A

KEY
TO THE

CHRONOLOGY

OF THE
IN

HINDUS;

A SERIES OP LETTERS,
IN WHICH

AN

ATTEMPT

IS

MADE

TO

FACILITATE

THE

PROGRESS

OF CHRISTIANITY

IN HINDOSTAN,

BY PROVING

THAT

THE

PROTRACTED

NUMBERS

WHEN REDUCED . v '*

AGREE

Vn/fH

THE

DATES

GIVEN

IN

THE

t of tfje

I IV

TWO

VOLUMES.

VOL. 1.

CAMBRIDGE: Priuti'tl by .J. .SmithyI'rintt-r to the University;'

l-'OR F. C. * J. RIVINGTON, LONDON;

\\l> SOLD UY DEUSUTON & SONS," N'lCHOiSON & SON,ANM II. NP.WBV/
K; .1. PAKKBII, OXFORD ; ANI> .f. UPHAM, BATH.

PREFACE.

THEfollowing Letters,written duringtheSummer

of 1815., for-the information of a young friend,
who had recently received an appointment in the

East India Company'sservice, were intended to preventhis imbibing prejudices,as unjust asthey are illiberalj^jytoinst a race of people, eminent for their piety and morality:-prejudices which seem to have arisen from a total ignoranceof Oriental Chronology, and a confined knowledge of the religion of the Vedas. Bat it having been suggested to the Author, that the giving publicity to a systemof Chronology, varyingin all its parts from that hitherto admitted by Europeans,might
assist the ministers of our Church, in the pious

and arduous taskof removing prejudices, which arc supposedto have retarded the progressof Christianity in Hindustan, theseLetters are suba 2

iv

PREFACE.

mittedto thepublicwith the hope,that the motive, which inducestheir publication, will be received as an apology for the inaccuracies they maycontain. With a viewto renderthe subject lessintricate to those who are unaccustomed to Hindu his-

tory,an explanatory Glossary is affixed^ whichwill

in some degree rectify thosetypical errors, which occurin consequence of the unavoidable absence
of the Author, when the Letters were in the press.

The impediments whichhavehithertoretarded theprogress of Christianityamong the Brahrnans,

appearto have arisen rather from the intolerance

with whichit hasbeenenforced^ andthe prejudicesof thosewho haveendeavoured to enforce it, than from any religiousprejudices on the part
of the Hindus. Those who will take the trouble

.to examine thehistory of theirreligion, will easily

trace the pureworshipof an almighty., just, and
merciful God, in all their sacred Puranas. The

prejudices, of the Brahmans are political rather than religious,and attachwholly to Casts. For,

although tenacious of their owndoctrine, they

never endeavour to convert others to theirfaith;

concluding that as;in theiroriginal purity,all

PREFACE.

religionswere from God, they must necessarily be

equally acceptable to him ; and that, provided the faith in that God is pure and holy, the form, in
which he is adored, must be immaterial. Conse-

quently, they neither despise nor condemn those %vho differ in religious opinions., but suppose them to be, equally with themselves, under the protection of that benevolent God, who is never

unmindful of those, who offer up their prayers with purity of heart; firmly believing.,that ff the
power that stooped to soften human woes, none

e'er imploredin vain." The priestsof a religion so tolerant, cannot justly be deemedprejudiced; nor can prejudices (if such they are deemed),so
favourable to religion, be considered as obstacles
* i

to reformation : it must then be supposed, that, it is not the prejudices of the Brahmans, but the prejudices of Europeans, that have impeded the

progress of Christianity in Asia; and, if the mode hitherto,adopted be examined with candour,it will appear,that, until within a very few years, the
orthodox ministers of our Church have made no

efforts on the subject; and that the Missionaries, unacquainted both with the chronologyand religion of the Hindus, have endeavoured to over-

VI

PREFACE,

throwthe religionof the living1 Gocl instead oi"

withdrawing theveilbywhich it isobscured. On

the one hand, the Roman Missionaries, while

theyprostrated themselves before the images of o

their saints, showeredforth anathemas against
the Hindus, as Idolaters; and, on the other, a

peoplewho had beentaught, from the earliest ages of the world, to considermorality as the meansby which the favour of the Almighty was infalliblyto be obtained,were told, that to believe in the incarnation of Christ was alone neces-

sary to salvation; but happilya period hasarrived,

whenthe eyesof the Brahmans will be opened to

the Christian religion, ia its purest form; they

will hearthe religionof Christ expounded without eithersuperstition or bigotry, and be enabled

to become proselytes thereto, without apostatizingfrom that of the Gocl they adore.

Some years ago,ona youngBrahman having:

been converted to Christianity, by a Danish Missionary,his fatherexclaimed, " Alas! he was

ignorant of his ownreligion :" and thusmildly

((My son, thou art yet too youngto beacquainted with the mysteries of our
admonished him :

PREFACE.

sacredreligion; we do not worship many godsr in the extravagant manneryou are led to suppose. In a multitude of imageswe adore one divine Essence only. Thou shouldesthave applied for
information to the learned sacerdotal Brahmans

of our nation,,who would have enlightenedthy mind; and.,by removingthy doubts,,would have preventedthy dereliction of the holy religion of
thy forefathers."
"*

Bernier, who was a very judicious observer of Hindu manners,, and who enquiredof the Pundits. of Benares^why they admitted imagesin their
temples, received their answer as follows : <cElles.

sont dans nos deuras (temples) afin qu'il y ait quelquechosedevantles yeux,-qui arrte1'esprit; et quand nous prions ce n'est pasla statueque nousprions.,maiscelui qui est representepar la statue; au reste nous reconnoissons que c'est Dieu qui est Ie maitre absolu et le seul tout-puissant." When M. Ziegenbaly, one of the Missionaries sent by the king of Denmark., when Tanjore was ceded to the Danes, in the year 1621, required,,in writing, from a variety of Brahmans,the reasonof their adopting images

via

' PREFACE.

instead of directingtheir adoration to the SupremeBeing, he uniformlyreceivedfor answer, " that God, being spiritual,and without shape,

was incomprehensible, and as no preciseidea

could be formedof him, adorationbeforeidols

waspermitted by their religion,and wouldbe received by theEternal asadoration to himself." The secretary of Akbar,whohadevery means of
firaininir O O information from the Brahmans, affirms^

that they, one and all, believein the unity of theGodhead; andthat, although theyheldimages
in high venerationyet that they were by no means

idolaters, astheignorantsupposed, images being only representations of celestial beings,to whom

they turn, whilst at prayer, to prevent their

thoughtsfromwandering;addingthat God may

be adored in the heart, in the sun, in fire, in water or earth, or in the form of an idol. But,

after all, the Hindu Scriptures are the bestauthority; and it is recordedin the ManavaSastra,
that ccthe divine Spirit alone is the wholeassem-

blage of Gods, thatmen arepermitted toworship thatSpiritin anyof hisworks, provided theyconsider the supreme omnipotent intelligence asthe

.sovereign Lord of them all: thatSpirit,beingby

PREFACE.

IX

no means the object of any sense.,can only be

conceivedby a mind wholly abstracted from matter; therefore, for the. purpose of assisting his

meditation, man may imagine it more subtile

than the finest conceivable essence, and more

bright than the purest gold.

He is, therefore,

by some,adoredastranscendently presentin elementary fire; by others, as Menu, Lord of Creatures ; by some, as more distinctly present in, Indra, Regent of the clouds and the atmosphere;

by others,as pure air; and by some,asthe most high eternal Spirit.33

No orthodox Brahman can be an idolater:

there may be sectaries, who secede from the

established faith, as there are amongChristians.

But, to give effect to the Gospel in Asia, the ministers of Christ, in lieu of combating an opinion

originating in mistaken zealand prejudices, should, by comparingthe religion of the Vedasin its pristine purity, with the sublimestdoctrine of true religion, incline the nativesof Hindustanto reject the impurities that have cloudedthe religion of their ancestors; and then, by shewingthem thr the religion of Christ is founded on that prop

' X P R E F AC E.

gated bytheEternal Spirit they adore, draw them by imperceptible degrees, tobecome enamoured
of a faith, which cannotexistwithout morality,
and which contains the sublimedoctrine of their

sacred records,divested of those errorsby which

it is atpresent clouded.With a viewof furthering this desirable object,a Keyto their Chronologyis nowoffered; which,being extracted from
their most ancient and most sacred institutes, no

orthodoxBrahmancan object to; and chronology is so far necessary to religion, that without
dates it is difficult, if not impossible, to stamp authenticity on history, whether sacred or profane. For when, apparently,the same event is

placedby differentnationsat epochsthe most remotefrom eachother, or whendifferent persons nation,appear to placethe birth N of the same of the samepersonin different periods of the
world, it is a natural inference that one or all of

thenarrations areunfounded. If, therefore, by

an analysis of Hinduchronology, the protracted

numbers, which have sogenerally been pronounced astronomical periods, areproved to correspond
with the datesgiven in theHebrewtext of our

Bible,one greatobject is obtained.For thecon-

PREFACE.

XI

tradictions that appear in the chronologyof the

ancients, havingeverbeen resorted to asan argument against religion, by the scepticsof every
nation, this shelter for infidelity is removed, if it can be proved, to mathematical demonstration, that the Hindus, Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Chi-

nese,equallywith the Hebrews,placethe creation of the world at a period not exceeding5820years from the present time; and that each nation
allows 1656 years from that memorable event to the awful visitation of the Almighty, when, with

the exception of one family, all mankind were destroyedby a general deluge. And if such an analysisproduceproof that the reignsof the gods
recorded in the Old Chronicle, together with the

fourteen first dynastiesof Egyptian kings, as

given by Manethon ; the fourteen Menus of the

Hindus, the Chaldean dynasties of Berosus, and

the eight first reignsof the Chinese,all agreein

pointof datewith the Hebrew text of our Bible,,

it establishes the superiority of that text over

thoseof the Septuagintand Samaritan: a subject of someimportance,sincenothing hasbeen* more

prejudicial to the furtherance of Christianity with

learned men in Asia, than the different opinions

xii

PREFACE.

maintained by Europeans relativeto the chrono-

logy of their Scriptures, and the aviditywith

which authorsturn from the one text to the other

asthey respectively assist a favourite hypothesis.

Another circumstance very likely to promote

Christianity in Asia will arise fromcomparing the four greatIndian prophets, figuratively termed
the ^Mouths of God/3 with the first four Hebrew

prophets; andproving,fromananalysis of their

chronology, that Swayambhuva, the first of men,
termed Buddha, the sonof the Self-existing', wiis

createdin the sameyear with Adam; and thnt

Buddhathe sonof Maya, Buddha the son of Jina,

and Buddhathesonof Devace,wererespectively

born in the same yearswith the Hebrew prophets,
Enoch, Noah, and Moses; for it is consonant to

reason that a race of men eminently pious, and tenacious of the divine origin of their religion, should be gratified in finding that Europeans, equallywith themselves,, believe thewill of God to havebeen promulgated by thosepersons, whom theyfiguratively termthe ^Mouths of God/' Hitherto their great luminaryBuddha,the son of Maya, whom one sectworshipas an incarnation

" of the Deity, fromhishaving beenexempt front

PREFACE.

xill

death, hath beenrepresented by Europeans as an

impostor., and much pains have been taken to

establish his identity with Foe, a Chinese atheist,, who, in his dying moments^ deniedthe existence
of pure spirit.
natives of India

The time is arrived when the

shall learn from the orthodox

ministersof our Church (by identifying their prophet with Enoch, the son of Jared), that every
Christian considers him as a type of that blessed

Spirit, to whose religion they are desirous of converting them. It must be obvious to every unprejudiced mind, that the propagation of the Gospelin foreign partswill be furthered in proportion to the tolerancewith which it is recommended, and that we should always endeavourto
convince others, that while we contend for the

purity of our own religion, considering it a peculiar revelation from God, we by no meansdeny the

divine origin of theirs. In lieu then of condemning the religion, and ridiculing the prophetsof
the Hindus, if we would convert them to Christ-

ianity, we shouldcompare their religion and their prophets with our own. How gratifying to a Brahman must it be to read in our Scriptures,
that Buddha, the son of Devace, under the

Xiv

PREFACE.

Hebrewappellation of Moses, recorded thai

their divine Buddha, under the name of Enoch, <f walkedwith God," and was translatedto Heaven

in the eighty-eighth yearof theCali age. That

Solomon, the wisestof men, attributed the short-

nessof the prophet'sdurationvon earth to his piety, recording,that " hepleased God, andwas belovedby him, so that, living amongstsinners,
he was translated,, lest wickedness should alter his

understanding, or deceit beguile his soul:" that the " son of Sirac quoted their prophet as an example of repentance to all men;" for fcupon earth was
no man createdlike Enoch, who was taken from

the earth/' Thesepassages, as confirmed by the

Apostlesof Christ, if properly explained, cannot fail of producing, in so tolerant a race as the

Hindus, impressions favourableto our religion. The great Apostle of theGentiles, whobecame all

.things to all men, in hopes of gaining some to the

religion of Christ, adoptedthis mode,whenhe

drewthe attention of the early proselytes to the

virtuesof the eldersof the old world. St, Paul

neithercondemned thereligionof theJew, nor

of the Gentile; but exhortedthem to turn from

the abominations by whichtheyhaddefiled if,

P R E F A C EC

XV

and to be filled with faith, astheir prophets were of old; therefore said he^,ic By faith Enochwas
translated that he should not see death ; for before

his translation he had this testimony., that he

pleased God/' And the example of this great

Apostlemayjustify the adoptionof a similarconduct in the Protestant ministers of the present day, who will gain more proselytesby enforcing the doctrineof faith, according to the definition
here given by St. Paul., than by any other means; for every Brahman believes " that without faith it is impossible to pleaseGod; for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is; and that he is a

"Rewarderof them that diligently seekhim.5' St.

Jude did not despise the doctrine of the Hindu

prophet, when he spake of the revelations of

Enoch, as a book of undoubted authority in his

time, describingits author as the seventhfrom

Adam. " Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,

prophesiedof those things, saying, Behold,the

Lord cometh with ten thousand of his angels, to

executejudgment on all." What is so likely to impress the Brahrnans with favourablesentiments of our religion, asa knowledgethat their prophet, the seventh from Swayambhuva (the first-created),

XVI

PREFACE.

wasquotedas ari example of piety andfaith, by the Apostles of the Church,of whichtheyare invited to becomemembers? The experiment is
at least well worth the trial; for if it doth not

remove., it cannot create,, prejudices unfavourable to Christianity,in themindsof the Hindus. The Chronology itself,andthe Analysis thereof, being1 extractedfrom the most ancientand
sacred Institutes of the Brahmans, must be cor-

rect, althoughthe application of it, in someinstances, may be erroneous.That the Buddhas

of the Hindus were the prophets of the Hebrews

is proved by the timeof their birth, the events of their lives,andtheperiods of their deaths. That the Menusrecorded by the Hinduswerethe antediluvian patriarchs, recorded by Moses, is established by the commencement of the Antara of

the first Menu, corresponding in date with the

creation of Adam; and that of the last, who was

saved in a miraculous ark,corresponding withthat

ofNoah, is also corroborated byconsidering that theAntara of the Menus, collectively, average 857 years and afraction; andthat the aggregate of
therespective lives ofthepatriarchs in theraceof

PREFACE.

XVli

Seth,accordingto the Hebrewtext,is 85/5 years; which number, divided by ten, will give, on an average,857 years and a fraction, for the life of eachof them. That the dynasties of the Sun and
Moon were antediluvian is clear; because it is

ascertained that they were established in the beginning of the fifth century of the world: and that they descended from SethandCain is implied, because it is recorded,that they sprungfrom two distinguished sonsof the first-created. The division of thesedynastiesmaynevertheless be subject to someinaccuracy,sinceit is the principals only that are accuratelydescribed. The minor branches,who, like the Nomi in Egypt, assisted in the government, are placedfrom memory,after the authorhad beendeprivedof the originalsfrom
which they were extracted. This, however^ is

not essential to the general object of the work, sincesuch inaccuracies mayeasilybe rectified by thosewho havean opportunity of referring to the Puranasfrom which"theywere taken. If theseobservations, the result of a long and intimate knowledgeof the character,religion, and
manners of the Hindus,, should become instrumenVOL. I. * *

PREFACE.

talin converting them to Christianity, thegreat

object of their publication will befulfilled ; and if

not, the information contained in the following Lettersmayat least affordamusement and instruction to theyoungstudent in his researches afterliterary knowledge. In theworks of Origea
andothers, whoprofess to believein the creation
and destructionof worlds innumerable, alledging
that such revolutions ever had existed, and ever

would exist, he will recognizethe Menwantara system of the Hindus,or annualrenewal of time,
when nature becomes regenerate at the vernal

equinox ; when"He, whose propertyit is to exist unperceived bysense, having longreposed (during thewinter),awakes, and,awaking, reproduces the great principle of animation/' He will, by fully comprehending the earlydynasties of the Hindus, Egyptians,' andChaldeans, recognize in each the
antediluvianpatriarchs,as recordedin the Hebrew

text of his Bible; and by a coincidence of dates andevents, he will obtaincollateral proofs of the

authority ofthatholy record, upon which he justly

groundshis faith in Christ; and from the sublime

doctrines of true religionwhichhe finds in their

sacred records., hewill learnwith theHindu,to

PREFACE.

tolerate all religious opinionswhich are founded on the worshipof the living God, He will cc be
enabled to establish as indubitable, that the three

first ages of the Hindus are not mythological:" that they are neither cc foundedon the enigmasof
their Astronomers, nor on the heroic fictions of

their Poets; but that they contain a period of

nine hundred^years only;" "that the fourth histo-

rical age can be carriedfurther back than about two thousandyears beforeChrist," and that the
commencement (of it is correctly placed at y. B. c.

3182; since^by addingnine hundredyearsto the current year of the fourth of Cali age,, we get the true epochof the creation, accordingto all oriental chronology. And when he reflects that a period of time not exceedingthat of one annual revolutionof the Sun,,hath beencompared to the
doctrine of Archytas, the numerator of the sands,

and deemedsufficient to baffle the ingenuity of

Archimedes, who invented a notation that was

capable of expressingthem., their chronology an absurdity so monstrous as to being deemedcc overthrow their whole system, so technical an arrangementexcluding the idea of serioushistory;" and when he calls to mind that ff nothing

XX

PREFACE.

has so embarrassedthe learned world, as the dy-

nasties of thekingsof Egypt/* and recollects that

a learned Commentator of his own time doubts

ffwhether it be in the powerof manto thoroughly regulate the Egyptian chronology/' and then findshimself enabled^ by a simplerule in common
arithmetic,, to solve all such difficulties, he will be

convincedof the folly and impiety of thosewho,

suffering prejudiceto get the betterof their ui> derstanding, refusetheir assent, whetherin chronologyor religion, to that whichtheydo not fully comprehend. He will therebylearnto have""faith in things not seen/' andto believe in those great truths,, whichmayat present appearmysterious to him, in theholyreligionof Christ.

LETTER

I.

Mv DEAR SIR,

IN compliance with your request, I have

arrangedthe observations, which a long residence in India enabled meto make,, on the Theologyand Chronologyof the Hindus: subjectslittle understood, but which every young man.,who enters into the East India Company'sservice,,should endeavour to become masterof; more especially
since the conversion of the Hindus to Christ-

ianity has become a consideration with the English

Government, and which may, I am confident., be effected with ease, if proper methods are adopted.

On this subject I speak from personal knowledge., having devotedmuchtime to so desirable an ob-

ject : andhadit not interfered with the mercenary

views of an individual, the protestant religion had

long sincebe6n introducednot only in the district of Dindigul, but in all the Pollomssubordinate
thereto. I shall be most happy, if my researches

prove eitherbeneficial or amusing to you. They may possibly preventyou from imbibing those
VOL. I, A

prejudices which Europeans ingeneral too readily

adopt, and which have of late years been greatly strengthened, by theworks of Mr.Bryant and
Sir William Jones. Prom the latter you will

gainmuch useful information, provided youguard against hisSystem of Chronology, whichis erroneousthroughout.

ThatChristianity was once respected in Asia is

cei'tain ; for notwithstanding it hasbeenscarcely

tolerated duringthe Mahomedan Dynasties,, it is

well knownthatthere is scarcely a village on the
Coromandel coast, that does not contain Christians.

In the little district of Dindigul, I ascertained that

there were more than ten thousand, who believed

in the Incarnationof Christ. These,you well know, haveof late beenrepresented asthe very
lowest order of the people; as destitute of truth,

honesty and good faith; as merelyChristians by

name, totally ignorant of thetenets of thereligion whichthey profess. This is in generaltrue: nevertheless thereareverymany piousand good people to be foundamong them;although their knowledge of Christianity is miserably circumscribed.No doubtthe first objectof the Pro-

testant Missionaries willbeto enlighten those who already believe in theincarnation of Christ, and

thereby render Christianity respectable inthe eyes of theHindus. It is absurd to suppose that an

enlightenedBrahman, whosereligion is founded

on the purest system of ethics., can think well of

that religion which receivesinto the bosomof its churchthe most abandoned and profligateof the Indians; who., to avoidthe disgrace or punishment which awaitstheir derelictionof morality, become Christians; yet such is the fact. For it too
generally happens that to believe in Christ is all that is required of an Indian : of course the apostate Hindus are the very scum of the earth. Those who have hitherto attempted the conversion of the superior Hindus have been very in-

adequate to the task. I nevermet with a single

instance, where the missionary was well versed

either in their Theology or Chronology. They

too frequently, from a want of knowledge on these

subjects,, depreciateChristian virtues when presentedin an Indian garb, and ridicule a chronology which they do not understand. I embrace
with pleasure the task of convincing you, that the Hindu dates correspond with the Hebrew text erf

our Scripture, andthat theydate the Lotos creation five thousandeight hundred and seventeen

yearsfrom the presenttime; which is only six years from thetrue period., according to the best
calculations we have,and only two years,accord-

ing to the vulgareraof Christ A. 3YL 4004. A

Brahman who knows that the birth of their four

great Buddhas (prophets) correspond in pointof

datewith those of Adam, Enoch,Noah,and Moses, of the HebrewScripture,smiles with contempt at

those Europeans whoattempt to regulate Chronology,by rejecting that of their established church for theSeptuagint or Samaritan text: Those who
attempt to convert the Brahmans to Christianity mustrecollect, that thereis scarcely any Christian
virtue, which was not enjoined by their great

Buddha nearly five thousandyears ago; and handeddownto the present day. If, then, we
wish to convince them, that an incarnation of the

Deity took place1814years ago; or in the Call

year 3102, we must divestcoirselves of that intolerant spirit, with which sarcasms have been thrown against their religion, their morality, and their

chronology. One author tells us, cc that if a " Sooda should get byheart,nayevenif he should
" read or listen to the sacredbooks, the law con-

{( demnshim to a most cruel death." Whereas,

ffom a conviction thattheVedas aretooabstruse for thegenerality of thepeople, a body of laws named Smyrta were composed, consisting of 18

books divided underthe heads of the duty of

religion,of justice,and of the punishment, or

expiation of crimes*.These werecompiled for

* This code is formed fromtheordinances of Menutheson
of

the information of mankindin general; but for

the further information of the lower casts in reli-

giousknowledge,the Pasupataand Pancharatra,

with innumerable other works, were composed.

The studyof the Veda is enjoined to the three first casts; and the studyof the latter worksto the
fourth, to whom, from their subordinate stations, and want of erudition, the Yedas were unintelli-

gible. Thus an institution, wiselyand humanely ordainedto makereligiousknowledgegeneral, is

represented as a crime of the first magnitude.

Mr. Halhed might have recollected that the

Christians of the Latin Church are forbidden to

read the Scriptures, and that the service is per-

formed in a languagewhich the lower classes are totally ignorant of: he must have known, that
the lower classesof the Hindus are totally un-

acquaintedwith the Sanscritlanguage., in which

the Vec(as are written ; and he ought to have known, that the Sanscrit, in which they are written.,

particularly the first Veda,is soobselete, asto be

of Brahma, translatedby Sir W. Jonesfrom the glossof Culluca Bhatta. In the Manava Sastir, we read that " the Scripture "is an eye giving constant light: nor could the Veda Sostra " have beenmade by human faculties, nor can it be measured by a human reason unassistedby reverted glossesand comments: " he who completely knows the sense of the Veda Sostrawhile " he remains in any of the four orders approachesthe divine
" nature while he remains on this world/7

illegibleto manyof the learned Brahmans, and that.,in consequence thereof, it is the Vedaof
Vedas,so calledfrom being compiledfrom the three divineVedas, that is generally read.
The Hindu sects are so numerous, and the four original casts* so divided, and subdivided,

sincethey werefirst instituted,that an attempt to

explain themwouldbe as visionary as useless; theyare all branches fromone greatroot, originally instituted for the purposeof establishing
morality, subordination and good government,

among the peoplein general. For the religion

of the Hindus, although now clouded by fable, wras not so originally and the Puranas,or Sacred

legends, howevermonstrous they may appear to the eye of prejudice, are either religioussymbols.,
or allegorical descriptionsof past events.

The Hindus believein one great primeval Cause, the Deity; whom,underwhatevername
adored, they suppose to have existed from all

eternity,and who, (to prevent the profanation annexed tothepronouncing of hisname) is usually

described asthe Self-existing. Thisgreatfirst

Cause, is worshipped as universal, supreme, and infinite; is considered asa divineessence, incomSudra.

*The Brahman, the Cshatriya, the Vaityaandthe

prehensible and immutable., which fills all space,, and is the primarycause of all things. To attempt, evenin thought, to personifythis divine essence, is in their scriptureregardedasprofane. Neither
are the mystic characters., which are used to denote

the Deity, permittedto be pronounced aloud, or the lipsto move, although thewordshould be pronounced mentally a thousand timesa day. The following
may be considered as the articles of the Hindu faith: That the Eternal is ONE, the creator of

all things both in heavenand on earth,and in the

waters beneath; that he resemblesa perfect sphere,

without beginning and without end; that th Eternal rulesand governsall creation by a general providence, resulting from first determined
. principles. ff Thou shalt not make -enquiry into the essenceof the eternal ONE>
and fixed

" neithej by what laws he governs; an enquiry

" into either is as vain as criminal. It is enough,

fc that day by day, and night by night, thou perff ceivestin his works,his wisdom,his power, and " his mercy. Benefit thereby/' Brahmais consideredasthe spirit.,whoemanated from this eternal
essence,for the creation of the world. But, since

idolatry has been introducedamong the Hindus,

the three attributes of the one living God have

been worshippedseparatelyunder the titles of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. To the latter no

8
**.

temples are dedicated, but the worship of the

Lingam is exclusively to him.- At present,
the Hindus,, to whateverminor cast they may

belong, aredivided into two sects, the followers

of Siva,and the followersof Vishnu. The first

date theiroriginas 'coeval with the creation ; the

second,from the first incarnation of Vishnu, er-

roneously statedby Europeans at the deluge: for the learned Hindus invariably believe that all
the Avatars were antediluvian; the belief of the

generality of thenatives is, that the Eternalemittedthreesparks, whichtheypersonify by thethtee %ods,Siva, Vishnu, $nd Brahma. The church Brahmins considerSiva as the symbol of the supremeGod; Vishnu as the primordial spirit,
that first moved on the waters, the God who existed before all worlds, who redeemed mankind

from sin, and who will re-appearin a carnal form

at the dayof judgement; Brahmaasthe creative attribute (Vi*aj) by whomwere produced Swaya^Ipsva and Satarupa, the generalparentsof manifrid.

The Deityis stillworshipped in Trinity, under

tb nameof Trimouti or Tritoum: that is, the Hindusacknowledge threeattributesof one G6d;

thereby denoting hisomnipotence, hisprovidence, and hisjustice; offeringup their prayersand

thanksgiving to the preserving and destroying

attributes

of the Eternal.

But the classical Brah-

mans, particularly those of the Vidanta school, consider the holy Triad in a recondite sense, as
three Gods in one God; not as Brahma,, Siva and

Vishna,but as one pervading Spirit; The eternal Spirit in heaven, the eternalSpirit on earth. To
personify either, even in idea, is consideredpro-

fane. The third personin their holy Triad is the samedivine Spirit, in an incarnateform: this is
one of the most ancient tenets of their religion,

taught by their incarnate God, during the first millenaryof the world, and corresponds with that taughtby Enoch,the greatHebrewprophet,at the same period. There are several pagodas, or temples, sacredto this worship, in one of which th
sypbol of the Deity is a man with three heads:

undft thegreat pagodaof Travancore, the symbol is a serpentwith a thousandheads: the great ftest of Anandavourda, held annuallyon the eve of the full moon in October, whenthe year originally commenced,is in honour of the Trimouti,

andis attended by thousands of the natives of every

cast,wh# assemble from every part of the country. There are numeroustemples dedicatedto Siva,
and to Vishnu; at each of which Brahman niiijl-

sters, initiated in the peculiarmysteries of either sect, officiate. But to Brahma,as not being ta&-

mortal, w temples are erected; although theHiBdWI

10

of eithersectpayhimdailyadoration, asthe creature attribute, in their privateprayers.

Sivais worshipped assupreme andeternal justice, whoat the end of the world, will distribute rewards andpunishments: Vishna asthemediator

and preserver, wholefthisparadise in heaven, and

became incarnate, to deprecate the wrath of the
Eternal. In this incarnation, he is believed to have

animated the body of Parata Rama,the great

Buddha, the sonof Maya, or divine delusion. They reckonten principal Avataras; of which that which hasbeen mentioned,is the only incar-

nationof the Deity that is past: the remaining eight beingconsidered as partakingof a portion
only of the Deity. The tenth is expectedat the

cfose of theCaliage,asanincarnation of the same divineredeeming Spirit,who will return in great glorytojudgemankind, previously tothefinaldistributionofrewards andpunishments by theSupreme. The chronology of the Hindushas beenvariouslyrepresented; some rejecting their numbers

altogether asvisionary;and othersconsidering

them merely as astronomical observations. If

eitherof these hypotheses is admitted, and eachof themhasbeen givenasan axiom,no datacanever

be obtained^ fromwhich toplace theAvataras; all

of which except thetenth, which is stillto come,

areantecedent tothedeluge, Buddha of theninth

11

Avatarabeing theprince saved in the ark. Europeans, on the contrary., from the Matsya or fish

Avatar being the first,,suppose all the succeeding to be postdiluvian, mistakingthe first Avatarwhen the deluge wasforetoldby Buddha, the sonof Maya their incarnateGod for the ninth, when the prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Vaivaswat; and sobigottedaresome to thispostdiluvian system, that they do not hesitateto pronounce the Brahmansstrangely inconsistentfor not giving up the whole chronologyof their country, and changing the epoch,whenthe Cali or presentagecommenced, in conformity to the erroneous calculationsof
Romish missionaries and Chinese Bouzes*.

To understand the Hindu chronology,it is absolutelynecessary to be perfectly acquainted with

the different divisions of time, as recorded in the institutes of Menu. It will then clearly appear, that those numbers which have of late years been

injudiciously pronouncedastronomical cycles,or periods, are nothing morethanthe differentpowers of numbers multiplied into eachother. The Brahmansprofess, andtheunenlightened Hindusbelieve
that the world was createdto last 4320000 years,
as follows.

* Maurice, vol. IL 562. 9th edit.

1st age or* Critajugen

1728000

2d age Tritajugen 1296000 3d age Dwaparajugen... 864000

4th age Calijugen . 432000 Makinganaggregate of 4320000 years. Thesenumbers indicate nothing morethanthe
subdivisions of time, or matires.,equal to the two hundred and fortieth part of an Indian minute,

compared to the twinkling of an eye.,which the followingtablewill morefully explain f.

TABLE I.
Matire

2 Matires = 10 Chiperons = 12 Chinons = 60 Venidiques = ?T Naigues =

8 Samans

1 Chiperori. 1 Chinon. 1 Venidique,or one Indian minute. 1 Naigue. 1 Saman.

= 1 Day.

15 Days
2 Parouvans 12 Months 100 Years

= 1 Parouvan.
= = 1 Month. 1 Year.

= the life of man.

Theseyearsbeing formedof 12 monthsconsistingof 30 dayseach^ are multipliedby 36o so

* Thisage, whenrepresented as theageof Virtue,is termed
Crita; when as the first age,Satya.

t Ten Matiresare equal to oneEnglish second, an English

minute containing 600 matires.

13

as to comprehend = 36000 days. This wasthe greatSajoo?,, or 100yearsof the Chaldeans. 36000x 6 = 216000,is a multiplicationwhichthey
profess to be in honour of the six subdivisions of a day^from Matires to Samans ; and

this number216000maybe considered asthe

basis of their calculations.

216000 they multiply by 2., to commemorate the

period when the virtues and vices of mankind were equal: the return of the race of Atri or
Cain.

216000x 2 = 432000the Calijug, or age of Sin.,the fourthage. 21600Othey multiply by 4, to commemorate the
Vedas.

216000x 4 = 864000 the Dwaparajug, or third

age.

216000they multiply by 63 to commemorate the

Vedas and Sasters.

216000x 6 = 1296000 the Tritajug or second

age.

216000 they multiply by 8 to commemoratethe

corners of the world*.
* " In bis hands are all the corners of the earth/' Ps. xcv.

4.-According to the Hindu mythology, the eight Patriarchs of the antediluvian world became benign^ spirits andguardians of mankind, oneof them presiding over eachof the eight corners
of

u 216000 age.

x 8 1728000the Critijug, or first

The four ages added together form a period of

timecalled Sadrijug or Sadrijugan, amounting to
4320000 years, or a divineage.

TwoSadrijugans makeoneday andnightof

Brahma, whois supposed to havecreated the world by the express order of the Eternal, during the fii^t Sadrijugan or day,andto haveretiredto rest during thesecond, or night; during whichperiod the world will graduallydecay; when Brahma., awaking, renews creation, andsoonuntil theendof
time.

8640000 years are equalto 2 Sadrijugans; and

form one day of Brahma of 24 hours; 30 such

days, or 60 Sadrijugans makeone of his months ;

12 such monthsone of his years; and 100 such

years, hislife; asfollows : 864000 = I day and night.

259200000 = l month.

3110400000
311040000000

=
=

1 year.
the life of Brahma.

of the world. These are termed Elephants to distinguish them

from the race of Atris; the same with the Daemonsof Plato who

lived in thetime of Cronus, who reigned during theGolden Age;

and whomHesiod describes as Daemons or benign spirits, who
mankind.

afterdeath resided within theverge of theearth asguardians of

15 in 8640000 1000 years. x 30 x 12 x 100 = 311040000000 =

From these numbers a cypher is formed,, in which all antediluvian records are kept: and, as in comparing the several Asiatic dates with those

of the Hebrews,we shall frequentlyhaveto refer

to this table, I have formed therefrom two others,

thesecond, by multiplyingthe subdivisions into each other agreeably to the Hindu mode,and the third by multiplying agreeablyto the mode in use
amongst Europeans.

TABLE

II

Halites

1x 2 2 X 1O == 20,

or one Chiper or one Chinon

2OX 12 ~ 24O, 24OX 6O= 14400,

144OO X 7 = 10800O,

or one Venid or one Naigu

or one Saman

108000X 4 = 432000,
432OOO x 2 = 864000,

or oneSama

or one dayof 2

864000 X 15 =12960000, or a Parouv

12960000X 2 = 2592000,
311040000X360 = 111974400000.

or a Month o

25920000 x 12 = 311040000, or a Year of

The latter number is seldom,if ever, i

TABLE HI.
H

<

o>

&

!"
$

"5'

g w
Ol

>i V*
>

en
f1*
3

sr
'

i
1 2 =
2O =

"

3*
1

P
-*" S3

'

1
10 =

CO

tf

5t Ol

108000 = 54000 =
432000 = 21600 =

14400 =

240 =

7200 =

120 =

540O =
21600 as=

720 =

12 =

45O =
1800 =

60=

864000 =

43200 =

43200 =

3600 =

12960000 =

648OOO = 648OOO = 54000=

25920000= 1296000= 1296000= 108000= 18

"*311040000 = 15552000 = 15552000 = ]L 296000 =; 21

* A prophetic Menwant

18

The Hindushave several modes of expressing

time: A Menwantarais71 divine ages,or 43200O

x 17= 306720000.It isgivenasfollows : ff Eighteen Nimeshas, or twinklingsof an eye, are one Casht'ha; thirty Casht'has one Gala; thirtyGalas one Mahurta; andjust somanyMahurtas let mankind consider as the duration of their

day and night." " The Sun causes, the distribution of dayand

night, both divine and human; night being intendedfor the repose of variousbeings, and day
for their exertion/'

" A monthof mortals is a day and night of the Pitris, or Patriarchs, inhabitingthe Moon; -and thedivision of a monthbeinginto equalhalves, the half beginningwith thefull moonis their dayfor action,andthat beginningwith the newmoonis their night for slumber/*
*f A year of mortalsis a day and night of the

Gods, or regents oftheuniverse, situated round the

north pole: and again their divisionis this; their

dayis the northern,andtheir night the southern

course of the Sun/'

tcLearn nowthedivision of a day and nightof

Brahma, andof theseveral ages that shall be mentionedin order succinctly/'

cc Sages havegiven the nameof Crita to an age, containing fourthousand yearsof the Gods;

19

thetwilight preceding it consists of as many hundred, and the twilight following it of the same
number/1

fcIn the otherthreeages, with theirtwilight

precedingand following, are thousands and hundredsdiminished by one/* " The divineyearsin the four human ages just enumerated, being addedtogether,their sum, or twelvethousand, is calledtheageof the Gods/* "And by reckoning a thousandsuch divine ages,a day of Brahmamaybe known; his night hasalsoan equalduration/' Again,
" The before-mentioned age of the Gods, or

twrelve thousand of their years,being multipliedby seventy-one, constitutes what is herenamed a Menwantara, or the time, Antara, of a Menu/'
ecThere are numberless Menwantaras; creations also and destructions of worlds innumerable:

the Being supremely exaltedperforms all thiswith

as much easeas if in sport; again and again, for

the sakeof conferringhappiness*/5 It is necessary to explainthis modeof reckoning, previously to the application of it. In the precedingtable it appears that the Calijug, the fourth age, or 432000 years answersto one half day, or 12 hours; consequently the aggregate of the
* Vide Institutes of Menu, ch. 1.
* B 2

20

ages of43 2000 years, 12000 years ofthe Gods, is

equal totendays of 12hours, or to fivewhole days. Thusone divine age, or 12000 years is symbolical of
fivedays of 24 hours; andthese daysmultiplied by

71give355,or oneSavan year. Sothata Menwantara, or /I divineages, theapparently prolonged period of 306720000 years, denotesone year

only; beingnothingmorethan the number of

Matirescontained in a Savan year.-The Hindus have avarietyof years, all of whichagree withthose
of the ancient Jews*. The Hindu Savan year

corresponds in pointof duration with theLunaryear

of the Jews. It consists of 355 days,which is the
number of times the Sun rises above the horizon

during its progress through the ecliptic. On this year their cypheris formed. There are, however, several others consisting of 357 and36odays,
In one of the Vedas, time is divided as follows:
18 Nimeshas == 1 Casht'ha.. 30 Casht'has 30 Calas = 1 Gala. t = 1 Mahurta.

30 Mahurtas= l dayof 24 hours,

which multiplied intoeach other, give 486000. But

asthat number of Nimeshas f is equalto 864000
* VideAppendix (C),

tA Casht'ha=32 Matires or8Indian seconds=&'*. European.

A Gala

21

Matires,, it makes no alteration in the calculation of

the Menwantara; which is,, and ever was, symbolicalof one year,,or of the renewalof Creation
at the return of the vernal equinox.

The life of Brahma comes nextto be explained.

But we must not confound Brahma with Brahm,, or

the Eternal; for,, accordingto the mythologyof the Hindus,the great poweremitted a sparkof his
divine essence,, or Brahma, for the expresspurpose of creation,,saying : fc Go, bid all worlds exist;"
and the duration of his life is limited to that of the

Creation,which he formed,, aswill be more fully explained by the followingtable,

TABLE IV.

Twilight A A.M.
Crita 400 x 40OO x

Twilight Divine P.M. ages.

400=

Mortal years.

48OO = 1728000

Treta
Cali

300 x 300O x 3OO= 3600 = 1296000

100 x
1000

Dwapara200x 2000 x 200= 2400= 864000

1000 x
1000O

100=
1000

1200=
12000

432000
4320000-f-

360 = 12000.

The foregoingtablesprovethat theaggregate

A Gala
A Mahurta

= 960
=28800

Matiresor 4 Indianminutes = 1' 36".

v

30 Mahurtas = 864000

or 2 Naigues or 8 Samans

=.48'. = 24 h.

22

of 4320000 yearsof mortals, or a divine age,, is in fact so manyMatires,or fivedaysof twenty-four hours. For as432000Matiresdenote one dayof 12 hours,somust4320000 denoteten daysof 12
hours, or five of 24 hours*. And as a thousand

Sadrijugans are a day of Brahma f, so doesthat day containfive thousand daysof 24 hours. St. Peter says,"Beloved,be not ignorantof this one thing, thatoneday is with the Lord asa thousand years,and a thousand yearsas oneday/5 2 Pet. iii. 8. This is the Mahaor greatdayof Brahma,

liis usualday beinga period, or a thousand years,

andourtextgoes onto say, his" night is of thesame
duration/' Sothat the 10000 yearsin the second
column of the fourth Table, are the two thousand

Sadrijugans, or day and night of Brahma: The first column, or morningtwilight, represents the fourages, aswill bepresently explained; the evening twilight denotes a period of time very similar
to ibat which is connected with the ancient belief

of a millennium. This period the Hindusdivide,

supposing thatduring thefirst fivehundred years,

Narayana, or Vishna, the spirit that moved on the
watersat the creation,and becameincarnatesoon

after thefallofman, willreturn and sojourn onearth,

with the Ree-Shees (saints,) andBuddhas (pro* Table III. f Table I.

23

phets,) for thepurpose ofjudgingalldeparted souls,

preparatoryto the final decreeof the Almighty, which will occupy the remaining five hundred
years. The Hindus expressit as a period of time

equal in duration to the .last age of the world, which the above table states at onethousand years. Here you will observe the greatsimilitudebetween
the opinion of the Hindus and that of the primitive Christians, as well as the ancient Jews, who professed that the world was createdto last 6000 years;

that theseperiodsof 1000yearswere represented

by the six days of the week; with God, one day

being as a thousandyears; and that the seventh

day was a thousand years of peace; which some authors consider as elucidatory of 500 years before

the lawwasgiven,and of 50O yearsbeforethetemple was completed:The fourthtableis very comprehensive. The first columnexplainsthe dura-

tion of theage^ astheyreturn in every thousand

years; the second, the great day of Brahma,or 2000Sadrijugans ; the third, the Millennium; and
the fourth and fifth, the aggregate of the whole, or the period during which Satan will have in-

fluence overtheworld. For of the432000O days, or 12OOO years, Brahmasleeps onehalf: consequently the periodwhich the Jewsassigned for the duration of^theworld, or six thousand years,coincides
with that of the Hindus.

34
5f

Theenigma thenis solved. Thehuman ages,

arerepresented in Matires/and the divine one in

days: For *> 1728000 -T-4800= 360
1296000-4-3600 = 360
864000 -r 2400 ~ 360

4320C|> -r 1200 = 360. *

Yet although each age in onesense,, denotes
a timeor360days,, theaggregate of thefourhuman

ages orMatires 4320000,, are, in thegeneral cypher,

considered butas five daysof twenty-fourhours*
For Matires. 1728000 864000 432OOO
Total 4320000

Hours. = = = 48 =

Days, 2

1296000 =

36
24 12
120

=
= =

H
1 Oi
5

And5 days areto 4320000 Matires as360 days areto I55520060O,, which ishalftheyearofBrahma.

And Mena explains ayear of mortals tobea day

andnight of theGods,or regents of theuniverse ; their daybeingthenorthern,and their night the southern course of theSun. But the divine age hasa morerecondite meaning., and., whenit is used

as an historic date, it always denotes oneyear.

For a divine ageis considered asthe duration of time (erroneously renderedthe durationof the

world) at the expiration of which nature becomes

regenerate at the vernal equinox: on whichaccount,, it is said " there are numberless Menwan-

taras,, and creations also/' In this sensethe pro-

phet Daniel denotes 36odaysby " a time;" and as seventy-one divine ages form a Menmntara, so does a Menwantara denote,whenappliedto dates,
seventy-one years.

The presentyear being the Cali year 4917,

answersto the year of the world 5817. For as the threefirst agescomprised 388800O suppositious years equalto nine hundred; so does900 4-4917= 5817, or the three first agesand the portion of the fourth

that is past: which admitting the Hindus to be

correct in placing the Christian era at A. M. 40O2, answersto the year of Christ 1815, and placesus in

the endof thesixthor lastCalpaof Brahma.

The name of Sir William searches the world Jones is sufficient to

carry conviction,, without enquiry.

are indebted

To his re-

for vast funds of

Hindu knowledge, and his memory must ever be

revered by theloversof Asiaticliterature. Yet no

one was more easily deceived respectingchrono-

logy, or less tolerantwhen treating thereof. In the 345th page of thethird volumeof his works, we read efthat theaggregate of the four first ag-es constitutes the extravagant sum of four millions threehundredand twentythousand years; which

26

aggregate multiplied byseventy-one is the period

in whicheveryMenuis believed to preside overthe

world. Such a period onemightconceive would

havesatisfied Archytas, the measurer of the seaand earth,andthenumbererof the sands; or Archimedes,, whoinvented a notation thatwascapable of expressing thenumber of them;butthecomprehensivemindof anIndianchronologer hasno limits., and the reignsof fourteenMenus, are only a single day of Brahma;fifty of whichdayshavealready elapsed, according to theHindus,from thetimeof
the creation. All this puerility may be an astrono-

micalriddle., alludingto theapparent revolutions of

the fixed stars, of which the Brahmans make a

mystery,but sotechnical an arrangement excludes all ideaof serious history." The foregoing tablesdemonstrate that we are now towards the endof thesixthday of Brahma,, for asonethousand years are asone day, so must
5817 be nearlythe dose of the sixth. An Hindu would say, that, as we have entered into the

4917th yearof the Cali age,five Calpas, eleven Menwantaras, thirty-five divineages, three human
ages, and four thousandand nine hundred and

fourteen yearsof the fourthage of the twelfth

Menwantara arepassed.

27
Year*.

The fiveCalpas or daysbeing ,.,**..,.

5OOO

The eleven Menwantaras., or 11 x 71 = * * 781

The thirty-fivedivineagessomanyyears. 35 Total completed years.... 5816 Sir William Jones is mistakenin statingthe reignsof fourteen Menusas one dayof Brahma:
thirty years are added to the sum of the fourteen

Menwantaras that constitutethe reign of the Menus; those Menwantaras being of Savanyears. Sir William probably calculated on that of the
Surva Sidhenta, which was altered by Meya to 308448000,or a year of 357 days; 357 X 14 = 4998, which correspondswith the Maha. A Menwantara, or 587 x 14, = 11998 ; whereasthe Savanyear

in which the Hindu cypher is kept, gives 4970,

to which 3O is added to avoid the fraction of 2,

which would haveruined their whole cyplier. This will appear from the foBowiug examples: As a thousand years denote a day of Brahma, and as

five of thosedaysare past, answering to 5000years or the greatday, we are to find what proportion
of the sixth we are now in : reduce 14 Menwan-

taras,and 30 years,to the lowest term 14x355

-h 30 = 5000; this number is multiplied by the Matires contained in one day of 24 hours; thus 5OOO x 864000= 4320000000: this in fact being

but one year, we mustmultiplyby the excess over

28

the last thousandth year, or eight hundredand seventeen years,, anddivideby a thousand. Thus
4320000000x 817-f-1000 = 3529440000; which

againdividedby 306720000., the numberof suppositions yearscontained in a Menwantara, gives

eleven Menwantaras, and a fraction of 155520000,

whichreduced bya divisor of 4320OOO, thenumber

of suppositious yearsin a divineage,gives36

divine ages; for example:

As one thousand yearsare equalto a dayof Brahma, what portion of the currentday expired
A.D. 1815,, or A.M. 5817?
as 100O : 4320000000 :: 817 : 11 Menwantaras,

and36 divineages.
4320000000

817

(30^720000 (4320000 .

1000)3529440000000 (3529440000 (llm 155520000 (36*

Answer 11 Menwantara,and 36 divine ages.

An Hindu,for thepurpose of making the calculation more intricate, would multiply by the pre-

cedingyear8l6, andaddfor the currentonethree

human ages,and that portion of the fourth or Call age, which was past: I havegiven you thesecal-

culations to explain the Hindu system.-But you

are too good a mathematician not to know that the

answermay be obtained by dividing the given

number of years,or excess over the thousands, by seventy-one; thus 817 -r-7* = U -.
36

39

European authors on this subject,seem to think every feather pluckedfrom an Hindu.,a plumein their own cap; and actuallyquarrel for pre-emi^
nence in intolerance. In the 1st volume of Mau-

rice'sHistoryof Hindostah, p. 141.hetellsus., frthat

everyMenu comprises not seventy-one^ but only seventy Kulebs (divineages)each containing four
Jugs (human ages)or forty-threelacksandtwenty
thousand years*. In such an extensive scheme of chronology, however, a few thousands or even

millions of yearsare not muchto be regarded/' If thereader should cry out, c< where arewe nowthen? In what particular portionof the boundless day of Brahmadoes the presentraceof human beingssojourn uponearth?"he shallreceive an answer to his anxiousinquiry in the unabridgedwords of the AyeenAkbery: C Of this, which is the fifty-first year of the age of Brahma,there have beensix
Menus : and of the seventh Menu, there have

elapsed twenty-seven Kulebs, andthree Jugsof the

seventy-eighth Kuleb, and four thousandseven

hundred years of thefourthJug. But asthiscalculation was made two centuries ago, when Akber
sat on the throne of India, these two centuries

mustbe added to give the exactperiodof the Cali-

jug : Risum teneatis amid?"

*. 4320000.
. ,

so

The ridiculeassuredly doesnot attachto the Hindus,howeverit may reflecton the commentator, who might have answered the anxiousenquiries of his readers by informing them, that, according to Hindu reckoning, theywere then in
the year of the world 5797, and that the secretary

of Akberwrotein theyear5600: theAkberytreats

of the Maha Menwantara, which consists of 857

insteadof 71 years; and the divine age of 24 instead of oneyear. According to Hindu reckoning,when the.Akbery waswritten,sixMenwantaras, 19divineages, andonemonth, were past. But as the secretary changed the common Menwantara
from 71 to 70, so would there be a difference of

about eightMahas, divineages, in 56oo years. The numbersas given by the Brahmans, are always
correct, and easily reduced to real time. For example:
Years.

Six Menwantaras of 857 years,or 857 x 6 = 5142

Nineteen divineages of 24years, or 19x24=

Two Parouvans, or half months
Years

456
2
5600

As theMahadivine agecontains twenty-four years, so does theParouvan represent oneyear,

or thetwenty-fourth partof thatage. An Hindu, therefore, says, nineteen ages andonemonth become
a common Parouvan; or the half month is to a

SI

common year,astheMahaParouvan, or oneyear,

is to a Mahadivineage., or twentyfour-years : We cannotsuppose that thelearned authorof theAyeen Akbery waseither deceived,, or meant to deceive. We may, however,conjecture that although he gavethis date,, according to the MahaMenwantara he calculated on the same proportionthatgoverned his currentone, or seventy to seventy-one; which would bring hiscalculation to meet thoseof theHindus,who calculateon the Savanyear of three hundred and fifty-five days, instead of the prophetic one of

three hundredand sixty; and355 x 71-r 70= 360. The authorof the Akbery,havingadopted theprophetic Menwantara *, of course statedthat a Men-

wantara containedseventydivine ages; but he never said it efdid not contain seventy-one :'* and a very superficialknowledgeof figures must evince, that the most trifling error would have
oversetthe wholesystem. So for from f*tlt0iisands
and millions" in the extensive scheme of the Hindu

cypher,the error of an unit cannotbe discovered. For, however,thecalculations are varied,thtey all
bear to the samepoint, and end at the sameperiod.

Thus, the authorof theAkbery rejectsthe Puranic Menwantara of 306720000 for theprophetic oneof 311040OOO-J-; reducingthe numberof divineages
* Vide Table III. p. .9. f !&<*"

33

from 71to 70,thattheperiods might accord. In likemanner, SirWilliam Jones rejected theMenwantara of 306720000, forthatof theauthor ofthe

Surga Sidenta of308448000, toavoid a fraction of thirty;adopting theyear of 357days in lieuof

that of 355. Still the calculations are just, the

divine agebeing symbolical of five days, andthe

Menwantaraof a current year.

The Chaldean chronology may be explained

in the same manner: Their calculations are all

made onthe yearof 36odays; because theyreckon by Sapoi, Neipot and 2Woi,whichequally originate
in the subdivisions of time, multiplied into each other, allotting fio seconds to a minute, 60 minutes to an hour, and 60 hours to a day. The Chinese

followthe same numbers, andtheSavan dayof thfe

Hindus consists of 60 Dandas or Savan hours. The

Chaldeansecondis just half an Hindu Casht'ha;

their minute half a Cala; and their hour half a Ma-

hurta*. Thesenumbers multiplied into each other produce 360O, and216000 : The Chaldeans have,

likewise, a period of time, bywhich theysometimes

reckon, consisting of tendays; and in history, the

Neijtwis often stated at six hundred,insteadof sixty,making the2a/w36OOO, in lieuof 3600. But
this is merely a distinction without a difference.
* Vide p. 20.

33

Por^their next calculation is then by six, insteadof

sixty. Berosussupposes the Nerpos to be six

hundred. Thus when he representsa prince as

reigning ten Sapot, or 36000years,it denotes an hundred,in lieu of ten years:the2a/w being three thousand six hundred,the Ner/wsix hundred,and
the SOKTOS sixty.
Another circumstance, which throws much

light on chronology, is the cycle of sixty years; which the Hindus tracevery accurately for 4988
yearsfrom the presenttime. The Chinese,as well as the Hindus, regulate time by this division; and as their cycles commence with the same year, it is to be presumed,that it was the modewhich
each nation carried with them, when the world

wasdividedby Noah, between his sons. The Call age havingcommenced in the 12thyear of a pfeceding cycle, evincesthat the cycle was in ^ise
before A.M. $00. The Chinese name the eycfe

Kya-tse ; the Malabars Chi-tran. Each of these

nations carries time back to 4002 years beforethe Christian era; each of them has it's cycle of

cycles,a grandperiodof 36ooyears,or 60 x 60 = 3600: at the expirationof which, a new grand periodcommences; sothatwe haveno certaindata by which to placethe cycles,further back than
A. M. 829.

For example, the Springequinoxof the ChrisVOL. I. C

tian em ISO?answered to the first of Chittera Prabava, of the24thChi-tran ; Chitterabeing the

Malabar name for the first Hindu month when the

Sun entersAries, and theyear commences; and Prabava beingthe name of thefirst yearof every Chi-tran or cycle of 60 years*. The Brahmans eitherare,or profess to be, ignorant,relative to the period, when the Chi-tranwas first introduced. But this ignorance is probablyassumed, with a
view to cany the period back beyondit's real date.

it is certain,that the Cali age commenced when

elevenyearsof the secondcycle of a grand period had elapsed;from which theyinfer that this period endedon the 3528th year of the Cali age: which

is certainly correct, aswill be proved by calculating

back.,from the presenttime, A. D. 1815, or year of the Cali age 4917, which answersto the Malabar

year Yeevan,which commenced in April last; beingtheninthyearof the24thChi-tran,, or cycle of 60, whichcommenced A.M.3529, or yearsB.c.

473. Nowif a grand period commenced 71years before theCaliage,it commenced 3173 years before the Christian era, answering to the yearof theworld829; to whichadding 3600 years, the
succeeding or presentperiod commenced A. M.

4429,or in theCaliyear3529; and3600-71 =

* Vide Appendix^ (A),

35

3529.,the first year of a grand period, whichanswersto the Spring equinoxof the 427th yearof
the Christian era: from which to A. D. 1807, when the 24th, or present cycle commenced.,is 1380

years; which period, divided by 60, gives 23 ; evincing that the calculations are just. For the Cali year 3529+1380 = 4909; and the year of Christ 427+1380= 1807*; proving,beyondcontroversy, that the Cali age commenced B. c. 3102,
or A. M. 900.

There

is another division

of time on the coast

of Coromandel, by which the Malabars represent the age of the world, viz. Raradauyaken...... 640000 Teradauyaken..... 320000 Davaubrayaken 80000 Kaleyouken........ 40000

The aggregate gives 108OOOO, one-fourth part

of a divine age. But as these numbers are not found in any classicalauthor, and form no part of

the Hindu cypher, theyare irrelevantto the present enquiry.

The dynasties of the Chaldeans and Egyptians

are, in respectto time, subject to the sameobjections with thoseof the Hindus; and maybe equally reduced to a conformity with the Hebrew text of
the Bible. We must, however., recollect, that the
* Vide Letter II. and Appendix (A).
C 2

38

the world by the Hindus and Chinese,and the commencement of their cycles agree,each placing the delugein the 47th yearof a cycle, Couplet

places it in the40thyear;a difference which will

be accounted for in treatingof theChinese antediluviandynasties.They, like the Hindus,profess ignorance asto theperiodwhenthe cyclewas
first introduced; and this has occasioned a differ-

enceof opinion relative to the epoch of thegeneral deluge.For., although eachnationplaces thereign of their first postdiluvian ruler at the distance of 3267000 years, whichanswers to theCaliyear7^7
(for 3888000is to 900 as 3267000is to 756), and

places thedeluge oneyearpriorthereto, answering

to A. M. 1656, yet somepretend, that if the deluge

happened in the47thyearof the14thcycleof the

last grand period, which commenced 71 yearsbefore the Cali age, or B. c. 31O2, then the Chinese epoch of the world must have been so far back as

2060yearsbeforetheJulian period; and consequently that 4427 y^rs had expired beforethe de-

luge. In order to obviate this objection, greatpains have beentakento change the epocha of the Cali age. We are told,,that the mistaken doctrine,of an oscillation in thecardinal points., compelled the Hindusto placeit 1920 yearstoo early; andthat,

because according to theircalculations in theyear of Christ499,the vernalequinox wasfoundby

39

observation in the origin of their ecliptic,, theywere

of opinion that it musthave had the sameposition in the first year of the Calijug, and were there-

fore induced,by their erroneous theory.,to fix the beginningof their fourth period3600 yearsbefore
the time of Yara'ha. Now no one part of this theory is true. First, although the antediluvians were sufficiently versed in Astronomy., to have a

systematic knowledge of that science., yet we can*

not suppose that the doctrine of oscillation was known in the year B. c. 3173: and our reason forbids us to admit that the epochaof the Cali age,
wThichis established in the Vedas, and in the institutes

of Menu (both of which are admitted to be antecedent to the Pentateuch of Moses).,could have been regulated by the appearance of the heavens, five hundred years after the birth of Christ. Secondly, as a grand period of 3ioo years did not commencewithUhe Cali age, that epochacould not

have been regulatedthereby: it being an establishedfact, that the first grand period, or cycle of cycles,commenced 71 yearsbefore the Calijug
or Cali age, that one only of these grand periods haveelapsed, and that we are now in the 24th cycle

of thesecond period of 3600 years*, although we

entered into the fourth grand age, 4917 yearsago.

The Calijug or Cali agewas fixed at B. c. 3102,

.

* Vide Append!:-: (A).

