two other parts of the world they are in great abundance, as appears by the relation of Garcias ab Horto, physician to the Viceroy at Goa, who relates that at one venation the king of Siam took four thousand, and is of opinion they are in other parts in greater number than herds of beeves in Europe. And though this, delivered from a Spaniard unacquainted with our northern droves, may seem very far to exceed, yet must we conceive them very numerous, if we consider the number of teeth transported from one country to another, they having only two great teeth, and those not falling or renewing.

As for man, the disadvantage in his single issue is the same with these, and in the lateness of his generation somewhat greater than any; yet in the continual and not interrupted time hereof, and the extent of his days, he becomes at present, if not than any other species, at least more numerous than these before mentioned. Now being thus numerous at present, and in the measure of threescore, fourscore, or an hundred years, if their days extended unto six, seven, or eight hundred, their generations would be proportionably multiplied, their times of generation being not only multiplied, but their subsistence continued. For though the great-grandchild went on, the petrucius* and first original would subsist and make one of the world, though he outlived all the terms of consanguinity, and became a stranger unto his proper progeny. So, by compute of Scripture, Adam lived unto the ninth generation, unto the days of Lamech, the father of Noah; Methuselah unto the year of the flood, and Noah was contemporary unto all from Enoch unto Abraham. So that although some died, the father beholding so many descents, the number of survivors must still be very great; for if half the men were now alive which lived in the last century, the earth would scarce contain their number. Whereas in our abridged and septuagesimal ages, it is very rare, and deserves a distich† to behold the fourth generation. Xerxes' complaint still remaining, and what he lamented in his army, being almost deplorable in the whole world; men seldom arriving unto those years whereby Methuselah ex*The term for that person for whom consanguineal relations are accounted, as in the Arbor civilis.

+ Mater ait nata, dic natæ filia, &c.

ceeded nine hundred, and what Adam came short of a thousand, was defined long ago to be the age of man.

Now, although the length of days conduceth mainly unto the numerosity of mankind, and it be manifest from Scripture they lived very long, yet is not the period of their lives determinable, and some might be longer livers than we account that any were. For, to omit that conceit of some that Adam was the oldest man, in as much as he is conceived to be created in the maturity of mankind, that is, at sixty, for in that age it is set down they begat children, so that adding this number unto his 930, he was 21 years older than any of his posterity; that even Methuselah was the longest liver of all the children of Adam we. need not grant, nor is it definitively set down by Moses. Indeed of those ten mentioned in Scripture, with their several ages, it must be true, but whether those seven of the line of Cain and their progeny, or any of the sons' and daughters' posterity after them outlived those, is not expressed in Holy Scripture, and it will seem more probable that of the line of Cain some were longer lived than any of Seth, if we concede that seven generations of the one lived as long as nine of the other. As for what is commonly alleged that God would not permit the life of any unto a thousand, because, alluding unto that of David, no man should live one day in the sight of the Lord, although it be urged by divers, yet is it methinks an inference somewhat rabbinical, and not of power to persuade a serious examiner.

Having thus declared how powerfully the length of lives conduced unto the populosity of those times, it will yet be easier acknowledged if we descend to particularities, and consider how many in seven hundred years might descend from one man; wherein considering the length of their days, we may conceive the greatest number to have been alive together. And this, that no reasonable spirit may contradict, we will declare with manifest disadvantage: for whereas the duration of the world unto the flood was above 1600 years, we will make our compute in less than half that time. Nor will we begin with the first man, but allow the earth to be provided of women fit for marriage the second or third first centuries, and will only take as granted, that they might beget children at sixty, and at an hundred years have twenty,

allowing for that number forty years. Nor will we herein single out Methuselah, on account from the longest livers, but make choice of the shortest of any we find recorded in the text, excepting Enoch, who, after he had lived as many years as there be days in the year, was translated at 365. And thus from one stock of seven hundred years, multiplying still by twenty, we shall find the product to be one thousand three hundred forty-seven millions, three hundred sixty-eight thousand, four hundred and twenty.

Now, if this account of the learned Petavius will be allowed, it will make an unexpected increase, and a larger number than may be found in Asia, Africa, and Europe; especially if in Constantinople, the greatest city thereof, there be no more than Botero accounteth, seven hundred thousand souls. Which duly considered, we shall rather admire how the earth contained its inhabitants, than doubt its inhabitation; and might conceive the deluge not simply penal, but in some way also necessary, as many have conceived of translations,3 if Adam had not sinned, and the race of man had remained upon earth immortal.

