Of the land of Egupt, the above suffices; and of Par‘si‘e and Heleste these things are the chief part, regarding the dominion of Osiris, Baal and Ashtaroth, namely: Because of the persecutions of Faithists, shepherd kings, and Listians, these people fled into Par‘si‘e and Heleste for hundreds of years, and they built cities and established kingdoms.
And none of these accepted the Lord, or God, or De‘yus, but for the most part worshipped the Great Spirit. Nevertheless, they were not Faithists in purity; for they engaged in war and did not live in communities, with rab‘bahs as rulers, but dwelt together in the manner of warriors.
The duty of subjugating these people to Osiris, Savior of mortals, was committed to Baal and Ashtaroth. So Baal and Ashtaroth, finding them stubborn in the worship of the Great Spirit, finally resolved to make them destroy one another, in the same manner as Te-in, in Jaffeth, and Sudga, in Vind‘yu; and they asked Osiris for armies of warring angels for that purpose. Osiris gave them the following great angel generals and high captains:
Jah, Apollon-ya, Petoris, Pluton-ya, Hi-ram, Ben, Yu-be, Ali-jah, Ares, Sa‘wang, T‘crono, Afro-dite, Argo, Oyeb, Nadar, Abel, Said, Ar-ti-mis, Yact-ta-roth, Wab, Josh and Haur; and besides these there were the following deserters from Te-in and Sudga, namely: Clue, Jon, I-sa-ah, Yam-yam, Luth, Bar, Hote, Ki-dom, Athena, Hira, Oke-ya-nos, Hermes, Posee-ya-don, Ura-na, Hace, T‘sodus, Rac-Rom, Mi-kak, Tol, Taes, Wo-wouski, Sur, Ala-jax and Hesmoin.
And Baal and Ashtaroth cast lots for each of the above generals and captains, choosing by taking turns, until they were divided equally between them. And Osiris gave Baal and Ashtaroth, each five hundred million warring angels. And thus armed, they descended to the earth, to the objectionable regions of Par‘si‘e and Heleste. In those days, these great divisions of the earth were divided into many nations and kingdoms.
And a kingdom was not measured according to the land, but according to the number of cities that paid tribute to the central city; though some kingdoms had only one city.
These, then, are some of the largest cities that Baal and Ashtaroth decided to destroy: Su-yan, with five tributary cities; Lakao, with two tributaries; Haugun, with eight tributaries; Waas, with three; Lowga, with six; Tol, with six; Sun, with five; Tos, with four; Troy, with six; Abed, with two; Athena, with twelve; Hess, with four; Ituna, with twelve; Fado, with ten; Tuna, with seven; and Wa‘ke‘at, with seven. And besides these there were many large cities without any tributary cities, which were also doomed to everlasting destruction.
The first great cities that were turned to war on each other were Haugun and Lowga, Ashtaroth choosing Haugun and Baal choosing Lowga.
These two cities were both of more than four hundred years‘ standing, and each contained a half million inhabitants, besides their tributary cities. Tojak was king of Haugun; he was the son of Soma, who was the son of Atyis, the necromancer. And of Lowga, Turwea was king; he was the son of Diah, son of Bawn, the philosopher.
When Baal and Ashtaroth, with their armies from heaven, came near these cities, they halted and built a temporary kingdom in the mountains of Zoe.
Baal said to Ashtaroth: Behold, you have had the choice of cities, give me the first assault?
Ashtaroth said: On your own terms these battles shall be, and I will beat you. To it, then; set on Lowga.
Baal went to Turwea in his dreams and told him his son was waylaid by the people of Haugun, and, moreover, that Tojak had decided to advance upon him and possess the city. When Turwea awoke, he was troubled by his dream, and he inquired of the oracle concerning the matter. Ashtaroth had possession of the oracle, and she answered the king, saying: You are of the seed of the Faithists, why fear a dream? But be cautious regarding your dreams; do not tell your son, for today he goes on the hunt, and your words might bring about that which otherwise might not be. The king went his way, but Ashtaroth sent inspiring spirits to the king, saying: It would be wise to caution your son. And the king went and cautioned his son.