40

notbecause "the Hindusestablished thebeginning

of theprecession according to theirideas of it, in

theyearof Christ499;" tut because, according to their ideas,the epocha of theworldwas900years prior thereto. Consequently the grandperiod., or cycleof cycles,, that commenced B.c. 3179, an(^ which continued 3600 years,couldnot havehad any influencein fixing the period of the fourth age; although it establishes the assertion, thatthe
Chineseand Hindu epocha of the Creationwasthe 711th year of the Julian period, or the year B. c.

4002. Nevertheless, no very great reliancecan

be placed on the early records of the Chinese: since they admit, that the second Emperorof their fourth dynasty ordered all the records,civil and

religious,to be destroyed, about200years before

Christ; and,althougha few copies wererecovered in the succeeding reign, they are saidto havebeen so mutilated by damp and worms, that manychasms were supplied by the old literati. Their dates

are,bSwever, tolerably correct;andin mostinstances theyagreewith theHebrewtext of our Bible.

The birth andreign of the first postdiluvian ruler

Yau, corresponds with that tff Noah. And the

Chouof Fo-hi corresponds with the creationof

Adam. They, like the Hebrews, admit but of

six sovereigns in succession, betweenAdamand Noah. And,although theydo notfurnishthenum-

berof years during which each kingreigned, we

learnthat the aggregate numberwas726. Mattinus,Couplet, andothers, who profess to believe that Fo-hi wasNoah, record that he reignedin China 115 years, and that his reign commenced 2952 yearsbeforeChrist. These assertions are scarcely worth refuting: since theyplacethe commencementof the reignof Fo-hi at 600 years beforethe flood; when Enos, the great sire of Noah, in the seventh degree,wasyet alive,and ruling overthat
country, which he had inherited from Seth. But they go further; they place the death of Fo-hi 485

years beforeNoah enteredthe ark; makinghim the ruler over China700 years before, according to their own account,China was peopled. The Chinese accounts, on the contrary,say'c Fo-hi the son of Heaven, the first created, reigned 115 years:" but the commencement of his reign is

fixed at A.M.817, asappears in thehistory oftheir

kings. They further recordthat the Chouof the
first Emperor, that is, of the first Emperor,, or
ruler of the new world, commenced A. M. 1054,

which the missionariesvery correctly place at the year B. c. 2952. But the Chou of the Chinese,
like the Antara of the Hindus, denotes his time or

birth. The Hebrew text of the Scripture places the birth of Noah at A.M. 1056. The Chinesepro-

ceed to say, thatthisprince, named Yau, commenced his reign one year afterthe deluge; which even the missionaries> whoplace it in the 41styearof a

42

cycle5 suppose to havebeen in theyearB, c. 2356., or A.M.1650. I cannot, therefore, agree with those authors who suppose Po-hito beNoah,andreject theHebrew forthe Septuagint text,in ahopeto obviatetheabsurdity of having professed, thataprince, whowasplacedseven reigns andten generations
antecedent to the one,whose reign, theyadmit,commencedA. M. l650, was Noah. A verylittle attention to dates will enable us to reconcile all oriental

chronology with real time, in opposition to those

authors, who haveno hesitationin ascribing all to oriental vanity and fiction, or by introducing a systemsubversive of reason,, would reducethe age of the antediluvianpatriarchs below the level of

thepresent raceof men. We aretold byMaurice, vol. IL, p. 51. " thatwith any exactness te arrange
a systemof chronologyboundless in its retrospect, and perfectly devious from the known and esta-

blishedprinciplesof chronology,in other kingdoms of the habitable earth, would be a task im-

practicable to any historian,however indefatigable." And the sameauthor,determined to give

himself the utmost possible latitude in chronology, adopts thatoftheSeptuagint, which hesays "gives
nearly 1500yearsmoreto the ageof the world

thantheHebrew text,andtheVulgate;and supposes,with the learned Doctor Jackson, that the oldest and most renownedBelus, the founder of

theChaldean dynasty, began hisreignatBabylon

43

yearsbefore Christ/7 This author,indeed,

admits that the systemhe has adoptedis attended

with difficulties,that he shallnotattemptto reconcile; but he considers it so far "justifiable, as it

afforded that prolonged space for the grandevents

recorded in the Asiatic histories to have taken

place, on the theatre of the world;" for he adds, ec by these meanswe obtairi an addition of nearly a thousandyears between the delugeand the birth
of Abraham."

While the relaters of Hindu history wrote

rather to amuse, than to instruct, it was of little

moment how they related events, or what latitude they took in point of time. But now that we are

instigatedby an ardentdesireto promulgate the

tenets of Christianity among, perhaps, 6000000O
of our brethren, let us be cautious not to excite

their contempt, where it is our interest to raise

their admiration. What must an enlightened

Hindu think of that religion, whose priests admit of an excess of nearly 1000 years, in a period which their most sacred books state at only 352

years ? The HebrewPentateuch informsu,that

Abraham was born 352 years after the deluge:
Ham is supposed to have first arrived in Babylon u. c. 6, and to have returned afterthe confusion of tongues,and foundedthe first regulardynastyB. c.* 1238. Vide Table xxv.

44

theSeptuagint adds 886 years thereto; neither the

Hebrew, norHinduchronology, will bebenefited by suchan unwarranted latitude; but wereit
otherwise, it would be difficult to understand,
where the difference is stated at above 400000O

of years, what advantageour author proposesto

himselfby the assumption of 1000. Of this I am sure., that the mostscrupulous attention to truth
is necessary, on all religious subjects, with the Hindus; who are wonderfully well informed both in chronologyand theology; I mean the learned churchBmhmans; and I can affirm, from personal knowledge, that they are anxious to be informed on all mattersrelative to the cosmogony and theology of Europeans. I have frequently read with
them the Old and New Testament. The truth of

the former they readily admitted, and considered Christ as a prophet; yet, adhering to the belief, that no incarnationof the Deity would appearin the Cali age, until that period when the Divine

Spirit shouldappear at Calsi,to judge theworld;

they readily admitted that we had, in common,
traditions of- the same events; and that we wor-

shipped the sameGod, under a different name.

The prophecies of Isaiahthey read with great interest,but wereconvinced that they alluded to
the corningof the Calsi, or last Avatar. Never-

theless, but for local circumstances, manyof the

45

Brahmans I amconvinced hadbecome proselytes. How detrimental to Christianity., howrepugnant

to reason is that system, which ascribes to ori-

entalvanity,,all that is not perfectlyclearto the

limited comprehensions of a few individuals. Those

numbers,which give such offenceto moderns, werereceivedby the ancientsas orthodox: and,
when they are properly understood, nothing can be more simple. In these numbers Berosus recorded the dates of the antediluvian dynasties; and we shall find them to correspondalso with the
dates of the Mosaic account. The same author

(Maurice) that so confidently rejects the boasted millions of the Hindus, proceeds to enforce his hypothesisby informing his readers,that " Arrian

affirms, that there was a regular succession of Indian kings from thereign of Bacchus to Sandrocallus: that they amountedin number to 53 sovereigns, and their reigns continued during a period of 6042 years." He adds,that " the Indians com-

pute15 agesto haveelapsed between Bacchus and

Hercules*. In the same manner we read in Pom-

poniusMela, that the ancientEgyptiansboasted

* Rama Chada, the Bacchusof the Hindu Mythology, was

born in the fifth century. PharaohAsses,termed Hercules Egyptias,orthePhenecians' Hercules, in the21stcentury ; consequently 15 centuries elapsed between them. Vide p. 325;

to havehad trecentoset triginta regesante Arna-

sin, or 330 kings,who swayed thesceptre before Amasiswas conquered byCambyses; whose reigns
took up a period of tredecim millibus annorum, or 13000years. Both thesedynasties and the ex-

tensive periods of theirreign,may safely bereferred to the same origin-oriental vanityand fiction."
If we understandtheseassertions literally, we must, indeed,considerthem as fictitious. But we

havetheauthority of Bishop Cumberland, strongly corroborated by Scripture, for sayingthatthemost ancientEgyptian dynasties werenot in succession, but the several reignsof pettykings, or fathers of
tribes, contemporary with eachother; the descendantsof Ham. Consequently, if thesedescendants,
and their issue, amounted to 330 rulers, and we

have good proof that they greatly exceeded that

number,then maywe admitthat the aggregate of

the reigns of 36o kings, most of them contemporaries with each other, might amount to 13000

years; whichis not allowing40 yearsto a reign;

a.very inconsiderable period when the life of man was protractedso far beyondit's presentduration.

We know that the pastors weretermed kings.

Josephuscalls them royal ones, and informs us,

thattheyweresotermed fromHyesi,whichhasthat meaning;andheadds., in those days a considerable

number of children, servants,and cattle, caused a

man to be termed a prince. So was Abraham called by Ephron, the Hittite. Such must we supposethe 70 kingswhichAdonibezek, king of Bezek,conquered, and cut off their thumbs, and great toes; the 60 kings'sons,put to deathby Jehu; the 31 kingson the otherside Jordan,destroyed by Joshua; and the 30 sonsof Jair, who were made princes over 30 cities. Innumerable

other instances might be produced, both from the

booksof Joshua and Judges; and we shall find a

verymuchgreater number of kingsrecorded in the

race of Ham, during the time of Joshua, (who was born 10O years beforethe reign of Cambyses), than

is presumed by the Egyptians,evenaccording to

theseauthors. We do know that the period allotted

by theHebrews, from the creation to thegeneral deluge., wras 1656 years; andwe might know,if we
would receive their records, as they offer them,

that the Hindus,Chaldeans, Chinese,and Egyptians, place that great epoch at l68O prophetic

years,which answers to 1656Julian ones, from

the creation; and that, during that period, each

of. these nationsrecord ten generations of patriarchs^of whom six only, exclusive of Adam, be-

camekings, or governors of theworld, beforethe

deluge. Although eachnation detailsinnumerable kings,,or dynasties of rulers over provinces,\vhose

collectivereignswouldform a periodof, perhaps^

48

100000 years,yet neithernationpretends, on this account,to procrastinate the epoch of thedeluge.

Mr. Maurice informs us thatcc it was during this

period,that the stars hadfourtimeschanged their

course, and the sun had set twice in the east: of

which assertion the astronomy is as bad as the chronology is false; since,hadtheseeventsreally takenplace,theycouldnothavehappened within
the limits of so contracteda period." From the above he drawsthe following inferences : that the dynastiesof Egyptian sovereignswere on a par with those of the Indians; <c'nothing m^re than
the children of the sun and moon,, and the vast

period of their reigns, the revolutionsof the celestial bodies/*

Herodotus, indeed, informs us, that in the time

of their mostancientkings, or from the period of the first settlingof the descendants of Ham,

in Egypt,, the sun hadtwicechanged it's rising

and setting. This is, perhaps, what our author alluded to; forgettingthatThoth or Athothes, the

grandson ofHam, and second kingofEgypt, rectified theyear about themiddle of hisreign,said
to have commenced A.M. 1911. Someauthors placethe alteration at A. M. 1955 ; if this datebe

made A.M.1944,weshall findthe account of Herodotus correct. Egyptis saidto have been first

peopled about A.M.1807.Now, asin 13? Julian

49

yearsthere are 139 Egyptian yearsof 360 clays, KG in 140 yearswould the beginning of any particular month have so changedits place, as to run twice through the signs of the ecliptic.,and return

to the point whereit at first was: consequently, adding 140yearsto A. M. 1807, whenEgypt was first peopled., we shall find, that even supposing
the period when Thoth changedthe Egyptian year, to have been elevenyears soonerthan it is represented, yet, that the Sun might with truth be said, to have twice changedits rising-and setting, without the ff astronomybeing bad, or the chronology

false." Neverthelessa tradition so generally ce known is given as oneof the mostdaring* vaunts of this vain-glorious people:" it is added,cfstill
however these mighty vaunts of their antiquity

howeverwildly extravagant they mayappear, are

comparatively moderate when we advert to another remarkablepassagein Cicero; from whose relation we may conclude, that theseassumptions of the astronomical periods of Asia, were not un^-

known in the capital of the*RomanEmpire: for he acquaintsus that the Babylonians and those that contemplated the heavens from Caucasus, by
whom he must mean the elder Persians and Indians,

had a series of observationsextending back for

473000years/' It is difficultto determine on the

epoch from whence these 473000 years are
VOL. I. D

50

reckoned.-The <felder Persians,and Indians/' is

a vague expression, which admits of great latitude. Babylon, wehave reason to believe, was oneof the
first places, in which a regular government was established, after the deluge; and the Chaldeans are admitted., withoutcontroversy,, to havebrought

astronomy to greater perfection,, thananyof their

contemporaries,, in 'the infant state of the postdiluvian world. If Callisthenes,the philosopher

who accompanied Alexander., whenhe took Babylon, foundregularastronomical observations there

for 1903 years,and this has never been disputed, it carries the period of their commencement back

to aboutA.M,1776; or 119yearsafter the deluge. With a view of giving the greatestpossible

l&titude, let us suppose that, as this improved,, or regular system; commencedA. M.I 776., the

473000years werereckoned fromthatperiod:and this we arewarrantedto suppose, as it was the period,^vhenthe early Babylonians were in the

zenith of theirpower, about tenyears before they

were dispersed:consequently, they would 'date

theirimproved system fromthatperiod, and give thedates in realnumbers; it beingantediluvian records onlythatwerewrittenin cyphers.Now we shallfind, reading daysfor years with the

prophet Daniel, that 473000^360 = 1313 prophetic,or 1295Julianyears; sothat the informa-

51

lion, given by Cicero, amountsto nothing more

than that astronomical observations were carried

back by the Chaldeansso far as A. M.481.

We learn from the most ancient authors, that

aboutthis periodSethhadorganized and brought astronomyto a somewhat regular form. Those

that have the least faith in the Mosaic account,

must admit that Adam had someknowledgeof

astronomy ; otherwise there had been no note of

time; yet it is not probable that it wasbroughtto

perfection.,or even to a regular systemat so early a period. On the contrary.,we must supposethat

the first reckoning wasbya periodof time,, marked by the rising and setting of the Sun, afterwards calledDays; and it is so markedby the Hindus to this day. Four Samans of three hours being
considered as a day, and the like number as a

night. Promwhichwe mayinfer, that theseventh day being commanded by God,to be kept holy,
the division of time was extended to weeks, and so

on. It is not however my intention to trace the

rise and progressof Astronomy,but to point out that all Eastern,particularly Jewish, writers expatiate on the proficiencythat this sciencehad
attained to about the fourth century of the world:

AlthoughEnochis admitted by them all to have subsequently broughtit to thehighest perfection

which it reached in the antediluvian world, Jose-

phusaffirms,that " Sethandhis familywere the first thatmade regularobservations ontheheavens,

and on the courses and influences of the stars." So

that we mayreasonably suppose Astronomy,, in or

about A.M. 481, to havebecomeorganized,if not to an accurate, at leastto a regular system ; and to have been transmitted from that period. Others trace this science to A. M. 284 ; and Pliny, follow-

ing Epigenes, dates it fromA.M.54,or,ashe styles

it, from all eternity. Had not the science attained

to a great degreeof perfection at the period alludedto, A. M. 481, Elmachinus would scarcely
have stated, that about two centuries after, " Enoch

measured thecircular heavenly orb,andviewed all the constellations, and the twelve signs,in which the

planets moved:" Nothingcanbe morerepugnant

to reason,than to supposethat Noah did not take with him into the ark the recordsof every science

thenknown. And where weretheysubsequently so

likely to be found as in Babylon, wherethe Chal-

deans professthat they were buried during the

flood. Thus the quotationfrom Cicero,, which has been the subject of so much ridicule, is reduced

to a simple assertion, that the contemplators of the heavenly bodies fromCaucasus., werein possession
of astronomical recordsfrom A.M. 481, until A. M,

17/6; when, fromanimproved knowledge in that

science,, the Chaldeans at Babylonintroduced a

53

more perfect system,, which was handed down so late as A. M. 2022; when the philosopher Callisthenes sent from Babylon into Greece.,to inform his masterAristotle, that they had found regular

astronomical observations for 1908 years back. Oneother reason might be adducedto provethat
A.M. 481, or thereabouts, is the point of timealluded

to. The Chaldeans, accordingto Berosus,date their earliestdynasties at 120*2apot or 1200years

before the deluge. Now 12O ^apoi are equal to

1182,Julian years; deductingthat numberfrom

the year of the deluge 1656, the remainder,or 474, is probably the true epoch. For the Chaldeans evidently meant to infer that the astronomical ob-

servations were coeval with their dynasties. Mr.

Maurice .admits their early improvementin mathe-

maticalandastronomical knowledge to be wonderful ; and their instruments,although stupendous, and of high antiquity, to be madewith such exactness as to evincein the frabrication an intimate acquaintance with the elementsof geometry, spherical trigono-

metry,andothersciences notthen supposed to have

been cultivated; and their instruments, tables, and

calculationsremain a superband lasting monument

of their earlymaturityin astronomical researches. Now, if this knowledge, had not beenacquired in the old world, how was it possibleit should have

attained to sohigha state of perfection in thefirst

54

agesof the newwofld? "The system of the

Hindus," he tells us " was established in aeras of

such unfathomable antiquity,that in their ignorance of the real author of the Vedas they have been attributed to Brahma, a visionarybeing, or to Menu, who if he was not Noah, was a being

equallyvisionary." There Mauriceis particularly

unfortunate; for the Vedas are neither ascribed to

the one nor the other, but to Brahm or the Eternal.

And thereis nothingmoreabsurd, in believing that the GreatFirst Cause, by whatever name adored., promulgated the precepts of religion and virtue
to the first createdunder the name of Swayamb-

hava,than in admittingthat God walked with Adam in Paradise. This maybe considered as a visionarydistinction, The institutescompiled
from the Vedas are attributed to the first Menu,

and are supposed to havebeen pronounced by him 600 years before the birth of Noah, or

the beginning of thesecond age. For werewe,

in deference to Mr. Bryant, to adopta system as
repugnant to reason, as it is subversive of truth,

and admit, " the first year being absolute to denote A.M. l657/J or thefirst yearafter the flood,

stillthatwould availlittle in support of the hypothesis,that jf Menu was not Noah, he was a
visionarybeing. Because the Antara of this Menu

is accurately traced to the year B.C. 4002; or

55

accordingto Sir William Jones to 5788 years beforethe yearof Christ 1788; and consequently
could denote no other than Adam. The Sanscrit

history of this Menu is wonderfully consonantwith that given by the most ancient Hebrew authors, who treat of the first agesof the world. f<In the present day of Brahma the first Menu was surnamed Swayambhavaor the son of the Selfexisting*; and it is he, by whom the institutes of

religiousandcivil dutiesare supposed to havebeen

delivered. In his time the Deity descended at a sacrifice. By his wife Satarupa he had two dis-

tinguishedsonsand three daughters. This pair

were created for the multiplication of the human species,after the new creation of the world, which the Brahmans call Vadma Calpiya or the Lotos creation/' This account is given by Sir William

Jonesin his tracton Hindu Chronology, andis so

far critically correct.

The present dayof Brahma denotes that Calpa,

or day, in which the transactionsdetailed in the

Purana occurred. This Calpaconsequently was

the first. " In his time, the deity descended at a sacrifice/' the sacrificeof Abel: " By his wife he

had two distinguished sons;" Cain and Seth, Abel being dead, fcand three daughters." Abal
* St. 'Luke calls Adam the son ' of God, Vide"Chap.III. '

56

Pfaamgius says, thatEvebrought forthtwins, a sou

and a daughter, and shecalled thesonGain, an(*

the daughter Azrum,called by another author Clinia;who adds thatEvebrought forthtwotrther
twins,and that she wishedCain to marryOwain thesisterof Abel, and Abelto marry Azrum the
sister of Cain; and that on this account, the wrath

of Cain waskindledagainstAbel, Azrum being

more beautiful than Owain: that Adam ordered

his sonsto go up to theholy mount, andoffer

sacrifices to the Almighty,afterwhicheachsfaapld V *\ ' **' espouse his betrothedwife. At this time, says

Eutychius, Satan put intothemindof Cain to kill

his brother Abel, and marry his sister Azrum,
That when the sacrifices were offered God de-

scended in a flameof fire and accepted that of Abel, leaving the sacrificeof Cain untouched.
Seth not having been born until after the murder

ofAbel, there were according tortje^e authors two

sm*& dadthreedaugwbrsof Adam.
sons are pkcedequally by the Hebrews andHindusat thehead of two distinguished fines.

By theformer, theraceof Seth are designated the

sonsof God,aftdtheraceof Cainthesonsof man;

by theHindus, theyareseverally calledthechildrenoftheSunand Moon, or thegreater and lesser

light. Theseauthorstell usthat thefirst murder

was in consequence of thesuperior beauty of Az-

57

rum, the sister of Cain. The Scripture says,that

the sonsof God saw the daughters of men, that

they were fair: the Hindus., that the children of
the Sun, married with those of the Moon, in con-

sequence of their beauty. It matters very little

whether these accounts are true or fabulous,, that

they are derived from the samesource is all that I attempt to demonstrate. To proceed with the quotation: " Of the five Menus that succeededhim/' says
Sir William Jones, " I have little more than their

names; but the Hindu writings are very diffuse

on the life and posterity of the seventh Menu
surnamed Vaivaswat, or child of the Sun. He is

supposed to havehadten sons,of whomthe eldest

was Teshwacu and to have been accompanied by seven Rishi's or holy persons, whosenameswere

Casyapa, Atri, VasishtTia, Viswamitra, Gautaifia,,

Jamadagni, and Bharatwaya. An account which explainsthe openingof the fourth Chapter of the
Gita. This immutable system of creation (says Crishna) I revealed to Vaivaswator the Sun;
Vaivaswat declared it to his son Menu; Menu

explained it to Icshwacu. In the reign of this

Sun-born monarch, the Hindus believe the whole world to have been drowned, and the whole human

race destroyed by a flood., exceptthe piousprince

himself, the seven Rishi's and their several wives;

58

for they suppose his childrento havebeenborn afterthe flood. This generalPralaya, or destruction, is the subject of thefirst Purana/'
Here, it is evident, the first Menu is blended

with the seventh. Vaivaswat was the epithet

annexed to every Menu in the raceof the Sun,, or Seth. The seven Rishi's preserved in the ark, were sevendivine precepts,, not men; and the opening of the fourthChapter of the Gita alludes
exclusivelyto the first Menu or Adam, and may

be understood asfollows. The Deity,throughhis prophetEnoch,revealed this immutable system of

devotion or revealedreligion to Adam; who dsr

clared it to Seth, by whomthe wholewasexplained to his sonEnos, whohaving liveduntil Noahwas 84 yearsof age,was enabled to instructthe postdiluvian world; or in other words, the postdiluvian
World knew the sublime doctrine of the Vedas,

because theyweredelivered by Adam, through his

son Seth, to Enos, who made them known to Noah3

who took thesedivine preceptswith him into the

ark. The seven namesassigned asthe names of the seven Rishi's,that entered theark, are again blended with the sevensons supposed to have

issued from the first Menu, " The storyof the Pralaya is concisely, butclearly andelegantly told in theeighth book oftheBhagawata/' fromwhence Sir W. Jonesfurnishes an abridgementBut

59

beinghimselfdeceived in respect tothe meaning

of the Pralaya, he has in the unabridged,, aswell as the abridgedtranslation,in severalinstances given his ownr rather than the sentiments of the Hindus. The following is the unabridgedtranslation of thePralaya, the subjectof thefirst Purana, entitledthat of the Matsyaor first Avatara. fcDesiring the preservationof herds and of Brahmans^ of genii, apd virtuous men, of the Vedas,,of law,,

and of preciousthings,the Lord of the Universe

assumesmany bodily shapes; but though he pervades like the air, a variety of beings, yet he is himself unvaried, since he has no quality subject

to change. At the close of the last Calpa (dayof

Brahma) there was a general deluge occasioned by the sleep of Brahma; whence his creatures in
different worlds, w;ere drowned in a vast ocean;

Bj^hma,)b6|ng inclined to

after a lapse of ages*, the strongdemon Hayagriva (Satan) came near him, and stole the Yedas which had flowed from his lips. When Heri, the

preserverof theuniverse,, discovered this deed of the prince of Danava% he took tfye shapeof a minutefishcalledSap'harif. An holy,kingunained
*ln the Sanscrit " at the close of the 112th Menwantara."

t ProperlySap'heri, or Lordof the Waters,theSpiritthat

first moved on the waters^ :

62

pearest beforeme; thegreatHeri, whose dwelling

was on the waves, and who now in compassion to

thy servantbearest the form of thenativesof the deep. Salutation and praise to thee, O first male,,
the Lord of Creation.,of preservation,, of destruc-

tion ! Thou art the highestobject, O supreme

Ruler., of us thy adorers, who piously seek thee. All thy delusivedescents in this world give existence to various beings; yet I am anxious to know, for what causethat shapehas beenassumedby thee. Let me not, O Lotos-eyed, approachin vain the feet of a Deity.,whoseperfectbenevolence hasbeen
extended to all: When thou hast shewn us, to our

amusement, the appearance of other bodiesndt in

realityexisting,but successively exhibited/' The

Lord of the Universe,loving the pious man who

tfeus implored him, andintendingto preserve him from the seaof destruction, caused by thedepravity of the age,thus told him howto act. fcIn seven daysfrom the present time (day) O thou, tamer of

enemies, the three worldswill be plungedin an ocean of death; but in themidst of the destroying waves,a largevesselsent by mefor thy use,,
shall stand before thee. Then shalt thou take all

medicinalherbs, all the variety of seeds; and accompanied by sevensaints,encircledby pairs of all brute animals, thou shaltenter the spacious
ark, and continue in it, secure from the flood,, on

63

one immenseocean.,without light, except the radiance of thy holy companions. When theship
shallbe agitated by an impetuouswind., thou shalt

fastenit with a large sea serpentto my horn; for I will be near thee,drawing the vessel, with
thee and thy attendants. I will remain on the

ocean,O chief of men, until a night of Brahma

shall be completelyended. Thou shalt then know

my true greatness,rightly namedthe Supreme

Godhead. By my favour all thy questionsshall be completely answered; and thy mind abundantly instructed." Heri having thus directedthe monarch,

disappeared, and Satyavrata humblywaitedfor the

time, which the Ruler of our senses had appointed. The pious king having scatteredtowrards the east the pointed bladesof the grassDarbha, and turn-

ing his facetowardsthe north, sat meditating 6ft the feet of the god, who had borne the form

of a fisti. The sea overwhelming its dbrei,

deluged the whole earth; and it was soon perceived to be augmented by showersfrom immense clouds. He, still meditating on the commandof

Bhagavat, sawthe vessel advancingandentered it

with the chiefs of Brahmans,having carried into

it the medicinalcreepers,and conformed to the

directions of Heri. The saints thus addressed

him: cO king, meditate on Cesava, whowill surely

deliverus from this danger,and grant us prosperity/

64

The God,beinginvoked bythe monarch/appeared again, distinctly on the vastocean, in the form of a fish, blazinglike gold,,extendinga million of leagues, with onestupendous horn, on which the king, ashe had beenbeforecommanded by Heri/
tied the ship with a cable madeof a vast serpent; and happy in his preservationstood praising the

destroyerof Madhu. When the Monarch had

finished his hymn, the primeval male Bhagavat, who watched for his safety in the great expanse of water, spoke aloud*to his own divine essence, pronouncing a sacredPurana, which containedthe rules of the Sanc'hyaphilosophy; but it was an infinite mystery to be concealedwithin the breast

of Satyavrata, who sitting in^the vessel with the

saints,heardthe principle of the soul, the Eternal Being proclaimed by the preservingpower. Then Heri, rising together with Brahma from the destructivedeluge,which was abated,slewthe demon Hayagriva,and recovered the sacred books. Satyavrata, instructedin all divineand humanknowledge,

wasappointed, in thepresent Calpa, by thefavour

of Vishnu, the seventhMenu, surnamed Vaivaswata.

Buttheappearance of a hornedfishtothe religious

monarch\vas Maya,or delusion; and he who shall

devoutly hear this importantallegorical narrative, will be delivered fromthe bondage of sin." PromthisPurana Sir W. Jones,in conformity

65

to the opinionof Mr. Bryant, infers that the first

age of the Hindus (that which he terms the Satur-

nian, and which the Hindus name the age of Virtue) <e was in truth the age of the general flood;" thenceinferring that.,as all the Avatars were placedsubsequent theretoby Jayadeva, they
were all postdiluvian: whereas the first address of the pious Satyavatar to the Sap'heri after he

discovered that it wasNarayana, denotes the contrary : ccAll thy former delusive descentsin this

world having beento give assistance to mankind;" and again,,cc Thou hast shewnus to our amazement

thy appearance in other bodies:" evincingthat the other Avatarswere prior to this. That this
Purana describedthe deluge.,and the preservation

of Noah and his family,although in a figurative dress;hasverygenerallybeenadmitted. Beyond

this, it has been little understood. It comprises

a period of more than 120Oyears. The Satyavatar who ruled in Dravira, was not Noah : it is

impossible it could havebeen intendedfor him; for the prophecywasmadecertainlynotlater than the eighthcentury. Noah wasof the tenth century, andtenthSaty avatarof thefourthgeneration, and ruled at the sameperiod with Cainan,the
son of Enos. It is, therefore, to be presumedthat

they were thesame person. The Puranacommencesby statingthat in the last,which wanthe
VOL. I. E

66

second Calpa, a general destruction took place,

duringthe* sleep of Brahma. ThisPurana was

written about the sametime as the book of Gene-

sis ; duringthethirdthousandth year of theworld v consequently, the last Calpawas the second, ff duringthesleepof Brahma/* Whose second nightdid notcommence untilafterfifteen hundred
years werepast.

Havingin general terms stated thusmuch,, it proceeds to particularize,and explainthe causeof the flood; the period when idolatry was introduced;

fey whom the deluge was foretold; the period whenthe prophetdied; the princeto whomthe prophecywas made,, and the year in which the
destructioEactually commenced.
"

We meetwith some difficulties in making these divisions;but theyarisefromEuropean translators substituting their ownideas,, andtheir ownexpressions,in lieu of those whichthey find in the Puranas. For example, in the transcriptunder consideration, we find efafter a lapse of yars"
substituted for " at the close of the sixth Men-

wantara;"andin theprophecy " in seven days/'

rendered*esevendays from the presenttime/'

These arenotintentional misrepresentations: the

translatorappears not to haveknown,that '""the closeof thesixth Menwantara" denoted the sixth

Antefra of Menu, marking theperiod when therace

67

of Atri returned. He therefore changedthe phrase to one more consonantto Europeanlanguages;and

havingprobablyaskedhis Pundit fromwhatperiod

the seven days commenced,, he answeredfrom the

presentday, the day of which he was treating, which denotedthe beginning of the first day of
Brahma, and first thousandth year of the world;

the first dayof thecreation. As we readtein the presentday of Brahmathe first created wasnamed
Swayambhava/*and in other records" on the day of his creation, the first Menu was namedSwayambhava, son of the Self-existing;" whereas, introducing time, for day, made an alteration of 7 or 80O years in the date. For, from the presenttime, denoted from the period of the prophecy. Seven

daysfrom the present day, would have sounded

inharmonious; to prevent which the alteration was doubtlessmade. The Sanscrit passage is literally
as follows : " At the close of the sixth Menwantara

the Deity being inclined to slumber, retired for the

purpose of repose. During which the giant Hayagriva (or Satan) stole the Vedas. At this time Satyavatarruled in Dravira, a maritime provincesouthof Carnata/' From this we learn, first,,that the Hindus believethat the delugewasordainedin consequence of the Vedasbeingstolen (idolatry introduced),and that this change in religionoccurred, when426yearswerepassed: for
2

68

71x 6 = 426; secondly, that*Satyavatar was not

intended for Noah; because the former was the

ruler over a province, before the latter was born; and thirdly, that the prophecy was made by that divine Spirit (in the form of Buddha) who had previously infused a portion of his wisdom into other Avataras for the preservation of mankind, and now animatedthe body of their great prophet ParasaRama. For the epoch of 426 years does not allude to the period when the prophecy was made, but to the return of Cain ; and that he did

return on, or aboutthat year, is equally confirmed by the Hebrewand Chaldeanhistorians. The Hindus are wonderfullycorrectin their modeof marking time, consideringthe first 500 yearsof every period,or millenary,as the day, and the remaining500 as the night of Brahma: The delugehaving commenced after 1500years (the Purana says, duringthesleep of Brahma theVedas
having been stolen A. M. 420) they expressit by

the Deity beinginclinedto slumber, his sleepnot commencing, until after 500 years. The Purana next statesthe year in whichthe delugewould commence."In sevendays, O thou tamer of enemies, thethree worldswill be plungedin an ocean of death/' Cf When that period arrives, a miraculous vessel shall be sentfor thy preser-

vation." It proceeds to givedirections relative to

69

the animals that were to be taken into the ark.

This nearlycorresponds with the Mosaic account. In the seventh chapter of Genesis., we read that the Lord appeared unto Noah, directing him to take into the ark provisionsof every kind, and of every cleanbeastby seven,the maleand his female; and of everyuncleanbeast by pairs,,for
ce yet seven days, and I will causeit to rain upon

the earth forty days and forty nights/' If understoodliterally,theseaccounts equallytend to prove,
that the Deity appeared, and gave these orders only seven days before the rain began to fall; which is a palpableabsurdity. For it seems morally

impossible, for eight persons, four of themwomen,

to have conveved into the ark during the short

period of sevendays provisionssufficient to feed

so vast a number of animals for twelve months.

The hay only, on a very moderate computation,

could not have been less than three thousand tons,

to say nothing of at least 1800 animals,as food for

carnivorous beasts and birds. Now the Hindus do

not understand the phrase seven days literally; but asprophetic of the number of yearsbetweenthe

creation andthe deluge; whilst the modern Hebrews, who considered themas sevendaysof twenty-

four hours, qualifythe expression, by expounding the 120 days in the third verseof the sixth chapter of Genesis,as denoting that the Almighty

?0

again gavenotice ofthisevent to Noah, 120years

before it occurred, for the purpose of giving him
time to build the ark, and to make the necessary

preparations. The text,according to mycomprehension, does not admit of such interpretation.

But if it did, it in no wayobviatesthe objection ; although it impeaches both the faithandobedience of Noah. First, asrequiringan appearance of the
Deity to confirm the prophecy: and secondly,

aftersuchsignwasgiven,asdisobeying the order.

For if we understandthe text literally, nothing

farther than preparing the ark was done., or thoughtof, sevendaysbeforethe deluge. " An
omniscient God could not have appeared seven days before the waters began to fall, for the ex-

presspurpose of orderingthe number of birds and beasts that wereto be caughtand taken into the
ark., together with their food, &c. had the former order been compliedwith. But the text doesnot

so imply. For to whatever the 120 years alluded, they werecertainlya part of the prophecymade by Enoch, at least they bear the samedate. The text is as follows, "And it cameto pass, when men beganto multiply on theface of the earth,and daughters were born unto them, that

the sons of Godsawthe daughters of men,that they werefair,andthey tookthemwivesof all

which theychose."

71

c< And the Lord said,my Spirit,shallnotalways strive with man, for that he alsois flesh; yethis days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There weregiants in the earth in thosedays,and
also after that, when the sons of God came in unto

the daughters of men*/' The latter part expresses the period when the

Lord said, <c Man's daysshallbe an hundredand

twenty years;" for it particularizesthe two races of giants ; those days, when the prophecy was made, evidently alluding to the giants of the third

generation of the raceof Cain/ It neverhasbeen

disputed, that the children of men were the race of
Cain, and the children of God the race of Seth.

Accordingly the chapter commencesby saying.,in consequenceof the return of this race, when men (the sons of Cain) began to multiply and had daughters.,the sons of God (the family of Shem)

seeingthat the daughters of the raceof Cain were

more .handsome than those of their own race,

took wives therefrom. In consequence of which, and of other abominations,the deluge was foretold

by the prophetEnoch; the 12Oyearsbeing a part of the subjectof that prophecy, andprobablyde-

noting,thatasthe impiety of man increased with

his lengthenedyears,in the new worldit should
* Gen.vi. 1, 2, 3,

72

be reduced to 120years. And suchwasthe case, soonafter the deluge. For assoonasthe sonsof man (theraceof Ham) beganto multiply on the face of the earth, their age was reducedto an
hundred and twenty years. Abraham was the

lastin theraceof Sliem,that reached170 years; andof him it is said," he diedin a goodold age, an oldmanandfull of years/' ^ Thosedays5' could
not allude to any period after the death of Adam,
because it was not until after his death that Seth

and his race retired to the holy mount. Adding therefore 120 yearsto the ageof Adam., it would only reachto A. M. 1O51 ; or admittinga palpable contradiction,, andsupposing " and alsoafter that"
to mean at that period, then,, as the very latest

period assigned for the sons of Godcoming down fromthe mount to the daughters of menwasthe 40th yearof Jared,or A.M. 1331,it wouldfall two
centuries short of the deluge. For 1331+ 120=

1451. It hasbeenurged, that the 120 years are explained by St. Peter. But that verseof the
Apostle's Epistle is very obscure; he records that

cc Jesus went and preachedunto the spirits in

prison,, which sometimes were disobedient, when

oncethelong-suffering of Godwaited in the days of Noah,while the ark was a preparing/' This doesnot elucidate the subject. " While the ark was preparing/' being equallyapplicable to the

73

period when the prophecywas first made., as to any subsequent period. For there is no allusion

to anygiven portion of time; " thelong-suffering of God" evidently alluding to his having made known hisdivine will,and allowed 800 years fortherepentanceofmankind. If theAlmighty actually appeared to givedirections for the building of theark,there
wasneitherlong-suffering nor forbearance in with-

holding the deluge, until it was completed. Consideringthetext, as given in the sixth chapterof
Genesis, in it's literal sense, the destruction of

mankindby the delugewas only determined on

120 years before it took place: which is denying-

altogether the prophecyof Enoch, whowastranslated 548 yearsprior thereto. The Hindu text is more clear. It records nearly literally, the beginning of the sixth chapterof Genesis; treats
of the fc giants of those days;" the giants of the

third generation^ with whosedaughters, on their return to the splendid city, the seat of regal power,the sonsof the Sun intermarried: adding, that even the great Dasaratha,(the Mahalaleel of Scripture) married a daughter of the Lunar dynasty, subsequent to which,the Deity descended in the form of Buddha*(Rama) during the third

age, or from A.M. 7OO to A.M.900, forbidding

all intercourse with the idolaters, and foretelling

74

the delugein theseprophetic words. " In seven days all creatures that continue to offend me, shallbe destroyed by a deluge/3 Now seven days in the prophetic language, or rather cypherof the Hindus,is equal to l680 propheticyears of 360 days. For as one day of 24 hourscontains
864000 Matires (vide Table III.), so that number

multiplied by seven produces 604800O; and

604800 are the number of days of 24 .hours contained in seven prophetic days: For example,

604800 -f-360 = 1680; and l680 years of 360 days are equal to 1656Julian ones. This pro*phecy, so worded,could not be misunderstood: becausethe seven days commenced from the creation. Herethe long-suffering andforbearance
;of the Almighty is strictly applicable. The race
of the Sun had continued without sin for about

four hundred years. They then began to apostatise and increasedin wickednessfor 4OOyears

more; when they were warnedof their danger, $udallowed 800yearsto repentin; at the expiration of which,,or l6&6 years from the creation,, all those who continuedin idolatry were to be destroyed. This prophecy wasmade to Satyavatar who transmitted it to hfs descendant, the pious prince,in whosetime the prophecywas to be fulfilled. Who " being movedwith faith, and

75

believingin things unseen/3obeyedthosedirections which had beengiven to his great ancestor; prepared an ark for the preservation of his family; and.,having in all things compliedwith the in-

struction of Vishnu., sathumbly waiting., constantly

contemplatingthe divine essence, until the final audit arrived. Another remarkableparallelbetween the Hebrew and Hindu account is, that

the formerplaces the generalapostacy in the time

of Jared, who was the sixth from Adam inclusive,
in the race of Seth ; and the latter in the time of

Rama Chandra, the sixth from Swayambhavain

the race of the Sun inclusive.

This Purana waswritten about the same period

with the book of Genesis, and the incidents most

probablywere collectedfrom the sameoriginals.

It is, therefore, a fair inference that the sevendays

originally bore the samemeaning: Faith wasthe primary virtue attributed both to Vaivaswat and
Noah; the latter is said " to have becomeheir to the

righteousness whichis by faith/' This had been inapplicable to the patriarch, if two descents of the Deity were necessary to inducehisbeliefin theprophecy made by Enochto his ancestor.In
this casehe was as great an unbelieveras the
test of the world; and there is no apparent reason

for the singulm1 favourshewn him. The veriest sceptic of the present daywouldbe satisfied yrith

76

such proof. The Jews required nothing-more than a signto believe in Christ: " If he be the King of Israel/' saidthey, " let him come down
from the cross,and we will believein him/' (Matt xxvii. 42.) But the sixth and seventh chapters of Genesis are clearly defined in the New Testament; and, as explained by the Apostle Paul, correspondwith the Hindu Purana. ff By faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen,

movedwith fear, prepared an ark to the saving of

his house, by the which he condemned the world,

and becameheir to the righteousness which is by faith*/* He believedof things not seen;
that is, he had faith in those predictions which
were not made to himself, but to his ancestor

Cainan. For as Enoch was translated 58 years

before the birth of Noah, he could not have been

an eye-witness of the actionsof that prophet;

and accordingly the Apostledescribeshim firm in

faith; whilethe unbelievers, whowouldgivecredit to nothing " not seen" by themselves, were destroyedwhen they thought themselves most secure.

It is recordedthat they enquiredof an oracle. The answer was ambiguous: " The deathof the prophetwill confirmthe prediction/' The idolaters understood by this answer that the flood
* Hebrews xi. 7.

77

would follow the death of Enoch^ and therefore bewailed his translation with such lamentation, that

to weep for Enoch became a proverb; insomuch, that on any public or private calamity,,it was usual to say the lamentations were as the lamentations

for Enoch. But the predicted destructionnot immediately followingthetranslation of theprophet, andinstead of the worldbeingdestroyed, newgenerations arising,the people became morehardened, and eachsucceeding generation weremorewicked
than the former. So that the prophecy which was intended for their reform, ccbecame a stumblingblock/' to the antediluvians, as cc Christ
crucified"

was unto the postdiluvianJews. This is confirmed by the Evangelists Matthew and Luke; where the coming of the Son of Man is comparedto the coming of the flood. As the former believed not
of their destruction ceuntil the flo6d came and

took themall awray, so shallalso the comingof the

Son of Man be; watch, therefore, for ye know not when your Lord cometh." The prophecy of Enoch was made publicly to the whole world. But the race of Cain, like " the Jews, required a sign,

and, like the Greeks, sought after wisdom*/' They were not satisfied with the information the Lord thought fit to give them; they went on
* 1 Cor. i. 22,

78

regardless of thewarnings of theprophet, efeating

and drinking, marryingand giving in marriage, until thedaythat Noe entered theark/ andknew not until the food came andtookthemall away*."
Therefore it was said by Christ,, ccAs the daysof

Noe were, soshall alsothe comingof the Sonof Man be" If webelieve theEvangelists, wecannot
believethat the sign was given. For if the Deity

appeared twoseveral timesto give directions relative to the flood; the one descent being one hundred and twenty years, and the other seven days

befotetherain beg^nto fall; thenwastheprecise period known, and the fccomingof the Son of Man" can not be tf as the daysof Noe were.33
It was not until after the death of Enoch, when

thepeople beganto disregard the prophecy, that

the race of Seth became apostates; and not until 340 years subsequentthereto, that the general

apostacy took place,with the execution of Noah

and his immediategreat ancestor Mathuselah,
the son of Enoch. For there is much reason to

think Lantech was an apostate,and one of the

unbelievers;considering the prediction relativeto his son Noah, as worldly: That he would by
culture improve that earth which the Lord had
cursed; not that he was born for the continuation

* Matt.

xxiv.

38.

79 of the race of Seth in the new world. As Lamech

was bom 113 years before the deathof Enoch; this could not havebeenthe case., had the Deity appeared again on the same mission, 115 years
before the death of Lamech. Thus was Noah

placedamidsta lostabandoned world; andalthough

firm in faith, moved with fear; and while others

continued eatinganddrinking,marryingandgiving in marriage,employedhimselfon the one great work which had beenenjoinedhim, by his great ancestors Cainanand Mathuselah. He not only
devoted his time and labour agreeablyto the command of God, conforming in all things with the
direction which he had received; but led a life

of abstinence. He continued in a stateof celibacy for near 500years; whenthat the prophecy should be fulfilled.,ee preparean ark for the preserving of theeandthy family for the savingof thy house." He knew his wife and she bare Japheth, Shem
and Ham. And it is observable, that no other

children are recorded of this patriarch. Whereas

in the genealogy of each of theothers., afternaming

the birth of the son in whomtheline of patriarchs wascontinued., is addedthe numberof yearseach lived, and it is specified, that they subsequently " begat sons and daughters*/' So that if the
* Gen. v.

80

Hebrew

and Hindu accounts differ

in

trivial

matters,that of thelatter is amplyconfirmedby Christ and his Apostles, That the .Pentateuch was compiled from the writings of Moses seems as certain,as that the compiler flourishedvery manyyearsafterthedeathof thatprophet *. And so it appears that the fourth Vedawas compiled from thethree divine Vedasof very muchearlier
date : which accountsfor inaccuraciesbeing found in each. For although Mosesis admitted to have

been an inspired writer, the authorwho compiled hisworks many centuries after his deathwas not so. And asthefive books of Mosesin their present form appearto have been compiledmany centuries later than the Vedas,. it is a probable conjecture,, that,, whenthe compilerof the former
met with difficulties, he had recourse both to the Hindu and Chaldean records, which Moses had

brought withhimoutof Egypt.

Such,I conceive, wasthe seven days;and on such

presumption, hadthesentence ff yethis daysshall

be an hundredand twenty years" been taken from
an Hindu record, I should have considered it as

thedatewhentheprophecy wasmade, andI should

have fixed the period at A.M. 828; because120.x-.

= 4320O. And assevenMahaprophetic days

* VideDeut. xxxiv. 5. andfollowing.

81

denoted 1680current propheticyears,sodoes 120 yearsof daysdenote sevenhalf propheticdays, the formerbeing producedby multiplying the seven days,, by the Matiresof a wholeday or 24 hours, divided by 360; and the latter, or 7 half days, by multiplying them by the seconds of 12hours and dividing by 36o. Now in 120 yearsthere are just 432OO days: and the expression is, fcyet his days shall be an hundredand twenty years/" (7 x 43200 -f- 360= 84O= 828 Julian years.) I
should therefore have understood from the word,

yet, that the prophecywas deliveredA. M. 828; that being 828 yearsbefore the flood.
To return to the Purana, the prophet saysto

Satyavatar, " I will remain on earth until a night of Brahma shallbe completely ended;" that is, the divine spirit, who had just deliveredthe prophecy^ would not end his mortal career, until that

period. The night -of Brahma ended with the

year 10OO. Enoch was translated A. M. 988 ; and
988 x 365-r-36o = 1001. " Then shalt thou know

my true greatness,rightly namedff the Supreme Godhead/' or, when the first thousandyears of 36o days shall be completely ended*, then shall
ray translation to heaven convince thee, that I

* Denotingthat the second year of the second Calpa had

'commenced.

VOL. I.

m indeed

m iUumiiiatbn of the Deity, That

the ipreatBuddha wasexeatjpt from the lot of mortals' death,ev^ry Hindi*Wieves: tljftt Nara
wasthedivineSpirit (hatexistedWore all worlds,
the institutes of Menu record, and the Ved&s
confirm :

" The waters are called Nar&> because

they were the productionof Nara or the Spirit

of God; and since they were his first Ayana, or

plaoeof motion,he thence is calledNarayanaor movingon the waters," And that by the favour of Narayana, S^ytmtto wss institutedt Menu,
this Parana shews. We may, then, vemfare to

pronounce, that Enoch the great prophetwho foretoldthe flood,the type of JesusChrist,was the same as the great IndianBuddha^ Narayana,
the incarnate God of the Hindus.

The supposition, that Satyavatar is Cainan^

militating' againstthe generalopinion,it becomes necessary to statethefactson which thatsupposiUon if1 fenaded."-"^
, ; ' !' ""*"'"

* 'Fira^ ill the sdbrped^ree,Sttytmte appctos as the eldestson of the third generation from
Adam.

Secondly, theprophet expressly tellsthepious

prince, that the epoch of his translation should

Ifetheend ofthefirstthousand years, and thathe,

Satyavatar, shouldlive to seeit; all of which was
fulfilled. The translation of Enoch was at the

83

latter end of the first millenary, when Cainanwas

yet alive,andwholived 248 yearsafter that event;

which took place sixty-nine years before the birth
of Noah.

Thirdly, the son of the third generation from

Adam was named Cainan; which in the Hebrew

signifies not only lamentation, but builder of an ark, a nest, or placeof safety ; which is particularly applicable to Satyavatar and Cainan: First, as the prophecy was made in his time ; as he lived to see it confirmed by the translation of the prophet; and as his lamentations, in consequence thereof, were such, that to weep as Enoch, became

a proverb: and secondly,althoughthe ark was

not actually built by Cainan, yet as he lived 179 years after the birth of Noah, and until about

4OOyears before the deluge,there can b6 little doubt, but that when he transmitted theprophecy
to Noah, he assisted in the necessarypreparations

for fulfilling the command of the Lord, andtherefore acquired the name of Cainan, denotingthe ark, nest,or placeof safetyandretirement. Fourthly, because, in the Chaldean, dynasties, it is recorded by Apollodorus, from Berosus,that
in the time of Amenon (who was the son of the

thirdgeneration in theraceof Cain) theMusaris

Cannes, the Annadotus, the fish deity, made its

appearance from the Erythreansea. Satyavatar!

F 2

84

according to the Hindus, wasgovernor of a province A. M. 420, or when six Menwantaraswere

past; theChaldeans placethereturnof the race

of Cain at A.M. 413, or when fifteenmyriadsof years werepast. But thesedatesalludeto the
return of the race of Atri, and to the introduction

of idolatry,,symbolically called the stealing of the VedaSj notto theprophecy. The Hebrews do not
tell us,, either when Cainan first became a ruler,

or when the prophecy was made by Enoch. But

they placethe birth of the formerat A. M.326, which rendersit probablethat he might have
been a ruler A.M. 426; and the birth of the

latter at A.M,623, renderingit probable thatthe prophecywas made,at the time statedby the Hindus and Chaldeans, during the third age, or
from A. M. 700 to A. M. 900. The Hebrews state

theperiodwhenCainan became a sovereign prince

by succession at A.M. 1141. The Hindus after
A. M. lioo. The Chaldeans believed that the race

of Cainreturnedafter 4l6 propheticyears,and

that the Annadotus, the fish deity., made its appearance in the time of Amenon,during the
twenty-seventh2a/oos of the rule of the race of

Cain; when Amenon,, like Satyavatar, ruledover

a maritime province. The twenty-sixth 2a/w*

endedA. M. 730, and accordingto Berosus, this

prince didnotbecome a sovereign untilA.M. 1085,

85

whenhis predecessor Amillarusdied. Asappears

in Table XXII, the time of Amenon was the

Antara of Satyavatar. According to Abydinus,

therefore.,'Buddhaa appeared to this prince about

A. M. 729- According to*Apollodbrus,he again

appeared among the Chaldeans 140 years after,

when,it is probable,, he prophetized of the deluge.

This was about A. M. 866,, and does not differ

materially from 120 years of seven half days. But, as the prophecy was intended for thewhole
world.,it is natural to suppose that it was made in different provincesat different periods. And fifthly., becausethe name of this prince i

equally expressive in the Hebrew^and in the

Sanscrit. In the latter it denotes the age, in which the prince was born. The first age, or first four hundred years of the world, is termed Satya, or Crita, which is the same. The prince to whom the prophecy was made was called Satyavatar, or the Avatar of Satya. To this prince

the planet Saturn is dedicated; from which the Satyaor first -agewas called the Saturnianage:
Cainan ivas born seventy-four years before the

expirationof the Satya,or first age; and although

the third of the nine Avataras, in the generation

of patriarchs,his historybeing blendedwith that of the Matsya, or fish-god,, is alwaystermedthe first Avatar,althoughhe wasnot the first Avatara,

86

or patriarch. Europeans in general, from not con-

sidering^ or not knowingthe derivation of the words, writethename Satyavrata in lieu of Satyavatar. In like manner they write Menwantara whentheyintend71 divineages, changing Memiuantara^ or the Antara of Menu, into Men-wantara*. From the translation of the Matsya Avatar, as given by Sir William Jones, we might suppose

Satyavatar to mean Noah. But we must recollect thatthe translator thoughthim so,andworded his accountaccordingly. It is likewisea commonly received opinionamongthe Hindus,very fewof
whom study the antediluvian chronology. But
this is not confined to our brethren in Asia.

Many very pious Christians,who read their Bible

through every year, are obligedto refer to the

margin, to determine the chronology even of the postdiluvian kings : besides which, the classical Brahrgansare interested in deceiving the multitude^ Europeans as well as natives. For the deluge being universally admitted to have taken

place in the Cali age, andbeing very accurately tracedto the756thyearthereof, hadtheyadmitted Satyavatar to havebeenof the Satya or first age, thetwo interveningagescouldnot.,accordingto
* Menu in the plural beingsounded long, is written Menuu? the two vowels beingchangedby Europeans into a consonant,
they write Men-wan-ta-ra in lieu of Menun-an-ta-ra.

8?

their extended numbers, have been accounted for.

A very little attention to dates and punctuation, will enable us to do away every seeming contradiction in the Purana* The part which alludes to the prophecy ends with the word " attendants/'

in the sixth lino* of p. 63. Buddhahavingretired fromthe province of Dravira,overwhichSatyavatar ruled, this prince cchumbly waited for a time> whichthe Ruler of our senses hadappointed/'not the deluge, but the end of the first Calpa,when, the first night of Brahmabeing completely ended,
the sign would be given, which was to prove the

divine origin of the prophet, his translationto

heaven: when, by the favour of the Deity, the mind of Satyavatarwould be abundantlyinstructed: that is, the religion which the prophet taught, and the life eternal which was promised in his revelations (on which the Vedas are founded) should all be confirmed by his ascensionto heaven,,(the translation of Enoch.) And so the ancients believed, who inform us that the sacred volumes

were delivered by the Deity to Enoch. The remaining part of the Puranaalludesto the.descendant of Satyavatar, the-princewho was saved
in the ark. In another part we read, " the Lord

of the universeintendingto preservehim from the sea of destruction/'-gaveorders relative, jtp the ark: the obviousmeaning of which is, his

88

racp, i. e. in his seed,should mankind be renewed.

Not that Satyavatar himselfshouldlive until that

period. In like manner, when the promise was

given to Abram, the Lord said: " I will make

of thee a great nation/' Yet the patriarch never supposedhe should " himself be aggrandized; on the contrary, having no children, he was led to suppose that the prophecywould be fulfilled in the
child of Eliezer of Damascus, who was born in his
house. Should we be less tolerant to the Hindu^

than to the Hebrew Scripture? Certainly not: first, as we professto believethe latter to be compiled from the works of an inspired writer; and secondly,as we havenumerous Hebrew scholars, but very few indeed who understandthe Sanscrit language: owing to which, the commencement of this Pralaya is rendered nearly unintelligible.
In the translation we read, ccat the close of the

last Calpathere was a general destruction, owing to the sleep of Brahma; whencehis creaturesin
different worlds were drowned in avast ocean.*'*

Brahma beinginclinedto slumber, desiring repose aftera lapse of ages,the daemon Hayagrivastole the Vedas." No one, not intimatelyacquainted with the subject,would understandthese two
paragraphs,thus blended.,to denote two occur* Vide p. 5Q.

89

rencesat the distanceof more than 1200years

from each other. Yet such is the case. The

formerof the two paragraphs denotingthe period when the deluge occurred; [the latter of them, the period when idolatry was introduced: and
it should be rendered as follows: cf At the close

of the last Calpa during the sleepof Brahma, there wasa generaldestruction/' The lastCalpa ended with the year 150O: consequently, the general destruction,that took place during the sleepof B*ahma,was between the years 1501,* when his night commenced^ and the years2000,
when it ended. The Purana proceeds to inform us,thate<this destruction was owing to the daemon Hayagriva having stolen the Vedas, towards the closeof the first Calpa, or when six Menwantaras,

equalto 426 yearsof 360 days, werepassed;at whichtime (the eveningtwilight of the first day)
Brahma felt inclined to slumber/' All which is

merelya figurativeway of indicatingthat idolatry was introducedat that period, when the race of
Atri, or Cain, returned.

-There are many passages in this Purana, which agreein the minordetails, with those of the
Jewish Rabbis. " The pious prince having entered the ark with his attendants antt the chief of

Brahmaiis, somedoubts enteringtheir minds,they

thus addressed th prince." " O king,meditate

90

on the Deity, who will surelydeliverusfrom this danger, and grant us prosperity/3 Rabbi Ben Syrach records,that the floodnot ensuingimmediatelyon Noah's entering the ark, he thus addressed the Deity : ccO thou, Lord of the world, wherefore hast thou brought me into the ark, to

save, or to destroyme ?" The Deity, thusinvoked,

according to each of these authors,appeared, and assuredthe patriarchof his protection. That Satyavatarwas equally the name of the
" third and seventh Menu, in the race of the Sun,

is vry probable. It is not unlikely, that the prince who was actually savedin the ark, and who was

bornjust six hundredyearsbefore the periodforetold for that event, the immediate descendant in a direct line from Buddha, should have been named

after his great ancestor/ to whom the prophecy is

believed to have been delivered; and who, accord-

ing to the Hebrew text, lived an hundredand eightyyearsafterthebirth of Noah: Cainandied

A. M. 1236.,and Noah was born A. M. 1056. That

twodistinctcharacters havebeenblended, appears

certain. In the beginning of the Purana, it is

stated that by the introduction of idolatry,therace

of man became corrupt with theexception of Satyavatar and the seven Rishis. ' The Rishis in

this sense, denote the ten children of Brahma,or

the ten patriarchsin the Solar race. Whereas at

91

noperiodof Noah'slife wereseven of thepatriarchs living, exclusive of himself. The introduction of

idolatry A.M. 420; the prophecy a few centuries after, and the translation of the prophet at the closeof the first night of Brahma, or at the end

of the first thousandth yearof the world, are all saidto have happened during the time whenSatyavatar was ruler over the province of Dravira,
south of Carnata. All of which events, we know,

happenedbefore the birth of Noah. Satyavatar was appointed a Menu before the deluge, during the second Calpa, by the title of Sraddha-diva. Cainan succeeded to the supreme command of that country to which Seth had retired,, on the
death of Enos A. M. 1141; which was the hundred

and fifty-sixth yearof the second Calpa. " When

Cainan had appointed.his eldest son Mahalaleel to he his successor, .he died xm the fourth day of
the month Chizram* A.M. 1236." The Hindus

record that the prince saved in the ark was ap-

pointed a Menu by favour of Vishnu,when the

waters of the deluge had subsided,Anno Cali 7^7>

or A.M. 1657; andto preventa possibility jof his being mistaken for his ancestorSatyaratar,he was commanded to assume the patronymicof the solarMenus,Vakaswata:thereby,without blend* B-lmachmus, .
.

92

ing the individuals, intimating thatmankind were

preserved in the seedof Satyavatar or Cainan, according* to the promisemadeby the prophet: whereas, had the reign of the prince, savedin
the ark, commencedbefore the flood, he would
have been a Menu without creation.

