reader with a transcript from Polyhistor of this valuable fragment, in which he will perceive many curious traces of original truth; but at the same time will find it mixed with fable, and obscured with allegory. It has likewise suffered greatly by interpreters; and there are some mistakes in the disposition of the transcript, of which I shall hereafter take notice, and which could not be in the original.

Other authors, as well as Alexander Polyhistor, have copied from Berosus: among these is Abydenus. I will therefore begin with his account, as it is placed first in Eusebius; the tenor of it is in this manner.

"So much concerning the wisdom of the "Chaldeans. It is said that the first king of "this country was Alorus, who gave out a re

port that he was appointed by God to be the "shepherd of his people. He reigned ten sari. "Now a sarus is esteemed to be three thousand "six hundred years; a nereus is reckoned six "hundred; and a sosus sixty. After him Ála

parus reigned three sari: to him succeeded "Amillarus from the city of Pantibiblus, who

2

Eusebii Chronicon. p. 5.

Sometimes Pantibiblus, at other times Pantibiblon occurs for the name of the place. See Syncellus. p. 38.

66

3

"reigned thirteen sari. In his time a semidæmon "called Annedotus, in appearanee very like to "Oannes, shewed himself a second time from "the sea. After him Amenon reigned twelve sari, who was of the city Pantibiblon. Then Megalanus, of the same place, eighteen sari. "Then Daus, the shepherd, governed for the space of ten sari; he was of Pantibiblon. In "his time four double-shaped personages came "out of the sea to land, whose names were "Euedocus, Eneugamus, Enaboulus, and Ane"mentus. After Daus succeeded Anodaphus, the << son of Aedoreschus. There were afterwards other kings; and last of all Sisuthrus: so that, "in the whole, the number of kings amounted to ten, and the term of their reigns to an hundred "and twenty sari." This last was the person who was warned to provide against the deluge. He accordingly built a vessel, by which means he was preserved. The history of this great event, together with the account of birds sent out by Sisouthros, in order to know if the waters were quite abated, and of their returning with their feet soiled with mud, and of the ark's finally

3 It is in the original Pansibiblon: but the true name was Pantibiblon; as may be seen by comparing this account with that of Apollodorus, which succeeds; and with the same in Syncellus.

resting in Armenia, is circumstantially related by * Abydenus, but borrowed from Berosus.

A similar account of the first kings of Babylonia is given by Apollodorus, and is taken from the same author, who begins thus: "This is the

history which Berosus has transmitted to us. "He tells us that Alorus of Babylon was the first king that reigned, who was by nation a Chal"dean. He reigned ten sari: and after him Alaparus, and then Amelon, who came from "Pantibiblon. To him succeeded Amenon of "Chaldea, in whose time they say that the "Musarus Oannes, the Annedotus, made his appearance from the Eruthrean sea." 5 So we are told by Alexander (Polyhistor), who first took this history in hand; and mentions, that this personage shewed himself in the first year; but Apollodorus says that it was after forty sari.

6

4 Syncellus. p. 38. He styles him Abydenus; but by Eusebius the name is expressed Abidenus.

"Eusebii Chronicon. p. 5.

So we are told. These are the words of Eusebius; so that there is no regular translation.

Пgoλabwv, who forestalls the event, and makes the appearance of this personage to have been in the first year.

The account of Oannes is in Alexander Polyhistor, as taken from the first book of Berosus; but not a word is there of his appearing in the reign of Amenon.

From what fixed term do they reckon? to what year do they refer? and whose are these reflexions?

Abydenus, differing from both, makes the second Annedotus appear after twenty-six sari. "After "this last king Megalarus succeeded, of the city "Pantibiblon, and reigned eighteen sari: then "Daon, the shepherd, of the same city, ten sari. "In his time it is said that Annedotus appeared "again from the Eruthrean sea, in the same "form as those who had shewed themselves be"fore, having the shape of a fish blended with "that of a man. Then reigned Aedorachus of "Pantibiblon, for the term of eighteen sari. In "his days there appeared another personage from "the sea Eruthra, like those above, having the same complicated form between a fish and a

man; his name was Odacon." All these personages, according to Apollodorus, related very particularly and circumstantially whatever Oannes had informed them. Concerning these Abydenus has made no mention. "After the kings "above succeeded Amempsinus, a Chaldean, "from the city Larach, and reigned eighteen "sari. In his time was the great deluge." According to the sum of years above, the total of all the reigns was an hundred and twenty sari.

There seems to be some omission in the transcript given by Eusebius from Apollodorus, which is supplied by Syncellus. He mentions "Amempsinus as eighth king in order, who

"of Laranchæ in Chaldea, to whom he allows His son was Xisuthros, who

"eight sari.

reigned eighteen sari; and in whose time was "the well-known deluge. So that the sum of all "the kings is ten; and of the term, which they collectively reigned, an hundred and twenty "sari."

Both these writers are supposed to copy from Berosus, yet there appears a manifest difference between them; and this not in respect to numbers only, which are easily corrupted, but in regard to events and disposition of circumstances. Of this strange variation in two short fragments I shall hereafter take further notice.

I come now to the chief extract from Berosus; as it has been transmitted to us by Eusebius, who copied it from Alexander Polyhistor. It is likewise to be found in "Syncellus. It begins in this wise.

"Berosus, in his first book concerning the "history of Babylonia, informs us that he lived "in the time of Alexander the son of Philip. "And he mentions that there were written accounts preserved at Babylon with the greatest

? Laracha, the Larachon of Eusebius.

* The name is expressed Xisuthrus, Sisusthrus, and Sithithrus. 9 Eusebii Chronicon. p. 5.