An abridgement of Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the world in five books ... : wherein the particular chapters and paragraphs are succinctly abrig'd according to his own method in the larger volume : to which is added his Premonition to princes.

CHAP. VII. Noah's Flood, the Vniversality of it, and Noah's memory of Antiquity.

§. 1. MOses's Divine Testimony of Noah's Flood, natural Men regard no farther than Rea∣son can reach, and therefore may have disputed the Vniversality of it; and Iosephus citeth Nic. Damascen, who reports, that many were saved on the Mount Baris in Armenia; and the Talmudists held the same, saith Annius.

§. 2. Ogyges's Flood, the Greeks, (the Corrupters of all Truth, saith Lactantius) make the most ancient, when yet Ogyges's Flood was sixty seven Years after

Iacob, and short of Noah's Flood by 500 Years; nei∣ther do any Authors report, that it over-flowed any part of Syria, as Mela, Pliny and Solinus do of Noah's, speaking of Ioppa's Ruins, &c. As for this Flood, as it exceeded not Peloponesus, so was it foreseen by a concurrence of Causes, which Noah's was not. Touch∣ing Varro's Report out of Castor, of the strange Co∣lour, quantity and shape of Venus; the Fogs which then rise, might cause such Apperances: For Gali∣laeus, a Modern Worthy Astronomer, by Perspe∣ctive Glasses, observed many undiscover'd things in Stars, unknown to former Ages.

§. 3. Deucalion's Flood, more certain for Time, being in the Reign of Cranaus King of Athens, accord∣ing to Varro, cited by Augustin, or under Cecrop's, (after Eusebius and Ierom) in whose latter times, Is∣rael came out of Egypt, which, after Functius, was 753, or 739 Years, according to Mercator, after No∣ah's Flood. But following the better Account, which giveth Abraham 60 Years more after the Flood, I reckon the Flood thus: The general Flood Anno Mundi 1656; Iacob's Birth 2169, which is 519 Years af∣ter the Flood of Ogyges; 100 after Iacob's. Now Deucalion was born Anno 2356; and his Flood when he was 89 Years old, which is Anno 2438; after Noah's 782; to which agrees Xenophon in Annius. This Flood over-ran most of Italy, when Egypt also was afflicted with Water; and the Italians which es∣caped it, were called Vmbri.

§. 4. Noah's Flood, as Berosus reports, was heard of amongst the Caldeans: N. Damascen maketh par∣ticular mention of it. Eusebius also Records out of an Ancient History of Abidenus, that one Sissitbus, fore-warned by Saturn of a Flood, fled to the Ar∣menian Hills in a Ship, who after the Fall of the Waters, sent Birds three times to discover, &c. Cy∣ril cites Polyhistor mentioning a general Flood : Plato also produceth an Egyptian Priest, reporting to Solon

out of their Holy Books, of an universal Flood, long before Ogyges, in Attica; and calls Noah Old Ogyges. He also speaks of a Flood of Nilus before that in At∣tica, which afflicted the lower Egypt under King Pro∣metheus, 'till by Hercules's direction, Nilus, was re∣duced within her Banks; whereof grew the Tale of an Eagle, which feeding on Prometheus's Liver, was slain by Hercules. Xenophon, cited by Annius, speaks of the Universal Flood under the first Ogyges, of Nine Months continuance; a second of Nilus under Pro∣metheus, of one Month; a third under Ogyges Atti∣cus, of two Months; a fourth under Deucalion, of three Months; a fifth under Proteus of Egypt in Helene's Rape. Diod. Siculus remembers another in lesser Asia, before Deucalion's. There was one in the Venetian Territories, Anno 590. In Friesland, a Flood droun∣ed 100000, Anno 1238. In Dort in Holland, 10000 perished Anno 1446. Others are mentioned by Strozius.

§. 5. Noah's Flood was extraordinary, not upon natural Causes, as the other; but by God's special Power strengthening the influence of Stars to fill all the Cisterns of Waters in Fountains and Clouds: And though H. of Machline, Scholar of Albertus, ob∣served a conjunction of Saturn and Iupiter in the last, and of a watery Sign and House of Luna, over against the Ship, by which the Flood might have been fore∣seen; and was also by Noah, as P. de Aliaao judg∣eth; yet however God used second Causes, he ad∣ded supernatural force to the Clouds and Fountains, to empty their whole Treasuries of Waters.

