'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎234] (255/448)

Noah's Flood, Th o/Babel.
Ow concerning the Kings and other Princes ruling over this Empire in the
firlt and fecond Monarchies of the World, it would require a volume to
proceed in the method of an Hiftorian : but feeing the Chorography of thofe
parts is what I chiefly aim at, I will onely prefent the Reader with a Summa
ry of their Succeffions, inter-woven withfuch publick matters as 1 conceive mayfpeci-
ally relate unto the places obferved in our Travel j and in that I fhall trace it to the firft
0r God perceiving that the wickednefs of Man was great in the Earth, and that all the
imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were continually evil, repented that he had
mademan, Gen. 6. 5. fo as by the flood of waters he deftroyed every thing in whofe
Noftrils the Spirit of life did breath, whatfoever were in the dry Land: Noah bnely find-
ing grace in the Eyes of the Lord efcaped in the Ark, together with his Wife, their three
Sons and their Wives, being in all, eight perfgns. The face of the Earth was covered
with water one hundred and fifty days, fifteen cubits above the higheft Mountains. la
the feventh month the Ark refted upon the Mountain of Ararat. In the tenth month
the tops of the Mountains were difcovered. Forty days after, Noah opened the Win
dow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. of the Ark ; after which, in the end of the fecond month, Noah and all that were
there (preferved as feed to replenifhthe earth) ifliied out*, and in thankfulnefs to the
Lord and as an evidence of his faith he built an Altar, and of every clean Beaftand Fowl
offered a burnt-offering thereon unto the Lord. God blefled Noah and his Sons, bad
them bring forth fruit, multiply and replenilh the earth : the Sons of Noah were Semj
Hamj and Jayhet ; jof whom the whole earth was over-fpread. Noah began to be an
Husbandman, planted a Vineyard, and lived after the Flood 350. years , the whole
courfe of his life was 950. years and then dyed, A. M. 2006. m Concerning Aram,
and the place of Noahs Plantation after he forfook the Ark, I have elfe-where fpoken.
In the fpace of a hundred and thirty Years after the Flood Noah, who is called Nodcchus,
and Shifuthrm in Ahidenm-, having peopled the Orient, to the end the middle and more
Weftern parts might be likewife planted and the World diflributed amongft his Chil
dren, he gave feveral of them their million-, who accordingly travelling from the Ealfc
came into the Vale of Shynaar (as far as the great River Euphrates,J where they refted:
for they found that place fit for plantation. After which, as well to get themfelves a
Name as for their better aflbciation, (or as fome imagine, for the better fecuring them
felves from a fecond Cataclifm,) Nimrod by thirty Years inceflant labour of that great
Company built a City and Tower whofe top they intended fhould reach Heaven, Gen.
11.4. But the Higheft perceiving their impious defign, defcended, and by confound
ing their Language (for till then they were Pop aim unim lahii) made them delift, and
from thence fcattered them abroad upon the face of the whole Earth : By which multi
plication of that original Idiom of fpeech the place was called Bahel, in Hebrew and
moft other Tongues, fignifying Confuiion. Now albeit this was miraculous, it might
be well worth our labour to confider, whether Speech proceed from Art or Nature.
The moft Learned agree that Arte humana & non Nat my a loquela & nomina rerum futit im*
fofita, but I do not think that fubjed fit for this place. Soon after the Creation, Adam
and his Children planted the World from Eden, reputed the Navel or Center of the
Earthalbeit Strabo by his ftory of the two Eagles which begun their flight from Eaft to
Weft and met at Tytho in Phocis, would have that the Mcditullmm \ fo Noatts Children
near the fame place commenced theirs, thence diiperfing themfelves into the moft remote
places. Sems pofterity chofe Afia the great*, Chams Africkj, and Japhets Europe : Al
beit the Juchofm or Liber de generatione put^ifhed fcarce two hundred Years fince hy Abra
ham Zacm a Jewifr Cabalift tells us ( but not his authority,) That the five Sons of Noah
firft planted all that part of the greater Afia which is betwixt Euphrates and the Indian
Sea, as far as Ganges. But of more certainty 'tis, that in Phaleg's time about three
hundred Years after the Flood the World was fet out into partition: andastheir num
ber increafed, fo were Colonies difperfed for better and more univerfal plantation.
whether by reafon of his more than ordinary ftature and ftrength or (for Bero-
fa reports him to be ten common cubits high, which make 15. foot) from the eminency
of his birth, or elfe by confent of his brethren, ufurpt a Soveraignty over, is diverfely
conjectured, but as an Eminent Writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. obferves, Is primus eratqui cepit regnare fuper
homines, ignem quoque adorare, the firft noted Idolater, and that prefumed to Lord it
oyer his Brethren. Cyril contra Julian. 1. 4. afcribes it to Belm or Arbeit#
. is Son, Arbelus vir arrogans, primus dicitur a fabditis accepijfe nomen Deitatis ; Howbeit
m lacked and prophane ftory he is acknowledged the firft Monarch of the earth. For
as