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Of God, the Creation of the world, the creation of the first Man and Woman, and the Progeny from them descending, as it is by the Banians deliuered.
THE great God (say the Banians) being alone, be∣thought himselfe how hee might make his ex∣cellency and power ma∣nifest to others; for his great vertue had beene obscured and hid, if it had not beene commu∣nicated to his creatures. What meanes might then bee better to giue euidence of both
these, then the creation of a world, and crea∣tures therein?
For this cause the Almighty consulted with himselfe, about the making of this great worke, which men call the World or Vni∣uerse, and as the Ancients (say they) haue de∣liuered; the Lord made foure Elements as the ground-worke of this mighty frame; to wit, Earth, Aire, Fire, and Water, which foure Elements were at first all mingled to∣gether in a confusion, but the Almighty sepa∣rated them in manner following.
First, it is deliuered, that by some great Cane or like instrument, hee blew vpon the Waters, which arose into a bubble, of a round forme like an egge, which spreading it selfe further and further, made the Firmament so cleare and transparent, which now compas∣seth the world about.
After this, there remaining the Earth, as the sediment of the Waters, and some liquid substance with the same; the Lord made of both these together, a thing round like a ball, which hee called the lower world, the more solid part whereof became the Earth, the more liquid the Seas; both which making one Globe, he by a great noyse or humming sound, placed them in the middest of the Fir∣mament, which became aequi-distant from it on euery side.
Then he created a Sunne and Moone in the
Firmament, to distinguish the times and sea∣sons: and thus these foure Elements that were at first mixt together, became separate and assigned to their seuerall places; the Aire to his place, the Earth to his, the Water to his place, and the Fire to his place.
These Elements thus disposed, each of them discharged his seuerall parts; the Aire filled vp whatsoeuer was emptie; the Fire began to nourish with his heate; the Earth brought forth his liuing creatures; and the Sea his. And the Lord conueyed to these a seminall vertue, that they might bee fruitfull in their seuerall operations, and thus the great world was created.
This World, as it had his beginning from foure Elements, so it was measured by foure maine points of the Compasse; East, West, North, and South; and was to be continued for foure Ages; and to be peopled by foure Casts or sorts of men, which were maried to foure Women appointed for them, of which wee shall speake as order may giue occasion.
God hauing thus made the world, and the creatures thereto belonging; then God crea∣ted Man, as a creature more worthy then the rest, & one that might be most capable of the workes of God. The earth then did at Gods voyce and command, render this creature from his bowels, his head first appearing, and after that his body, with all the parts and
members of the same, into whom God con∣ueyed life, which as soone as he had receiued, witnessed it selfe: for, colour began to shew it selfe red in his lippes, his eye liddes began to disclose the two lights of Nature, the parts of his body bewrayed their motion, and his vnderstanding being informed, hee acknow∣ledged his Maker, and gaue him worship.
That this creature might not bee alone, who was made by nature sociable; God se∣conded him with a Companion, which was Woman; to whom not so much the outward shape, as the likenesse of the minde and dis∣position seemed agreeing: and the first mans name was Pourous, and the womans name was Parcoutee, and they liued conioyned together as Man and Wife, feeding on the fruites of the earth, without the destruction of any liuing creature.
These two liuing in this coniunction, had foure sonnes; the first was called Brammon, the second Cuttery, the third Shuddery, the fourth Wyse. These foure brethren were of Natures distinct each from the other; the foure Elements claiming in each of them a different predominance: For Brammon was of an earthly constitution, and therefore Me∣lancholly; and Cuttery was of a fiery consti∣tution, and therefore of a Martiall spirit. Shuddery was of a flegmaticke constitution, and therefore of a peaceable or conuersable
disposition; Wyse was of an ayery temper, and therefore full of contriuements and in∣uentions.
And because Brammon was of a melanchol∣ly constitution, and ingenious; God indued him with knowledge, and appointed him to impart his Precepts and Lawes vnto the peo∣ple; his graue and serious looke, best fitting him for such a purpose: for which cause hee gaue him a Booke, containing the forme of diuine Worshippe and Religion.
And because Cuttery was of a Martiall temper, God gaue him power to sway king∣domes with the Scepter, and to bring men in∣to order, that the Weale-publicke might thriue by vnited indeauours for the common good: as an Embleme of which the Almigh∣ty put a sword into his hand, the instrument of victory and domination.
And because Shuddery was of a nature mild and conuerseable, it was thought meete, that he should bee a Merchant, to inrich the Common-wealth by Trafficke, that so euery place might abound with all things, by the vse of shipping and Nauigation: as a moni∣tour to put him in minde of which course of life, he had a paire of Ballances put into his hand, and a bagge of waights hung at his gir∣dle, instruments most accommadate to his profession.
Lastly, because Wyse was of an Ayery tem∣per,
whose conceipts vse to bee more subtle and apprehensiue, he was indued with admi∣rable inuentions, and was able by his first thoughts, to forme any thing that belonged to the Mechanicke or handy-crafts man: For which purpose hee had a bagge of tooles or instruments, consisting of such variety, as were necessary to effectuate the workes of his fancy or conceipt.
Thus you haue the first Man and Woman, and the Progeny from them descending, ac∣cording to Banians tradition; and a world to be raised of so few, the persons (as they thinke) could not be better fitted to the same, the whole world being well considered, con∣sisting of, and subsisting by, such foure kindes of men.
The World being in this Mayden puritie, that the generations of men might not be de∣riued from a polluted beginning of man∣kinde; the Almighty gaue not Pourous and Parcoutee any daughters, least some of these foure 〈◊〉〈◊〉 preferring the needes of propa∣gation, before piety and Religion, should haue defloured their Sisters, and haue blemi∣shed the world with impurity: but proui∣ding better for the holinesse and sanctity of our Ancestors, that the worke of generati∣on might be agreeable to the worke of Crea∣tion, God made foure Women, for these foure Men, and placed them at the foure
Windes, one at the East, another at the West, a third at the North, and a fourth at the South; that thus being diuided, there might be a better meanes for the spreading of their generations ouer the face of the earth, with which foure Women, how the foure Sonnes of the first Man met, shall be vnderstood in the sequeale of their seuerall stories in the Chapters following.