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The eighth emperor Yau succeded his father in the 41st year of a cycle, and became sovereign of the world, in the 47th year of the same cycle, i. e. a. M....

1657

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From this period, the chronology of the Chinese is very correct. They, like every other nation, have a general knowledge 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 became sovereign of the world. All of which agrees with the Hebrew text. They represent him as wise, just. and religious, employing the first years of his reign in draining the low lands from the waters of the deluge; and the subsequent period, in framing wise and prudent laws, for the government of his subjects. They admit of one intervening generation between this prince and their first emperor, the commencement of whose reign is fixed at A. M. 1797, when their history begins: which establishes the fact that neither Yau nor Shun ever reached

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 Fo-hi.

Noah was a preacher of righteousness.

Yau was so righteous, that to be compared to him was considered as the highest encomium.

Noah began his reign the year after the deluge A. M. 1657.

Yau began his reign the year after the deluge in 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 reigned 100 years.

Noah's three sons, being settled in the different countries assigned to them, he was not succeeded in the country, where he sojourned, by any of them.

Yau was not succeeded in the country where he

sojourned, by either of his sons; but by a descendant, who assisted in draining the lands. Mizraim of the third generation from Noah, inclusive, formed the first Egyptian dynasty.

Yu of the third generation from Yau, inclusive, formed the first Chinese dynasty.

These circumstances are at least proof presumptive, that Yau was no other than Noah. Couplet endeavours to obviate this, by saying, Fo-hi began his reign in the year B. C. 2952, and reigned 115 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 interprets every thing, so as to accord therewith; and whenever the Chinese treat of their first emperor, whether Fo-hi, Yau, or Yu, (for each are occasionally so designated *), he invariably supposes them to mean Fo-hi. Reading that the Chau of the first emperor began in the year B. C. 2952, he records that Fo-hi began his reign at that period. Whereas the original Chinese record implied that Yau the first ruler in the postdiluvian world was born at that period. For the Chau of the Chinese, like the Antara of the Hindu patriarchs, neither

* Fo-hi as first-created; Yau as first in the new world; Yu as first emperor of China.

implied dynasty nor reign, but the time or duration of such person, his sojourn on earth. The Antara of a Menu was 857 years; because the life of the ten patriarchs from the creation averaged that number of years; the Antara of the six Egyptian princes was 664 years; because their lives averaged that period, from the rule of Cain: the Antara of 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 commencement of the reign. Yet we are not to suppose the Chou of Yau confined to 857 years; that being an average age, as we now say the life of man is threescore and ten, 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 was born 600 years before the deluge, and ruled as sovereign of the world, for one hundred years after it. It is true, the missionaries place the death of this prince at A. M. 1756. But this was his political death; when he divided the world between his sons. And this agrees, within two years, with the Hebrew text. The missionaries always suppose one ruler dead, before another commences his rule. The

reign of the first Chinese emperor began A. M. 1797; but neither Yau nor Shun ever reached China. So that their death was in no way connected with the rule of the first emperor of the first imperial dynasty in that country. Couplet, finding that the Chou of the first emperor commenced in the year B. c. 2952, wrote, "the reign of Fo-hi began in the year B. C. 2952;" and it is extremely probable, that the generality of the Chinese, like the generality of the Hindus, are incapable of explaining their own history. That very few of them understand their own cypher, we know; for it is recorded by one of their authors that at that time 3267000 years were passed. This has been variously interpreted: some supposing that time to denote the age of the world, when Confucius wrote. Others more correctly suppose it to allude to the period of which he wrote, the reign of Yau and the deluge. Thus the 3267000 years are a part of 4320000, answering to 756 years. For 3888000, the sum of the three first ages, is to 900 years, as 3267000 is to 756. Confucius lived during the Cali age when 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 were passed." Now the deluge

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