GOD alone know to fet a right Value on the Things before him, but either perverts the best Things to the worft of Abuses, or elfe to their meaneft Ufe) With new Wonder now he views beneath him NATURE'S whole Wealth, expos'd in narrow Room to all the Delight of human Senfe; nay it was more; it was a Heaven on Earth; for the Garden was the happy PARADISE of GOD, by him planted in the Eaft of EDEN; EDEN was ftretch'd out from AURAN (k) Eastward, to the Royal Towers of great SE LEUCIA, (i) built by the Kings of GREECE; or where the Sons of EDEN dwelt in TELASSAR. (k) In this pleasant Soil had GOD ordain'd his far more pleasant Garden, and to grow out of the fertile Ground all Trees of the nobleft Kind, whether for Sight, Smell, or Tafte; and exactly in the Middle ftood the Tree of Life highly eminent, bearing ambrofial Fruit, and Bloffoms (b) Auran, Haran, or Charran; Heb. i. e. Wrath. The chief City of Mefopotamia, whither Abraham fied from the Wrath of God: because of the Idolatry of the Chaldeans, and alfo dwelt for a Time, Gen. 11. 31. Alts 7. 4. Jacob went to it afterwards for fear of Efau's Wrath, Gen. 29. which giveth Name to a large Country upon the River Tigris. It is called alfo Aram and Aramia; from Aram the Son of Sem, i. e. Mighty; and is what we call Spria. This City is 440 Miles Northward from Jerufalem; now called Ophea. It is eleven Day's Journey from Nineve; populous, and hath a good Trade. (i) Selucia; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Glaring Light. Another famous City of Mefopotamia, called al 9 fo Calne in the Land of Shinaz, Gen. 10. 10. Coche, then Alexandria; because it was rebuilt by Alexander the Great; afterwards repaired by AntiochusKing of Syria, who called it Seleucia in Memory of his Father Seleucus, Gr. i. e. Glorious. It is forty Miles from Old Babylon upon the Confluence of the Euphrates and theTygris; the Turks poffefs it now, and call it Bachda or Bagdad. (k) Teleffar, and Elaffar, Heb. i. e. A Fort or Rampart of the Affyrians. A Country upon the Borders of Affyria, wherein the Edenites were garrifoned to guard Babylon, from the Incroachments of the Affyrians, Ifa. 37. 12. Ezek. 27. 23. Between these Places the true Eden and Paradife were fituated. Vid. Huet, de Situ Paradifi. Bloffoms of vegetable Gold; and next to the Tree of Life grew our Death, the Tree of Knowledge; the Knowledge of Good, bought too dear through the Knowledge of Ill! Through ED EN Southward there went a large River, which never chang'd its Course, but underneath the fhaggy Hill being ingulph'd pafs'd through; for GOD had thrown that Mountain as his Garden Fence, high rais'd upon the rapid Current, which through Veins of the porous Earth drawn up with a kindly Thirft, rofe a fresh Fountain, and water'd the Garden with many a Stream; thence united fell down the flop'd Shade, and met the lower Flood, which now appears from his darkfome Pasfage, and now being divided into four main Streams runs different Ways, wandering through many a famous Realm and Country, whereof there needs no Account here; but rather to tell how (if Art could tell how) from that Saphire Fountain the curled Brooks rolling over bright Pearl and Sands of Gold, ran Nectar with many a winding Course under the spreading Shades, vifiting each Plant and feeding the Flowers of PARADISE, which bountiful Nature and not nice Art had pour'd forth profufely, in Beds and curious. Knots in Hill, Dale, and Plain, both where the Morning Sun first smote warmly the open Field, and where the unpierc'd Shade held the Bowers in pleasing Darkness, even at Noon. THUS this Place was a happy rural Seat, with Variety of Profpect and Groves, fome of whofe rich Trees dropp'd Balm and fweet Gums; others, whofe Fruit hung delightfully, ftreak'd as it were with burnish'd Gold, and of delicious Tafte; what was fabled of the HESPERIAN Fruit true only here: Betwixt thefe Groves were Lawns, or level Downs, among which were difpers'd Flocks, grazing upon the tender Grafs; or Hills of Palm, or elfe the flowry Edge of fome well-water'd Valley spread its Store; Flowers of L 2 every Another every Hue, and Rofes without Thorns. Side fhady Grottos, and Caves of cool Recefs, over which the spreading Vine laid forth her purple Grapes, and gently crept with her increasing and wanton Branches; mean while the murmuring Waters fall difperfed down the slope Hills, or elfe unite their Streams in a Lake, that as it were holds a Mirror to the Bank grown over with fweet Myrtle. The Birds apply their Choir with vernal Airs, which breathing the Smell of the Fields and Groves, make Mufick in the trembling Leaves, while Nature, attended by the Seafons and the Hours, led on a continual Spring: Not that fair Field of ENNA, () where PROSERPINE (m) gathering Flowers was ravish'd by PLUTO, which caus'd CERES all that Pain to feek her through the World; nor that fweet Grove of DAPHNE, by the River ORONTES, (n) and the infpir'd Spring of CASTALIA (0) might by any Means be compar'd to this PARA (1) Enna; Chal. Phan. i. e. A Garden and Fountain. Enna is the fame as Eden, in the Language of the Phenicians, which they borrowed from Mofes, Gen. 2. 