9 TALES OF INDALUS CHAPYER 3F

TALES OF INDALUS CHAPtER 3F
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Adam and Eve had two sons: the elder of them was named Cain; which name, when it is interpreted, signifies a Possession. The younger was Abel; which signifiesSorrow. They had also daughters. Now the two brethren were pleased with different courses of life: for Abel, the younger, was a lover of righteousness; and believing that God was present at all his actions, he excelled in virtue: and his employment was that of a shepherd. But Cain was not only very wicked in other respects; but was wholly intent upon getting: and he first contrived to plough the ground. He slew his brother on the occasion following. They had resolved to sacrifice to God. Now Cain brought the fruits of the earth, and of his husbandry: but Abel brought milk, and the first fruits of his flock. But God was more delighted with the latter oblation


 when he was honoured with what grew naturally of its own accord, than he was with what was the invention of a covetous man, and gotten by forcing the ground. Whence it was that Cain was very angry that Abel was preferred by God before him, and he slew his Brother, and hid his dead body: thinking to escape discovery.

But God, knowing what had been done, came to Cain, and asked him, What was become of his brother? Because he had not seen him of many days: whereas he used to observe them conversing together at other times. But Cain was in doubt with himself, and knew not what answer to give to God. At first he said, that he himself was at a loss about his brother’s disappearing. But when he was provoked by God, who pressed him vehemently, as resolving to know what the matter was, he replied, He was not his brother’s guardian or keeper; nor was he an observer of what he did. But in return God convicted Cain, as having been the murderer of his brother; and said, “I wonder at thee, that thou knowest not what is become of a man whom thou thyself hast destroyed.” God therefore did not inflict the punishment [of death] upon him, on account of his offering sacrifice, and thereby making supplication to him not to be extreme in his wrath to him: but he made him accursed, and threatned his posterity in the seventh generation. 


 He also cast him, together with his wife, out of that land. And when he was afraid, that in wandring about he should fall among wild beasts, and by that means perish; God bid him not to entertain such a melancholy suspicion: and to go over all the earth without fear of what mischief he might suffer from wild beasts: and setting a mark upon him, that he might be known, he commanded him to depart.


And when Cain had travelled over many countries, he, with his wife, built a city, named Nod: which is a place so called: and there he settled his abode: where also he had children. However, he did not accept of his punishment in order to amendment, but to increase his wickedness: for he only aimed to procure every thing that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbours.


He augmented his household substance with much wealth, by rapine and violence: he excited his acquaintance to procure pleasure and spoils by robbery: and became a great leader of men into wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of simplicity wherein men lived before; and was the author of measures and weights. And whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into cunning craftiness. He first of all set boundaries about lands: he built a city


and fortified it with walls: and he compelled his family to come together to it: and called that city Enoch, after the name of his eldest son Enoch. Now Jared was the son of Enoch: whose son was Malaliel: whose son wasMathusela: whose son was Lamech. Who had seventy seven children by two wives, Silla and Ada. Of those children by Ada, one was Jabel: he erected tents, and loved the life of a shepherd. But Jubal, who was born of the same mother with him, exercised himself in musick

and invented the psaltery and the harp. But Tubal, one of his children by the other wife, exceeded all men in strength, and was very expert and famous in martial performances. He procured what tended to the pleasures of the body by that method: and first of all invented the art of making brass. Lamech was also the father of a daughter, whose name was Naamah. And because he was so skilful in matters of divine revelation, that he knew he was to be punished for Cain’s murder of his brother, he made that known to his wives. Nay even while Adam was alive it came to pass, that the posterity of Cain became exceeding wicked; every one successively dying one after another more wicked than the former: they were intolerable in war, and vehement in robberies; and if any one were slow to murder people, yet was he bold in his profligate behaviour; in acting unjustly, and doing injuries for gain


 Now Adam, who was the first man, and made out of the earth: (for our discourse must now be about him:) after Abel was slain, and Cain fled away, on account of his murder, was sollicitous for posterity; and had a vehement desire of children: he being two hundred and thirty years old: after which time he lived other seven hundred, and then died. He had indeed many other children: but Seth in particular


As for the rest it would be tedious to name them: I will therefore only endeavour to give an account of those that proceeded from Seth. Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could discern what was good, became a virtuous man: and as he was himself of an excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues.



All these proved to be of good dispositions. They also inhabited the same country without dissensions, and in an happy condition, without any misfortunes falling upon them, till they died


They also were the inventors of that peculiar sort of wisdom, which is concerned with the heavenly bodies, and their order. And that their inventions might not be lost before they were sufficiently known, upon Adam’s prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one time by the force of fire, and at another time by the violence and quantity of water, they made two pillars:


 the one of brick, the other of stone: they inscribed their discoveries on them both: that in case the pillar of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the pillar of stone might remain, and exhibit those discoveries to mankind: and also inform them that there was another pillar of brick erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Siriad to this day.


 Now the sons of Noah were three, Shem and Japhet, and Ham, born one hundred years before the deluge.  These first of all descended from the mountains into the plains, and fixed their habitation there; and persuaded others, who were greatly afraid of the lower grounds on account of the flood, and so were very loth to come down from the higher places, to venture to follow their examples. Now the plain, in which they first dwelt, was called Shinar. God also commanded them to send colonies abroad, for the through peopling of the earth; that they might not raise seditions among themselves, but might cultivate a great part of the earth, and enjoy its fruits after a plentiful manner. But they were so ill instructed, that they did not obey God. For which reason they fell into calamities, and were made sensible by experience of what sin they had been guilty of. For when they flourished with a numerous youth, God admonished them again to send out colonies. But they imagining the prosperity they enjoyed was not derived from the favour of God, but supposing that their own power was the proper cause of the plentiful condition they were in, did not obey him. Nay they added to this their disobedience to the divine will, the suspicion that they were therefore ordered to send out separate colonies, that, being divided asunder, they might the more easily be oppressed.

Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grand-son of Ham, the son of Noah: a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means that they were happy; but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny; seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his own power. He also said, “He would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again: for that he would build a Tower too high for the waters to be able to reach; and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their fore-fathers.”


Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God: and they built a Tower; neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work. And, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect. But the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with morter, made of bitumen; that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly; since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners: but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages; and causing, that through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the Tower is now called Babylon: because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before: for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel,Confusion. The Sibyll also makes mention of this tower


After this they were dispersed abroad, on account of their languages, and went out by colonies every where. And each colony took possession of that land which they light upon, and unto which God led them: so that the 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.


Now they were the grand-children of Noah, in honour 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 Tanais; and along Europe to Cadiz: and settling themselves on the lands they light upon, which none had inhabited before, they called the nations by their own names. ForGomer 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, Jonia, and all the Grecians are derived. Thobel founded the Thobelites; which 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 shewed, for there is even now among them a city called Mazaca; which may inform those that are able to understand, that so was the intire 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 theAschanaxians; who are now called by the Greeks Rheginians.