of the most great and Noble Actions In which you have imployed much time which hath given me occasion now to write you things worthy and excellent and the best that I could chuse because that betwixt us I would kindle a kind Contention and Emulation of amiable Vertue for the desire to have an intelligence of things more worthy to be observed and which are the most excellent The end of ARISTEUS his History Proofs concerning this History NOW follow sundry Opinions of divers Authors Ancient and Modern concerning this Business and Translation of the Law of Moses And first an Extract from the fourth Chapter of the fifth part oâ— the several Collections of Pietrâ— Messie in which there fell saith he an admirable and miraculous hapâ— viz. How the 72 Interpreters being put severally into several Cells bâ— the Commission of the King without possible means to conferr thâ— one with the other and that afteâ— they had made so separated everâ— one his Traduction and being broughâ— all together before the King with all their Traductions nevertheleâ—â— were all found so conformable thaâ— there was not one syllable more in the one than in the other which could not be without the especial Grace and Operation of the Holy Ghost as saith Saint Augustine Ireneus and Tertullian who saith he had seen in his Time and in Alexâ—ndria the very Books written by â—he Hands of the seventy two Tranâ—lators which were in Hebrew and in Greek As much also saith Iustin the Philosopher in the Book of his Adâ—ertisements that he made to the Pagans and Gentiles where he saith that King Ptolomeus made to be built without the City of Alexandria seâ—enty two Halls to lodg severally the seventy two Traductors and there â—rovided very honourably for them â—ll of all that to them was necessaâ—â— In the which place the said â—ranslators remained without one â—eing the other untill that such â—â—eir Translations were perfectly â—â—nished And he affirmeth also â—o have seen then the Ruins and old Walls of these Buildings which were kept as Reliques and things Sacred And although Saint Hierom and Ruffinus agree not in the number oâ— the said Chambers the matter is noâ— great Seeing that according to Sainâ— Augustin and many other Authorâ— every Translator made his Translaâ—tion apart without conference witâ— the other yet all the Traductionâ— were found conform And truly however when it iâ— duely considered it appears a greaâ— Mystery and may be held for a greaâ— Miracle of this Conformity of Stylâ— and of Order to Translate a thing so long and so diverse although alâ— the Translators had been togetheâ— and that they had begun this Worâ—â— at this time For we see that it is enough for twâ— men to accord in one only poinâ— when they are to mix something toâ—gether After the Translation was finisâ—â—ed the Iews that remained in Egypâ— and which had been versed in their Law recommended to the King this Holy Writing wherewith the King was right well content And for certain according to Iosephus and Eusebius King Ptolomy was astonished at the Holy Scriptures and ravishingly taken with their Mysteries That he demanded of Demetrius Phalerius who had the charge of his Library saying How comes it â—hat Lycurgus Solon and other Law-â—ivers are so silent of the Law of â—he Iews To whom Demetrius answered â—aying Sir This Law as you may â—ufficiently see comes from God so â—hat no Law-giver durst be so harâ—y to touch it or take from it any â—ract For even Theopompus was â—rucken by the Divine Hand with â—erturbation of his Sense and with â— Cardiack Passion for having a will â—o mix the Holy History of the Heâ—rews by his Inriching it with eloâ—uent Words and rhetorical Colours But after returning to God anâ— commending himself to his Mercy 〈◊〉 was revealed to him in a Dream thâ— his Disaster came upon him for so aâ—tempting to embellish and as 〈◊〉 thought to enrich the Sincerity 〈◊〉 the Holy Scriptures with drest Worâ— and trim'd Phrases and to commâ—â—nicate it so to the Pagans and Iâ—â—dels It comes also into my thought how Theodorus a Tragick Poet suâ—denly lost his sight for having takâ— one only passage of Holy Writâ— Argument of his Tragedy but â—â—â—penting him of the same and doiâ—â— Penance for his Forfeit he reâ—â—â—vered his sight as before HItherto are the Words of Pâ—â—tro Messie by the which 〈◊〉 may see the Diversity of Opinioâ— that is amongst Authors concerniâ—â— this Translation of the Law of â—â—â—ses For my self it seemeth to 〈◊〉 that Aristeus which was always pâ—â—â—sent and that had conduced to the affair in part meriteth that one do him the Honour to give belief to his History although some Doctors â—herein vary A short Discourse of the Antiquity and Dignity of the Sacred Books and Excellency of their inspired Writer the Prophet Moses By the English Translator AS the true God is the ancient of Dayes and Times so it pleased him that his perpetual History contained 〈◊〉 Holy Scriptures should excell in Antiâ—uity of Time all other Histories and â—ritings of the World that can be â—â—und the