Ashtaroth then went to Tojak‘s wife, and gave her a dream in which the Prince of Lowga went on a hunt, to all appearances, but really came near Haugun for a very different reason, which was no less than the slaying of herself and husband. The queen awoke suddenly in fear, and told the king her dream. Tojak said:
Foolish woman; it was only the fault of your diseased blood, which, coursing the heart, gave you a foolish dream. Tojak dismissed the matter. The next day, the angels kept inspiring the queen to send her servants to the place of her dreams, to which she acceded; and her servants were armed with spears, and instructed to kill, as if by accident, whoever came their way.
Thus it came to pass that Turwea‘s son was slain. Turwea inquired of the oracle, and was answered by Ashtaroth, saying: Why do you come to me for comfort; is it not your own fault that your son is dead? I said to you: Do not mention the matter of your dream to your son, for it often happens that telling of a thing brings it to pass.
Turwea said: I am justly rebuked, O Apollon-ya! But tell me, you who know all things, since one part of my dream has come true, may not the other part, and, in truth, Tojak comes to possess my kingdom? Ashtaroth said: If I tell you, you will blab it about, and do nothing in your own defense. Turwea then made an oath to obey the oracle; so she commanded him to march with all his army against Tojak, and demand satisfaction at once in ten thousand lives, to balance the loss of the prince.
This ended Ashtaroth‘s part with the city of Lowga; and now she went to Haugun, while Baal took charge of Lowga, sending his legions of angels to the people of Lowga, to inspire them with madness because their prince was slain.
Ashtaroth, on her part, now assumed control of the oracle in Haugun, and sent her warring angels to the people of the city, advising them of the justice of slaying the prince, because he had come not on a hunt, but to slay the king and the queen. And Ashtaroth, further, told the king, Tojak: Try me as to my truthfulness: Behold, in two days the warriors of Turwea will be at your city‘s gates; be ready for them and drive them away, or lo, your city wall will be reduced to dust and ashes.
Of course the prophecy of Ashtaroth came true, and Tojak now believed he was in the protection of the Gods. The queen said to him: A matter of weight is on my mind, O king: I commanded my servants to slay the prince, for the Gods showed me that only by this could your life and mine be preserved.
The king, Tojak, justified the queen, saying: You have been the preserver of my life and yours.
Baal, God of Lowga, marched the mortal armies against the city of Haugun, while Ashtaroth marched the armies of Haugun to battle against them.
And thus, as mortals play a game with sticks and pegs, so did this God and Goddess play a game with the mortals of these two great cities; played give and take to see the battles lost or won; and they used their legions of angels to inspire the mortals on, or to make them, at times, turn and flee. And while the Gods rested, amusing themselves by feasting and by talking over the sport of mortal death, the two great cities would also gain a little rest, but only to renew the bloody work.
For four years the Gods and angels kept these two mortal cities at war; and though they lay a day‘s journey apart, all the way in between was strewn with the bones of the slain. And in four years they were reduced to dust and ashes; and as to the people of the last year, mostly they were inoculated with the poisoned air of the dead, and they died also. And yet it came to pass that Baal beat Ashtaroth in this battle of death, for he caused all his people to be slain, while a few of Ashtaroth‘s remained.
In that manner, Baal and Ashtaroth pursued the other great cities of Par‘si‘e and Heleste. And the time it took to destroy any two or three cities varied from two years to ten years. But for the destruction of Athena and Troy it required twelve years. And for the destruction of Ituna and Fado it required eleven years. Between Su-gun and Lakao it required two years to bring them to war. Between Athena and Troy it required three years to bring them to war. Two hundred vampires, angels of lust, were set upon a prince of Troy, and in desperation he was driven to kidnap an Athenian princess, who was led to exposure by Baal‘s angel hosts. In this great battle Ashtaroth won the game, having succeeded in having all of the Trojans destroyed.
In the war between Tos and Sun, which lasted nine years, it was an even game, for both cities were entirely destroyed and all the people in them, and also their tributary cities as well. But the city of Tol was destroyed within itself, for there was no city near enough to war upon it. The angels brought virus from the dead of other regions, and inoculated the breath of the people of Tol, and their flesh festered, and they died of disease instead of war.
The whole time of destruction was one hundred and six years; and after that, Par‘si‘e and Heleste were wasted and desert, and wild beasts coursed the country far and near.
Osiris had said I will make the land of Egupt the greatest country in the world; I will have the place of my dominion near at hand. Satan had said to Osiris: If you do not destroy Par‘si‘e and Heleste, behold, Baal and Ashtaroth will rebel against you, choosing these lands for their own kingdoms.