Satyavatar was the governor of a province

south of Carnata A. M. 420. This was one hun-

dredyears afterthebirth of Cainan. The Hindus, we have seen., place thedelugewhenl680 prophetic yearsof 36o dayswere past; consequently., the princewho wassaved in the ark, beganhis reigti 1230yearsafter Satyavatar became ruler of Dravira; and supposing the age to answer to the
Hebrew test, which we have no reason to doubt.,

then, if Satyavatarwho ruled at Dravira, was the

prince saved in the ark, he had attained the age of onethousand three hundredand thirty years,
before he became the ruler of the new world :

whereas the average life of the antediluvian patriarchs, according to the Hindus,waseighthundred andfifty-seven years; and, from an extraordinary coincidence in the periods whenthetwo patriarchs

Cainan andNoahwereborn, the epithet Satyavatar becameapplicable to both: For as each

millenarycontained four ages,and the first four hundred jpearsof eachwere named Satya,or the

first age,Noah, whowas born A.M-. 1056, might

93

very appropriatelybe termed the Saty-avatara of the secondCalpa. He was likewise the Satya,
or first Avatara of the postdiluvian world. It is

thereforevery probablethat he was so designated in the Purana, from which the Matsya-avatara
is extracted, and which .is said to contain fourteen

thousandstanzas. Prom these,properly understood, what fujids of antediluvian history might be

obtained.

Haying sofar explainedthe Hindu cypher as

to enable you to apply it to any authentic record, you may wish to study, I shall reservethe explanation of the Buddhas for a future Letter.

^ remain,

my dearSir, your's very faithfully,

LETTER

II.

MY DEAR SIR,

As thesystem of Chronology whichI have adopted,, militates entirely against thatof all modern
authors.,I shall commencethis Letter, by giving

youtheir opinionon the subject. For if it should appear that the Cali age did not commence 3102 yearsbefore the Christianera,,or, which is the samething, cc that the common opinionthat 4888
yearsof it had elapsedprior to the year of Christ

1788is erroneous," then, the whole of my systeift

is false. These authorssay,,(that is, Sir William Jones, whom the rest have copied from) " that when the Chinese government admitted a new

religionfrom India in the first centuryof our era, they madeparticularenquiryconcerning the age

of theoldIndianBuddha;whose birth,according
to Couplet, theyplace in the 41styear of the 28th

cycle,or 1036yearsbeforeChrist. And they callhim,says he, Foethesonof Moyeor Maya.

But Mr. De Guines, on the authorityof four Chinese historians, asserts that Foe was born about

95

the year before Christ 1027, in the kingdomof Cashmir. Giorgi, or rather Cassiano, from whose
papers his work is compiled, assures us that by the

calculationsof the Tibetians, he appeared only

959 years before the Christian "epoch: and M. Bailly, with somehesitation,placeshim 1031 years
before it; but inclines to think him far more ancient,,

confounding him,,asI havedonein a formertract,,

with the first Buddha, or Mercury; whom the Goths called Woden,, and of whom I shall presently take particular notice. Now, whether we
assume the medium of the four last-mentioned

dates, or implicitly rely on the authorities quoted

by De Guines,we mayconclude that Buddhawas first distinguished in India, abouta thousand years
before the beginning of our era. And whoever,

in so early an age, expectsa certain epoch,unqualified with aboutor nearly, will be greatlydisappointed: hence it is clear, that whether the fourthageof theHindusbeganaboutonethousand yearsbefore Christ,according to Goverdhan's account of Buddha's birth, or two thousand, accord-

ing to that of Rhadacant, thecommon opinionthat 4888 years of it are now elapsed is erroneous;"
This account was written A. D. 1788*.

From the foregoingit appears,thattheHindu

* See Tract on Chronology, Vol. IV. p. 22. of Sir W. Jones.

96

chronology in general, andthecommencement of

the Callagein particular, is meant to be regulated by the birth of Buddha; which isin itself an absurdhypothesis: because no Hindu eracommences from thebirth of any oneof the Buddhas, although it is a received opinion,that " the third agebeing completely ended, Buddha closed his mortal
career/' This was the first Buddha, or Adam;

wTho, according to the Hebrew text, died in the thirty-first year of the Call, or fourth age, A. M. 931. This error originatesin the word appeared

beingrendered thebirth, in lieu of the appearance

at a particular epoch: but that the Hindu chronology should be regulated by the birth of a ChineseAtheist, born on the borders of Tartary, is contrary to every rational system. Besides which, the Pralaya,or destruction^which was the

subjectof my last Letter, was translated by this author for the express purpose of proving, that
the Buddha of the ninth Avatar was Noah : that

NoahwasSaturn; and SaturnSatyavatar*.Now

accordingto the Hebrews, Noah was born A. #.

"1O56; and according to the Chinese in the year

B,c. 2952, which corresponds therewith. So that

if Buddhawas Noah, Cf and first distinguished in India abouta thousand years beforethebegin* See Works of Sir W.'Jones, Vol. III. p. 332.

97

tnng of our era/' the adopting- any one of the "opinionsfounded on the authorities abovequoted, proves,,either that Noah was born only one thousand yearsbeforeChrist, or that the birth of Foe is wholly unconnectedwith the commencement of the

Cali age. And the hypothesis is not rendered less

Chinese

objectionable by this author, supposing that the Buddha was cc confounded with the first

Buddha, or Mercury; whom the Goths call

Woden:" because he asserted Buddha to have

been of the third generation from Noah, and married to a daughter of that patriarch, named Ila, You will recollect that Buddha denotesa prophet, Budha a sage. Nothing is so easy, as to support an argument, so long as assertions are taken as proofs. And this has been the case relative to the chronologyof the antediluviansin general. First, Couplet never wrote Foe the son of

Maya. Mo-ye has no allusion to the former

epithet. Secondly,Goverdhanadoesnot place the birth of Buddha about one thousand,years before the
birth of Christ, or Rhadacanta at two thousand

yearsbeforethat epoch. Andthirdly, M. Bailli,whoplaces thebirth of Fo, whom the Chinese'frequently call Foe the son of Mo-ye,at the years, c. 1031,never,even by implication, supposes him to be the Hindu Buddha,the
VOL. I. G

98

sou of Jim, or Buddha, of the ninth Avatar. On

thecontrary, thisauthor calculates thecommencement of the Call age veryaccurately backto the

yearB.C. 3102, answering to A.M. 900,which

meets the Hindureckoningto a year. For they

suppose this to be the 3892917th year of the

world; andthe 4917th year of the Caliage,or the
First age 1728000= 40O

Second age Third age

1296000 = 30O 864000= 20O

3888000 = 900

Portion of the fourth Total

4917 = 4917 8892917 = 58 If

The year of the world 5817answers to the

yearof the Cali age 4917,andto the yearof

Christ 1815*; which correspondswith the ac-

counts,, asgivenby M. Bailli andRhadacanta; both of whom place thecommencement ofthefourthage

at the year B. c. 3102. For 3102+900 =*4002. This is the chronology attempted to be overset, on the authority of four Chinese authors. Whereas it is admitted ecthat the Chinese themselves do

not evenpretend,that any historic monuments

existed in the ageof Confucius preceding eleven

* Vide Appendix (A).

99

hundred years before the Christian,era." Now

each of the four several Hindu Buddhas died be-

fore that epoch. But asthreeof themcorrespond both in point of time,and the principaleventsof their lives,with those of the antediluvian patriarchs,
and as the second and third make a conspicuous figure in the sixth and ninth Avatars, it is necessary in the first instance to explain how these Avatars are placed by the Hindus. In the fourth table you will perceive that the agesare placed in arithmetic proportion, and it is universally admitted
that the Avatars bear the same ratio. But that

ratio alludes exclusively to their birth ; and in this sense the Hindus in general believe that four 'Avatarasappeared,i. e. were born, in the first age, or first four hundred years; three in the second

or three hundred years; and two in the third. But the Bhagavataffirmsthat the ninth Avatara
was born at the beginning of the fourth age, and
these are the true data.

To save you the trouble of referring to Scripture dates, I have formed a table according to the Hebrew text of the Bible; shewing the birth,

death,andageof the antediluvian patriarchs.

100

TABLE

V.
Died A.M.

Born A. M.

Adam I Seth 2 Enos 3 Cainan.. .* 4 Mahalaieel 5 Jared

1.... 131 236..., 326 396 46l

931....930 1043,*. .912 1141 905 1236....910 1291 895 1423....962

6 Enoch 7 Methuselah
8 Lamech

623 688 1057

988 1656 2007

365 968
776

875... .1651

9 Noah
The

950
Swa-

nine descents in

succession from

yambhava in thesolarrace., or childrenof the Sun, aredesignated asAvatarasor illuminations of the

Deity ; the Children of God. Swayambhava,or

Adam,, asthegeneral stockfrom whence the children of the Sun and Moon (the race of Seth and Cain descended) is not included., and of thesenine-, six only are admittedto havebeen Menus or sovereigns of the world. They record that " there
were six Menus well versed in the Vedas and six

others/3 of bothwhichlinesSwayambhava wasthe chief. NO\Y let us comparethe nine descents

from Adam, with those from the Hindu.
or father of mankind as Avataras.

Adam

101
A.M.

1 Seth born ...". 2 Enos 3 Cainan

.. 131 " ". .236 ., .326

4 Mahalaleel,

396

Accordingto the Hindus whenfour centuries werepassed andfour Avataras born, their first age ended,the fifth Avatara being born in thesecond age whichcommenced A.M. 401.
A. M.

5 Jared

born

461

6 Enoch

623

7 Methuselah

688

Thus when seven centuries were passedand

sevenAvatarasborn,,the secondage ended,the third commencing A. M.71*

A. M.

8 Lamech born ...,...,.. 9 Noah

875 1057

From the foregoing, it appears, that the nine Avataras correspondwith the nine patriarchs. It

is true, the last, or Noah,was born during the fourth age, But it is equallytrue, that the Hindu
records, which never vary from truth, instead

of altering the date to make it agree with their hypothesis (like those authorswho fly from the

Hebrewto the Septuagint or Samaritan text,

whenever it suits their purpose) inform us that
the ninth, or Buddha Avatarfe, commenced at the

beginning; of the fourth, instead of theconclusion

of the third age, And, of a period which was to

lastfivethousand years,, an hundred andfifty-seven might ve?ywellbe termedthebeginning. Europeans in general, following the Hindu
poet, suppose the exploits performedin the several Avataras,to haveoccurredasplaced by that author; which is an evident mistake. For, considering

themascelebrated by JayaDeva, the first, sixth.,

and ninth, allude to Buddhathe sonof Maya, and

the prophecy of the deluge. Althoughthe ninth^ equally alludingto theactions of Buddha thesonof Jina, in whomthe prophecy wasfulfilled,isusually
termed the Buddha Avatar. The second and third

treat exclusivelyof Buddha, the son of Maya, who described the fall of man, and prophetized of his

redemption.The fourth,fifth, seventh, andeighth are et&cidatory of the religiouswars carried on by the children of the Sun, againstth Idolattei-s or childrenof the Moon, during the early part of theoldworld, beforethegeneralapostacy;afl of whichI shallexplainhereafter* We mustn6W
return to those Avataras who became Mfenus or

kings; of whom theHindussuppose six in each

103

race. If we may believe Eusebius,Berosus allotted that number of kings betweenAlorosor Adam., and the deluge, in the raceof Cain. And we know that the Hebrews suppose the same
number in the race of Seth. For Enoch and

Lamech, dyingbeforetheir respective fathers, could not havesucceeded to the sovereignty of theworld in succession ; and Methuselah havinglived until within a few days of the deluge, Noah consequently did not commence his reign in the old
world. And so the Purana denotes, saying, Cf the prince who was savedin the ark was appointed

a Menu, by favourof Vishnu, after the watersof the delugehadsubsided, by his patronymic of Vaivaswata;" which was not only an epithet of the Sun, but the name of the great ancestor of this

prince; a person soeminently pious,, thatmany of

the Hebrews suppose that the destructionof all createdbeings,who had offendedthe Almighty,
was withheld until the number of his days were

completed.Promthe last tableit appears, th^t the sixpatriarchs, whoruledin succession, were
named as follows.

104

TABLE VI.
Hebrew. Sanscrit.

Adam,
[ Seth. 2 Enos.

Swayambhava.
1 Swariochesha. 2 Auttama.

3 Cainan. 4 Mahalaleel

3 Tamosa. 4 Raivata,

5 Jared.
6 Methuselah.

5 Chur'shusha,or beaming with glory.

6 Vaivaswata, or child
the Sun.

of

That the Mosaic account agrees with that of the Hindus is certain ; not only in the number of

the patriarchs, or Avataras, but in thedateof their

birth, and the number who became Menus, or

kings,in succession. We must, then., give credit

to both, or to neither. A variety of other circumstances might hencebe deduced,to prove that

the beginning of the Caliage is correctlyplaced

at the,year B. c. 3102, or A. M. 900. It is marked by the death of their first Buddha; and Adam died in the 31st year of that age. It is men-

tioned as the periodwhen idolatry had assumed

a gigantic form; when men were consecratedas gods. And the Hebrew writers inform us, that before the death of Adain, A. M. 931^ he sentfor

Sethand his descendants, chargingthemto retire

from the plain, where Abel had been murdered^

105

andto reside in the mountains;in the holy mount opposite to Paradise^ lestthey shouldbe drawnto idolatry by the descendants of Cain. Perhapsno periodof the old,,or new world, could so appropriately have been namedthe age of Sin and Sorrow.,as that in which the Hindus place it : <e whenthe earthbecame corruptbeforeGod.,and wasfilledwith violence"(Gen.vi. 11.) givenup to idolatry. Those who argue for the removalof
this age^ are obliged to transform the children of

Adaminto the;childrenof Noah,, aswill appear by returning to the quotation,which proceeds to say,
" On a supposition that Vaivaswata, or Sun-born. was the Noah of the Scripture,,let us proceedto the Indian account of his posterity; which I extract from the Puranar-thaprecasa,, or the Puranas explained; a work lately composedin Sanscrit by Rhadacanta Barman, a pundit of extensive learn-

ing and great fameamongthe Hindusof this province. Before we examine the genealogiesof

kings which he hascollectedfrom the Puranas^ it will be necessary to give a generalideaof the Avatars^or descents of the Deity. The Hindus
believe innumerable such descents, or specific

interpositions of Providence in the affairs of mankind. But they reckon ten principal Avatars in the current period of four ages., and all of them are describedin order as they are supposed to

106

occurin the followingOdeof Jayadeva, thegreat lyric poetof India/'

THE ODE.

1. Thou recovered the Veda in the water of

the oceanof destruction, placing*it joyfully in the bosom of an ark fabricated by thee! O Cesava, assuming thebodyof a fish,, be victorious, O Heri,
Lord of the Universe !

2. The Earth standsfirm on thy immensely broad back,which growslarger,from the callous occasioned by bearingthat vastburden.O Cesava, assuming the body of a tortoise,be victorious,
O Heri, Lord of the Universe.

3. The Earth placed on thepointof thy tusk,

remainedfixed like the picture of a black antelope, on the Moon. O Cesava, assumingthe form of a
boar, be victorious, O Heri, Lord of the Universe.

4. The claw with a stupendous point in the exquisiteLotosof thy lion'spaw, is theblackbee that stung the body of the embowelled Hiranyactsipa. O Cesava, assuming theformof a lionman, be victorious, O Heri, Lord of the Universe.

5. By thy powerthou beguilestBali, O thou

miraculous dwarf, thou purifier of men with the

water (of Ganga),springing from thy feet* O Cesava, assuming theformof a dwarf, be victorious,
O Heri, Lord of the Universe.

lor

6. Thoubathest in purewater., consisting of

theblood of Cshatriyas, the worid, whose offences are removed, andwho are relieved from the paiits of other births*. O Cesava, assumingthe form
of Parasa Rama, be victorious, O Heri, Lord of
the Universe.

7- With ease to thyself, with delight to the

Genii of the eight regions,thou scatteredst on all sidesin the plain of combatthe daemon with ten heads. O Cesava, assumingthe form of Rama
Chandra, be victorious, O Heri, Lord of the Universe.

8. Thou bearest on thy bright body, a mantle

shining like a blue cloud, or like the water of Yamuna, tripping towards thee through fear of thy

furrowing ploughshare. O Cesava, assuming the

form of Bala Rama; be victorious., O Heri., ford of
the Univ&hse.

9. Thou blamest, O wonderftil, the Wttdte

Veda, when thou seest, O kind-hearted,, the

slaughter of cattleprescribed for sacrifice. O Cesava, assuming thebodyof Buddha; be victoridti%

O Heri; Lord of the Universe.

10. For the destruction of all the impure, thdtt

* Denoting that those whobelieve in therevealed religion of
their incarnateGod,ParasaRama, would be exemptfrom transimgratfon,to .whith others; #etfe subject.

108

drawe&t thy cyrnetar like a blazingcomet,howtremendous ! O Ce*ava, assuming the bodyof Calci.,
be victorious,O Heri, Lord of the Universe! These ten Avataras, our author proceedsto

are by somearranged accordingto thethousands of divine agesin eachof the four ages. And if suchan arrangement wereuniversally received, we shouldbe able to ascertaina very materialpoint in the Hindu Chronology,
inform us,

"

I meanthe birth of Buddha; concerningwhich the different pundits, whom I haveconsulted,and the samepundits at different times, have expresseda

strangediversity of opinion. They all agree that

Calci is yet to come, and that Buddhawas the last considerableincarnation of the Deity. But the astronomersof Varanesplace him in the third

age,andRhadacanta insists that he appeared after

the thousandthyear of the fourth. The learned
and accurate author of the Dabastin, whose infor-

mationconcerning the Hindusis wonderfully correct, mentions an opinion of the pundits with
whom he had conversed, that Buddha commenced

his career ten years before the closeof the third age. And Goverdhan& of Cashmir,who had once
informed me that Crishnu descendedtwo centuries

beforeBuddha, assured me, lately, thatthe Cashmeriansadmittedof twenty-four years. Others

109

allow only twelve between these two divine per* sons. The bestauthority, after all, is the Bhagavat itself; in the first chapterof which, it is expressly declared, that Buddha the son of Jina

wouldappearat Cicata,for thepurpose of confoundingthe daemons just at the beginning of the Calijug; sothat on the wholewe may safely place
Buddha just at the beginning of the Cali age.

But what is the beginning of it ? When this question was proposed to Rhadacanta, he answered,, of a period comprising more than four hundred thousand years,, the first two or three thousand may reasonablybe called the beginning. On my demandingwritten evidence, he produced a book

of some authority,composed by alearnedGoswami.,

and entitled Bhagavatamrita, or the Nectar of the

Bhagavat, on which it is a metricalcomment, and the coupletwhich he madefrom it deserves to be cited. After thejust mentioned account of Buddha
in the text, the commentator says
c he became

visible, the thousandth and second year of the

Cali agebeing past; his bodyof a colourbetween white and ruddy, with two arms, withouthair on
his head/ " From the above (as the author conceived) contradictory accounts, he proceeds to

comment,by saying, " If the learned Indians differ sowidely in their accountof the age, when this ninth Avatara appeared in their country,we

no

maybe assured that theyhave no certain chronologybeforehim; andmaysuspect the certainty

of all the relationsconcerning even his appearance/'

Herewe havea hasty conclusion,. as illiberal

asit is unjust. The least attention to theoriginals, from which these quotations were translated,

would have explained the seemingmystery,, and

reconciled the several appearances of the several Buddhaswith the text of Scripture. First,, our author doesnot seemclearly to understand the difference between an Avatara, and

an incarnationof the Deity. Of the former, the

Hindus believe in an infinite number: Of the

latter, certainlythey believebut in one, among

the nine principal Avataras which are past. An Avatara denotesa man of eminent piety; a man

highly endowed by the Almighty with religious knowledge.In like manneras Elias, or Elijah,
and others, were called the men of God. In the

instance before us, the appellationis usedto dis-

tinguish the patriarchsof the pious race of the

Sun, or Seth, from those of the idolatrous race of

the Moon, or Cain. Had theseAvataras, in the

sensein which Europeans eommonly understand them, been placedaccordingto the divineages, in arithmeticproportion,it would haveamounted to a proof,that they werefabulous. For .whocan

Ill

seriouslysuppose, that a divine incarnation,or even prophetic knowledge,was diffused by the Almighty at statedperiods,governedby mathematical principles ? But considered in their true light, asthe eminently piousdescendants of Seth,
the patriarchs of the antediluvian world, they are correctly placed in such proportion : because the number of centuries in each age agreed with the
number of Avataras; and* the dates of the births

of the patriarchs accordingto the Mosaicaccount

bear to one another a similar ratio. Secondly, fc they are by some arranged according to the thousands of divine ages, in each of the four

humanages." They maybe so arranged by some Europeanauthors. But no Hmducouldsoarrange them. For the aggregate of the fourhuman ages^
or 4320000 years,is consideredbut as one divine

age,or 1200 years; andthe Hindus are too well

versed in mathematics, to produce thousands of divine ages from a period that comprisesjust a tenth part of one, or the fourth age. The Avatars

asarrangedby Jayadeva, haveno allusion to proportion or time. They are placed accordingto historicrecord, detailing the blessings that Nara the greatGodof hostsconferred on mankind., from the creationto the deluge. Accordingly he makes the prophecyof Enoch,in the Sap'heri,or fish Deity, the first: and Buddha,or Noahwhowas

112

saved m the ark, the last Avatara. For Vaivas-

wata \vas designated a prophet, andan Avatara, although not an incarnate God. The threefirst
Avatars are continuations of one subject,the pro-

phecies of Enoch. In the first,Buddhathe sonof Mayapreaches repentance, andforetels thedeluge; explainingthat asthe fall of man was a type of death,his translation to heaven shouldbe a typeof
the resurrectionand life eternal. This subject is explained, andcontinuedin the second Avatar, under

thesymbol of the Amrita, or waterof immortality,

which the prophetensuresto all thosewho became

regenerate and are bornof theGayataor Spirit.

In the third is portrayed the final overthrow of

Satan, at the endof the days, orpresent age. Here theprophetis depictured as Atlas* treadingSatan underhis feet, and supporting the world against
all the machinationsof the prince of darkness. The sixth representsthe incarnate God, or this
Buddha, as the divine Rama : the ninth Buddha

the son of Jina the prince who was saved in the

ark: and the interveningAvatars representthe heroic actionsof thosepatriarchs who opposed the growthof idolatry in the old world, so placedas
* Eusebiusrecordsfrom Eupaternusthat the Babylonians

believed "Enoch to be the greatAtlas, the promoter by a new system of astrology, or whatwecall Astronomy^

113

to correspond with the events, without any regard to primogeniture, in the Avataras who performed
them.

Nothing can be more easythan to reconcile

the dates at which the severalBuddhasappeared j

although this author would persuade us that they

all equallyalludeto the ninth Avatar., an ideaperfectly European*. Buddha, like Budha3 is a
generic word; the former applicableto any person

eminently gifted with prophetic knowledge, andas

such applied to Swayambhava and the divine Rama, as prophetsof the antediluvian world.,and to Vaivaswata and Crishnu of the postdiluvianworld.
In the two former we trace Adam., and Enoch*

under the epithets of Buddha, the sonof the Self-

created (haying hadno mortalparent); andBuddha

the sonof Maya or divine delusion; elucidatory of their belief,that theDeitywasactually incarnate in this Buddha. In the two latter, we cannot
mistake Noah, and Moses, described as Buddha

thesonof Jina,who wasborn at the beginning of thefourthage,for thepurpose of confounding

the daemons by continuingtheraceof man in the
postdiluvian wrid: and Buddha called Crishnu (a corruption of Vishnu) and named the black
* The the fourth Hindus term the first Buddha the son of the Self-

created; the second the son of Mdya; the third the sonof Jina;
the son of Devica.

VOL.!

shepherd, to denotethe transactions he hadwith the Egyptians,in whosecountry he was borit.

The miraclesperformedby him were during the middleof the third Calpa,or period of time answer-

ing to A.M. 250O, or thereabout. Thoseof Moses are statedby the Hebrewsto have taken place immediately beforehe left Egypt: And the children of Israel were delivered A. M. 2513.

Lest it shouldbe allegedthat the foregoing0

are merely assertions,and that assertionsare not proofs, we will proceedto examine the ground on which they are formed. It is universally known
that even those authors, who insist that the Hindus

haveno knowledgeantecedent to the deluge, and

knownothing of the Buddhaof the ninth Avatar, independent of the principaleventof his life (the universal deluge) admit that thePuranas " contain thehistoryof theworld from the creationto the
Buddha Avatara."

That the first Buddha was Adam, we learn

fromthe following. cfTh third age being completely ended,Buddhafinishedhis mortalcareer/' This ageended with theyear900. Adam5 according to the Hebrews,died A. M. 931 : Alorus according to the Chaldeansdied A. M. 928. Each was

created,accordingto their several historians,in the yearB.c. 4004; and this Buddha,according
to the Hindus, in the year B. c. 4002.

115

The secondBuddha, the incarnate God, could

have been no other than Enoch. For it is record-

ed that in consequence of the Vedasbeing stolen (idolatryintroduced), the Deity actually descended
from his paradiseto redeem mankind; that he was

absent from Heavena dayand night,of the Gods ; and re-ascended to heaven,, when the night of Brahmawas completely ended. Enoch sojourned on earth365 years. Here weread yearsfor days.
For it is expressly said., cca year of mortals is a day and night of the Gods, and regents of the universe." We have not only the period of his sojourn on earth, but of his birth and translation. He lived 365 years, and ascended to heaven at the closeof the first night of Brahma ; or immediately after the first thousandthyear of the world expired.

A thousandyears of 36o days are equal to QS6 yearsof 365 daysand6 hours; and 986- 365=
621. Enoch was bora A. M. 623*. This is the

Buddha whom the astronomersof Varanesplace

in the third age, or from about A. M. 700 to

A.. M. 9OO; and whom the author of the Dubis-

tan mentionsas having commenced a glorious careerten yearsbeforethecloseof the third age

answering to A.M.890,or, more correctly to 890 prophetic years. This is about thetimein which
'* Vide Table V.
H 2

116

Apollodorus, whocopies from Berosus, placesthe

appearance of the Annadotusor fish-deity of the

Chaldeans. This prophet being born towardsthe endof thesecond age,and translated in the beginningof thefourth,his exploits areverycorrectly placedby the astronomers, who speakin general terms, ee during,the third age/' The more accurate author of the Dubistau fixes his career of

glory at just ten years before the expirationof the third age: of events the whole of whichwere glorious, some doubts mayarise,relativeto theone alluded to. We mightsuppose that he meant when theprophet (Enoch), according to Buxtorf,obtained
the epithet of Ambassador of God; or when, ac-

cordingto Elmachinus, he measured the circular

orb of heaven; or when, accordingto Bedavius,

he received the sacred booksfrom theAlmighty;

or when,, according to St. Paul,, he walked with

God; and according to St. Jude, he prophesied

of the destruction of the world. That the latter

was the epoch alluded to by the author of the Dubistan, appearsnearly certain from the date,

ten years before the expiration of the last age,

or 890years from thecreation. And Apollodorus,, whocopiesfromBerosus, states the appearance of the Annadotusafter 88 Sapoiwere completed. A 2po9 contains 10yearsof 36o days each. The prophecy wasmade,according to thisauthor,from

117

880 to 890 years of 36o days, from the creation.

The Hindusrepresent the Deity, whenhe delivered the prophecy in the form of the Sap'heri or fishdeity : Eusebiusrepresents him as a fishendowed with divineintellect. Accordingto Dowe, when he wrote,the two principalSastras weremorethan

4800yearsold; which carries them backnearly

six hundredyearsbeforethe deluge. These are

considered bytheHindus astheproduction of the

second Menu ; Menu the son of the first created

or Seth, They are consideredas an abridgment

of the sacred Veda, or revealed religion promulgated by the Deity in an incarnateform, about
the closeof the third age; which answers to the account of Bedavius. Possibly Mr. Dowe carries
the Sastras too far back. But it meets the belief

of the Hindus,, that they were compiledby the son

of Swayambhava,. from the revelations of Buddha, immediately after his ascension, which took place
at the close of the first night of Brahma, or his

day of 24 hours; which answers to thetranslation

of Enoch A. M. 988. This incarnation of the

Deity is described asfollows :

<cBuddha, the author of happiness and a por-

tion of Narayen,the Lord Haree-sa, thepreserver

of all,appeared in this oceaji of natural beings at

the close of the Dwapar,and beginning of the

Calijug;:He who is omnipresent, and everjast-

118

inglyto becontemplated ; theSupreme God, the

Eternal ONE, the divinity worthy to be adored

by the mostpiousof mankind., appeared with a portion of hisdivine nature/' Jayadeva describes
him as bathingin blood, or sacrificinghis life to washawaythe oftences of mankind., andthereby
to makethem partakersof the kingdom of heaven.
Can a Christian doubt that this Buddha was the

typeof theSaviour of theworld? Abul Pharagius

says

<v Enoch was an observer of the pure com-

mands of God, he did that whichwas good,and

avoided that which was evil, and continued in the

worship of God to the end of his life." The ancient Greeks are of opinion, that this Enoch was Hermes; who is called Trismegistus, or ff the author of a threefold doctrine; becausehe describes God, by his three essentialattributes;,
his existence, his wisdom, and his life;" Hindus*. "The which

corresponds with the original creed of the

Arabians call him Edris, and

it is reported,that there were three men who were called by the name of Hermes, of whom, this is
the first, whc dwell in Sais, who was the first of

all men who treatedof the heavenly substances, and admonished the old world concerning the flood. The second was the Babylonian Hermes,
* Seethe beginning of the last Letter.

119

whodweltin Calvada a city of the Chaldeans, and

flourished after the flood, and was the first after

Nimrod, the son of Cusli, who built a city in Babylon. The third is Hermesthe Egyptian, whois calledTdsmegistus ; thatis, <the greatest of the great*. But the Zubii think, that Seththe sonof Adamwasthe EgyptianAgathodsemon, and instructor of the first Hermes ; that Asclepiades was one of thosekings who was instructed by Hermes, andthat he wasmade by him a governor
of the fourth part of the then habitable world ; the same that, after the flood, was possessed by the Greeks." This account is nearly literally the
same with that of the Hindus, who insist that
of the son of the first created w&s the inventor

letters, the author of the Sastras, the instructor of

Rama.,and the original organizer of Astronomy, which was subsequently brought to perfection by Buddha. And so say the Jews, for although they consider Enoch the first,, as the greatest astronomer^ they suppose Seth, the son of the first
created, to have been his instructor. So that the

Hebrews, equally with the Hindus, believed the

first Hermes, or Buddha to have flourished in the

antediluvian world, in oppositionto thosemodern

authors, who suppose him to havebeen the sonin-law of Noah, Mercury, whom the Goths call Woden. Those who haveany knowledge of the

120

worship enjoined at thePagoda in Travancore, or

of the annualfestival held there in honour of the

Trimouti, cannothesitate to pronounce that the adoration of the Deity in Trinity, which is traced backfor morethan fivethousand years,originated
with Enoch : that the Hindus date their divine

Veda,at the period when Bedavius supposes that

the divine volumes were sent from heaven : that

they ascribe the Sastras to the sameperson,,whom Elmachinusrepresentsas the inventor of letters, is a presumptive proof that the same personswere intended: and that the birth of the former being

tracedto A. M. 621*, amounts to a positive proof,

that the Buddha celebratedby the author of the
Dubistan, A. M. 87$, was Enoch the son of Jared.

The third Buddhawho flourishedduring the

old and new world, who was to appearic at Cicata,

for thepurpose of confounding the daemons, just at the beginning of the Caliage/' couldbe no other
than Noah, the son of Lamech, the Buddha of the

ninth Avatar. We are nowarrivedat thatperiod

(the Cali age),whenfictitious dates arerejected

for Julian years. Noah was born in the hundred

and fifty-sixth year of the Cali age* and, of a periodwhichwasto last500Oyears,the hundred

andfifty-sixth mightvery correctly be termed the

* See the former part of this Letter.

131

commencement. The Bhagavat on thissubject is

clear and comprehensive, A prophet was to be born at the commencement of the fourth age*.

His missionwas to fulfil the predictionof the former Buddha, by confoundingthe daemons.
According to the Hebrews, Noah was born at the same period., and for the samepurpose. He was not born to destroythe race of Cain. But, the race

of Sethbeing preserved in him, the daemons, or

idolaters were confounded. Yet,, writh this record before him, Sir William Jones demands of Rha-

dacanta "written evidence;'5 who produces the Bhagavatamrita in proof that ffthis Buddha ap-

pearedafter the thousandandsecond yearof the Cali age." Now to refer for the Bhagavat to a
metrical comment thereon,, is as rational as refer-

ring for the Scottish historyto ChevyChace.Aftd

to infer that Noalr, or Buddha the son of Jit&t,

who lived 950 years, could not haveappearedat Mugadha A.M. 1902, because he was born at Cicata A. M, 1056., is just as rational, as it would be to assert that this author coiild not have ap-

peared in India A. B. 1788 (wherehe wrote this

account), because he was born in London A. i>. 1746. Howfever, in this instance it so happens,

that the Bhagavat is cottfirmed by ths metrical

comment thereon. For the author of the latter,
* SeeAccountof the Avatars, hi the former part of this Letter.

122

without understanding the 'text, insists that the Buddha whomthe Bhagavat alludesto, as being
born at the commencement of the Cali age, ap-

peared840 years later: therebyidentifying the person of Noah; no otherperson,in the postdiluvian world, having lived that number of years.

The Bhagavat informs us that this Buddha was

born in the antediluvian world, or which is the

samething, in the beginningof the Cali age,

which commencedafter years 900, or 70 years

beforethe deluge. The Bhagavatamrita tells us

that he appearedtwo hundred and forty-six years after the deluge, or after the one thousandand

second yearof the Caliagewaspast,anawering to A.M. 1903 : andthis dateanswers to theyearB.c. 2100,when,according to Rhadacanta, Purangata, sonof the lastking of Mugadha(of the sacerdotal
cast) ffwas put to death by his minister; who placedhis own son on the throne." This is men-

tioned* as an epochof the highestimportance, ff first, asit happened according to the Bhagavatamrita, two years, exactly, before Buddha's appearance in the samekingdom; and, secondly,as it is believed by the Hindus, to have taken place

2100 yearsbefore Christ," or A.M.1902;evincing,, beyondcontroversy, that Buddhathe sonof Jina,

was Noah, the sonof Larriech. No other person
* See p. 153.

123

has beenrecorded,, by any nation, as havingattainedto sogreatan age,,in the newworld. He appeared at Mugadha two yearsafter the usurpation of Pradyato,whichtookplace107yearsbefore
the death of Noah. For A. M. 1900-f 107= 2007,

the year in which the patriarchdied. Pradyato wasthe contemporary of Thoth, or Athothes, king of Egypt. The one began his reign A.M. 1902, the otherA. M. 1911*. Pradyato wasdecidedly of the raceof Ham. He was the first prince of the Cshatriya, or militarycast,that ruledat Mugadha,
after the mild race of Shemwere deposed. This is confirmed by a coincidence of several circum-

stances. Among the most conspicuous; is the omissionof the deluge. Sanchoniatho, who copies from the records found at Berytus, and the
cosmogony of Thoth,, is silent relative to that memorable event; and Rhadacanta, who gives the Solarand Lunar dynasties^ from the recordsof Mu-

gadha,asthey werewritten during the dynasty of Pradyato,is equallysilenton the subject.Whereas other Hindu recorders are profuse in their

account of that greatandawfulevent.

As Noah divided the world between his sons

A. M. 17^9; as the dispersionfrom Babylon took

placeA.M. 1798; as^ accordingto Sanchoniatluv

* Vide Table XXV.

124

Noah was driven into banishmentA. M. 1892,,and

as Buddhaappeared at Mugadha A.M. 1902; it is a fair inference,thathe fledto thatprovincefor protection. For that Mugadha wasoriginallypeopledby the race of Shemwe learnfromthe division of the world. The patriarch allotted the easternand northern parts of Asia to Shem: to Ham that part which led to Africa,, and to Japheth

thatwhichled to Europe. The twolattertravelled together., andstoptat Babylon,wheretheyoccupiedthemselves in building:, andin otherpursuits: duringwhichperiod,, the raceof Shemwere settling themselves in those countries allotted to them.
So record the Hebrews, and so believe the Hindus.

For while the Chaldeans weretakingpossession of thatcountry, theHindus suppose thattheirancestors weresettlingat Mugadha., wherethey hadan undisputed rule for an hundred and fifty years; or from the division of the world, to the usurpation of

Pradyato. Thither, accordingto the Bhagava\

tairirita, the afflicted Buddhafled for safety. There he appeared as an aged man, without power.

Whither was it so likely that Noah shouldhave fled, fromthe persecution of his rebelson, asto a

kingdom inhabited bythevirtuous race of Shem ?

But here, it seems, hismisfortunes pursued him.The descendants of Shem weredeposed byan usurper of that race, by whom he was persecuted:and no

125

asylum beingafforded him, he migratedyet farther towards China. And althoughwe maysafelypronounce that he neverreached that country, yet we
maysuggestthat he travelled so far eastward., as to

be beyond the boundary of either Assyrian or Hindu historicknowledge; and.,with the exception of the yearin which he died, the Scriptureis totally silent respectingNoah. If Buddha appearedat Mugadha,it was only ashe passed eastward: for Rhadacanta, who gives the dynasties
of that country, is totally silent respecting him, as an Avatara, although he mentions the other Avata-

ras: and the author of the Bhagavatamrita menec tions him as an agedman without hair" (Noah wasat that time 847 years of age),,ff with only
two arms." Now, it is observable, that all the Avataras, when in power, are drawn with four

arms; a convincing proof tfcatthisappearance was during his banishment. The works of Rhadacanta are on this., as on many other occasions,

very unjustlyquoted. Sir William Jones, wishing for an explanationof the Bhagavat, a classical
book, which states the birth of this Buddha at the

commencement of the Cali age, demandswritten

proof of whatmightbe considered asthecommencement. The Bhagavatamrita was, therefore,produced. But that by no means warrantsthe assertion -c that Rhadacanta insists that Buddha, the

sonof Marza, of-whomthe astronomers of Varanes were treating, appeared after the thousandth year of the Call age.3' The vast distanceof China frdm
the mountain, where the ark rested; the advanced

ageof thepatriarch ; his being seen at Mugadha A.M. 1902,all militate evenagainsta supposition
that he ever reachedChina: and the history of that country,, if datesare attended to, renders it

impossible that he should havedoneso. Noah of

the Hebrews, Vaivaswatof the Hindus, andYau of

theChinese, areeach of themrecorded, bythehistoriansof their several countries,asbeing the first postdiluvian king, whosereign commenced one yearfromthecommencement of thedeluge;which
event eachof thesehistoriansplacesat A. M. 1656. The Hebrewsplace it in that year; the Hindus in

the prophetic year l6so; andthe Chinese in the Caliyear756, wrhich answers to A.M. 1656: and, whatis yet moreremarkable, eachof themlimits
his rule to one hundred years, naming a successor

at that period. Now, asit is physically impossible,

that the patriarch could have appeared in three

places, at oneandthe same time, it is evident that Noahbeingthegeneralstockfrom whichall postdiluvian nations originated, each, with a vanity

veryexcusable, made his own countrythefirst seat of empire. Besides which, Navaretis of opinion
that China was not peopled until an hundredand

127

thirty-oneyears after the deluge; whichappears

probable, as it was aboutthe periodwhennew

nationsarose, owingto the confusion of tongues at
Babel. And all the Chinese authors agree,,that Yau, the first Emperor of the first dynasty,did not

begin his reign until the year B. c. 2207. Consequently,thefirst Chinese Emperor couldnothave
been Yau or Noah.

The next,, and last Buddha, recorded by the

Hindus is Crishnu, or Moses. It is asserted that fc Goverdhana of Cashmir^ who had once said that Crishnu descended two centuries before Buddha,

subsequently said that the Cashmirians admitted an interval of twenty-fouryears.,and othersonly twelve, between thesetwo divine personages*/5
Goverdhana either intended to mislead, or his ac-

counthas beenvery erroneously transmitted.For

on this subject he could not have been deceived.
He well knew that this Buddha and Crishnu were

the same. The error is easily clearedup; for our

author adds : " the Brahmans who assisted Abul-

fuzi, in his curiousbut superficialaccount of his master's empire,informedhim that, if the figures in the Ayini Akbari were'correctlywritten,,a period of 2962yearshad elapsed,from thebirth of Buddha to the fortieth year of Akbar's reign;
* Jones iv, 16.

128

which computation places his birth in the thir*

teen hundred and sixty-sixth year before the

birth of ourSaviour/'answering .to A.JM. 2636.

For 1366+1636 = 4002. Now every learned

Hindu knows that the secretary's account wascalculatedfor the Caliyear4700,,answering to A.M. 5600. Deducting therefore 2962from 5600,, the
remainder is 2638. When this was shewn to

Goverdhana,, he replied with truth,, that Crishnu

descended two centuries before that period(2638 -t 200= 2438), and the HebrewScripture, which
reckons on the year of Christ 4004, placesthe birth of Mosesat A. M. 2433. Subsequently, when

no comparison wasdrawn,Goverdhana, in general

terms, informed Sir William Jones, that some

placed his birth twelve years later,andothers even twenty-four. This will be further illustratedby examining the account of thesecretary of Akbar,
"If, saythe Brahmans,the numbersare correct/'

The Brahmans knew full well that theywerenot correct: for Abulfuzi calculated on theprophetic year of 36o, andtheBrahmans on the Savan year of 355days. Of coursetherewere only seventy divine agesin theMenwantara of the secretary. But the Brahmans, multiplying by seventy-one,

said, cclf thenumbers were correct 2962years

hadelapsed to the fortiethyear of Akbar'sreign, in lieu of thefirst. Now 2438 x 71-7-70 =

bringing the period to the fortieth year of the reign of Akbar, and placingthe birth of Crishnu
at A. M. 243O, which comes sufficiently near to an

assertion,, beyond controversy,that Crishnu aad

Moses were the same. We may draw a comparative statement of the Buddhas as follows :

1. Adam born B. c. . ,4001 . lived years 930.

Swayambhava . . . .4O02. lived upwardsof 200.

2. Enoch born B. c. 3381 .lived years 365.

The divineBuddha3363...........

365f .
c\

3. Noah born B. c. . .2948 . lived years 950.

Vaivaswat ...... 29*6 jlKi* ^ &

Crishnu ........

[846J death not } (_mentioned.

\ vear of his

4. Mosesborn B.c. 15/1 . lived years120.

1575 . Jivedabove100.

The foregoing datessufficiently correspond., to ascertain that the same persons were intended, although described by different names. And although the^ Hindus commonly make use of the
word Buddha, to denote an illumination of the

Deity, or prophetof the LORD, theyalwaysqualify

the expression,, so as to leave no doubt of the person intended. Of the Black Shepherd, Baldens speaksas follows : fc If the sea was filled with ink3

the earthwith paper,and all the inhabitants, of the terrestrial,globe were employed in writing only,
VOL.! I

130

theywould not besufficient to givean exactaccount of all the miracles wrought by Crishnu,

during thespace of anhundred years, in thethird

periodof the world, calledthe Dicaparajug"
This missionary cannot divesthimself of European
ideas,whenhe treats of Hindu matters. No native could haveintroduced either pen, ink, or paper;

but the missionary does not stop there. The

Hindu historians record these miracles to have

lastedfcfor an hundred years,duringthe middle of the third periodof theworld." Now the third periodwasthe third thousandth yearof theworld,,
which theHindus divide into six parts; considering eachthousand yearsas a day of Brahma. Crishnu performed his miracles during the middle of the third period of the world, the third day of Brahma;

and Mosesduring the middleof the third thou-

sandth yearof the world. But the missionary,

whenlie converted the Cadjan5 andiron pen, into ink and paper,carriedthe timeof Crishnuback about1700years, making"the third periodof the worldtheDwapa or third age," whichcommenced

A.M. 700,andcontinued for two hundred years only. We may, then,venture to pronounce, that neither of theBuddhas celebrated by SirWilliam
Jones,or by thosewho havefollowed him, were
intendedfor Noah, the sonof Lamech. The first

was&Budha, a sage,, nota prophet;Enoch,in

131

the raceof Cain.,the grandson of Adam,instead of Athothes or Mercury., whom the Goths call Woden,, the grandson of Ham: andthe latter was
either a Tartar, or a Chinese; who, as the founder

of a sect, which professed Atheism,very naturally gave offence to a people.,whose religion was
formed on the purest system of Ethics, founded
on devotion to the Eternal God. Were it other-

.wise,to changethe era, when the Cali age commenced,and denythe knowledgeof the Hindus,
relative to the antediluvian patriarchs, on the authority of four Chinese authors, said to place the

birth of Poe at Y.B. c. 1027; of Foe, an impostor,

the founder of a sect, who denied the existence of

pure spirit, and believed nothing absolutely and really to exist., but material substance; a religion, if such it can be called,, to this day spoken of by

the Brahmans,who tolerate all other religions, with "the malignityof intolerantspirits;" isjust as
reasonable, as it would be to alter the Christian era, or to deny the incarnation of the Messiah., because Richard Brothers*a.\\d Johannah Southcot^assumed

the title of prophets. Doesthe dateof the Christian era rest on the birth of these two modern

enthusiasts,who appearedfor the edification of the

ageof reason ? Most certainlynot. Why, theni shouldthe era of the Cali age be regulatedby the birth of the; ChineseimpostorFoe? Yet on no
12

133

bettergroundrests, the assertion, that the Indians

are ignorantof the epochfrom which they

reckontime; that they haveno certainchronology of events, and thatwe maysuspect the truth
of all their relations : for their ccreceived chrono-

ff logy begins with an absurdity so monstrous,as efto overthrow their whole system. For having

" established their periodof 71 divineag^es, asthe fcreignof each Menu,yet thinking it incongruous* fcto place a holyperson in timesof impurity, they " insist,that theM<?nu reignsonlyin everygolden " age,anddisappears in thethreehuman agesthat " followit, continuing to dive and emerge like a
ccwater-fowl,, till the dose of his Menwantara. The

" learnedauthor of the Puranarthapracasa, which ccI will now followstepby step,mentionedthis ridi" culousopinionwith a serious face; but as he has

<;not inserted it in his works,we may take his ec account of the seventh Menu, .according to its " obvious and rationalmeaning,andsuppose that " Vaivaswata, thesonof Surya,thesonof Casyapa " or Uranus,thesonof Marichi, or, light, the son fcof Brahma,whichis clearlyan allegorical pedifc gree,reigned in thelastgolden age,or, according ff to the Hindus,3SQ2SSS years ago: but they <e contend, that he actuallyreigned on earth fc 1728000 yearsof mortals, or 4800yearsof the 'f Gods; and this opinionis anothermonster,so

133

ferepugnant to the course of nature and to human reason, that it must be rejected as wholly fabu" lous, and taken in proof, that the Indians know ee nothing- of their Sun-born Menu but his name, fc and the principal event of his life: I meanthe uniCf

" versaldeluge,, of which the three first Avatarsare ccmerely allegorical representations., with a mixfc ture, especially in the second, of the astronomical ccmythology. From this Menu the wholerace of Cf mankindis supposed to havedescended. For the " seven Rishis, whowere preserved with him in the
ccark, are not mentioned as fathers of families ; but

Cfsincehis daughter Ila wasmarried,astheIndians "" tell us,to thefirst Buddha,or Mercury,thesonof
ee Chandra, or the Moon, a maledeity, whosefather
"

wasAtri, sonof Brahma. Here againwe meet ec with an allegorypurely astronomical or poetical. fc His posterity are dividedinto twogreatbranches,
" called the children of the Sun, from his own supff posedfather; and the children of the Moon, from

" theparentof his daughter's husband.The lineal

ee male descendants, in both thosefamilies, are sup-

" posedto havereignedin the city of Ayodhya,or ccAudh, andPratishthana, or Vitoria, respectively, " till the thousandth year of the presentage?and efthe names of all the princes in both lines,having

" beendiligentlycollected by Rhadacanta, from

ccseveralParanjas, I exhibit themin two columns,,

134

" Arranged by myself, with great attention/' (Sir

W.Jones, vol. iv, p.-22.

Before we proceed to the names of all the princes in bothlines, let us examine the proem
that precedes them. For should it appearon

investigation, that those dynasties wereantediluvian; that the princes, whoform them, were destroyed bythedeluge;andthattheir general father, their greatsire,wascreated 40O2 yearsbeforethe
Christian era: then it follows, that " the Menu, from whom the whole race of mankind is supposed
to have descended, was35 notfc Noah" Had this

authorbeen true to his promise,and ^followed the learnedauthor of the Puranarthapracasa stepby

step/' instead of giving that whichhe conceived to be his obviousand rationalmeaning,he hadnot asserted, that the princes,who sprangfrom the first Menu,whose Antarais placed at thefirst year of the creation,were postdiluvians.For, considering the divine age as it appliesto the four
human ones, or duration of the world, we have

abundant proof,that the Menu,who is represented

as the great sire, from whom descended the children of the Sun and Moon, could be no other than

Adam. And so it appearsfrom the accountof

Rhadacanet, asgiven by this author, whotellsus,

"theyinsist thattheMenureigns only in every

goldenage, and disappears in the three human

135

ages thatfollowit, continuing to diveandemerge

like awater-fowl, till the closeof his Menwantara/'

The ridicule attachedto this accountrestswholly with the ef diving and emerging" monstersof Europeanbirth. We are told, that they insist. Who are intendedby they? not the Hindus; for in no part of their recordsis it even intimated., that the Menu only reignsduring the goldenage,
or 400 years: the Maha Menwantara, or 857

yearsbeingtheAntara, or average life of a Menu*. Not in the writings of Rhadacanta; for our author adds., ccbut as he has not inserted it in his

works, we may take his account of the seventh Menu, according to its obviousandrational meaning/' Thus it followsthatcf they whoinsist" are
European chronologists; who., not finding any

thing in the works of Rhadacanta that warranted

an assertion frthat the Menu who ruled during the

golden agewasthe prince saved in the ark/' introduced the word seventh, as the rational mean-

ing of an author who was treating of the Jirst Menu, thefirst created, the generalfatherof mankind, from whom the Solar and Lunar dynasties descended. Rhadacanta saysthe Menu, to denote his beingthe first and greatest; he then pro* The rule of a Menu is to the goldenage as 3702240 to
1728000.

136

ceeds to givetheactual year when thisMenuwas created,, answering1 to thefirstyearof theworld;

and further inibrms us, that Icshwacu, the first

ruler of the Solardynasty, wasof thethird generation, and did not commence his rule until after

the first or goldenage was past. For example: "" theMenu beganto reign 3892888 years ago." This accountwas given to Sir William
JonesA. D. 1788. Here, one would havethought, scepticism itself should havebeen satisfied. Here, no key was required to the cypher: for A.D. 1788 answersto anno Cali 4890*; or, accordingto the
calculations of this author, to the Call year 4888 ;

consequently, when he wrote the first,, the second., the third, and 4888 yearsof the fourth age, were past: for 1728000+1296000+8G4000 + 4888"= 3892888: which shewsthat the Menu who began his reign 0892888years"beforeA. D. 1788, com-

menced his reignin thefirst yearof thefirst age,

which was the first year of the creation, Now, Adding the nine hundred jears, which the three first ages occupied,to the portion of the Cali, or

fourth age,which was past; and supposing the

Christian erato havecommenced A.M.4000, which we mustdo, to makethe Cali year 4888 answerto A. D. 1788; then, adding the year of the world to
* Vide Appendix (A).

137

the year of .Christ, the numbers agree: for 900+

4888 = 5788; and 4000+1/88 =; 5788. But a&

the periodspecifiedwas thefirst year of thefirst age, thefirst year of time, it mattersnot in respectto identifyingthe first Menu, whetherit was
3892888 or 5788 years before the year of Christ

1788: for, asit wasthefirst year of the creation, neither the birth^ nor the reign of the seventh* Menu, could havebeendatedtherefrom. Again, fcThe Hindusinsist that he reignedthe whole of
the golden age/' The Hindus record, that he It has been. shewn, and

ruled uninterruptedlyduring the wholeof thefirst

age, or age of virtue.

will be yet morefully proved, that from the return

of Cain, stated at A. M. 42O, constant feuds existed

in the old world; nd from that period, the commencementof the secondage, the Hindus suppose one half of the world to have become corrupt, and that the virtues and vices were equal; that is, that the number of Cainites, or idolaters, equalledthe
Sethites, or true believers. " But/' adds our au-

thor, ccthey contend that he actually reigned on

earth 1728000years." A very limited capacity might discover, without theHindus contending for
* The seventh Menu denotesthe seventh in the race of the

'Sun, orSeth; the seventh independent of Adam, whowaschief

of both lines.

138

it, thatasthegolden age consisted of thatnumber of years;if theMenureigned thewholeof Che golden age,thathe musthavereigned 1728000
years; whichin truth wasonlyfourhundred. But
Rhadacanta divides the period of the undisturbed

rule., fromthetotalperiodof his reign. The text the Menu ruled undisturbedduring the says, Cf

whole of thefirstage,, and ended "his mortal career

whenthe third agewascompletely ended :" denoting thatthe firstfour hundredyearsof the rule of
the first-created,,was exempt from those feuds., which afterwards rent the old world, and finally

brought on thedeluge. Thesearethe assertions

of the Hindus, which are representedas proofs

" that theyknow nothingof their Sun-born Meinu

but his name, and the principal eventof his life,

the universal deluge," It is forgottenthat, in the

same tract, the sameauthor recorded that"the Hindu

writingswerevery diffuseon thelife andposterity of their seventhMenu*/' whomthis writer siip:

poses to be Noah. Both theseaccountscannotbe true. Perhapsneither of them is so. The Arabs

affectto knowmoreof this patriarch than any

other nation; but even their knowledge is very superficial. That the deluge was wholly unconnectedwith the Menu who was born 0892888
* See Letter I.

139

years before A. 0. l?8S is certain; because he diedat leastsevenhundred and twenty-fiveyears

beforethat eventtook place; and Sir William Jones,
as we have seen, asserts that " from this Menu the

whole race of mankind is supposed to havedescended/' proving that they were supposed to
have descended from the first Menu or Adam : and

it is observable that this author, who rests his whole

argument on the name, Vaivaswata or Sun-born, informs us, in another tract (vol. III. p. 332.) that " the name of the seventh Menu was Satyavrata, whosepatronymic name was Vaivaswata:" which is true; that being the patronymic of the whole race, and not assumedby this prince, until after

the deluge; apparently.to refute the Egyptian recordsfound at Berytus,,which implied that the
other race had been preserved. Our author, pre-

supposing, or determined^ that thisMenushouldbe

Noah, to reconcile so palpablean absurdity; after

statingthat from him the wholerace of menwere

believed to have descended, adds, " for the seven

Rishis (saints) who were preserved with him in the ark, are not mentioned as fathers of families/'

Here we see the difficulty of supportingan hypothesis, which hasnot truth for its basis. This author, who tells us that the seven Rishis took their

wives with them into the ark, that they were

140

namedCasyapa, Atri, Vasishrha, Viswametra,

Gaulama, Jamadagni,and Bharatwayu, that from Atri theLunar, andfrom Casyapa the Solar racedescended. For the purpose of supporting the
absurddoctrine,that the Menu, who wascreatedin

thefirst yearof the world.,wasthe onetaken into

the ark., the same tract informs us, that the

seven Rishis werenot fathers of families. Every

Hindu believes that the whole race of mankind but no eastern descended from their first Menu:

nationattributes thepeopling of the new world to oneindividual:it is mosttrue,that thegTeat saints

Maha-shees,or precepts deliveredby God in the

earlyagesof the antediluvian world, and which

the Almighty commanded to be taken into the ark,

for the purpose of enlightening the postdiluvian

world, were not considered fathers of families; but

it is equally true, that theHindfts and Egyptians

believe, that the chiefs of Brahmans ff and attend-

ants/' which were taken by order of the Eternal

into the ark, were so considered. And the Chal-

deans particularize thefamily and attendants of Sisuthrus,or Noah, as the persons by whomthe newworldwaspeopled.That Rhadacanta might

have said, that'' the Menureigned only inthegolden age,anddisappeared in thethree human ages that followed/' ispossible; because it appears ananswer

141
* "

to a specific question. For we are told, that cehe mentioned this ridiculous opinion with a serious

face;'9 it is evidenttherefore, that it was not

found in his works : this opinion, no Hindu would

havevolunteered. But having-' said that the Antara of a Menu continuedfor seventy-one divine ages., and, aswe were then in the 4888thyear of the fourth mortalage of a divine age.,probablyhe
was asked, where is your Menu now? To such a

questionhe could only answerff

that

the

Menu

was too sacredto reside in an age of sin;" in like manner as we answer children^when they propose

questions, on whichwe deem it inexpedient to give

information.

Having stated those circumstances which render it impossible that the princes of the Solarand Lunar dynastiescould have descended from Noah,,

I insert their names with the comments., asgiven by Sir W. Jones(vol.IV. p. 24.)
SECOND
Children of the Sun.

AGE.
Children of the Moon.

Icshwacu.

Budha.

Vicucshi.

Pururavas.

* Cucatstha.
Anenas.

Ayush.
Nahusha.

5 Pritha.

Yagati.

142
Childrenof the Sun, Childrenof the Moon.'

Viswagandhi.
Chandra.
Yuvanaswa. Irava.

Puru.
Janamejaya.
Prachinwat. Pravira.

Urihadaswa. Dhundhumara. Dridhaswa.

Menasyu. Charupada. Sudyu.

10

Heryaswa.
Nicumbha.

Bahugava.
Sanyati.

Crisaswa. Senajit.
Yuvanaswa.
Mandhatd. Puructsa.

Ahangati. 15 Raudraswa.
Riteyush.
Rantinava, Sumati.

Irasadasyu.
Anaranya. Heryaswa. Praruna. Trivindhana. Satyavata.
Trisancu.

Aiti.

Dushimanta. Bharata.* (Vitatha. Manyu> Vrihateshetra.

Hastin.

Harischandra.
Rohita. Harita.

Ajamidha;
Ricsha. Samwarana.

Champa.
Sudeva.

Curu.
Jahnu.

"

30

Yijaya-

Suratha.

143
Children of the Sun. Children of the Moon. '

Bharuca. Urica.

Viduratha. Sarvabhauma.

35 Bahuca. Sagara.

Jayatsena. Rhadica.

35'

Asamanjas.
Ansumat.

Ayutayush.
Acrodhana.

Bhagiratha.
40 Sruta.

Devalitbi.
Nichsha. 40

Naba. Sindhudwipa. Ayutayush.

Dilipa. Pratipa. Santana.

Ritaperna.
45 Saudasa.

Vichitraverya.
Pandu 4.5

.Asmaca.
Mulaca. Dasaratha. Aidabidi.

Yudishthir.)

50

Viswasaha,

Chatwanga. Dirghabahu. Plaghu. Aja.