Now, whereas some to make good their longevity, have imagined that the years of their compute were lunary, unto these we must reply; that if by a lunary year they understand twelve revolutions of the moon, that is, 354 days, eleven fewer than in the solary year; there will be no great difference, at least not sufficient to convince or extenuate the question. But if by a lunary year they mean one revolution of the moon, that is, a month; they first introduce a

3 translations.] That is, that after some terme of yeares they should not dye, but have been translated as Henoch was, into Heaven.—Wr.

year never used by the Hebrews in their civil accounts; and what is delivered before of the Chaldean years (as Xenophon gives a caution) was only received in the chronology of their arts. Secondly, they contradict the Scripture, which makes a plain enumeration of many months in the account of the deluge; for so it is expressed in the text: "In the tenth month, in the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.' Concordant whereunto is the relation of human authors; Inundationes plures fuere, prima novimestris inundatio terrarum sub prisco Ogyge. Meminisse hoc loco par est post primum diluvium Ogygi temporibus notatum, cum novem, et amplius mensibus diem continua nox inumbrasset, Delon ante omnes terras radiis solis illuminatum sortitumque ex eo nomen. And lastly, they fall upon an absurdity, for they make Enoch to beget children about six years of age. For, whereas it is said he begat Methuselah at sixty-five, if we shall account every month a year, he was at that time some six years and an half, for so many months are contained in that space of time.

*

Having thus declared how much the length of men's lives conduced unto the populosity of their kind, our second foundation must be the large extent of time, from the creation unto the deluge (that is, according unto received computes, about 1655 years), almost as long a time as hath passed since the nativity of our Saviour. And this we

* Xenophon de Equivocis. Solinus.

month.] The spirit in many places (as of Daniel, and the Apoca lyps) by dayes means yeares; but in noe place yeares for dayes or monthes.-Wr.

5 Saviour.] And according to this number there are, that take upon them to judge that when the yeares of the church's age comes to as many since Christ's birthe, as those yeares of the world had from the creation to the flood, the consummation or consumption of the world by fire prophesyed by St. Peter, 2nd Epist. 3 chap. v. 10, must needs bee then or thereabouts fulfilled, as itt was before by water at those years. For counting (say they) as the Apostle there does, that with God 1000 yeares are but as one daye, and that (as all agree) in this yeare of Christ, 1650, there are just 5600 yeares of the world past since the creation, that is almost 6 dayes of the weeke, and that the dayes of the world shal bee, as our Saviour foretold, much shortened, i. e. shall not continue to the full end of 6000 yeares, i. e. 6 of God's dayes: they conclude that the seventh day of æternal rest of the world and all the works

cannot but conceive sufficient for a very large increase, if we do but affirm what reasonable enquirers will not deny,--that the earth might be as populous in that number of years before the flood, as we can manifest it was in the same number after. And, whereas there may be conceived some disadvantage, in regard that at the creation the original of mankind was in two persons, but after the flood their propagation issued at least from six; against this we might very well set the length of their lives before the flood, which were abbreviated after, and in half this space contracted into hundreds and threescores. Notwithstanding, to equalize accounts, we will allow three hundred years, and so long a time as we can manifest from the Scripture, there were four men at least that begat children, Adam, Cain, Seth, and Enos; so shall we fairly and favourably proceed, if we affirm the world to have been as populous in sixteen hundred and fifty years before the flood, as it was in thirteen hundred after. Now how populous and largely inhabited it was within this period of time, we shall declare from probabilities, and several testimonies of Scripture and human authors.

And first, to manifest the same near those parts of the earth where the ark is presumed to have rested, we have the relation of Holy Scripture, accounting the genealogy of Japhet, Cham, and Sem, and in this last, four descents unto the division of the earth in the days of Peleg, which time although it were not upon common compute much above an hundred years, yet were men at this time mightily increased. Nor can we well conceive it otherwise, if we consider they began already to wander from their first habitation, and were able to attempt so mighty a work as the building of a city and a tower, whose top should reach unto the heavens. Whereunto there was required no slender number of persons, if we consider the magnitude thereof, expressed by some,

therin cannot bee far of. But how far off, or how neere, is not for man to enquire, much less to define otherwise then by way of Christian caution, to bee always readye for the coming of that kingdome, which wee every (day) pray, may come speedilye. For doubtles yf 1600 yeares agoe the Spirit thought itt requisite to rowse them up with that memento, "the Lord is at hand, bee yee therefore sober and watche," itt may well bee an alarum to us, on whom the ends of the world are come. -Wr.