Bounds of THE PEOPLE [i. e. which had Canaan, the design'd Inheritance of Jacob] according to the Number of the Children of Ifrael; i. e. he gave the Canaanites such a Tract of Land as he knew would be a sufficient Inheritance for the Children of Ifrael. And thus this Text will in no wife lead us to the Number of the Nations that arose at Babel. That Question is most likely to be determined by confidering how many Persons were Heads of Companies immediately at the Time of the Difperfion. One Thing I would observe, that how few or how many foever the Languages were now become, yet many of them, for some Time, did not differ much from one another. For Abraham, an Hebrew, lived amongst the Chaldæans, travelled amongst the Canaanites, sojourned with the Philistines, and lived some time in Egypt, and yet we do not find he had any remarkable Difficulty in Conversing with them. But tho' the Difference of the Tongues was at first but small, yet every Language, after the Stability of Speech was lost, varying in Time from it felf, the Language of different Nations in a few Ages became vastly different, and unintelligible to one another. And thus in the Time of Jofeph, when his Brethren came to buy Corn in Egypt, we find the Hebrew and Egyptian Tongues so diverse, that they used an Interpreter in their Conversation.

The

1

The gradual Decline of Mens Lives, from longer to shorter Periods, without doubt contributed a great deal to daily Alterations; for when Mens Lives were long, and several Generations lived together in the World, and Men, who learnt to speak when Children, continued to speak to their Children for several Ages, they could not but tranfmit their Language thro' many Generations with but little Variation: But when the Successions of Mankind came on quicker, the Language of Ancestors was more liable to grow Obsolete, and there was an eafier Opportunity for Novelty and Innovation to spread amongst Mankind. And thus the Speech of the World, confounded first at Babel, received in every Age new and many Alterations, until the Languages of different Nations came to be so very various and distinct, as we now find them from one another.

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The

The SACRED and PROPHANE

HISTORY

Of the WORLD Connected.

BOOK III.

T

HE People at Shinar, upon the Confufion of their Language, in a little Time found it necessary to separate; and accordingly they divided themselves under the Conduct of the Leading-Men amongst them. And fome Writers imagine, that they formed as many Societies as Mofes has given us Names of the Sons of Noah, Gen. x. for, say they, in the Words of Mofes, These were the Sons of Noah after

their Families, after their Tongues, in their Lands,

Lands, after their Nations, and by these were the Nations divided in the Earth after the Flood; but, I think, this Opinion cannot be admitted, for several Reafons.

1. The Dispersion of Mankind happening about the Time of Peleg's Birth, it is very plain that all the Persons named by Mofes, which must appear younger, or not much older than Peleg, could not be Heads of Nations, or Leaders of Companies at this Time, for they were but Infants, or Children; and therefore the Sons of Jocktan, who dwelt from Mesha to Sephar, had no Hand in this Difperfion; they were perhaps not born, or at most very young Men. They must therefore be supposed to have fettled at first under their Fathers; in time each of them might remove with a little Company, and so have a Kingdom or Nation defcend from him.

or

2. The Persons named by Mofes, as concerned in the Dispersion, both in the Families of Japhet and Ham, were none of them lower in Descent than the third Generation; they are either Sons Grandsons of Japhet or Ham; as Gomer, and the Sons of Gomer; Javan, and the Sons of Javan; Cush, and the Sons of Cush; Mizraim and the Sons of Mizraim. The Descendents of These made a Figure afterwards, as appears from the manner of mentioning a Son of Caslubim,

out

out of whom came Philistim, plainly intimating, that the Person so named was a Defcendent of Caflubim, later than these Days; and if this Observation may be allowed in the Family of Arphaxad, neither Selah nor Eber were Leaders of Companies at the Confufion of Tongues.

3. Not all the Persons here mentioned, even of the third Generation, were immediately Heads of different Nations, at the Time of the Difperfion; for Canaan had eleven Sons, but they did not immediately set up eleven Nations, but afterwards were the Families of the (a) Canaanites Spread abroad. They at first lived together under their Father, and some time after separated, and in time became eleven Nations in the Land of Canaan. In the fame manner, very probably, the Sons of Aram lived under their Father in Syria; and it is evident from the History of Egypt, that (b) Mizraim's Children set up no Kingdoms there during his Life.

4. The fame Observation may be made in other Families; and we may also confider, that sometimes fome one of the Children was the Leader; and the Father of the Family, as well as the reft, lived in

(a) Gen. x. 18. Number, as are several other Names here used by Mofess however, that I might not vary from the Words of Motes, I bave used them as Singulars.

(b) The Word Mizraim is of the Plural

the