Jehovih had said: I created man blank, as to good and evil, and gave him liberty. And I gave liberty also to the spirits of the dead. But these spirits set themselves up as Gods; and to glorify themselves used mortals in their own way. For they found that mortals could be turned to good or evil, to war or to peace, to virtue or to lust, according to the inspiration of the angels watching over them.
But in this I provided a remedy also, and without abridging liberty, which was, that the Gods, in contention for mortal souls, would quarrel and ultimately destroy their own heavenly kingdoms; from which, angels and mortals could escape from bondage. ||
And this was so. Te-in, Sudga and Osiris, even while their wars and machinations were going on with mortals, were scheming for mastery in hada, each to overthrow the others, and involve them in ruin. And it thus came to pass that a triangular war ensued in these two heavens, in which more than ten billion warring angels were engaged hundreds of years. For, as mortals engage in corporeal warfare, so do angels engage in es‘sean warfare. For though they cannot kill one another, they can bind and enslave and cast one another into hells, and surround them with never-ending fire, so they cannot escape. And the warring Gods send their armies forth to make captives of their enemies, who, when seized, are either made into subjects, or else cast into torments. And these armies of warring angels, hundreds of millions strong, go into the kingdom of another God, and from its suburban districts, carry away the subjects, with all their acquisitions. And yet at times these raiding armies venture too far, and are themselves captured and cast into torments.
In times of which madness, no voice from Jehovih‘s angels can gain an attentive ear among them; even the same as when mortal kings are at war: Were one to say to them: Behold, Jehovih is All Peace! they would even curse Jehovih and peace. Even so do the fighting angels threaten and curse if one of Jehovih‘s holy ones interposes in peace and love.
As like a burning fever or canker worm that needs to run its course, before a healing balm can do good, so Jehovih permits the Gods to pursue their reign, till, helpless, they fall, environed in the harvest they sowed. For to every man and woman born, a time comes on earth or in heaven, when sore disaster, if nothing else, will cast him helpless in agony, to make him own the Mighty Power Who created him; and make him supplicate in pity for some helping hand to lead him safely to the All Person‘s pleading Voice. Then he is ready to listen; to turn from Gods, Lords, Saviors, and Sons, who profess to save; and to stand upright before the Father, and learn to know Him, and willingly learn peace, love, reason and truth.
Jehovih has said: In every soul I made a door, and in this My Light shines. Here My Voice speaks; but they turn away, and go after those who speak to the external ear; a serpent bites them, and they are cast in poison and in death!
Man on the earth has said: I will not heed Your still small voice, O Jehovih, which speaks to the soul; I will obey the king who leads on to war, and, with loud noises and violent oaths, pursues death-dealing as a virtuous trade. Not You, O Jehovih, shall be my master, but the king, who has great pageantry. Behold, I will stand in his great armies, or be led on to death, even as the king wills me; for he is my Savior and my defense. His Gods shall be my Gods; his Lords my Lords; his Savior my Savior; by blood and heroic butcheries I will prove my loyalty.
And even so have billions of angels in hada said: Not the still small voice of my soul will I obey; but yonder gaudy God, whose sacredness is so great none can approach him except by crawling on their bellies! He shall be my Lord and Savior; his battles shall be my battles; to feed the hells of hada with his enemies shall be my trade.
Jehovih has said: Even to those who choose darkness and evil, I have given liberty also; for they shall learn by experience, in time to come, that all these guides and leaders, whether they are kings, or Gods, or Lords, or Saviors, are only snares, from whom, sooner or later, they must turn in order to rise out of the hells they have built for others. For, because they put Me at a distance, or denied My Person, or called Me Void like the wind, I do not cut them off; but they cut themselves off from Me, and thus fall into torments.
About the time Baal and Ashtaroth had destroyed the inhabitants of the earth in Par‘si‘e and Heleste, they applied to Osiris, demanding promotion to separate kingdoms of their own. They said:
You know in truth that for the sake of confederacy we merged our own kingdoms into yours; to make you powerful against the wars of Te-in and Sudga in heaven. And to do your will we have laid desolate the mortal kingdoms of Par‘si‘e and Heleste. For which things you promised us from the beginning that we would have great kingdoms in heaven.
Now behold, heaven is only one vast scene of war! And this also we perceive, that the mighty contests are without any prospect of ending. As these heavenly wars raged hundreds of years ago, even so do they this day. Too, the heavenly forces are becoming less disciplined and less scrupulous from year to year.