Writings of the Pagans and â—ations being all under these and long â—â—ter and that only of Moses the Subâ—â—ct of this former History contains the â—ccount of years justly from the Creation and beginning of the World even unto the coming of the promised Redeemer A reckoning I say so just and certain that there is no such to be found For to come to the Time wherein the Prophet of God Moses the first Writer of Holy Writ began to write manifestly under the Lord of Heaven and Earth we may gather and without prejudice of all that then could be done as by a Passage amongst many other places we read of in the seventeenth Chapter of the Book of Exodus where it is said God Commanded him to write and that in the same year the People of Israel issued ouâ— of Egypt which was from the Creation of the World 2513. Upon which wâ— may advertise our selves that the yearâ— are calculated according to Verity of the said Scriptures by the faithful Servantâ— of God which have happily travelled therein And therefore we need not rest upoâ— the Calculation of Histories Annals and humane Chronicles or other Writerâ— that have not intirely followed Holy Scriptures who are discordant amongsâ— themselves and many times directly opposite to one anothers times Therefore if we diligently search all Antiquities and Writings of men of all Nations that have any appearance of certain time wherein those Writings were made and after confer those times with the things recited and inregistred by the Holy Prophet Moses and the time wherein he writ them we shall see manifestly â—he Excellency and Antiquity that he is herein above all men For the Fables and Disguisements of prophane Poets Greeks and Latines which all came a long time after Moses Amongst them I say we shall see no other but maniâ—est Dreams Lyes and amongst other things notable some Corruptions of
the Sacred Scriptures long before Writâ—en of which they having heard some â—â—ckling and received it as from hand to hand or drawn it from his Writings â—or heard it recounted by the Father to the Son and they from theiâ— Aâ—cestors which were the Children aâ—d Successors of the three Sons of Noah who was the second Father of humaâ—â— kind and restorer of the Nations of all the World all issuing from his Posterity after the universal Flood His three Sons as Holy Scripture hath acquainted us with where Shem Ham and Iaphet of whom are descended all the Earth And this before spoken is easily and sufficiently discovered in the Writings of the said Pagans by the proper Names of the said Children of Noah and of their Successors which of long time before these Writings and prophane Histories had been named by Moses For the Pagans testifie that the People had made of these Ancient Fathersâ— Idols and Gods As of Iaphet Iapetus they drew Iavan Ianus and Ion and because they were Names held in the Hebrew Letters or value of them they accommodated them to their Tongues and Letters and to make them more easie and glib in their accustomed Pronunciation came near but with alâ—eration And if we will go more high and weigh the old Times of the first Age which preceeded the Flood as we have it from that only History of Moses in the Holy Bible We shall easily perceive that the Pagan Poets and Writers have received even the Ancient Names and mingled them amongst their Fables and Dreams and drawn them from the Holy Scriptures And so it shall appear plainly that their false God Vulcan is not very hard to unmask that he was a mortal Man and one of the Sons of the other Lamech the prime Bigamist and corrupter of Marriage who descended of that accursed Race of Cain And this appears by the faculty of this Vulcan which was a Smith or forger of Armour And Moses declares him so and by his Name too for he is by him called Thu-vulcain and every one any thing skill'd in the Hebrew knows that if they leave the first Letter which is servile and put to form the Name according to the manner of the Hebrews it will appear mere Vulcain for their Letter Beth B. having not a prick in him is pronounced as our v Consonant And for the name of Vulcain's Wife by Moses call'd Nehama which signifieth Fair in their Language or as speak the Latines Venusta It is a plain course to discover vain Beauty or their so much celebrated unchast and wanton Venus A goodly Race and fair Family of that accursed murtherer Cain And here may we see some of the proper Gods and Idols of the poor Pagans amongst that Anthill of such and other ill stoln Names unhandsomely fetch'd from the Holy Scriptures with and by the subtilty of the Devil to the end that a wicked Troop of execrable Gyants violent oppressors of men Thieves and Adulterous desperates shaken off and damned by the Word of God of whom the first Apostate and Lyer Sathan made his counterfeit Gods and Idols the old Serpent expert and knowing in all malice that there was no better way for him to muffle and blind humane Judgement from the knowledge of the true God at first ingraven in the Souls of men but by this counterfeit device with Posterity But