it pleased God to allot to the various families different regions, to which they were to retire and they accordingly, in the days of Peleg, did remove, and betake themselves to their different departments. But the sons of Chus would not obey. They went off under the conduct of the arch-rebel Nimrod; and seem to have been for a long time in a roving state; but at last they arrived at the plains of Shinar. These they found occupied by Assur and his sons: for he had been placed there by divine appointment. But they ejected him, and seized upon his dominions; which they immediately fortified with cities, and laid the foundation of a great monarchy. Their leader is often mentioned by the Gentile writers, who call him Belus. He was a person He was a person of great impiety; who finding that the earth had been divided among the sons of men by a divine decree, thought proper to counteract the ordinance of God, and to make a different distribution. This is often alluded to in the Ethnic writings; and Abydenus particularly mentions, that "7 Belus appointed to the people their place of habitation. Dionysius refers to this Belus and his associates, when he is speaking of the deities, who were the ance tors of the Indo-Cuthites.

67

Xwgar ixasy añoreμarra. Euseb. Præp. Evang. 1. 9. p. 457.

69

εκληρώσαντο δ' ἑκαςῳ

Μοιραν εχειν ποντοιο, και ηπειροιο βαθείης.

They first alloted to each roving tribe
Their share of sea, and land.

This is the beginning of that period, which, upon account of the rebellion then first known, was by the Greek writers alluded to under the title of Exviuos, Scuthismus. This ejectment of Assur seems to shew, that these transactions were after the general migration; for he was in possession of the province allotted to him, till he was ejected by this lawless people.

In the beginning of this history it is said, that they journeyed from the east, when they came to the land of Shinar. This was the latter part of their rout: and the reason of their coming in this direction may, I think, be plainly shewn. The Ark, according to the best accounts, both sacred and profane, rested upon a mountain of Armenia, called Minyas, Baris, Lubar, and Ararat. Many families of the emigrants went probably directly east or west, in consequence of the situation to which they were appointed. But those who were

68 V. 1173.

69

destined to the southern parts of the great continents, which they were to inhabit, could not so easily and uniformly proceed; there being but few outlets to their place of destination. For the high Tauric ridge and the "9 Gordyean mountains came between, and intercepted their due course. How difficult these mountains were, even in later times, to be passed, may be known from the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, who had served under Cyrus the younger. They came from these very plains of Shinar; and passing to the east of the Tigris, they arrived at these mountains, which with great peril they got over. But in the times of which we are treating, they must have been still more difficult to be 7° surmounted for after the deluge, the hollows and valleys between these hills, and all other mountainous places, must have been full of slime and mud; and for a great while have abounded with stagnant waters. We know from ancient history, that it was a long time before passages were opened, and roads made through places of this nature. I should therefore

69 Strabo. 1.11. p. 708.

70 In later times there were only two passages southward. Armenia orientales Ciliciae fines attingit, atque ad Taurum montem patet atque ex eâ duo ad.tus in Syriam patent. Moses Chore nens. Geog. p. 354.

think, that mankind must necessarily for soine ages have remained near the place of descent, from which they did not depart till the time of the general migration. Armenia is in great measure bounded either by the Pontic sea, or by mountains; and it seems to have been the purpose of Providence to confine the sons of men to this particular region, to prevent their roving too soon. Otherwise they might have gone off in small parties, before the great families were constituted, among whom the world was to be divided. The economy and distribution assigned by Providence, would by these means have been defeated. It was upon this account, that, at the migration, many families were obliged to travel more or less eastward, who wanted to come down to the remoter parts of Asia. And in respect to the Cuthites, who seem to have been a good while in a roving state, they might possibly travel to the Pyle Caspiæ, before they found an outlet to descend to the country specified. In consequence of this, the latter part of their rout must have been in the direction mentioned in the Scriptures, which is very properly styled, a journeying from the east. I was surprized, after I had formed this opinion from the natural history of the country, to find it verified by that antient historian BeroHe mentions the rout of his countrymen from Ararat after the deluge; and says, that it

sus.

was not in a strait line: but the people had been instructed " περιξ πορευθήναι εις Βαβυλωνίαν, to take a circuit, and so to descend to the regions of Babylonia. In this manner the sons of Chus came to the plains of Shinar, of which Babylonia was a part; and from hence they ejected Assur: and afterwards trespassed upon Elam in the region beyond the Tigris.

It may still be urged, that all mankind must certainly have been at Babel: for the whole earth and its language are " mentioned; and it is said, that God confounded there the language of all the earth. But this, I think, can never be the meaning of the sacred writer: and it may be proved from the premises, upon which those in opposition proceed. The confusion of speech is by all uniformly limited to the region about Babel. If we were to allow, that all mankind were included in this spot, how can we imagine, that the sacred historian would call this the whole earth? If mankind were in possession of the greater part of the globe, this figurative way of speaking would be natural and allowable. But if they are supposed to be confined to one narrow interamnian district; it is surely premature: for we cannot

71 Euseb. Chron. p. S. II, xxx. Hesych.

72 C. 11. v. 1.