55 Dusaratha. Rama.

ec It is agreedamopgallthe pundits/thatRama-, their seventh incarnatedivinity, appeared asking of Ayodhya,,in the intervalbetweenthe silverand thebrazenages; and if we suppose him to have

144

begun hisreign at theverybeginning of that

interval,still 3300yearsof theGods, or 1188000

lunar years of mortals, will remain in the silver

,a^-e, during whichthefifty-fiveprinces, between
Vaivaswata and Rama, must have governed the

world. But reckoning thirty years for a generation, which is rather too much for a long succes-

sionof eldest sons,asthey are saidto havebeen, we cannot by the course 6f nature, extendthe secondageof the Hindus beyond1650 solaryears. If we suppose themnot to havebeeneldestsons*
and evento havelived longer than modern pnncfes

in a dissolute age, wreshall find only a periodof 5000 years: and if we removethe difficultyby admitting miracles*, we mustcease to reason, and mayas well believeat once whatever the Brahmans choose to tell us."

ccIn the Lunar pedigree,we meet with another

absurdity,equally fatalto the creditof the system of theHindus. As far asthetwenty-se'cond degree of descentfromVaivaswata, the synchronism of* the two families appears tolerablyregular; except
that the children of the Moon were not all eldest

sons;for kingYayatiappointed the youngest of

his five sonsto succeed him in India, andallotted inferiorkingdoms to the otherfour, who had of* Does thisauthor mean to denythe existence of miracles ? maynottheargument beretorted "bytheHindus ?

fendedhim: part of the Dacshin., or the south,to

Yadu, the ancestorof Crishnu; the north to Anu;

the eastto Druhya; and thewestto Turvasu,, from

whom the pundits believe^ or pretend to believe., in compliment to our nation, that we are descended*. But of the subsequentdegreesin the Lunar line they know so little,, that, unable to supplya considerableinterval between Bharat and

Vitatha, whom they call his son and successor, theyare under a necessity of asserting-,, that the great ancestorof Yudhishthir actually reigned
27OOO yearsj a fable of the sameclasswith that of

his wonderfulbirth, whichis the subjectof a beautiful Indian drama. Now, if we supposehis life to have lasted no longer than that of other mortals,
and admit Vitatha and the rest to have been his

regular successors^ we shall fall into anotherabsurdity ; for then^ if the generations in both lines were nearly equal, as they would naturally have

been,we shallfind Yudhishthir, wrhoreignedconfessedly at the closeof the brazenage, nine gene* The Hindus believe with the Zabii, that the second Menu

was the EgyptianAgathodaemon, the ancestorof Buddha,the son of May&. They likewise believethat Asclepiades, althoughunder anothername, was appointed to rule over the fourth part of the world: namely7the West, which after the deluge was termed Europe." The punditsbelievedthat Turvasu ruled over that part af the world now occupied by Europeans; not that the postdilu-

vianEuropeans descended from that prince.

. K

146

rations older than Rama, before whose birth the

silverageis allowed to haveended.* After the

name of Bharat, therefore, I haveset an asterisk,
to denote a considerable chasm in the Indian his-

tory, and haveinsertedbetween brackets, asout of their places,his twenty-foursuccessors, who reigned,if at all, in thefollowing age,immediately
before the war of the Mahabharat. The fourth

Avatar, which is placedin the interval between the first and secondages, and the fifth., which soon

followedit, appearto be moralfables,grounded

on historical iacts. The fourth was the punish-

mentof an impious monarch by the Deity himself,

bursting from a marble column^ in the shapeof a lion; and the fifth was the humiliation of an arro-

gantprince, by socontemptible an agentasa mendicantdwarf. After these, andimmediately before

Buddha, come three great warriors, all named

Rama; but it mayjustly be madea question, whether they are not three representationsof one

person, or three differentways of relating the

samehistory: the first and secondRamasare said to havebeen contemporary; but whether all,, or
* If the silverageis allowedto haveended before the birth of Rama, howcamethis authorto placehis rezg;?, as king of Ayod-

byaduring that age ? The factis, Rama became a rulerduring thesecond age,andthepundits all agree, that his reigndidnot
commence until after the second agewasconcluded.

147

any of them., meanRama,the sonof Cush, I leave

others to determine. The mother of the second

RamawasnamedCaushalya, which is a derivative of Cushala;andthoughhis fatherbe distinguished

by the title or epithet of Dasaratha, signifying

that his war-chariots bore him to all quartersof the

world, yet the name of Gush, as the Cashmirians pronounce it, is preservedentire in that of his son
and successor, and shadowed in that of his ances-

tor, Vicushi; nor can a just objectionbe madeto

this opinion, from the nasal Arabian vowel in the

word Ramah,mentioned by Moses,sincethevery

word Arab begins with the sameletter, which the Greeks and Indians could not pronounce; and

theywere obliged,therefore, to express it by the

vowel which most resembledit. On this question^ however, I assert nothing; nor on another, which

might be proposed, whether the fourth and fifth Avatarsbe not allegoricalstoriesof the two presumptuousmonarchs Nimrod and Belus? The hypothesis, that government was first established, lawsenacted,andagricultureencouraged in India .by Rama, about 380Oyears ago, agrees with the
received account of Noah's death, and the previous
settlement of his immediate descendants/*

148

THIRD
Childrenof theSun, Cusha. AtithL

AGE.
Childrenof the Mooi

Nishadha. Nabhas
Pundarica.

Cshemadhanwas.

Vitatha.

Devanica.

Manya.

Ahinagu.
Paripatra. 10 Ranachhala.

Vrihatcshetra.
Hastin. Ajamidha.

Vajranabha.
Area.

Ricsha.
Samwarana.

Surgana.
Vidhriti. -

Curu.
Jahnu.

15 Hiranyanabha. Pushya,
Dhruvasandhi.

Suratha. Viduratha.
Sarvabhauma.

10

Sudersana.

Jayatsena.

Agniverna.
Sighra. M aru, supposed to )
be still alive,
Prasusruta. Sandhi.

Radhica.
Ayutayush.
Acrodhana.

Devatithi. Ricsha,

149
Children of the Sun. Children of the Moon.

Amersana. $5 Mahaswat.
Viswabhahu.

Dilipa, Pratipa.
Santanu.

20

Prasenajit.
Tacshaca. Vrihadbala. 30 Vrihadrana
3100.

Vichitraviirya.
Pandu. Yudhishthira.. Y. B. c. v Paricshit.

" Here we have only nine and twenty princes

of the Solar line between Rama and*Vrihadrana

exclusively, and their reigns,, during the whole brazen age,, are supposedto have lasted nearly
864000 years; a supposition evidently against nature, the uniform course of which allows only a period of eight hundred and seventy, or at the very utmost, of a thousand years for twenty-nine

generations. Paricshit, the great nephew and

successor of Yudhishthir, who had recovered the

throne from Duryodhan, is allowed, without controversy, to have reigned in the interval between the brazen and earthen ages, and to have died at

the settingin of the Calijug; so that, if the pundits of Cashmir and Varaneshavemade a right calculation of Buddha's appearance, the present or

fourth age musthavebegunaboutathousand years

before the birth of Christ, and consequentlythe

150

reignofIcshwacu could nothave been earlier than

four thousand yearsbeforethat great epoch : and eventhatdate will perhaps appear., whenit shallbe strictlyexamined, to be nearlytwothousand years
earlier than the truth. I cannot leave the third

Indianage,in whichthevirtuesandvicesof mankind are saidto havebeen equal.,without observ-

ing.,that even theclose of it is manifestly fabulous

and poetical,with hardlymoreappearance of histo-

rical truth thanthe Tale of Troy, or of the Argonauts: for^ Yudhishthir,, it seems,, was the sonof Dherma, thfegeniusof Justice: Bhima of Pavan,

ortheGodof Wind: Arjun of Indra., or the firmament, Nacul and Sahadeva,of the two Cumars, the Castor and Pollux of India; and Bishma,, their re-

putedgreatuncle,wasthe childof Ganga., or the Ganges, bySantanu,, whose brotherDevapiis supposed to be still alive,in the city of Calapa: all whichfictionsmaybe charming embellishments of an heroicpoem,but arejtist asabsurd in civil history, as the descent of two royal families from the
Sun and the Moon." FOURTH
Children of the Sun.

AGE.
Children of the Moon*

Urucriya.
Vatsavriddha.

Janamejaya.
Satanica.

Prativyoma,

Sahasraniea*

151
Children of the Sun. Children of the Moon.

Bhanu.
5 Devaca. Sahadeva.

Aswamedhaja.
Asimacrishna. Nemichacra. 5

Vira.
Vrihadaswa. Bhanumat. 10 Praticswa,

Upta.
Chiti-aratha. Suchiratha. Dhritimat. 10

Supratica.
Marudeva. Sunacshatra. Pushcara.

Sushena.
Sunitha. Nrichacshuh, Suchinata.

] 5 Antaricsha.

Pariplava,

15

Sutapas. Amitrajit.* Vrihadraja.

Barhi.

Sunaya. Medhavin. Nripanjaya,

Derva.

20 Critanjaya. Rananjaya. Sanjaya.

Slocya.
Suddhoda,

Timi. 20 Vrihadratha. Sudasa.

Satanica.
Durmadana.

5 Langalada. Prasenajit.
Cshudraca.

Rahinara. 25 Dandapani.
Nimi.

Sumitra, Y.B.C.2100. Cshemaca.

" In both familieswe see thirty generations

reckoned, fromYudhishthir, andfromVrihadbala,

152

his contemporary, whowaskilledin the war of Bharat,by Abhimanyu, son of Arjun,andfather

of Paricshit, to the time when thejSolarand Lunar

dynasties are believed to have become extinctin

thepresent divineage; and for these generations
the Hindus allot a period of one thousandyears

only, or a hundredyearsfor three generations; which calculation, thoughprobablytoo large, is yet moderate enoughcompared with their absurd account of the preceding ages; but they reckon exactlythe samenumber of years,for twentygenerationsonly in the family of larasandha, whose son was contemporary with Yudhishthir, and

founded a newdynasty of Princesin Magadha or

Eahar: and this exact coincidence of the time in

which the three are supposed to havebeen extinct,

has the appearance of an artificial chronology,

formed rather from imagination, than from histori-

calevidence; especially astwentykings,in an.age comparatively modern,could not have reigneda

thousandyears. I nevertheless exhibit the list of

them as a curiosity; but amfar from being con-

vinced, thatall of them everexisted; that,if they

did exist, theycouldnot have reignedmorethan seven hundred years,I am fully persuaded by the course of nature, and the concurrent opinion of
mankind/'

153

KINGS OF MAGADHA. Sahadeva. Suchi.

Marjari.
Srutasravas.

Cshema.
Suvrata.

Ayutayush.
5 Niramitra. Sunacshatra. Vrihetsena.

Dermasutra.
Srama. Drid'hasena. Sumati. 15

Carmajit.
Srutanjaya. 10 Vipra.

Subala.
Sunita. Satyajit. 30

ccPuranjata, son of the twentieth king, was

put to death by his minister, Sunaca, who placed his own son.,Pradyato, on the throne of his master : and this revolution constitutes an epochof the highest importance in our present inquiry; first,, because it happenedaccording to the Bhagavatamrita, two years exactly before Buddha's ap-

pearance in the samekingdom: next, because it

is believedby the Hindus to have taken place 3888

years ago^ or 210Oyears before Christ; and lastly, because a regular chronology,according to the numberof years in each dynasty,has been
establishedfrom the accessionof Pradyato to the
* Before A. B. 1788.

154

subversion of thegenuine Hindu government; and that chronology I will nowlaybefore you, after
observing only,, that Rhadacanta himselfsaysno-

thing of Buddha in thispartof hiswork,though

he particularly mentionsthe twopreceding Avatarsin their proper place/'
KINGS OF MAGADHA.

Pradyatoj y. B. c. 2100.
Palaca.

Visac'hayupa* Rajaca.

Nandiverdhana, 5 reigns=138years. Sisunaga, Y.B.c. 1962.

Cacaverna, Cshemadherman.

Cshetrajnya.
Vidhesara.

Ajatasatru.
Dharbhaca.

Ajaya.
Naiidiverdhana.

Mahanandi, 10reigns=36o years.

Nanda, Y.B.C.1602.

" Thisprince, of whom frequent mention is

made in theSanscrit books,is saidto have been

155

murdered,after a reign of onehundredyears/by a verylearnedand ingenious,,but passionate and vindictive Brahman, whosenamewasChanacya,
and who raisedto the throne a man of the Maurya

race, named Chandragupta. By the death of Nandaandhis sons,the Cshatriya fomily of Pradyato becameextinct/*
Such are the comments of Sir William Jones,

oh the genealogy of the Hindus, as furnishedby

Rhadacanta, and which I have followed so far as

the year B. c. 1502, as comprehending the life of

the last Buddha: and these observations I have

given at large, because, if we refutethem,the argumentsbrought forwardsby minor authors will

deserve little attention.

Had the dynastiesof the Sun and Moon been

postdiluvian, it is impossible that, in an account so

circumstantial as theitgiveii by Rhadacanta, the

princes whoruledduring the first age, should have

beenomitted. But consideringthem as antediluvian,

the seeming omissionis correct. For we have seen,that during the first ageMenu ruled alone. No feudshad then commenced: but, at the setting in of the second age,a differentsystem became necessary ; the raceof Atri returned,andthentwo dynasties arose; until which time the childrenof the Sun inhabitedthe Holy City, with their great sire,asonefamily; all was unity andpeace.

156

Now let us,for a moment, -suppose, with those who adoptthe new system of ancient mythology,

agreeing with its learned author,that the first yeardenoted the first yearafterthe deluge, and
that all historicrecordcommenced from that epoch.

Considering Noahas the first of men, andconse-

quently the Solar andLunardynasties asthe offspringof that patriarch,let us examine whether it is possible to reconcile dates with thathypothesis. In theChronological Tableunderconsideration, it
is asserted that fifty-six princes reigned in succes-

sionduringthe second age, andthirty duringthe third; making an aggregate of eighty-sixreigns,

the last of which, accordingto this author, ended
Y. B. c. 3100, or A. M. 902 : and as these are reck-

oned by the years that had elapsedbetweenthat epoch and the birth of Christ, there can be no error in respect to the numeration, Now these are saidby Europeans, to have descended in a line of eldest sons, from Gush, the son of Ham., whom, as the contemporaryof Selah (who was

born A. M, 1694), we cannotplace furtherback;

since our author asserts, that his father was not

born until after the flood. In which case, no less than eighty-six generations descendedfrom Cush792 yearsbefore he was born; and the last

of theseeighty-six postdiluvianprincesended his

reign 751years before the deluge. Givingthe

157

greatestpossiblelatitude, and supposing Cushto have been born the year after the deluge,still, accordingto Sir W. Jones, theseeighty-sixgenerations were born,, reigned., and died 756 years

before the birth of their progenitor. And, if we add, the twenty-eightprinces, said to haveruled during the beginningof the fourth age, we have 114 reigns in succession of eldest sons,lineally
descendedfrom Cash, (whom we will supposeto

havebeenborn the yearafter the deluge)until the periodwhenthe SolarandLunar dynasties became extinctin the year B.C. 2100. This gives us the
most prolonged period that can be admitted, or 756 years for 114 generations; which allows only six years and two hundred and twenty-sevendays.,

not for the reign only of each prince, but for his birth, marriage,birth of his son,reign and death,
We may defy the Hindus to produce an absurdity more monstrous than this, which is given for the purpose of elucidating their chronology: whilst

that given by themselves is deemed" an absurdity so monstrousas to overthrowtheir whole

system/' Whence doesour author produce 114

generations ? If we reckonfrom Noah to the year

B .c. 2100, we find but ten of the eldest sons inclu-

siveof the patriarchandhis son,who wasborn in

the antediluvian world. For Haran the eldest son of

Terah was not born until A. M. 1949, nearly half

158

a century after: which evinces, that the names

of theprinces oughtnot to havebeenplaced in

succession.For, if we takethe greatestpossible latitude, or fromthe commencement of the world to A. M.1902,only nineteengenerations of eldest
sons in succession are recorded in the race of Seth

duringthat period. That the Hindusshouldrepresent the dynasties, asprinces in succession, may seem to Europeans very possible. For although
their Puranas prove that there were on4y ten

generations of patriarchs,sevenof whom were considered supreme sovereigns beforethe deluge; yet, contending that the second and third age contained 2160000 years, they might deemit expedientto represent the princeswho ruledover provinces askingsin succession ; that the number of the princes might bearsome proportionto the number of suppositious years, which they are
said to have ruled. And these rulers over dis-

tricts probably weretermed kings, like thosewho

served twelve years under Chedorlaomerin the

time of Abraham,or Beraking of Sodom, Birsha

king of Gomorrha,and so forth. It is said that the children of the Sun were no other than the

childrenof Cusli,the grandson of Noah. Yet,

whenthisdynasty,whichis saidto haveconsisted

of114 princes in succession, ended in A,M. 1900, Noah was stillalive;andCush, sofarfrom being*

159

the founderof soextensive a dynasty., wasremoving, with part of his family, from his first habita-

tion., to the south of Babylon; to a place called Chaduca but formerlyChusca. Sosaysthe sacred
writ of the Hebrews. Yet thence it has been

inferred,

that

the

children of

the

Sun

were

the children of Gush; and this name has been

produced as a collateral proof of the .truth of

the remarks made on the derivation of names

given in p. 147. The Hindus, in treating of the

earliesttimes, place the residenceof the first Menu in the province of Cueshedea; naming the holy

land Casi: the fifth Menu is designated in their sacred writings Cha'eshusha, or cbeamingwith glory/ In the Puranas,the return of the raceof
Atri at the beginning of the fifth century of the

world,or betweenfour andfivehundred years after

the Padma creation is said to have been to the

city of Casi, or the splendid,in the provinceof

Cueshedea, by the Egyptians called Crusi, and

Cussidea, probablythe same namedifferently spelt. May we not then presume,that Vicucshi and
Cucutst'ha were rather derived from the Hindu

Cha'eshusha than the Hebrew Gush?

Maurice

enlarges on thesubject. In the 25gthpage of his

second volume, he comments on the account of

Sir W. Jones, or rather endeavours to enforcethe

truth of his statements, by saying, " Vaivaswat or

160

Menu we haveseenas the fountain of both dynasties,,who wereIcshwacu,Vicucshi, Cucutst'ha and

their descendants ; amounting to fifty-fiveprinces

down to Rama in the solar line. Their names

and history,, under the title Gush, and Cushites,

givenasfar as was practicable in the preceding pages, have,, I trust, satisfactorily evinced, that
theywerethemoreimmediateandnobledescendantsmale,of thegreatSatyavrata : they were the
first colonizers of the world., though their ex-

ploits aredetailedin thePuranas,in a style the

most exaggerated, and in a manner the mostromantic. It is those of the Lunar dynasty with whom we are now principally cencerned, those who were the offspring of Buddha, the planet

Mercury, by Ila the daughterof the personage

who was saved in the'Bahitron, or ark, Noah,

called Ilus by Sanchoniatho. Of the third in this dynastyNuhusha (if indeedhe were not the same

asRamahimself*)the exploits havebeen amply

detailed/'

Here our commentator seems lost in a labyrinthof learning. For, following Mr. Bryant, he makes Vicucshi the sonof Cush(who certainly
* M. Maurice places Nuhusha the thirdin thedynasty of the Moon,andRamathefifty-fifth in thedynasty of the Sun; although hehere supposes themto bethesame person.

161

wasthe third in descent from Noah)andfollowing

Sir William Jones., admits that fifty-five generations passedbetween the son of Cush and Rama ;
who he tells us, was likewise a son of Cush, for

he could be no other than the Raainah of Scripture. ff For the mother of the second Rama was

named Caushalya, which is a derivative of Cush'

Ala, and the name of Cush,, as the Cashmirians

pronounce it, is preserved intire in that of his

ancestor Vicucshi." It sounds as harsh to a Chris-

tian,, as to an Hindu ear, that the race of Ham, the

accursed of his father, should be represented as the most noble descendants male of the great

patriarch^ the reformerof religion, the opposer of

idolatry; the favouredof the lord Heri, the Eternal Spirit. And, lest we should supposethe Hindus to be ignorant of the characterof this mostnoble and favoured son of Noah, the same author further informs us,

ff that accordingto the Hindu

record, Noah assigned to his son Jyapeti or Ja-

pheth,the regionsto the tiorth of Caucasus;to

Sherma, or Shem, that to the south; but to Char-

ma, or Ham, no portion of the world was allotted : he, in consequence of his vicious conduct, was
doomed to be ihe slave of his brothers/' liction of virtue is then detailed. We His dereare told

that he found his father in an unseemlyposture in

a stateof inebriety; a tale evidentlyborrowed

VOL. I. L

162

from theJews,andwhichit wouldbe very difficult

topersuade anHindu tobelieve.For theHindus

considerthe curseentailed on the posterity of

Ham by the Almighty,to havebeenin consequence oftheirdereliction of theSacred writings.

This author collectedhis namesfrom Mr. Wilford. But where he found them in the postdiluvian

world, it is difficult to say. Japetusis certainly

a Grecian name, and is as such introduced in the

greatTitanianwar of the old world. Of Sherma

and Charma, Maurice informs us, that from the

latter descended* the great tribe of Rhettri or

Kuttri, which he renders Cuthites or Cushites;

andhe proceeds to inform us, that ee the Cuthite line of Charma having by force of arms, seized
upon the portion of the Shermites or children of

Shern, the deity descended in the form of Parasa Rama*jandtotallydestroyed the Kustri or Cushite raceof Gharma;" and this transaction he places prior to theyears, c. 3100; independent of which,

ashe hasno hesitation in pronouncing Ramaof

the seventhAvatar to be the same awithParasa,

andeach to represent Raamah of Scripture, Raa-

mah the son of Cush, hiselaborate comment goes

*Para denotes 'holy, freefromsin.' Thepassage alluded to, denotes thehostilities between thedynasties of theSun and
Moon i theShermites being the descendants of Seth notSheni.

163

to prove, that the Deity becameincarnatein the sonRaamah,to destroythe fatherCush, and the
whole Gushite or Kuttri
were the most immediate

race;

a race which he

just before " trusted.hehad satisfactorily evinced

and noble descendants

of the great Satyavrata." A race so virtuous, that the Deity deigned to become incarnate
therein, for the purpose of instructing mankind in the rudiments of virtue and piety, both by

precept and example. Should we get over this

incongruity, we must have recourseto the system. of metempsychosis, to people Ethiopia; for if we give credit to our own Scripture, we find the Cushites, which we translate Ethiopians, who
were near the Arabians, concerned in the revolt

of the Philistines, so late as the year B. c. 893 ;

which was at least 220Qyearsafter Mr. Maurice

destroyed the whole Kuttri or Cushite race together with their sire, Gush*the son of Charma or Ham ; Ham being supposedby him, to be an
abbreviation of Cham*, and Cham an abbreviation
of Charma.

It is extraordinarythat two authors, each 'of whom commences by affirming the genealogical
table of the Sun and Moon to be fabulous, should

* Cham is the name given by the Chinese, to the eldestson

of the First Created. L 2

164

severally endeavour to produce arguments to prove from that verygenealogy, that the Hindussprang
from that son of Noah, whom they are known to

hold in utter abhorrence for having introduced humansacrifices, and a system totally incompatible withj and subversive of, their religion and
mild institutions. We must, therefore, suppose, however these authors ridicule and decry the Solar and Lunar dynasties, that a latent spark

existedin their minds,proving- the truth of the genealogy^ which they were unable to explain.
The one who affirms, that ff the dynastiesof the

Egyptianswerelike the children of the Sun and

Moon of the Hindus, either the revolutions of

celestial bodies,or owing their origin to oriental

vanity and fiction/' has no hesitation in asserting in direct opposition to the belief of the Hindus, that Icshwacu, who appears at-the head of the Solar dynasty, ccwas the first of Noah's posterity known in India : for that partly in his own name, but moreparticularly in those of his two sons,and successorsin the Indian empire, Vicucshi and Cucutst'ha,we recognisethe first great Patriarch's

familyof Sacred Writ; after the most distinguished .chief of which, the whole country was called Cush'a Dwapa." And then, as if to render the

text yet moreobscure, he states,that, efif theprogeny of this Menu were not wholly allegorical,

165

they were antediluvian,for Chrishnu being the

Apollo of India,, was doubtless Jubal; the son of Lamech of the race of Cain : for the Scripture
states Jubal as the father of all such as handle

the harp and organ*;" thereby destroyingthat

which he representsas the most noble race from

Noah, togetherwith their incarnate God, by the general deluge. We maysafelydefyany nation in the known world to surpassthis in absurdity.
The arguments brought forward by the other (Sir William Jones) are not less exceptionable. For/ after comparing the whole genealogy, to the tales of Troy, and of the Argonauts, he boldly pronouncesthe epoch at which the Cali age is fixed, to be misplaced; furnishing three.tables with a

view to prove those, he had termed visionary

dynasties,to be the descendants of Noah; and the

children of the Sun, the offspringof Cugh; and,

after telling us, that the pedigree of Yudhishthir

ff just asabsurd in civil history,asthe descents of the two regalfamilies from the Sun andMoon/'
was

informs us, that the successor of Yudhishthir the

contemporary of Vrihadbalathe thirty-ninth in descentfrom Rama, and eighty-fifth from Icshwacu,

whom he believes to be the son of Gush ff is allowed

^withoutcontroversyto havereigned between the

* Afcuirice,vol. I. p. 433.

166

brazenandearthen ages,andto havedied at the

setting in of the the Caliage. So that if the

pundits have made a right calculation of Buddha's appearance, thatperiod, or fourthage,musthave 'began abouta thousand years beforethe birthof
Christ,and, consequently the reignof Icshwacu/'
Gush, the son of Npah, cccould not have been

earlier than four thousandyearsbefore that great epoch.53 Now it is observable, that the Hindus do

not pretendthat the reign of this prince commencedat so earlyan epochas the year B,c. 4000.

On thecontrary, theysuppose him to havebecome a ruler over a provinceat thebeginningof the second age,which commenced 3602yearsbefore
Christ; and to have become a Menu more than

a centuryafterthe Cali age began. So thatthe

reign of Icshwacu is not even supposed by the

Hindus to have began earlier than the year B.c.

2950, when he succeeded Swarochisa and assumed

the nameor epithet of Auttama. Swarochisa was

the sonof thefirst created, named Swayambhuva;

Seth the son of the first created,named Adam:
Icshvfocu as Auttama succeeded Swarochisa: Enos

succeeded Seth,andbecame a sovereign in suc-

cession in A.M. 1043, whichwas forty years more than a century aftertheCaliagebegan. Sothaf according to the calculations of the pundits, and
the astronomers at Varanes, neitherBuddha nor

167

Budha,madehis appearance about a thousand

yearsbeforethe birth of Christ. And the pundits of Cashmir very correctly place the birth of the
postdiluvian Buddhatwo centuriesbeforeA.M. 2638, or in the year 1564. We must be careful not to
confound Buddha with Budha.
to the.descendants of the Sun:

The fir&t denotes

Buddha the son

a prophet, and is, I believe,exclusivelyapplied of Maya, celebrated by the astronomers at Varanes

was Enoch: Buddha the son of Jina who was

born in the 156th year of the Cali age was Noah, who was born in the 1056th year of the world. For 900 + 15O= 1056. We may certainly con-

sider the fourth year of any century as the commencement thereof; and 156 years are to
51003as 3 years and 21 days are to a century.

Budha,the contemporary of IcshWacu wasa sage, or philosopher of the Lunar race: whetherhe ever succeeded to the governmentof the world appears doubtful; as Yayati of the samegeneration,is admittedby all the pundits to have succeeded to the supreme rule. If Budhaever became a Menu, his reign commenced about the fifty-seventh year of the Cali ageor yearB. c. 3O45.

Having endeavoured to refute the foregoing arguments, broughtforwardagainstthe Hindu Chronology, andto point out the absurdities and
contradictions attendingthe postdiluvian system,

168

it remains to place thegenealogy of thetwodynas-

ties in a lessquestionable form. That they did

exist is most certain: that the names and dates,,

withone exception, arecorrect,I have no doubt.

In the division which I am about to offer, it will

appearthat the childrenof the Sim, denotethe

race of Seth, and those of the Moon, the race

of Cain. That these dynasties are considered

by the Hindusas antediluvian has never, I believe, beendisputed. All their sacred records,so inform us. When history is transmitted in alle-

gory, we must in generalbe at the troubleof

searching for truth. But,in this'instance, we are

not only informedfrom whom Icshwacuand Budha descended^ but of the year in which the Antara of their great sire, the general father of mankind

commenced.That epoch is fixedat the first year

of the first age; and it is added,that this Menu had two distinguishedsons, from whom the Solar

and Lunardynasties descended. We mayalways

draw
i

valuable

inferences

from

Hindu

records.

For instance,we learn that the princes in the two dynasties wereantediluvian,becausein the Veda^

where the futility of all sublunaryhappiness is

enforced, thedeaths of the kingsin each dynasty

are recorded prior to the deluge. One passage is
as follows:

(C What relish can therebe for enjoyment iri

169

this world?Surely weseetheuniverse tending to

decay ; evenasthe biting gnatsand other insects; evenas the grassof the field, and the treesof the forest,which springup andthen perish. " But what are they? Othersfar greaterhave
been destroyed,archers mighty in battle, and some who have been kings of the whole earth : Sudhumna, Buridhumna, Indradhumna, Cuvalayaswa, Barishsha, Nalmsha, Suryati, Yayati, Vicrava, Acshayasena., Pryavrata, and the rest. " Maratta, likewise, and Bharatta, who enjoyed all corporeal delights, yet left their boundlessprosperity, and passedfrom this world to the next.

fc But what are they? Others., yet greater,

Gandevas,Asuras, Rashasas, companies of spirits,

Pisachas, Uragas,and Grahashave^ we see, been

destroyed. ff But what are they ? Others greater still have

been changed,vast rivers dried, mountainstorn up; the pole* itself turned from its place; the
cords of the stars rent asunder, the earth itself

delugedwith water, even the Suses,or angels/

hurled from their stations.

c<In such a world, then what relish can there

be for enjoyment?Thou alone, O God.,art able

to raise up : Thou only, O Lord, art my refuge/'
* Vide Appendix (C).

170

In the foregoingwe tracethe death of the

greatest heroes.And those, who in the Lunar dynasty became sovereigns of the wholeworld,,
Yayati and Bharataare particularized;but even greaterthan them,,thesevenMenus,well versed
in the Scripture,commencingwith the Gandevas, or

patriarchs, paidthe death of nature. All this took place prior to the destruction of the world by the deluge. It is evident,then,that the princespreviously destroyed wereantediluvian. In the new world, Noah only was sovereignof the whole
earth; for on the division of the world three several rulers were appointed,independent of the patri-

arch: whichagain provesthat the kings of the

whole world were antediluvian. The Puranas

then proceed to inform us, that Icshwacu, was descended from Marisha^ or Light, who wasthe son of the Sun. In the Scripture we read, C And to
Seth there was born a son.,and he called his name

Enos(or Enosh); then began mento call upon the

name of the Lord/' In the Hebrew, to call them^

selvesby the name of the Lord. Thus Icshwacu,

of the third generationfrom Swayambhuva, was termedthe son of Light, or righteous*race, the

fesser light,theMoon;andthe other todistinguish

* Righteousness, at tbe same periodthat Enosof the third generation fromAdam,wascalled by thename of theLord: the more to distinguish therighteous racefromthe less righteous.

171

the children of the true believers., from the child-

ren of the unbelievers, or idolaters. Agreeably to this.,the dynasties commence at the period^when
the two descendants,or eldest sons respectivelyof Seth and Cain, were of an age to becomerulers>

underthe monarchical rule of their generalfather

Adam. The Mahabharatplacesthis period after 40O

years; the MetsyaAvatarat A.M.419; Berosus at

A. M." 413.
return

But these three dates, denote the

For the commence-

of the race of Atri.

ment of the rule of the race of Atri, at Sipora, or Chaldeais specifically placed at A. M. 474, (as will

be explained hereafter*.) In dividing thedynasties, I havefollowedthe Hindus. Supposing them the descendants of six generations only, commencing with Enos, and ending with Mathuselah,
placing with them their brothers as their contem-*

poraries; that is, admitting Icshwacuto denote Enos, 1 imagine the twenty-four names (that
follow to be equally the sons of Seth and rulers

over provincesduring the sameperiod; plsucing

the twenty-fifth prince Satyavatar, at the head of the fourth generation, as Icshwacuk admitted to
be of the third.

I am far from presumingthat the division is absolutely correct. The system that governs it,
* Vide Letter IV.J

I am convinced, is so: and I haveendeavoured so

to explainthesystem bywhichdates are recorded,

that those who have an opportunity of referring

to originaldocuments,, maybe enabled with ease

to correct those errors, which it has cost me much

painto avoid,but of which I may nevertheless

havebeen guilty. In favour of the pedigreebeing postdiluvian,it will, I amaware,be urged that thoseEuropean authorswho havetreatedon the subjectall agreethat

Budha of theLunardynasty marriedthedaughter

of Noah, the prince who was saved in the ark. This is true. But it is equallyso, that the belief is confined to Europeansonly. For the Hindu recordsexpresslystate,that Ha w*as the daughter
of that Menu,, from whom the \vhole \vorld was

peopled^ whoseAntara commenced with the Lotos creation just 388SOOO suppositions years, equal to 900 years,beforethe commencement of the Cali

age. But finding an account of the Menu from

whom the Solar and Lunar dynastiesdescended in the works of Sir William Jones, Europeansin general, without taking the trouble to examine

the Hindu account, or attendingto dates,very boldlyassertthat Ha wras thedaughter of Noah.

Whereasit hasbeen proved from the account,as given by this author,that the Menu of whomRha-

dacanta was treating, was born just 3892888 years

173

before he wrote.

Sir William

wrote in the 4888th

year of the Cali age,answering to A.D. 1788,and

therefrom placing the Antara, which he callsthe reign of this Menu, in the first year of the creation. And then tells us, that Ila who married Budha,

was his daughter,and consequently the daughter

of Adam.

TABLE

VII.

PART!.
AGE.

SECOND

SWAYAMBHUVA

Or ADAM.

Casyapaor Seth.
Sons of Casyapa who descended from Light.

Atri or Cain.
Sons of Atri.

Icshwacu

.... Enosf.

Budha. . . .Enoch.
Pururavas.

Vicucshi.

Cucutstha.
Anenas.

Ayush.
Nabusha.

Prithu.

Yagati.

Viswagandhi.
Chandra.
Yuvanaswa. Srava.

Puru.
Janamejaya.
Prachinwat. Pravira.

* Becameruler of a provinceabout A.M. 426.

t Born A.M. 236.

174
tocended

Sousof Casyapa who

from Light.

Sons of Atri.

Vrihadaswa.

Menasyu.

Dhundhumara.
Dridhaswa.

"

Charupada. Sudyu.

Heryaswa.
Nicumt>ha. Crisaswa.

Bahugava.
Sanyati. Ahanyati,

Senajit.
Yuvanaswa. Mandhatri. Purucutsa.

Raudraswa.
Riteyush. Nantinava. Sumati.

Trasadasya. "
Anaranya.

Aiti.

Heryaswa.
Praruna.

Trivindhana. Here commences the interval or chasm in the

Lunar pedigree, whichwe havejust seenrepresented asfatal.,not onlyto Hindu chronology,, but to Hindu history in general: as an absurdity sufficientto overthrowtheir whole system. An unprejudiced mind, however^ will considerit as a collateral proof of the truth andaccuracy of the Hindu records. For^ in nearly all antediluvian ^pcounts., the sameomission of two generations
occurs; in our Scripture,which evertext we follow,

175

the contemporaries of Cainan and Mahalaleel are

omitted; the Hebrew text is as follows.
TABLE
ADAM.

VIII.

Seth. Enos.
Cainan.

Cain. Enoch.

MahalaleeL Jared. Irad.

Enoch.
Mathuselah. Lamech.

Mahujael.
Methusael. Lamech.

Noah.

Jabal and Jubal. } Children of

JubaL,Cain and?Lamech by
Naamah? 3two wives.

The Hebrew text of our Bible not only omits the two generations, but speaksof Irad in a stile very differentto that usedwhen his posterityare spokenof. It is not recordedthat Enoch begat
Irad: which would have been the phrase used,
if he had been his son; but that ccunto Enoch

was born Irad */' which is equally,, if not more,

applicable to the third or fourth generation, than to the next. For when the generations follow
* Gen. iv. 18.

176

without interruption,we read in the same verse fcIrad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Mathusael,andMathusael begatLamech ;" evincing
that Irad was not the son of Enoch, although he
descended from him. The Arabians have a simi-

lar omissionof two generations. One author, to

make theageof Lamech accord with the legend

which he relates,placesLamech the sonof Mathusael as the contemporaryof Enoch, the son of
Jared, of the race of Seth, and informs us,, that

Cain;, beingold andweary of the world,continually

haunted by the reflection of the murder of Abel,

wasin the habitof retiringto thejungles,far from thehaunts of men. That Lamech,beinglikewise
advancedin years and very bad-sighted, was accompaniedin his field sports by a youth, who hearinga rustling among the bushes,occasioned, as he supposed,by a wild beast,,directed the arm of his master towards the spot from whence the

sound issued;who, drawinghis bow, pierced the

heart of his great sire. Shocked at the crime of parricide, in the moment of despair, he seizeda stone and killed the youth who had directed his arm towards thefatal spot, and on his return home:

saiduntohis wivesAdah andZillah; " Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearkenunto iny speech : for I haveslaina man to my wounding1,
and a young manto my hurt" I do not contend

177

for the truth of this legend,, andhaveonlyintroduced it to prove that the Arabians record only four patriarchs in the race of Cain, between that prince and Lamech : which agrees both with the

Hebrew and Hindu history. And,,as the ancient

Arabs, I do not mean the sons of Ishmael, trace

their origin from the samestock with. the Hindus^ (Shem the son of Noah); an incident so material as the omission of two generations out of ten of the antediluvian patriarchs, ought rather to raise our admiration, than provoke our ridicule; more

particularly as it is confirmedby our own Scripture.

King Yayati who wasof the third generation

from the first created inclusive,, in the race of Atri them to distant

or Cain, is said by Rhadacantto have disinherited

his four elder sons and banished

regions; knd to have been succeededby his youngest sonDushmanta : Now it is observable that between Yayati and Dushmanta, Rhadacant places
fifteen names; which proves, beyond controversy, that these princes were the brothers, and con-

tempories of Yayati, the offspringof Atri or Cain; as placed.in the precedingtable, and rulers over provinces, at thesame periodof time. That Dushmantasucceeded his fatherYayati assovereignof the

world maybe true. But the reason hereassigned for it is very erroneous. We-haveseem that, with
VOL. I, M

178

the exceptionof this prince, the whole of the

fourthandfifth generations of patriarchs areomitted; probably, because theyremained in that country to which their ancestor fled, after the murder

of Abel. Foralthough the Hebrews alone record

the departure of Cain,yet as all the restmarkthe period of the returnof that race, their absence is
implied. Our Scripture records,that " Cain went

ff forth fromthe presence of the Lord, and dwelt

in the land of Nod, on1 the east of Eden, and he

builded a city, andcalled the nameof the city after

the name of his son, Enoch*." It is a natural inference, that when Cain, with a part of his descendants, returned to the valley,whereAbel was

murdered, whichaccording to the Eastern legends

was the seat of government named Casi, or the splendid, a part of his family remained behind
to inhabit those cities, and cultivate those lands,

whichhadbeengiventhemasan heritage ; among

whom we may suppose the four eldest spns of

Yayati: Dushmanta, the youngest, having pcobably been born after the return of his father,

succeeded to regalpower. Rhadacant, whocopied from the recordsof Pradyato,of courseomitted a circumstance sodegrading,as the expulsion of
Cain, and therefore accounted for the succession
* Gen.iv. l6? 17.

179

of the youngestson, by the disobedience of his

elder brothers *; and, to make it more palatableto Europeans,flattered their vanity by supposing1 them to have descendedfrom a branch of that family. But, what is of yet more consequence, Sir William Jones supposes,on this authority, that Crishnu descendedfrom the eldest son of Yayati. Here
our author blends Crishnu with Buddha, the son

of Maya, who, in an incarnate forrn, is represented in the sixth Avatar, as Parasa. This prince did actually descend from the house of Yayati, but whether from Yada the eldest son, I will not pretend to determine. But,, according to the Hindus, the great Dasaratha,the fourth in descent of the Solar race married a princessof the Lunar dynasty of the houseof Yayati; the issueof which mar* If Turtasa the fourth son of Yayati wasone of these:priiices whom the Lubii believedto have*-been instructedby the first Her-

mes,whodirected menin thereligion of the living Godduring

the third age, (vide note, p. 145.) it is probable,that his three

eldest brotherslikewise became converts to the divine religion

revealedby Buddhathe son of May in the incarnate form of ParasaRama the first Hermesof the Egyptians. In which case, the expression" they were set asidein consequence of their disobedience'' appears correct. It is certain that the Egyptian historians admit, that the fourth supremeruler in the race of Cain was not the legal heir: and accordingto the Hindu historians, Dushmanta, who was the fourth sovereignof the world,

in the race of Atri," ruledoverthat dynasty,which by legalinheritance, should have devolved to Yata. Sanchianuthosupposes the next generation of kings to have beenillegitimate.
M 2

180

riagewas Rama Chandra, theJaredof Scripture.

Thereforeif I am correct,in supposing Enochto
have been the incarnate God of the Hindus, then

washe lineallydescended in the femaleline from Yayati*. The fifth generationis whollyomitted, and Bharattawho was equidistantfromthe first createdwith Irad (the Agreus of Sanchoniatho) is equally recordedff to have-comeafter much time/' This prince is saidto havesucceeded his grandfather;in like manneras Berosus supposes Anadaphus of the Chaldeans to havesucceeded his grandfatherDaus,andaswe knowMethuselah to havesucceeded his grandfatherJared. And this omission of a generation,when the son is supposed to have died before the father, is a strong corroborative proof of the truth of the record.
For such an occurrence could never have entered

into a fictitiousnarrative: Thus it appears, that theomission in the pedigreeconfirmsthe Mosaic account., instead of oversetting that of theHindus:
*.If Crishnuhas not-been mistakenfor ParasaRama, Hha-

dacanta^could only.intend that Crishnu wasbornin that country, whichbefore the deluge wasgoverned by Yada. In like manner . as he informs us that the Europeans camefrom that country,
which before the delugewas assigned to Jurvam: because the

same historian, in the same ^ract, places Dushmanta theyounger

lyotherof Yada iifty degrees, in consanguinity before Paricshit; \vhose ruleheplaces 3100 years before Christ, placing the birtji
of Crishnu in theyearB.c.

181

and consequently that the following commentis asilliberal asunjust: cf Of the subsequent degrees in the Lunar line,,they know solittle, that unable
to supply a considerableinterval between Bharatta

and Vitch'ha, whom they call his son and successor, they are under the necessity of asserting that the great ancestor of Yudhishthir actually

reignedsevenand twenty thousand years,a fable

of the same class with that *of his wonderful
birth/'

The great ancestorof Yudhishthir was Yayati, between whom and Bharatta two generations in

the legal succession are omitted; a circumstance,

which is explained by Sanchoniatho; who., in recording the ten antediluvian generations.,admits the princes of the fourth to hare been usurpers,, and these of the fifth illegitimate. Manetho, likewise., represents the fifth dynasty as of Ele-

phantineor Solar kings. It is.,therefore,said by

the Egyptians, that Agreus, and by the Hindus, that Bharatta,, came after much time; that is, succeededto the sovereignty of the world after a

lapse of years,, or two interveningreigns. These two reigns accordingto the Chaldeans occupied three hundred years of 36o days each. The Hindus suppose them to have occupied two hundredand seventyyears. And to account for the lapseof time, Rhadacant adds this numberof

183

years to the reign of thegreatancestor of Yudhishthir,0r lastlegitimate prince (forthere arevery fewof the Hindus that canexplain theirhistoric
records): And that the number of yearsmight

keeppacewith the generations, whichfrom six

were augmented to an hundred and fourteen, they increased the 270 to 27000years. But this

oughtnot tohavebeen an objection with Sir W.

Jones. For however (cmonstrous" the rejection

'of two cyphers mayappearin this instance; he, in the sametract, only twenty pages preceding, adoptsa divisionof ten thousand million, to give a semblance of truth to the conjectureof an European : therebystrikingoff ten cyphers,and assuringus that cyphers were addedor rejected
at pleasure. That the race of Cain returned prior to the
death of Adam, we learn from Rabbi Gedalier,

Elmachinus, and Eutychius ; who severallystate

that fc immediatelyafter the death of Adam, Seth and his descendants retired from the place where

they hadformerly lived; far from the family of cursed Cain; that theyretired to the holy mountain, where they buried Adam: that Cain and all

his posteritylived beneath,in the valley where Abelhad beenkilled,andtookpossession of those countrieswhich were forsakenby Seth/* This
proves not only, that the race of Cain returned,

183

but, that Seth retired, and the descendants of the

elder brother reignedin succession.And so say

the Hindus, who date their return towards the

middle of the first Calpa., recording that on the

raceof Atri succeeding to sovereign rule, Mahadeva, the chief of the Solar race, retired to the

Mandara hills. They state all those princes, who

succeededSwayambhuva as sovereignsof the

world, with the exception of one, to have been of
the Lunar
The

race, or race of Atri,

informs us

who was Cain.

Cf that the first dynasty of India, or that of the Sun ruled uninterruptedly for the space of four hundred years/' or during
the absence of Atri, or Cain, which is the same.

Mahabharat

The Purana places the period at A. M. 419, or at

the close of the sixth Menwantara. It has been

already explained, that collectively, the Avataras denote the nine patriarchs of the Solar race; but that individually, an Avatar applied to the mercies afforded mankind by the redeeming power. The

three first Avataras,as detailed in history, describe the different prophecies of the Deity in
an incarnate form; the fourth is the first illumiof the Antara of this Ava-

nation of man, by a portion of the divine spirit;

and the commencement

tara, is stated as coeval with the return of the race of Atri: the fourth descent, in the line of Seth,

is namedby the HebrewsMahalaleel,which de-

184

notesan {Illumination of the Deity. A reference

to page 101will prove thatthebirth of thatpatriarch corresponds with the Antaraof the fourth
Avatara; andthat whenplaced in arithmetic proportion,the peri'ods alludeexclusively to the commencement of the Antaraof thepersons described,, without anyallusion to the periodwhenthey became Avataras. The Hindus usually describe the date of the one and the other by a different

mode. For example, if they meantto record

the period when Rama Chandra was born, more

particularly than by saying the beginning of the secondage., theywould mostprobablysayin the 263520thyear of that age; which answers to
A.M. 46l. Because the proportion which that

numberbears to 6l is equalto that of 1296000 to

300. Or they might take the remaining number

of yearsof the second age 1032480 ; and,, adding it to the wholeof the third age,,andthat portion

of the fourthwhichis past,say 1901307 years

ago. For 103 2480+ 864OOO+ 4917= 1901397. But if they intendedto denote the same periodor

A.M.46l>astheepochof an event,or an exploit

performedby an Avatara,theywould sayin the

sixth Menwantara, andthethirty-fifth divine age of

the first Calpaor dayof Brahma; because 46l ~-

71 =6ff.; or six Menwantaras and thirty-five divineages. By following these rules,a diligent

185

investigatormay alwaysarrive at the actualyear in whichany antediluvian eventoccurred. There is a legend taken from the Sancara Pradharbana, I believe,of Egytian origin; which
alludes equally to the return of the race of Cain
and to the transactions t)f the fifth Avatar. It is

translated at large,,and not very inaccurately,by Mr. Wilford. The purport is as follows : " About the middle of the Padma Calpa, there was such a want of rain in the country, inhabited by the race of Atri for many successive years, that the greatest part of the inhabitants perished, and Brahma him* self grieved at the distresswhich prevailed in the universe: Rihunjaye then reigned in the west of Cushadweep, and, seeing his kingdom desolate,

cameto end his days at Casi, or the splendid city.

Brahma offered him the sovereignty of the whole earth; which he accepted.,on condition that no Devata *(race of the Sun) should remain in his

capital. Brahma,althoughnot withoutreluctance

assented. left their So that even Mahadeva with his attendants favourite abode at Casi, and retired to

the Mandara hills, the holy mount. At this period

Rihunjayetook the nameof Divadosa or Servant of heaven. His reign beganwith actsof violence; he deposedthe Sun and Moon, and appointed other regents as Gods. He madea new sort of
fire. Yet the inhabitants of Casi were happy

186

under his government*. The legend proceeds

to say,that theDevatas became jealous,, andthat

the severalAvataraswereordered, in consequence

thereof,for the purposeof destroyingthis race: That Divadosa wasbeguiled by a Brahman, listenedto himwith attention,*and resigned the throne
to Mahadeva. We must considerthis entirely as

a legend,not as a sacred Purana. Nevertheless we trace several leadingfeaturesborrowed from

the sacred Puranas. First, that Casi was the

capital of Cusadweep, the seat of empire wherethe rider of the worldheldhis court; who, in the fifth
century of the world, could be no other than

Adam. Secondly, that Rihunjayethen reigned in a province, or countrywest of Cushadweep:

And the Scripture informs us, that Cain left the land inhabited by Adam and went eastof Eden,

And thirdly, theperiodAssigned for their return,

or first rule of this prince, was about A. M. 500. And Berosus places the commencementof the

rale of Cainat A.M.474. At a subsequent period, at the deathof the first ruler, it appears, Brahma offeredthis prince the sovereignty of the whole
world, i. e. he succeeded his father. On whteh

Mahadeva,Seth, retired to the Mandara hills; and

* All the Punanas speak highly of the government of the race

of Atri, withtheexception of theirwant of religion,

187

about this time,,or A. M. 928,, accordingto Berosus, the race of Alaporus, or Cain, succeeded Atoms, or Adam, and continued to enjoy the sovereignty

of the world until the deluge. The abovelegend is therefore confirmedby the Chaldean history,
and bears a strong resemblanceto the ancient

accountof Sethhaving retired to the holy mount,

when Cain succeededto the government of the world by the death of Adam. So far the accounts

correspond with Scripture. Sanchoniatho informs

us, that the first worshipping of the Sun was in consequence of great droughts, by which vegetation was destroyed. It is probable, therefore, that during the successive years of draught, in a hope to appease the orb of day, divine honours were paid to it: and the introduction of this worship the Hindus describe by saying thai <e the Yedas W$restolen"/' According to the legend, this spe-

ciesof idolatrycontinuedin the Lunar racetintil Rihunjayabecame sovereign of the world; "" when he deposed the Sun and Moon, andappointed new regentsin their stead/' We learn from Eusebius,
that the devotionalrespect to plants was preceded

by the consecration of those plants to the Sun,

Moon, and Stars, which were the principal Gods.

The deposingof these Gods and appointing of

Qthe^s in their stead, Sanchoniatho explains by

telling US;, that about thi$ timemen beg$& to eon-

188 secrate their ancestors :

ff During this reigna new

kindof firewas created;" thesame^ author informs

us, that the art of generating fire,, by rubbing pieces of woodagainst eachother,was discovered

by the thirdgeneration in theline of Cain ;" who

were from thence named,light; fire, flame., &c.

As the contemporary of theseprinces(in the line of Seth)wasborn A.M.236,andlived upwardsof 900 years, this discovery was veryaptlyplaced An a reign, thatcommenced soonafter the expiration
of the third age, or A.M.'900. And since San-'

choniatho, who, with the exception of the inspired

writers, is one of the oldest authors we have,

mentions thisdiscovery, asbeingat an earlyperiod

of the antediluvian world, we may fairly infer,

that the Hindusare correct in representing Rihanjaya as-theinventor. Rihunjayaand Bali were, however,very differentpersonages.The return of theformerto Casi, or the splendidcity, ^rendered a$ orderof thingsdifferent from what prevailedin the Satya or first age, necessary in the second. For, whereas in the former, or age of

virtue, all property wasequally distributed among

themembers of eachof the great tribes,or fathers

of families, among whomtherewasno disparity

of rankor cast, it became necessary during^ the

Trita, or second age, whenthe virtrfesandvices were equal," that is, whenby the return of Atri,

18$

the children of the Moon equalled in numbers

those of the Sun, " to divide mankind into sub-

ordinate classes, according to their talents or virtues/' It is recorded in the Smirtu, a book of

undoubtedauthority, that at this period, f<the four great Casts were ordained by the Being supremely glorious, for the purpose of preserving
order and regularity in the universe/'
lines of the Sun and Moon were

And, at
into

this time, Rhadacant informs us, the two great

formed

dynasties; that is, that chiefs or fathersof families, according to their abilities, or virtues, were

placed as rulers over provinces. But, Mahabati, who also took the name of Divadosa, or Servant of heaven, at an early period of his life,
and retained it until he had attained the summit

of his ambition, when he becameso arrogant, that in heaven he would allow no superior, and "on earth no equal; who was beguiled by a Brahman,

and resigned his kingdomto Vishnu,was certainly

of the fourth or fifth generation: His predeces-

sor, a blaspheming monarch,havingbeentorn to

pieces by the fourthAvatara. And theEgyptian

authors all admit, that the fifth dynasty was headed

by a Solarking.
To return to the dynasties as detailed by Rhadacanta, whose next list contains the sons of

a princeof the third generation : I suppose them

190

to be the sonsof Enos, the son of Seth; the list

consequently places thatsonof his, to whom the

Hindusbelieve the prophecy of the deluge to have beenmade, about 300 yearsbeforehe became a Menu,at the head of thefourth generation.
TABLE VII. PART II.

SWAYAMBHUVA.
Children of the Sun. Children of the Moon.

Satyavatar *.. Cainanf.

Trisancu.

Dushimanta,
*

Harischandra, Rohita. Harita.

"

Champa:.
Sudeva.

Vijaya.
Bharuca. Vrica. Balmca.

Sagara.
Asamanjas.
Ansumat.

* Born A. M. 326.

t Ruler overa province aboutA. M. 427, or fromthat to

A. M. 500.

191

In p. 82. the reasons for supposing Satyavatar to be the Cainanof Scripture, are so fully stated, that I proceed to thefifth generation. And herewe
have no certain date., from which to place the

eldestsonof Satyavatar;who, to the bestof my belief was Bhagiratha. As such I place him at the head of the fifth generationor children of
Cainan.

TABLE

VII.

PART III.
Or AD AM.

SWAYAMBHUVA
Children

of the Sun.

Bhagiratha* eldest son of Satyavatar.

Sruta

Nabha.

Sindhudwipa. Ayutayush. Ritaperna.

Saudasa.
Asmasa. Mulaca.

Dasaratha..., Mahalaleelborn A* M. 396.

Aidabidi.

Vsiwasaha.

Chatwanga.
* Ruler over a province aboutA. M. 550.

192
Children of the Sun.

Dirgabhabu.
. Ragu. AJa.

17 Dasaratha.

In the chronology of Sanchoniatho,, it appears that the fourth generationof" Cain., the contemporaries of Cainanin the race of Seth,
were the ccsons of light, fire, flame,, who begat

sonsof vastbulk andheight; whosenames were given to those mountains,on which they first
seized,, which from them were named mount Cas-

sius, LibanusandAntilibanus, and Brathys." This accountnot only agreed with., but is confirmed,
and explained by the Hebrew text of the Old

Testament. ec There were giantsin the earthin

thosedays; and also after that, when the sonsof

Godcamein unto the daughters of men,andthey borechildrento them: the samebecame mighty
men which were of old, men of renown*/' Here we have t\yo distinct * race of Giants. "" Those

times " evidently alluding to theperiodof which

they weretreating,and " after that/9 to the subsequent period,when idolatryhad becomegeneral, by the sonsof Sethdescending from the .holy mount,and mixing with the daughters of Cain:
* Gen. vi. 4.

193

** when the sonsof Godcamein untoth^ daughters

of .men/' f*and the earth was corrupt before God,,

and filled with violence*/' It is of the giants

of those days, or of the fourth generation of the

race of Cain,,that we are now treating,beforethe

apostacyof the race of Seth. It has been already shewn, that the Hindu and Chaldeanrecordsagree with the most ancient Jewish authors,, respecting the return of Cain, about this period of time. And the expression"first seizedon thesemountains/*is proof presumptivethat they were not the mountains of that country, which belonged to them as an

heritage. It is, therefore, implied^ that thosegiants calledLibanus,&c. &c. returned to the holy land,
or country inhabited by Adam,, about this time. And at this juncture we find the fourth, or Lion Avatara, brought forward by the Hindus, for the express purpose of destroying the -first impious monarch, who h#d in that country denied the

supremacy of the living God. The sonof Cainan

was named Mahalaleel; which, in the Hebrew,

signifies c a praiserof the Lord>an illumination of God'; to denote that this pious prince was an opposer of the idolatrous religion of his contemporaries, in the race of Cain. An illumination of God is synonymouswith an Avatara. The Nara* Gen. vi. 11.

VOL. I.

194

singAvatar is thefirstrecorded for thedestruction of a blaspheming monarch of the race of Atri. Nara-sing denotes an illumination of Naxa(orthe spirit of God)in the form of a lion* Fromthe genealogy of Sanchoniatho welearn that OR the
females of the fourth generation/' were begotten Memrames and Hypsuranus; but they were so named by their mothers, the women of those times, who, withoutshame, lay with any manwhomthey could light upon. Then Hypsuranus inhabited Tyre, andheinvented themaking of hutswith reeds &udrushes, and the paper reeds*: "Hypsuranus
fell into enmity with his brother Usous, who first

invented coverings for his body madeof the skins of wild beasts, which he caughtin*hunting.
When violent tempests of rain and wind came,

the boughsin Tyre, being rubbed againsteach

other, took fire, and burnt the wood there/'

(This circumstance, it is said,frequently occursin manypartsof India to the present day.) " Usous
having taken a tree, and broken off its branches,

was the first who wassobold as to put to sea; andhe consecrated two pillars to fire and wind,

andhebowed down.to them, andworshipped them,

and poured out to them the blood of suchwild
* It is remarkable that the Hindus, from time immemorialto

thepresent day,use thepaperrushes, or Cadjanleaves, used for

writing on, to cover in'their houses*

195

beasts ashadbeencaught in hunting* But when

these (Hypsuranusand Usous) weredead,those
that remained, consecrated to them stumps of wood, and monuments of stone, and kept anni-

versaryfeasts to them/3 By whichit is evidently

meant, that as formerly the monumentswere consecrated to the Sun, they were now consecrated

to human beings. The Hindu historian *says: *f They deposed the Sun and Moon, andinstituted other Gods/* May we not carry the similitude
still further^ and suppose the two brothers mentioned by the Hindus by the namesof Hirenakeran
and Hirenakassan, to be the two brothers of San-

choniatho, Memremus., and Hypsuranus? The two former are represented as giants^ the two latter

asthe sonsof giants. Theywereequidistant from thefirst created, not only with eachother,but with Mahalaleel, andthe Sing-avatar.Anotherremark*
able circumstance in the parallel presents itself!
We have seen, that the several nations, of which

we have treated, have not only a chasm in their

genealogical tables,but mentionthe sixth generation in a different manner to that of any of the
others. The Hebrews, ^ unto Enos'was born

Irad/* The Egyptians,feafter manyyearsfrom the generation of Hypsuranus cameAgrus/' The Hindus do not mentionany son of Hirenakassan,
but record, that ee in his house was born a son

196

named Prahland."

This child was considered

as

his heir and successor.

But such would have been

the case even had he not been of his blood, accord-

ing to the ancient usage*. But it appearsthat Prahland was indubitablyof his family,,although
not his son. The brother of the Egyptian giants
was Usous., who first consecrated idols, and bowed

down* and worshipped them. The Lion Avatar,

his contemporary., was the first prince mentioned

asanAvatara, for thepurpose of opposing an idolatrousprince. On thfese groundsI ventureto pro-

nounce Mahalale^l fire Sing-avatar, But I am

inclined to think Bhagiratha^ whoappears asthefirst in the fifth generation, wasnot the fifth patriarch.
Dasaratha,against whosename I have placed an
asterisk, answers better to the character of Maha-

leleel: and, although Bhagiratha appearsto have beenan elder son of that generation,, yet as Mahalaleelwas not born until Cainan was seventyyears of age.,it is more than probable/that he had many

brotherselder than himself. The giant Hirenakassanis supposed by someto havebeen Nimrod.

