prophesies to the people, and exhorts them to repentance. We learn from Eusebius, that " the whole body of the Musaris Oannes, the Annedotus, was like that of a fish; but under the head of a fish, he had that of a man. Being endowed with superior reason, he instructed men in the true religion, and warned them respecting futurity." This was at the close of the 40th Zapos of the rule of the race of Alaporus, and the 88th Zapos of the world; or after 880 prophetic years: but the heart of man became hardened, and he increased in wickedness. The Annedotus, therefore, appears again in the province of Dravira, situated south of Carnata, and gives those directions to the pious prince, who ruled over that province, which have been so fully detailed in my first Letter, when treating of the Metsya Avatar. That the Sapheri of the Hindus, and the Musaris Oannes 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 is depicted with the head of a man, issuing out of the mouth of a fish. And Sir William Jones assures us, "that the learned and accurate author of the Dabistan, whose information concerning the Hindus is wonderfully correct, mentions an opinion of the pundits, with whom he conversed, that Buddha commenced this career ten years

before the close of the third age;" or after 890 years were passed; which, if reduced, answers to A. M. 878, and meets the Chaldean record, proving that the career, mentioned by the learned Hindu was the prophecy of the deluge, which might well be called a glorious career. Heretofore the mission of the prophet had been confined to preaching, and explaining the word of God: he now prophesies of futurity, and warns the world of the impending wrath of an offended God. There is scarcely a country in the world, that has not, more or less, some knowledge of this great prophet of the old world. Suidas names him Nannacos; others Annacos. But all place the close of his career before the birth of Deucalion. Enoch was translated sixty-nine years before the birth of Noah. These authors relate " that having in vain endeavoured to convert mankind, and turn them from their impious practices, he collected the people in a temple, and, having warned them of futurity, he, before he left them, offered up prayers, accompanied with many tears, for their reformation; insomuch, that to weep as Enoch, became a proverb;" which others more correctly write, to weep for Enoch became a proverb.

Thus it appears clear, that the Oannes and the Annedotus were two distinct persons; and that the latter appeared at two different periods, to two

different princes of the same family, but of different generations; and that such appearances were during the periods that they severally ruled over a maritime province. But Berosus informs us further. He tells us that "there were other animals like Oannes of whom he would give an account, in his second book*, when he came to the history of the kings. Berosus places every appearance of the Annedotus during the third and beginning of the fourth age; never exceeding the first thousand years of the world. For when he speaks of a subsequent illumination of the Deity, he styles him Odacan. The Hindus usually speak of the fish-deity as the rudder of the ark. The Chaldeans as the pilot to the vessel. At Phalerus he was placed in the stern of 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 illuminations of the Deity, prophets like unto Oannes, or Adam. These were the patriarchs of the antediluvian world, of the race of Seth. In no instance are these illuminations compared to the Annedotus, the Musaris Oannes, who was considered as an incarnation of the Deity. Wherefore coming after the Oannes, and assuming a mortal form, he is said, in appearance to have been very like Oannes.

originally taken from hieroglyphics misunderstood. Every hieroglyphical representation of the deluge describes the prophet as the preserving spirit, at the stern of the ship, in which the patriarch was preserved. So that, in after times, those ceremonies which were intended exclusively for Dyonusus, or Enoch, were by some consecrated to Deucalion, or Noah: according to the Grecian mythology, Deucalion was the son of Prometheus; and Prometheus is one of the characters under which Enoch is described in mythology. For although fabulously represented as a great artist, by whom men were formed anew, yet Minerva co-operates with him, in making those images, and " inspiring them with a living soul. He raised altars to the true God, and gave the first directions relative to building a ship." Noah was the descendant of Enoch in a direct line. From the same mythology, we learn that Dyonusus was twice born: some relate thrice. This appears to the prophet, as the Hindu Buddha, both in a spiritual and temporal sense. In the former sense, as the founder of baptismal rites, the second birth, the birth unto righteousness, received from the divine mother the Gayita; and, in the latter sense, the followers of Vishnu represent him as having become regenerate in the postdiluvian world, when

he appeared as 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 resort of people of various nations, who inhabited Chaldea, and lived without rule and order like the beasts of the field: in the first year there made its appearance from the Eruthrean sea, an animal endowed with reason, who was called Oannes." "Oannes," says Mr. Bryant, " was certainly the emblematic character of Noah or Sisuthrus. He is said to have shewn himself in the first year, which is an imperfect, but intelligible piece of history. The first year mentioned in this manner absolute, must signify the first year in time, the year of the renewal of the world. He appeared twice, and discoursed much with mankind, but would not eat with them. This I imagine was in the antediluvian state, when there is reason to suppose that men in general fed upon raw flesh, nay, eat it crude while the life was in it." These arguments are as contradictory as the quotation is unfaithful. But supposing it otherwise; if the first appearance of the Oannes was the first year of the renewal of the world after the deluge, it could not have been in the antediluvian world. And if the first year, being absolute, was the first year of Noah's reign in the new world, from