Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/46



AFTER the universal deluge, the three sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth, fixed for a period in the country about Mount Ararat, upon which, it will be recollected by all conversant with ancient tradition, that the ark of their highly favoured parent first settled on the subsiding of the waters. Here they multiplied considerably, and the anger of the Almighty against the sinful children of men, being appeased, fertility again covered the face of the earth, and peace and joy once more took possession of the bosoms of its inhabitants. Shem was the first to break the intimate union which subsisted between the families of his brethren and his own. Observing the rapidity with which the little community increased, he assembled his family, and communicating to the several members of it his intentions, he bade adieu to his brethren, and accompanied by his