Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

3l6 THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
God's deal-"* "And in like manner did God Almighty do
Noah.
""'* "unto the men of Noah after He had blessed them,
"and had multiplied them, and had heaped upon
"them the blessings of the earth. But after they
"had filled their habitations with the gifts of His
"mercy for a long time, they then forsook His
"loving-kindness, and sinned against His covenant.
"And having slumbered a long time He over-
"whelmed them with wrath, and sent upon them
"[the water of] the heavens from above, and bitter
"waters from beneath the earth, and He drowned
"them in the waters of the Flood and in a storm
so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet
sounds, that ravished the heart. Then he gathered compan-
ies upon companies to play on them ; and when they played,
it pleased well the children of Cain, who inflamed themselves
with sin among themselves, and burnt as with fire; while
Satan inflamed their hearts one with another^ and increased
lust among them. Satan also taught Genun to bring strong
drink out of corn; and this Genun used to bring together
companies upon companies in drink-houses ... . Then sin
increased among them greatly; until a man married his own
sister or daughter, or mother, and others; or the daughter
of his father's sister, so that there was no more distinction
[of relationship], and they no longer kr.ew what is iniquity".
Malan, Book of Adam and Eve, ii. XX. i. £f. In these days
the people were given wholly over to fornication, for they
were not liable to pay tribute, as they had neither prince nor
governor. There was nothing but eating, and drinking, and
lasciviousness, and drunkenness, and singing, and dancing, and
devilish play, and the laughter which delighted the friends,
and the wanton cries of men neighing for women, and of
women neighing for men. Bezold, Schatzhohk, p. 7.