8. A most pleasant Field in the Heart of Sicily, abounding with Springs, Fruits and Flowers. There was a City, a Temple of Ceres, and a fine Grove: And out of it Pluto ftole and carried off Proferpine into Hell. (m) Proferpine; Lat. i. e. Creeping out. The Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, ravished by Pluto. Her Mother Ceres went to Hell to get her released; but because he had tafted a Pomegranate in Pluto's Orchard, Jupiter could do no more, than give her Leave to accompany her fix Months above; and Plu to fix other Months below. Of (0) Caftalia; Arab. i. e. A furling Stream. A fine Spring at the Root of Parnaffus, facred to the Mufes: Becaule the plea fant PARADISE of EDEN; nor that Ifland of NYSA, (p) furrounded by the River TRITON, (q) where CHAM, (r) the youngest Son of NOAH, (whom the Gentiles call AMMON (s) and LYBIAN JOVE) hid AMALTHEA (t) and her youthful Son BACCHUS, (u) from his Step-mother RHEA; nor could the Mountain AMARA (x) be compar'd to PARADISE, where the L 3 (s) Ammon, or Hammon; Heb. i. e. Heat. Another Name of Cham, whom the Old Egyptian's and Grecians worshipped under this Denomination. His Tem fant Sound of it gliding down that Hill, elevated the Imagination. Here is another of this Name by the Grove of Daphne at Antioch, which foretold Hadrian's Advancement to the Em-ple and famous Oracle ftood in pire. (p) Nyfa; Heb. i. e. A Banner or Refuge. A City of Arabia, within the Isle of Nysa, upon the River Triton, where Bacchus was nurfed, as they report. This Fable took its Original from that Hiftory related in Exod. 17. 15. where Mofes built an Altar to Jehovah Nifi, Heb. i. e. The Lord is my Banner, upon the Victory over Amalek: For Bacchus is Mofes among the Heathens. Hence Bacchus was called alfo Dionyfius, i. e. God of Nyfa, or the Nyfa of Bacchus. (q) Triton; Arab. i. e. A Pafture A River in Africa, which iffues out of the Lake Triton into the Mediterranean Sea, over-against the leffer Syrtis, and divides Lybia into two equal Parts. Now Rio di Caps. (r) Cham, or Ham; Heb. i. e. Heat or Blackness; the 3d and youngest Son of Noah, Gen. 9. 24. And Jupiter among the Gentiles. In the firft Divifion of the Earth, Syria, Arabia, Egypt, and all Africa fell to his Share. Cyrene, on the Weft Side of Egypt and the Defarts of Lybia. (t) Amalthea; Chald. i. e. A Nurfe; Gr. i. e. very rich or multiplying: Daughter of MeLiffus, King of Crete, a Mistress and Nurfe of Jupiter, which fed him with Goat's Milk and Honey; and Mother of Bacchus. Jupiter gave her a Horn of Plenty, which fupplied every Thing. (u) Bacchus; Heb. Barchus, i. e. The Son of Chus. The Natural Son of Jupiter by Amalthea; (others fay) by Semele, which may be the fame Woman, by a different Name. He first planted Vines and made Wine: Therefore he was esteemed the God of Wine. (x) Amara, or Ambara, Heb. and Ethiopic; for the latter has a near Refemblance to the former Language; for Example, Abinu in the Heb. is our Father; Abana in the Ethiopic is the fame; fo they call their Archbifhop. Amara is a Province under the Equinoctial, and one of the Kingdoms of Abyssinia, the Kings of ABASSINIA (y) guard their Children, (tho' by fome fuppos'd to be the very Place) under the Equinoctial Line, and by the Head of NILE, encompafs'd with fhining Rocks, a whole Day's Journey high; but in Reality far remote from this AssyRIAN Garden, where SATAN without any Pleafure beheld all Delight, all Kind of living Creatures ftrange to him, and quite new to his Sight. Two of Shape far more noble than the reft, upright and tall, erect like Gods, cloathed with native Honour and in naked Majefty, feem'd Lords of all, and feem'd worthy to be fo; for in their divine Looks fhone the Image of their glorious Maker, Truth, Wisdom, and Sanctitude, pure and fevere, (fevere, but plac'd in true filial Freedom) whence comes true Authority in MEN; though they did not feem equal, as their Sex was not alike: He was form'd for Valour and Contemplation, fhe for Softness and fweet attracting Grace; he only for GoD, but fhe for GoD and him His fair large Forehead and elevated Eye declar'd abfolute Rule, and his brown Hair, round from his parted Forehead hung curling, but not beneath his or Upper Ethiopia, almoft in the Middle of it, on the South. There is a Mountain of the fame Name, about 90 M. in Compafs, a Day's Journey high, and encompaffed with Rocks, with only one Entrance to it. On the Top are many beautiful Palaces, wherein the Emperor's Children are educated, and the younger Sons kept 'till they die, that they may not difturb the Govern ment. (v) Abaffinia: from Abaffeni; Arab. A fcattered People; an antient People of Arabia, near Sabea, of the Pofterity of Jok tan) who fettled afterwards in Ethiopia Superior; and there erected a vast Empire of 26 or 30 diftin&t Kingdoms. The Portuguese difcovered this Empire to the Europeans, A. D. 1500. And the Dutch call it the Country of Prefter John, from Uncban Jahannan, one of the Emperors of it, about A. D. 1200. The upper Ethiopia upon the Red Sea and the Perfian Ocean, on the East Side of Africa. The Inhabitants are all black, and for the moft Part Chriftians. |