526 lord’s discovery, of the banians and persees.

that the work of generation might be agreeable to the work of creation, God madefour women for thefe four men, and placed them at the four winds, one at the eaft,another at the weft, a third at the north, and a fourth at the fouth ; that thus beingdivided, there might be a better means for the fpreading of their generations over theface of the earth : with which four women, how the four Tons of the firft man met, dullbe underftood in the fequel of the feveral ftories in the chapters following.

Chap. II. — Of Brammon , the eldefl Son of Pourous ; his Travels towards the Eafl; he

meeteth with the Woman appointed for him ; the Paffages that happened in their Accojl

their Marriage , and peopling of the Eafl.

THIS eldeft fon of the firft man, called Brammon, grew in ftature and had the pre-eminence of his birth, both in place and in refpefl, above the reft of his brethren; asalfo in regard, of his near relation to God in religious fervices, was highly honoured ofhis brethren and was an inftrudtor unto them ; and the Almighty communicated himfelfto him in prefence and vifion. He gave himfelf therefore much to reading, and con-verfed with the book that God gave him containing the platform of divine worlhip.

Being therefore grown to man’s age, and (as it ftiould appear by circuinftances) manbeing created in the midft of the earth, in fome pleafant place where the fun at highnoon deprived fubftances of their fhadows, (for it was fit that man ftiould be producedout of fuch a place as might be the navel of the world), God , who would now dilperfethe brethren from the centre, as it were, to the circumference, for propagation, com-‘manded Brammon to take his book in his hand, wherein was written the divine law,and to direct his journey towards the riling of the fun in the eaft.

As foon as that glorious light of heaven had difcovered his fplendour from the topsof the mountains, he took his journey that way (for the eaft being the moft noble partof the world it was likely that had the pre-eminence in plantation) until he arrived at agoodly mountain, before the proud face whereof lay proftrate a valley, through whichthere palled a brook, in the defcent of which there appeared a woman fatisfying herthirft from the ftreams of the river, and they were both naked, innocence not beingthen alhamed to publifh her retirements and privacies, nor having faulted fo muchwith thofe immodeft parts, as to need a Ihroud to veil them from the fight. This womanwas of hair black, of complexion yellowifh or faffrony, as on whofe face the fun had toofreely call his beams, the remembrance of whofe heat was too furely conferved in hercountenance. She was indifferently fized, whofe pitch could neither challenge the nameof lownefs or high ftature ; modeft u'as her afpect, and her eyes indexes of fo melan-choly fobernefs, and compofed looks, as if Ihe feemed fampled for him that met her.

But her eyes unaccuftomed to view fuch an objeft as was before her, having neverfeen a creature of proportion like herfelf, betwixt wonder and fhame, file was uncer-tain whether fhe ftiould fly, or pleafe her fight with fuch a vifion. But Brammon nolefs abafhed at fuch intrufion, which by retiring he could not well fhun, with a down-call countenance fuppreffed with fhame, they both aboad one another’s prefence, withtongue-tied filence ; whofe backwardnefs gave encouragement to the woman to queftionthe caufe of his coming thither; who anfwered, that by the command of him who hadmade the world, him, her, and all creatures vifible, together with the light that gavethem the comforts of their meeting, he was fent thither. The woman, to whom God had given that underftanding, to be capable of the propernefs of his fpeech, and inqui-ring further into this accident, faid, that there was an agreement in their likenefs andcompofition, that declared they had one maker: that it may be, he that had made

them