general name for all mankind who lived before the flood, and so includes the whole of the human race from Adam to Noah and his family.—Concerning them all the authentic particulars we have are contained in the book of Genesis; and from the short hints given there, we can only form a few conjectures.

The only thing we know as to their religious rites is, that they offered sacrifices, and that very early, both of the fruits of the earth, and of animals; but whether the blood and flesh of the animals, or only their milk and wool, were offered, is a disputed point.—Some have endeavoured to prove, that all the patriarchs from Adam had fixed places, and annual and weekly times, set apart for divine worship, and also a separate maintenance for the priests: all which particulars may be true, though they cannot be made out from scripture. But what is more extraordinary, they pretend to tell us the very day of the week on which the antediluvian sabbath was kept; and that it was the same with the Christian sabbath, or Sunday.

Of the arts and sciences of these people we have not much more to say. They seem rather to have spent their time in luxury and wantonness, to which the abundant fertility of the first earth invited them, than in discoveries or improvements, which probably they stood much less in need of than their successors. The art of working metals was found out by the last generation of Cain's line; and music, which they might be supposed to practise for their pleasure, was not brought to any perfection, if invented, before the same generation. Some authors have supposed astronomy to have been cultivated by the antediluvians, though this is probably owing to a mistake of Josephus: but it is to be presumed, the progress they made therein, or in any other science, was not extraordinary; it being even very doubtful whether letters were so much as known before the flood; whatever is pretended by some men, who have conceived so high an opinion of Adam's knowledge, that they suppose it to have been almost universal: nor can anything be inferred from the books attributed to that patriarch, or to Seth, and Enoch, which are forgeries too gross to deserve any consideration.

As to their politics and civil constitutions, we have not so much as any circumstances whereon to build conjectures. It is probable, the patriarchal form of government, which certainly was the first, was set aside when tyranny and oppression began to take place, and much sooner among the race of Cain than that of Seth. It seems also, that their communities were but few, and consisted of vastly larger numbers of people than any formed since the flood; or rather, it is a question, whether, after the union of the two great families of Seth and Cain, there were any division of civil societies, or diversity of regular governments, at all. It is more likely, that all mankind then made but one great nation, though living in a kind of anarchy, divided into several disorderly associations; which, as it was almost the natural consequence of their having, in all probability, but one common language, so it was a circumstance which greatly contributed to that general corruption, which otherwise perhaps could not have so universally overspread the antediluvian world. And for this reason chiefly, as it seems, so soon as the posterity of Noah were sufficiently increased, a plurality of tongues was miraculously introduced, in order to divide them into distinct societies, and thereby prevent any such total depravation for the future. See Confusion of Tongues.

The antediluvian world was, in all probability, stocked with a much greater number of inhabitants than the present earth either actually does, or perhaps is capable of containing or supplying. This seems naturally to follow from the great length of their lives, which exceeding the present standard of life in the proportion, at least, of ten to one, the antediluvians must accordingly in any long space of time double themselves, at least, in about the tenth part of the time in which mankind do now double themselves: for they began to beget children as early, and left off as late, in proportion, as men do now; and the several children of the same father seem to have succeeded as quickly one after another as they usually do at this day; and as many generations, which are but successive with us, were contemporary before the flood; the number of people living on the earth at once would be by that means sufficiently increased to answer any defect which might arise from other circumstances not considered. So that, if we make a computation on these principles, we shall find, that there were a considerable number of people in the world at the death of Abel, though their father Adam was not then 130 years old; and that the number of mankind before the deluge would easily amount to above one hundred thousand millions (even according to the Samaritan chronology), that is, to twenty times as many as our present earth has, in all probability, now upon it, or can well be supposed capable of maintaining in its present constitution.

