Quod vero ad Balam feu Ballam fpectat, cæterafque quas recenfuimus urbes, quibus una fuiffe videtur origo nominis, illa fi quid rectè fentio, minime a Græco eft, nam BAAAQ jaculor, nullam mihi ingerit imaginem, quæ in urbium fundatione nomen illis effecerit; nempe hæc vel a conditione, vel ab eorum religione, feu a loci natura, demum ab auguriis petebantur. Putamur potius Ballam feu Balam effe a radice (Ball) mifcere feu confundere, quæ notio optimè conveniebat urbibus illis, quæ a multorum populorum una coëuntium concurfu fuerunt conftitutæ, ut omen faceret concordiæ, quemadmodum omnibus par gratia referebatur. Hanc ipfam ideam explicat nobis vox medio ævo frequenter ufitata ad oppida denominanda, quæ ex multis una confluentibus incolis conftituta funt. Quia vero in urbium fundatione hæc populorum commixtio fæpe accidebat, huic a lingua, quæ omnibus tunc communis erat, inde nomen Ballae, feu Balae, factum fuiffe exiftimo.'

Pafferus has certainly given us the true meaning of this word; hence in the Chaldæan language 10- Bol-fuph nomen proprium loci in Babylonia ubi confufus fuit fermo, which was afterwards named Borfoph; whence the adage Ex quænam terra eso de Borfoph-Ne dicas mihi fic, fed de o Bolfuph, nam ibi confudit deus labium univerfæ terræ. (b)

In like manner the Latins formed the word Urbs from y Oreb, mixtio, mifcellanea turba, minus aptè ergo Latini duxerant Urbs, ab Urvo, i. e. ab aratri curvatura circumducti. (Tomaffin.)

(b) Vide Beres-rabba. Sect. 38.

The

The word Bali never entered the Celtic dialect: it was caught at by a Welsh author, who is corrected by Dr. Davies in his Welsh dictionary. (c) Bala, fays he, is caput fluminis è lacu fluentis. The Doctor may be right with refpect to his own dialect, but in the Irish and Phænician, it has a contrary meaning; when applied to a river, it derives from another word, viz. i Beol, Phæn. and Beol, Irish, the mouth: the embouchure of a river, the exit into the fea, where meeting an oppofite current, the water ftagnates for a while and depofits great banks of fand, which are called Bela, and Bull, as Beal-feafda, now Belfast. Bela at the

mouth of the Shannon: the North and South Bulls of Dublin harbour. (d)

Ball fignifying a town, a city, a mixture of people, is common to moft oriental nations, as

Z-bal, a habitation.

Bala, an inhabitant.

Hebrew.

Malayan.

Tartar Calmuc.

Tartar-Jakut.

Malabar.

Bal-gafum, a town.
Balagan, a house.
Balli, a temple.

Palle, a village. Talenga.

It is the Etrufcan Vola or Vela, fometimes written Velia, i. e. oppidum, aut Arx. Hence Volaterra, Volcae, Volumnius, Voltumna, Velfinium, Felfina, Veletras, Velabrum, Velia, &c. &c. See Amadutius, Lex. Voc. Etrufcarum.

(c) Price tranflates Bala Pagus; fed qua ratione hoc dicat non video, nifi exiftimat fieri a Lat. Villa. Davies.

(d) Hence Punicè & Arabice ya bela eft aquæ vortex, quo paves abforbentur. Bochart.

СНАР.

CHAP. XI. SECT. I.

I. Of Paganism in General. General plan of Idalatry, formed before the difperfion.

II. Of the Pagan Religion of the Ancient Irish.

IT

T is impoffible to draw any Arguments of the affinity of one pagan nation with another; because there was evidently one general principle univerfally adopted by all pagan nations throughout the world. A good and a bad Genius; a mediator between; the worship of the Sun, Moon, and Heavenly hoft, of the Elements and of Angels that prefided over the Elements, conftitutes the Religion of all pagan Nations: to which we may add, that their philofophers and priests acknowledged one invifible Jah or Effence, that governed the reft.

From fome local additaments, from the names of Deities, of Priests, Sacrificators, and from the fixed Festivals, fome idea may be formed, but of these there must appear an uniform System, because the principles of all Idolaters having been the fame originally, it was matter of complacence in one nation to adopt the name of the attribute of any Deity, in a foreign tongue; and when they did not thoroughly understand the name, they

were

were fo fure of being in the right, that they named the Deity, the Deus ignotus.

If the general principles of Idolatry are the fame with all Pagan Nations, and I think it is pretty clear they are fo, it is the strongest confirmation of the words of the divine and infpired Mofes, who informs us, that at one time after the Flood, all mankind were together in one place, of one Speech, (and of one religion, for fo I underftand the Text.) And that all apoftatized from the True God, excepting one family, who did Heber, i. e. fecede from, or depart, and Peleg i. e. divide (in opinion) from the reft, and on which account, mankind were divided throughout the Earth. Whilft the aforefaid family of Heber did continue in the true faith, and in the fame place. Non dubitandum nec diffitendum quin Eber ejufque familia Orthodoxiam tenuerint. (a) And this agrees with the opinion of most of the Rabbins, and other learned men. Cham verò primus fuit qui invenit Idola arte fabrefacta, & primus qui in mundum introduxit fervitutem alienam & docuit homines familiæ fub cultum ignis. (b)

Tempore Phaleghi ædificata fuiffe templa & in eis Principum Statuas pro diis adoratas fuiffe. (c) So that from the days of Cham's abominable invention to the days of Pheleg, mankind were jarring

(a) Hyde, Vet. Rel. Perf. p. 55.

-

(b) In L. Magghon haggiborim, i. e. Scutum fortium. Kirch. Obelifc. Pamph. p. 14. And with this opinion agrees the Arabian Abeneph. Fuit autem Cham filius Noæ & primus oftendit cultum Idolorum & in mundum primus introduxit Magicas artes & nomen ejus Zorafter, ipfe Adris fecundus, hoc eft IgnifperpeLib de facr. Hift. Ægypt.

tuus.

(c) V. Beda in Chronico.

and

and quarrelling about this false religion, till being fixed, probably by Royal mandate, they did divide and scatter over the earth, carrying with them one and the fame Religion.

There must have been fome general plan or scheme of Idolatry, with refpect both of philofophy and worship, agreed on in the main, among the heads of the heathen tribes, before their difperfion. (d) For, if they had gone off believers, as Ab. Pluche fuppofes them to have done, they would have continued fo: Or, if after their new fettlements made, they had changed their religion or philofophy, it would have been impoffible for paganifm to have retained fo many mutual likenees and agreements, as we find it to have had in the main, all the world over: because, the feveral Colonies falling off by themselves, (as Ab. Pluche fuppofes the Egyptians to have done) each would have invented a religion and philofophy for themfelves, as unlike thofe of others, as were their feveral faces, languages, and characters of writing. (c) But,

(d) Holloway.

(e) The Revd. Mr. Jackfon obferves, it is the glory and happinefs of the ancient Chinese, that they were entirely free from Idolatry, when all the known Kingdoms of the world befides were corrupted in it. He grounds his affertion on a passage of Martinius, that they were not allowed to make any Image of the fupreme God, or of the miniftring Spirits. (Chronology, V. 2. P. 416.) (Martinius, L. 1. p. 11.) We have fhewn from as good authority, that they reprefented the Great God by the Mup or Muidhr of the Irish and Mahoody of the Gentoosthis was the general image or figure of the Generative faculty, revolver, &c. it was univerfal, and part of the original Babylonish System-The Egyptian Obelisk was of this conftruction.