And thesupposition is supported by Maurice, on the followinggrounds^ which are equallyapplicableto Hypsuranus the brotherof Usous.
1, fc Nimrod was an hunter."

* Vide Gen. xv. 23.

197

Usousandhis brothers pouredthebloodof the wild beasts, theykilled in hunting, on their idols.
2. ce Nimrod was the inventor of Astronomy."
This is a bold assertion : since Calisthenes,, the

philosopher., is admittedto havefoundin Babylon

regular astronomicalobservations, so far back as

A.M. 1776: andNimrod,being the youngersonof

Gush,could scarcelyhavebeen born at that period.

That Astronomywascarriedback to thetime of

Usous the brother of Hypsuranus, and contemporary of MahalaleeL,was proved in the preceding
Letter,

3. f* The Abranet of the family of Nimrod were renowned for their skill in Navigation/*

Usous is the first personrecordedas having

ventured Noah." to sea in a boat. was the fourth in deseed from 4. .*' Nimrod

Hypsuranus and Usous were the fourth in

descent from Cain.

Supposing these four assertions to be true, and to be applicableto Nimrod and Hirenakassan,

whichis not proved,it mustbe admittedthat they

are equally applicable to the fourth descent from

Cain. Neither of the giants are mentioned in the Lunar or legitimatepedigree, neither are they so considered by Sanchoniatho, who represents them its the spurious offspring*of abandoned

198

mothers. Nevertheless, I am inclinedto believe that the names of the Hindu giants are entirely circumstantial,, andthat theyallude to Satan.

Havingnow arrivedat the periodstated by

Rhadacantaas the end of the second age., A.M.

700, and havingplacedthe secondDasaratha as

the last of the children born to the third generation in the race of the Sun, it follows that Rama was the head of the next, as eldest son of the

fourthgeneration in the raceof Seth,or fifth from

Adam exclusive; and this Rama was indubitably Rama Chandraof the Solar dynasty. This, I ad-

mit, militatesagainst the generalopinion of those Europeans, who havetreatedon the subject; all
of whom representRama as the sonof the youngest Dasaratha,the last prince of the fourth generation from Seth,who ruled over a province. But

theseauthorsplace Rama, fifty-six generations belowIcshwacu, insteadof three, supposing him

to be the father insteadof the brother of Ciusha,

and contending that the pedigreewas of generationsin succession. But, if theseprincesdid not reign in succession, and that they did so is utterly impossible, then the objectionis.removed.

This princeRama appears amongthe Menus underthetitleof Cha'cshustia, or cbeaming with

glory/ Dasaratha is likewise rather a circumstan-

tial epithet, thana proper name; signifying that

199

his war-chariots bore him to all quarters of the world. The prince of that name., against whom I have placed an asterisk, was father-in-law to
Bharata, and father of Rama Chandra; which warrants the conclusion, that the latter was Rama

of the Solar dynasty. In the eventsrecordedof this prince, we find somecontradictions,owingto the divineParasa being blended with RamaChandra. The former was a prophet, or man of God, who doesnot appear to havetactually entered into sanguinary warfare. His religious wars havebeen
blended with the carnal ones of his father; to

reconcile which, they make Rama Chandra regenerate in the womb of the mother of Parasa; who,

in fact, was his daughter-in-law. Thus it is alwayssaidof this prince^that he wastwice born; not accordingto the spirit, but that he hadtwo
carnal mothers.

TABLE

VII.

PART IV.

SWAYAMBHUVA Or ADAM.
Children of the Sun.

Rama* or Jaredf.
Cusha.
Atithi.
.. #

* Born

A. M.461.

f Ruler over a province,about A.M. 700,

zuu Children of the Sun* Children of the MOOB.

Nishadha, Nabhas.

Pundarica.
Cshemadhanwas.

(Bharata.)
Vitatha.

Devanica. Ahinagu. Paripatra. Ranachhala. Vajranhaba.

Area.

Manyu. Vrihatcshetra. Hasten. Ajamidha. Ricsha.

Samwarana.

Sujana.
Vidhriti.

Guru.
Jahnu.

* Hiranyanabha, Pushya.
Driwasandhi.

Suratha* Yiduratha.
Sarvabhauma,

Sudersana.

Jayatsener.

Agniverna. 20 Sighra.

Radhica. Ayutayush.

At thehead ofthenextgeneration is placed Maru; whom,as being the son of the sixth generation
from Adam, and fifth from Seth or Sward'chisha, I suppose to be Enoch. Against his name is written tc supposed to be still alive" This Maru
is the same with Marcan Deva or the immortal

man,whosehistory forms one of the eighteen 'sacredPuranas of Uyasa. In th*ehistory of the sixthAvatara, andindeedin everyhistory of the

201

incarnate God as ParasaRama, it is asserted,that

he never saw death; but that, when he vanished

from the sight of men, he retired to certain delightful spots in the mountains; where he is still

believed by the multitude to be living, on the Coromandel coast. While the more enlightened
Brahmans believe with the Hebrews, that, in con-

sequence of his superior piety, he was translatedto

heaven.

The placinga descendant of the sixth generation as the seventh Avatara, and one of the seventh

as the sixth Avatara, may at first appeara contra-

diction. But not so, if we examine their history.

In a former page,the Avataras areplacedaccording to their birth ; here they are recorded accordingto the period when they becameAvataras, or servants.

of the Most High. By referring to the Hebrew

Scriptures, we shall find that although Jared was born 162 years before his son Enoch, yet, that

he lived 435 yearsafter the translation of that son, andat least700 years after he prophesied as an
Avatara. For that he was so considered, when he

foretoldthe deluge to the Hindus,as the Sapheri,

and to the Chaldeans, as the Annadotus, is certain.

But asan incarnation of the Deity he was designatedan Avatara,during the whole of his sojourn
on earth. For the Brahmans contend, that the

Deity wasabsentfrom heavena day and night of

202

the Gods, or 365^ years. So that, supposing

Jared to be Rama Chandra, he lived 800 years after his son becamean Avatara; during which

period, although only the sixth in descent, he

became the seventhAvatara. And the epoch ap-

pears tobe fixed at theperiod,when heovercame

thegiantRavan. For in this battle,the Dhan, or
bow, of the divine prophet is entrusted to Rama
Chandra. .

Chryser,accordingto Sanchoniatho, was the contemporary of Jared; andhis character greatly resemblesthat of the Hindu giant. Chryser is said to be Hephaestus, or Vulcan, as being ff the first inventor of forging of iron/' Ravan
is the first Hindu prince recorded to have used

iron weapons. As " Usous was the first that inventeda boat, so was his successor Chryser, the first that usedsails, and venturedon long voyages/* Ravan venturedto sea, and seized on the inland of Ceylon. " Chryser exercised
himself in words, in charms and in divinations/'

Ravan hadrecourse to magicin all his contests with Rarna: f-e Chryser cameto a violent death, early in life;" Havanwaskilled by Ramain the prime

of lifeandzenith of power. We may,therefore, suppose thattheChryser of the Egyptians wasthe

Ravan of the Hindus; and then, asthe Hindus admit that the prince who is celebrated as the

203

seventhAvatara,,was born antecedentto the sixth, so may we admit Enoch to have been the sixth.,
and his father Jared the seventh Avatara. The

Hindus awareof this seemingcontradiction have

recourseto metempsychosis to explain it; and assert

that Rama Chandra was regenerate; or that the soulsof the parentsof ParasaRama (the sixth Avatara) passed into thebodiesof the parents of
Rama Chandra. There are somewho pretend to ascertain their names,,and say that the souls of Jamadegma and Renuca the parents of Parasa, passed into the bodies of Dasarathaand Caushalya

the parents of RamaChandra: thereby rendering

the text unintelligible. The souls of the parents of Parasa Ramay passing into the bodies of the

parents of Rama Chandra, clearly denotesthat

Parasa, or the sixth Avatara, was the grandsonof Busaratha, and therefore by implication, the son
of Rama Chandra, the seventh Avatara. Whereas,

by introducingthe nameof Jamadegma (who was the Acharya*of Parasa,) ashis naturalfather,the
whole sentence is rendered absurd. In like manner,

from its appearingin the Hindu records, that the

great Bharata of the Lunar dynastywas*halfbrother to Rama Chandraof the Solar dynasty,
it hasbeen assertedthat fc Dasarathawas not only
* A chary a denotes ' spiritual father,or instructor in religion/

204

the nominalfatherof thismightyAvatara; he was, also., by another wife, theimmediate progenitorof the greatBharat; the acknowledged sovereign of
all Hindostan V A moment's reflection would

haveconvinced this authorof the absurdity of his statement.First, as he had himself given the
line of Bharatafrom Yayati and Dushmanta; and, secondly,had Bharata beenthe son of Dasaratha,

he jmusthave beenof the Solar dynasty. This

forms a very material part of the Hindu record.

It explains two great events,, the intermarriages

between the race of Cain, and that of Seth; and the three brothers' sonsof Mahalaleel, who carried

on the first Titanianwar. For Dasaratha having

married the mother of Bharata,,a princess of the
Lunar race,, his son Rama was,, of course,, half

brotherto Bharata. Chandra beingthe immediate epithetof the Lunarline, the sonof Dasaratha by
the mother of Bharata., was called Rama Chandra,

to denotehis descent, in the femaleline, from the Lunar race, or children of the Moon, the sove-

reigns of the world. From which it has been

stated,that the great Buddha, the incarnateGod, as being the descendant of Rama Chandra, vpas

of theLunarrace. AndEuropeans, following the error of Baldeus, andmistaking the third period
* Maurice.

205

of the world.,for the third age, frequentlywrite Crishnu insteadof Buddha; thereby mistaking
Enoch for Moses. Dasaratha is represented as

father of three great lines; and we shall presently see, that those three were Japetus, /Titan,

and Cronus, of the Greek; although Dasaratha wasonly the father-in-lawof thelatter. To proceed with the Hindu pedigree.
TABLE VII. PART V.
Or ADAM.
Children of the Moon.

SWAYAMBHUYA
Children of the Sun.

Maru* exempt from

death,, or Enoch.

Acrodhana,

Prasusrutaf.
Sandhi.

Devatithi.
Ricsha.

Amersana. Mahaswat.
Vfewabhahu.

DilipaPratipa.
Santanu.

Pfas'enajit.
Tacshaca. Vrihadbala. Vrihadrana.

Vichitraviya.
Pandu. Yudhishthira. Paricshit

UrucriyaJ. C
* Born A. M. 623.

Janamejaya.

t Appeared,ruledabout A. M. 8OO. J Appointedruler over a province^ A, M. 900.

206
Children of the Sun. Childrenof the Moon,

Vatsavriddha.

"

Satanica.

Prativyoma.
Bhanu.
Bevaca. Sahadeva,

Sahasranica.
Aswamedhaja.
Asimachrisna. Nemichacra.

Vira.
Vitradaswa. Bhanumat. Praticaswa.

Upta.
Chitraratha, Suchiratha. Dhritimat.

Supratica.

Suchena.

> Allotting an equal numberof rulers to this., asto the foregoing generation., the list endswith Supratica; placing Marudevaat the headof the eighthgeneration, in theSolar line. Andwhowasso likely to be thesonandsuccessor of Maru,,whois
said never to have seen death., as Marudeva^ which

denotes Maru,thesonof aGod?Assuchheappears at thehead of the eighthandlastgeneration of the rulers ovpr provinces *, beforethe two dynasties became entirely blended, by thesons of Godcoming
down unto the daughtersof men.
* The eighth generation was not only the last from which rulers over provinceswere selected, "but the last from which a

Menu wasselected, of theSolar race, before thedeluge.

207

TABLE

VII.

PART VI

SwAYAMBHUVA Or ADAM.
Children of the Sun, Children of tlie Moon.

Marudeva*Methuselah f, Sunitha.
Sunacshatra. Pushcara. Nrichacshuh. Suchinala.

Antaricsha.

Pariplava.

Sutrapas*
Arnitrajit. Vrihadraja.
Barhi.

Sudhaya.
Medhaviru Nripanjaya.
Derva,

Critanjaya. Rananjaya. Sanjaya. Slqcya.

Suddhoda.

Timi. Vrihadratha. Sudara. Satanica.

Durmadana.

Langakda. Prasenajit.
Chsudraca.
Sumitra.

Rahinara. Dandapani.
Nimi.
Cshemaca.

Thesedynasties which becametotally blended in the succeeding generationand were finally

destroyed by thedeluge. The former epoch was

'*Born A. M.68S. -. .

f Appearruler about A. M. 900.

208

about A.M. 1300,when the sons of God came downuntothe raceof Atri; and the latter,A.M.

1656 ; when, withtheexception of theprinceand hisfamily, whowere saved in the*irk, all mankind
perished.
The division of the generations, will, I trust,

be found tolerably correct. Should they prove otherwise, the clue is furnished,by which the
errors may be corrected. For the dates are all to be found in the originals. To the division of

thegeneration in the Lunarline, I havepaid little

attention, further than the sixth ; the remainder

havingno relationto the subject, andbeing merely

a matterof curiosity. That Bharata wasof the same

generation with Ramais certain; they being the

sonsof the samemother by different husbands ; of

which sonsBharata wastheeldest, andconsequently

of the sixth generation. That Icshwacuwas of the

third is equallyascertained; because the Deity is

said to haye instructed the first created relative to

divine truths, who informed his son Menu thereof

whoag&ininstructed his first-born Icshwacu, who commenced his rule as governor of a province, at thebeginning of the second age, or from A.M.
4OO to A. M. 419. This account is consonant to reason. For before the return of the race of Atri,, the first created lived as the father of his

family; all washarmony andlove. But whenthe

209

vaceof Atri "'returned,a new form of government became /necessary; first,, as the population was greatly increased thereby; and,,secondly, as the mild patriarchalswaywasill adapted to the licentious race of Atri. Governors were therefore

placed over eachdistrict, or, perhaps,towns; all being subservient to the general father of man-

kind,as lordofall., or sovereign prince: and, thirdly,,

as at this time Icshwacuand his contemporaries had attained to a proper age to becomerulers. For regulating the age, by the scripture text, Icshwacuwas born A. M. 236; and consequently,
at the commencementof the second age., he had attained to the age of an hundred and sixty-four

years. And sincethe life of man then averaged

857 years, it is not probable that they should have becomegovernors,,or rulers over provinces., "ata much earlier age than l60; more particularly as the poet informs us,,that
" In early times to full an hundredyears, The fosteringmotherwith an anxiouseye
Cherished at home the unwieldy backward boy."

These lines apply equally to the age of the

princes of theSolar andLunardynasties, asto the antediluvian patriarchs of Moses ; each averaging 857years. The parallel maybe continued.The Hindu princes cease to form separate dynasties, afterthebeginning of thefourthage. No princes
VOL. I. O

210

wereappointed rulerslater than the eighth generation in the line of Rama Chandra. The princes who are recordedin the Mahabharat,or great war,

being of the line of Jarasundha, the apostate

son of Dasaratlia. In like manner, the Hebrews

record,, that thefamily of Sethretired to the holy mount,leavingthe rule of the world,to Cain and his descendants. Now althoughno rulers were appointed of the race of Rama, after the first centuryof theCallage,we mayadmitthatthoseof
the eighth generation,who were appointed at the commencement of the fourth age, continuedrulers
for some time. And so the Jews record. For

althoughthey inform us, that from the death of Adam, theworldincreased progressively in wickedness, so that all those that remained in the valley becamecorrupt, after the death of Enoch, yet they add that the total derelictionof piety, in the race

of Seth, did not takeplaceuntil 300yearsafter; wlien the sonsof God came downfrom the holy mountain untothe daughters of men,wherebythe whole world became corrupt in the sight of the
LORD. Whether Rhadacantintended to deceive,

or whetherhis accountwas misunderstood, it is impossible to determine. But, in oneinstance, his dateis evidently erroneous.Sofar asVrihadrana*
* Vide p. 148,

211

the datesare correct; that prince being thelast

appointed during the third age; against whose name Sir William Jones, on the authority of Rhadacant, places the year B.C. 3100, answering to A. M. 920. Vrihadrana, of the Solar dynasty, was about one generation after Jarasundha,who does not appear in this genealogical table: he was a younger sonof the ruler of the fifth generationin the Solar line, and consequently a brother of Rama.

Fromhim sprang a third race,whoformedaseparate

dynasty. At this time, according to the Hindus,

the world was divided into threeparts, or kingdoms, named Ayodhya, Pratisht'hanaand Magadha.
These three dynastiesbecame extinct at one and the same time; which account evidently proves

that they were all three destroyed by the deluge.

But, as the Chaldeans believe that the race of Ham,,

after the deluge,settled at Babylon,in Chaldea,

which in the antediluvian world, had been the seat

of empire of the race of Cronus, or Cain; so do

the Hindus believe, that the race of Shem settled

at Magadha, which had been the seat of empire

of the race of Jarasundha or Seth. And as the

Solar dynasty, which was continued after the

flood in the race of Shem, did not become extinct

until the usurpationof Pradyatoin the year B.c.

21GO, or A.M. 1902, the three former, or ante-

diluvian dynasties, *are, by mistake, brought foro 2

313

wardto thatperiod. Whereas, afterthename of

Sumitra,p. 150.should havebeenplaced theyear

B.c. 2346, allowing 1680 prophetic years, fromthe

commencement of the Padma Calpato the deluge., when the three antediluviandynasties became extinct. It maybe asked, why the deluge wasnot
mentioned? The answer is obvious. The ac-

counts were taken from the recordsof Pi'adyato; the contemporary of Tautus, or the first Athothes;
that both were of the race of Ham ; and that both,

in their cosmogony, omittedthe deluge; probably in a hopeto obliteratethe odium of descending

from that race, in consequence of whose impiety the whole world had been destroyed. For the race of Ham was supposedin the female line to have descendedfrom Naamah, the daughter of

Lamech of the raceof Cain. On Pradyato usurping thethroneof Magadha,the Solardynasty was considered as extinct. The twentykingsof Magadha,, mentioned in page153,, ^ere certainly the
descendantsof Shem; the eldest of whom, who

settledin that province,might havebeennearly an hundredyearsof age. Onthe divisionof the

world A. M. 1758, to the sons of Shem were allot-

tedall the eastern and northern partsof Asia; and although we knownot the exactperiod,whenthe postdiluvian kings of Magadha took possession of
that country, it is a feir inference that it was about

213

the time that Ham and Japheth travelled south, and stopped in Chaldea. For it is recorded that while the tower of Babel was building, the descen-

dants of Shem were settling themselves quietly in thosecountries assigned to them,at the division of the world; andif the princesof Magadha were drivenout by Pradyatoof another race A.M. 1900.,
the period of their rule could not have exceeded

an hundredand forty-two years; from A.M. 1768 to A.M. 1900; during this period., according to the
Hebrews, in consequence of the encroachments of Cush the son of Ham, Joktan., of the house of Shem,passes with his family into Arabia Felix, and forms a kingdom, which was afterwards divided among his sons. About A. M. ,1892, Ham comes

to the resolutionof avenginghis lather's curse;

makes war against him, and drives him from his own country, having previously settled Mizraim in

Egypt, Cush likewise leaveshis country, goes southof Babylon,and settles at Chaldea; making
war on the family of Shem. From all which it

appears, that the epoch,when the race of Ham are represented by the Hebrews,as making war against, and driving into distant countries,the raceof Shem, wasthat, at whicha foreignerof the Cshatriyacast is believedby the Hindusto have" deposed the king of Magadha, and to havedriven
the Solar race from the countries assignedto them.

The curseof Noah is recorded by the Hebrews

to havebeenultimately fulfilledon the race of

Ham: andthe Hindusrecord, that, althoughthis race weresuccessful for a time, theywere totally extirpated at Magadha,about six hundredyears after, and ultimatelydriven from Asia. As the Hindus have the most unequivocal belief in the

deluge, and the Puranas placetheepoch at l6SO

prophetic years, of 360 days,from the Lotoscreation, it is absurd to suppose, that a dynasty,which was formed750yearsbefore the deluge,existed 250yearsafterit, unless we believe thatthe prince,
who was saved in the ark, descendedfrom the

family of Jarasundha;which there is abundant

reasonto think wasnot so. It is, however, worthy
of remark, that Sanchoniatho, who wrote .from the

cosmogony of Tautus the first Athothes, who was the contemporaryof Pradyato, notices the three

greatlinesof theHindus. For thisauthor,whois silentrelative to the general deluge,continues the raceof Cain unto thefourteenth generation,, ending with thesonof Athothes;engrafting thefamily
of Ham on the stockof Cain. But^ which is more material to this inquiry, he tracesthe line of Seth

in the family of Jarasundha from the creation ;

-admitting a thirdrace, whose descent is onlytraced fromthe sixthgeneration: a tacitacknowledgement,thatuntil then,theywerethesame.ff There

315

wasliving/' says thisauthor, ff in the timeof the

ninth generation., oneElioun,from whomdescended Epigeus or Autochthon,afterwardscalled Ouranus." That Ouranus was Noah, has generally been-admitted; and then it follows, as Noah was

lineally descended from Enoch,the incarnate God

of the Hindus, that Elioun, which denotesHypsistus,

or theMost High, wasEnoch,who livedduring the ninthgeneration. That all mentionof the floodwas suppressed by Sanchoniatho from a wish to exalt
the race of Cain is probable. But, as he wrote from the records of Berytusr, which were placed
there in the time of Mizraim, whose father was saved in the ark, there must have been some addi-

tional motive, which equally prevailed with the historians, in the time of Pradyato;-that of dis-

guising the real ageof the world. For, asdates

are very correctly marked by every oriental nation,
from the time of Ham and Shem, who were both
saved in the ark, had the flood been then record-

ed, the extravagant numbershanded down by the

priests of lower Egypt would have beenrefuted

without trouble.

, In respect to the sarcasmthrown against the conclusion of the third age, like the chasm in the pedigreeat the commencement, it servesto strengthen, rather than invalidate, Hindu history.
For Yudhishthir was equidistant, from the first

216

created, with Chryser of Sanchoniatho, whom he

namesHephaestus, or Vulcan, who was conse-

crated andworshipped under thename of Diomichius. Therefore that Yudhishthir, of the same

race,andsame generation, is considered asrelated to theGods,at the period when the raceof Cain wereconsidered assuch, oughtratherto be taken in
proof, that this prince was of that race, than repre-

sented asa legendfit only to adorna fabulous tale. At thistime,the endof thethird age,wehave seen
the Sun and Moon, which wereformerly worshipped, deposed, and mortals consecratedas Gods.
Yudhishthir is said to be the son of Dherma or

Justice; an epithet, rather than a name, and fre-

quentlygivento the third generation in the race

of Atri; probablythe Budha of the Lunar dynasty, certainly Enoch,the son of Cain,from whom Yudhisthlr descended. We are not therefore to con-

sider Yudhishthir as his immediate son, but as a son of that house; in like manner as Ezra issaid

to be the sonof Seraiah, although it appears that

three generationshad passedbetweenthem-. So is Azariahcalledthe sonof Meraioth,in the seventh

chapter of Ezra,although in thefirst of Chronicles

chap. vi. ver.6 to11,it is proved thatseven generationshad passed betweenthem. Buddha,the

sonof Maya, is considered asthe Godof Justice, and the ox, whichis sacred to him, is termed

217

Dherma. So that this epithet like that of Buddha is not confined to any individual, or any race. On the contrary, we learn from the institutes of Menu, that fc the very birth of Brahmans is a
constant incarnation of Dherma, God of Justice :

For the Brahman is born to promote justice and to procure ultimate happiness/' You have now the Solar and Lunar dynasties before you, and will be enabledto judge how far I am correct, in representing them as the two great lines of Seth and Cain which descended from Adam. Should my researchesprove instrumental in affording you either instruction, or amusement,I shall be abundantly gratified. In a future Letter I will give you the ante-

diluvian dynasties of the Chaldeans, as they are

taken from Berosus; which equally agree with the Hindu and Hebrew Scripture; evincing the truth
of all three.

I remain, with unalterableregard,

LETTER

III.

MY DEAR SIR,

As inferences equally injuriousto truth

and Christianity, havebeendrawn from a paper which appeared someyears back in the Asiatic
Researches,I shall endeavourto explain some of
those truths, which have been termed cfmonstrous

absurdities/' before I proceed to the antediluvian dynasties of the Chaldeans,as they are recorded by Berosus; to which I havefrequently had occasion to refer in my two former Letters. For the genealogicaltable of the Solar and Lunar princes, we are exclusively indebted to Sir

William Jones. And,although he appears to have mistaken their realimport,he is, in general,a very faithful narrator. Sincetheseries of thesedynasties were published, as organized by him, those

who havewritten on the subject,generally give thejn, prefaced with an assurance that the theory
is originally their own. And the author of the paper, I havejust alluded to, informs us, that the

one he presents " is the onlygenuinechronology

219

recorded of Indian history." Whereas it appears subjectto moreobjections, than any which I have elsewheremet with. Neither am I very sure.,
that the whole is not intended as a satire. For he

presentsus with an elaboratetable, containing the pedigreeof Noah from the year B.C.3044,
to the time of Alexander, or the year B. c. 30O.

Mr. Wilford not only givesthe genealogical table of the patriarch, but the intermarriages, &c. for
more than two thousand years. It is a pity that these discoveries had not been brought forward a few centuries further. We might then, by as-

certainingthe degree of affinity each sovereign of the presentday, bearsto the first king of the
new world, have determined the question relative

to territorial right, without havingrecourse to force

of arms. This pedigree will be found in vol. V. of the Asiatic Researches, (p. 241. Bengal edit.) On a supposition that the above was seriously meant, we will examine it. To avoid the incon-

gruities others had beenguilty of, in placingtoo many generations in a too limited period, this author choosesthe Samaritantext of Scripture, which carries the deluge 935 years further back thanthe Septuagint, and349 further backthan the Hebrew text. But this not exactly suiting his

system, he.forms a newepofth for the deluge,

fixing it at the yearB.c. 3044^ makingthe tfme

220

of Shemto correspond with the year B.c. 280O, andthat of Icshwacuand Buddha, oneyear later.

Thus1791yearsareallotted for therule of the

descendants of Noah, in the race of Shem,until

the usurpation of Pradyato;the beginningof whose reignheplaces at A.M.3402, or the year

B.c. 600; which is just fifteen hundred years later than it is placed in every Hindu record. From this pedigreeI have extracteda few dates.,
sufficient to evince the absurdity of the system* without a repetition of Hindu names.
B.C. A.M. Children of the Sim. Children of the Moon.

2700 = 1302
2000 = 2002

Icshwacu
Rama.

Budha.
*Bharatta.

1600 = 2402

600=3402.
300 = 3702

Pradyato.
Nanda.

After much fabulous matter, we are informed

byMr, Wilford, that,longsubsequent to theoriginal creation, after innumerable destructions and

creations, Brahmafound it necessary to give two

sons to Adima, or Adam, from whom the earth

was filled with inhabitants. He then furnishes

a list of the patriarchs in the race of Cain, con-

trasting themwitk the same race, as givenby

Sanchoniatho; as follows:

231

1 Adima 2 Priyavrata

.Protogones. Genus.

3 Agnidhra .Phos, (light, fire.,flame.) 4 Cimparache, &c., .Cassuis, &c. (mountains.)

5 Richubala* Memramus.

* 6 Bharata
7 Sumarti 8 Bevajita 9 Aya ....

Agreus.
Chrysor.. Technites. Agroweros.

. The above tableis tolerablycorrect. My principal reason for introducing it, is to shew, that this author, who spent so much time in endeavour-

ing to provethat Bharatta*descended from Noah

and was born A. M. 2002, or in the year B. c. 2000, produces, what he terms an authentic document, to prove him of the sixth generation from Adam,

and born A.M. 46l, or in the year B. c. 3541. His note on the third generation is likewisevery
erroneous; wherein he supposes Auttama,Tamasa/
and Raivata, all of whom became Menus, to have

been the sons of Agnid'hra. Had they beenof the race of Cain, they would,, of course,haveappearedin the foregoing table. But, in the institutes of Mepi,, theyare all threesaidto be of the
ojtber six Menus in the race of -.'""' " " line,, three of the--t:
* Seethe foregoingTables.

222

the Sun: Menus who perfectly understood the Scripture, who descended in succession from Swayambhuva, andreached to the deluge,named
" Iwarochisha,Auttama, Tamosa, Raivata, Cha'eshusha and Vaivaswata." The information of

this author is drawnfrom the Egyptian side of

India, as we maylearn from the two generations being restored. In a note on the sixth generation, Mr. Wilford explains that Bharata was the great chief, who gave his nameto the country of Bharat,

or Bharatawarsha; which provesthat the chief

whom he labours to convince us was born 1042

years after the deluge,actually gave his name

to a country in the antediluvianworld. It requires little logic to prove that the sameperson, who

flourished 497 yearsbeforethe deluge,couldnot

have reappeared1042 years after that epoch, as

governor of the wholeworld. So that, it is clear, the Egyptians, as well as the Hindus, place this great chief as the sixth in descent in the race
of Cain. Afid, if we remove the asteriskplaced

bySir William Jones against thenameof Bharata*

two nameshigher, that chief would appearin his

properplace; the jfirst of thesixth generation in

the Lunar race. In a former letter, I observed
that Bharata was the half-brother of Rama Chan* Vide p. 142.

dra. Here we see him correctly placed,by Mr. Wilford, asthe Irad of Scripture, and Agreus of Egypt, of the sixth generationin the line of Cain.
So that, if any credit is due either to his own

account,or to that of the Hindus,, who profess that ec Dasarathawas not only the father of R.ma
Chandra of the Solar race, but the nominal father of the great Bharata, who became sovereign of

the world,,and gave his name to that extensive

country called after him/' then must Mahalaleel

havebeen depicted in the great Daosaratha, and

his son Jared h* Rama Chandra. And, as it is

universally admitted,that the great war of Bharat wascarried on by the Solarand Lunar dynasties, it followsthat thosedynasties wereantediluvian. Mr. Wilford having, with some accuracy,
traced the line of Cain, and comparedit with that of Sanchoniatho,proceedsto give the line of Seth,

comparingit with that of the Hebrews. Here he

has failed entirely. For, with the exception of one name, which is properly placed, the whole
is erroneous.
follows: 1 Adim and Iva. Adam and Eve. Seth. Enos. Cainan.

Mr. Wilford's

table of Solar Menus,

anclHebrew patriarchsof the raceof Seth, is as

2 Uttanahada 3 Dhrava,..., 4 Vatsara

224

5 Pushparra<
6 Chushusha

Mahalaleel
Jared.

7 Ulmaca

Enoch.

8 Anga
9 Vena...

Methuselah.
Lamech.

TSTames may be incorrectly written, or the

samepersons described by different names. But eventsalways mark the personintended. With
the exception of Chu'cshusha, all the princes,

inserted in the foregoinglist, were of the Lunar race. It appears that this author, understanding a Menwantara to be the reign of a Menu, and thinking it incongruous for suchholy personages to belongto the raceof Cain, transfersthem to
the better line; and then, that each of the fourteen

Menwantaras might have its Menu, he extends

his antediluvian genealogicaltable to the great grandchildren of Noah, in the fourth generation ; therebymakingfourteengenerations in 958 years, in lieu of tenin 1656. And he previously informs
us, that Dhruva, or Dherma which is the same,

CfwasBudha of the Lunar dynasty,who mjtrried Ila, the daughter of Noah/' Prom which

it is evident, eitherthat theten antediluvianpatriarchs,were born after the deluge,or that Ila*
* Ila, the daughter of Swayambhuva, is supposed to have married Bad ha of the third generation in theLunar race, Enoch
of the race of Cain.

225

was not the daughterof Noah. Enos wasborn

A. M. 235., or 1421 years before the deluge. And Arphaxad, the third from Noah, A. M. 1659, or

threeyearsafter it. And accordingto the epochs

of this author, Enos., or Budha, was born A. M. 235, and Budha, who married Ha, A. M. 1302, or in the year B.C. 2700; which exhibits a differ-

ence of 1067yearsin the ageof the same person. These contradictoryaccountsform a part of the same essay; the one being given in page 244,, the other in page253 of the fifth volumeof the
Asiatic Researches, which, if this author was not

satirizing the chronology,proves that he had no knowledgeof the subject,on which he wrote,but
merely copied from every legend that he met with.
His table of Menus in the race of Seth is continued as follows. ff 10 Pritha or Noah/'

( 11 Vijitaswa/* ""12 Visilaswa, (during the life of this prince

Swayambhuva or Adam dies.)"

" 13 Visishatia."

ff 14 Ducsha; during the time of this prince

Dhrava was translated to heaven/'

ff For Dhruva, like Enoch in Scripture, is commended for his extraordinary piety, and the

salutarypreceptshe gave mankind. He did not

taste death, but was translated to heaven, where
VOL. I. P

226

he shines in thepolarstar,* but Enos and Enoch are confounded together." By whom are theyconfounded? Certainly not by the Hindus. For, although thesimilitude between EnochandEnosh, asit is written in the Hebrew, might havemisled
an European, yet the pundits are not liable to
such an error* For Hebrew names are not intro-

ducedin Sanscrit records. This author, probably

havingheard fromhis pundit,that Buddha the son of Maya,of theseventhgeneration in the Solar race,wasconsidered asthegeniusof justice, that
he was translated, and still worshippedin the polar

star, and finding that Budhaof the third generation in the line of Atri, who married Ha, the

daughterof Menu, was usually stiled Dherma

Budha, to denote his wisdom and justice, confounded Enoch the son of Cain, with Enosh* the

sonof Seth. Very many of the Brahmansunder-

standEnglish perfectly well; and manyof them are wonderfullywell versedin our Scripture. It is thereforevery probable,that the pundit,from whom this author got his infortnation,told him that Budha of the third generation, whowasstiled

Dherma and who marriedI la, the daughter of

Menu, was Enochf of our Scripture; which is
* Icsh\vacu of the third generation in the solarraceis frequentlyspoken of as a Budha*
i Enoch the son of Cain.

227

literally true. Our author therefore assignsto

him those honours, which were exclusively meant
for Enoch the son of Jared. If the four names

given by Mr. Wilford asof the race of Noah, are not entirely fabulous,, which I believeto be the
case.,they must have been appointed subordinate

rulers, in the veryearliest periodof the fourth age. For the Hindu recordsare very clear in respect
to none having been appointed (of that race) after

that period: andif so, it is possible,that Adam might havediedduring the time of Visitaswa (who perhapswasVriadratha*)and Enoch might have
been translated during that of Ducsha. Thus
I have endeavoured to make sense of this con-

tradictorypassage;for the explanation attempted

by the author is absurd, and> if possible, more heterogeneousthan the account. For he adds> " supposing Pritha to be Noah, and Dhrava to

be Enoch, the accountagreesremarkablytvell

with the computationof the SamaritanPentateuch. Enos lived 433 yearsafter the birth of Noah; and,

of course, the great grandchildof the latter could

be witness of the translation
&

of Dhrava into heaven.

Swayambhuva, or Adam,lived223 yearsafter the

birth of Noah, according to the computation of
the Samaritan Pentateuch; and it is said of Pritha

that the earthhavingassumed the shapeof a cow,

* Seep. 151, the twenty-first name.
P 2

228

he made use of his great ancestorSwayambhuva

asa calf to milk her. Perhaps the old sire took delight in superintending the fieldsand orchards of hisbeloved Pritha." The reasoning of the foregoing is as weak as the sentimentis profane.
Nor can we be surprised,, while such a doctrine

is promulgated by Europeans, that feAnglo Indians" are styled tc unbaptized Christians;" or

that the religion we profess, shouldbe held in contempt by the Hindus. For thereis no Brahmansoignorant, asnotto knowthat theportion of
Narayana, the spirit that movedon the watersat the creation, and animated the body of Buddha the son of Maya, in that incarnate form, was

of the seventhgeneration, and a type of that

redeemingSpirit, which theyexpect, when the days

shallbe fulfilled,(i. e. the present age concluded)

to judge mankind in the incarnate form of Calsi,
the tenth and last Avatar: whereas Mr. Wilford

affects to believe, that Enos the son of Seth was

translated to heaven, in theyearof theworld 1140, andconsequently lived433years after the birth of Noah,placing that epoch at A.M.707. If theSamaritan text places thebirth of Noahat A.M.707, it
likewise places the birth of his eldestson at A.M.

1207; that of his grandson Arphaxadat A. M. 1308 ; andthe translation of Enoch at A. M. 887.
So that unlesswe admit the Dacshaof this author

229

to have been born at least 320 years beforehis

great grandfather Vigilaswa, " the account agrees

remarkably ill with the computation of the Samaritan Pentateuch/' whichplaces the translation of Enochthreehundredand twenty yearsbeforethe birth of Shem. The Samaritan text placesthe delugeat A.M.1307; Mr. Wilford at theyear B.C. 3044,or A. M.958; whichlikewiseagrees remarkably ill therewith. It appears,from thesecontradictory accounts, that the author makes even nature itself subservientto his views. For, when
Budha and Bharata were to flourish in the ante-

diluvianworld, the delugeis placedaccordingto

the Samaritan text. But, when it becomes ex-

pedient to detail the events of their life as post-

diluvian,the delugeis carriedback 349 yearsfor

their accommodation. The Hindu text, which has

been so profanely perverted, for the purpose of

bringing in a miserable play onwords,is asfollows.

" He, the supreme ruler, who prescribed the sacrifice ordained from the beginning; from fire, from air, and from the Sun, milked out as it

were the three primordial Vedas, named Rich, Yayush, and Saman, for the due performance thereof/* Could any, but a professedatheist, renderthe foregoing,-" The earth having assumed the shapeof a cow, Noah made use of his great ancestorAdam to milk her?" It is not by

230

ridiculing religion, or rejecting the Hebrew text of the Bible, that we can expectto convert the HindustoChristianity.The introduction of thewell knownallegory of theelephants and thecrocodiles, with theremarks thereon, warrants usin supposing
the whole to be meant in ridicule. Mr. Wilford

tells us,, ff that during the reign of the fourth Menu, occurred the famous war between the

elephantsand the crocodiles. Whenever the

elephantswent to drink or' bathe, the crocodiles

dragged theminto the water,anddevoured them; the horde of theelephants having beenattacked by thechiefof thecrocodiles a dreadful conflicttook
place, and the elephants would all have been

destroyed but for theassistance of Vishnu: what couldhavegiven rise to suchan extravagant tale,
I cannot determine. But some obvious traits of For it still remain in the sacred isles of the west.

almostevery lake in Wales has a strangestory attached to it, of battlesfought there,between an ox anda beaver, bothof uncommon size: at night the lowingof the ox and the rattling of the chain with whichBehainbannawy (thegreatox) endeavoursto pull out of the water the Arane (beaver) are oftenheard.9'To strengthen this Welch won-

der, Mr. Wilford adds, " elephants were called oxenin thewest/' Now asit is impossible this
authorcan seriouslyintend to inform us that he

231

hadoftenheard the lowingof Behainbannaxvy

or therattlingof hischains^ we canonlysuppose that he wasindulginga veinof irony at the expenceof truth. But if, on the contrary,, he is one

of thoseghostseers,who imaginewatch-lights
before death, and hear the screams of the daemons,

who await their prey beforea storm, his appetite for the marvellous would be amplygratifiedby the unenlightened Indians, who frequentlytake allegorical descriptions literally. The legend alluded
to is the great battle, in which Sesonchoris * the

son of Amanernes, calledby the Hindus the chief of the elephants, conquered the wholeworld. In consequence of which,the crocodilesresigned the
sovereignty of the world to the fourth Avatara

(Mahalaleel of Scripture). Accordingly the fifth dynastyof the Egyptians is said by Manethonto havebeen of Elephantinekings. Elephantsand
crocodiles were the emblematic names given to the race of Seth and Cain., and, even in the postdiluvian world, the Hindus were allegorically

named elephants,and those who inhabitedthe country approximatingto the Nile, crocodiles.
And the Indians on that side of Asia, still contend

that had it not been for the Avatars the mighty

jnonarchs of the river had subdued those of the
forest.
* Sesostris.

232

The next observation of this author is more

worthy attention; and, as it may assist your researches, I will explainit. He proceeds to inform us,, that ff the Hindu systems of geography, chronology,, andhistory,areall equallymonstrous andabsurd;" that theystatethe circumference of the world at 500000000 Yougans,or 245000000 British miles; that one of their kings reigned
27000 years; and that king Nanda possessed in

his treasury above 1584000000 pounds sterlingin gold;" it does not appearon whatauthoritythese
assertionsare made. They may be true,, or they

may be false. But., certainly,they are neither

" monstrous nor absurd. I do not recollect the sub-

divisionsof aYougan. But the true numberof degrees will be found by dividingthereby. I will therefore,for the present,passby the measurement. The 27000years,which the greatancestor of Yudhisthiris saidto havereigned,hasbeen alreadyexplained. And whether king Nandadid, or did not, exist, is not very material. That
various princes were known of that name in

Hindostan is certain. The degreeof credit due to the assertion that he possessed in his treasury at one time 1584000000 poundssterlingin gold,
is the question to be investigated: If we understand tHfeaccount literally, we should hesitate in giving credit to it. But there can be no more

233

reason for taking this account,, literally, than there isfor supposing therichesof theking of Jerusalem to be intended to be so taken. Takenliterally,, they agree tolerably well. For supposing that David
appropriated one half of his revenues,as an offer-

ing to the temple,then the amountin gold was 1296000000;which bringsus back to the Hindu numbers. We cannotbe too cautiousin giving credence to those authors, who, not venturingto
ridicule the text of Scripture, select,from the Hindu records, those passages which approximate the nearest thereto, for the purpose of either placing them in a ridiculous point of view, or pronouncing
them <cmonstrous absurdities." At the time Nanda

reigned, (for during the whole of the Hindu

government,the revenueswere collected, and fines leviedin Racticas)the gold Ractica wasin valuefour penceof our money ; anda Trasarenus is the 1296th* part of a Ractica,asfollows:
TABLE IX.

Trasarenus 1x8= 8x3=

8, or 1 minute poppy-seed. 24, or 1 black mustard-seed.

24 x 3 = 72, or 1 white mustard-seed. 72x6= 432, or 1 middlesizedbarley-corn. 433x 3 = 1296*, or 1Ractica, or seedof a
Gunja.

234

Here, as in the table of time given in my first Letter*, we find the same numberswith the cypher

omitted;andthese numbers equallyformthe basis, by which their weightsare regulated,, and fines
imposed: For example,
03

i
^4

sSuverna. <fi Dharana. Mashac Dharan Satam Nishca O J

J

s_ O

r-4

r*

?- i

I- C

r- < y. t

i- <

CO cs 0 CM c 00 "* CO JC^ O COs ^ pH ^. ^r

tC c

r~< ?-t ,. O c 0 o o O

5C M^

r-< TP i- t
"^

02
y &

t>. C* 00 S Tf J>. CO s ^ d * t4 -^ CO T}< -4 iC

tf

O 0 0 <M c* 0

$H

rHi<
0 o
y^

1 P*
^ 0

11 P$
o r^

g ^
J5

"** CO p- 1
II
^
X

U
H1

CO CO
0

00

11

II

II
X

II
C r-<
X

"

II
X

(1 II
X X

M
li
o

vC CD r-4 ^
X X
oo

<M CO 0 f-t r-l

CO CO o^
c^ f-4 . ce =3

<M ^J4 CO 1^ ?-* ^O cc xp

c r* SI2 J3 i- i ^

0 0 CO 0 <M

CO C4i>. (M c^ 0 Oi C5
Tj r-l ^

<M IT) Tf ^ fM Ol -K ^J<

t/5

" 2 Cti
w r.

C ^

r<

OS CO Ctf

O ^
^

SM

ctf CO d

fr

* Vide p. 1(7,

235

In the eighthchapterof the Institutesof Menu, these calculations are confirmed. They are expressedin six stanzasas follows:

" The very smallmote., whichmaybe discerned in a sun-beam passingthrough a lattice, is the leastvisiblequantity., andmencall it Trasarenu." feEight of theseTrasarenus are supposed equal in weight to one minute poppy-seed;three of theseseeds are equalto one black mustard-seed;
and three of these,last, to a white mustard-seed/'

f( Six white mustard-seeds are equalto a middle sized barley-corn ; three such barley-cornsto one

Ractica., or seed of the Gunja; fiveRacticas of gold

are. one Musha,
Suverna."

and sixteen such Mushas one

" Pour Suvernas make a Pala; teii Palas a Dharana; but two Racticas of silver, weighed

together,are considered as oneMashaca."

fc Sixteen of these Mashacas are a silver Pha-

rana, or Purana ; but a Carsha,or eighty Racticas of copper is calleda Pana or Carshapana."

The weightof the Racticais estimated at two grains. Mr. Wilford gives us no authority for his assertions, nor any clue, wherebyto trace the

periodat whichhis rich king Nanda lived. And

indeed, his subsequent account wouldlead us to

suppose the wholefabulous, did not the amount

236

of the riches of Nanda, nearly correspond with that mentioned in Scripture; aswe shallpresently
see.

A prince of the nameof Nandais statedby Sir WilliamJones., on theauthorityof Rhadacanta, to havecommenced his reign A.M. 5406.,and to have reigned onehundred years. He wasthecontemporary of Apappus Maximusof Egypt,, whose reign wasextended to an equallength*. But we can scarcely suppose, that this was the prince intended;moreparticularly,, asMr. Wilford brings him., in hispedigree of Noah,sofar forwardasthe
year B. c. 300. But the princes of those days,

when Nanda ruled at Magadha,were so designated, from the number of their servants and cattle,

in which their richesconsisted:they being evidentlytributary princesto the greatruler of Hindostan. Boththe Hindus and Egyptianshavea legendrelativeto a sovereign^ who ruled about
500 yearsafter the family of Sunaca becameextinctf. I do not recollect either his name, or the country over which he ruled. He is said to
have been the richest monarch in the world. All

his utensilsare said to have been of gold: so

that it became proverbial., and was afterwards believed., that whatever Ije touched, turned to that
* Vide Table XXV. f See the subsequent partof thiswork.

237

metal.He was evidently theMidas ofMythology,

and possibly the king, said to have had in his treasuryin gold alone 1584000000 poundsster-

ling ; which,if reduced, would probably amount to no more than203700sterling; andpossibly,

not to more than 20370 pounds. For, if the

originalnumbers wereTrasarenus, they must be

divided by 1296. For it would be difficult to ascertain the valuein gold of the minutestmote that is perceptible in a sun-beam. Thus,
1584000000-7- 1296 = 1222222; each of which,

being in weight two grains, if valued at four pounds per ouncetroy, wouldgive 20370pounds sterling. Or if Chuchrums, the amountwouldbe 203700; which is by no meansan exorbitant sum, if compared with the Scriptureaccounts of
the samedate. It is much to be regretted that Europeansseldom,if ever, give an accountas they
receive-it from the Hindus. No Indian could

have described the treasures of this prince in

pounds sterling. They would havesaid, somany

lacks,or so many crores: a lack is an hundred thousand; a crore ten hundred thousand. If, therefore,the numbers were to be takenliterally, which is very probable, and written 1584crores,

in goldcoinit might have been 1584000000 gold

Fanams, of tilevalue of four penceeach;which wouldamount to 26400000 pounds sterling;or if

238

so many lacks,thento only 2640000.Nowthe largest of these suras, andI haveendeavouredto placethem in every possible pointof view., is less
by 6800000 poundsthan David'sfirst offeringto thetemple. For if the richesof theking of Hindostan are taken literally, there is no reasonwhy

thoseof the king of Jerusalemshouldbe consideredotherwise. And then, if Nanda actually possessed in his treasury1584000000, David, accordingto the book of Chronicles, drew from his treasury in goldonly,as an oblation to the temple, 648000000. And supposing that he gave one half of the wholeamount of his revenues, he must havepossessed 1296000000 pounds sterling. But a very moderate capacity maydiscover, that neither
of these accounts were intended to be understood

literally. Taking that of the Hindusat the very largest possible estimation, it amounts to 2640000O.
But this sum is not spoken of, as the collections of one year. On the contrary, it is recorded^

fcthat he had that sum in his treasuryat one

time." The oblationto the temple was thirty

years in collecting, and literally amountedto

75249000;. which, divided by 30, averages

2508300annually, besidesjewels, copper,and

brass:andthisdoes not include any part of the

collections for other purposes. We learn from
Josephusthat the shekelof the Hebrewscontained

289

fourattic drachms, or the weightof half an ounce

of silver;which is nearly halfa crown, according

to the presentcoinage, andjust a Siccae Roupee of Bengal. Probably it is the coin mentionedin

theforty-fifthchapter of Genesis. <c To Benjamin

he gave three hundredpieces of silver/' We may,
according to the value of the Roupee, estimatethe

silverat five shillingsper ounce; and, at the presentaverageporportionof 16 to 1, the valueof

the [gold was four pounds per ounce. At that rate the following table is calculated; and the
riches of the Hebrew and Hindu monarchs esti-

mated. To form a just estimateof which, it becomes necessary to ascertainthe value of the Hindu weights, which are asfollows: " "
TABLE X.

t>
1 =

'g
&

. i
1=
16 =

&

&

c3 Grains
2 =

Troy. . s. d.
O 0 4

5=
80 =

*10= 0 1 8
1= ...... 160 = 1 6 8

320 = 64 = 4 = 1= . . 640 =56 3200 = 640 = 40 = 10 = 1 = 6400 = 53 6

8 8

Asthe originof all weightsusedin England

was a grain ofcorn,of wheat, of the largest size,

240

driedin the Sun,of whichthirty-twowereallowed to be a penny-weight, or twenty-fourgrains, so three middle sizedbarley-corns were, in Hindostan, considered astheweightof a Ractica, pr twograins ; making thirty-sixmiddlesized barley-corns., equal
to twenty-four grains troy. As these calculations,
extracted from the Institutes of Menu, as taken

from the Vedas, are certainly as ancient, if not more so,than the Pentateuchof Moses,they may

beconsidered astheoriginalbasis of all weights. A Racticais the smallest gold coin known in India usually nameda goldPanam. A Chuchrum
being a nominal value, by which accounts are kept, in like manner as we adopt poundssterling. Ten Fanamsform a Chuchrum,which originally

was understood as twenty grains of gold; as

twenty shillings still form one pound with us. There is a larger Fanam, now in use, of which,

if I recollectrightly, five are equalto a pennyweight. But the Fanammetalof the present day is of sodebased a quality,that it cannotbe consideredasa criterion. The star pagodais a fair standard : it weighs"48 grains; which,at the rate

of fourpounds sterling perounce, is eightshillings of our money, the fixed exchange of the East
India Company,

Having shewn themode practised bytheHindus,

whentheyare desirous of swellingtheir numbers,

andhaving explained the three several ways, by

whichthe sumof 158400000O maybe computed,
we will proceed to the Hebrew account of the

richesof Solomon.And, as Mr. Wilford gives

us no clue by which to ascertain the mode of com-

putation intended by hisinformant,we will suppose it the largest of these sums, or 26400000 poundssterling; which falls very far short of the Hebrew account, as given in the twenty-second
atid twenty-ninth chapters of the first book of
Chronicles, where it is recorded, that the collec-

tions for the offeringsto the temple,in goldalone,

amountedto an hundred and eight thousand talents. We learn from Josephus,that the talent contained

3000 shekels; it consequently weighed 125lbs. Therefore,108000talentsof 125lbs. weighteach, at four pounds sterling per ounce, were in value equalto 648000000 poundssterling. Now hadan
Hindu informed our author, that one of their kings

hadmade an offeringof suchasumto their principal

pagoda, and that six hundred millionsof it was paidat onetime,he wouldhave hadno hesitation in pronouncing itcc a monstrous absurdity/' But,
if we considerit according to its obviousmeaning,
as we have done that* of the Hindus, it is neither

monstrousnor absurd. On the contrary, it is,

I believe, perfectly Correct.For, first,the talent of theSanctuary* to which Josephus alludes, was
VOL. I. Q

242

doubleof thatin common use,by whichthe collections weremade : secondly, it appears that neither

thegoldnor silverwas pure,butin theore; and

as such;, its value cannotbe estimatedat more than

one-seventh part of its grossweight; which reducesthe talent of pure gold from an hundred and twenty-fiveto nine poundsweight: for 125 -r-2 = 624-,or sixty-three nearly; and then 63 -f7 = 9. In the seventh Psalm we read ff as silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times."

I will notpronounce this an error althoughI suspect it to be such. For it is well known that, once refined., neither goldnor silvercan be rendered more pure by a repetition of the process. I should therefore read purified to a seventh part of its weight; particularly as the sameword occurs

in the seventy-ninth Psalm,, whicha learnedauthor assures usthe Chaldean paraphrase renderscfone

partfor seven/' Andthisis in some degree confirmed by 2 Kingsv. 22. wherewereadthat Naaman placed two changesof raiment, and two
talentsof silver, on two of his servants, who bore

thembefore thesons of theprophet. The weight

of 125lbs. of Silver amounts to three thousand

Rupees in value. So that, supposing Naaman placed one talenton eachservant, the weight
greatly exceeded that which any man couldhave

borne onajourney. We must, therefore, suppose

them tohave been twotalents, weighing nine pounds

each. Again,we readin 2 Sam.xii.30.and1Chron.
xx. 2. that the crown which David took from off the

head of theking of the childrenof 'Amrnon, whenhe wasslainby*Joab, in- Kabbah,whichhe placedon his ownhead,, weighedte onetalentof gold." This, it is clear,was the king's talent of refinedgold, weighing nine pounds. Yet, according to the letter, it weighed an hundred and twenty-five
pounds. And had it been recorded that an Indian chief sustained so ponderous a crown in the heat of battle, we may venture to affirm that it would have been pronounced " a monstrous absurdity/' As a collateral proof, that the talent was of the

weightof nine pounds troy, I mustobserve, that a bagof Pagodas, in value 400pounds sterling, weighs nine pounds troy, or the refinedtalent. And the modeof conveyingmoneyis in general by Golapeons, who bindinga talentof goldin a bag,fasten
it round their waist, like the servantsof Naaman.

Having established the talent of pure gold at

nine, in lieu of an hundred and twenty-five pounds

weight, the offering of Davidagreeswith the

Hindu numbers.
IN GOLD.

David's first offering....1

secondoffering.

43/200000.
1,296000.

The offeringof theprinces

2,160000.

244

In 1 Chron. xxii. 14., it is recorded, that the

first gold provided by Davidamounted to one

hundred thousandtalents; and in the fourth verse

of thetwenty-ninth chapter,that the oblation consistedof three thousandtalents; and in*the seventh

verse,that the offering of the princeswas five thousand talents. Calculatingthe talent at nine poundsweight, and estimating the valueat four poundssterlingper ounce,it will be in valueas
follows :
Talents of

9 Ibs. weight.

Ibs.

100000 = 900000, at 4 per OZ. 4320000O

3000=
5000 =

27000, at ditto
45000, at ditto
Total

1296000
2160000
46656000

The above is independent of the offeringmade

by the people; which amounted to 10000 attic drachms,or 5OOO pounds sterling. But, if it be understood literally^ the oblations amounted to

648000000.Supposing then theseofferings to

be one-half of the collections, the whole revenue

collectedby David, in gold alone,amounted to

1296000000; and if weadmit thattheproportion was two-fifths, whichperhaps is themore probable

hypothesis, for from the most ancient times to

nearlythepresent day, one-tenth of therevenues

245

was set asidefor the sanctuary, beforeany donation or Nazar was made.,then the Hebrew account

greatly exceeds eventhat whichappears so

strous an absurdity" to Mr. Wilford.

"

mon-

For., as

king Nanda had 1584000000 in his treasury, king

David must have had 1620000000. Now, since

the numbersrecorded by the Hindus agree so entirely with those given by the Hebrews,it is
surely at least possible that those numbers, still

sowell known to the Hindus, were once equally

famous among the Hebrews. How far more consonant to reason, to equity, and every Christian

principle, would it be, to endeavour to reconcile

the records of our brethren in India, to those of

Scripture, than to assertall, which we do not com-

prehend, to be ""monstrous and absurd?" Let

us cast the beam out of our own eye,; ere we

attemptto eradicate the mote that maybe found in the eyeof an Hindu. Thosewho, like Volney,

openly attackreligion, are less dangerous than

thosewho obliquelypointthe envenomed dart,and
wound it under the cloak of sanctity. Where is

the difference betweenasserting that the Scriptures

are filled with monstrous absurdities; and assert-

ingthose records oftheHindus which agree therewith, to be so? Had this author attendedto the booksof Chronicles or Kings, he would have

known that the gold annually collected as fines

246

fromthe conquered provinces, weighed sixhundred andsixty-six talents, independently of thatbrought by chapmen and merchants, andall the kingsof
Arabia and governors of the countries.,who broughtgold and silver to Solomon. The latter might be in ore; but the former.,having been collectedby the tax-gatherers, must have been

refined gold, or specie., andestimated bytheking's,

or smallest talents, nettedannually 2013984 pounds sterling. And thesetaxeswereconsidered trifling in proportionto the sumsbrought by the kings
of Arabia, Hirem, &c. chapmen and merchants. The Nazar, or present.,made by the queen of Sheba to the king, amounted to an hundred and

twenty talentsof gold, or to 36*2880 pounds sterling of our money.

If we confine ourselves to the Sacred books of

theHindus, we shallnevermeetwith passages that are not capable of beingreconciled with truth and reason. But, while all the legendscollected from
the unenlightened are handed down as historic

truthsby our countryjnen,we cannotbe surprized

at their appearingmonstrous and absurd. Those,

who darerise above theseilliberal prejudices, will be amplyrecompenced for their labour,by finding

the Hindu antediluvian records agreewith those

of the Hebrew: although the former are far
more comprehensivethan the latter. That the

247

monarch mentioned as the richest in the world was

the samewith Solomon, I have no doubt,,because the Cashmirians have a tradition., that they are descended from the Jews. The^name of Mosesis

well known amongthem, and they placethe birth of Buddha^ the blackshepherd, in the same year in which the Hebrew prophet was born. The reign of this rich monarch is likewiseplacedabout
500 years after the time of Crishno, which corresponds with the time of Solomon who married

the daughter of Pharaohking of Egypt*, about

A. M. 2991: and all Mr. Wilford's information comes

from the Egyptian side of Indiaf.

which was called the throne

During the
This

last century,,the Cashmirianssheweda monument.,

of Solomon.

will be more fully explainedin the life of the fourth Buddha. Let us precisely multiplyour own tableof time by its subdivisions,, andwe shallfind it agreewith that of the Hindus,,admitting ten Matires to equalonesecond.
.

* 1 Kings iii. 1. t Diodorus Siculus statesthe annual amount receivedfrom

the goldmines, at this period, at 32000000 of Minas;andspeaks

of it as an offeringto the Gods, stating that Ramphos, the son of Cetes, left in his treasury 400000 talents in gold and silver:

thusprovingthat sucha legend did existamong the Egyptians

two thousand years ago.

248

TABLE So seconds 60 minutes

XI. ~ 1 minute. = 1 hour.

12 hours 24 hours
30 ditto

= 1 day. = 1 day and night.

= 1 month.

15 days andnights= 1 half month.

12 months ,= 1 year. 100 yearsthe life of man. Multiply these numbersinto each other, as in Tables II and III, page 16 and 17.

Seconds1 x 6'o
60 x 60

60 ; 1 minu
3600

: l hour.

3600x 12 43200x 2
86400 x
1296000 X

43200 ; l dayo 86400 1 daya

2592000 : 3110400000

15
2

1296000 i l half m

: 1 mont : the life to be

2592OOO X 12
31104000 x 100

31104000: 1 year

3110400000 x 360 1119744000000 ; This p

orthodo

with the

250

Year of 36odays.
Month of 360 days.