§. 6. There needed not new Created Waters in this Flood; not to dispute whether God hath restrain∣ed himself from Creating. For when he brake up the Fountains of the Deep, and opened the Windows or Sluces of Heaven, he shewed no new Creation, but used his old Store, contained in the vast Concavi∣ties of the Earth and in the Clouds, wherewith he compassed the Earth after an extraordinary manner;

besides his Condensation of the Air to convert it into Rain, which is so ordinary; and thus might the Waters grow to exceed the Mountains 15 Cu∣bits. As for the Constellation they speak of, L. Vi∣ves reports from a great Astrologer, that the like was observed Anno 1524,* 1.1 after which it was ex∣ceeding Fair. To conclude, I find no other Myste∣ry in the word Cataract, signifying the Windows or Flood-gates of Heaven, but the violent casting down Waters, not diffusively, after the natural manner, but as when it is emptied out of a Vessel in a whole body, as it is sometimes in India, which are called Spouts of Water. Thus God loosed the retentive Power in the upper Air, and the Clouds, in which, at other times, he shutteth up the Waters to carry them to a place appointed.

§. 7. Noah's Memory among the Heathen, who, for divers respects, gave him divers Names, as Ogy∣ges the first, because his Flood was before the Grecian Ogyges; Saturn, because he was Father of Nations; Prometheus, for his fore-sight; Ianus Bifrons, for his seeing what went before, and came after the Flood; Chaos, and Seed of the World Coelum; Sun, Virtumnus Bacchus, Liber Pater before him of Greece; but of old, the word was Boachus of Noachus: He was also cal∣led Nisius, of Mount Nisa in India, joining to Paro∣panisus and other Easterly Mountains, where the Ark rested, and where the Grecian Bacchus never came. His Posterity also named Cities, Mountains and Ri∣vers by his Name,* 1.2 as a City by the Red Sea; the River Noachus in Thracia.

§. 8. Noah's Ark, touching the Name, Epiphanius in Ancyrius calls it Aron, which properly signifyeth the Ark in the Sanctuary, as Thebell a Vessel which swimmeth, called Larnenx in Greek. Certain places where it was framed cannot be defined; yet Becanus conceives it was neer Caucasus, where grow the noblest Ce∣dars, not far from the Nisaans, with whom Alex∣ander

made War. By all Probability, the place was not far from where it landed, being so large, heavy laden, wanting Sails, of Form not apt to move, and in a Calm, as it is in all Rains, down-right. It was thought to have a flat Bottom, and a crested Roof; and the Wood Gopher, of which it was made, by all probability was Cedar, being light, easy to cut, sweet and lasting; abounding in the Eastern Mountains; the Pitch was like to a Bitume, which melteth only by Fire, as is that by the dead Sea and Babylon.

§. 9. Of the Ark's Capacity; whose Measures, as God prescribed, so the proportion, saith Augustin, answered the shape of a Man's Body, whose Length contained the Bredth six times, and the Depth ten; being a Figure of God's City or Church in this World, &c. In the Measure, the Cubit is questioned; whe∣ther it were the common, which is from the Elbow to the top of the Middle Finger, a Foot and a half; or the plain Cubit, which is an handful more; or the Kings and Persians which is three Inches more than the common; or the sacred, which is double the common, wanting a quarter; or the Geometrical, which is six common Cubits, and was embraced by Origen, as also by Augustin, who yet changed his Mind, be∣cause Fishes were not Cursed.* 1.3 Though Man's mischievous Ignorance seeketh many Impossibilities in this work, yet no Monstrous thing is found in it; for the number of Kinds to be stored in it, was not so great, (excluding such as sprung from unnatural Copulations, and diversity of Soils) but that the com∣mon Cubit of those times may serve; for add half a Foot to the common Cubit of our times, which is a Foot and half, and the length riseth to be six Hun∣dred Foot, the Bredth one Hundred, the Depth Sixty: As for the Geometrical Cubit, it was not in use then, as we see in the Measure of Giants, and height of the Altar, which might have no Steps, Exod. 20.26. Buteo hate prov'd that the Number

of Creatures might well be placed in the Ark, which contained 450000 Cubical Cubits, which is sufficient for a Hundred kind of Beasts, and their Meat in the lower and second Story, and 280 Fouls, with Noah and his in the third.

