Now if the Books of the Hebrew Prophets were all lost , Who would not Swear that this City had no other Name ? Who would not believe that it was built by some Greeks that settled there , or by the Posterity of Lagus , and bore this Greek Name ever since its beginning . However 't is undeniable from Ezekiel 30.14 , 15. that it was call'd Sin by the Egyptians , which word signifies dirt , as Bochart has observ'd , Phaleg . l. 4. c. 27.

The same has happen'd in the name of another place not far distant from Pelusium . Diodorus Siculus in the first Book of his Bibliotheca mightily commends Actisanes the Aethiopian , who after he had conquer'd Ammoses King of the Egyptians , and subdued the whole Country , neither put the Guilty to death , nor yet wholly dismiss'd them unpunish'd , but carried multitudes of the Condemned , he thus used them , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Cutting off their Noses , he transplanted them into the farthest parts of a desart Region , and built a City , and called it from this accident Rinocolura . Strabo in his sixteenth Book makes the same Remark , and so does Stephanus upon this word . Now those Persons that do not know , that the Egyptians at this time did not speak Greek , would easily suffer themselves to be perswaded , especially seeing it named among the Cities of Egypt , that Rinocolura was the very name by which this City went among the Egyptians .

But if any one would rather desire to see Examples fetch'd from the Holy Scriptures , he may observe how the Seventy Interpreters turn the Proper Names of the Bible into Greek , Gen. 11.9 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ( Babel ) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . Therefore the name of it was called Confusion ( Babel or Babylon ) because there the Lord confounded the Lips of the whole Earth . See likewise Gen. 31.47 . & 32.20 .

Nay what is highly remarkable , Moses has deriv'd the Original of his own Name from an Hebrew word , and has introduced the Daughter of Pharaoh speaking Hebrew , who without question exprest her self in the Egyptian Tongue , Exod. 2.10 . The Child grew up , and his Nurse brought him to the Daughter of Pharaoh , who called his name Mosche ; because , said she , I drew him out of the Water , Mishithinou . And the reason of it is plain , for since Moses saw he could easily imitate the Egyptian Origination in the Hebrew Tongue , he made no Scruple to bring in this Princess , expressing her self after that manner . But in the Egyptian Tongue he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , taken out of the Water ; for with the Old Egyptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signified Water , and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taken out . Thus in the New Testament , he that was called by the Syrians Chipha or Chepha , was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , Peter , by the Greeks ; and so that Paronomasia , which our Saviour used in the Hebrew or Syro-Chaldaïc , was conveniently enough translated into the Greek Tongue , Matt. 16.17 .

However I would by no means be thought to affirm , that the Name of Adam , and such-like , were changed : For it might so happen , that both the Primitives and Derivatives of the first Language were often preserved in the Hebrew : But we must not conclude from thence , that therefore Adam spoke pure Hebrew . There are some Names , which with equal Felicity may be deduced out of the Chaldee ; as for instance , the Name Hhavah , for Hhai signifies Living , no less in Chaldee than it does in Hebrew . Nay , there are some Names which cannot Analogically be derived from the Hebrew Roots , although Moses deduces them from those Roots , which if we should urge , as the Rabbins do , to support the contrary Opinion , we should from thence conclude , that the Hebrew Tongue has no Affinity with the Language of the Antediluvians . Thus Gen. 2.1 . And she brought forth Cain , and said , I have got ( Kanithi ) a man of the Lord . The Name Kajin , according to the common Rules , ought to be deduced from Koun , which signifies to Lament in Pihel ; as Kajits the Summer , from Kouts ; Tsaiid , Hunting , from Tsoud ; and several more of the like nature . From the Root Kanah we should more properly deduce Kanovi . Now , as we have observed , if we were minded to copy after the Rabbins , and follow their Conduct , we might say , That from hence 't is evident , that the Hebrew Tongue is not the first , since Moses was not able to express in it the Etymology of the word Kain . We might gather the same from Genesis Chap. 5. v. 29. where the Father of Noah calls the Name of his Son Noahh , saying , he will Comfort us , Jenahhamenou , for if we are to derive the Name of this Restorer of Mankind from Nahham , we ought to have called him Nohhem , that is to say , a Comforter , not Noahh , which can be deduced from nothing else but Noahh quievit . So that if a few happy Etymologies will prove the Antediluvian Language to have been the same with the Hebrew , surely those of a different Nature will demonstrate the contrary . But since both these Propositions cannot be true , what remains , but that we should own that the Hebrew Language is not indeed the first , but the Off-spring of it ; as are likewise the Chaldee and Arabick , and that some Remainders of it are still preserved in these three Dialects . True it is , that the Original of the Name of Tubal Cain , which is neither to be traced out of Hebrew nor Chaldee , is plainly found in the Arabick , as we have shewn at the third (b) (b) 'T is worth Observation , says our Author here , that the two words , of which this name is compounded , signifie in the Arabian Laminam aeri● , aut ferri ; but as far as we can find by the Holy Writ , which is our only resort in this case , they are wholly unknown to the Hebrew Tongue ; though , as it appears by the Context , there is no question to be made , but this is the true signification of them . Chapter v. 22. Besides the Etymology of the word Babel is more happily deduced from the Chaldee word Bilbel confudit , than from the Hebrew Balal , which signifies the same ; for there is a greater Affinity between Babel and Bilbel , than between Babel and Balal .

