Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1853-01-27
LUCIAN'S ACCOUNT OF THE DELUGE.


Lucisn, who resided among the Greeks
of Alexandra, who also wrote in the Greek
language, and was a native Of Syria, relates,
tha, Gin the age of the ScvlhiaD Deucalion,"
by which epIlhet he plainly means 10 dis
tingulshed him from the Greek Dencalon
ol a latter period, as the flood in question
must, doubtless, be understood of different
de!uge from that partial one which over
whelmed Thessaly, call mankind perished
in general inundali"n of globe" Speak
ing of the temple of Hierapolis in Syria, he
observes, "many persons assert that this
temple was erected by Deucalion, the Scy-
THAN lha, Deucalion in whose days the
grand inundalion Of waters took place.
have heard in Greece what the Grecians
say concerning this Deucalion. The story
they relate is as follows: The present race
OF men is no! the first, for they totally per
lshed: but is second generation, which,
being descended from Deucalinn, increased
to a great multitude. Now of the former
race OF men they relate this story; they were
insolenl, and addted to unjus, actions for
they neither kept their oaths, nor were hos
pItablc TO strangers, nor gave ear 10 suppli
ants for which reason this grea, calamity
hefell them. On sudden the earth poured
forth vast quantity Of water, great show
ers fell, the rivers oyethowed, and The sea
arose 10 a prodigious height, SO that ALL
THINGS BECAME WATER, and all men were
destroyed only Deucalion was left TO Sc
cond generation. On account Of his pru-
dence and pletv, he was saved in this man
ner: he went into large ark or chest which
he had fabricated, together with his sons
and their wives and when he was in, there
entered swine, aud horses, and lions, and
serpen,s, and all other creatures which were
on earth by pairs. He received them all.
and they did him no hurt; for the gods cre-
a,ed great friendship among them, so that
they sailed all In one chest while the waters
prevailed. These things The Greeks relate
Of Deucalion. Blu: as 10 wha, happened
after this, there is ancient tradition among
those Of l1ierapolis, which deserves admir-
alton, viz: ,la. in their country great chasm
opened, and received all the water; where
upon, sDencalion ERECTED ALTERS, and
built the temple Of Juno over the chasm.-
This chasm ! have seen, and il is very
small one, under the temple, whether j, was
i"IWetty greater, ana since lesseneu, can
not tell but lha, which ! have seen is no,
large. In commemoralion of this history,
they pracliced this ceremonial rite twice
in every year water is brought from the sea
TO the temple and not by The priests only,
bu. by The Inhabitants Of SYRIA and Arabia
many come from beyond Euphraes to the
sea, end all carry water, which they first
pour ou. in the temple, and afterwards il
sinks into the chasm, which, though i. be
small, receives abundance of water. And
when they do this, they say Deucalon in
stiluted the ceremony in that temple, ss
memorial of The calamity, and Of his deliv
erance from n.'-Lucian, de Dea Syria, p.
,S02. VIDE the commentators on the pour
ing of water brough. from Silosm-John
vii, 81, &c. l-CALMET.