Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work.

  • Maillet, Benoît de, 1656-1738. Telliamed. English
Date:
1797
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    [ I0° ] lated by thofe hiftorians, convince us how little we may depend upon their veracity, if it is true that they have wrote what other authors reprefent as their opinions: In a word, the pafTage which jofephus quotes from Berofus, mentions the remains of- the ark, which, fays that author, are to be feen at prefent, on a mountain in Armenia, and of which pieces are carried off by way of reliques or facred memorials: I grant, fome ignorant Armenians are full of this ridiculous opinion, with refpect to the remains of the ark. But, it is fufficiently certain, that our moil, judicious travellers readily grant, that this is no more than a childifh fable ; that Mount Ararat en which the ark was faid to land, is perpetually covered with mow, andfo inacceffible, that it has never been pofllble to go half way to its top. It is therefore evident really that we could never know whether the ark refted on that moun- tain, or whether there are any remains of it there, uniefs we fuppcfe that fome favourite of heaven has learned the mighty fecret by a particular reve- lation from God, which is not as yet proved.— Befides, the inhabitants of the country have a tra- dition with refpeel: to Mount Ararat, which is by no means compatible with what the Jews relate concerning the deluge: They fay, that Ncab faved himfelf in the ark, together with twency- nine perfons ; and that the town of Tamanin, ntuated at the foot cf this mountain, has taken its name, which in the Arabic fignifies faurfcore, from the number of perfons which came out of the. ark, and fettled in that part. Bzsides, it is as afionifhing that the Greeks, - /ho fo greedily fv/aiicwed every thing that w^as marvellous, and the Romans who were fo dextrous in diftinguiihmg truth from fable, and who have iranfinit:cd to us the memory of the deluges of