The following table, made upon the abovementioned principles by Mr Whitton, shews at least what number of people might have been in the antediluvian world.

| Number of mankind | Year of the world | Doubling | Year of | Series | |-------------------|------------------|----------|---------|--------| | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | | 16 | 12 | 6 | 3 | | 32 | 20 | 8 | 4 | | 64 | 30 | 10 | 5 | | 128 | 42 | 12 | 6 | | 256 | 56 | 14 | 7 | | 512 | 72 | 16 | 8 | | 1024 | 90 | 18 | 9 | | 2048 | 110 | 20 | 10 | | 4096 | 132 | 22 | 11 | | 8192 | 156 | 24 | 12 | | 16,384 | 182 | 26 | 13 | | 32,768 | 210 | 28 | 14 | | 65,536 | 240 | 30 | 15 | | 131,072 | 272 | 32 | 16 | | 262,144 | 306 | 34 | 17 |

524 As to any history of transactions before the flood, besides the general account already given, we are left entirely in the dark by the sacred historian. The Jews and eastern nations, however, have made ample amends for the silence of Moses, by the abundance of fables they have invented. The only part of their traditions which can be connected in any thing like history is what follows.—After the death of Adam, Seth with his family separated themselves from the profligate race of Cain, and chose for their habitation the mountain where Adam was buried, the Cainites remaining below in the plain where Abel was killed; and, according to our historians, this mountain was so high, that the inhabitants could hear the angels singing the praises of God, and even join them in that service. Here they lived in great purity and sanctity of manners. Their constant employment was praising God, from which they had few or no avocations; for their only food was the fruits of the trees which grew on the mountain, so that they had no occasion to undergo any servile labors, nor the trouble of sowing and gathering in their harvest. They were utter strangers to envy, injustice, or deceit. Their only oath was, "By the blood of Abel;" and they every day went up to the top of the mountain to worship God, and to visit the body of Adam, as a mean of procuring the Divine blessing. Here, by contemplation of the heavenly bodies, they laid the foundations of the science of astronomy; and, lest their inventions should be forgotten, or lost before they were publicly known, understanding, from a prediction of Adam's, that there would be a general destruction of all things, once by fire, and once by water, they built two pillars, one of brick, and the other of stone, that if the brick one happened to be overthrown by the flood, or otherwise destroyed, that of stone might remain. This last, Josephus says, was to be seen in his time in the land of Siriad, (thought to be in Upper Egypt).

The descendents of Seth continued in the practice of virtue till the 40th year of Jared, when an hundred of them hearing the noise of the music, and the riotous mirth of the Cainites, agreed to go down to them from the holy mountain. On their arrival in the plain, they were immediately captivated by the beauty of the women, who were naked, and defiled themselves with them; and this is what they mean by the intermarriage of the sons of God with the daughters of men, mentioned by Moses. The example of these apostate sons of Seth was soon followed by others; and from time to time, great numbers continued to descend from the mountain, who, in like manner, took wives from the abandoned race of Cain. From these marriages sprung the giants, (who, however, according to Moses, existed before); and, these being as remarkable for their impiety as for their strength of body, tyrannized in a cruel manner, and polluted the earth with wickedness of every kind. This defection became at last so universal, that none were left in the holy mountain, except Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.

Berossus, a Chaldean historian, who flourished in the time of Alexander the Great, enumerates ten kings who reigned in Chaldea before the flood; of whom the first, called Alorus, is supposed to be Adam, and Xisuthrus, the last, to be Noah.—This Alorus declared that he held his kingdom by divine right, and that God himself had appointed him to be the pastor of the people. According to our historian, in the first year of the world, there appeared out of the Red Sea, at a place near the confines of Babylonia, a certain irrational animal called Oannes. He had his whole body like that of a fish; but beneath his fishes head grew another of a different sort, (probably a human one). He had also feet like a man, which proceeded from his fishes tail, and a human voice, the picture of him being preserved ever after. This animal conversed with mankind in the day-time, without eating anything; he delivered to them the knowledge of letters, sciences, and various arts; he taught them to dwell together in cities, to erect temples, to introduce laws, and instructed them in geometry: he likewise shewed them how to gather seeds and fruits, and imparted to them whatever was necessary and convenient for a civilized life; but after this time there was nothing excellent invented. When the sun set, Oannes retired into the sea, and continued there all night. He not only delivered his instructions by word of mouth, but, as our author affirms us, wrote of the origin of things, and of political economy. This, or a similar animal, is also mentioned by other authors.

