The following is the memorable passage in Plutarch concerning Osiris going into his ark. He says that it was to avoid the fury of Typhon: and that it happened on the seventeenth day of the month Athyr, when the sun was in Scorpio. Now it is to be observed that there were two festivals, at opposite parts of the year, established by the Egyptians on account of Osiris being thus inclosed; one in the month Phamenoth, which they termed the entrance of Osiris into the moon: the other of which I am here speaking, was on the same account, but in autumn. This was the ceremony, the inclosing and fastening of Osiris in his tomb or ark, in memory of his having been in his life time thus concealed; which ark they termed Eλn, and other nations Minoa the moon. It was in the month Athyr, upon the seventeenth day of that month; when the Etesian winds were passed; when the overflowing of the Nile had ceased, and the country became dry, at the time of year when the nights grow long, and the days are upon the decline, darkness now increasing. It was in short upon the seventeenth day of the second month after the autumnal equinox, when the sun passes through Scorpio. This, if I mistake not, was the precise month, and day of the month, on which Noah entered the ark, and the floods eame. Hence

I think there can be no doubt, but in this history of Osiris we have a memorial of the patriarchs and deluge. As this event happened, according to the Egyptian traditions, when the sun was in Scorpio, that sign is continually commemorated in the Deluvian hieroglyphics.--Bryant's Mythology, vol. iii. p. 181.

Mr. Bryant quotes from Berosus the following curious and accurate account of the deluge. "After the death of Ardates, his son (Sisusthnes) succeeded and reigned eighteen sari. In his time happened the great deluge; the history of which is given in this manner. The deity Cronus appeared to him in a vision; and gave him notice, that upon the fifteenth day of the month Dosius there would be a flood, by which mankind would be destroyed. He therefore enjoined him to commit to writing a history of the beginning, procedure, and final conclusion of all things, down to the present term, and to bury these accounts securely in the city of the sun at Sippara. He then ordered Sisuthrus to build a vessel, and to take with him into it his friends and relations; and trust himself to the deep. The latter implicitly obeyed: and having conveyed on board every thing necessary to sustain life, he took in also all species of animals, that either fly, or rove upon the surface of the earth. Having asked the Deity whither he was to go, he was answered to the gods; upon which he offered up a prayer for the good of mankind. Thus he obeyed the divine admonition; and the vessel which he built was five stadia in length, and in breadth two. Into this he put every thing which he got ready; and last of all conveyed into it, his wife, children and friends. After the flood had been upon the earth, and was in time abated, Sisuthrus sent out some birds from the vessel; which, not finding any food, nor any place to rest their feet, returned to him again. After an interval of some days, he sent them

forth a second time; and they now returned to him no more; from whence he formed a judgment that the surface of the earth was now above the waters. Having there. fore made an opening in the vessel, and finding upon looking out, that the vessel was driven to the side of a mountain, he immediately quitted it, being attended with his wife, children, and the pilot. Sisuthrus immediately paid his adoration to the earth and having constructed an altar, offered sacrifices to the gods. These things being duly performed, both Sisuthrus, and those that came with him out of the vessel, disappeared. They who remained in the vessel, finding that the others did not return, came out with many lamentations, and called continually on the name of Sisuthrus. Him they saw no more: but they could distinguish his voice in the air, and could hear him admonish them to pay due regard to the gods, and likewise inform them, that it was upon account of his piety that he was translated to live with the gods; that his wife and children, with the pilot, had obtained the same honour. To this he added, that he would have them make the best of their way to Babylonia, and search for the writings at Sippara, which were to be made known to all mankind. The place where all these things happened was in Armenia. The remainder having heard these words, offered sacrifices to the gods; and taking a circuit, journeyed towards Babylonia. Berosus adds, that the remains of the vessel were to be seen in his time upon one of the Corcyrean mountains in Armenia; and that people used to scrape off the bitumen, with which it had been outwardly coated, and made use of it by way of an alexipharmic amulet. In this manner they returned to Babylon; and having found the writings at Sippara they set about building cities, erecting temples; and Babylon was

t

thus inhabited again.-Bryant's Mythology, vol. iv. p. 134,

Bryant informs us, on the autho rity of Father Boushet, that the East Indians have a tradition concerning a flood in the days of Vish now, which covered the whole earth. In the shaster of this people a like history is given, of the earth being overwhelmed by a de. luge, in which mankind perished. But the world was afterwards re. newed in two persons, called Menow and Ceteroupa.-Bryant's Mythology, vol. v. p. 263.

The Brahmins* say that there was a time when the serpent with a thousand heads withdrew himself, and would not support the world, it was so overburdened with sin. Upon this, the earth sunk in the great abyss of waters, and mankind, and all that breathed, perished. But Vishnow took upon himself the form of a human being, terminating in the tail of a fish, and diving to the bottom of the sea, lifted the earth out of the waters, and placed it with the serpent of a thousand heads on the back of a tortoise.