-"
II

*-* *
II I!

LighthalfoftheMoon.
Day and night. B

** <* j*
II II I!
. CO

-<*o o o II I! H II

^ Dayof twelve hours.

H

"* ^ <
" *>"

g
<5 fr Hours.

II H II II H
rt 2 S eg 5 *- ^ ~ eg rf CO O C*
l-t i-H CO

Minutes.

O ^ O

-*OOOOO CD co CD CO

o o o C* ^ o CO CD CD ^* GO Oi CO

These tablesagree soentirely with thethreeHindu tables 3givenin myfirst Letter^asto leaveno d^pbt
but that the prolongedperiods of all easternnations

may be decyphered thereby. I shall, therefore., only makea fewremarkson the essay that follows

251

that of Mr. Wilford, in the same volume of the

Asiatic Researches.

Mr. Bentleypresents uswith an entirenewsys-

tem without comingnearer thetruth.Byintroducing

poeticand astronomical eras, he placesthe birth of Adamin the firstyear of theCali age,whichhe admits to havebeenin the 906thyear of the worid. With theexception of that respecting Nanda,I cannot but think every statementof his erroneous: his system is professedlyformed on a conviction, that

the Buddha of SirWilliam Jones,stated by him to havebeenborn in the 1002dyear of the Caliage,
was the Budha of the Lunar dynasty, saidto have married Ha the daughter of Noah. To substantiate which, he strikes out an hundred and fifteen

years,, and places the birth of Budha at A.M.1787;

and then, to ascertain the dates, that should be

placed against the namesof his descendants he

consults the bills of mortality of the presentday :

thereby reducingthe averageage of man,stated both by the Hebrewsand Hindus at 857 years,
to 33. Now should we admit Budha to have been

the son-in-law of Noah, instead of the grandson

of Adam,yet, when theage of manwas reducedto one-half,the average agewas then 42jryearn.
Shenr, the, son of Noah, is stated to havelived at

least six hundredyears. For he is supposed to have beea aliveat the nmmageof his grandson

252

Isaacof thetenth generation : Arphaxad, the son of Shem, lived438years;Selem, hisgrandson, 433;

andEber, hisgrandson, 464: andit wasnot until

A. M.2515, whichis 613 yearsafter the pundits

all agree that the Solardynasty became extinct^

that the ageof manwasshortened to eightyyears. To account for thesesupposititious dates(for Mr.
Bentley doesnot evenpretend to copy from Hindu accounts)he says,ccfrom the bills of mortality it appears that the meanduration of human life does not exceed thirty-two.,or thirty-three years. Ad-

mitting the meandurationto be thirty-three,we

cannot admit more than seventeen at the utmost

for the reign of each/' Now it appears that

Mizraini,thegrandson of Noah, reignedsixty-two years; Athothes,his great grandson,fifty-nine years; and that, on an average, the twenty-first kingsof Egypt, reachingto A.M. 2423, reigned above thirty yearseach; although several of them weremorethan two hundredyearsof age, when
their reign commenced. Strange, that thosewho

attemptto explainthe Chronology of the Hindus

should be so ill informed, relative to that of their

own religion. This author proceeds to state,

ccthirdly and lastly, that there was but one Budha

(sage)in the time of Noah, who is said to have married. Ik the daughterof Noah/' Hence he infers,cc that the Buddha(prophet)whoappeared

253

in the 1002dyear of the Calijug, or in the year

1907 of the creation, was the very same who

marriedNoah'sdaughter,recordedas living near

the beginning of the Tritajug of the poets, and as

being contemporary with the sonsof Noah." It has been alreadyproved,that the beginningof
the Tritajug commencedwith the fifth century, and that it was at that period, that this race re-

turnedto thecity of their greatancestor Swayambhuva or Adam. But, waving this circumstance, and admitting Budha to be postdiluvian, unless

Mr. Bentleymeans to deny the deluge altogether,

from what stock does his Budha descend ? If all

created beings, save Noah and his sons, were destroyedat that period, from whom did the con-

temporaryof Noah's sonsspring,whomHa married A.M. 1907? (accordingto the Hindus A.M. 40O.) If Ila wasthe daughterof Noah., she was
the sister of Japheth, who was born A.M. 1557Now supposingher born two hundred yearsafter
her brother, and when her father w^asseven hun-

dred years of age, she must, accordingto this

author, have been twrohundred yearsof age, when

the youthfulBudhaled her to the altar. And, as

we find in the Mosaic account, that none of the

descendantsof Noah were more than thirty-five

'years of $ge, when their first*child was born, it appears " i&0nstrously absurd, andcontrary to nature

254

andreason/3 tosuppose thata contemporary of one

of theseshouldhavechosen a bride who had attained

hertwohundredth year; more particularly, astwo

hundred years after, the birth of Isaac was con-

sideredmiraculous., Sarahbeinggo yearsof age.

" Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in

years., therefore Sarah laughed within herself,saying. After I amwaxedold, shallI havepleasure, my lordbeingold likewise?" This wasin theyear
of the world 2107: but if we suppose,, that this

Budha wasborn, instead of havingmarriedin the 1002d year of the Caliage, and that his sonwas born whenhe was thirty, the averageperiod in the race of Noah,,then his wife Ila gave birth
to that son,,from whom the race of the Moon de-

scended., in the two hundred and thirtieth year of her age. And this very incongruoushistory restson no better foundationthan the bills of mortality, more

thanfour thousand years after. But even the parish registers mighthave taughtthisauthor better.They would haveshewnhim that the greater number of children.of thepresent timedie undertwo years of age. General historywouldhaveinformed him,
that the proportion of princes, who ascenda throne under that age, is as one to an hundred. And a

verysuperficial knowledge of the Englishhistory

would have informed him, that, in modern times

(whenthelifeof manis limitedto threescore.years

255

andten,,and whenvery manymoredie underforty yearsof agethan aboveit,) the average or ''mean duration" of the life of the last thirty-three kings
of England, or from William the Conqueror,to the

present reign inclusive/' exceeds fifty years, and the period of their reigns nearly twenty-three years. Adopting,therefore,this author's system,
we should have the children of the Sun and Moon

shiningat least six hundredyearsafter the Christian era. In his chronological table, he professes to correct that of Sir William Jones,and places
the commencement of the several reigns of those

dynasties,of which Icshwacu and Budha are the

head, at that period when the pundits universally

admit that theybecame extinct: this authorplaces

the commencement of the dynasties,at A. M. 1907.

All the pundits agree that they endedin the year B.C.210O,, or A. M. 1902. Mr. Bentley, allowing seventeen years for the rule of eachchild born in
either family, and placing them all in succession,

as following generations,,allots the prolonged period of 198! years for their reign: which he
assertsdid not becomeextinct until the year B. c. 120. At a loss to dispose of Pradyato, who is admitted beyond controversy to have usurped the

throne when the dynastyof the Sun became extinct,, he carries him back nearly two thousand

years,makinghim the contemporary oflcsfcwacu,

256

andgives a list of hisdescendants for 1647 years,,

or until A. M.3554. Howevererroneous the system

which I haveventuredto bring forward may be, namely,that system which supposes the dynasties
antediluvian, thus much is certain, no argument

yetproduced bythevarious authors,, whocontend

for their being the progenyof Noah.,will stand thetest of investigation:a certainproof of their fallacy. Two objectionsare statedby the last
author: first, the alteration in the Menwantara;

andsecondly, the poetsValmic andVyasuhaving flourishedin different ages; he asserts as an indubitable truth that Meyathe supposed author of the Surya Sidhentaincreasedthe Menwantara from 306720000 to 308448000 years: whereas
the author of that tract adoptedthe latter Menwantara without altering the former. Both continue

in use to the presentday, for the purposesfor which theywere originally intended: the former beingthe basisof a cypher,which mustbe ren^ deredunintelligible,by the leastdeviationtherefrom : whereas the latter answered better for

astronomical purposes, andbroughttheir yearof

13 Lunar months nearer to that of 12 Solar montlis

of 360 days. Had the alteration amountedto 1728000 years,asthis authorsupposes, it hadin-

deed been fatal toChronology. But,asit merely lengthened theduration of a yearof 355 days

257

to one of 357; and as., at the end of each the difference of hours, minutes., and seconds,,was

alwaysadded,no error in chronologycould arise

therefrom. And you have already seen that the Menwantara of Meya, or 308448000-7-864000 = 357 ; and that the Menwantara of the Vedas, or
306720000-864000 wantara. Brahma. = 355. The Menwantara of

Meya,, likewise,, accords betterwith theMaha MenFor 355 x 14 = 4970; which rendered Whereas 357 x 14 = 4998; which cor-

an addition of 30 necessaryto each Calpa of

responds with the Maha Calpa, or 14 Antaras of the Menus (857 x 14 = 11998). The former

giving the 5000 years,lessby two,, and the latter 12OOO, less by two: there was probablyanother reasonfor adopting the Menwantara of Meya. That of the Vedasis so clearand so perfectlyexplained in the Smirta, that any one possessing

the most superficial knowledge of figures, who gave his attention thereto, must have discovered the cypher. Whereas,the Menw7antara of Meya being at variancewith the othercalculations, made it very difficult, if not impossible, to understand the Hindu chronology. The secondobjectionis the absurdity of supposingValmic and Vyasu contemporary. Mr. Bentieytells us, that " these two poetswere ancientand contemporarybards:
that the modern Hindus believe Valmic to have
VOL. I. R

258

reigned towards the close of the Tritajug,and Vyasu towards theclose of the Dwaparajug, and
to havehad frequent conversations together oti thesubject of their poems; all which theHindus attempt to account for bysupposing a miracle/'
If thisauthorbelieved that.eighthundredandsixty four thousand yearsactuallyelapsed betweenthe birth of thesetwo poets,he might well suppose
a miracle to enable them to converse with each

other: but asthe Trita age only contained three

hundred and the' Dwapara age two hundred years,

it was very possible for two bards, who lived in timeswhen theageof manwas averaged at 857 years,and frequentlyexceeded nine hundred,to have conversedtogether, without a miracle;
although the one should havebeen born two hundred years before the other. But the Brahjnans tell us further. They inform us thatfc Vasisht'ha

the son of Swayambhuva was the great ancestor and preceptorof Parasa Rama/' in like manner,
as the Jewish authors tell us, that Seth was the

greatancestor andpreceptor of Enoch: that Vyaau wasthe sonof this Rama, and that Valmic,who wasthe contemporary of Rama Chandra,livedin

the timeof Vyasu:which is another proofthat Rama Chandra, whowastheseventh Avatar,was

antecedent to Parasa,or the sixth. That Valmic

was of thesecond age,andVyasu of the third, is

259

established as far as historic records can be ad*

mitted as proof. Nevertheless I do not" mean that

theworksnow extantin theSanscritlanguage were

antediluvian : but the followers of Vishnu, who profess to believe in the doctrine of the Meteirfpsychosis,and who contend that Crishnu was an incarnation of the Deity., are obliged to admit, that " the great incarnate God, Buddha the son of Maya

becameregenerate in the womb of Devaci, who became pregnant by Maha Maya during the third
period of time/3 or third thousandth year of the world. That " when the parents of Crishnu discovered, from the miracles he performed., that

their supposed child was indeed the Lord Heri,

Crishnu absorbed their minds in forgetfulness, until he had completed,the divine mission,,which as an Avatara he began, in the incarnate form of Parasa Rama." *Vyasu the son of Parasa/is ad-

mitted by all the pundits as the arranger of the

Vedas. But the author,,who put them into Sans-

crit,, certainlyflourished in the postdiluvian world.

Yet to support the hypothesis, that Parasa Rama

was regenerate in the person of Crishnu, the.

multitude are amused by being told that his son

Vyasu flourished during the time of Moses,the third period, in lieu of the third age. That the
books of the revelations of Enoch did exist^ no

orthodox Christian can deny. For although we

R 2

260

shoulddoubtthe accounts transmitted by Origert., Tertullian', andnumerous otherauthors, who affirm

thattheyhad seen and read them in Arabia Felix;

or shouldwe dispute,the accounts of Clemens

"Alexandrinus andGeorgius Syncellus, whoprofess

to have possessed the books in theGreeklanguage, we mustnot denythe accounts givenby St. Jude, whospeaks of therevelation of Enochasof a book extantandundisputed in his time. Now it would be just asconsonant to reason to dispute the chronologyof Moses, because theworksof Enochwere
extant in the time of St. Jude in the Arabic and

Greek languages., asit is to dispute thechronology

of the Hindus^ becausethe works of Vahnic and

Vyasu are still extantin the Sanscrit, the most ancientpostdiluvian language in Asia. The Hindus, whoare enthusiastic admirers of thepoetryof Valmic,represent him as living- during the time
of the Gods, or divine Menus of the antediluvian

world,called by theEgyptians divinities:fromwhich

Europeans have erroneously supposed, that they

consider poetrya divineart, practised for numberless ages in heaven, before it was revealed on

earth: whereas thetext merely implies that poetry waspractised by Valmic, the contemporary of
Rama Chandra, in the antediluvian world*and
consequently many agesbeforethe Sanscritlan-

guage (inwhich theMahabharat of Vyasu isnow

261
*

extant) was known on earth. For the Hindus,

as well as the Persians, believe the language of
the antediluvian world to have been of divine

origin; each representing the Vedas asoriginally

written in a divine language long since extinct.

Meya, the first great astronomer, is admittedby

all the pundits to have be#n born about two cen-

turies before Valmic; and they all agree that Meya flourishedduring the seventh Menwantara
which commenced A. M. 42O.

Hindu dates are renderedcomplicated,, from eachof the six Calpascontaining one thousand
years, and each thousand years being the sum of

the four human ages. Should you enquire of a

pundit, when the Antaras of the severalAvataras

commenced, he would probablyplaceBuddhathe

son of Jina in the first age, and Buddha the son of Maya in the second; becausethe Antara of the
former, or Noah, who was born A. M. 1056, answers

to the 246240th year of the first age of the second Calpa,or the second thousandth year of the world;
while the Antara of the latter, or Enoch, who was

born A.M, 623, commenced in the g6336pthyear of the secondage of the first Calpa. And the punditmight intentionallyomitthe Calpa. Valmic, the authorof the Ramayana, was borreduring the second ageof the first Calpa; and was the author
of the Sanscrit edition of this poem, in the second

262

ageof thethird Calpa, or fromA.M.2400 to A.M. 2700. 'Vyasu, the author of theMahabha^at, was born in the third ageof the first Calpa,which
ended A.M.900. But the authorof the Sanscrit

poem, which bears his name, could nothave written

more than fourteen centuries before the Christian

era; because thehistoryof Moses is engraftedon

that of Enoch.

Mr. Bentleyproceeds to explainthe Menwantaras; althoughhe very candidly confesses that

he considers them inexplicable. And, as he under-

standsthem, they most certainly are so. For, supposing the Menwantara to havebeenincreased
by Meya 1728000years, in lieu of two days, he naturally enough concludesthat it must havebeen

the Maha, or great Menwantara. He therefore

tells us, that cf we are now in the seventh Men-

wantara, whichwasthe samewhenMeya wrote."

Whereasthe one commenced A. M. 420; the other

A.M.5067, or after5143 years of 36odays.

He then proceedswith his information,as follpws: " Swayambhuva, or Adam,who wasborn
in the first Menwantara, lived down to the end of the fourteenth, which I have extracted from the

Streebhagavat, andfrom whichsome rational idea

may^ be formedrespecting the durationof the

Puranic Menwantara, nowgenerally confounded

with the periods of thesame name belonging to

263

Meya's system., in which we are now no further

advanced, than the seventhMenwantara; and which

wasthe samewhenhe wrote, long beforethe time of Vyasu." I have already observed3 that the Antara of a Menu formed a great Menwantara; and, therefore,, the terms are frequently used as
synonymouswith each other. Swayambhuva,or
Adanij was of course created at the commencement

of the first Menwantara: and, as all the Menus5

saveNoah, were born before his death, many of the Puranas andlegends recordthat Swayambhuva ruled during the first Menu or Menwantara,and
remained on earth until the fourteenth Menu, or the. commencement of the Antara, or Menwantara of Noah, the fourteenth Menu.
until the end of that Menwantara

That

he lived

will not be found

in any authenticrecord. Europeanauthorsseem

to suppose that the Antara of one Menu ended

whenthat of the next began: whereas, theageof

a patriarch averaging 857 years, it is termed his

Antara; and placingthemin succession, the sum

of their years is eleven thousandnine hundred and

ninety-eight. Whereasthe utmostlimits allotted by the Hebrewsand Hindus, for their rule, do not
exceed two thousand and seven, or from the birth

of Swayambhuva to the deathof Vaivaswat. The

Antara of Adam commenced A. M. 1, and lasted

on the average computation 857 years; thatof

264

Seth commenced A.M. 131, and continued fora

like number of years; andsoon, with the whole

of the fourteen Menus. Mr. Bentley is very correct, in saying- ff we are now in the seventh

Menwantara." -For857 x 6 = 5142yearsof ^60 days;consequently^ the seventh Menwantara commencedA. M. 5067, and will last for 857 prophetic

yearsof 36odays, or until the end of the Padma creation. But he makesa very bold assertion.,
when he adds, fewhich was the samewhen Meya

wrote., long before the timeof Yyasu." Meya is admitted, withoutcontroversy ^ by every Hindu, to haveflourished during-the seventh puranicMenwantara, which commenced A. M. 420, and con-

cluded A.M. 490,or 71 x 6, i. e. 426 years, of 360

days,when the sixth Menwantaraended. Whether

Meya was the actual name of the postdiluvian

author, or whether he assumed that name from the

great antediluvianastronomer is immaterial. It is well known that the most ancient Hebrew, Chal-

dean, and Arabianauthorssuppose Ssth to have

been thefirstorganiser of Astronomy, andEnoch*

to have broughtit to the mostperfectformwhich
it assumed in the old world. And here we see

Meya during thetimeof Vasisht'haf organizing

* Videnote, p. 112.
t Sous of the first-created,

265

Astronomy, and Parasabringing it to perfection :

not to the perfection which it assumed afterwards,

in Babylon, but to a regulatedsystem ; whichthe Chaldeans carry backto A. M.463, or thereabouts,

dating their improved system from A. M. 1776.

I do not recollectthe dateof the Hindu improved

system: but it is certain, that the Surya Siddhanta,

in its presentimprovedstate,wastaken from the system, of Meya of the antediluvianworld. For of the six Anges, or bodies of learning, Astronomy is the fifth of the Vedengars; as it is said to have been delivered by Surya and other divine

personages; assuchit iscalledtheSuryaSiddhanta

of Meya; who, I believe^ was no other than Icshwacu of the Solar dynasty. For the Hindus record of that prince, that which the Hebrews record of Enos,that he waswell skilled in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy: and the Chinese ascribe the

cycle of 60 yearsto the sameprince, under the

name of Whang-Ii; to whom, it is nearly certain, the planet Venuswas consecrated. For the regent

of that planet is namedSucrae, or Usanas, a mate

deity, believed to have been a sage of infinite learning. To return to Mr. Bentley; who, after very

gravely assuring us

ec that we are now

in

the

seventh Menwantara, which was the same when

Meyawrote,long beforethe time of Vyasu/'gives

266

us the names notonly of the six Menus, that presided over theMenwantaras that are past,but of
the one which we are now in., and of the seven that are to come; as follows :

1Menwantara Swoyombhooho^ i. e.Swayambhuva.

2 3
4

Swarocheeso, i. e. Swarochisha. Utomo, i. e. Auttami.

Tamoso, i. e. Tamasa.

5
6 .,, 7
8

.. Riboto,
Chaksorso, Vavioswata,
Saborni.

i. e.Raivata!
i. e. Chacshusha. i. e. Vaivaswata.

9
10 11
12

Doksosabornee.
Bromosabornee. .. Dhomorsabornee.
Rudrosabornee.

13 .. * 14

Debosabornee. Endrosobornee.

Nothing canbe morecontraryto nature., than to insist that we are actuallynow living- in the
seventh Menwantara, under the rule of Vaivas-

wata; and that the seven Menwantaras^ which

were to be ruled by the family of Sabornas, or Atri, hadactually passed, if theyhadnot beencon-

temporary princes. The names are misplaced:

in other respects, I believe theTableto bevery

correct; with the exception of the last prince;

267

who., althoughof the race of Cain, never became

a Menu. We maycorrect the table asfollows.

TABLE XIII.

SwAYAMBHUVA, 2 Swarochisha. 3 AuttamL 2 Sabornee. 3 Doksosabornee.

4 Tamasa.
5 Raivata. 6 Chacshusha.

4 Bromosabornee.
5 Dhomorsabornee. 6 Rudrosabornee.

7 Vaivaswata.

7 Debosabornee.

The last prince in Mr. Bentley'stable, named,

Endrosobornee, is improperly placed in a list,

whichconsisted of Menus only; $,nd was probably

introduced, to complete the number of fourteen. He appears to have been the contemporary of Noah ; who, according to Berosus, never became

a sovereign. But Mr. Bentley, mistaking Vaivaswata for Noah, gives his contemporary in theline
of Cain ; whereas the Puranas expressly name the predecessor of the prince, who was saved in the

ark, Vaivaswata:saying, that whenthe waterof the delugehad subsided, Satyavatar was appointed a Menuby the favourof Vishnuby hispatronymic
of Vaivaswata. That Vaivaswata^ or child of the

Sun, was the patronymic of the Solar race, is

268

beyond doubt: and, if theforegoing list is correct,

Sabornee wasthe patronymic of the Lunar race. But onthis subject I cannot speak with any degree

of certainty;although I aminclined to thinkthat the foregoing weretitles assumed whenthey became sovereigns or Menus. The followingextracts,from theInstitutesof Menu, provethatthe
correction in the table is warranted.

ccFrom this Menu, named Swayambhuva,or

sprungfrom the Self-existing, camesix descendants,otherMenus., or perfectlyunderstanding the Scripture,each giving birth to a race of his own, all exalted in dignity,eminent in power.5*
c< Swarochisha, Auttami, T#masa, ' Raivata,

likewise, andCha'cshusha, beaming with glory,and

Vaivaswata, child of the Sun."

ff The seven Menus (or those first created, who are to be followed by sevenmore) of whom

Swayambhuva is the chief, have producedand supported this world of moving and stationary

beings, each in hisownAntara, or the period of

his reign."

The words placed in parentheses, bearing a table meaning, have led Europeans to suppose
them to be fourteen Menus in succession. The words."thpse first created55 are not intended to

denote primogeniture, but first,as greatest, or perfectly understanding the Scripture; theword

269

"following" denoting that the Antara, or 857 yearsof each, or that numbermultiplied by 14, would be the duration of time, or the day and night of Brahma,twelve thousandyears. But to prevent a possibility of their being mistakenfor
one race, it is expresslywritten that of both those

lines,consisting of sixMenusin each,Swayambhuva the sonof the Self-Existingwasthe chief, making

a total of thirteen; the first-created and six

princesin eachrace: the prince saved in the ark beingthefourteenth andlastMenu; who, although
he did not become such in the old world, was the

only personin the new one, whoseagecouldhave completedan Antara, of 857 years. As I have frequently had occasionto refer to this circumstance,and asthe exactcoincidence of the years, assigned by the Hebrews andHindus,isthe strongest proof, that either both or neither were antediluvian, it maybe worth while to compare them. The age of the patriarchs, according to the Hebrew text, is given in Table V*, and is as
follows: 930 + 912 -f 905 + 910 + 895 -h962 +

363 +969 +776 4-950= 8574years,which divided

by 10 gives857years,and the fractionof foiirtenths, for the averageage of each patriarch; which is the precise number of years that the
'f.

* Vide page100.

270

Hindusallot,as the Antara,or life of an antediluvian Menu; or 857 x 14,i. e. 11998;whichis

withintwoyears of the time. Forthey record that

the ec fourteen Menus, of whom Swayambhuya

is the chief,would support the worldeachin his

own Antara/' or that the period for which the Padmacreation,was formed (the dayand night of Brahma)wouldbe completed^ whenthat number of yearswerepassed, onehalf of whichisabsorbed in the sleepof the Deity *: so that it is certain according to all their predictions,that the Calpa Avatarais expected at the endof 5999yearsof 36o days; when a millennium,or ageof virtue,
will commence. Sir William Jones alluded to the
cc that

Maha Menwantara, when he informed us,

according to theHindus,in theyear of the Christian era 1788,we were in the first day, or Calpa, of thefirst month of the fifty-firstyear of Brahma's age, and ia the twenty-eighthdivine age of the

seventh Menwantara: of which divineage, the

threefirst human ageswerepassed, andfour thousand eighthundred andeighty-eight of the fourth/'

The fifty yearswere imaginary, and only introducedto augment nominaltime: the Maha

forming the world, and allthattherein is; during hisnight, or the second six thousand years, allwilldecay.

* Sixth<|pnd years, the day ofBrahma, was occupied in

271

system is very seldom introduced in the Hindu

cypher, being very inapplicableto dates. I will,

nevertheless^endeavour to explain it. The Maha day of Brahma is equal to the hundred years of his life, a divine age, or 12000 years. FOE-it^is recorded that Brahma was employed six thousand years in forming the world, and all that therein is ; which is called his great day for business, equal to the Antara .of seven Menus, or seven

times eight hundred and fifty-sevenyears. He then rests for an equal period of time; during
which, nature gradually decays, and Brahma,

awaking, formsa new Crita, or ageof virtue. So

that of the 100 years, which form his life, 50 had

elapsed, whenman,the last of all created beings>

was produced. It is the portion of the second

fifty years,or great-night of Brahma,which had

elapsed in the year of Christ 1788, that we are now to explain. We are, according to this jsystem^

in the first day of the.first month,of the first year of the night of Brahma, which answersto the fifty-first year of his life, or day of twenty-four
hours ; of which, when Sir William Jones wrote., six Meftwantaras and twenty-seven divine ages,

three humanages,and four thousandeight hundred and eighty-eight yearsof the fourth human age (Cali age) of the seventh Menwantara had expired, being supposititious years 1958152888.

"

272

Now it remains to shewthe process, by which

these numbersare madeto answerto the year of

Christ 1788 ; or, which is the same, to theyear of theworld 5?88. For the pundit,who gavethis account, evidently reckoned on the commencement of theChristian erabeingA. M.4000. But,, according to their usualsystem, which placesthe birth
of Christ at A. M. 4002., the Cali year 4890 answers to the Christian year 1788. The pundit, there-

fore^places us in the second Parouvan, or first Maha month of the first year of the night of
Brahma.

The common Menwantara, which consists of

seventy-one divine ages, is divided by common years. The Maha Menwantara, which contains eight hundredand fifty-seven divine ages,is to
the commonone, nearly as*twelve to one. For
857 -r-71 = ! SITS-T"And the common Menwan-

taraof,Brahmacontains 36o days: whichis just

five daysmorethan the SavanMenwantara of 71

ages, or355days. TheMahadivineage> of course,

bears an equal proportion to its Menwantara, namely, that of twelve to one. We must now
reduce these to real time. The common Menwan-

tara beingfive days of twenty-four hours* the

great oneis, of course, sixtydays;making the

* Videpage 21, andfollowing.

273

yearof Brahma twenty-four months of thirty days

each. To render this less complicated.,the sixty days are termed Maha months*; and the thirty

daysMaha Parouvans. Which maybe appliedas follows: the six Menwantaras that are passed are foundby multiplyingthe MahaMenwantara by six.
For 857 x 6 = 5142

The twenty-seven divineagesby multiplying! that number by four years. For 27 x 24 = J

Total... ... .5790

which answersto the Call year 4890.,and to the

Christian era 1788f. But the pundit who gave the account,,placing his auditor in the 4888th year, qualifiesthis by saying,we werein the first month, or second Parouvan of a divine age; which gave the true epoch/or Call year 4890. And,
were it not for these Parouvans and months, we

should not be able to ascertain time within twenty-

four years. The ancientyear of the Hinduswas alwaysdivided in this mannerJ. This Menwantara is likewisenoticedby Mr. Wilford, asfollows:
" We learn from Manetho, that the Egyptian

chronology enumeratesfourteen dynasties. In

* The Maba month corresponds with the 2w<rro? or Chaldean month of Berosus.

t Vide Appendix(A). VOL. I.

J Vide Appendix (E). S

374

the samemanner, the Hindu chronologypresents

us with a seriesof fourteendynasties, equally

repugnant to nature andreason;sixof those are

elapsed; we are nowin theseventh, whichbegan
with the flood; and seven more we are taught

to expect. Thesefourteendynasties are hardly evernoticed by theHindusin their legendary tales, or historicpoems. The rulersof thesedynasties
are calledMenus, and from them their dynasty,

Antara,or period,is called a Menwantara/' This

accountin itself was .neither repugnant to nature nor to reason ; but it is renderedmost strangeand unnaturalby the author asserting.that the seventh

Menwantara beganwith theflood; whereas, in his genealogical tables,he gives Noah great-greatgrandchildrenin the antediluvianwrorld*., in order
that the fourteen Menwantaras, or Antaras of

Menusmight be completedbefore the flood; and

that Enoch,thesonof Jared, whomhe supposes to be Enogthe son of Seth, might betranslated
to heaven during the fourteenth Menwantara, or

Antara of Ducshaf; which, accordingto him, endedin theyear B*c. 3044,the periodat which
he here supposes the seventhMenwantarato com-

mence. He thusseems to forgetthat thefourteen

dynasties of Manetho were antecedent,both to
* Videp. 225. t Vide p. 226.

275

the Auritas and Mizraim, the latter forming the sixteenth dynasty; the first postdiluvian series beingthat of theAuritse, the second thatof Mestrse* ans or Mizraim, andthe third, that of the Egypt^ians: all of whichwill be proved in a future Letter> where it will appear,, that the fourteen dynasties
of Manetho commenced with Adam and ended

with Noah. It may probably be objected,that, in sovasta lapseof years,the differencebetween the nominal year, in which the cypher is kept,
and the Julian year, would occasion a lapse of

time fatal to chronology. But althoughthe cypher

is kept in a year of 355 days, the life of Brahma, as it is recorded in the Institutes of Mentt, is ex-

tended to the year of 365 days and six hoursj

and is believed to have been so reckoned from the

71styear beforethe Cali age, or A. M, 82$, whenthe cyclewasintroducedandAstronomy organized* Since which they assignsometimemore or less
than our astronomers,to the several signs, so as

to regulate the hours, minutes, and seconds, not only to the beginning of the year, but to the be* ginning of everymonth. They had consequently no occasionto addat the expirationof everythird year a bissextileone$ whichwouldhavebeenfatal to their cypher*. The life of Brahma when it
* Vide Appendix(B)<
S 2

276

is intended to represent a yearof 36*5 days and

6 hours,is foundby dividingthe prolonged number of 11197440000O by the Matirescontained in a Savanyear, or 306/20000; which gives 36'5

days anda fractionof 21600000 Matires,er 6

hours. For, asthe year is Multipliedby 100, to producethis supposititious life,, so must the remainderbe dividedby 100, to reduceit into the hourscontained in a day of mortals. And this is so far material,as it tends to the explanation of anotherquestion. The Arabiansand Egyptians usually describe*a yearof 3^5 daysand 6 hours, by 365.25. Now 21600000 Matiresare equalto 25 days. I amaware that Europeans explainthis Easternyear,as36.525years. But, literally, it denotes 365 dap and 6 hours,andfiguratively
365 yearsand 25 days.

Thereare comparatively very few booksof the

Hindus considered as orthodox. And of those,

fiveonlyare saidto be antediluvian; althoughthey admit of many written since the deluge; sacred Puranas, treating of antediluvianmatters. The Hindusadmit of eighteen Vedas,or partsof true knowledge.But the three great Vedasand two

Sastersare theOnly sacred books, supposed to have

been written in the old world: William and these have

evidentlybeen organizedsince the flood. Sir

Jones carries them back so far as the

277

yearB.c. 1580. I am inclined to think thatthey

oughtto be carriedat least500 yearsfurtherback.

Be thatasit may,the Hindus., whodo nothing

without system,by the division of the sections,,

provethat in their presentstatethey were compiled and organized *in the fourth,,or Cali age, which comprises 432000 nominalyears. The
first Veda is divided into five sections, the second

into eighty-six,and the third into one thousand. By multiplyingthefirst into the second, and adding two for the Sasters,and then multiplying the wholeby the third, they obtain the numberof the fourth, or Cali age; which is intendedasa date. For example,5 x 86 + 2 x 100O = 432000. No
orthodox Brahman admits the fourth Veda to be

of divine origin or antediluvian,but considers it as a compilation from the three sacred Vedas, written many years subsequent thereto. There
are some who profess to believe the two first to

have been written by Swayambhuva;the third

byBuddha, theson of Maya; and thefourth, or

Veda of Vedas, to have been compiled from the

former three, by the last Buddha, or Grishnu

(Moses). But thebestinformed Indians acquiesce

with the author of the Gela, in ascribing the three first to Buddha the son of Maya; who says," This
divine doctrine I declared to Menu, who delivered

it to his son Menu, who explained it to Icshwacu.

278

AH ascribe the two great Sastres to Menu*, the

son of the first-created, the father of Icshwacu."

In my next we will comparetheseaccounts with thosegivenby the Egyptians,, Chinese, and

Chaldeans.

Till when,believemeto remaineveryours,

* Vasisht'ha.

LETTER

MY DEAR SIR,

WE havenowmadesufficient progress in
Hindu Chronology., to enable us, by examining
the ancient dynasties of other Eastern nations, to

provethat all wereantediluvian, andthat all agree

with the Hebrew
antediluvian world.

text of the Mosaic account of the

The Hindu accounts wehavedirectlyfromtheir

own records* Those of the Chaldeans we must

be content to take through several hands. The

accountgiven by Eusebius, astaken by Abydenus

from Berosus, is as follows. " It is said that the

first king of the country wasAlorus., who gaveout a report,that he was appointedby God to be the shepherd of his people. He reigned ten Sari. JSTow a Sarus is esteemed to be three thousand six hundredyears; a Nerus is represented as six hundred, and a Sosusas sixty. After him Alaparus reigned three Sari: to him' succeeded Amillarus, from the city of Pantibiblup, who

280

reigned thirteen Sari. In his time a semidasmon

calledAnnedotus, in appearance very like to
Cannesshewed himself a secondtime from the

sea. After him AmenonreignedtwelveSari; whowas of thecity of Pantibiblus : then Megalanusof the same placereignedeighteen Sari.
Then Daus,theshepherd, governed,for the space
often Sari. He was of Pantibiblus. In his time

four double-faced personages cameoutof the sea

to land,,whosenameswere Enodotus,Enangamus, Enaboulus,and Anementus. After Daus succeed-

ed Anodaphus, the son of Acdoreschus. There wereother kings; and last of all Sisuthrus. So that, in the whole,the number of kingsamounted to ten,andthe termof their reignsto an hundred
and twenty Sari/' Sisuthrus is admitted.,without controversy, to meanNoah. For in his time the

generaldelugeoccurred/ and the accountof his beingpreserved with his familyin theark hasbeen very elaborately described by everyauthor,,who haswrittenon the subject. The Hindus,as descendants of Shem,furnish
in their sacredbooks, the namest>f those of the

antediluvian patriarchs, who became sovereign

rulers, or Menus,of the race of Seth; while the

Chaldeans, the descendants of Ham,give the names ofthose patriarchs whobecame sovereigns

of theworld in the race of Cain. Thefollowing

281

tableis formed from the accountgiven by Abydenus.

TABLE
xr

XIV.
r, .

Names.

Country.

Reigned.

-,

ofdays< ^

Years

Prophetic

Alorus.... Babylon... 10 Sari =36000=

Alaparus.. ditto
Amillarus Amenon Daus . Pantibiblus .. ditto ditto...... 13 ditto = 46800 = 130 12 ditto = 43 200 = 120

100

3 ditto = 10800= 30

Megulanusditto
Anodaphus ditto

18 ditto= 64800=180
1O ditto = 36000 = 10O

18 ditto = 64800 = 180

740

The abovestatement is corroborated by Apollodorus,with the exceptionof his making Acdoreschusthe last monarch., insteadof Anodaphus the son of Acdoreschus. From which it appears
that the Chaldeans,like the Hebrews and Hindus, admit of but six sovereignsbefore the flood., exclusive of Adam. In the Hindu Institutes,, the Menus in this race, are not mentioned by name. We are only informed that their numbers, exclusive of Adam, amounted to six. But, in the

Puranas and in the Lunar dynasties, we may trace

themunder the namesthey bore when governors of provinces; as follows: Atri, Budha, Yayati,
Dushmanta, Bharata, and Yudhishthir. The first,

282

as ruler of that country to which Cain retired whenhe wentforth fromthe presence of the Lord

was always considered as a sovereign; andthe

second and third, Budhaand Yayati, were cer-

tainlyof the same, or*thethird generation, and

mostprobablydenotedthe same person. This does, in no way, militate againstthe Mosaic account. Because the book of Genesis records the

generations withoutanyallusion to their succession as sovereigns; neitherdoesthe difference in the

namesinvalidate the account. The Hebrew names,

by which the patriarchsare described, invariably denote something allusive to thecharacter of each.
So that unless we believe Hebrew to be the ori-

ghoaMaLnguage of theworld,we cannot expectthat

othernations should record the patriarchs by

Hebrew names: the Hebrews call the first-created

Adam; the Hindus Swayambhuva; the Chinese Fohi; the'Chaldeans Alorus; the EgyptiansProtogones; eachof these namesdenoting,in their

several languages, hisaffinity to theDeity, asbeing

creatednot born. The following comparative tablemayassist our enquiry.

283

TABLE HINDUS.
Sun or Seth.

XV. CHALDEANS.
Moon Cain. Race of Cain.

Seth Swarochisha.
Auttami.

Cain Atri.
Budha.

Cain Alaparus.
Amillarus.

Tamasa.

Yayati.

Amenon.

Raivata.
Chacshusha.

Dushmanta.
Bharatta.

Megalanus.
Daus.

Vaivaswata.

Yudhishthir.

Anodaphus.

That the Hindu list of kings in the race of Cain as abovestated is correct, I am by no means
certain. I am inclined to think that Budha, if

he was not actually Yayati (for Budha merely Denotes a sagepr philosopher) ought to be omitted,
since the fifth generation is not mentioned in the

Lunar pedigree. This is a matter of little consequence. For, as the Vedas and Institutes of
Menu, which are taken therefrom, particularize,

that six only in each line succeeded to sovereign

rule, the first-created being the chief of both lines, the fotfrteen Menus are equally complete whether

two wereof the third generation,or one of the

third, and the other of the fifth. For every nation admits that the prince who was saved in the ark,

and who commenced his reign immediatelyafter

the deluge,, wasa patriarch of the old worldof the

Solar race; and that,, as such, he formed the four-

teenthorlastMenuordynasty.That theChaldean
account is correct admits not of doubt.
table from them.

I have,,

therefore,, giventhe raceof Cain in thefollowing

.s 3

co

*o J3 2- i <D

2? c;"

33 a! e 1 |> "S rt S> .3 S JS es c 1 <H S Q.<3

'" < < o CO
o s
C3 J> S

0 Cd
*M '"72

s C

c
"

"5
"PH
-Cf <u

^=J
O

S3

PH

"^

io

CO IN.

.s "C D<
CD "4-S s~^ te-^s^-^ *\

lo

5 "S
^

oo"
J3 CO

I i- . 9U oj "t?
< c n -5
pH i H *H *

o5 ^ cti
C ^ CO TH CO

g s

.-

"

S S -43 -g
eel CC <3 >-5 O

285

As Adam.,Swayambhuva, and Alorus, are by

their historians consideredrespectively as the first

rulers of the antediluvian world,,sois Noah.,Satyavrata, and Sisuthrus, considered as the first ruler

in the postdiluvian world, and eighthking in succession from the creation. But accordingto the Menwantara system., being the last Menu.,he is
recorded as the fourteenth,, and this is followed

by the Egyptiansand Persians. Manetho indicates these fourteenreigns when he makesMizraim the sixteenth,insteadof the first king of
Egypt: for, supposingthat to havebeen the seatof

governmentin the old world, he considersthe prince who was savedin the ark, and who is
invariably called the fourteenth Menu as the four-

teenth king of Egypt. He makesHam the son

of Noah the fifteenth, and Mizraim the son of Ham

thesixteenth. Thesefourteenreignsare evidently

those called in the old chronicle the reign of the Gods. The author prefacesthem with Hephaiston,

or the living God (the creative power of the

Hindus). Then comes Helius the son of Ephai-

stus, answering to Swayambhuva, the son of the

self-created,and Pohi the son of Heaven. Helius

reigned three myriadsof years,or 83 prophetic

years, and120days from the year 817; andtfie

Egyptians suppose him to have died when 900

286

years were passed. After Bellas, came thetwelve

divinities, with Cronus, making in all fourteen

reigns. In the twelve Egyptian divinities we plainly trace thetwelve divine Menus oftheHindus; and in Cronus,the princewhowassaved in
the ark, in whom time was renewed in the post-

diluvian world. For the Egyptians,at different times,equallydescribe the Deity, the first-created, and the prince who was savedin the ark, under the title of Cronus. The reign of the twelve
divinities is stated at 3984 years. But this, pro-

perly, is the sumof the Antara cf the princes of oneracecollectively. For 3984 -r-6 = 664 Savan yearsof 355 days,whichare equalto 645 Egyptian years. This falls shortof the average Antara of an Hebrewpatriarch,or Hindu Menu, stated
at 857 years. But the Hindus calculate from the

creationto the deluge; making 1656 years.

Whereasthe Chaldeans and Egyptians reckon

fromthereturnof Cain,or whenfifteenmyriads

of yearswere passed, answeringto A.M. 413. Which reduces the years to 1243; and 857 :

1656-::645: 1246; leavinga fractionof 177

daysin thelife of eachof the six princesin either

race; and fractions are necessarily rejectedin

$erycypher. Thus is the accountof Manetho confirmed bytheold chronicle, andeachsanctioned

287

by the Hebrew text of Scripture. The Egyptian

tables run thus*.

TABLE
Old Chronicle. *'

XVII.
Manetho.

Helius or Adam..... 1 Antediluvian patriarch. 14 6 demigods in the^j TT * '. }"" 7 Ham... .....13 race of Cam.. .J
6 ditto in the racel

oi Cam
Cronus or Noah

.-.

>..13Mizraim
14

"

16

/">

....

The Hebrew account of the death of the patri-

archsis confinedto the race of Seth. Supposing

those of the race of* Cain to correspondtherewith,

we have fourteenreigns.,or six kings who reigned

in succession, in each race, exclusive of Adam and

Noah. For although ten generationsof patriarchs are recorded, six only reigned in succession. Enoch was translated during the life of his father Jared; and Lamech died five years before his father Methuselah. Consequently neither Enoch

or Lamechbecame kings. And as the deluge was withhelduntil the deathof Methuselah, his grandson Noah was equallyexcluded from reigning in
the antediluvian world.
* Vide

He is therefore recorded
Letter VI.

288

separately, asthe eighthprince in succession, the fourteenth Menu,and firstkingof thepostdiluvian world. The Egyptians name him the Semedio;
to denote that although his Antarawasamongthe divinities,his reign wasamong mortals. A referenceto the fifth Table will elucidatethe following,

and provethat there were only six princeswho reigned, and that the aggregate time of their rule
was 725 years.
TABLE
ADAM.

XVIII.

1 Seth reigned years...112

2 Enos 3 Cainan
4 Mahalaleel

,"

98 95
55

5 Jared
Enoch.

132

6 Methuselah
Lamech.

233
725

Noah.

Admitting the same number of sovereigns in

the raceof Cain,the fourteendynasties are com-

plete according to theHebrew Scriptures. Adam,

one; the six princesin theline of Seth,seven ;

289

the six in the line of Cain, thirteen ; and Noah

fourteen. Prom the foregoing table it appears., that the aggregateyearsof the reigns of the six princesfrom the deathof Adamto the delugewas
725 years. In the fifteenth table, as taken from the

accountof Berosus,they are stated at 740. But

those were prophetic years. For the account is

givenin ^apoi, or periodsof 3600days. The Chal-: deans,, equallywith the Hindusand Chinese,, place the delugeat 1680 propheticyearsfrom the creation, or 168 2a/)ot. For the 120 ILapoi,mentioned by Abydenus, allude to the rule of Cam, or the Chaldeans; and* 1680 prophetic years answer to

1656Julian years. Now 740 prophetic years6f

36o days answer to 72-8 Julian ones; and '940

prophetic.yearsto 928 Julian ones. Thus 928+ 728 = 1656,and 740+ 940 =.i680. This places
the death of Alorus at A. M. 928., in lieu of 931;

and allots728 years,in lieu of 725, for the reign

of the six princes. But we must recollect that Berosus recorded in Sa/w, or periods of 36oo

days; and asit is morally impossible that the several princes should have died precisely at the end of one of those periods, we must supposethe time to have been marked by the Sap??to which it came most near, and the princes to have reigned

collectivelyfor 73 Sa/x*and 7 years. It is in

round numbers statedat 74 2a/>ot. Consequently,
VOL. I. T

290

thethreeyears3 which weretaken from thelife of

Adam, were addedto the reign of the princes. There is no doubt,but that the originalaccount was more correct. For Berosuswould scarcely
have taken the trouble to inform us, that a 2eo<rosr

wasonemonthof 60 days,anda Ne^o? ten months of thesamelength, if he hadnot intendedthem to conveyinformation. The Ne^o? and 2wo-o? of
the Chaldeans served to divide the Sapos,in like

manner as the divine age and Parouvandivided the Menwantara. Most probablyBerosuswrote 73 2a/>eu, 4 Nei/>oi, and2 2a><roi; andhis translator, not understanding the measurement of time, gave
all in round numbers,so as to completethe period.

Be that asit may,it is provedbeyondcontroversy, that the delugeis placedin the same year, that
we find it in the Hebrew pentateuch. And then,,

whether Adamlived 928,or 931 years,is not very

material. ,

The reign of Adam has not been included in

either table: because the Hebrews who reckon

from the creation, consider the wholeperiodof his

life regal. Almost every other nation, reckoning

fromthe cycle of 60,places the commencement of

hisreign at A.M.817. Themotive was probably, a desire to reconcile the various dates that appeared, in consequence of the different lengths of
theyear, used by differentnations. The Chinese

291

allot 115years for his reign; the Chaldeans ten 2a/>o*, or an hundred years; the Egyptiansthree myriadsof years,equal to 83 yearsand 120 days. The two latter nations,although they differ in the
terms used,agree in their calculations. The usual

Sa/w of the Chaldeans appears to have been360.

But here the time is marked by Eusebius, who tells us the Ne*/w was of six hundred, instead of

sixty; thereby making ten ^apoi,or 36000 days, equalto an hundredyears, as 3600is to 10. For an hundredyearsof 36o days,or 360x lOO= 36ooo. The samemodereduces the threemyriads of years, or days, to 83 yearsanda fractionof 120days. For
30000 -"-36o = 83-^-j. The different modes in

whichthosedifferentnationsrecorded time,obliged
them to make an alteration in the number of years

assignedfor the reign of the first-created; each nationreckoning the commencement of his reign
from A. M. 817, and the commencement.of the

reign of the first postdiluvian prince from the

expiration of l680 prophetic years, answering to

A.M. 1657. The Chineseallot 115years to the reign of Fohi; for 932- 115.=817. This differs

in only one year from the dateof "thedeathof

AdamA.M.931: andalthough theydonotspecify the numberof yearswhich the six succeeding princes reigned, yet asthey place the commencement of the reign of Yau oneyearafter the deluge,fixing
T 2

292

thatepoch at l680prophetic years fromthecreation, or A.M. 1656, theinterveningspace was by

implication 724 years.Andthisagrees wellwith

the Hebrewtext which statesit at 725 years*. The Chaldeans, tracingthe reignof thesix princes back from A.M. 1616by propheticyears,place
the deathof the first-created at A. M. 917f. They

therefore assignone hundred yearsfor the reign

of Alorus: or 917 - 100= 817. While the Egypt-

tians,usingsymbolic expressions, say,ccthe third agebeingcompletely ended, Buddha/' or thefirstcreated,<e endedhis mortal career/5 They therefore assignthree myriadsof years to the reign of Helius: for 900-83 = 817. But the Hindus, like

the Hebrews/ do not assign any given numberof years to the reignof thefirst-created ; considering his wholeAntara as such. And it has already beenexplained, that althoughthe Hindu cypher is kept in evennumbers, yet that they consider

theyearasconsisting of 365days anda quarter,

or the life of Brahmadivided by a Menwantara, addingat the end of each month,the minutes

necessary for itscompletion. The Pakiers assign

to everyyear 365days, 15 hours,31 minutes,15

seconds; which answers to 365days, 6 hours, 12

* Vide Table XVI.
t Vide Table XIX.

293

minutes,, 3Oseconds., of our time. Now the Egyptian year was alteredby the first Athothes, in or
about A.M. 1958., at the latest; and from that

periodit is admitted,that the length of the several years in. which their history is recorded,agrees with the Hindu year of 365 days,15 hours, 31
minutes, 15 seconds. This alteration was at least

six hundredyears beforethe pentateuch of Moses

could possibly have been written.* Nevertheless,

all Scriptureprophecies are recordedin years of

360 days. The period for the reign of the six

antediluvianprinces,asgiven by Berosus, agreeing with those recorded in the Hebrew text of

Scripture, the one corroboratesthe other.

TABLE
Alorus *

XIX

..............

,...,,..

...................

Alaparus began his reign after 917 prophetic years we

Amillarus ................ Amenon ..... . ...........

9^7 ............................ 1077 ............................

Megalanus---- . ......... Daus ...................

Anadophus.........
Sisuthros ... ........ year of the world.

1197.............. 1377- '"" .........

1657*

.. ..

......
".....

1477 ............................

The next Table is given fromtheHebrew te

* Theerrorin this dateis easily accounted for. Thefloodis p

of 365days, 6 hours, anda fraction : andthereigns oftheprin

^.ao

Berosus, more correct, and counting in round numbers, places the d

it -occurred in the second Neipos, or third yearof the ninty-fifth2ap

N<?<po5 of theeleventh 2apo<, , fromthecommencement of thecyc

or onehundredyearsof 360 days. Vide TablesXIV and X

295
CO ^ O CD co CM "-< O> 0* CO , CO

co

co

OS

T5
&> 1-1 c<5 Oi etj ^ O " to i-i O5

ii

0)

To form a correctcomparative tableof the two races,we must reducethe number of years the former are said to havereigned, to Julian years, or more properly speakingto Hindu years. Fr
the year that we term Julian, was introduced soon

296

after the flood, if not longantecedent to it, We

find it in the most ancient works of the Hindus, the

Yedas, And it wascertainlyintroduced by Athothes into Egypt, during his reign/ which commencedmore than six hundred years before the

pentateuch of Moses waswritten, and at leastone

thousandsix hundred before this year was intro-

ducedby Caesar.In the followingtable, to avoid

fractions, I shall carry the excess of days to the

succeeding* reign; thatis, asthereign of Alaparus was 30 propheticyears, equal to 29 years and

208days, I statehis reignat 29 years, carrying

the excess of daysto thereign of Amillarus ; and soon, in thefollowingcomparative statement.

297

00

CO CTi

00

11 11 11 II
^o ^c
0 ^ d2 ^ **^ ^ < ^J^ O OC
**N <_., 8 >> rH ^

o
rH

C
r-J

C
cc>
- i

CO C

PK

j2

-c ^ CJ O O 4-i

c3s? Ifl

HD

bC
5

^ I
"
en cc

cS J2 c i| ^ S
OD

S 2 S
P-I *3

cn

3J - CD bfi ^\

^ ^ -^
00 Ci

1J }

1 S\ s i-1 !1
i

i g

0 <i C <i 1 -^

ECO

-o ^

"S ' CT3 o ^-* O CJ

GJ >-j 'w

S r

c:

S
'
^H PM

'Z<
" C 2 i -s,

* cc j

: x11 ! 1 prfw Descenda ctf^^ r" 3 L Si ^cc i a Lam

1

*"

c^ c 1 ";

"q

If from 7^8 yearswe deduct the three years just mentioned, the Chaldean and Hebrew account agree, to a year, in respectto the time that the six princes reigned. But, placing them as they
now stand, the dateswould be as*follows:

TJ<

ix

-o

CM

00

00 C^

O^

l> O

Ci

^ GO

^ O

C*

*-' GO

CO

<..".-"

co co o* oo O
O^>

co [ TP
|s.
rH

| O

ii ii n ii ii ii n"
c^
^ c;

CO
i-*

<M Ji3 *s. cr> tx,

-< rH

O^

J>.

CO

I
'

CO
4>

"S

I
o
l>-

a HH
J

,1 e^ g,*
2^

xp

5 r.

OiCi^c^^io

o O

o <^

o O'

fcr1

o I' H II II II II 5.,-iGOl^xC^^Ci
^2
>

rH rH r^ ^
o co

c^

g^
c

O^OiOC^co^

xo

oo

x^.

rH rH rH

^
"

03 05

en 11 I 1
S3 0) ^*

O s s nadop
<$ <
t-<

<3

*-*

The foregoingtables demonstrate; that the

kings enumerated in the list of Berosuswere no

otherthanthesixpatriarchs of theoldworld; who

299

succeededeach other in the government of the

world,, after the death of the first-created. Both

Abydenus and Apollodorusagree in the above statement; placingthe numberof Eajooi that each reignedagainst their respective names,and adding ff there were other princes (or patriarchs)
so that the sum of the number of princes who

reached to the deluge was ten ;" agreeablyto the lists given in the comparative statement,,
making the prince who was saved in the ark the eighth ruler, and last patriarch. That he was so considered by the Hebrews., is recorded in
the Old Testament, and confirmed in the new.

For the dates given in the foregoing tables* are

extracted from the fifth chapter of Genesis:' and,, in the second Epistle of St. Peter, chap, vi, we read that ic God spared not the old world, but saved

Noah the eighth person., a preacher of righteousness,bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly/5 We further learn from the works of
Berosus, that the race,, which he records., was that

of Cain; for although the number of years from the death of Adam to the deluge.,the number of

princes that succeeded each other during that space., and the aggregate "numberof years which their reigns occupied,, all agree with the> Hebrew text, yet the specificlength of each reign differs
from thosein the line of Seth; a strong corrobora-

300

live proofof their authenticity. It hasbeenurged that Abydenus and Apollodorus differ in their accounts of thesereigns. This is in parttrue; the former being1 the more correct historian. He
informsus that c< after Daussucceeded Anadophus
the son of Acdoreschus :" In like manner as the

Hebrew text records, that after Jared succeeded Methuselahthe sonof Enoch: while Apollodorus,

observing in the list of patriarchs, that the name

of Acdoreschus followed that of Daus,*, in like

manner,as"the name of Enoch followed that of Jared in the Hebrew, without adverting to the

periodof his death,supposes him thesuccessor of

his"fathe!1. Elmachinus is guilty of the sameerror. For fie tells us that cc when the death of Jared

approached, he assembled his sonsEnoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah ; and exhorted them

relativeto the wickedness, andimpiety of the times/* And another author (Eutychius) informs us that " he appointed his eldest sonEnoch to succeed him/'

Now weknowthat Enoch wastranslated 435years

before the death of Jared. But it is certain that

many authors, ancient aswellasmodern, represent

thetenpatriarchs astenkings; whereas six only, exclusive of Adam, became sovereigns. This dis-

tinction, is marked by Berosus, andfollowed by

* Vide Table XXI.

301

Abydenus, although neglected byothers.Again,

Abydenus names the prince who wassavedin the

ark,Sisuthros;Apollodorus names him Amempsinus*. But aseach, afterthename adds, cc during his time happened the well-known deluge/' the generation intended is identified beyondcontroversy. Both Apollodorus and AlexanderPolyhistoraresaidto allot 18^apotfor the reign of
the prince, who was savedin the ark; but neither

of them pretendsthat it was in the antediluvian world, or mentionsthe deluge,as having been during his reign. Oneauthorsays,c: this last was
the person who was warned to provide against the deluge:" another "in whose time was the wellknown deluge :" a third ccin whose.time was the

great deluge/' The Apostle stateshim to have

been the eighth person, not the eighth king.

Every nation places the first year of the reign of the patriarch,whowassavedin the ark, the year
after the Commencement of the deluge. In respect
* Amempsinus wasprobablythe contemporary of Noah ; but,

nothaving succeeded to regalsway,hewasvery properly omitted by Berosus. among his list of kings. Nevertheless, as beingof the tenth generation of patriarchs in the line of Alaparus, it mightbe said: "in his time was the well-known deluge/' A
similar circumstance occursin the Hindu history. It is recorded

" thatduring thetimeof Malecheron happened thegreat deluge/' Butthis prince, although of thetenthgeneration in thelineof Atri, sofarfrombeing thesovereign oftheworld, ruled at Mavaliporam, on the coast of Coromandel.

303

to the eighteen 2/><M, whichhe is saidto have reigned,, thereappears some error. Abydenus,,
the mostfaithful copyistfrom B'erosus, doesnot mentionit; andApqllodorus soevidently mistakes the patriarchs for thekings, that it is probable, as thelastking of the raceof Alaparus (Cain)reigned 18 Sapor, that he placedthat numberagainstthe nameof theprincewhom he supposed to havebeen saved in theark. Theaccount givenby Syncellus is evidently supposititious; beingfounded onwhat he supposed the meaning of Berosus. Reading that thesumof theprinces^ or the generations of the patriarchs wasten, andtheduration of their rule an hundredand twentySa^o*, by wayof elucidating a text, whichhe appears notto have understood,he carries Amempsinus, the name given by Apollodorus to theprinceof the tenthgeneration, back to theeighth: and that the number of thekings might be ten, andthe duration of their collective reigns,an hundred andtwenty%apoi, he addsto the seventy-four 2a/oo<, assigned by the

priests of Belos for the reignof thekingsof the race of Alaparus, ten ^apoi,for the reign of Amempsinus, andintroduces another king whom

henames Otiartes of Larancha; and allots eight

Sapot for hisreign. Adding:Cf thencame hisson

Xisusthrus, who reigned eighteen Sapoi, in whose

time was the well-known deluge/' He thereby brings

303

theepoch of the delugeforwardno lessthanthirtysix 2a/>oi, equal to 355 Julian years, in direct

opposition to his text; which states the first fortysix Sa/xnof the rule of the race of Alaparus (Cain)
to have been subordinate to Alorus. This admits

of no doubt. For the priest states the year in which Alaparuscommenced his reign,,as seventyfour 2a/>o before the deluge; which answers to
the year B. c. 8076,, or to A. M. 928. Berosus was

not writing the history of the world from the creation, but the historyof the raceof Alaparusfor an hundred and twenty 2apo<3 or twelve hundred years,ccreachingto the deluge." This account
commences from their first rule, not reign at

Sipora(Chaldea), to which placehe supposes them to havereturnedafter fifteen myriads of yearsfrom the creation; which answersto forty-one 2apoj,
three NCI/XM, and six 2wcro; or about four hundred and twelve years and seven months.,and which places the return of this race in the year of the world 413. The Hindus place this epoch at A. M.
4ig. For the six Menwantaras ended with 426

propheticyears; which is somewrhat shortof 42O years. It is morethan probable that the epochs were actuallythe same. For the wordsfccloseof
the Menwantara/' denote that it was not actually

concluded. Six yearsmight, therefore,havebeen unexpired. Berosusthen proceeds to tell us, that

304

tins race, which returnedA,M.413, did not acquire

anyrulein thecountry untiltheend of the forty-

eighth SB/OOS answering toA.M.4J4 : that, from

that time, theywere rulers over provinces:that,
at the deathof Alorus, A, M,928, he was succeeded

in the sovereignty of theworldby his eldestson: and that this race reignedin succession for 74 Sa/3ot, whenthe worldwasdestroyed by a deluge. You wil!5perhaps, say, not one word of this do
I recollect in Eusebius. Most true : but we learn

from Eusebius, that the deluge happened after sevendays,or 168 Sapw; andthat of thosel6s Sapw,the race,whosehistoryBerosusrecorded,
ruled only 120 Sa^o*, or 1182 years: consequently

as 16*8 2apmare equalto 1656yearsanda fraction, and as the rule of this race lasted1182 years
and ended A.M. iGatf, it must have commenced

A. M. 174. And, in respect to the numberof years

eachprincereigned as a sovereign, theyare particularized by Eusebius and the several authors

from whom the twenty-second table is formed. As if to preventa possibilityof misconception,

Berosus informs us of the countries to which each

prince belonged. This author was a nativeof Babylon, and a priestof Belus. Of course, then,

hehad*every opportunity of procuring information.

