Tigris. (x) Thefe Migdons are both in Magogs Country, but it is more probable Partholan departed from Bithynia and fettled in Eirinn i. e. the Weft, in an island near the Shore, which points out to us that of Samothrace.

The names Adhna and Partolan are oriental, Adin, a proper name, 1 Efdras 2, and 8, the fignification of the name in Hebrew and Irish is, deliciofus, aut ornatus.

Par was a common Epithet in the East, particularly in Mefopotamia, (y) Paradafh bar Gabarou was third King of the Ofrhoi,-there were Parthamafpates, Parnatafpates, Parafmanes, &c. &c. &c. (z) There was y Tola, Son of Iffachar, Gen. 46. Paral. 7. Jud. 10. Thalaffar, Regis Syriæ, Ifai. 37. nn Thale, nomen viri, 1 Para. 7. Tilon filius Simon, 1 Par. 4. the name Tolan, or Tolam fignifies a Peach Tree; our Dictionaries tranflate it, the holm Oak.-Perfice Talane, a fruit resembling a Peach. Arab. Talnak an Apricot.-The reafons of these names we shall treat of hereafter.

Talmai, was one of the Sons of Anac, whom Caleb expelled from Arba. Josh. 15. Ch. 14. V. & expulit inde Caleb tres filios Anac, viz. Sefac, Ahiman & Taimai, natos Anac. We fhall fhew in the Sequel, that Anac and Gadul, were the

(x) But fays Keating, Migdon was in Greece, and in this manner has perverted the whole of the Irish History :-Nothing can be more clear, than, that the early part of Irish history, relates to the tranfactions of their Ancestors in Armenia, Bithynia, Parthia, Perfia, &c.)

(y) y

Sociis.

Bara. para Arab. Excelluit Scientia. præcelluit ea

(z) Bayers hiftoria Ofrhoena,

peculiar

peculiar Epithets of the Sons of Magog, who mixed with the Canaanites in process of time.

The Poet informs us that Partolan and his progeny poffeffed the Island 300 Years, when all the inhabitants were swept away by a peftilence.

Thus our Magogian Scuthi of Armenia continued to extend their depredations towards N Eirinn or the West, and to gabh, wherever they went; gabb is the verb made ufe of in all the Irish MSS. it fignifies to lay under contribution; the Noun is Gabhail, as Gabhail Eirinn, the Book of contribution, commonly called the Book of Conquests in Ireland; this book contains the contributions of every State to the Monarch. We have often quoted it in the preceding Numbers of this work: the word is Oriental, as No

Gabhi

Gimela, Cameli tributa, (Bochart V. 1. p. 1148). It also fignifies to govern, in both Hebrew and Irish, hence 2 Gabhar, guberno. Arabicè gabhi Collector tributorum.

This expedition of Partolan's, took place according to the Irish Annals, a little before the birth of Abraham. During the life of that Patriarch, we find the Scythi of Armenia making war on the Canaanites. The infpired penman having occasion to speak of Abraham, has recorded this fact; and but for Abraham, we should probably not have heard of it, Genefis 14 Ch. "And it

came to pass in the days of Amraphel King of "Shinaar, Arioch King of Ellafor, Chedorlaomer "King of Elam, and Tiddal King of the Goim; "that these made war with Bera King of Sodom, "and with Birha King of Gomorrah, Shinah "King of Sodom, and with Shemeber King of Ze"boüm, and the King of Belar, which is Zoar.

"All

" -All these were joined together in the Vale of "Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.-Twelve years "they ferved Chedorlaomer, and in the 13th year

they rebelled. And in the 14th came Chedor"laomer and the Kings that were with him, and "fmote the Rephaims in Afhteroth Karnaim, and "the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shavch "Kiriathim. And the Horites in their Mount "Seir, unto El-paran which is by the wilderness. "And when Abram heard that (Lot) his "brother was made captive, he armed his train"ed Servants, born in his own houfe, 318, and ' purfued them unto Dan, and unto Hobah which "is on the left hand of Damafcus. And he brought back all the goods, and his brother Lot, "and his goods, and the women alfo, and the "people."

