Concerning the vulgar opinion, that the Earth was slenderly peopled before the Flood.
Beside the slender consideration men of latter times do hold of the first ages, it is commonly opinioned, and at first thought generally imagined, that the earth was thinly inhabited, at least not remotely planted before the flood; whereof there being two opinions, which seem to be of some extremity, the one too largely extending, the other too narrowly contracting the populosity of those times; we shall not pass over this point without some enquiry into it.
Now for the true enquiry thereof, the means are as obscure as the matter, which being naturally to be explored by History, Humane or Divine, receiveth thereby no small addition of obscurity. For as for humane relations, they are so fabulous in _Deucalions_ flood, that they are of little credit about _Ogyges_ and _Noahs_. For the Heathens (as _Varro_ accounteth) make three distinctions of time: the first from the beginning of the world unto the general Deluge of _Ogyges_, they term _Adelon_, that is, a time not much unlike that which was before time, immanifest and unknown; because thereof there is almost nothing or very obscurely delivered: for though divers Authors have made some mention of the Deluge, as _Manethon_ the _Egyptian_ Priest, _Xenophon_ de æquivocis, _Fabius Pictor_ de Aureo seculo, _Mar. Cato_ de originibus, and _Archilochus_ the Greek, who introduceth also the Testimony of _Moses_ in his fragment _de temporibus_: yet have they delivered no account of what preceded or went before. _Josephus_ I confess in his Discourse against _Appion_ induceth the antiquity of the _Jews_ unto the flood, and before from the testimony of humane Writers; insisting especially upon _Maseus_ of _Damascus_, _Jeronimus Ãgyptius_, and _Berosus_; and confirming the long duration of their lives, not only from these, but the authority of _Hesiod_, _Erathius_, _Hellanicus_ and _Agesilaus_. _Berosus_ the _Chaldean_ Priest, writes most plainly, mentioning the city of _Enos_, the name of _Noah_ and his Sons, the building of the Ark, and also the place of its landing. And _Diodorus Siculus_ hath in his third book a passage, which examined, advanceth as high as _Adam_: for the _Chaldeans_, saith he, derive the Original of their Astronomy and letters forty three thousand years before the Monarchy of _Alexander_ the Great: now the years whereby they computed the antiquity of their letters, being as _Xenophon_ interprets to be accounted Lunary: the compute will arise unto the time of _Adam_. For forty three thousand Lunary years make about three thousand six hundred thirty four years, which answereth the Chronology of time from the beginning of the world unto the reign of _Alexander_, as _Annius_ of _Viterbo_ computeth in his Comment upon _Berosus_.