e ancient and worthy Trojans, and valiant and
noble Romans. And to the end our work may be more praiseworthy and
good, I beseech the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name every
work has a good beginning, continuance and end.

Sec. 2.--_How through the confusion of the Tower of Babel the world
began to be inhabited._

[Sidenote: Inf. xxxi. 12-18, 46-81. Par. xxvi. 124-126. De Vulg. El.
i. 6: 49-61 and i. 7. Purg. xii. 34-36.]

[Sidenote: Inf. v. 52-60. De Mon. ii. 9: 22 sqq.]

We find in the Bible histories, and in those of the Assyrians, that
Nimrod the giant was the first king, or ruler, and assembler of the
gatherings of the peoples, that he by his power and success ruled over
all the families of the sons of Noah, which were seventy-two in
number, to wit, twenty-seven of the issue of Shem the first-born son
of Noah, and thirty of Ham the second son of Noah, and fifteen of
Japhet the third son of Noah. This Nimrod was the son of Cush, which
was the son of Ham, the second son of Noah, and of his pride and
strength he thought to rival God, saying that God was Lord of Heaven,
and he of Earth; and to the end that God might no longer be able to
hurt him by a flood of water, as He had done in the first age, he
ordained the building of the marvellous work of the Tower of Babel;
wherefore God, to confound the said pride, suddenly sent confusion
upon all mankind, which were at work upon the said tower; and where
all were speaking one language (to wit, Hebrew), it was changed into
seventy-two divers languages, so that they could not understand one
another's speech. And by reason of this, the work of the said tower
had of necessity to be abandoned, which was so large that it measured
eighty miles round, and it was already 4,000 paces high, and 1,000
paces thick, and each pace is three of our feet. And afterwards this
tower remained for the walls of the great city of Babylon, which is in
Chaldaea, and the name Babylon is as much as to say "confusion"; and
therein by the said Nimrod and his descendants, were first adored the
idols of the false gods. The said tower, or wall of Babylon, was begun
700 years after the Flood, and there were 2,354 years from the
beginning of the world to the confusion of the Tower of Babel. And we
find that they were 107 years working at it; and men lived long in
those times. And note, that during this long life, having many wives,
they had many sons and descendants, and multiplied into a gre