Royal Society; 499 
the world and every thing therein ; they believe, that there is 
almoft an infinite number of worlcJs, and that God has often- 
times annihilated and re-created the fame^ but how he came 
firft to create this world and mankind, they relate to have been 
thus 5 once on a time, lay they, as he was fet in eternity, it 
came into his mind to make fomething j afid no fooner had he 
thought the fame, but immediately was prefented before him 
a very beautiful woman, which he called ^4dea J//^r^^, that is 
the firft woman- then this figure brought into his mind that 
of a man, which he no fooner conceived than he alfo ilarted 
up, and prefented himfelf before him; this he called Mam- 
fuife, that is, the firft man; then upon a refle^lion of thefe 
things, he refolved further to create leveral places for them to 
abide in, and accordingly affuming a lubtile body, he in a 
minute breathed the whole univ.erfe, and every thing therein, 
from the leaft to the greateft: They conftantly believe that 
the univerfe cannot poffibly laft longer than 71 yoogs, which 
is a meafure of time with them, and is ... . years; which 
when it is come, God does not only annihilate the whole uni- 
verfe, but every thing elfe, as well angels, fouls, and fpirirs, 
as inferior creatures; and then he remains in the fame ftate he 
was in, before the creation; but they fay, that when he has 
thus refpited a while, he breathes again, and every thing is 
created afrefh, as well angels, and fouls, as other things; 
but as for the fpirits, they are no more thought of; yet for all 
this, after 71 foogs more, all is annihilated again : How many 
Joogs are paft, (ince the world was laft created, they cannot 
certainly tell ; only it is obfervable, that in an almanac of 
theirs, written in the Sanfcret language in KJyo, they make 
the world then to have been 3892771 years old from its laft 
creation. 
The Sr amines of ^erfia tell certain long ftories of a great 
giant, that was led into a moft delicate garden, which upon 
certain conditions, fhould be his own for ever ; but one even- 
ing, in a cool (hade, one of the wicked 'De'Wta's, or fpirits 
came to him, and tempted him with vaft fums of gold, and all 
the moft precious jewels that can be imagined ; but he bravely 
withftood that temptation, as not knowing what value or ufe 
they could be of to him; but at length this wicked CDewta 
brought to him a fair woman, who fo charmed him, that for her 
fake he very willingly broke all his conditions, and thereupon he 
was turned out: They tell a great many abfurd and ridiculous 
ftories of the firft ages of this prefent world ; Mr. Marfial gives 
R r r 2 out 
