therefore, to give all the light I could to the hiftory of the New Teftament, I have added two Chronological Tables, one of the hiftory of our bleffed Saviour, and the other of St. Paul's travels, taken from the tables published by Mr. Marshal, and approved of (to fay no more) by Dr. Lloyd, late Bishop of Worcester, who was generally efteemed one of the moft learned in chronology of his age.

It is alfo to be here further observed, that, whereas in the former editions I followed what is commonly thought the series or course of the hiftory of our Saviour; having fince had occafion to inquire more ftrictly into that matter, (namely, in order to the drawing up of my table of the harmony of the Gofpels lately published,) I have thereby feen caufe to look on the courfe of our Saviour's hiftory commonly followed to be wrong: and therefore to alter and transpose some paffages of our Saviour's journeyings in the former editions.

THE second Part of the Geography of the New Teftament being of the fame nature in general with the first, it is needful only to obferve, that my particular defign is to give a geographical and hiftorical account of the places mentioned, or referred to, in the books of the New Teftament, which follow after the four Gospels. The far greatest number of which places

places being contained in the history or Epiftles of St. Paul, I have diftinguished this fecond Part by the title of the Travels and Voyages of St. PAUL, the Apostle of the Gentiles.

In defcribing the places, I have obferved the fame hiftorical method used in the other Part; ranging them according to the series of time, when they were vifited by St. Paul; this being the most conducive way to illuftrate the hiftory of our Apostle.

Through the whole performance, I have guided myself by the fame measures, as in the first Part. The ancient state of feveral places, which lay without the Holy Land, is taken from Strabo, who lived in the first century; and the prefent ftate is taken chiefly either from Sir Paul Ricaut, or Mr. Maundrell. To Mr. Maundrell we are beholden for the -prefent ftate of Damafcus and Ptolemais, which he vifited in 1697 to Sir Paul Ricaut for the present ftate of the seven Churches in Afia, to which the feven Epiftles, recorded in the Revelation of St. John, were fent; which he vifited in 1678.

WITH refpect to my Geography of the Old Teftament, I need fay no more of the defign of this work in general, and the method obferved therein, than that they are of a like nature with the defign

and

and method of my Geography of the New Tefta

ment.

The most obfervable difference between one work and the other, is this, that in my Geography of the Old Teftament I have found it requifite to have frequent recourse to the Hebrew language, and to make use of fome terms of the Hebrew Grammarians; which because it is likely fome readers may not be acquainted with, I judged this the most place to explain them in.

proper

It is obfervable, that none of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are vowels, there being originally no characters for thefe, as is probable, forafmuch as in the old Hebrew text no vowels are expreffed. The characters, whereby the vowels are expreffed in the present Hebrew Bibles, as also those whereby the confonants are expreffed, were taken from the Chaldeans, and learnt by the Jews, and brought into ufe among them, during the Babylonish captivity. So that what is now-a-days called the Hebrew text is in reality no other than the Hebrew text expreffed in Chaldee characters, whether confonants or vowels. The true old Hebrew characters are those now-a-days called the Samaritan characters; among which, as I faid above, there are none for vowels.

Laftly, it is only further obfervable, as to our present purpose, that the Hebrew letters are diftinguished

xiv

guished into radicals and ferviles. For the Hebrew Grammarians call their primitive words, Radixes, or Roots, as being those from which the derivative words do as it were spring or arise. Hence fuch letters as go to make up the radix or primitive word are called in refpect thereof Radical letters. But fuch other letters as, being added to the radix, ferve to form any derivative word from it, are thence called Servile letters. Now the letters, which most ufually ferve to this purpofe, are contained in this word Heemanti, whence they are called the

Heemantic letters.

What has been here laid before the reader will enable him to have a competent understanding of whatever (if I remember aright) is faid in the following Treatife, with reference to the Hebrew tongue, and will particularly be of great ufe in understanding how to trace out the etymology or derivation of names, and thereby the original of nations. For from what has been observed, it is evident, that in the etymology of names from the Hebrew tongue, the letters of the radix are chiefly, if not solely, to be regarded.

As to what particularly concerns the firft Part of my Geography of the Old Teftament, it is requifite only to obferve to the reader, that, in the account of the fituation of the Garden of Eden, I have taken a great deal from the learned Huet, Bishop of Soiffons in France, as having, I think, wrote best on

that

that fubject. In the account of the original plantations of mankind after the flood, I had received great help from our learned countryman, Mr. Mede, and the learned Frenchman, Monfieur Bochart. As to the description of Noah's ark, it is taken from the famous mathematician, Bifhop Wilkins's tract, inferted by Mr. Pole into his Synopfis Criticorum.

As the first part of my Geography of the Old Testament contains the geography of Genefis, fo the fecond Part contains the geography of the remaining books of Mofes, as alfo of the three following books, Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, and consequently completes the geography of the Octateuch. For under this fingle name are ufually comprehended the eight first books of the Old Testament, as the five firft books are comprehended under the like -name of the Pentateuch.

'The method, as well as defign, of the fecond Part being in the main the fame with that of the first, I need here take notice but of the following particulars.

In drawing up the fecond Part, I judged it proper to take notice therein, folely, or principally, of fuch places, as conduce to the better understanding of the facred hiftory. For this reason I have not trou

bled