558 lord’s discovery of the banians and persees.

After this, the Almighty began the third labour of the creation, which was to makethe earth, which, together with the waters called feas, make this lower world like aglobe or ball, fo agreeing together, that the fea’s humidity maketh the earth fruitful,and the earth’s folidily boundeth the waters in their due confine; which work thusfinilhed, God fufpended the work of the creation for five days more, and relied.

The fourth labour was to make the trees, plants, and herbs, that fo the earthmight bring forth fruits pleafant to the eye and talle, and for the comfort of the crea-tures living in the earth ; this alfo done, God relied, and gave the former refpite tohis labours.

The fifth work was to make creatures fit to abide in the places forementioned, asbealls of all forts, to forage in the green palture ; fowls to 'cleave the air with theirnimble pinions ; filhes to fwim in the unknown depths of the watery oceans. Theworld thus replenilhed with creatures, God refumed his wonted reft and intermillionfrom this labour.

And laftly, undertook his fixth labour, which was the forming of man and woman,to whom the reft of the creatures were made miniftratory and fervile, whofe namestheir records deliver to be A1 Adarnah, and Evah, who being the firft two by whom themultitudes of mankind Ihould be propagated, God , as they affirm, did caufe Evah tobring forth two twins every day ; for a thoufand years together, death did diminilhnone of the numbers of mankind by mortality.

But Lucifer, thus depofed with the reft of his orders, grew malignant both to God and man ; and as God did good, fo he laboured to do evil, and to perturb his aftions,and tempt men to fin and wickednefs, labouring to make man odious to his Maker, asalfo making himfelf an enemy to all goodnefs, which God yet did not fully revenge,as knowing nothing but evil to be in hint and his confederates.

But the better to prevent his mifchief, fet certain fupervifors over his creatures, topreferve them in that Hate wherein they were at firft created. Thus, to one Hamuliwas commuted the charge of the heavens ; to Acrob the overfight of the angels, thatthey relapfed not as Lucifer had done ; to Joder the overfight of the fun, moon, andliars ; to Soreh the care of the earth ; to Jofah the command of the waters ; Sumbolahhad the charge of the bealls of the field ; Daloo of the filh of the fea ; Rocan of thetrees; Cooz of man and woman ; and Sertan and Afud, to whom God had given.ftrength and power, were made the guardians of Lucifer, and the evil fpirits, tomailer and conjure them from mifchief to God ’s creatures, who yet, notwith-ftanding the watch of Sertan and Afud, did much mifchief in the world by fug-geftion and temptation to wickednefs; which made God offended with mankind fortheir wickednefs.

The fins of men growing great, they fay it appeareth in their record that there camea flood or inundation, which overflowed the earth and the inhabitants thereof; fornefew only God preferved to propagate the generations of the times following ; that fothere might not be an utter ruin of mankind. Thefe generations were difperfed topeople the earth again, from which all nations have had their defcent. As, as theirhiftoriographer Mircond reporteth, in times not long diftant from the flood, thefePerfees had a race of kings that were their proper governors, continued for above athoufand years by the fucceffion of five-and-forty kings. The firft whereof was Guio-maras, who, as Mercond reports, was the fon of Aram, the fon of Sem, the fon ofNoah, by the Perfees called Adam Affeny, that is the fecond Adam ; the lalt, in whomthe monarchy of this people concluded (as is before Ihewed), was Yefdegerd. Theabridgment of which chronicle I would have gathered from them, but that I found it