to pass farther in our begun purpose touching the fabulous Writings of the Pagan Poets we shall find that their Discourse in the best we can of it is but Corruptions of the Truth in the Holy Scriptures of God or things therein revealed turn'd by them into Dreams and prophane Narrations As we may see in that they writ of the Creation of the World and Government of the same of the Divine vertue that sustains and interiourly nourisheth all things of the Consumption of Heaven and Earth with Fire at the last Day and also of the Restoration of the World and of all things in such good order for all so many Confusions proceeding from Sin All which things they might obtain and by some dark means draw from the Books of Holy Scripture and Sacred Prophets translated out of Hebrew into other Languages or understand something by means of the dispersion of the People of Israel spread through all the Provinces of the Roman Empire and through all the Quarters of the World For the Iews had for the most part leave in all Places to hold their Synagogues and to have publick Lectures of their Law and Prophets When these Poets flatterers of men turn'd all that spoken of the Person of Christ the promised Redeemer and that then was expected falsely to apply them by flattery to their Princes false Gods and Idols But let us leave all those Juglers and Lyers that durst be so prophanely bold to corrupt the pure Verity of God's Word and speak we of the Gentiles Writings how long they came after Moses and Writ since he and that even they have given Testimony to him and his Divine Writings which may at least suffice to convince all Contradictors that Moses was in Nature and before them all We understand that his reckoning is a perpetual following all the years since the Creation of the World even unto his time as it is easie to gather by his Books and his account of the Years and Lives of the first Fathers from Adam unto the Patriarch Abraham and after from his Successors as from Father to Son to wit Isaac Iacob Levi Caath Amram and then Aaron and Moses himself Children of the said Amram And that he had express charge to Write to the very last the year since the Creation of the World 2513. and of his Life the 80. Year and hath continued his Holy Stories even to the year of his Death and of the World 2553. Now since that timeâ— God hath always so provided for the advancement of his Glory and the edification of his Church that the perpetual History of her and the certain account of the years of the World hath been continued and still put in Writing by his Prophets As it is to be seen in the Holy Books that treat of and contain the Government of Ioshua and the Iudges then to Samuel and the Kings of the People unto the Transmigration into Babylon and of other Governours which have succeeded them after their return from thence And finally the Prophet Daniel hath declared the rest of the time that is The 490 years since the said Deliverance of the Jews and return from Babylon by the means of Cyrus King of Persia even to the Death and Resurrection of Christ the Redeemer promised to the Holy Fathers which is our Lord Iesus the eternal Son of God true God and true Man who appeared living after his Death and Resurrection to more than five hundred faithful Witnesses at one time besides his other manifestations and mounted visibly into Heaven in the year of the World 3961.
Now if we will learâ—h all the Histories of all the Nations of the World of whom the Writings are arrived to our Age the most Ancient time of which they make mention shall be of their antient Destruction of Troy by the Greeks The History whereof hath been written by Dictis of the Isle of Creet which is the best Testimony they have for the present and since by Homer and many others And from this Destruction Diodorus Siculus renowned amongst the Historians began his Books now the same according with the common Judgment and Calculation of knowing men comes only to be about 358 years before the building of Rome the same time then falls to be in the sixteenth year of the Government of Elon Judge of the People of Israel mentioned in the Book of Iudges And the same was 316 years before the first Olympiade the reckoning of the Annals of the Greeks So then the said Destruction of Troy falls to be only under the year of the World 2838. VVhen therefore we shall give consent that their Writings the most certain whose Narrations we may best give Credit unto Yet the Prophet Moses shall be found much more Ancient then all the Writers of the World what Nation soever though they are in great number and of whom we see yet the old Books in these last times in their proper Tongues And that he hath put his hand to the Pen and began to write his Divine Revelations of the Creation and Conduct of the World even to his time and his sacred History and Prophesies touching the Church of God shall at least be 325 years before all other Writers of whom there is any mention or news in the World that is to say in the year of the World 2513. Whereupon we note even