country of the world, called Biscay, by a long and dangerous navigation. But before the journey of the Argonautæ, there were scarce any vessels that durst cross the seas in that part of the world; and yet that which Jason had, if the tale be true, was but a galley, and a poor one, God knows, and perchance such as they use this day in Ireland; which, although it carried but four and fifty passengers, yet was it far greater than any of the former times: erat enim antea parvarum navicularum usus; "for in former times "they used very small vessels." small vessels." I deny not but that the Tyrians gave themselves of old to far-off navigations, whence Tibullus ascribed the invention of ships unto them. › Prima ratem ventis credere docta Tyros. Tyrus knew first how ships might use the wind. And for those boats alongæ naves, or galleys, Pliny saith, that Egesias ascribeth the device to Paralus; and Philostephanus to Jason; Ctesias to Samyras; and Saphanus to Semiramis; Archimachus to Ægeon; to which invention the Erythræi are said to have added certain numbers of oars, and then Aminocles the Corinthian to have increased them; the Carthaginians afterwards to have brought them to four banks: the Quinque Remi first to have been used by Nesichthon the Salaminian, with which vessels, in those parts of the world, the Romans served themselves in the Punic war. But these be perhaps but the partialities of writers, or their ignorance. For there are that as constantly cast the devising of these galleys on Sesostris, though Semiramis used them in the passage of her army over Indus in Abraham's time. So it is said that s Danaus was the first that brought a ship into Greece, and yet the Samothracians challenge the invention; and yet Tertullian, on the contrary, gives it to Minerva; others to Neptune; Thucydides to the Corinthians. And so ignorant were the people of those ages, as the Egyptians used to coast the • Diod. Sicul. l. 4. c. 4. fol. 115. r Thucyd. s Plin. 1. 7. c. 56. Euseb. de Præp. Evang. c. 1. Tert. de Coron. Mil. shores of the Red sea upon rafts devised by king Erythrus; and in the time of the Romans, the Britons had a kind of boat (with which they crossed the seas) made of small twigs, and covered over with leather; of which kind I have seen at the Dingle in Ireland, and elsewhere: Naves ex corio circumsuta in oceano Britannico, saith Textor; of which Lucan the poet: Primum cana salix, madefacto vimine, parvam The moisten'd osier of the hoary willow Is woven first into a little boat: Then cloth'd in bullock's hide upon the billow Of a proud river, lightly doth it float Under the waterman : So on the lakes of overswelling Po Sails the Venetian; and the Briton so On th' outspread ocean. And although it cannot be denied, when Noah by God's inspiration was instructed in so many particulars concerning the ark, that then many things concerning navigation were first revealed; yet it appears that there was much difference between the ark of Noah, and such ships as were for any long navigation. Yea, ancient stories shew, that it was long after these times ere any durst presume upon any long voyages to sea; at least with multitudes of women, and children, and cattle: as also common reason can tell us, that even now when this art is come to her perfection, such voyages are very troublesome and dangerous. So as it doth that there was not in that appear, of Nimrod any ship, or use of ships, fit for any long navigation. For if Gomer and Tubal had passed themselves and their people by sea, the exercise of navigation would not have been dead for so many hundred years after. Leaving therefore the fabulous to their fables, and all men else to their fan age pro cies, who have cast nations into countries far off, I know not how, I will follow herein the relation of Moses and the phets; to which truth there is joined both nature, reason, policy, and necessity; and to the rest, neither probability nor possibility. SECT. IV. Of Gog and Magog, Tubal and Mesech, seated first about Asia the Less, out of Ezekiel xxxviii. 39. NOW although many learned and reverend men have formed (I know not whereby led) a plantation of the world, which also hath been and is received; yet I hope I may be excused, if I differ altogether from them in many particulars. Certainly, that great learned man of this latter age, Arias Montanus, was also in some things much mistaken; and for Josephus, as he hath many good things, and is a guide to many errors withal, so was he in this plantation of the world very gross and fabulous, whereby both Eusebius, Hierosolymitanus, Epiphanius, and others, that have taken his testimonies for current, have been by him far misled. But the better to conceive what regions of the world Gomer the first son of Japhet possessed, as also Tubal, it is needful to begin with Magog; because the scriptures take most knowledge of Gog and Magog, which two