ON MOUNT CAUCASUS, 485 



and of China. He is now gone to vifit the places of wor- 

 fhip in the fouthern parts oX India; after which he in- 

 tends to come and die at Benares. A near relation of 

 his is in my fervice as a pandit. 



It may appear ftrange, that the pofterity of Cain 

 fliould be fo much noticed in the Purdnasy whilft that of 

 the pious and benevolent Ruchi is in great merfure 

 negle6led : but it is even fo, in the Mofalcal account of 

 the antediluvian hiftory : where little is laid of the pof- 

 terity of Seth ; whilft the infpired penman takes par- 

 ticular notice of the ingenuity of the defcendants of 

 Cain, and to M'hat high degree of perfedion they car- 

 ried the arts of civil life. The charms and accomplifh- 

 *ments of the women are particularly mentioned. The 

 fame became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown. 

 The antediluvian hiftory of Sanchoniathon is obvi- 

 oufly that of the pofterity of Cain. We have been 

 taught to confider the defcendants of Cain, as a moft 

 profligate and abominable race : this opinion, however, 

 is not countenanced, either by facred or profane hifto- 

 ry. That they were not intrufted with the facred depo- 

 fit of religious truths to tranfmit to future ages, is Suf- 

 ficiently certain : they might in confequence of this, 

 have deviated gradually from the original belief; and 

 at laft fallen into a fuperftitious fyftem of religion, 

 which feems alfo a natural confequence of the fearful 

 difpofition of Cain, and the horrors he muft have felt, 

 when he recolleQed the atrocious murder of his bro- 

 ther. Be this as it may, their worldly achievements 

 pafted to pofterity, whilft the peaceful and domeftick 

 virtues of the defcendants of Seth funk into oblivion. 

 Out of five Menus, who ruled as lords paramount be- 

 tween Adima and the flood, according to the Purdnasy 

 four were of the pofterity of Cain. 



Thus, according to an uniform tradition, of a very 

 long ftanding, as it is countenanced by the Hindu facred 

 books, and Perfian authors, the progenitors of mankind 



lived 



