et out their blood and
spill it upon the ground_, _Gen._ ix. 4, and _Levit_. xvii. 12, 13. This
law was ancienter than the days of _Moses_, being given to _Noah_ and his
sons long before the days of _Abraham_: and therefore when the Apostles and
Elders in the Council at _Jerusalem_ declared that the Gentiles were not
obliged to be circumcised and keep the law of _Moses_, they excepted this
law of _abstaining from blood, and things strangled_ as being an earlier
law of God, imposed not on the sons of _Abraham_ only, but on all nations,
while they lived together in _Shinar_ under the dominion of _Noah_: and of
the same kind is the law of _abstaining from meats offered to Idols or
false Gods, and from fornication_. So then, _the believing that the world
was framed by one supreme God, and is governed by him; and the loving and
worshipping him, and honouring our parents, and loving our neighbour as our
selves, and being merciful even to brute beasts_, is the oldest of all
religions: and the Original of letters, agriculture, navigation, music,
arts and sciences, metals, smiths and carpenters, towns and houses, was not
older in _Europe_ than the days of _Eli_, _Samuel_ and _David_; and before
those days the earth was so thinly peopled, and so overgrown with woods,
that mankind could not be much older than is represented in Scripture.

* * * * *

CHAP. II

_Of the Empire of _Egypt_._

The _Egyptians_ anciently boasted of a very great and lasting Empire under
their Kings _Ammon_, _Osiris_, _Bacchus_, _Sesostris_, _Hercules_,
_Memnon_, &c. reaching eastward to the _Indies_, and westward to the
_Atlantic Ocean_; and out of vanity have made this monarchy some thousands
of years older than the world: let us now try to rectify the Chronology of
_Egypt_; by comparing the affairs of _Egypt_ with the synchronizing affairs
of the _Greeks_ and _Hebrews_.

_Bacchus_ the conqueror loved two women, _Venus_ and _Ariadne_: _Venus_ was
the mistress of _Anchises_ and _Cinyras_, and mother of _AEneas_, who all
lived 'till the destruction of _Troy_; and the sons of _Bacchus_ and
_Ariadne_ were _Argonauts_; as above: and therefore the great _Bacchus_
flourished but one Generation before the _Argonautic_ expedition. This
_Bacchus_ [235] was potent at sea, conquered eastward as far as _India_
returned in triumph, brought his army over the _Hellespont_; conquered
_Thrace_, left music, dancing and poetry there; killed