§. 10. Of the Arks resting on part of Mount Taurus or Caucasus, between East-India and Scythia, passing by many needless Disputes, I will endeavour to satisfie my self and others in the place of the Arks resting for the second Plantation of the World, as I have done in the place of the Terrestrial Paradise for Man's first Plantation. 2. The common Opinion is, The Ark rested on Ararat in Great Armenia; the Caldee calls it Kardu, meaning the Hills Gordei, in Great Armenia, which N. Damascen calls Baris. Berosus calls the Armenian Mountains, Gordias. Stra∣bo found such a Promontory in Arabia Felix; Pliny, a Mart-Town, which Ptolomy calls Ociles; Pintus A∣cyla, Niger Zidon, Toy E. Gordei; Damascen adjoins Mimmynd, perhaps for Minni, which word is used for Armenia, and seemeth compounded of Minni and A∣ram, that is, Minni of Syria; for Armenia was part of Syria.* 1.4 These Mountains stand apart from all others on the North side of that Ridge of Moun∣tains called Taurus, or Niphates, in the Plain of Arme∣nia the Greater, near the Lake Thospitis, whence Ti∣gris floweth in 75 Degrees Longitude, and 41 42 La∣titude. One of these Gordei Epiphanius calls Lubar, which in the Armenian Tongue, signifieth Descent, of Noah's coming down, saith Iunius; but any Hill of easy descent may be so called, as himself confes∣seth, correcting the Word Kubaris in Iosephus; from hence came Lubra, a Synagogue, being commonly on Hills, and the Latin Delubra.

My first Argument against the common Opinion is, from the time of 130 Years, which most, who fol∣low Berosus, give Nimrod's coming to Shinar, which by easy Journeys, might be travailed in 20 days from

the Gordei in Armenia, having only Mesopotamia be∣tween, and Tigris to help them. This maketh it im∣probable, they should be so many Years before they Planted such a Country so near them; which could not be to them so long unknown, being Encreased to a great Multitude long before those 130 Years.

My 2d. Argument is from the Civility and Multitude of the Eastern Nations, who had used Artillery and Printing long before the West. It was thought a Fa∣ble in Philostratus, that the Wise Men inhabiting be∣tween Hyphasis, and Ganges, drive away their Ene∣mies with Thunder and Lightning, whereby they de∣feated Hercules and Bacchus, and made Hercules cast away his Golden Shield. Io. Cuthenberge brought Printing from the East: Conrade, from him, brought it to Rome; and Gerson bettered it; all about a 100 Years past. Alexander Macedon found more Cities and Magnificence in the little Kingdom of Porus, which lay close to India, than in all his Travels; esteeming Italy barbarous, and Rome a Village: But Babylon was in his Eye, and the Fame of the East pierced his Ears. Ioppan, now Zippingari, was ex∣ceeding Religious and addicted to Letters, Philo∣sophy, Prayers, and Worshipping but one God.

5. My Third Argument is from the resistance which Semiramis found in Est-India, though her Army ex∣ceeded Three Millions, as Diod. Siculus, out of Ctesi∣as, reports, besides 500000 Horse, and 100000 Wag∣gons; of all which, admit but a third part true. Nim∣rod's Greatness is not doubted, nor that his People grew into such Multitudes by Semiramis's time, Wife of Ninus, Son of Belus, Son of Nimrod: But that a Colony sent from Babel into the East, should so in∣crease in so short a time, is incredible; yet these Au∣thors Report, that Staurobathez, King of East-India, exceeded her in numbers, which could not be, if the East were replenished by a Colony from Ba∣bylon.

6. My Fourth Argument is 1st. from Noah's person, who being at Babel's Confusion, and the 731st Year of his Age, was not like to be unsetled, and to seek a Seat. 2. The Text saith, he became a Husband-man; which argueth his setled Course of Life; not a Wanderer from Armenia to Babylon, then to Arabia Felix, then to Africa, so to Spain, Italy, &e. as they report; not considering his Years, the difficulty of Travel∣ing in an over-grown wild World, which had lyen waste 140 Years. 3. Besides the place of his Landing, being East from Babylon, Rich and Pleasant, the Wise Father would not neglect the planting of it, and seek out less pleasing Parts with such difficulties. 4. Neither is it to be thought, the Reverend Father was at that presumptuous Work of Babel, and re∣strained it not. 5. We find Ioctan, Havila and O∣pher Planted in India, which were not like to have turned back from Shinar. Lastly, The Scriptures si∣lence of Noah, after his departure from the East to Shinar, argueth him left there; and so out of all oc∣casions, which might touch the History of the Iews, which Moses was to prosecute.