But to deliver my Sentiments freely , concerning the Antediluvian and some other ancient Names , many of them were not so much given them as Names at their Birth to distinguish them from other Men , as they are to be looked upon as Sirnames , afterwards bestowed upon them for some particular Event or Accident that befel them . And from hence it came to pass , as we have already shewn , that these Names were changed by the Hebrews , as 't is certain some of them were changed by the Arabians . The first begotten Son of Adam was Cain , as Moses tells us , a Tiller of the Ground , which furnish'd the Arabians with an occasion to reckon the Lord knows who , one Habdel hharits , that is to say , the Servant of a Tiller , among the Sons of Adam ; which rather signifies Cain's manner of Living , than another Son of our first Parents , as some People imagin'd . Concerning which Consult , Schickard in the Prooemium to his Catalogue of the Persian Kings . His other Son was called Hebel , that is , a fading thing that soon disappears , because he was kill'd by his Brother in his Youth . We know indeed that some Expositors have conjectur'd , that from a Prophetical Spirit this Name was given him at his Birth by his Parents ; but a bare simple Conjecture can never amount to a Demonstration . A Person of singular Piety , and consequently instructed in all the Knowledge of Divine Matters , which those Times were capable of , is called Hhanoch from the Verb Hhanach , that is , docuit , instituit , whence the Participle Hhanouch , doctus , learned . For this reason the same Man is called by the Arabians Idris , which signifies learned ; for daras with the Hebrews and Arabians , is accuratè & subtiliter indagavit . His Son was called in After-ages Methouschelahh , i. e. After his Death a breaking out , to wit , of Waters , happened . After the Flood Peleg , that is , Division the Son of Heber , in whose days the Earth was divided , Chap. 10. v. 25. We have also observed on the (c) (c) Monsieur le Clerk here observes , that Nimrod is derived from the Hebrew Radix Marad , to Rebel , from whence the Arabick word Maridon is derived , which signifies Obstinate , Proud , or Insolent . And such sort of a Man he must needs be , continues our Author , who first dissolved the Paternal Government , and affected a Superiority over his Brethren . I can never perswade my self , that this Name was given him as soon as he was born , no more than several other Names were given to others , which have a relation to their Disposition , or the Inventions they found out . They rather seem to be their Cognomina or Sirnames , of which their Posterity had some remembrance , when their Names were utterly forgotten . Tenth Chapter v. 8. that Nimrod was no very honourable Title for him to whom it was given . Perhaps we might discover several others of the like kind , if we had a fuller and larger History of those Times . But these we have cited , are more than sufficient to shew , that some of those Sirnames might be changed by Moses .

And therefore their Argument of Primitive Antiquity , deduced barely from Names , is not of that Consequence as the Rabbins , and those that implicitly follow their Authority may imagine . However since the other reasons that are alledged by the Jews fall infinitely short of this , we lie under no Obligation to trifle away our time in confuting them , especially since the Vanity of them has been already demonstrated by the Learned Huetius .

III. There seems to have been but one Language before the Deluge : This we are sure of , that there was but one in the Family of Noah , till the Fantastical Project of the Building of Babel was set on foot , that is to say , as long as they continued all in the same place . But after that , upon the account of some Differences arising at Babylon , Mankind was dispersed into several Provinces of the World , and when in process of time these distant Families preserved either none , or but a small Correspondence one with another , several new Dialects sprung up . Thus we see that the Latin Tongue has given birth to the Italian , Spanish and French Tongues , not to mention the several Dialects of each of these . So the Saxon Tongue alone begot the Modern German , the Dutch and English . We have * * See this handled at large in the sixth Dissertation . elsewhere shewn that the variety of Languages did not immediately arise by any sudden miraculous Impression of the Divine Power ; and indeed those that maintain the contrary Opinion , own that there was rather a variety of Dialects , than of new Tongues .

Therefore the Primitive or first Language has upon several accounts been changed ; as for instance , it was turn'd by the Arabians into the Arabick , by the Chaldees it was wrested into the Chaldean , and by the Canaanites insensibly changed into the Canaanean Dialect . The Jews , who fansied it to be the Hebrew Tongue , pretend it remain'd without Change or Corruption in the Family of Heber , which nevertheless is no where attested in the Holy Scripture . Nay , on the other side , it sufficiently intimates , that the Posterity of Heber , who continued on the other side the Euphrates , rather spoke Chaldee , as we shall see anon .

Since therefore the Rabbins are not able to produce one positive Testimony out of the Bible , to prove that the Antediluvian Language came down intire and incorrupted to the Descendants of Heber , they endeavour , which is the last Refuge of a declining Cause , to evince it by far-fetch'd Reasons . They pretend that neither Heber nor his Son Peleg , from whom the Israelites are lineally descended , were concerned in building the Tower of Babel . But this is a downright Dream , supported by no manner of reason , as we have shewn in our sixth Dissertation .