The following are the brief outlines of an allegory relating to the Deluge, extracted from the Bhagavat. Brahma, fatigued with the care of many worlds, once fell into a profound slumber. During this slumber of the creator, the strong demon or giant Hayagriva came near him and stole the Vedas; those four sacred volumes which originally flowed from the lips of the quadruple Deity. With this inestimable treasure he retired into the deep and secret bosom of the ocean; and, re solving never to surrender the booty he had secured, swallowed the stolen Vedas. Deprived of the vigilant care of Brahma, the world fell into disorder. While no longer gui ded by the light that emanated from the sacred books, the human race

* Baldæus Churchill's Voyages, vol. iii, p. 748, quoted by Bryant, vol. v. p. 269.

became, to the last degree, corrupt. They were all consequently destroy ed in a vast deluge except a certain pious king and his family, which, in very singular conformity to the relation of Sacred Writ, consisted of seven persons, who floated upon the waters in a vessel fabricated according to the express direction of Veeshnu. For this pious monarch, one day performing his devotions on the shores of the ocean, was forewarned of the approaching calamity by this preserving deity; and, having prepared a vessel, as commanded, at the appointed time, Veeshnu appeared again in the form of a fish," blazing like gold with one stupendous horn," to which the king fastened the vessel by a cable composed of a vast serpent, and was thus towed in safety along the surface of the raging elements. When the waters abated, he and his companions were "again landed in safety. Veeshnu then replunging into the ocean, slew in conflict, the tremendous dæmon Hayagriva, and, rending open the monster's belly, recovered three of the Vedas, but the fourth was digested." In this extraordinary allegory the curious reader may (exclusive of the accurate statement of a deluge) trace some other scriptural facts, such as the ruin of man by the intrusion of an evil spirit; the contest between the powers of light and darkness, and the decisive superio. rity of the Deity in his conflict with the rebellious Satan.-Maurice, Indian Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 273.

It is asserted that Tibet, in remote times, was almost totally inundated; and the removal of the waters, that covered its surface, is imputed to the miraculous interposition of some object of their worship, whose chief temple is reported to be at Drugeedin, Gya.-He, it is said, in compassion to the few inha bitants which Tibet contained, who, in that age were little better than monkeys, drew off the waters through Bengal, and, by sending teachers among them, humanized the wretchREMEMBRANCER, No. 44.

ed race, who were subsequently to people it. In this belief of the Tibetians, which is too general to be totally rejected, it is not difficult to discover strong traces of the universal deluge, though the tradition, as might naturally be expected, is ob. scured by fable, and disfigured by a mixture of absurdity.-Turner's Emb. to Tibet, p. 224.

In an interview with the Emperor of China, the emperor informed Mr. Bell that, at or near the time of Noah's flood, there was a great deluge in China, which destroyed all the inhabitants of the plains; but that such as escaped to the mountains were saved.-Bell's Travels, v. ii. p. 45.

We find amongst the Greenlanders mangled traditions concerning the creation of the world, its last end, and Noah's flood. They call the first man Kallak, and say he sprung out of the earth, and soon afterwards his wife sprung from his thumb, and from this pair all mankind proceeded. The woman is said to have brought death into the world. by saying, Let these die, to make room for their posterity. Respecting the flood, they say that the world was once overset, and all mankind, except one, were drowned; but some were turned into fiery spirits. The only man that escaped alive, afterwards smote the ground with his stick, and out sprung a woman, and these two repeopled the world. As a proof that the deluge once overflowed the whole earth, they say that many shells, and relics of fishes, have been found far within the land were men could never have lived; yea, that bones of whales have been found upon a high mountain-Crantz Hist. of Greenland, v. i. p. 204.

The South Americans, in their paintings and hymns, called themselves the descendants of those men who escaped from the general deluge. The Toftecas, Mexicans, Tiascalans, and all the other nations, were agreed on this point. They 3 N

all said that their ancestors came from elsewhere into those countries; they pointed out the road they had 'come, and even preserved the names, true or false, of those their first progenitors, who, after the confusion of tongues, separated from the rest of men. Of the ancient Indians of Cuba, several historians of America relate, that when they were interrogated by the Spaniards concerning their origin, they answered, they had heard from their ancestors, that God created the heavens, and earth, and all things; that an old man having foreseen the deluge with which God designed to chastise the sins of men, built a large canoe, and embarked in it with his family, and many animals; that when the inundation ceased, he sent out a raven, which, because it found carrion to feed on, never returned to the canoe; that he then sent out a pigeon, which soon returned, bearing a branch of Hoba, a certain fruit of America, in its mouth; that when the old man saw the earth was dry, he disembarked, and having made himself some wine of the woodgrape, he became intoxicated and fell asleep; that then one of his sons made ridicule of his nakedness, and that another son piously covered him; that upon awaking, he blessed the latter, and cursed the former. Lastly, that they drew their origin from the cursed son, and therefore went almost naked; that the Spaniards, as they were well cloathed, descended perhaps from the other.

