CHA. P. V.

Of feveral heroes who were the fubjects of Grecian hiftory of Nil, Belus, Sihor, Ofihor, Toth, Ogmius, and others; of Sesoftris; whether the above were different names of him? Surprising agreement between the Irish bards, or filids, and other hiftorians; of Milefius, and his genealogy from Japhet; of Phenius, grandson of Magog; his tranfactions in Scythia and Shinar; his fon's paffage into Egypt, and the migration of his iffue into Spain, and thence into Ireland; whether Shefhac and Sefoftris were the names of the fame bero; of the Gomerian and Scythian philofophy, &c.

Tis, in an enquiry concerning the firft invafion I of Ireland, from Spain, that we shall be able to trace out several of the heroes, who were the fubjects of Grecian hiftory; but who were treated of with much uncertainty, and whofe true characters were fo blended with fabulous accounts, that the best historians, ancient or modern, were not able to fatisfy the curious in antiquity about them.

LET us fee, then, how the ftories of feveral famous men are treated by authors, and endeavour to clear up what they were either ignorant, or in doubt of; our great Sir Ifaac Newton, in his Chronology, in fpeaking of Sefoftris, fays, that when the Phoenicians were fecattered

and fettled in feveral countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea, the great Egyptian Sefoftris began his conquests, subjecting many countries to his arms, and, at length, conquering Spain, in the western extremity; which Lucan specifies thus: "venit ad occafum, mun

dique extrema, Sefoftris." Sir Ifaac appears to have mistaken fome things in this inquiry into the exploits of that great hero, which shall be taken notice of by and by. He mentions the names of fome, as the Greeks delivered them, and these are Nil, Belus, Sihor, Ofihor, Toth, Ogmius, and others; who are faid to have spread their fame all over the world, but yet believes that these were only different names given to the great Sefoftris, in the various countries he fubdued; according to the obfcure and fabulous accounts of authors. Now, in clearing up this mistake, we shall be supported by the coincidence of records, which, while they explain the true names of these perfons, and the genuine accounts of their tranfactions and travels, are themselves corroborated by what they reciprocally verify, in many respects, however obfcurely delivered by the Greeks; and fhew clearly, that these were not the appellations of one hero, but the proper names of feveral ; nor all Egyptians by birth, but fome of them true Scythians, the offspring of Magog. So that as we have come at the truth in reconciling the names given to the patriarchs by both profane and facred history, in the former chapter, we shall likewise be acquainted with the true Scythian names of thefe heroes in this.

THE records that have preferved the real accounts of them, are the works of the filids, or fileas, the poets, who

were

were present with the Milefians, when they went into Ireland from Spain; and who dwelt with them in Spain, and were the fucceffors of these bards, who always accompanied those heroes in all their fortunes and viciffitudes, from the beginning; for, as I shall by and by shew, the bards and antiquaries were conftantly established, and the fons fucceeded their fathers, in thofe offices, throughout the whole race of the fons of Japhet; and their bufinefs was to take exact accounts of all tranfactions, as well as genealogies: nor can any nation boast of poffeffing such records, this day, but the kingdom of Ireland. Thefe alone were what Sir Isaac wanted before him, to compleat and ascertain what his wife suggestions led him to the brink of, in the course of that part of his chronology.

LET us, however, present our readers with the comparative view of what he and others have delivered, and the naratives of the Magogian or Irish filids; which will have an amazing effect in clearing up the affairs of thefe heroes; and will lay open the proper names of them in the Magogian language, which the Greeks have altered, as their custom was, by additional terminations of their own; with the fame arbitrary liberty, which the French take at this time, in finking the terminations of Greek and Latin names in general.

WHERE accounts of authors are doubtful, or through ignorance perhaps, treated as fabulous, the only refource that can be had, is to be fought for in parallel anecdotes ; and if these are found coinciding clofely with matters fo discountenanced, it is fufficient to give them new credit, and to quote them upon every proper occafion.

To be well acquainted with what has been handed down by thofe filids, or bards, in the Pfalter of Cafbel, and the Leauber Gabala, as well as others, now extant, would be the best qualification to read what Sir Isaac has given in his book, mentioned before, as well as other modern authors; the facts are very striking, and the fimilarity of circumstances amazing; and his connections, however mistaken and disagreed to by other chronologists, are made manifeft, by these filids, in a more clear light; which were clouded by the Greeks, and, in their veiled condition only, taken up by him, as well as other inge

nious men.

To proceed then to the comparative confideration of these authors, and the bards of Ireland; Newton has it, that "a colony of Iberians, from the borders of the Euxine "and Cafpian Seas, fettled anciently in Spain, and gave "the river Iber its name, and were in poffeffion of that kingdom;" and he is supported in this by Virgil, Ruævus and others. The filids write, "that the Iberian Scots, or Scuits, (the Scythians) a people bordering on "the Euxine Sea, were driven away, by wars, from their country, and after many great adventures and viciffi❝tudes, fettled at last in Spain."

Buchan. Ware, Ward and others fay, "A colony of Spaniards, or Scythians, by the name of Scots, fettled "in Ireland in the fourth age of the world." Nennius and Henry of Huntingdon say the same thing, the former of which computes the fourth age of the world to be from David to Daniel, or the Perfian empire. The bards fay, "that Kinea Scuit (the Scots) and the pofterity of Eber "Scuit

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"Scuit (the Iberian Scots) were a colony of Spaniards, "who fettled in Ireland about a thousand years before "CHRIST." Strabo, and the Univerfal Hiftory, think, "that the Phoenicians, who were the first propagators of learning in Europe, carried on an early intercourse and “commerce with the Iberian Spaniards." The bards fay, "that the ancient Iberian Scots learned the use of "letters, on the continent, from a celebrated Phenius, "from whom they took the name of Phoenicians.” Newton, in feveral places, fays: " Nil, Belus, Sibor, Ofi"hor, Toth, Ogmius, &c. were famous Egyptian warriors, “who acquired great fame by their glorious actions and enterprizes." The bards fay, "that Niul, Bileus, Sru, Afru, Tait and Ogaman, were mighty, and famous in Egypt and feveral other countries." These are the proper Magogian names, which the Greeks changed as above. Newton fays: " the Egyptian conqueror of Spain

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got the emphatical name of the Hero, or Hercules." The filids fay, a great hero, famous in Egypt, got the name of Golamb, and Milea Efpain, that is, the con-queror, or hero, of Spain." Newton every where fays: "Nil, Sibor, Ofihor, &c. fucceeded the Phenicians in

cultivating and inftructing feveral nations." Thefe filids, or bards, fing, "that Niul, Sru, Afru and others "fucceeded Phenius in teaching the ufe of arts and letters.” And this will be made more clear by and by, in tracing these great men, in the very places, where they did really give those instructions, as delivered by the Irish, or Magogian records; which I do not pursue here, to avoid the interruption of this comparison of hiftory. Newton,

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