names have troubled many commentators, saith Matth. Beroaldus, who hath laboured herein with great diligence, and whom (of all that ever I read) I find most judicious in the examination of this plantation. He takes authority from the prophet Ezekiel chiefly, who in the 38th and 39th chapter directeth us what nations the Gomerians, Tubalines, and Togormians were, together with the Magogians; of which Gog was prince or chief conductor in their attempts against Israel: for besides the portions of Europe, and the north-east parts of the Greater Asia, which Japhet's issues possessed, all Asia the Less was peopled by them. And that those of the issue of Japhet, whom Ezekiel speaks of, were seated hereabout, it may best appear, if we consider the circumstances of the place, and the dependency upon the former prophecy in the 37th chapter; for in that 37th chapter Ezekiel prophesieth of the uniting of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, after their delivery from captivity. By which prophecy of Ezekiel, it appeareth that God purposed to gather together his people, to give life to dead bones, and to rule them by one prince. For to that purpose it is written, And David my servant shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd; that is, they shall be united as they were in David's time. Hereupon, in the 38th chapter, Ezekiel prophesieth against those nations which should seek to impeach this union, and disturb the people of Israel, whom God purposed to receive to grace, and promised to restore. And so in the same chapter are those nations coupled together, which infested the Israelites after their return, and sought to subject them ; all which were the subjects or allies of Gog, prince of the Magogians, or Colesyrians, next bordering Palestina or the holy land, followed also by the rest of the nations of Asia the Less, which lay north from Judea. The words of Ezekiel are these: "Son of man, set thy face against Gog, and against the land of Magog, the chief princes of Mesech (or Mosoch) and Tubal: and afterward, Behold, I come against the chief prince of Mesech and Tubal: and in the sixth verse, Gomer, and all his bands; and the house of Togorma of the north quarters. Herein Ezekiel having first delivered the purpose of his prophecy, teacheth what nations they were that should in vain assail Israel. He joineth them together under their prince Gog, and sheweth that their habitations were on the north quarters of Judah, and how seated and joined together. Gog signifieth in the Hebrew, saith St. Jerome, tectum, or covering of a house: and Pintus upon Ezekiel affirmeth, that by Gog is meant antichrist: for, saith he, Antichristus erit Diaboli tegumentum sub specie humana; that "antichrist shall be the covering of the Devil under human form." He addeth, that Magog is as much to say as Gog; the letter M being an 66 Hebrew preposition, and importeth as much as of or from; so he taketh Magog for those people which follow antichrist. So far Pintus, at least in this, is not amiss, that he expoundeth Magog, not for any one person, but for a nation, with which agreeth this observation of Beroaldus. Magog, saith he, in Hebrew is written Ham Magog, which sheweth Magog to be a region or nation; for the letter He which is used but for an emphasis, (which the Hebrews call heliaiedia,) is never added to proper names of men, but often to place. So as Gog was prince of that nation, (called either Magog, or, according to others, the people of Gog,) also prince of Mesech, or Mosoch, and of Tubal, as by the first verse of the 39th chapter is made manifest; Behold, I come against thee Gog, the chief prince of Mesech and Tubal. This must needs be meant by the successors of Seleucus Nicanor, who did not, as other conquering nations, seek to make the Jews their tributaries only, but endeavoured by all means, and by all kind of violence, to extinguish the religion itself, which the Hebrews professed, and the acknowledging of one true God; and to force them to worship and serve the mortal and rotten gods of the heathen, of which nothing remained but the very name and dead images. *St. Ambrose and Isidore take Gog for the nation of the Goths; belike, because they invaded Europe, and sacked Rome and many other places and cities thereabouts. Hermolaus Barbarus out of Pomp. Mela, derives the Turks from the Scythians, esteemed Magogians of Gog. Many take Gog for the proper name of a man; others of gion; others for a nation inhabiting a region, as Junius, who says that Gog is the name of a nation, denominated from him whom the Greek stories call Gyges; who in former time having slain Candaules the Lydian, gave his own name to that nation, thence after called Gygades; and therefore also the Gygean lake, which lake y Strabo also findeth in Lydia (of which Gyges was king) forty furlongs from Sardis. Pliny calleth it Gygeum stagnum. Herodo re |