7. Annius on Berosus lands the Ark on the Caspian Mountain of Armenia; to which purpose he con∣founds the Caspian and Gordian Hills, which Pto∣lomy sets far asunder, and Mercator sets 5 Degrees, and Villanovanus, much more Ancient, sets 7 De∣grees, or 420 Miles one from the other. And tho' I grant, that Mankind was renewed in Scythia, 250 Years before Ninus (as Porticus Cato records) yet was not this Scythia in Armenia, but under the Mountains of Paropamisus in 130 Degrees of Longi∣tude, according to Ptolomy; whereas the supposed Armenia Araxea is in 87. neither hath he any Scy∣thia nearer Armenia Araxea; though he sets out 100 several Nations of Scythians, such as Imaus by the Asian Sarmatia on the West; Imaus on the East; the Sacces, Sogdians and Margians on the South; and

the Mouth of Oxus and unknown Countries on the North. He also maketh the Asian Sarmatia to com∣prehend many Nations, and a great part between Armenia and Scythia, besides Colchis, Iberia and Al∣bania. Neither Prenetus, Iohn Plancrápio, Haytonus the Armenian, writing of Scythia or Tartaria, speak one word of Armenia; nor Matheus a Micon, a Sarmasian Cannon of Cracovia, who travelled a great part of Sarmatia Asiatica; yet he observed that Tanais, or Don, and Volga or Edel, spring but of Lakes and Marishes, and not out of Riphian or Hyperborean Mountains in Scythia. He also sheweth that the Eu∣ropean Sarmatia contains Russia, Lithuania and Mos∣cho, and is bounded on the West by Vissa or Vistula, parting it from Germany; That the Scythians in A∣sian Sarmatia, came thither above 300 Years past out of the East, where the Ark rested; and that the Sacae-Scythians were North of Taurus or Ararat: As for the Ariacan Scythians, between Iaxartus and Iactus on the East of the Caspian, they are no Ar∣menians.

9. My fifth Argument is from the place where Noah Planted a Vine, which could not be in Armenia, much colder than Italy and France, where yet Vines grow not naturally, as they did where Noah Planted, as his Husbandry witnesseth.

9. Objection 1. The Text saith, from thence God scattered them, &c. Answer, That is, the Builders of the Tower, which were not all, but certain of them, which were increased after the Flood.* 1.5

10. Objection 2. Ararat signifieth Armenia, which the Caldean Paraph. calls Kardu. 2. Answer. Writers agree not about Ararat: The Sybill's Books place it in Phrygia, near where Caelenes was built; where∣about the River Marsyas joineth with Meander; but this is far from the Gordiean Mountains. Iosephus, out of Berosus, placeth Ararat between Armenia and Parthia, toward Adibene; where they vent pieces of

the Ark, but he erreth: For Adibene whereon Arme∣nia Bordereth, is part of Assyria, and hath all Media between it and Parthia. As for the Reliques of the Ark, they make it but a Report, by an infamous Historian. The Armenian Mountains, or Moschici in Ptolomy, or Pariedri in Pliny, stretch to the upper part of Cappadocia in 43 and 44 Degrees, North of the Gordiaeans in the 39 Degree 10/60. From the Norther∣most the Georgian Christians are called, preserved from Infidels, which compass them.

11. Neither was it necessary the Ark should stay on the highest Mountains, seeing Noah came not out till the Vallies were clear'd; yet other Mountains are higher than the Armenian, as Athos, or Olympus, between Macedon and Thrace, whose shadows are above Thirty Seven Miles, now called Lucas, saith Castaldus; Olympus also in Thessaly over-tops Wind, Rain, and Clouds: Antandrus in Misia seen to Constantinople whence Scamandrus floweth, running through Troy: Altas in Mauritania, no man's Eye can reach the Top: Caucasus is inlightned after Mid-night at the first Cock-Crow, said Aristotle, which I believe not, seeing Tenerif in Canaria, which is known to be the highest in the World, is not Light so soon.