He doesnot mentionthe expulsion of Cain, for

obvious reasons; beingunwilling to disgrace that

305

from which he sprang,the raceof Ham,, who In the femaleline is supposed to havedescended from Cain. But by particularizing their return
he denotes their absence. He then tells us, that

the two first kings, Alorus and Alaparuswere by

nation Chaldeans. Adam and Cain were both of

that country,where the Lord placed Adam after the fall; which Berosussupposes to be Chaldea, formerlycalledSepora. The next,orthird king, is
mentioneddoubtfully. cc Then cameAmillarus from

thecity of Pantibiblus:" whichis equallyapplicable,

whether he was born at Pantibiblus, or whether he retired thither when an infant, with his father

Alaparus. The same doubt exists in the Mosaic account. ffCain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden/' Here he builds a city, and calls fc the

name of thecity afterthe name of his SOB, Enoch;" which provesthat Enochwas considered as being of the city of Enoch, in the land of Nod, even although he shouldhave been born at Sepora,or Babylon. Accordingly Berosussays," then came Amillarus from the city of Pantibiblus; not of the.city of Pantibiblus, which answers to eachof the four succeedingkings. It is recordedthat

they wereof Pantibiblus, not that they were,or

were not, born there, but that they were of that

nation. Which wascertainlythe case with all the

VOL: I. U

306

kingsof that line (the race of Cain). Thereis

not, I believe, anyaccount where Pantibiblus was
situated. It is a natural inference that it was the

city of Enoch,thecapital of Nod,on the site of

which,somesuppose the city of Shushan to have beenbuilt, whichafter thedelugebecame the capital of Persia. It is of little consequence, whether Babylon wasthe nameof the city, or Chaldea that of the country,which our first parent inhabited. Whether the city was called Casi, Sepora, or Babylonin the antediluvian world, cannotinvalidatean history which .is confirmed by everyother
nation;, both in respectto incidentand date. What-

ever maybe the fact, it was naturalenoughthat the descendants of Ham should arrogateto their country, thehonour of its havingbeen theresidence
of the sovereignsof the universe, from the com-

mencement of time; moreparticularlyif that race sprungin the femaleline from thosesovereigns. And, since the monarchyof Assyria owed its origin to their greatprogenitor Ham,Bochartsupposes the ark to have been built 1ft the land of

Shinar,nearthe river Tigris, on the northernside of Babylon;whichfavours the opinionof Berosus. Much stress hasbeen laid on this circumstance;
far more than it merits. The coincidence, of

dates is sufficient to do awayanydoubts which

the nameof the city might create. The Hindus

30?

^represent the Vedasas stolen, or idolatryintroduced, about A.M. 419., and assigna period of 7^6 yearsfrom the deathof Adam to the deluge: During which time they admit that the race of Atri or Cain were sovereigns of the world. The Mahabharatsays ; *f for /CO years th<> children of the Moon had an undisputed rule, in like manner as the children of the SUH had dupingthe age of virtue, or th$ first 400 years/* Berosus assigns
412 years to the race of Seth, before the return of Cain,, and 728 years for the rule of that race> which ended with the flood. The Hebrews give us both the expulsion and return of Cain : the former is particularized in the fifth chapter of Genesis; the latter (the return) is no further noticed in Scripture tb&u by the birth of Irad. Now

Irad wa# the <x>atet|>wafy of Jared^ who was

born A. M. 461. But as Cain is said to have been

born an hundredyears beforeSeth, somight Irad be born fifty years before Jared. Neither does
it follow that he was born immediatelyafter the

return of that race. The Hebrewauthors all agree that idolatry was introduced in consequ&iceof their return early in the fifth oenlury; and speak of Mahateleel's carrying on grievouswars against
the idolatrousrace of Cain. And the Chaldeans, who, date their return at A. M. 413, admit that it

was sixty ye^rs from that period, before they

U 2

308

becamerulersover provinces.Three several

authorsrecordthat this race, after theyassumed

power and were acting asrulers, were under the

supreme control of Adam, by whom theywere kept
in subjection. One authorsaysff
that when the

death of Adam was near, be commanded his son

Seth,to attend him with his brethren and children

andtheirrespective wives; to whom hegavecharge that theyshould dwellin the holymountain; that theyshouldnot returntherefrom andmix with the
race of Cain; and appointed Seth his successor/' Others inform us, that<f immediatelyon the death of Adam,Seth being wearied with the wickedness

of thefamily of Cain,his neighbours, andfearing, nowAdamwasdead,that they should commit yet

more public and open acts of hostilities, retired

fromthe placewherethey hadresided during the life of Adam, far fromthe familyof cursed Cain/* Again," Sethtookhis eldest sonEnos, andCainan
the son of Enos, and Mahalaleel the son of Cainan,

andtheir wives,and broughtthem up unto that

high mountain on which Adam was buried; and

Cain and all his posteritylived beneathin the valley,where Abel was killed; and sotheytook
possession of thosecountries which were forsaken

by Seth/' This account is givenby Rabbi Gidalier, Elmachinus,and Eutychius ; whoadds,ef upon

this.,Seth wasmade theruler andgovernor of all

309

those whowentwith him:" Evidently admitting,

that Cain becamesovereign of the world, on the
death of Adam, and took possession of those coun-

tries, which had been previouslyunder the supremerule of the first patriarch, wherethe regal authorityhadbeenheld. So it is saidby the Hin. dus,,that the return of the race of Atri, was towards the middle of the first Calpa,and that, when

the first prince of that race succeeded to regal power, he obliged Mahadeva the sonof the firstcreated to retire from the city of Casi, or the

splendid, and to resideon the Mandarahill, or holy mount. With this body of evidencebefore us, we must either reject the Hebrew, or admit the
Hindu and Chaldean account of the antediluvian

world. For this coincidenceof datesmay be considered as mathematical demonstration. The three

periodsmay be dividedas follows: The undisturbed rule of the Sun before the return of Atri ;
from thence to the death of the first-created; and

the rule of the race of Atri, from that period to the deluge.

310

TABLE
FIRST PERIOD.

XXIII.
THIRD PERIOD.

SECOND PERIOD.

Undisturbed rule
of the race of

Promthereturn
of Cain to the "

Undisputed ruleof
. Cain from

the

Setb.

deathof Adam.

death 'of Adam to the deluge.

Hebrew 420

511

725 = l656

Hindu

4ig

+
"f

5H
515

+
+

726 = 1656
728 = 1656

Chaldean413

Taking thosenumbers in the propheticyears of the Hindus and Sapotof the Chaldeans, they
would stand as follows:

Hebrew 420 + 511 -f 725 = 1656

Hindu

426 -f 516 + 738= l6:80|

f Prophetic

years.

Chaldean 416 +

524 + 74O==l680 = l68

The foregoing; table strengthens thehypothesis,,relativeto theseven propheticdays,or 1680 prophetic years, fromthecreation, beingthe epoch

predicted for the general deluge. Nothing qan

be morfe at ttiriancewith truth, than thearguments brought forwardby those,who professto prove, that orientalnationshave no certain knowledge relative to theepoch whenthe deluge commenced. If these nations professignoranceor mysteryon
the subject, it is with a view to deceive; not that

theyaredeceived.They do not chuse to acknowledge, that this great calamity happened at so

311

recenta period. First., compared with their protracted numbers,, 3000 yearsis as nothing; and,, next,,as they trace their genealogy back to that year,the statingthe deluge in plain figureswould be acknowledging the destructionef their immediateancestors. Yet the Chinese, Egyptians,, and Chaldeans., equallywith the HebrewsandHindus,, perfectlywell knowthat the yearof the floodwas the year of the world 1656, or 1680 prophetic yearsfromthe creation. Onenationwritesft seven days;" another" 168 *2apot, or 604800 years;"
while some authors, rejecting the fractions write,

feafter sixty myriadsof years (days) were completely ended;" others, cc after 3888756years;"
others, " when 32670000yearswere passed." And

thereare some,who consider 240yearsasa day; but this alludes to thegreat propheticday. These
numbers,reduced,all denote the same year of the

worid,or A.M. 1656. The first, or sevendays, is found by multiplyingthe Matires of a day of 24 hours, by the numberof prophetic days,and reducing thembythedaysin a prophetic year. The quotientis l680. For 864000 x 7-~36o= 1680. The second 168Sa/xw, or 6048OO years,is the
same number, found by a different calculation.

The 2a/0o denotingten years,168 Sa^oi are equal to 1680 years; and 6048OO are the number of daysin tbose years. For 604800-r-360 = 1680.

312

The third, 3888756, is found, by addingthe

sum of the threefirst ages to thatportion of the fourth, whichis past A,M.I656 answers to the

yearof the Caliage756: theaggregate of the

threefirstages amounts to 38880OO. For 1728000
-f-1296oOO + 864000= 3888000; and 3888000+ 756 - 3888756. As the sum of the three first

ages,or 3888000denotes 900 years,so 900 +

756=: l656; and A.M. 1656 is the same date as that of ifiSO prophetic years.

The fourth,3267000,denotes the year of the Caliage,whenthedeluge happened. For 3267000

is to 756, as 3888000is to 900: and 900 + 756 =
1656.

The propheticgreat day of 240 yearsis nothing morethan a varietyof the first calculation.
For 240 x 360 = 86400. Wherefore, 24O multi-

plied by 7, equallygives1680years: andaccordingly, an hundred and twenty years sometimes denote 840years, andsometimes seven days. Because 840 -r 120 =7,

From the foregoingwe mayventureto pronounce,that the severalnationshad a perfect

knowledge of the epoch assigned by theHebrews for the generaldeluge. But they go further.
They tell us the dynastiesthat ended at that

epoch, andthose that commenced the following year. The Hindus, in general terms,inform usa

313

that the Lunar dynasty then became totallyextinct;

and,in many of theirlegends, they particularize, by saying, the king whothen reigned wasof the
tenth generation. For example., Mavaliporam the

magnificent residence of the greathouse of Bali

was foundedby a grandsonof Prathaud, mentionedin thefourth Avatar. The statelypalaces,
august temples, and stupendous edifices of this

oncemagnificentcity, are universallybelieved by

every Hindu, whether learned or unlearned, to have been destroyedby cc a generaldeluge brought upon the earth, by the immediate mandateof the

supreme God." They still shewthe chasm in the rock,that forms oneof the largestchoultrys; and
the divided sculpture but too plainly shews that

nothinglessthan sucha convulsion of nature could haverent solarge a massof solid stone, leaving
the divided sculpture on each side the chasm,evi-

dently denotingthat it wascarvedbeforethe convulsion took place. This is a truth too apparent
to be denied. But Mr. Maurice concludes his

historyof the fifth Avatar, by saying ff thefable

of the destruction of this capital by an inunda-

tion causedby the immediate mandateof the Gods, naturallyinclinesusto suspect thoseallegorists of confoundinga deluge which subverted a

greatcity, witha greater. deluge whichinundated

the whole earth." This observationwas necessary

314

to support his hypothesis thatBali wasdescended from theRajahs of Delhi of thename of Bal. Here the geographic information of this authoris as
erroneous, as his historicand chronological details are unfounded.Delhi is a provinceof Bengal, Mavaliporam a townsituatednearto Madras,on the Coromandel coast. Prathaud,from having
been born in the houseof Hirina-hassiak, was con-

sidered asHis heir. He wasof the fifth generation

in the line of Atri, or the Moon; the Maha Bali

of,the fifth Avatar,who, in the earlypart of his life, waseminently mild,,virtuous,and religious;
but when he had attained the summit of his am-

bition he became so arrogant that his kingdom wastakenfromhim by Vishnu,andgivento the Soors, or childrenof the Sun. The generations
are given asfollows:
4. Hirinakassah the brother of Hirinacheren.
5. Prathaud. 6. Namachee.

7.Bali,thefounder of Mavaliporam.
8. Banacheron.

9. Name omitted.

10. Malecheron, in whose timewas thegreat

deluge.

These we must suppose tohave been thegenerations of the illegitimate raceof Lunar princes. We

315

haveseenthatthoseof the fourth generation were usurpers,and those of the fifth illegitimate. It
therefore appearsprobable, that, when Prathaud,

of the fifth generation,wasdeposed by the Solar

race,, he retired to the coast of Coromandel, and

founded the city of Mavaliporam, where his descendantserected thosestupendousedifices., which

are still the wonder of mankind. The Brahmans

admit, that.,for a whole generation,, Mavaliporam

was deserted; when Malecheron returned,,repaired,, and added to the capital, by building magnificent palacesand templesroofed with gold, and floored with ivory : that,, during his reign,,impiety

increasedso greatly.,that the supremeGod let

loose the billows of the deep, for the destruction of the whole race. By Malecheron is certainly

intendedthe contemporary of Noah in an illegitimate race. For in this list, the ten generations

are given without noticing themas kings in suc^

cession: whereas the Chaldeans fix the epoch of

the delugeat 1680years of 36o days; and then

tell us, that the sum of the generation of patriarchs was ten; of whom six in the race of Cain, exclusive of Alorus or Adam, became sovereigns in succession: that their collected reigns lasted

740 years of 36o days, which reachedto the deluge: andthat thecontemporary of thelastgeneration was Sisuthrus, the sonof Ardates, who was

316

savedin an ark. If, therefore, the Brahmans of

Mavaliporam are correct in their account., Sisuthrus wasthe contemporary of Malecheron. If weproceed to the Chinese history, we find

nearly a similar, although a less perfect account of

theantediluvians, but a yet more explicit account of the first ruler in the postdiluvian world. For we havethe year of his birth, aswell asthe year of his rule or reign; the formeris placed at A.M.
1056, which meetsthe Hebrew text; and his rule

at A.M. 1649,the year in which his father died. They speak decisively, in repectto the yearof the flood: whichis not only placed at l680 prophetic years, but is particularized by Confucius, asbeing the 756th year of the Cali age. They likewise
makeYau the first postdiluvian ruler, the eighth ruler of the world. The Chinese profess to have no records that can be dependedon, prior to
the rule of Yau. Nevertheless, I am inclined to

think that a diligent and unprejudiced researcher

might find abundant antediluvian information.

Couplet was a most diligent, but mostprejudiced

historian. Presupposing Fo-hi to be Noah, he
haswrested every transactionto answer that chi-

mera. Fo-hi was the first-created, the parent of

mankind: " Fo-hi the son of heaven," could neverbe intendedfor Noah, thesonof Lamech.

Fo-hi wasof the first generation; Noah of the

317

tenth;

Yau

became the first ruler of the new

world, the year after the deluge, stated,,as we have

seen,* at A. M. 1656; but he is supposed to have

commenced his rule in the old world on the death

of his father, sevenyears sooner,or A.M. 1649, the year that Chi died. The genealogy is given
as follows: 1. Fo-hi.

2, Shing-nang.

3. Whang-ti.
4. Shau-han.

5. Chwen-Hyo. 6.,Ti-co;
7. Ci-e.

Of theseseven kings,theChinese do notprofess to haveany certainknowledge respecting the year

when their severalreigns commenced,or the duration thereof; further than that Fo-hi, the first

ruler, was considered as a king for 115 years; and that Ci-e, the seventh emperor, was the last in the old world. Couplet places the commence-

ment of the reignof hissuccessor, Yau, at theyear B.c. 2357, or A. M. 1649. This is evidently a supposititious date, inferred from Chi, who was not an emperor,having diedat that period. It is
difficult to determine, from which race the Chinese

give the genealogyof the six princes between

318

Fo-hi or Adam, andYati or Noah. Neither is it

verymaterial SinceboththeHebrews andHindusadmit sixrulers, in succession, in the raceof Seth; and theChaldeans andEgyptiansthe same
number in that of Cain. So that, from which ever

race the princes., recordedby the Chinese,descended,the numbers agree; making Adam the

first, andNoahthe eighthruler in succession from

the creation, and the first postdiluvian ruler.

Neithercanwe decide, with certainty,fromwhich

of the spns of Noah China was peopled. The

situation of the country, and the pure religionfirst

observedin it, leads to the supposition of their

being of the race of Shem. But if Navaret is

correct, in placing the period when the country was first peopled at about 131 years after the deluge,it appearsthat they went immediatelyfrom Babylon. This is no otherwise material, than as
it would enable us to discover the race from which

the six princesin the antediluvianwx>rld descended.

For the raceof Sheminvariablygivesus those of

Seth, and the race of Ham those of Cain, The

few dates, which we are able to collect, lead us

to suppose that the antediluvian princeswere of theformerrace,andthat the postdiluvian Chinese descended from Japheth. Let us comparethe little we know of their history with that of the
Hindus. The latter commencetheir, antediluvian

319

dynasties with the third generation,during the fourth century; placing Icshwacuat the head of
the Solar race. The Chinese do the same; placing

Wang-ti of the third generationat the head of their dynasty. The Hindus admit Swayambhuva
and his immediate son, the ancestor of Icshwacu,

to have been supreme rulers before Icshwacu

became such: the Chinese admit Fo-hi, and his

immediateson, the ancestorof Whang-ti, to have

been sovereign rulers before he becamesuch.

The Hindus give all the princes, who governed over provinces, commencing with the sons of
Swarochisha, the son of the first-created: the Chi-

nese give all the princes who governed over pro-

vincescommencing with the sonsof Shin-Nang, the son of the first-created. The genealogical table of the Chinesewill be found in Couplet.
How far the names are correct, I will not deter-

mine. The datesare generally omitted, and the inferences drawn by Couplet invariably false. The number of years assigned to the several

reigns, with the exceptionof the two first are totally without foundation. For the Chinese very
correctly place the death of the third emperor^

inclusiveof Adam,at 515 years beforethe deluge: Consequently, the intervening spacemust have beendividedbetween thefour princeswhoreigned from the deathof Wang-ti to the deluge,to whom

320

Couplet allows only 240 years. The fictitious number of 115 years,assigned for the reign of Fo-hi, wasmerelyto make theintervening number of years724, between the deathof Adamandthe flood,agreewith the reign of the six princesas has beenalreadyexplained*. To regulatethis chronologywe must add the 817 years,which every nation admitsfrom the commencement of
the Antara, Chon, or creati&nof the first-created,

to the period from whencethey date his regal state. The threefirst reignswouldthenstandas
follows:

Fohi 817 -f 115 =

932

Shin-nang Whang-ti,,...,.

1O8 100
1140

This nearly corresponds with the Hebrew text,,

which assigns to the life of Adam 931 years, to thereignof Seth112, and Enos98. For 931+ 112+ 98 = 1141: which is a strongindication,
that the princes were of the race of Seth. The
Chinese, like the Hindus, have various modes of

reckoning. They, likewise, record that at the end

of the third age, Fo-hi closedhis mortal career;

assigning, therefore, only goo years to his reign.

* Vide pages 2pOand 291.

321

They sometimes add the overplusto the next reign,and statethe reignsas follows :
Fo-hi died A. M.. . 900

Shin-nang reigned . 140 years.

Whang-ti

100
1140.

Of the four followingreigns,,I know nothing. But we mayconjecture a greatdeal. The Chinese furnish a genealogical table,,ill-arranged,, andvery
difficult to understand,,evidently erroneous in all its minor details; but, as they confess that very
little credit is due to it, we must be content to

glean a few truths, wherever they present them-

selves. The arrangementof Couplet.,although ingenious,renders the subjectyet more obscure. He rejectsall dates,because theymilitate against
his hypothesis, that Fo-hi was Noah: from the Chinese we learn one great truth; that CfFo-hi,

was the generalfather of mankind,andthat those

who pretend to carry the world further back, are

allegorists : that this Fo-hi hadno parents,and,as

such was considered the son of heaven: that he had

three distinguished sons: that from the firstAand third, two great dynasties descended., but from the
second there was no issue:" which corresponds with the Hebrew text, Abel being the second son

of Adam. The tablemay be considered sofar as it goes,asfollows :

VOL, I. X

<_> OJ

1-4

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0

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g
Q B

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CD 1-H CO 1-4 O f"<

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t

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w

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ctf

CO CO 6H 0t) ^ ^lah
0)V

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* 3 S31
w s t

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family. cd cd exceptio 5 if So OO&X3 I CO

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o

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fl

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co O

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The foregoing amendment will make this tabletolerablycorrect,, if I amso,in supposing the
third son of Fo-hi to be Seth. Then,, with the

exception of Enoch,who,beingconsidered a God., is not mentioned amongthe kings,,we find the

323

generation of patriarchs complete. Of the two

latter, the Chinese record., that Chi never became

an emperor, and that the reign of Yau commenced oneyear after the deluge: Ci-e is admitted,, in all
the accounts.,to havebeen the eldestson of Ti-co, probably his grandson; but he was in the direct

line of succession,, and it is expressly said, that the

reign of the seventh emperor ended with the

deluge,, and that his successor Yau,, the eighth emperorcommenced his reign one year after,,or
" the year after the flood of Yau/' We are,,

therefore,authorized in placingA.M. 1656 against the nameof Ci-e, admittingthat Ci-e^wasMethuselah, and Chi, Lamech; which I have no doubt

wasthecase,Chi, although thefatherof Yau, dying several yearsbeforehis father, couldnot havebeen an emperor, Coupletmakesthe aggregate of the reignof thesixprinces48O years, assigning to Shinnang 14O,to Whang-ti 100, to Shan-han 84,, to
Chwen-Hyo 78, to Ti-co 70, to Chi 8. These are evidently supposititious dates. The death of

Whang-ti, theinventorof the cycleof 60, appears theonlymarked epoch. Besides which^ the missionary introduces Chi? whomno Chinese considers as,an emperor, andomitsCi-e, whose reign reached to the deluge. The Chinesedo not divide the number of years, daring which the six princesreigned; yet they ascertainthe aggregate, by adding 115

324

yearsto thegivensumof 817; makingfrom the

creation of Po-hi to his death 932 years; and

placing thedelugeat A. M. 1656. The interven-

ing space, by implication, is, therefore, understood

to be 724 years,for the reign of the six intervening princes. How far these alterationsare admissible you mustdetermine. I shall proceed to compare the coincidence of events with that
of dates. Fo-hi designatedTyen-tsi, or the son

of heaven, like Swayambhuva, who sprangfrom the Self-created, hadtwo distinguished sons; from whomtwo great dynasties sprang,who governed
the antediluvian world. Each nation records, that

the division of the \vorld,or the forming the country

into districts, over which rulers of each race were

placed, wasduringthe third generation, commencing; with the immediate sons of the two sons of o

the first-created.At thisperiod(during the fourth century) Sanchoniatho, equally with Berosus,informs us, that the race of Cain lived without rule

or order, the sexesmixing together like the beasts of the fidkl; that the children were namedby their

mothers, the fathersbeing uncertain; that they

lived in huts, and covered their bodies with the

skins of wild beasts, pouring the blood of such beasts on stones, and stumps of wood, before which they boweddown and worshipped. Berosus adds,Ck"in the first year after the return of this race,

325

theCannes appeared, for thepurpose of reforming

them. We have seen that the return of this race was A. M. 413, and the commencement of their rule

A. M. 474. The first year, probably meant, the first year of their return; for we must suppose them somewhat reformedbefore they were appointed rulers. As the Musaris Cannes, or fishdeity denotesEnochy so does the Cannes, Adam ; who instructed these new comers in every kind

of knowledge. He infused into them a knowledgeof right and wrong,instructed themin every
science^directed them how to build temples, and
houses; to collect seeds., and the various fruits of the earth for their nutriment: in short, as their

generalfather, he sparedno pains to softentheir

manners, and improve their morals:" such is the account we receive from Berosus, let us compare
it with that of the Chinese.

fc In those early times men differed little from beasts; they knew their mothers but not their fathers; they were uncivilized and rude; they never eat but when pressedby hunger^ and when

that wassatisfiedtheythrew awaywhat wasleft; they swallowedthe hair, drank the blood, and
cloathed themselves with the skins of animals:

Fo-hi taught them howto make fishing-nets and snare!for birds, also to reardomesticanimals^ 33

326

well for food as for sacrifice. To mitigate the

natural fierceness of his new subjects,and calm wild andturbulentspirits,Fo-hi inventedmusic/' We might proceedto an unpardonable length.
Sufficient has been said to prove, that Sanchoniatho and Berosus were treating of the same

period with the Chinese; and then I shouldjust assoonsuppose Noahto represent AdamasFo-hi, Who were the new subjectsof Noah? Noah ruled over his own sonsonly. Every nationthat admitsthedeluge, givesthe immediate ancestor of the pious prince,who wassaved in the ark. Why
should the Chinese alone suppose he had no pa-

rents ? The knowledge of the Chinese, relativeto

Fo-hi, or Adam, is very circumscribed. It is con-

finedto a decided belief of his wisdomand piety,

and that he softened and humanized the manners

of hisnewsubjects, after their return. Of theprince saved in theark theyhave a morecomprehensive knowledge.They placehis birth at A. M.1053,his succeeding his fatherasa ruler, at A.M.1649; and the commencement of his reign immediately after theflood, which they suppose to have happened during the 756th year of the Cali age, or A. M, 1656. We will nextaccompany the Chinese into thepostdiluvian world; when,according to Couplet,

Yau commenced his reign A.M.1650. But the

327

missionarycalculatesthe reign from the deathof Chi A. M. 1649, not recollecting that Chi, like
Lamech, the father of Noah^ never succeededto

regal power. To obviatethis difficulty.,Couplet not only altersthe cycle,but the year of the cycle

in whichthe deluge tookplace; that it mightcorrespondwith the reign of Yau, which he places in the forty-first.,in lieu of the forty-seventh., year of the cycle.
Yau of the Chinese, like Noah of the Hebrews5 Sisuthrus of the Chaldeans., and Vaivaswata

of the Hindus, is represented as a prince of ex*

emplary virtue. He, like them^ was the eighth ruler of the world, and the first king that reigned
after the deluge. But here they become divaricate : for, although an immediate descendantof the eighth monarch, is placed by each nation at the head of the ninth dynasty, yet neither supposes
him the ruler of the whole world. On the con-

trary, a sonof such descendant is by eachnation

stated as at the head of the tenth dynasty from

the creation, and the first king of that country where they settled. The third in descentfrom Noah, wasthe first king of Egypt; the third from Sisuthrusthe first king of Chaldea : thethird from . Vaivaswatthe first king of Magadha; the third
from Yau, the first emperorof China.

328

The eighthemperor Yau succeded his father in the 41st yearof a cycle,and became sovereign of the world, in the 47th year

of thesame cycle,i. e. A.M

The ninth emperor Shun commencedhis

1657
1752

reignaboutA.M
The tenth emperorYu was the first emperor

of thefirst imperialdynasty of China,, and

commenced his reign A. M 1797

Promthisperiod, thechronology of theChinese is very correct. They, like every other nation, havea generalknowledge of the first postdiluvian
ruler. They record the year in which he was born, the year when his immediate predecessor or father died, and the year when he becamesove-

reign of the world. AH of whichagrees with the Hebrewtext. They represent him as wise,just andreligious, employing the first yearsof his reign in drainingthe low landsfrom the waters of the deluge; and the subsequent period,in framing "wise andprudentlaws, for thegovernment of his subjects. They admitof one interveninggenera-

tion between this princeandtheir first emperor, thecommencement of whose reignis fixedat A.M.
1797,whentheir history begins: whichestablishes
the fact that neither Yau nor Shun ever reached

329

China.

On the fullest

conviction

that Noah

and

Yau are intended for the same person,, I shall

proceed to compare the occurrences recorded in
the life of each.

Noah was the eighth ruler of the world.,inclusive.,

from Adam.

Yau was the eighth ruler of the world., inclusive^

from Po-hi.

Noah wasa preacher of righteousness. Yau wassorighteous^ that to be compared to him was considered as the highestencomium. Noahbegan his reign the year after the deluge
A. M. 1657.

Yau beganhis reign the year after the delugein the Cali year 757* or A. M. 1657: the first act
of his reign was to drain the water from the low lands of his kingdom.

Noah reigned before he divided the country between his sons 100 years.

Yau reigned100years. Noah's three sons,, being settle.d in the different countriesassignedto them, he was not succeededin the country, where he sojourned^ by any of them. Yau was not succeededin the country where he

330

sojourned, by eitherof his sons; but by a

descendant, whoassisted in drainingthe lands. Mizraim of the third generation from Noah.,inclusive, formedthe first Egyptian dynasty. Yu of the third generationfrom Yau, inclusive,
formed the first Chinesedynasty. These circumstances are at least proof pre-

sumptive,that Yau was no other than Noah. Couplet endeavours to obviatethis, by saying, Po-hibeganhis reign in theyearB.C. 2952, and reigned115 years. In conjectural matters,there
is no worse authority than Couplet; although, as
a researcher, we are indebted to him. Convinced in his own mind, that Fo-hi was Noah, he inter-

prets everything, so as to accord therewith; and

whenever the Chinese treat of their first emperor,

whether Po-hi, Yau, or Yu, (for eachare occa-

sionally so designated*),he invariablysupposes themto mean Fo-hi. Readingthat the Chau of the first emperor beganin theyear B.c. 2952, he

records thatFo-hi began hisreignat that period. Whereas theoriginalChinese record implied that Yau thefirst rulerin the postdiluvian worldwas bomat thatperiod.For"the Chan of theChinese, like the Antaraof the Hindupatriarchs, neither
* Fo-hi asiirst-created; Yau asfirst in the newworld; Yu
as first emperor of China.

331

implieddynastynor reign, but the timeor duration of suchperson, his sojournon earth. The Antara
of a Menu was 857 years; becausethe life of the

ten patriarchs from the creation averagedthat numberof years; the Antara of the six Egyptian princeswas 664 years; becausetheir lives averaged that period, from the rule of Cain: the

Antaraof Swayambhuva commenced the first year

of the creation; the Antara of Vaivaswat A. M. 1656, In like manner the Chinese record the

Chou of Yau : which Couplet carries back to the

year B. c. 2952, or A. M. 1056; and supposes the

commencement of the Chou to be the commence-

mentof the reign. Yet we are not to suppose the

Chou of Yau confined to 857 years; that being

an averageage, as we now saythe life of man is threescoreand tea, although very many die
sooner, and some exceed that term. The life of

Noah, the Antara of Vaivaswat, and the Chou of

Yau, were 950 years. Each wasborn 600 years before the deluge, and ruled assovereignof the
world, for one hundred years after it It is true,

the missionaries placethe death of this princeat A.M. 1756. But this was his political death;
when he divided the world between hia sons. And

this agrees,within two years, with the Hebrew

text. The missionaries always supposeone ruler
The dead, before another commences his rufe.

332

reign of the first Chineseemperorbegan A. M.

1797; but neither Yau nor Shun ever reached

China. Sothat their death wasin no way connectedwith the rule of the first emperorof the
first imperial dynasty in that country. Couplet,

finding that the Chou of the first emperorcommencedin the year B. c. 2952, wrote, "the reign

of Fo-hi beganin the year B.c. 2952;" andit is extremelyprobable, that the generality of the Chinese., like the generalityof the Hindus.,are incapable of explainingtheir own history. That
very few of them understandtheir own cypher, we know; for it is recordedby one of their authors

that at that time 3267000 years were passed.

This has been variously interpreted: some sup-

posingthat time to denote the age of the world, when Confuciuswrote. Others more correctly suppose it to allude to the period of which he wrote,the reign of Yau and the deluge. Thus the3267000 years .area part of 4320000,answering to 756 years. For 3888000, the sumof the
three first ages, is to 900 years, as 3267000 is to

756. Confucius lived during the Cali agewhen

about 2600 years of it were passed. Had he written that the deluge happened in the 756th year of that age, the age of the world had been
ascertained. He therefore wrote, " at that time

3267000 years werepassed/' Now the deluge

333

took placein that year: for 900 + /56 = 1656, And this number,so described,was equallyexpressiveof the birth of Noah, the commencement

of his reign in the new world, and of the deluge. For, as, in one sense,it explainedthe year, in whichthe delugetookplace,andconsequently the
commencement of the reign of the first postdiluvian ruler, so did it in another sense indicate

the commencement of his Chou. For, rejecting the cypher,4320,000 - 3267,000= 1053*. And
it is a very usual thing with oriental nations to make their cypher answer to several events.

The chronologyof Coupletis particularly objectional, althoughin many instanceshe draws

his information from authentic sources. When

he confines himself to years before Christ, he is

'nearly correctin mostof his dates;but when he treatsof cycles, he is invariablymistaken. And in his genealogical table, he hasrenderedthe very confused accountgivenby the Chinese,still more so, by blendingthe princesof the old world with
those of the new. This, however, was necessary,

to support theassertion that Fo-hi,the first-created,

was the first

ruler of the new world : from

this

* The missionaries calculatedon this date, placing the year of Christ A.M. 4004; when they state the reign of this em-

perorat theyearB. c. 2952: thecurrent yearbeing always given

to the reign of the preceding emperor.

334:

tableit appears, that theChinese descended from Japheth, the eldest sonof Noah. For in Table
XXIV, it is shewn that Fo-hi, theson of heaven,
had three sons, from the first and third of whom,

two distinguished linesdescended; no noticebeing

taken of the second, except that his name was

Hey-en-tou. From the eldestson,the pedigree,

like that of the Chaldeansand Hindus, is only traced from the third descent, or the return of

Cain, to the deluge. Whereasthe family of the third son, answeringto Seth, commences with Fo-hi, reaches to the deluge, and is continued in the person of Yau; whose reign commenced after the deluge,or A.M. 1657. Here, of course,the
table should have been divided, and the three
families should have recommenced with the sons

of Noah; instead of which,the missionary, having

probably been told that not only the prince him-

self,but his thteesons, wereborn during the time

of the first rulers, of whom Fo-hi was the chief,

andforgetting that Noahandhis threesonswere born during therule of theantediluvian patriarchs,

carries the pedigreeforward from Fo-hi, without

markingthe perictdwhenthe delugedividedthe

old fromthe new world.^Andreadingthat Ytf wasa descendant of the eldest sonof thefirst
emperor, that is,of theeldestsonof Noah,or Yau,

whose Choubegan A.M. 1056,he places thefirst

335

emperor,of the first Chinese dynasty, asa descend^

antof theeldestsonof Fo-hi (Adam); although he admits that Yu began his reign 143 years after the deluge. From this we may infer that the
Chinese descended from Japheth, the eldest son of

Noah. Again, at a loss how to dispose of a third race, the *missionaryengrafts the sons of the
second house of Noah, on the stock of the second

house of Fo-hi, who had no issueduring the antediluvian world. The pedigreeof Couplet is like
that of Wilford; each collects, with much dili-

gence, names and families, but ruins the whole

genealogy, to supportthe assertion, that the pedigree was postdiluvian; making the first Menu,
.and Fo-hi, from whom the whole world is said to

have been peopled, Noah. The Chinese profess to be ignorant of the

year, when,the cycle of 60 wasfirst introduced, although they record that it was invented by Whang-ti, who died more than 700 yearsbefore the reign of their first emperor(Yu), who regulated time thereby. From which the missionary supposes the period, which he assignsfor the

firstyearof the first cycle, to be the first year of thereignof theprincewhoinvented it. It does
not follow, becausethe cycle was invented by

Whang-ti, thatit commenced withhisreign. On

thecontrary, Couplet admits that Cf by the assist-

336

mice of a person named Ta-nu-o he perfected the cycle of 6*0 years:" clearly evincing, that his

reign couldnot havecommenced with the first

yearof thefirst cycle,althoughtheyear whichthe missionary statesas the first of his reign, was actually the first year of a cycle. A.M. 1309was,, accordingto the Hindus, the commencement of the ninth cycle. The Chinese profess that Whang-ti, the third ruler of the world in succession,after havingregulatedhis kingdom,created six Kelau,or ministers, to assist in thegovernment thereof; to eachof which he assigned the perfecting of some particularscience. Isung-kyanwas the mandarinfor composing
history.
.

Ta-nue was employedto perfect the cycle Yong-ching was enjoined to arrange the

of 60.

sphereand calendar.

Li-chew's officewas to regulate numbersand

measures.

Ling-Ianwas entrusted with the improvement

of music.

Yong-yivenwas orderedto form twelvebells

to mark the months.

None of the foregoing appearto havebeen newinventions. On the contrary,mandarins were

appointed toperfect those sciences which had pre-

337

viouslybeeninvented: it did not require the aid "of a scientific minister, to enable Whang-ti to decideon any given number of years,by which

timeshould be divided. By perfecting the cycle,, therefore, we can only understand the arrangement of the roots and branches; that is, so to dispose the 10 roots, and 12 branches, that the
same numbers should never occur in the same

cycle, by which ail confusion was prevented; and for want of which, the Hindus are obliged, even to this day, to assignnames to each of the
60 years*. But, whether the cycle was invented

or improved by Whang-ti, it is certain that the

commencementof his reign could not have been

the first year of the Jirst cycle,if the missionary is correctin placing it at the year B.c. 2697, or
A.M. 1309. Because the death of Hoam-ti, or

Whang-ti, whichis the same(being the third, or

yellowemperor, who,as the missionary admits,

invented the cycle), is placed by the Chineseat
A.M. 1140. As Whang-ti was the third from

Fo-hi, so was Enos the third from Adam,in the raceof Seth; and, accordingto the Hebrewtext, EnosdiedA. M. 1141; and,according to the Chaldeans, Amillarusthe third from Alorus,in the race of Cain, died A. M. 1085. Admitting therefore
* Vide Appendix (A). VOL. I, Y

338

Fo-hi to mean Noah, then the third in descent from him was not born until A. M. 1659, which is

only two years after the deluge: consequently, the reign of the third in descentfrom Fo-hi, whether hewereantediluvian or postdiluvian, could
not have commencedA. M. 1309* This proves

that the first six cycles of Couplet wereintroduced,

and made subservientto that number of years,

which,mistaking theChoufor thereign,he assigned for the sixprinceswho reignedbetween Fo-hi and Yau. We may, therefore,pronounce the whole chronology of Coupleterroneous;at least
so far as cycles are concerned. The Chinese

antediluvianrecords are admittedby themselves

to be very imperfect. They do not professto have

any certain dates beforethefloodof Yau, further

than those which relate to him. Nevertheless, all

their historiansagree, that the world was divided

into twogreatlinesduringthethirdgeneration from

Fo-hi. That Whang-ti was at the head of one

of thoselines; that he was the third, or yellow, emperor,and that by him the cyclewas first invented andafterwards perfected. But of theyear in which it commenced they haveno certainaccount; althoughthey trace very accuratelythe death of theprincewho inventedit to A.M, 1140, or the ] 1thyearof the6th cycle. Now theHindu history throws much light on thissubject.Icshwacu,

339

like Whang-ti, was the third in descent from the

first-created; in his time the world was divided into

two great lines,,and in his timethe cycle of 60 was introduced. The rule of this prince commencedat the beginning of the secondage, or A.M. 401,,when he wasabout 160 years of age. The Arabians represent him as well skilled in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy.And the first cycle, at least the first cycleof a cycleof cycles, or period of 3600 years,beganabout 400 years
after the commencement of his rule, or A. M. 829;

at which period I have little doubt but that the cycle was first brought into use. This prince could not have reigned, in succession,until the death of his father A.M. 1041. It is, therefore, probable, that the Chinese are correct in stating that, " after his accessionto sovereign rule/' he

appointedsix Kelauto organizeand bring to perfection arts, which he had cultivated before he

succeeded to the throne of his father. So might the mandarin Tanuo have organizedthe cycle; that is, arrangedthe 10 rootsand 12 branches in
such a manner, that no two could ever occur in

the sameyear until the cyclewas complete. If a grand period commenced A.M. 829, then, as the

deluge is placed in the756thyearof the Caliage,

it must have commencedin the 47th year of the

14th cycle. .Couplet, Du Halde, andall the other

y 2

340

missionaries placethecommencement of the first cycle, after thedeluge attheyear B.C.2337; because
A. M. 4006- 2337 = 1669; the Brahmansplace at

theyear B.C. 2333, because A.M. 4002 -2333= 1669.

But, sincethe Chinese agree with the Hindus,,in

placing it in the Caliyear 769,thesecond grand

periodconsequently commenced in the Cali year 3529,or in the 427thyearof theChristian era,cal-

culating thatepoch at A.M.4002. If therefore the

calculations of the Brahmans are just, astheCali agecommenced in the 12thyearof a second cycle,
it must havecommenced A. ML 901 : and that their

calculations are just we learn fromthisbeing the ninth year of the 24th cycle of the last grand
period*. Which proves, to mathematical demon-

stration,that the Chinese and Hindu cyclesare thesame,and that they commenced long before A. M. 130^,which year wasthecommencement of theninth, andnotof the first cycle. It has,I trust,

been clearly proved, thatthechronology of Couplet is unfounded. That of the other missionaries

is lessobjectionable.For, unableto ascertain the

number of cycles thatwerepassed, theyconsider themasarbitrary,leavingothersto draw their

own conclusions. They observethat the first

cycleafterour epoch of the deluge, commenced

in theyear B.c.2337 ; which differs in four years

* Vide Appendix (A).

341.

only from the Chinesechronology,owing to the reasonsabove given. The missionariesseem aware of this circumstance. For, in giving the history of the reign of Chong-kongthe fourth emperorof the first Chinese dynasty,they inform us, ^that in the secondyear, or, according to others,the sixth year, of thecycle, there happened a remarkableeclipseof the Sun." Missionaries admit the difference of four years.
The Chinese do not, in direct words, tell us the

year of the cycle, in which the flood happened. But theytell us, that the reign of Yau commenced after 3267000years, which answersto the Cali
year 757^ which, we know, was the 48th year of

the 14th cycle, which answersto A.M. 1657; adding,that the first years of his reign wereemployed in drainingoff the waters that remained stagnant in the vallies. The missionaries who neverdistinguish between Choii'sreignsandrules,
place this epoch sevenyears further back; which

maybe cited asa proof of the accuracy of the Chinese records; since Lamech the father of Noah

died A.M. 1651. The

missionaries place the

accession of the son at the death of his father ;

forgetting that he succeeded his grandfather, who outlived his son. Couplet,therefore, places the commencement of the reign of Yau in the 41st, instead of the 48th year of a cycle; and the

342

deluge, happening just oneyearbefore the reign

of Yau, is placed in the 40th,instead of the 47th year of a cycle. The missionary, reading that the

greatinundation happened in the Chou of Yau,

concludes that it wasduring his reign. At a loss,, therefore,to accountfor the incongruityof an eventhappening in the 40th year,whenthe reign did not commence until the 41styearof the cycle, he carries it forward59 years,or to the 40th year of the succeeding cycle., whichhe names the 7th. Now everynation,that records thedeluge, speaks
of it as having happenedin the time of the prince, who was saved in the ark; the Hindus place it in the Antara of Satyavrata.;.. the Chaldeans in the
time of Sisuthrus; the Hebrews in the time of Noah; and the Chinese in the Chou of Yau.

Thus eachnationplaces the reignof the prince,

howevernamed., one year after the commencement

of the flood. The account, as givenby the missionary, refutesitself. He beginsby informingus, that Yau ruledalonefor 72 years ; that it wasthe especial careof this prince,by drainingthe stagnant waters which remained on the low lands after

the deluge, to render them fertile. For which purpose he appointed Quen an overseer; who,

having betrayedthe confidence placed in him, eitherby neglect or design,was,after nineyears, put to death; that his sonYu, desirous to repair

343

the fault of his father offered his services; which

being acceptedhe, after thirteen years of hard labour, succeeded, by cutting dykes, levelling mountains,&c. &c. to conveythe waters to the sea. After enumerating manyactsof virtue and

piety,suchastheforming of laws &c.,themissionary informs us that Yau joined a personof the name of Shun in the government,who reigned jointly with him for 28 years; whenthe government devolvedsolelyto Shun. Now, supposing, accordingto Couplet, if the deluge happened in the 40th year of a cycle, andthe reign of Yau in the 41st, that .by the latter is intended the 40th year of a subsequent cycle,then it musthavebeenjust 59 yearsafter the commencement of the reignof
Yau. The flood remained one year; and sup-

posingQuen to have been appointed theyearafter,

the lands could not have been drained until ten

yearsafter the reignof Yau hadconcluded; for

we hear nothing of his colleague Shun having
assisted in this business : and 59 + 2 + 9 +13 = 83 ;

which is just 11 yearsafter Yau entrusted the

government to Shun. In like manner, we may

correct every partof thechronology of thismission-

ary, whose errorappears to have arisen in avery general mistake, thatof understanding theChou, as thereign. ButCouplet admits that thereign
of Yau commenced A.M. ififti, which onlv differs

344

in six years from theHebrew Bible; and admitting1

it to have been even somewhat more, it is surely

inconsistent in those who mention theimpossibility

of fixingdates in theearlyperiods of thepostdiluvianworld," withoutsupplying thewordabout,or nearly, beforeeverydate, since accuracy cannot be attainedand ought not to be required*/' to pronounce so trifling a differenceas six years,

fataltotheChinese chronology: particularly when

we consider thesesix years as a part of sixteen

hundred, whichelapsed morethanfourthousand

years past. Such, however,, isthefact: for thesame authorproceeds to informus,that, afterfull inquiry
and consideration he was convinced thattthe Chi-

nese, like the Hindus, believed this earth to have

beenwholly covered with water; which, in worksof

undoubted authority, theydescribe asflowingabundantly, thensubsiding,andseparating thehigher fromthelowerageof mankind.f" The knowledge of the Chinese relativeto the delugeis thereby
admitted. But, lest it should be understood accord-

ing to its true andobvious meaning, he goeson to

explain, that the deluge, which tecausedthe divi-

sion of time, just preceded the appearance of Fo-hi on the mountains of Chin, For the great
* Sir William Jones, Vol. IV. p. 43. andthe beginning of
Letter II. of this Work.

t Sir William Jones, Vol. III. p. 153.

345 inundation in the time of Yau was either confined

to the low landsof his kingdom.,if the wholeaccount of it be not a fable, or if it contain any allusionto the floodof Noah, hasbeenignorantly misplaced by theChinese annalists/* If theChinese annalists,, who placethe delugeof Yau in the same year that the Hebrewsplacethefloodof Noah.,are accounted ignorant,,from an error of six years,in placing the reign of Yau in that year/ whenhis rule is supposed to have began,, qualifying the error by observingthat his reign commenced the year after the great inundation; what maywe not
account those., who place the commencementof

thereign of Fo-hi at the year B.c. ^5^ or &iM. 1054,,who assign115 years for his reign, and placehis death just 487 years beforethe flood,or
in the year B.C. 2837, a**d then insist that tire

deluge,which caused the division betweenthe oM

and new world, just preceded the appearanceof
Fo-hi on the mountains of Chin ? if the Chinese

annalists err in six years,European annalists err in six hundred: the Chinese might fairly retort, and say, that if the account,so givenof the floodof Noah, was not altogether a fable, or hadany allusion to the floodof Yau, it had befcnignorantly misplacedby European annalists. Among the
various writers on Chinese Chronology, not one

presumes evenon a partialinundation,sofar back

346

asA. M, 1054. But the followers of the postdiluvian, system,, finding it impossible to bring Fo-hi forward to the deluge., carrythe delugeback to Po-hi; pronounce him the personsavedin the ark, the eighth person; and placehis reignjust two yearsbefore Noahwas born; in directopposition to the Chinese,who pronounceall those who

pretend that any humanbeing existed beforeFohi, allegorists. That their astronomical observations might appear as incorrectastheir historical ones, findingthat a Chinese authorplaces theconjunction of Jiie five planetsin the reign of their fifth emperor,, we aretold that it wasin thereign of thefifth emperor; makinga difference of more

than 500|[ear4andplacing a remarkable event,,

whichoccurred duringthe reignof Tis-yang,the fifth emperor of China,, in the reignof Chwen-hyo,
the fifth emperorof the world. This conjunction is likewisementionedby P. Cassiano.

Navaretis of opinion, that the reign of the first postdiluvian ruler was long subsequent to the yearof the world1054; veryproperlydistinguishing between the birth andthe reignof Noah. He likewise places the first kingsof Chinaabout 131 years afterthe'deluge. The Chinese annalists, in general,placethe commencement of the reign of Yu, the first emperor of China, 143 yearsafter the floodof Yau; and it is probable,from the

347

dispersion whichtook placeat Babylon,evensupposing it an hundredand thirty years after the flood, that 12 or 13 years shouldhave elapsed, before the government of China was established.
That neither Noah, nor that son of his,, from
whom the Chinese descended ever reached that

country appearscertain. The great age of the patriarch^and the great distanceof China from the mountain, wherethe ark is supposed to have rested., madeit impossible for the former; andthe Chinese,who appearto have a correctaccount, from the deluge, of all material events, affirm that their first emperor was of the third generation from Yau; which could not have been so,

had an immediate son of Noah migrated to that

country. As it is admittedthat the Chinese have a perfectknowledge of the deluge> that Fo-hi was
the first ruler of the world, and Yau the eighth, and

asall the missionaries agree,that the commencementof thereignof the latter was not earlierthan
A.M. l65O, it follows that the six princes who
ruled between Fo-hi and Yau were antediluvian.

Of the race, from which they descended, we cannot

speak with certainty. For, although the accessionof Yau beingplaced in theyearthatLamech
died is strong presumptive evidence;yet as the

numberof yearswhicheachof the six princes

reigned is not givenby anyChinese author/we

348

cannot pronounce with certainty on the subject. The number of yearsassigned by Coupletfor eachreign is evidently fictitious. For having
mistaken thebirth of Noah,for thereignof Adam, he places that epochat A. M. 1054,andallots115

years for its duration. Consequently he hadonly 480 disposable years, to divide between the six reigns thatpreceded thatof Yau,which he admits
to have commencedA. M. 1650: whereas every

other nationallotsfrom 724 so 7^8 years. The chronology of Coupletmust be erroneous.For

whether Fo-hi was Adam, or Noah, his reign
could neither have commenced A. M. 1054, nor his

deathhavetakenplaceA.M. 1169. The subsequent numbersare, therefore, necessarilyerrone-

ous. That the Chinese state thereignof Fo-hi at 115 yearsis certain. But it formsa part of
the 932 years, during which they supposethat he

lived. That nearlyevery oriental nationshould

place the commencement of thereignof thefirstcreated just 817yearsfrom thecreation, proves

that some tradition was extant relative thereto.

For eachnationdiffersin respect to the length of hisreign,so as to make it meettheperiod at whichtheyplace his death. The Egyptians allot
83 years; the Chaldeans100; and the Chinese

115: because theEgyptians, wholike theHindus,

reckon in round numbers, state the death of the

349

first-created.,when the three first ages were com-

pletely passed; or at the end of 900 years; so

817 + 83 = 900. The Chaldeans state it at 917 years; so 817 + 100 = 917 : the Chineseat 932
years; so 817 + 115 = 932. The reason that

regulated the numberof yearsaffixedasthe duration of the reign of the first-created, evidently arosefrom the differentlengthsof the years,by which the different nationscalculated,, increasing anddecreasing the portionof timeallottedfor the
six princes, between the first ruler of the old, and new world. Why each nation should have

fixed on 817 years of 365 days and 6 hours, as the life of the first-created, beforehis reign commenced, is a questionworth investigating. The
several nations who assigned 83100, or 115

years,for the reign of the first-created, certainly

did not intend those numbers to denote the

whole durationof his reign, but the numberof years he reigned from a given epoch,or the cycle of 60 years. For 817 y^ars of 365 days and6 hours, are equal to 829 of 36o days; and it is certain that the cycle commenced in the 829th year of the world. Oriental chronology
is so ill understood,that we cannot be surprised at

the yearsbeing mistaken.NearlyeveryGreek

author who has copiedfrom Berosus, has fallen itito the same error. The Chaldean priestallotted

350

74 2a/Doi, for the reignof thesix princes, andten

for that of Alorus,makingin all 840years. The

reignof Sisuthrus being in thepostdiluvian world,

is placed at A. M. 1657, and the840 yearsassigned by Berosus for the sevenreigns were deducted
therefrom,leaving 817 yearsas the commencement

of the cycle. But the 84 'Sapoi of Berosuscontained only 302400 days,or 828 Julian years,,
which deductedfrom A. M. 1657 leaves 829 years,

thetrue epoch whenthe cycleof 60 commenced*. This equallyapplies to every othereastern nation. The reign of the antediluvianprinces being reckoned in yearsof 36o days,anddeducted from theyearof theworld in whichthereignof Noah in the postdiluvianworld commenced, or 1657 years of 365 days and6 hours; a convincing proof that each nation placethe epochof the deluge
in the sameyear. Oriental nations do not meet

usat thetop of everypagewith an AnnoMundi,

but they generally furnish us with documents, that

answer the samepurpose. The Chineseneither give usthe number of yearsthat formedthe sum of the reignsof the six princes,nor the number

of years each reigned. But wegather from their

accounts,that it was 724 : because they place the end of the reign of the first-created at A.M.
* Vide Appendix (A).

351

932, and the deluge at A.M. 1656. Again, we

trace the death of the third emperorto A. M. 1140;

consequently, from that period to the delugewas

516 years: the Hebrews state it at 515*. Al-

thoughthe grand periods,, suchascycles,periods

of 3600years,and the four ages, are the same

with those introducedby the Hindus, it must
neverthelessbe recollected, that the Hindu tables

will not decypherall Chinese dates; because their division of time is different. The Chineseday and night consistof 12 hours only; their hour beingtwice the length of our's. The first six, or day, commences at midnight; the second six, or i>ight,at noon. These twelve hours are divided iMo an hundred equal parts, and 'eachpart into
an hundred minutes. So that their day, or from

midnight to midnight consistsof lOOOD minutes. They have likewise other divisionsof time., for
astronomical purposes.

The most determined opposer of the antediluvian system, is Mr. Bryant. In his new system of ancient mythology,he not only supposes all the dynasties postdiluvian, but affirmsthat Noah was
the first of men. I cannot leave this subjectwith-

out answeringthe objectionswhich he produces in proof of the dynasties copiedfrom Berosus being
* Vide page100?and 288.

352

theprogenyof Noah; because on thesearguments the Solarand Lunardynasties havebeenso considered. He informs us that "by following his system we may be enabled to detectand refute the absurditiesof Abydenusand Apollodorus; whopretend., on the authorityof Berosus to produce ten antediluvian kings." (Vol.IV. p. 142.) And again,in page151,he givesus to understand that theseabsurdities originatein the wilful misrepresentation of Eusebius; ff for whatever kings mayhavereignedin Babylon, or in Chaldea, they havehadtheir series reversed;and, by a groundless anticipation, have been refered to another period; but if we turn the tables and reducethe

series to its originalorder, we shallfind Sisuthrus

the patriarch stand first; and those that are brought between him and Alorus will comeafter.
For Alorus will be found to be no other than

Nimrodtheson of Cush. He is by Berosus truly

styled XaX&uos, one of the Chusdim or Chaldeans,

andrepresented asthe first king of Babylon. He was,indeed,the first that reignedupon earth/* Again, feour Scripturehavingidly followedthe Greeksand the RomansrendersChaldeus, that
which should be Chusdim or Chasdirn." If we

admit such assertions as proofs,we may reject every text that militates against the system that is
mostconsonant to our views. We haveseen,that

353

Chucshusha was the name given both by the

Hindus and Egyptians to the great ancestorof Noah. These nations equally name the land,
which was the residence of the antediluvian mo-

narchs,Carucshatra;and place the residence of our first parentwestof Gushadweep.It is therefore more consonant to reason,, and to the tisage
of mankind, to suppose that the country alluded to, whether named Chaldeus, Chaldea, Chasdirn,

or Chusdim,was so namedfrom the great ancestor of Noah,, Chucshusha; who was a native of Carucsha, than that it should have been named

after his descendant in the fifth'or sixth generation. It is infinitely more likely that Cush took
his name from his ancestor Chucshusha,, than that Chaldea was named after Cush. Moreover, the

city of Chaldea, or Babylon, is said to havebeen

built before either Cush or Nimrod became rulers.

It was built by Ham, on his first settlingin those parts; and, we read,in the Scripture,that the beginning of the kingdomof Nimrod* waswhenhe seizedon the city of Babylon,which was about

sixty yearsafter Ham hadfinallyretired thence

into Canaan, leavinghis sonCush in the govern* Moses, therefore, calls him Nimrod, or the rebel: He assumed the name of Nin or Ninus, signifying the Son, or Nin
the son of Cush.

VOL. I.

354

merit, whosereign is statedat fifty-five years:

consequently, Nimrod wasthe thirdinstead of the firstkingof Babylon, andcouldnothave assumed the government sooner than A.M. 19^0. The
assertion, therefore,of Mr. Bryant,that " Nimrod was indeedthe first who reigneduponearth/3is but a feeblesupportof the argumentwhich he urges in proof of Alorus and Nimrod being the
same. But Nimrod aspired to no such honour. It is recorded of him, that after he had conquered

many nations, andbuiltthe city of Nineveh, he*,

in a publicassembly of the Babylonians, extolled
his grandfather Ham as the founder of the empire

of Babylon,deemed hinv worthy of canonization^

and exhibited a statue of him, which he ordered

to be worshipped in a magnificent templeof that

city. By Bishop Cumberland's tables, from Era-

tosthenes it appearsthat Mizraim reigned in Egyptan hundredand elevenyears,beforeNimr rod is said to have seizedon the kingdom of Babylon. But Bryant, having established to his
own satisfactionthat Alorus was Nimrod, and that

Nimrodwas the first monarch that ruled upon

earth, in his instructions how to confute the ab-

surdities of the Greeks, completely overthrows his

* Annal.Salion. AnnoMundi2000,andHicronupon Ezekiel
and Hosea.

355

own hypothesis: for, if "the series had been inverted., this " primeval king, the first who ruled
on earth/' would have been the tenth, instead of

the first king of Babylon. f( The Grecians(he informsus) not knowing, or not attendingto, the easternmode of writing, have introducedthese ten kings,,in the first book, which Berosusrefers
to the second. They often inverted the namesof personsas well as places, and have ruined whole

dynasties through ignorance of arrangement. What the orientals wrote from right to left, they wereapt to confoundby a wrong disposition, and
to describe in an inverted sense. Hence those

supposed kings, who, accordingto Berosus, were subsequent to the deluge,andto the patriarch,are
made prior to both: and he who stands first is

madelaterby ten generations,, througha reversion

of the true order*." Here we find this first of

men, and first of kings, madethe contemporary of Abraham ; being placed in the tenth generation from the deluge. Let us examinethe reasoning
on this subject. First, if Apollodorus and Aby-

denuswereignorant of the mannerin whichthe

orientals wrote/ how were they able to collect the

sense of the-original textwhich they translated? Secondly, howcould the commencement of a line
* Bryant, vol. IV. p. 144.
Z 2

356

from the right, instead of the left, transpose a work, from the second to the first book?And, thirdly, admitting that Berosus wrotein such a
manner., it would be difficult to prove therefrom that Anadophus, thesonof Acdoreschus, wasborn

two generations beforehis grandfather Daus,

The sentence is as follows.