The Mexicans used to call Noah Coxcox and Teocipactti; and the Michuacanese, Tezpi. They used to sayThat there was once a great deluge, and that Tezpi, in order to save himself from being drowned, embarked in a ship formed like an ark, with his wife, his children, and many different animals, and several seeds of fruits; and thatas the water abated he sent out that bird which bears the name of aura, which remained eating dead bodies,

and then sent out other birds, who did not return either, except that little bird (the flower sucker) which was much prized by them on ac. count of the variety of the colours of its feathers, that brought a small branch with it; and from this fa. mily they all believe they drew their origin. If, therefore, we refer to the Sacred Writings, or the traditions of those Americans, we must seek for the peoplus of America among the descendants of Noah.Cullen's History of Mexico, vol. ii. p. 203, 204.

DOVE. Gen. viii. 8.

"Also he sent forth a dove, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground."

THE Chinese accounts respecting Fobi, their first king, coincide with those of Noah. Their writers in general agree that Fobi lived about 2952 years before Christ. The author Mirandorum in Sina et Europa, computes him to reign about 2847 years before our Saviour; and Alvarez Levedo places his reign not so early, imagining it to be but 2060 years; and all these computations agree well enough with the times of Noah, for Noah was born, according to Archbishop Usher, 2948 years, and died 2016 years before Christ; so that all the several computations about Fohi, fail pretty near within the compass of Noah's life; and from the following reasons from the Chinese traditions concerning Fohi, we may reasonably conclude that they are one and the same person. 1st. They say * that Fohi had no father; i. e. Noah was the first man in the postdiluvian world; his ancestors perished in the flood, and no tradition hereof being preserved in the Chinese annals, Noah, or Fohi, stands there as if he had no father at all. 2dly, Fohi's mother + is said to have conceived

* Martinii, Hist, Sinica, p. 21. + Ibid.

him encompassed with a rainbow; a conceit very probably arising from the rainbow's first appearing to Noah, and the Chinese being willing to give some account of his origin. 3dly. Fohi is said to have carefully bred seven sorts of creatures, which he used to sacrifice to the supreme spirit of heaven and earth; and Moses tells us that Noah took into the ark every clean beast by sevens, and of fowls of the air by sevensand after the flood Noah built an altar, and took of every clean beast, and every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings. 4thly. The Chinese derive the name of Fohi from his oblation, and Moses gives Noah his name upon account of the grant of the creatures for the use of men, which he obtained by his offering.Shuckford's Connections, vol. i. p.

29. 102.

The name of Thibet affords a curious evidence in favour of the ark having rested there. In Gen. vi. 41. it is said, "make thee an ark" nan. Thibet is a word only applied to Noah's ark, and to that which Moses' mother prepared for his pre

* Le Compte Mem. of China, p. 313. Gen vii. 8.

Couplet's Confucius Proœm, p. 38.76.

servation. See Exodus ii. 3. “an ark of bulrushes." (nan Thibet.) In this place it is written with a Jod, and has all the letters that compose the word used to represent the country of Thibet, as the Tau in Hebrew is both T and Th. There is also another good and indisputable reason for making Thibet the resting place, or where the ark first touched land; because its mountains are the highest on the earth, and from Thibet we may say, what we cannot truly assert from Phrygia or Armenia, that the families of the ark journeyed from the east, to the plain of Shinar.-Biblical Fragments, p. 117.

The Ashautees, and also the inhabitants of Bornoo and its neigh-. bourhood, have a tradition that the waters of the deluge burst forth from, and afterwards retired to the Volcanic lake of Candee; and Bruns asserts, on the authority of the Da nish residents, that the Pagan nation of Kassentai, declared that the world had been destroyed by rain, and that the wicked would be again swept off by a similar calamity.Essay on Geography of N. W. Af rica-Pearce's Essay, Salt's Travels, p. 34.

SIR,

THE question being fairly stated between the Greek and Latin Churches, the controversy on the Heavenly Witnesses, which it is now surely expedient to draw to a close, may be brought to a speedy issue, Two considerations, when brought to bear upon the question, seem to enforce the necessity of acquiescing in the positive testimony borne to

is borne by the only one of those early guardians of the integrity of Scripture, which did not apostatise from the doctrine of the contested passage.

1. The internal evidence, which seems not to be disputed by any competent judge, and is not to be dis. proved by any mode of reasoning, confirms the testimony of the Latin Church, as requiring the insertion of the Heavenly Witnesses. Without