176 THEORY OF THE EARTH. 



mythology to history, with Evhemere and Ban- 

 nier, I am of opinion that a great part of history 

 should be referred to mythology. 



It is only at the epoch of what is commonly 

 called the Second Kingdom of Assyria, that the 

 history of the Assyrians and Chaldeans begins to 

 become more intelligible ; and this epoch is also 

 that at which the history of the Egyptians under- 

 goes a similar change, when the kings of Nine- 

 veh, of Babylon, and of Egypt, commence their 

 conflicts on the theatre of Syria and Palestine. 



It appears, nevertheless, that the authors of 

 these countries, or those who had consulted the 

 traditions regarding them, Berosus, and Hierony- 

 mus, and Nicholas de Dam as, agreed in speaking 

 of a deluge. Berosus has even described it with 

 circumstances so similar to those detailed in the 

 book of Genesis, that it is almost impossible what 

 he says of it should not have been derived from 

 the same sources, even although he removes its 

 epoch a great number of ages back, insomuch, 

 at least, as we may judge of it, by the confused 

 extracts which Josephus, Eusebius, and Syncel- 

 lus, have preserved of his writings. But we 

 must remark, and with this observation we shall 

 conclude what we have to say with regard to the 

 Babylonians, that these numerous ages, and this 

 long series of kings, placed between the deluge 

 and Semiramis, are a new thing, entirely peculiar 