3HT SUH<lOaANA 030330008

SUAQ #3T1A 10 NOS

.$UHas3floaoA

Those, that havebeenin thehabit of reading oriental languages, well know the facility,,with which sucha mode of writing is understood.Mr. Bryant then revertsto whatlie stylesthe fc contradictory accounts given of the Cannes :" we haveseenthat Abydenus places the MusarisCannes, the fish-deity, in the time of Amillarus. '" In

his time, a semi-daemon calledAnnedotus, in appearance very like to Cannesshewed himself a

secondtime from the sear" Apollodoruswas speaking of his appearance at a subsequent period>

in a different province, governed by a different

princewho wasone generation later than Amilla-

rus. He records, tethat they say the Musaris Cannes, the fish-deity,, the Annedotus, appeared in the time of Amenon:"Alexander Polyhistor,
who was treating of the Cannes,not the Annedotus who was " very, like him/9 placeshis ap-

357

pearancein the first year: the first year of the return of the raceof Cain to the valleywhereAbel was murdered. Nothing can be niore clearand intelligible, than this piece of history. But Mr. Bryant, asif purposely to confuse the text, says : " AlexanderPolyhistor, who first took this his-

tory in hand,mentions that this personage (the

Cannes) shewedhimself in the first year; but Apollodorus says it wasafterforty Sari. Abydenus differing from both, makes the second Annedotus appear after twenty-sixSari." Now eachof the authors, whom he quoteseven accordingto his owntranslationagreerespecting the Cannes.The two latter were treating of the appearance of the
Annedotus, the fish-deity, who was very like the

Cannes, evincing that he wasnotthe same. And

to elucidate the account, after recording that the

Cannes appeared in the first year after the return of this race, for the purposeof instructingthem
in various sciences,it is added, efhe infused into

them a knowledgeof right and wrong. He instructedthem in everything, which couldtendto

soften manners and humanize mankind: from that

time, so universalwere his instructions,that nothing has been added material,by way of improvement."

They then proceed to inform us, that, subsequently, a semi-daemon, or prophet, called the
Annedotus, or Musaris Cannes, who was in ap-

358

pearancevery like unto the Cannes,appeared

amongst these newcomers (theraceof Alaporus)

and then statethat the first appearance of this prophetwasduring the rule of Amillarus, the sow of Alaporus, twenty-sixSa^ou, or about260years, after the appearance of Cannes, amonghis new subjects. That the secondappearance of the Annadotus, wasduringthe rule of Amenon,fourteenSa/)ot later,or after the fortieth 2a/w hadexpired. Now the last of these periods answers
to about A. M* 808 : and we must be cautious not

to mistake the time, or the rule of theseprinces,

for that of theirreign. The same author(Berosus) who pkces the rule of Amillarusat twenty-six Sa/xn., informsusthat his reign did not commence until after forty^nine Sapcu, or about A.M. 957; andthatof Amenon,who ruled during thefortyfirst 2a/?o9 not until the sixty-third,or aboutA. M.
1085.
*

Mr. Bryantnextproposes four questions, which

may be answeredas follows:

'c 1. Promwhatfixed timedo theyreckon ?"

Ans. Promthe return of Cainfrom thecity of Enoch, in thelandof Nod, to thevalley, where
.

Abelwasmurdered;andfrom thefirst year of the rule of that raceat Chaldea, or Sipora. " 2. To whatyear do theyrefer?"

359

Ans. The year of the world 413, or when 15

myriadsof prophetic years were passed, and the

year of the world 474, when the rule of this race
commenced.

" 3. Whose were those reflections?'* Ans.. The reflections of the several authors

who wrote, from the works of Berosus, who not

only mentionedthe appearance of the Oannes3

and the Annedotus, but other animalslike Cannes^

of whomBerosus promises to give an accountin his secondbook, when he treats of the history of the kings; and which would doubtlesshave
answered to the other Avatars of the Hindus*

cr 4. When did the Cannes appear? Wheri

wasthe first year? Prom when did they reckon

time?"

Ans. A. M. 413 when this race returned, whosd

rule commenced A. M. 474, and lasted 120 Sari,

or 1200years; commencing from A.M. 4/4. For iasl680 propheticyears answer to A. M. 1656,so
do 1200 to 1182, and 480 to 474: and 1200 -f-

480 = 1680; and 1182+474 = 1656.

" Their rule/' saysB^rosus^ "consisted col-

lectively of one hundred and twenty Sari, reaching

to the time of the deluge." But they returned

360

after fifteenmyriadsof years: or sixty-oneyears

sooner*.

The Chaldeans, equally with the Egyptians,

makeuseof the word daemon, to denote that which

partakes of the Deity. " In Thebais where the worshipof Cnept wasintroduced., and wherethey owned no mortal being to be a god, but worshippedthe Eternal, under the nameof Cnept, who, they insisted,was without beginning and withoutend,theytermedhim the goodDaemon f."
In like manner Berosusterms the first deity the

semi-dsemon, or semi-god. Mr. Bryant objects that ff there was no occasionfor the appearance of the Annedotus, if such a personas Cannes had gone beforehim." He
seems not to understandth'e mission of the prophet,

whoforetoldthe deluge,nor to recollect,that as

Adam was a type of death, so was Enoch a type
of the resurrection or life eternal. So that the

comingof the Annedotus wasrendered necessary, from the Canneshavingpreceded him. Had not Adam fallen, theprophecies of Enochhadnotbecome necessary. Whowassolikely during thefirst year of the return of the race of Cain, to expostulate
* Theruleof therace of Alaporus in theprovince of Chaldea is statedat 1201Zapoi; their reign, assovereigns, at 74 IZapoi
only.
t Eusilius.

361

with themon theabominations theyhadintroduced, as the Cannes,or Adam, the generalfather of

thehuman race,and the sovereign of theworld ? Neitheris it likely, that a people, represented as naturally fierce, asaddicted to every species of vice,
and as living without rule or order, would have

submitted to the instruction and controlof any

other humanbeing. And we haveseen,that, at the same period of time, the Chinesesuppose
Fo-hi, the first of men, the son of heavento have

appearedamongst his new subjects,to reform similar abuses, The Annedotus, or Enoch, appeared subsequently;and, accordingto the Hebrews, this prophet sojourned on earth from A. M.

623to A.M.988. Everyappearance of tSeAnfiedotuswas betweenthoseperiods. For, whetherthe

epoch,from whence Berosus reckoned, wasthe return, or the commencement, of the rule of the mce

of Alaporus, makes little difference. If it wasthe former,theprophetappeared to Amillarus A.M.673.

If it was the latter, the prophet appearedin A. M.

734. For 413 + 260 = 673; and474+260 = 734.

And thesecond appearance toAmenon was eitherin
A. M. 813, or A. M. 874. For 413 + 400 = 813;

and 474 -f 400 := 874. Here we have another

signal instance of the mercy andgoodness of the

Almighty. Cain,whowentoutfromthepresence of the Lord in consequence of the murderof

362

Abel, returnsin the beginningof the fifth cen-

tury, with a large proportionof his family,

who becamecivilized; who improvedin every branchof science,but continuedstubbornly bent

against the worship of the living God. At this epoch the race of Seth, hitherto eminent for their
piety, from intermarrying with theapostate race, begin to swervefrom the worship of the living God: the prophetthereforeappears. He warns mankindin generalof their impendingdangerexplainsto them those divine mysteries, which were beyopd niortal comprehension without the
assistance of revelation; and, finally, assures them
of the resurrection, and life eternal to be obtained

by repentance apda birth unto righteousness. All of ^hich is givenat large in the Vedas, supposed
to havebeen written more than 5000 years past"

extractsfrom which I will transcribe in my next.

This incarnate God of the Hindus, as the Anne-

dotusof the Chaldeans, to complete his mission,

like the disciples of Christ, travelsinto jevery part

of the inhabitedworld. He appears in that province, over which Amillarusthe sonof Cainpre-

sided, in the year of the world734: he again

appears anhundred andforty years after,in another
province, situated on the Eruthrean sea; over

whichAmencm thegrandson of Cainruled. This

was in theyear of theworld 874. Here heagain

363

prophesies to the people, and exhortsthem ta

repentance. We learn from Eusebius, that " the

wholebody of the Musaris Cannes,, the Annedotus, was like that of a fish; but under the head

of a fish, hehadthatof a man. Beingendowed

Withsuperiorreason, he instructed men in the true;

religion,and warnedthem respecting futurity."

This wasat the closeof the 40th 2a/>os of the rule of the race of Alaporus,andthe 88th 2a/>os of the world; or after880propheticyears: butthe heart
of man became hardened, and he increased in

wickedness* The Annedotus, therefore,, appears

again in the provinceof Dravira,,situatedsouth

of Carnata, and gives those directions to the pious

prince, who ruled over that province,whichhave been so fully detailed in my first Letter, when treatingof the MetsyaAvatar. That the Sapheri
of the Hindus,, and the Musaris CMrtnas of the

Chaldeans, were the same, admits of no doubt.

The form was the same. The latter had the head of a man, under that of a fish, the former i

depictedwith the headof a man,issuingout of

the mouth of a fish. And Sir William Jones assures us, " that the learned and accurate author

of the Dabistan, whoseinformationconcerning the Hindus is wonderfullycorrect, mentionsan

that Buddha commencedthis career ten years

opinion of thepundits, with whom heconversed,

364

before the closeof the third age;" or after 890 yearswerepassed; which, if reduced, answers to A.M. 878,and meets theChaldean record,proving that the career, mentioned by the learnedHindu

was theprophecy of thedeluge, whichmight well

be calleda gloriouscareer. Heretofore the mission of the prophethadbeenconfinedto preaching, and explainingthe word of God: he now

prophesies of futurity, and warnsthe world of

the impending wrathof an offended God. There is scarcely a country in the world, that has not, moreor less,someknowledge of this great prophetof the old world. Suidasnameshim Nannacos; others Annacos. But all place the close
of his career before the birth of Deucalion. Enoch

was translatedsixty-nine years before the birth of

Noah. Theseauthors relate ce thathavingin vain

endeavoured to convert mankind, and turn them

fromtheir impious practices, he collected thepeople in a temple, and,havingwarned themof futurity, he,before he left them,offered up prayers, accompanied with many tears, for their reformation;

insomuch, that to weepas Enoch,became a proverb;" whichothers morecorrectlywrite, to weep

for Enoch becamea proverb. Thus it appearsclear, that the Cannesand the

Annedotus were two distinct persons; and that

thelatterappeared at twodifferent periods, to two

365

differentprinces of the samefamily,butof different generations; and that suchappearances were duringtheperiods thatthey severally ruled
over a maritime province. But Berosusinforms
us further. He tells us that " there were other

animals like Cannes of whomhe wouldgive an

account, in his second book*, when he came to

the history of the kings. Berosusplacesevery appearance of the Annedotus during the third and beginningof the fourthage; neverexceeding the
first thousand years of the world. For when he

speaks of a subsequent illuminationof the Deity, he styles him Odacan. The Hindususually speak
of the fish-deity as the rudder of the ark. The Chaldeans as the pilot to the vessel. At Phalerus

he wasplacedin the sternof the vessel;by others,

on a float. In short, we may trace this divine

Spirit in an incarnate form,as Enoch,in every

part of the world; frequently under the title of Dyonusus,who is sometimes confounded with Deucalion; probably from their history being
* Animals, or illuminationsof the Deity, prophets like unto Cannes,or Adam. Thesewerethe patriarchsof theantediluvian

world,of theraceof Seth. In noinstance arethese illuminations compared to theAnnedotus, the Musaris Cannes, whowasconsidered as anincarnation of theDeity. Wherefore coming after the Cannes, andassuming a mortalform, heis said, in appearanceto have beenvery like Cannes.

366

originally takenfromhieroglyphics misunderstood.

Everyhieroglyphical representation of the deluge

describes the prophetas the preserving spirit, at the sternof the ship,,in which the patriarchwas preserved. So that, in after times,,those cferemonieswhichwere intendedexclusively for Dyonusus, or Enoch, were by some consecratedto

Deucalion,or Noah: accordingto the Grecian mythology, Deucalion wasthe sonof Prometheus;
and Prometheus is one of the characters under

wrhichEnoch is describedin mythology. For althoughfabulously represented as a great artist, by whommen were formed anew,yet Minerva co-operates with him, in making those images., and " inspiring them with a living sold. He raisedaltars to the true 'God, and gave the first
directions relative to building a ship." Noah was
the descendant of Enoch in a direct line* Prom

the same mythology, we learn that Dyonususwas twice born: some relatethrice. This appears to the prophet,as the Hindu Buddha,both in a spiritual and temporal sense. In the former sense,

asthefounderof baptismal rites,the second birth, the birth unto righteousness, receivedfrom the divinemothertheGayita; and,in thelattersense,

the followers of Vishnu represent him as having

become regenerate in thepostdiluvian world,when

367

he appearedas the son of Devasi in the character

of Chrishna.

To return from this digression to Babylon;

where., we are informed,, " was in those times a

great resortof people of variousnations,, who inhabited Chaldea,and lived without rule and order

like the beasts of the field: in thefirst yearthere

made its appearancefrom the Eruthrean sea, an
animal endowed with reason,, who was called

Cannes." cc Cannes/'says Mr. Bryant, " was certainly the emblematic characterof Noahor Sisuthrus. He is said to have shewn himself in the

first year, which is an imperfect,, but intelligible

pieceof history. The first year mentioned in this manner absolute,must signify the first year in time, the year of the renewalof the world. He appeared twice, and disbursed puch with mankind, but wouldnot eatwith them. This I imagine
was in the antediluvian state, when there is reason

to suppose that men in general fed uponraw flesh, nay, eatit crudewhile the life wasin it." These

arguments areascontradictory as thequotation is

unfaithful. But supposingit otherwise; if the

firstappearance of theCannes wasthe first year

of the renewalof the world after the deluge,it

could not havebeenin the antediluvian world.

And'if thefirst year, being absolute, was thefirst year of Noah'sreignin the newworld,from

368

whencecamethe great resortof people from various nations.,who in those times lived without
rule and order,, with whom the Cannes conversed

much;but wouldnot eat? The first yearafterthe deluge,thewholeworld was as a vast unpeopled
waste,totally bereft of inhabitants, save those who
issued from the ark. Besides, if this author is

correct in supposingthat men in general fed on

raw flesh,there is no reason for supposing that

Noah had an antipathy thereto. But the command of God to refrain from flesh " with the life

thereof which is the blood thereof" appearsto be a prohibition of that barbarous custom still prevalent in Egypt, of cutting up animals,while the

life wasin them; a practice,shameit is to say, the finny tribe are still victims to in our own
country; and to prevent which, a merciful God,
when he ordained that the animal creation should

be food for man, commanded that he should refrain

from the blood which was the life thereof. This

commandis yet more comprehensive,as appears

from the succeeding verse. It is not only a prohibition of inhumanity, but of human sacrificesin

particular,and of the unnecessary sheddingof blood in general; which had beenpractisedby

the priests in the sacrifice of cattle. And in this
sense the Hindus understand it. " Thou con-

demnest,O kind-hearted, the whole Veda when

369

crthou perceivest the slaughterof cattlepresented for sacrifice/' But Berosus could not

alludeto this command of the Almighty, %faich

was not renewedin the personof Noah>for m0fe

than twelve hundredyearsafter the appearance

of Cannes. Berosus recorded that the Cannes conversed much with mankind, but would not eat with them, to denote that he was not of the idola-

trous race of Cain. For it is well known, evea to the presentday, that no man of a superior cast can eat with an inferior, not in point of rank, but of sanctity. Therefore, the Cannes,who appeared for the reformation of the race of Al&parii%wa&io

the habitof retiring each evening, after instructing his new subjects. That the Cannes was not Noab, I trusl you aw ww fiiUy &OTi&ed. We are ae-stloW by themm* antfae double-faced pefsotfs,who appeared i
of Daus,called Enedocus,Eneugarems, and Anemantus,.." were certainly the three sous

of Noah, w;hohad, like their feUier, beea witnesses of the antediluvian wojrjd*" Wb tfe^a -

deavo^trs to explain that Daus,the s&^^r^Ai who$etime those four pem>TO are said to have

appeared, wasno otherthan Nimrod. cfFor the originallist, supposed to havebeeii a dynasty of antediluvian kings,wag thegenealogy of.
the first king of the 4country, in which were
VOL. I. A A

370

tainedfour persons only. First Sisuthrus, or the

patriarch; next, under the character of Amenon, Amelon; Amillarus is Ham; Eudoreschus

(Euc-ud-Arez-chus) is the son of Cush; and, lastly, Alorus and Duonus,the shepherd,, was Nimrod. For it is expressly said of him,,that he tookthe title of Shepherd. The restare foreign to the catalogue,and through ignorance have
been inserted/' Now, it is certain, Berosus

places Daus, the shepherd, five reigns after Alorus; and the commencementof his reign 381 yearsafter the death of that prince (Vide Tables XIX and XXII). But, admitting Daus,the com-

mencement of whose reign,Berosus expressly says, wasjtist 275 y^ars (28 *Sapot, or 28Oprophetic y^irs) before the deluge, to have beenintended
for Nimrbd, whose reign is said to have com-

meiked 304 yearsafter the deluge, how doesit assistthe argumentWhichit is brought forward to support ? Ni&iftfd commenced his reign on the
death of his fother Cush, abotit A. m. 1960, who

hadsucceeded to thegovernmentabout 55 years before, on the death of Ham: so tihat, if these

four personages,who appeared in the time of

Nimrod,wereNoah andhis sons, the old patriarch musthavemadehis appearance in the 86oth year of his age,with his threesons(oneof whom thegrandfather of Nimrodhadbeendeadfor more

371

than 50years) to congratulate his great grandson Nimrod, onhaving seized ana country, which by
right belonged to his elderbrother.

Mr. Bryant nextrefers ustotheaccount given

by AlexanderPolyhistor,as follows: "Berosus,

in hisfirstbook concerning thehistory of Babylon,

informs us that he lived in the time of Alexander

the son of Philip; and he mentionsthat there werewritten accounts preserved, at Babylon,with the greatest care, comprehending a term of fifteert myriads of years. These writings contained&
history of the heavens, and of the sea; of the birth

of mankind; also of those who had ^oveveign rule; and of the actionsachieved by them. Ami, in the first place, he describesBabyloniaas a country, which ky betweenthe Tigris and Eu-

phrates; h- mentions thatit abotfh&ed

barley, Ocrus, Sesamum, and in th& lakes
found the roots called Yongoe, which were to be eaten, and were in respectto nutriment like

barley; there were also palm-trees, and apples,

and most kinds of fruits; fish too, and bir&a,bdth

thosethat are merelyof flight, andthos6tMt take

to the etemerit 6? Wate*. The part of Babylon that bordered oil Aracbk was barren and without

water; but that, whichl&y bn the other side,had

hills, atid wasfruitful. At Babylonia there in these titties& greatresortofpeople of

AA 2

372

nations, whoinhabited Chaldea, andlivedwithout rule atid order, like the beasts of thefield; in the

first yearthere made its appearance, froma part of theErythrean sea,which bordered upon Babylonia, an animal endowed with reason, who was

called Oannes." The account goes on to givethe cosmogony of the world,and the reignsof the kings; making the collective ruleof this people,
from the first year to the time of the deluge, one

hundredand twenty Sapotor four hundredand thirty-two thousand years of days; answering to twdivehundred years. The above Mr. Bryant
assuresus "is a faithful translation/' clearly de-

monstrating that Oannes themanof the sea,was

the emblematic character of Noah: *cfor the new .wotW must be considered as the basis of historic

knowledge." Let us examine this extract, con-

sideringit as the historyof the time, not when

Berosus wrote, but of which Berosuswrote; comowa&tig. with the tetum of the race of Cain to Babylon, A.M. 413^ and with the commence-

mentof their rule asgovernors of provinces, A. M. 474: thepriestof Belusbegins,by telling us that when he wrote, there were written accounts presettedwith the greatest care,fromfifteenmyriads of years. Fifteen myriadsof Chaldeanhistoric yearsare equalto four hundredand sixteenprophetic years and a fraction ; for 150000-~36o=

373

4l6f. "^Vecan scarcely suppose that Berosus wouldhavemade a boastof finding records for 416 years,, whenhis contemporary Calisthenes,
who accompanied Alexanderto Babylon, traced the improved astronomical observations 1490years

furtherb^ck,or 1903 years fromthesame period.

This author,, doubtless, wrote that " there were

written accounts preserved at Babylon,with the

greatest care from, not for, fifteen myriads of years.55For in another part he tells us; that before the deluge, the deity appearedto Sisuthrus, and

enjoinedhim to committo writing a historyof the beginning, procedure,and final conclusion of ait
things to that time, and to bury these accounts

securely in the templeof the Sun at Sipora.That;

after the waters were abated, they ratnraed by a circuitous road to Bafeytea, atrf "

writings, which had been buried at whichcontaineda history of the world, from the first fifteen myriadsof years;35 or A.. M. 413, whet*
the race of Cain returned. Prom these records

Berosus wrote. WhereasMr. Bryantw$&M iafeiy that his history commenced tmly 416 yea^ftoii
the time that Berosus wrote; fixing the period for the comtnencement of bis history at about

32OO years after the deluge. In my first letter,' I explained that Cicero, in like manner,

the year of the world 481 by 4370OO years.* Nothing can be more clearthan the accountas

givenby theseauthors.They first inform us,

that the rule of the Cainitesbegan12OO prophetic

yearsbeforethe deluge. For their rule, which

consisted collectivelyof twelve hundred years,
reachedto the deluge. And they then proceedto say, that they had preservedwritten documents from the period of their return, or when four

hundredand sixteenprophetic yearswerepassed. Berosus was writing the history of the race who hadsovereign rule over Chaldea or Sipora,andof the actions achieved by their kings. He therefore commences his history from fifteen myriads of years* (days) from the creation ; wfekh wfrs the epoctr, whentheraceof Alaparus the senof Alorus
returned to Sipora. To proceed: the Cannes is said tq haveappeared in the first year, " In these

timesthere was at Babylona great resort of a

,of valleys nations." Whether we uftder-

"the first year/* accordingto the general acceptation, as the first year&f the worid, A.M. I/ or accordingto Mr. Bryant &s the first year of the renewalqf time, the year after the Deluge

%iif.t.16^7^ it is equallyin^ngruous. Fo? in

instance coulda greattiumber of persons
Vide page50.

375

of various nations have been assembled. The

first year., as given by Berosus is a plain and intelligent piece of history. Having previously
stated that the race, which on the death of Adam

succeeded to thesovereignty of theworld/ returned to the land of ChaldeaA. M. 413, heproceeds to state, that in consequence thereof,ec there wasa great resort of peopleof various nations,who
inhabited Chaldea/' which had until then been the

residenceof the race of Seth only: the beastsof the field."

" These &e*d

comerslived together without rule or order, like

In consequence of which

in the first year after their return, tbe Cannes,

the first Hindu Buddha or prophet, the firs4-eifeateet

appealedamong"his newsubjects/-in a hope to

reclaim them frojatiboseunclean practiceswhich

they had biwigfat witfc Ae*a fi$n^$iie east of

Bden. "The Oannes conversed m&eh wiii%fs

race; he instructedthemrespecting religion, and

all kinds of moral duties; he civilised their manners,
but he would not eat with them." The latter

remark could only be introducedto prove the

different race from whence they sprang. Thfe

Qannes,the priest and father of his people,the

greatprogenitor @fthechildren of theSun,asa

priestor Brahnaaia., couldnot eatwiththedescendants of Cain, that being an abominationeven

tothe present day. Thedistinction ofcast has been

376

observedfrom the very earliesttimesin the new world, and the Brahmans professthat it wasthe samein theold. In the 43d chapterof Genesis, verse32, we read, that "they set on for Joseph

by himself, andfor his brethrenby themselves ; andfor the Egyptians whichdid eat withhimby
themselves; because the Egyptiansmight noteat
bread with the Hebrews,for that is an abomination

unto the Egyptians." ^nd this, we know,wasthe casenotonly in Egypt but Chaldea andeverypart
of Hindostan. This extract from Alexander Polyhistor, therefore, so far from invalidating the accounts given by Abydenus and Apollodorus,
confirms what those authors relate., And it is ob-

servable,that the trifling alteration of reading days for years, a system followed by the prophets in our own sacred writings,* reconciles the whole
Chaldean record with the Hebrew text of our

Scripture. Mr. Bryant attemptsto parry these evideat truths,by asserting, cc Berosus neverwrote ''^tiitt'ralei&ibe Chaldean kings reached to the time of the deluge; they are the words of the copier; for Aloruswas indubitablyNimrod, and
those ten, supposedto have been antediluvian

kings, were thegenealogy of Nimrod, consisting

ofJp^r persons only." Doesthis authormean,
* Ezek.iv. 4, 5. Numb. xiv. 34.

that four reigns only occupied twelve hundred

yearsat any givenperiodafter the deluge? Or

that the reign of Nimrod reached down to A.M. 5838? Had the Greeksomittedthesewords,the text would have been equally clear. For the eventswhich they record are to be found in no

otherperiodof history,sacred or profane.But

how doesthis system agree with the comment of

Mr. Bryantin apreceding page/wher^he censures

Apollodorusfor having omitted Otiartes, vrh^ {% $ he stylesthe ninth in the genealogyof Nbahi some omission in th% * t-There seems/'sayshe, cc transcript, given by Eusebiusfrom Apollodortts,

which is suppliedby Syncelhis;he iqpfi|i08fff;" Amempsinus aseighth king,in order., who r^igfi&f & $
ten Sari; aftr him comes Otiartes, to whoq| Isfc

allpis eigbl -.Start* HI& ^>n \-rnm, Xi^p^bms, in whose time wasthe well-knowndotage.*4u**IPlfcfe
author believed that the genealc^y was th&t of Nimrod, and consistedof four personsonly> "the

rest being foreign to the catalogue, and through ignoranceinserted," what motive could induce
him to enforce the introduction of Amempgiims
and Otiartes? For if Xisusthrus was Noab> and

the son of Otiartes^ them must all the preceding

have been antediluviankings; which militates

entirely agaiiist theinverted system thatheis so

anxious to establish. The Chaldeans namethe

378

father of Xisusthrus or Sisusthrus, which is the

same, Ardates. We can scarcelysupposethat Mr. Bryant followsSyncellus, for the purposeof establishing that mankind were preserved in the
race of Cain ; which must be the case, if Sisusthrus

was the son of Otiartes. It was the history of

the kings,not of thepatriarchs, that Berosus promisedto give an accountof in his second book. As this, unfortunately,has not beenpreserved,
we must be satisfied with the information which

l^e find in tfee.first, where it is recorded, that of

$heten generations of antediluvian princes,seven only, inclusive of Alorus,became sovereigns before

the flood; and where their names and the number

of yearseachprince in $ie line of Aiaparusreigned

/ffoijl tbe death of Alorus to the delugeare specified* And after telling us that those six reigns collectively occupied seventy-four Za/>cw, or 740

years,andreached to thedeluge,Alexander Polyhistor further informs us, " that after the death of

Ar^ates,his sonSisutbrus succeeded, and reigned

eighteen Sapo*;in his time was the well-known deluge/' Now, as Ardates was not of the race of Aiaparus, Sisuthrus the son of Ardates must
have been of the race of Seth. Berosus wrote

of thekings who governed the antediluvian world; and the GhaWeans, equally with the Hebrew,

Chinese, Egyptian, andHindu historians, repre-

379

sentall the kingsexcept onewhogoverned the

world, from the death of the first-created to the

deluge,, asthedescendants of tlje.eldest sonof our

first parent;thusadmitting the eighthprince,

who wassaved in the ark, to havedescended from a youngerson; and clearlyevincing,that, if the

eighteen Sapot noticed by Alexander Polyhistor,

were intendedfor the reign of Sisuthrus, they
could not have been in the antediluvian world. But here, I conceive, we have an erjror o the

translator; who, reading in Berosus,that "the

prince during whose reign happened the great

deluge, reignedeighteenSa^ot,"and iu another part, that during thetime of Sisuthrus,ty& ftp^of Ardates,happened the greatdeluge,attached the eighteen S^i -astl>e r$iga qf the latter; not jree0$ecmg tM Aito^aphps, w^o H^ped that numberof years,and whose reign reached ta the deluge, althoughthe contemporary of Sisuthrus,
was not of the same rank at the same tijne with

him. Anodaphus wasthe seventh andlastking of the old world; Sisuthrusthe eighthandfirst king of the newworld. How, says Mir. JBryaut,fe ccarid the ancients be so weakasto imagine,th^t there

was a city in Babylon, anda country named from

it, tengenerations before theflood, also aprovince andimposed in after times, for particular

styled Chaldea? These names were circumstftptiaJ

380

which could not before have existed, Babylon

wasthe Babelof Scripture,so namedfrom the confusion of tongues. In like mannerChaldea was denominated frompeoplenamedChusdim or
Chassdim." The first assertionis foundedon very

high authority, but we havethe same authorityfor sayingthat when the city of Babylon was first built the wholeworldwas(fof one language, and of onespeech/*Consequently, unless the Hebrew was that one language, neither the city nor the
tower, could havebeen then named from the word

confusion: Although it might subsequently have

been so called, by the Hebrews, but not by the Chaldeans. On or about the time thajt Peleg
was born, Noah divided the world between his

three sons. Ham and Japheth travelled westward. They departedfrom their father Noah, to inhabit

thosecountries which the Almightyhadappointed

for them. They stopt at a plain in the land of

Shinar, anddisregarding theorders whichtheyhad

received to separate,they determined to build a

city anda tower, whichemployed themfor twenty-

four years: whenthey left off buildingthecity, allthe workmen beingnecessary for the completionof the tower. By this time, the population beinggreatly increased, they setabout enlarging thecity. For on thatwork theywere employed,
when they were scatteredfrom thence, over the

381

face oftheearth *. Whenthispeople first parted

from Noah, Babylon contained two-thirds of the
populationof the world; probablyamounting, in-

cluding women andchildren,to about4600persons; of whom948 malesmight haveattained the age of 20 years. Thesepersons,most probably, calledthe country by that namewhich Japheth andHam hadknownit by, in the old world. The
argument, therefore, veersfrom the point to which it was directed. For, as this author admits, that

the account,given by Berosus, goes so far back

as

C( the first year of time, which was the first

yearafter the flood;" this being 14O yearsbefore

the languageswere confounded, the word Babel militates just as much against the 140 years of the
new world, as the 1656 of the old. But after ail,

Berosiis never informs us, that the comtry was

calledChaldea,or the city Babylon. He tells

us, that cf when the Deity warned Sisuthrus to retire with his family into the ark, that he directed him to bury all the sacred records in a

templein the city of the Sun at Sipora(thence called the City of Books)that after the ark had rested on oneof the Corcyrean mountains in Ar-

menia,the Chaldeans (thosepersons by whom

Sipora wasrepeopled afterthedeluge) taking a

circuitous route, journeyed towards Babylonia;and having found the records,which containedthe account of the beginning, procedure., and final conclusion of all things from the creationto the deluge.,they set about building cities.,erecting temples, and Babylonwasthus inhabitedagain."
Now, as the records were depositedin a temple

at Sipora, beforethe deluge,and found immediately after it, in a temple in that city, which,

in aftertimes,wasnamed Babylon, it is clear,that Berosussupposed Siporato be the antediluvian nameof Babylon. The Hindus, and Egyptians, name the city whichtheysuppose the seatof regal state beforethe deluge, Casi, or the Splendid. And it is highly probablethat the two sons of
Noah, Ham, and Japheth, who had lived an hun-

dred years in theantediluvianworld,shouldhave

directed their course towards that city, which had

formerlybeenthe capitalof the world, andwhere

they probably found many ancient temples and

palaces still remaining. It is sufficient for our purpose,that Berosusmeant to say that the city, which in his time was named Babylon,wasthat city formerlynamed Sipora; in which the records of the old worldhad beenpreserved.And then it would be just as rational to assert,that Ham neversettledat Babylon,because the city where
the tower of Babel was built was situated east of

383

the Euphrates,forty milesdistant from the siteof the city subsequently built by Seleucus,, on the west of the Tigris, called Seleticia Babylonica, afterwardsBabylonia,, and at length Babylon,, as it is to infeiy that BerostisWas not treatingof the antediltivianworld, because he described the city whichthe Chaldeans supposed the capital of the
antediluvian world, by the name which it bore in after times, and by which aloneit could havebeen

recognizedwhen he wrote. The namesof the antediluvian patriarchs were equallycircumstantial rith that of Babel,and equally,cr imposed in after imesfor particularreasons." Would Mr. Bryant
nfer that the ten patriarchs did not exist before he flood, becausethe namesassignedto them in

he Hebrew Scripture were circumstantial, and Irawnfrom that language? He <Soes not openly
LVOW such belief. Yet we learn his sentimentby

mplication ; which is perfectlyin unisonwith the issertion,that Babylon did not exist beforethe ieluge, because the nameassigned to it in after timesby the Hebrewswas derived from Babel,
which denotes confusion. That name most cer-

tainly wasnotgiven to thecapital of theParthian kingdom, to denote the confusion of tongues at

the commencement of the new world If "our

Scriptureversionidly followsthatof the Greeks and Romans, in rendering that whichshould be

384

Chasdim or Chusdim one of the sons of Noah,

Chaldeus," the Greeksand Romans,as idly followed the Chaldeans, and Hindus, who name the

country after Chusha* ofthesixth generation in the

Solarline; after whom the whole of that sideof the

country wascalled Cushadweep, at the same time

that the rest of the world was called Bharatta,

from the great chief of that name of the same generation in the raceof Cain, or the Moon, and who became the sovereignof the whole world.
And it is at least as probable that Chaldea was
derived from Chusha, the son of Dasaratha, the Mahalaleel of the Hebrews, as that it was derived

from Cushthe son of Ham. More especially, as

about 250 years after the deluge, We find the

latter*who had previously settledin the south-east, near the land of Canaan, bringing a colonywith him

from his owncountry,and settlingsouth of Babylon, in a country called Chaduca,but formerly Ghusca. Now it is well established that the provine^ sefeed on by Cush, were those originally destinedto Shem. We catittot, therefore, supposethatthe name formerlygivento that country,
before it was conqueredby Cush, was calledafter

him. It is clear then, that the race of SJierfi

designedthe province by the name by whichit

* Vide Letter II.

385

wasknownin theoldworld. If3says Mr, Bryant*

" Babylonsurvived,one \youlclimaginethat other cities would havebeen in like mannerpreserved^ and'thatthe temples,if any hadbeenin the world
before, would have remained,, as well as that at

Sipora; whence it wouldnaturallyappearunnecessary for these few people to have been in such a hurry to build/' On what authorityis it asserted that other citiesand templesdid not remain.,that
the family of Noah at that time consistedof a few persons only, or that they were in a hurry to
build?

First, every easternnation believesthat the

more noble buildings of the antediluvian world were not destroyed,and many choultriesand temples still extant, being excavations of the solid rock could neither be injured by time nor climate>

andare just as likely to have been the worksof

artists of the did world, as of those of the early

ages of the new world; Of theseMavaliporam may be considered one. The Mosaic account does not, in expresswords, inform us that these

buildings remained; but it is surely implied.The

dove returned no more, when she found food and shelter without the ark: can we believe that the

Almighty, -who, duringtwelve months, preserved thegrass of thefield,andthe trees of theforest,

for the food and shelterof the animal creation*
- VOL. I. BB

386

was unmindful of man alone; commanding him from the ark to a world, where no habitation re-

mained ; wherehe wasexposed to the searching

raysofa burning Sun,andtheinclemency of'tropical rains? Was the olive-branch miraculous, or

did the olive-tree remain ? with If the slender olive much

bravedthe storm,the giganticbuildingscemented

bitumen could not have been in

danger.

Secondly, if, according to Mr. Bryant,Babylon was the Jirst built city in the world, asone hundred years had elapsed from the deluge to the period when Ham and Japheth left Noah, and

journeyedto the plain of Shinar, they couldnot

have been in a very great hurry to build; and the few people exposed without shelter for more than an hundred years must have amounted, on a very moderate computation, when this author supposesBabylonto havebeen first built, to near 7OOOpersons*. Of these two-thirds, or about

4600migrated to Babylon. Now, according to the

dimensions of the tower of Babel, it would have

takenabout30OO workmen,includingwomen and underlabourers, to complete it in 40 years. S&

that, unlesswe wish, with our author, to set tibe whole Mosaic account at defiance, we must dis* Bedford's calculation.

believeevery thing he has written on the sub* ject. If the tower of Babylon was the first effort towardsmasonryin the postdiluvian world, it musthave been brought to great perfectionin the old - which militatesentirelyagainst the hypothesis of the templesnotwithstandinga rain of forty days. Hereour author is not satisfiedwith allotting 100 years asprobationary time: for he
insists that <c it is certain that Nimrod built Babel,

which is Babylo^ afterthe flood" (the reign of Nimrodcommenced 303yearsaftertheflood;) forgetting thata fewpages before, whentheexistence of Babylonmilitatedagainstthe first Titanian war being antediluvian, he had quoted a passage from
Diodorus Siculus to prove thatfc when Ninus, or

theNinevite,invaded Assyria^ it wasnotagainst the city of Babylon; for that wasnot then in being;*' adding from himself, fc It is very truly said, for the city Babelhad beenbegan,but was at that
time deserted,and left unfinished ; they left off to build the city. It seems to have been under a curse, and we hear nothing more of it for ages. Not a word occursabout Babylon,or Babylonia,till the time of Berodach, Baladan,and of Nebuchadnezzar, who came after him; when this city was

rebuilt/3 Prom the abovewe mayestimate the

degree ofcredit due tothisauthor.Firsthetells us, that Babylon was thefirstbuilt city in the world;
B B 2

388

" that it is certain that it was built by Nimrod/'

The dimensions of Babylonwereas follows: the wallswerein thickness 87 feet, in height3/O feet,

andin length480 furlongs. And it is recorded

that whenNimrod subsequently built Nineveh., it was exactlyon the sameplan, in the form of a
square, of the same dimensions: although the

heightandwidthof the wallsmultipliedinto each

other., did not amount to more than one-tenth of

the walls of Babylon, And then to establish the

hypothesisthat the Titanian war was postdiluvian,

Mr. Bryant as confidentlyassertsthat, from the time they left off to build the city of Babylon, whichaccording to Scripturewas only 140 years
after the deluge,or A. M. 1797*Babylonwas never

heard of, until about 600 years before Christ, whenit was rebuiltby Nebuchodonozor; adding,
in fact fc the account given by Berosus is of so early a date, as to be almost coeval with the an-

nalsof the new world, and mustbe looked upon asthe basisof historicknowledge. The supposed antediluvian accounts are trifling; theformerworld is far separated from us. It is like a vastpeninsula
joined to the continent by a strip of land, which hardly admits of any connection: he must have

beenwise, indeed,after an interval of so many thousandyears,to haveknown that BabyFon originally bare sesamum and dates/' The old world

389

ended in the autumn of A. M. 1656; the new world

commenced at the same season of A. M. 1657; consequently, if the account givenby Berosus is
of so

<-early a date as to be almost coeval with the

annals of the newworld,theJlrst year beingthe

first year of renewalof time,the first year after the delude/' he might have steppedone year further back.,andgathered a date, as well as an apple, without much danger of felling from the
little* strip of land: even had the antediluvian recordsfrom which he copied, neither been buried

at Sipora, or taken into the ark by Noah. For

as Ham residedon that vast peninsulafor an hun-

dred years,andwasninetyyearsof age,whenhis grandfather Lamech died,wholivedfifty-sixyears during the time of Adam,Berosus,who was a oriest of Belus, hadan opportunity, evenif writr ing was unknownbeforetheflood, of examining
the recordsleft by Ham, the first founder of Babylon ; who received the accountsfrom his grandfather Lamech, as they were related to him by

the great father of mankind,Adam. But the philosopher Callisthenes informsus, that he had
found written and regular astronomicalobserva-

tionsat Babyloncarriedbacksofar asA.M. 1776 ; which rendersit highly probable,that Berosus

should have found historic ones. To this Mr.

Bryant objects, thatneither Noah norhisdescend-

390

ants, for at least 737, were enabledto record any

transactions, they beingtotally ignorantof letters.

This he elucidates as follows: Cfit is said that

Cannes, or Sisuthrus, who is- Noah, instructed

men in the knowledge of letters.,and committed many things to writing. For my part, I believe there was no writing antecedent to the law of
Mount Sinai: here the divine art was promul-

gated/' Which is as much as to say, that the Almighty appeared to Mosesfor the purposeof promulgating that law, by whichmankindwasto be guidedin this world andjudged in the next,
in a mode which it was utterly impossiblefor them to comprehend. Such may have been the practice of wily priestsin the dark agesof superstition, but it is incompatiblewith the character of a just
and merciful God. But the Pentateuch informs us,
that the commands were issued from the mouth of

God. cf God spakethese words, and said*/' can admit of but one interpretation. It is true, in a subsequentchapter,it is recorded,cc that the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the

writing of God,gravenupon the tables f." But this is a figurative expression, aswe frequently say
on an unexpected event, the hand of God war

perceptible therein. Had these tables been of

* Exod.vi. 20. f Kxod.xxxn. 16',

391

divine workmanship, would Moseshavepresumed

to have dashed them beneath his feet? "And

Moses* angerwaxedhot,,andhe castthe tables out

of his hands,, and brake them beneath the mount*/'

This passage is fully explained. For in chap.ir. ver. 4. it is expressly said, that " Moseswrote all the wordswhich the Lord had spoken." Again,
" And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these

words; and he was there with the Lord forty days

andforty nights; he did neithereatbread nor drink

water; and he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant,the ten commandments f." But

writing was not confinedto the few/nor to the learned. It wasgeneral among all the tribes. For
Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the

people to set up great stonesand plasterthem with plaster; and when they had passed over Jordan,

the people were directed to write the law thereon;

" And thou shalt write upon them all the words

of this law.J." They were likewisecommanded,, " every man to vmte them upon the door-posts
of their house,and upon the gates." Now every

.J?x>rd of this must be false, if writing was a f&vineart, first promulgated whenthe tables were
delivered to Moses. But of this we maybe assured,
* Exod. xxxii. 19t-Exod. xxxiv. 27, 28,

J Dent,xxvii. 3.

Dent.xi. 20.

that the law was promulgatedin that mode which was the mosteasilycomprehendedby the people,
for whose instruction it was ordained: and then,

whether the lawwasdelivered in writing, according to this author,or whether/according to the Scrip^
ture, Moses wrote those commands which the

Almightydictated, it is equally certain,that writing was an art in generaluse. To suppose otherwise, is not only to impeachthe justice of the Almighty, but to rest the history of the world,
for the first two thousand five hundred years,on

the doubtfulauthorityof hieroglyphics. In which

ease, if this author is correct in asserting " that the invention of hieroglyphics was certainly a

discovery of the Chaldeans," then were the Chaldeansthe most likely people in the world to have
had correct accounts relative to the antediluvian

world; more especially as he admits, that fc the Chaldeans had as much learning as could arise

from hieroglyphical representations : theymight," he adds,cc havehada knowledge of lines,by which geometrical problems mustbe illustrated; and the
useof figures, for numeration: but were without

lettersfor ages. In fine hadthey beenpossessed

of letters^ they would never have descendedto

symbols." The former is universallyadmitted; but thelatteris an inverted argument. That they >verein possession of lines and figuresis proved

beyondthe possibility of doubt-; first, from their

astronomical observations; and, secondly, from their chronology.For, althougheventsmight

havebeendescribed by emblems, datesnevercould
.have been so handed down: and the exact coincidence of the Chaldean dates with those of the

Hebrews,and Hindus,proves that all are true, or all false. But to contend that they were without letters,because, had they been in pfosteision of them,theywouldnot havedescended ft>fcyliibols, is
as absurd as unfounded." The whole earth was

of one languageand of one speech*'' for nearly

1800years; during whichperiodno modecojald have been adoptedso facile and co|jp$heBsitfe> for the purpose of recordingevents, comraun$eat~ ing sentiments, and carrying on trade, or barter, as that of letters. But from the moment tbaj> diverse languages were ordained, and men became divided into nations, " everyoneafterhis tongue,
after their families, in their nationsf," then did letters become uselessfor the purpose of communication out of their respectivefamilies. Symbols were therefore resortedto; which appearto havebeen of two descriptions,hieroglyphicsand lines. The former were adoptedby the descend-

antsof Ham, andthe latter by those of Japheth.

* Gen. xi. 1. t Gen. x. 5.

394

At least we know that those nations, which were

formedby the former,adoptedhieroglyphics, and that lineswerecarriedinto China,wherethey are still in use. They consisted of eight figures,each composed of three lines, partly entire and partly broken; in all producingeight differentcombinations,whichmultiplied by itselfproduces sixty-four different figures, which by being differently disposed, express, in a rude manner,the nature and propertyof every being, their motion, their rest,
their respective opposition, &c. The Chinese affirm that thesesymbols were invented by Po-hi,

the first of men,the sonof heaven. The I-king,

the first canonical book of the first order, is written therein*: and, as the Chinese admit that it was not until"'*i*.the time of Confucius, that this book was ,-

fulfy deciphered, and as they record that a prince

wholived 1800yearsafter Fo-hi, by the changes which he made in theselines,gavean accountof the reciprocaltransmutations of the eight original figures, we may suppose, that the prince who reigned 1800yearsafter Po-hi, was the person who first ruled in China; that being the yearin
which Yu, the first emperor of China, commenced

his reign: this wasvery shortlyafter thegeneral

"* Some authors suppose the revelations of Enoch to have
been recorded in these lines.

395

confusion of tongues at Babel. It is true, European missionariesfollowing*their own calculations,

placethe reign of this princea thousand andfiftysix yearslater; reckoningfrom the birth of Noah, which they considerthe reign of Fo-hi; they
thereby ascribe the changes, which the first em-

peror Yu made in the lines, to Chew, the tyrant

of the second dynasty. But aware that such a discovery militated against the character of that

prince, they qualify the assertionby ascribing

them to an emperor named Fiew-vang,and his

son C/tew-kong, who lived at the sameperiod. But neitherVen-vang, nor this son., ever became emperors. The former was only a tributary
prince ; although the repeated cruelties and oppressionsof the emperor Chew provoking a general revolt among his subjects, they entreated

Vu-vang the son of Ven-vang, to put himselfat

the head of the army; by which meansthe tyrant

was dethroned,and Vu succeeded to the imperial throne. But effort as a circumstance towards so material of the as the first the extension

eight figures,by the differentchanges and fransmutationsis not mentionedin the life of Ven-vang,

j^ho lived during thetime of the second imperial house, andasConfucius, whois certainly the best Chineseauthority extant,admits " that although

396

he could*relate as mere lessons of morality th& events of the first and second imperial houses,

yet for want of evidencehe couldgive no certain

account of them ;" and as the events of the third

dynasty are rendered very doubtful, from the cir-

cumstance of the historic books having beenall

destroyedby the order of the secondemperorof the fourth dynasty, about 240 years before the Christian era, it becomes a fair inference,that the prince,

who beganhis reign 1800years after the commencement of the Chou of Fo-hi, or creation of

Adam, was that descendant from Noah, who was

chosen as chief of those persons who migrated from Babylonia to China. And it is observable,

thattheJapanese, bytheuseof symbols, continue to

carry on, not only correspondence, but trade, with provinces, the inhabitants of which, were they to
meet, would not be able to converse, from a total

ignorance of the language of eachother. A convincing proof, that a knowledgeof letters does not necessarily militateagainst the useof symbols. The dispersion from Babylonwas the only period
of time, when they could havebeenintroducedwith advantage. An unlettered mariner, shipwrecked
on a desert coast^ would have no other mode of

recordinghis misfortune,than by pourtraying,on

the rock, the figure of a ship in distress, bulged

391

split. " The action would arise from a natural

impulse, andthememento be understood by every

nationthat might after arrive. Whereas,, hadthis
mariner been better educated., and written the

history of his misfortunes in charactersunknown

to the nextpersons who arrivedon the coast, probablythosewritten characters hadbeenthe origin of divers absurdconjectures. Had the mariner beenan Hindu, they hadinferred (not being able
to read the account) that the coast had formerly been inhabited by Indians 5 since Malabar or
Gentoo characters had been traced oh the rocks.

Whereas an hieroglyphicdenoted., to everynation,

that a brother sailor had perishedfrom shipwreck.
The inhabitants of Chaldea., at the awful mo-

ment when theywerevisitedby the angerof the Almighty, were as the shipwreckedmariner. They were in their ownland, but asstrangers to
each other. And it was the natural impulse of each nation to leave in hieroglyphicsa memento

of the past. But it doesnot followtherefrom that they rejected letters. Hieroglyphics were
intended as a memento to the end of time, a record

that shouldbe understood by everynationof the

world* Whilst written characters, only under-

stoodby their ownnation,were confined for a ^ to the recording of events in their several

39S

countries. AccordinglySanchoniatho -gives ttfe historyof the old world,from the creationto the time of the greatgrandson of Noah, as he found it recordedby Thoth, and placedin the archives of Berytusby Mizraim, in the languageof the Egyptians. In like mannerBerosus^ who was a nativeof Babylon,gives the accountof the creation, &c. from the return of the race of Cain to

the deluge,ashe foundit recordedby Ham, and preserved in the temple of Belusin the language
of the Chaldeans. In India we find the history of the world from the Antara (time) of Swayamb-

huva, or the Lotos creation,to the deluge, given

in Sanscrit,the original language of that country :

clearlyevincingthat althoughhieroglyphics were

invented as a kind of general language, whfenthe

confusionof tonguestook placeat Babylon, yet

that each nation recorded the transactions of their

ancestors,in the tongue that they took with them

to thecountry,to whichthey retiredat the period,,

when new nations were formed. The nations

who were in possession of lines, for the purpose of elucidating geometrical problems, andof figures for numeration, wouldhave foundnogreatdifficulty in forming an alphabet therefrom. That they werein " wantof suchmaterials aswerenecessary

for expedition andfree writing/* is alsoan un-

399

founded assertion. ff The rind, and leaves,of

trees, and shells, from the sea," adds this author, ff can lend hut small assistancetowards literature ;

andstones and slabs are not calculated to promote it much better. Epigenes said that the Babylonians,, whoweregreat observers of theheavens,
had accounts of these observations for 720 years, written upon plinths, baked in the Sun. I can

see no proofs, from thence, of the eternity of letters,for which Pliny contends;nor do I believe that letters existedamongthemat the time/' It
is well known by every Europeanwho has visited

India, that the Cadyan,on which all Hindu recordsare kept to the present day, are formed from
the leaf of that tree, which Sanchoniatho mentions

as being in use in the time of Usues, in the sixth

generation from Adamin the race of Cain: which is about the period when, according to Berosus,
the history of the world was first committed to writing. As Usues was the first that noted these leaves,so was his son Chryser the first artisan in iron. And the Cadyan can only be written on with an iron pen. So that, from*the commencement of the rule of Cain, no want of materials

necessary for expeditious andfreewritingsexisted. Had the Cadyanbeeninadequate to the purposes of literature, it had beenrejectedby the orien&i

400

Musulmen, and, for the purposeof business,by thfc

Europeans. Whereasboth know that it is not only the most facile,but the mostexpeditious mode of carryingon business, in the severalCutchires;
I cannot discover any thing- contrary to reason in

the acount quotedby Epigenes,or in the commentthereon by Pliny, if the M, or mille, is prefixed to the other numbers. And this letter is

obviously omittedby Mr. Bryant, for the purpose of adding-fc It is impossible for peopleto receive any great benefit from letters when they are
obliged to go to a shard, or an oyster-shell, for

information/' As to the high antiquity assigned by Pliny, it is impossible to give any credence to that author,who from 7^0 years infers eternity^ andspeaks of thosetermsassynonymous/' Now,
reckoning* the MDCCXXyears, from the same

periodwith the437000 yearsmentioned by Cicero^

or A.M. 1776;,the period is carried back to the

fifty-sixthyearof the creation; whichPliny might verywell considerasthe beginningof time, and
represent as synonymous with eternity; The leaf
of the tree, on which the Indians write? does not

become a plinth, or Cadyan, until bakedand dried in the Sun. Thereforethe expression " Coctilibus latereatis," is particularlyapplicable thereto. The leaf of a treecut into an oblongsquare^ and baked

401

in the Sun,for the purpolfe of recording a list,

or roll,, of astronomical observations,, is well ex-

plainedby cc observationes siderum codtilibus ktereatis:" and, as it appearsfrom Sanchoniatho that the leaves of this tree wereknowntwo generations beforeplinths.,or tiles,,accordingto their
general acceptation,were known, it follows, that

"it was possible for people to receive great benefit from letters, althoughtheywereobligedto go to
,a shard, or the leaf of a tree, for information."

From writing uponleaves and shells,Mr. Bryant

admits, came the terms u Petalismus and Ostra-

cismus,"amongthe Greeks; and from the-bark

of trees came Libri of the Latins. Those Asiatic

authors, who flourished when literature was con-

fined to such materials, never, when properly understood, exceed the bounds of" probability,

Their numbers are givenin a cypher,whichenables them to record the month, nay eventhe day, or hour, on which an eventoccurred, howeverfar

refluw-ed. The'prophet Daniel denotes 1266 years,

by * aHijne* tjmes, andhalfa time:" because 42

months of"30 3^ys, or ayear, years, andan half

year, -produce thatnumber; for 36o+720 + 180 =

IflSo^^yiifeh' iS* tar more complicated than the

Chaldean .cypher, whichby 120Sa/xn denotes

432000 dajb', or1200 years.

VOL. I *

402

Having endeavoured to refute thosearguments,which you will find at large in the fourth volume of Bryant'sChronology, page121, I shall concludethis Letter,and in my next furnish you with someextractsfrom the Vedas,in supportof my formerassertions. I remain, with regard,

END

OF

VOL.

I.

ERRATA.tr< .int FOR

VOL.

f.
READ

21 Letter I.
2 in Note 3 5 2 Letter 2 9 39 1 8 in Table IL

obsolete
flaster Sostrahere andelsewhere reverted Lingam creature I'atamn Rama 864200 in 8640000 Thitajugan

obsoltat
Sastra Sastra revealed Lingwm creative ParasaRama 864004 K3 or864000D Tritajugan

8 10 14 15 16 20 21 22 24 S7

18

2 Letter
1

432000 x 17

or4326i)00x71

Table IV. 23 Letter 21 27 13 14

of 432000years X Vishna Mena of time MahaA Menwantara or 5U7x 14

432001K) years "+ Vishnu Menu of a time Maha Menwantara or 857x 14

8 23
30 32 36 37 45 34 57 IS 4 6 1 4 iu Note 13 Letter 10 11 16 19 22 7 1 in Note 12 Letter 13

"i?

!?

59 65 68

<59 2T 87 8 91 12 5 n 10? 2

jtfahas,divine agei Mahadivine age* Surgasidenta Snrya siddhant* Vedasis Ve<la is informs, that informs us, that Vide page325 Swayambhava here and elsewhere Swa'yambhuva Vatlma ralpiya Padma-calpiya I havelittle I haveseenlittla Tchhwaeu Icahwaeu BhnratVb ?.ya Bhara<tm'aja Vaivaswator Vaivaswat,or first Avatara FUh Avatara ll'2th Menvantara bixth Menvaniara and tenth Satyavator, and tenth generation,Saiy vator ^ 1500 j'e.trs (the purana says 15<X) years, the pnrana sayi during the sleep of Brahnm daring the sleepof Brahma: the Vedaahaving been stolen The Vedashaving beenstolA. M. 420)they express it eu A. M. 420,theyexprwi it li'O daj-s 120years tor a time for the time Straddha-diva Straddba-dera (the race of Selh and Cain $be rate of Cain and Setb)

descended)

descended

I liudu. Adam A loros 1 Swariochesiha 2 Aultama .3Tamosa 5 Chur'slinsha

Hindu Adam, Atoms 1 Sw&'ro'chish* "JAuttami SHimasa t 5 Ctei'cshasBa

115 2-2 122 17 126 I

12!) 3
10

Dabistan here andelsewhere Dabistan Mugadha here an<4 elsewhere MagatJtia Mazza Maya

to an assertion

divine Buddlia3303

divine Buddha 3381

toascertain

141 Second age Yagati 152 12 Letter hirasanha

Yayati < Jarasandlwt

I5p 14 Letter II.

165 3 166 lp

Cha'eshmiha here and elsewhei-e Cbn'chusha the year 1564 QOO-h 150=1056

167 5 13

thirty-ninth twenty-ninth Swarochisa here and elsewhere.Swa'ro'chisba

theyear R.C.1564 QOO+IS'J-'IO^

ERRATA. Pag* Lint 170 24 READ Omit the word righteous and enter the Note as part of 'the Letter changing theword more in the third line to one Table VII. Yag.iti Yayati 3 Letter Mathusael, here and elsewhere Methusael "2 in Note if Turtasa If Turvasu 2 Lubii Zabii 4 three elder brothers four/elder brother* 5 in Note to Jiirvam to Turvasu 20 Letter 190137 1&01.397 24 Divadosahereand elsewhere Devadosa 4 Smirtn Smriti 13 Maha-bati Maha-Bali Table , SalyavatorCainan Salyavator Cainan Table Raina or .Tared Rama Jared 3 Letter Sward'chisha S-wa'ro'chishg 8 Uyasa Vyasa 18 Dustiratha Dasaratha Table Mara exempt from deathor Mara exempt from death or Enoch Enoch Table MarudevaMethuselah Marudeva Methnsela/j 1 Letter dynasties which became dynasties become 5 A. 1L920 A. M. 902 2 p. 150 p. 151 4 Letter III. Iwarochisha Swa'ro'chisha 11 Daosaratha Dasaratha 2 Vigilaswa Vijitasva 12 Horde Lord 3 Eber his grnndson Eber his great-grandson 17 the twenty-first the twenty, first 14 "Suryasidheiita Snrya siddha'nta 18 Sniirta Smriti " 25 of Mdscs of Crishnu or Moses Note . sons of son of S3 Letter 363 365 11 Calpa Calsi 9 by fonr years by twenty -four years Table 4 Jamasa Tamasa Table Antediluvian patriarch 14 Antediluvian Patriarchs14 Ham 13 Ham ' 15 6 Letter A. M. 1616 A. M. 1656 22 Priests of Bdos . Priest of Belus 21 projenitor Ham, projenitor Ham.9 Cfaon* Chou 16 Ta-nne Ta-nu-o 26 YAdmiring thereforeFobi admitting Fohi 3 the Brakteaiu place at the Brahmansat 13 fcythelatte^ * v, by the former 10 72450728 724to 728 16 assigoed 83100or H5 years assigned 83, 100or' 115yar* 8 AnuadoWs Annedotas 11 tfcie first deity the fishdeity Note nalimt Eosebius 17 Letter M^a Avatar Matysa Avatar 13 Napuacos; otfiersAnnacos Naijiiacus5 other* Aanaciw 20 this appears this applies 2 Cferfcna Chrismi 28 esfendedf^ intended 19 of a peopte of people S6 New world New world. 3searching scorching 1 737 were 737years were .FOR righteous

173 176 1ft 180 384 185 ISO 390 J09 00 202 05 207 >" 212 2^2 223 229 30 252 S56 257 59 64 269 270 73 284 87 2Q2 302 306 322 326 337 340

343
348 349 358 360 363 364 366 301 373 374 383 386 390