The Syriac Copy calls Tadal, Taril K. of the Golita: The Arabic verfion has Arioch King of Sarian, Chadharlaomar King of Choraftan and Thadaal King of the Nations. The laft is named Thargol by the LXX. and is faid to be King of the Gentiles.

Jofephus calls this the War of the Affyrians, who had united with the Chaldæan Dynafties: Mr. Baugmarten obferves, the conqueft of the Canaanites by nations fo remote, must be treated as an abfurd impoflibility.

Aquila, Symmachus and Procopius, think, that Amraphel was King of Pontus, not the Pontus Euxinus; but a City in Cœlo-Syria fince named Hellas. See alfo Menochius and Corn, a Lapide.

Amraphael, fays Dr. Hyde, was King of Shinaar, not in Chaldæa or Babylon, but Shinaar in Mefopotamia, (a great city at the foot of the Mountains

Mountains 3 days journey from Maufil,) now written Sinjar in the Arabic, the Singara of Ptolemy, with him Abraham fought, as Eufebius fully proves. At that time Affyria feems to have been wrefted from Ninus and to have fallen into the hands of the Perfians, as at the time of this war, all the neighbouring Kings were confederate with Chedorlaomer King of Elam. As therefore there could not be two monarchs in one place, Ninus must have been excluded from Affyria and retired into Chaldæa from whence he came. Arioc was King of Ellafar: according to Eufebius his name was "Ap i. e. Martius feu Martialis, for N Arioc as the naine ftands in Scripture is not a Chaldaic name, and as far as we know, has no fignification. (Religio Vet. Perf. p. 46.)

The Perfians were Scythians, Farfi or Pheni as we shall prove hereafter, and Aireac a Puno-Scythic name or title fynonimous to "Age: thus the Perfic Cofrou, a title of their ancient Kings, in Irish is written Cofrach, i. e. mighty, powerful, victorious, corrupted by the modern into Cofcarachd. Khofrou, ou, Cofroe, nom commune a pleufieurs Rois de Perfe. (D'Herbelot)-Armeni dicunt Chuefreu, quod vetus Parthicum vocabulum fuiffe non dubito, nam Haicana lingua nobis veterem Parthicam confervavit. (Bayer, Hift. Ofrh.)

Shinaar or Shingara was in Mefopotamia, then in poffeffion of the Magogian Scythians; they had also extended themselves into Arabia and been feated early on the Perfian Gulph. Grotius brings Arioch from the Elifari of Arabia, mentioned by Ptolemy, and Bronchartus declares it is very uncertain where this City was. Elam was in Arabia. Elim locus in deferto trans mare ru

brum.

brum. (Hieronym. Eufeb. &c.) By Elam in Scripture, fays Dr Blayney, in his tranflation of Jeremiah, is not always meant Perfia: before the days of Cyrus, there were two diftinct Kingdoms fo called.

Various are the opinions of the learned, where Thadal King of the Goim dwelt, and of the meaning of the word Goim: Grotius and Heidagar are of opinion it was the name of a people or province. Drufius thinks, that Mofes intended to fignify a mixture of ftrange people, whofe King was named Thadal. Symmachus, who was a Samaritan by birth, and must allowed to have been well informed of the opinions of Orientalifts, fays, they were Scythians.

Eupolemus another author of great repute, fays they were all Armenians, which is faying they were Scythians. (a) I am of opinion the Goim were Scythians or Armenians, feated fomewhere in Oman, which was the name of the Sea Coast from the Perfian Gulph, round the Eastern Ocean, and along the Eastern border of the Red Sea or Arabian Gulph; of which hereafter, when we treat of the Fir-bolg. Goim is the plural of Goi which in Hebrew, Chaldee and Irifh, implies a foreigner; (b)-but I take Goim to be a Scythian word, here used by Mofes; viz. Go-am, feafaring people, fynonimous to Scuth-aoi or Ship

(a) Eufeb. de præb. Evang. p. 418, cum appetitos bello Phænices Armenii fuperaffent, ipfumque Abraami nepotem captivum abducerunt, &c. &c.

(b) Whence the Irish named the Gauls and first inhabitants of the British Islands Goi-ban or Guiban, that is the fair-haired foreigners; hence Gui-ban, is Britain. See the laft No. of the Collectanea. Shawes Irish Dictionary, &c. &c.

people,