Of Alasporus, the second king, nothing remarkable is related. His successor, Amelou or Amillarus, was of a city called Pantabibla. In his time another animal resembling the former appeared, 260 years after the beginning of this monarchy. Amelou was succeeded by Metalurus, and he by Daonus, all of whom were of the same city. In his time, four animals, of a double form, half man and half fish, made their appearance. Their names were Euedocus, Enemagus, Encubulus, and Anemantus. Under the next prince, who was likewise of Pantabibla, appeared another animal of the same kind, whose name was Odacus. All these explained more particularly what had been con- In the reign of the tenth king, Xifuthrus, happened the great deluge, of which our author gives the following account: Cronus, or Saturn, appeared to Xifuthrus in a dream, and warned him, that on the fifteenth of the month Dælius mankind would be destroyed by a flood; and therefore commanded him to write down the original, intermediate state, and end of all things, and bury the writings under ground in Sippara, the city of the sun; that he should also build a ship, and go into it with his relations and dearest friends, having first furnished it with provisions, and taken into it fowls and four-footed beasts; and that, when he had provided every thing, and was asked whether he was failing, he should answer, To the gods, to pray for happiness to mankind. Xifuthrus did not disobey, but built a vessel, whose length was five furlongs, and breadth two furlongs. He put on board all he was directed, and went into it with his wife, children, and friends. The flood being come, and soon ceasing, Xifuthrus let out certain birds, which finding no food, nor place to rest upon, returned again to the ship. Xifuthrus, after some days, let out the birds again; but they came back again to the ship, having their feet daubed with mud; but when they were let go the third time, they came no more to the ship, whereby Xifuthrus understood, that the earth appeared again; and thereupon he made an opening between the planks of the ship, and seeing that it reeled on a certain mountain, he came out with his wife, and his daughter, and his pilot; and having worshipped the earth, and raised an altar, and sacrificed to the gods, he and those who went out with him disappeared. They who were left behind in the ship, finding Xifuthrus, and the persons that accompanied him, did not return, went out themselves to seek for him, calling him aloud by his name: but Xifuthrus was no more seen by them; only a voice came out of the air, which enjoined them, as their duty was, to be religious; and informed them, that, on account of his own piety, he was gone to dwell with the gods; and that his wife, and daughter, and pilot, were partakers of the same honour. It also directed them to return to Babylon, and that, as the fates had ordained, they should take the writings from Sippara, and communicate them to mankind; and told them, that the place where they were was the country of Armenia. When they had heard this, they offered sacrifice to the gods, and unanimously went to Babylon; and when they came thither, they dug up the writings at Sippara, built many cities, raised temples, and rebuilt Babylon again.

The Egyptians, who would give place to no nation in point of antiquity, have also a series of kings, who, as is pretended, reigned in Egypt before the flood; and, to be even with the Chaldeans, began their account the very same year that theirs does according to Berosus.

There was an ancient chronicle extant among the Egyptians, not many centuries ago, which contained 30 dynasties of princes who ruled in that country, by a series of 113 generations, through an immense space of 36,525 years, during which Egypt was successively governed by three different races; of whom the first were the Aurites, the second the Melites, and the third the Egyptians.

But this extravagant number of years Manetho (to whose remains we must chiefly have recourse for the ancient Egyptian history) has not adopted, however in other respects he is supposed to have been led into errors in chronology by this old chronicle, which yet seems to have been a composition since Manetho's time.

The account given by Berosus is manifestly taken from the writings of Moses; but we have another account of the first ages of mankind, in which no mention is made of the flood at all. This is contained in some fragments of a Phoenician author called Sanchoniatho, who is by some said to have been contemporary with Gideon, by others to have lived in the days of king David; while some boldly assert there never was such a person, and that the whole is a fiction of Philo-Biblius, in opposition to the books of Josephus wrote against Apion. To gratify the reader's curiosity, however, we have subjoined an account of the first ten generations mentioned by him, which are supposed by the compilers of the universal history to correspond to the generations mentioned by Moses before the flood.