to this present against all those prophane Mockers that have disgorged that enormous Blasphemy amongst others that the World is eternal and of it self which if it were so as they dream and that it had no such beginning as is written by Moses they might find then by all and in all Languages many Histories of infinite times and many Chronicles of many Ages and of old times that have preceded Moses in the account of years But we see that there is no such and that the holy Bible is found even in the middle amongst all sorts of Enemies that strive to destroy lose abolish burn and extermine from the World the Books of it and for all thereto they had so long time yet nevertheless they never could nor ever shall For we see the said Bible yet in his proper Writing and Language and of all others of what Nation soever the most celebrated and renowned and if they could find any History which had been written before Moses was born into the World yet shall it contain their Time and Composition with more years and ages as we can gather from the holy Scriptures even to this present year 1633 since the Nativity of Christ. The which account of times past from the Creation unto this present year shall come to amount to 5563 years but such Histories neither can be found nor ever were But for Moses and his faithful Writings even prophane Authors and Histories of the Gentiles themselves have been even as it were divinely constrained to bear Testimony maugre their Calumnies Lyes Dreams and Disguisings through and by the invincible force of Truth And so they have served for Certificates to all Nations of the venerable and well known Antiquity of him and his Holy Writs For some of them have noted and writ thus as a thing notorious of their times to wit That in the East parts and of Syria it self there had been an Abraham an Israel and even a Ioseph who say they was a Son of the said Israel sold by his Brethren and led into Egypt Then how he was received into the Court and held very dearly with the King to whom he foretold the grievous and great Famin so as without the Divine Counsel by him given whereupon the admonished King gathered up and made Reservation of Corn before the time of the said Famin Egypt had perished And finally how his Successor Moses and all his People issued out of Egypt came to Mount Sinai how they consecrated the Seventh day for their Sabboth or resting day But I will leave this Discourse though diversified from a spark of Truth that these Historians have mixed with their own Devices as prophane and in which they were poorly advertised and deceived by the subtilty of Satan as we may well know by conferring their Writings with the Holy Bible And be it that these Scoffers of God and his Holy Word dare be so bold to say and affirm that Moses and his have suppressed and abolished all Precedent Histories making their Writings to be before all others thereby to Authorize them the better yet we will leave those their Calumnies to the Judgment of any of sound Sense and Understanding If that could be or can have any place or shadow of belief amongst men of sound Judgment or reasonable Discourse For if they will put into mature Consideration the small means and contemptible Quality in the World of these poor Israelites but Shepherds and breeders of Cattel and which is worse People exposed to the Oppressions and hard Servitude under their puissant Enemies and evil disposed Neighbours Then who shall make comparison of them with great Kings and People of the Earth Babylonians Aegyptians Syrians Romans and other Potentates who with all their Authority their Edicts Forces and Armies had never power to abolish the Holy Books written simply by our poor Shepheards when they could not conserve their Royal Libraries favoured of all the World Truly this may well put to the blush these wiselings that shew themselves fools in so speaking and discoursing without Discourse and will Judge of things without inquiry Now for the Integrity of Moses for us Christians we are sufficiently cleared and satisfied by the Authority of the Holy Spirit of God who hath given excellent Testimony by all the Scriptures both in the Old and New Testament of his Original and Lineage being descended from the latter Levi Nephew of the Holy Patriarch Abraham Also of his miraculous Conservation and Deliverance from Death and Waters from whence he was drawn forth and then had that name of Moses in their Language Then his Royal Education and Breeding his Love to his afflicted People and his Magnanimity to despise humane Greatness in preferring the just cause and sufferance of Christ the Redeemer then look'd for before all the Regal Estate and great Treasure of Aegypt Moreover his sufferance long and bitter for the defence of Right and Equity and for the Deliverance of the poor afflicted His Divine calling to the Charge and Government of his People his Patience Gentleness and Perseverance with such Faithfulness in the difficult Execution of this weighty Charge and the singular gift of Prophecy and of his Divine