114, The N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y o f
the Lunar Year, .and the fame Guftom is obferved in Tar±
tary^Siam, Japan,Teru^ and in other Places/ but Kefilar. A-
ledges that thejmj after their departure out of dsgypt u fid
only the Solar Year, ‘ The Patriarchs, fays he, ufed the
f uJEfiyfitian Year of 36f Days, and divided them into 1 x
‘ Months;'and it is certain thejewifh Year, until the Grecian
Monarchy, was, wholly Soterf'that all their Months,
fave the laft, confifted of 30'Day?; and Jofephus writes
that there was no Innovation in their Rites as to their Year,
wherefore from the afore.recited Authorities, and likewife
from thcjev/ijb and ^Egyptian Hi&roglyphical representations
of a Year, it is highly reafonable to conclude, that, tie
Years fpoken of by the Patriarchs were Solar Years, orj^r
Months, in which the Sun perfefts it'S’Courfe in the Zodiac:
So that what fame have offer’d to prove a-n Hour or Month
to he .a Year amongft the Ancients, is groundless and jis
dhly a metaphorical Allufion to a Cuftorff;very frequent in
the Eaftern Countries/1
To conclude, from all the -recited Phenomena,, if me
will but appeal to, our Senles, if1 i# evident that zMojffls
Narrative of the Deluge is not only the mofbstaie,: but the
moft compleat; I cannot therefore but admire.at 'the, Tbko-
rftf and Mx. JVhi/ion, who affirm that?hifr^i;thcrDel(^e
there were no Mountains: In the firft place .the Argu-
^ments they offer are no way conclufive/ but barely Hypothetical,
a nicer begging of the Queftipn; they have* indeed
fupply’d us with polite Schemes, and witty Allegories,
and where they do not by dint of Reafon eonvince us/:like
Sirens, by their Wit they charm us : but it. is not Paint
that can long preferve the Features, after that is oheeliif-
cOver’d, the Face appears more deform’d; T? can no more
think the World before the Deluge was form’d like ah Egg,
or that there were no Mountains, Or that upon the breach
of the Shell the Waters gulh’d out and overwhelm’d.3th e
Globe, than I can efpoufe that wild Notion of the Philofo-
pher, who fancy’d himfelf an Egg, and dreaded .lelbthc
Heayen$
L Siffl I MiEjiiCM E ffffl ƒ :Rj$x 3ct. j&gi
Hea^Chftfhould fall and deftrftyhim : de.
liycr’dUMpon | thgfe^ubjeét e»a<aiy; .quadras.With Nature,
and from.;his« Hjfery. it qd$*yfery 0 3 Hthat there were
Mountains . hefgs/ the Fh>oi i* th# ftyenth Gluipte/,«of
G en^hQ ^Sit phg WWmip^miled, \meedtn0 ^po^ikc
earth, and all ■ the high > hills tb a t were' under the whole
mUtsupwards di'^fhe, maters'premil,
etnd tki mo^tfins wer^xmered. ,, Whenqg:lijt
js-plain that be%? the ^ehigbfchere w^Mdtihtmnsvbthef^
Vifehöw^uld {they betoyend; ;he may as welhreeoncHf
the ;contradiélion }of a Mari c^veping his.Bfead with his Hat,
* n he ha.4 nónempon hisy: Shoulders,qand the QnelAhfuh
ditpis as eahly defended as the other*.' . In tkfefame Ghkp-
ter 4hatji«i%ir’d: Phifofopher very detóy-convoy®>to^fthe
begininngiiprogtêfSitandtlÉhcÉufio^ofthejDHugeiiall^hïdh
throuighl^ufaoïïfiderd, 01103would thiak;nto•khyvrabiafr’d
< aye Arguments1 tooj<plain and UonvincingitóJbe Ob*“
Via ted hlfordet ds Mke himrbaifely khdvli iiBmlly fas ah Hifto-
rihnif where he^éqüa ints us|#han thstftontemi èfdM $& £
(kefawm typkmiïpftt, the windows of ihepr
vm pmreddoy/n: fbtty iDafs and
forty hiigfetft^iWk»t^n;\y«imagifflit^0^Eövih.iaihsfe'f»ih»
hWiühe/Rtefhïes lejftratecïbyth© E l r i f i t h e . Spa, which
Upon thefo QonvulfiohS of ./the EarthvMfceh itiwasjbrhkeh
open, ,iiïtod;fr)EthiiUpphitstif@rftïcèdu A^ditheit iWitit
fsHao-f/Waters from the CMou^^^ whifchiflorfhdpfoih^&n^
JfctfiÉ Vehemently' pouF’dtdown-^iifcoa&d/
with $hei|i,;i inight-eafily: caufb 1 thaitganeml .Ihu<tida#0h?
yoYthofeitliat allodge ,:tlwldefi«fei4:y»ft*h!a.W^iè^é to ad-
§Oin||fiifh.dQhUmwM;ia^d?boflolletl:usifry 1 pisip,gtect and
DenajWfti'ation^nfWer ; intheifrrfr>0ftap!ter of
(M, eytffc Was* wU&atfbfeifaméttdï nséid, ftheai daz'kneJki'yiMds
UP°M': tke face ofrpfx deepl,u which lplainly IheWs /(aslwas
kflbttedhfefdreh that this' Glbbkv#a^'a> medr limmeilfe Li-
qiuidj fonthe, Eaarthj frurelyi would have/had !asF@rm> *ttóf
Darknéfs;had béen upon' it, hdd ittttón^lifenifel^^tai
Kk* the