Sanchoniatho having delivered his cosmogony, or generation of the other parts of the world, begins his history of mankind with the production of the first pair of mortals, whom Philo, his translator, calls Protogonus and Ἑών, the latter of whom found out the food which was gathered from trees.

Their issue were called Genus and Genesis, and dwelt in Phoenicia; but when the great droughts came, they stretched forth their hands to heaven towards the sun; for him they thought the only God and Lord of heaven, calling him Beeljamen, which in Phoenician is, Lord of heavens, and in Greek, Zeus.

Afterwards from Genus, the son of Protogonus and Ἑών, other mortal issue was begotten, whose names were Phos, Pur, and Phlox; that is, Light, Fire, and Flame. These found out the way of generating fire, by the rubbing of pieces of wood against each other, and taught men the use thereof. These begat sons of vast bulk, and height, whose names were given to the mountains on which they seized: so from them were named mount Caphis, and Libanus, Antilibanus, and Brathy.

Of these last were begotten Memramus, and Hypurianus, but they were so named by their mothers, the women of those times, who without shame lay with any man they could light upon. Hypurianus inhabited Tyre, and he invented the making of huts of reeds and rushes, and the papyrus. He also fell into enmity with his brother Ufous, who first invented a covering for his body out of the skins of the wild beasts which he could catch. And when violent tempests of winds and rains came, the boughs in Tyre, being rubbed against each other, took fire, and burnt the wood there. And Ufous, having taken a tree, and broke off its boughs, first was so bold as to venture upon it into the sea. He also consecrated two rude stones, or pillars, to fire and wind, and he worshipped them, and poured out to them the blood of such wild beasts as had been caught in hunting. But when these were dead, those that remained, consecrated to them stumps of wood and pillars, worshipping them, and kept anniversaries feasts unto them.

Many years after this generation, came Agreus and Halicus, the inventors of the arts of hunting and fishing, from whom huntmen and fishermen are named.

Of these were begotten two brothers, the inventors of iron and of the forging thereof: one of these, called Chryso, the same with Hephefius, or Vulcan, excelled himself in words and charms and divinations; found out the hook, bait, and fishing line, and boats slightly built, and was the first of all men that sailed. Wherefore he also was worshipped after his death for a god; and they called him Zeus Michelus, or Jupiter the engineer; and some say, his brothers invented the way of making walls of brick.

Afterwards from this generation came two brothers; one of whom was called Technites, or the Artifex; the other, Genius Autochthon, [the home-born man of the earth.] These found out to mingle stubble, or small twigs, with the brick earth, and to dry them in the sun, and so made tying.

By these were begotten others; of which one was called Agrus [Field]; and the other Agronorus, or Agerus, [Husbandman], who had a statue much worshipped, and a temple carried about by one or more yoke of oxen; in Phoenicia; and among those of Byblus he is eminently called the greatest of the gods. These found out how to make courts about men's houses, and fences, and caves, or cellars. Husbandmen, and such as use dogs in hunting, derive from these; and they are also called Alete and Titans.

Of these were begotten Amynus, and Magus, who shewed men to constitute villages and flocks.

In these men's age there was one Elian, which imports in Greek Hypsifus [the most high]; and his wife was named Beruth, who dwelt about Byblus; and by him was begotten one Epigonus, or Autochthon, whom they afterwards called Uranus [heaven]; so that from him that element which is over us, by reason of its excellent beauty, is called heaven; and he had a sister of the same parents, called Ge, [the earth]; and by reason of her beauty, the earth had her name given to it.

Hypsifus, the father of these, dying in fight with wild beasts, was consecrated, and his children offered sacrifices and libations to him.—But Uranus taking the kingdom of his father, married his sister Ge; and had by her four sons; Ilaus, who is called Cronus [or Saturn]; Betylus; Dagon, who is Sion or the god of corn; and Atlas: but by other wives Uranus had much issue.