owne words, {peaking of Ninw. Ewtre quidem jem vibus antiquioribus Vexoris Rex cAQypti, Oc. But there were im times more ance Vexotis ‘King of Eoypt , and Tanais Kieg of the Scythiaws : of which the oneint ded Pontus, the other Egypt. And howfull of people all thar part of the World wa the Conquefts of Néxus witnefle, who fubdued with no {mall force the Sate the Adedes, and-afterwards the Badrians , yea, all that whole body of .4fiz on this fide India, For Diedorus out ofCtefias numbreth the Armies wherewith Wivas inuaded 2+ reafler., at 1790000. Footmen, and 200000. Horfemén: and the Stories generally thew, that though Zorveiters Armiewas farre fhort of this, yet it was greater thanay that thofe parts ofthe World euierfince beheld. But to whatend thould I feeke fot{or+ reigne authority ° for no man doubtethbut that Eoypt was poflelt by Asizrain, the fonne of Ham; and that it was aneftablifhed Kingdome,filled with many Cities in # brahams time,the Scripturestell vs. And fure,to prepare and cultiue'a defolate and © ucrgrown ground,to beautific it with many Cities,Lawes,and Policies,cannotbeeftet med.a labour of afew dayes:and therefore itmutt be inhabitedin a leffetime than 200 yeeres after the Floud , and in the fametime (if not ina fhorter) before the Floud. Fo! Orswhat aftrangeincreafe did thelong lines of the fir Age make,when they contia not containe them,ratherthanthat they werenot {pred ouerthe World, For let ys now reckon the date of our liues.in this Age of the World ; wherein if one exceede 50 yeeres, ten forone.are cut offinthat paffage, and yet wee finde no-want ofpeople; 1a 1o.we knowthe multitude fuch,.asifby warres or peftilence they.were.not fometi ken offby many. thoufands, the earth withall the in duftry.of man could food. Whatftrange heapes then.of foules,hadthe firttAges,who enioyed $00.0¥¢ yeares, as aforefaid ? Thefenumbers,T-fay, cannot bee‘counted:nor conceiued. HOY 1€ would cometo the famereckoning in effect; as.ifall thofe which haue beet ne Brittaine {ince 3.01 4.hundredyeeres before tl > Norman Coaqueffauing fuchas by ac cident or by violence were cut off) were now ue sandif to thefe there were added.ag manyas by Polygamy might hauebeene intcreafed. For ,(to-omit ; that the G ants! and mightyones ofthe firft Age obferued nolawof Matrimony) it is to.bee t ought that thofe Louers ofthe worldand of plleafure , when, they knewthe long andliberall 1D time 20 Which Naturehad giuenthem,would not willinglyor haftily prefent themf ‘Ines toany da ger which they.could flye from or efchew.For what humane argument hath| perfwafionto make men careleifeoflife, and feareleffe.of d which keepes them afunder,andthat fhort timealfo accompanied with fo man anddifeafes,whichthis enuious old Ageofthe World mingleth together, and foweth with thefeedes of Mankinde ¢ Nowif that Bero/ius or Annis maybe alleadgedforfufficient Authours, whom. Pere. rius himfelfein this queftion'citeth, thenisit by- them: affirmed, and: by zofephus confir- med, that the City of Esch wasfeatednecre Lybanusin syria :and ifother parts of Sy via Were peopledin Cains time 5, 1 feeno caufe why. Pa/e/lina (which isalfo a Prouince Of Syria) and Egypt (which neighboureth it) could be left. defolate bothall thelifetime 300! Caiz, and allthofe times betweenchis death and the Floud, which wereby eftimation 700. or 800. yeares. And fire though this Fragment of Berofus with Azwive his nt beveryridiculous in manyplaces (the ancient. Copies being corrupted or loft) yet all things in Bero/us are not to,beereiected, Therefore Saint Hicrome for fuch Authours glues a goodrule : Bona corur clig which 1656. yecres broughtforthbefore the Floud ° euen heceffity, which cannot bet heldlining Nations ofhis owne body, », Vitewmus contraria; Let vs choofe what is ood inthem, andFeicthe reste And certainly in thevery beginning of the firtt xC, Berof/us agreeth (in effect) with Mees, touching the gencrall Floud : and inthat Berofus aftirmeth, that thofe mighty mena yants which inhabited Enoch, i ouer.all Nations, andflibiected the yniueffall World: and though:that ¢ ¢World)beoften vfed in the Scriptures for a part thereofas in the fecond That there weredyo ling af Hiernfalemlewes :wmenthat feared Godof every. Na Ct 2 a under Heay ewer i i it tha i id his wat g tothe Sunnes fetting ,which pT oge | may lafely coni t we,that Nosh sat aduenture, or left themas he formerly knewhad been in« ind cafie totrauaile iffo many Millions ofmen were found within 300.yecres after the general Floud; : refifted,caft the abundance ofmens bodiesinto all parts of the knowne World; efpe* ally,where Death forbare the Father,and made no place for the Sonne, till hee had be 135 Fos 800,01 go00.yeeres.' Surely, we hauereafonto doubt, thatthe World could 4 1 at Attica Dy rea- ‘4s not onely Babylon,and A(fjria,Bachria, Armenia, Media, Arabia, Egypt, Palestina , Y% the farrc-offLybia ontheone fide,and /edie on the other 5 and Scythia inferiour tome sher) were all filled: into what {mall corners could thenall thofe Nations be comp! Hiftorie ofthe World. iV. Offome other reafons azainst the opinion of Pererius, . farne Or Welfe titne After teNeither doth itagree with the ane neers . id of the >. Veeres 5y after. the gene 2 oerher fh . res :togeth er. Andt h} leffe cur in paffing re)incopled ery |