he whole continent was filled with them, both the inland and the
maritime countries. There were some also who passed over the sea in
ships, and inhabited the islands: and some of those nations do still
retain the denominations which were given them by their first founders;
but some have lost them also, and some have only admitted certain
changes in them, that they might be the more intelligible to the
inhabitants. And they were the Greeks who became the authors of such
mutations. For when in after-ages they grew potent, they claimed to
themselves the glory of antiquity; giving names to the nations that
sounded well [in Greek] that they might be better understood among
themselves; and setting agreeable forms of government over them, as if
they were a people derived from themselves.

CHAPTER 6. How Every Nation Was Denominated From Their First
Inhabitants.

1. Now they were the grandchildren of Noah, in honor of whom names were
imposed on the nations by those that first seized upon them. Japhet, the
son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the
mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia, as far as the
river Tansis, and along Europe to Cadiz; and settling themselves on
the lands which they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they
called the nations by their own names. For Gomer founded those whom
the Greeks now call Galatians, [Galls,] but were then called Gomerites.
Magog founded those that from him were named Magogites, but who are
by the Greeks called Scythians. Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons
of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the
Greeks; but from Javan, Ionia, and all the Grecians, are derived. Thobel
founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni
were founded by Mosoch; now they are Cappadocians. There is also a mark
of their ancient denomination still to be shown; for there is even now
among them a city called Mazaca, which may inform those that are able
to understand, that so was the entire nation once called. Thiras also
called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but the Greeks changed
the name into Thracians. And so many were the countries that had the
children of Japhet for their inhabitants. Of the three sons of Gomer,
Aschanax founded the Aschanaxians, who are now called by the Greeks
Rheginians. So did Riphath found the Ripheans, now called Paphlagonians;
and Thrugramma the Thrugrammeans, who, as th