£G0 UN THE CHRONOLOGY 



irately defcribed than any other country. Atr't called 

 and Idris, in the countries to the well of India y 

 tarried the vedas from the abode of the gods on the 

 iummit of Meru, firii, to the /acred ijle ; thence to 

 the banks of the N'dk ; and, laitly, to the borders of 

 •India, The place of his abode, whilit in the Jacred 

 j i , became afterwards a famous place of worfhip un- 

 der the name of Atri-jl'han the pace or feat of Atrt or 

 Idris. It is often mentioned in the ptrdnas, and de- 

 fer ibed to be on a high mountain, not far from the fea 

 Hi ore. 



I (hall pafs over the four ages, as they do not appear 

 to anfwer any purpofe, either aftronomical or hiftori- 

 cal. Thev are called by the fame names that were 

 ufed by the Greek mythologifts ; except the fourth, 

 which is called by the Hindus, the earthen age. I fhall 

 only remark, that Me?iu in his Inftitutes fays, that in 

 the firft or golden age*, men, free from diieafe, lived 

 four hundred years ; but in the fecond, and the fuc- 

 ceding ages, their lives were leflened gradually by 

 one quarter ; that in the ca!i-jug, or prelent age, men 

 live only one hundred years. Tins may ferve to fix 

 the period and duration of the firft ages ; for it is ob- 

 vious, that the whole pailage refers to natural years. 



I fhall now conclude this account of antediluvian 

 hiitory by obferving, that the firft defcendants of 

 Swayambhuva are reprefented in the pur/mas, as living 

 in the mountains to the north of India toward the 

 fources of the Qanges, and downwards as far as Seri- 

 ndgara and Hari-awdr. But the rulers of mankind 

 lived on the fummit of Merit towards the north ; 

 where they appear to have eftablifhed the feat of juftice, 

 as the fur anas make frequent mention of the opprefied 

 repairing thither for redrefs. India, at that time, feems 

 to have been perfectly infulated ; and we know, that 



• ' imitates oiMenu, p. 11. 



from 