12. These Incongruities rise from Ararat in Ar∣menia. First, Sybil placeth it in Phrygia, contrary to Berosus. Secondly, Baris is not the highest, and if it were, yet the Ark might rest else where. Thirdly, Baris signifieth high, towards which may be any high Hill; especially, Caucasus, whence Indus riseth: Fourthly, Authors agree not where Gordia stands. Lastly, The Truth requireth to find an Ararat East from Shinar, and warmer than Armenia, in the North. Let us therefore understand, that Ararat in Moses is no one Hill, but a common Name to many, as the Alps and Pireneans; so that the long Ridge of Hills which Pto∣lemy calls Taurus, Niphatus, Coatras, Coronus, Sariphi, and Pliny, call Taurus, till they cross Imaus, where

they are called Ararat or Armenia, for that they seem to begin there. Thus Ptolomy calls all the Hills between the Caspian and Euxinus, by one name Caucasus, which Pliny calls Hercanus, Armenian Coraxis, Caspi∣an, Moschian, Henochian, Scythian Amazon; so all the the Ridge of Hills in America, from North Granada to the Magelan Straights, is called Andes. The Moun∣tain Ararat runs East and West, as Imaus North and South. As for Ptolomy he used the Names fittest to distinguish the Countries, with the Hills bounded on the North, or South side. For all the Asian Moun∣tains have Three general Names, Taurus, Imaus, Caucasus, which receive other Titles, as they di∣vide particular Regions. Taurus in Cilicia, is Imaus in Comogena, and so to Euphrates, on whose East it is sometime Taurus, sometime Niphatis, which is the only name on the East of Tygris, till they part Assyria, and Media, and are called Coatraes; and in the mid∣dle of East Media, they are Orentes, and in the East side Coronus; beyond Parthia they are Saraphi; on the South of Bactria, Paropamisus, and lastly Caucasus, where Indus springeth with Hydaspis, and Zaradrus, where Caucasus Encounters the Scythian Imaus, in the 140 Degree of Longitude, and 35, 36, 37, of Latitude, where properly they are called Caucasus. In this part of the World the Mountain and the River Ianus, and the Mountain Nisius (so called of Bacchus Nisius or Noah) are found, on which the Ark stayed, as Goropius Becanus conceived; where also are the best Vines, as they are in the same Degree of Latitude through the World, as in Iudea, Candia, parts of Greece, Margi∣ana. Under the South of these Hills the Clusters of Grapes are two Cubits long, saith Strabo, like those of Escol: And in Margiana, Alexander found most de∣licate Wine, saith Curtius.

To conclude, Ararat passeth through Armenia, which is sometimes called Ararat: but it is a com∣mon name to all that Ridge of Hills which runneth

East and West from Cilicia to Caucasus, as the Alps, Pireneans, Andes in America, which run Three Thousand Miles, &c. So the Mediterranean Sea is a common Name, which yet upon divers Coasts bear∣eth proper Names, as do other Seas. Let us then appeal to the Word of Truth, and take it literally, seeing the plain Sense carrieth no inconvenience, and let us fancy no strange Exposition from it. The Re∣verend Respect we owe the Holy Scripture, every Word having its full weight in Gods Book, shews that it is not to be taken otherwise than as we Read; as Augustin said of the Gospel. Moses words are, And as they went from the East they found a plain, &c. Which prove without Controversie the Ark rested Eastward from Shinar. For Moses is every where pre∣cise in setting out Coasts, and Quarters of Countries, as Nod Eastward from Eden, Sepher in the East, Gen. 4.16. and 10.30. and 12.18. Ezek. 38.6. So Mat. 21. and 12.42. Now Armenia is so far from the East of Babylon, that it is West of the North. The Gordian Hills for Latitude are Forty One: Babylon Thirty Five for Longitude, (which makes the diffe∣rence of East and West) the Gordian are Seventy Five, and Babylon Seventy Nine, and Eighty, which makes Five Degrees from the North to the West; besides a Quarter of the Compass from East. But in Scripture the least difference may not be omitted, every Point and Accent being full of Sense. The Eastern Parts then from Shinar were first Civiliz'd, having Noah himself for their Instructor, whose numerous Armies overmatched the Millions of Semiramis, and whose Fruitfulness made it fit for Noah's Husbandry, as Ish-Adamah, a Man exercised in Earth, saith Ar. Mon∣tanus.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 6.11.
• * 1.2

  Strabo.
• * 1.3

  De Civ.
• * 1.4

  Pliny:
• * 1.5

  Sybilla