By evidence of which it is plain that your heavens, and Te-in‘s, and Sudga‘s, will sooner or later be cast into interminable hells. To prevent which, we ask of you, our God, to give us each a section to ourselves, and we will subdue the places and govern them in our own way.
Osiris answered them, saying: Of all the Gods, who, other than I, has done a hand‘s turn to raise mortal subjects to a higher plane? Te-in‘s course was destruction; so was Sudga‘s. And by much importuning you two persuaded me to have the mortals of Par‘si‘e and Heleste destroyed. And now, in the time when most of all we should be united, you importune me to have my great kingdom disrupted and divided. Do you not perceive that we have the balance of power in our favor? And also, if in these troublous times you espouse new kingdoms, we will all be at the mercy of Te-in and Sudga.
For which reasons I beseech you both to postpone the matter till we have driven our enemies from our doors. Let us be faithful to the confederacy.
Now in this affair Baal and Ashtaroth did not come to Osiris in person, but, as if ashamed of their own proposal, sent messengers. And yet, on the other hand, Osiris did not invite them to his kingdom.
Ashtaroth said to Baal: See what Osiris has done! He treats us as children; giving us sweet promises if we will only keep right on serving him. I tell you, Baal, you may serve Osiris; but from this time forward I am none of his! Behold, I will mark out a kingdom of my own, and I will establish it and rule it in my own way. Moreover I will send word to Te-in and Sudga; and if Osiris balks me, they shall know his vulnerable points.
Baal said: Even so will I; and I will establish a kingdom alongside of yours, and if our enemies attack us we can better defend ourselves.
So said, so done. And Baal marked out for his heavenly kingdom the expanse over Heleste and northwestern Arabin‘ya; and Ashtaroth marked out for her heavenly kingdom the expanse over Par‘si‘e and northeastern Arabin‘ya. And the two no sooner chose their generals and captains, and founded their heavenly thrones, than they sent word to Osiris and to Te-in and to Sudga.
This, in turn, triggered a general dismemberment of these mighty kingdoms. In Osiris‘ heaven, one Kabbath revolted, taking the name Thammus. He was a general, whom tens of thousands of angel officers delighted to serve. He marked out his heavenly place over western Egupt, and established his throne and officers, and had himself proclaimed to mortals through the oracles as THE ONLY SON OF THE GREAT SPIRIT, THE SAVIOR OF MEN.
Teos-judas also revolted from Osiris, and established a heavenly kingdom over South Arabin‘ya (Africa). Besides these there were: Marcus, Delos, Acta, Hebron, De-bora, Julta, Wab, Thais and D‘nor, great generals and captains in Osiris‘ heavenly kingdom, all of whom revolted and began setting up heavenly kingdoms of their own.
And in Sudga‘s heavenly kingdom more than one thousand generals and captains revolted and began to establish heavenly kingdoms of their own. Of these the most prominent were: Judsa, Vishnu, Eorata, Chrisna, Histaga, Vivaulias, Hiras, Haroyu, Ahhoma, V‘ractu and Tivirassa.
And in Te-in‘s heavenly kingdom more than eight hundred generals and captains revolted, and established kingdoms of their own. Of these the most powerful were: Chong, Ho-Tain, Dyut, Cow, Ghan, Su-Lep, Djhi, Hiss, Me Lee, Wang, Hop-jee and Kaab.
And all the revolted ones called themselves Gods or Lord or Saviors, and endeavored to establish an earthly habitation as well. And all of them took with them millions and millions and tens of millions of angel followers; and some of them had more than a hundred million subjects to start with.
So anarchy began to reign in hada. Order was broken down; warfare was divided in a thousand ways, and neither angels nor Gods could discover anymore what this war or that war was about, other than to inflict torments on others. And so great was the conflict that in more than half the earth, all the lowest heaven was nothing but one continuous succession of knots and hells. To inflict pain, disorder and destruction was the work of twenty billion angels in darkness; war, war, war; hell, hell, hell!
And now, alas, over all the earth where war had reveled hundreds of years, billions of spirits were in chaos, not knowing in fact they were in the spirit world, but still battling against all who came along, to the left and to the right, before and behind, screaming, bawling with madness, striking out in madness, in unceasing agony, in an unending nightmare of madness.
And from among the mighty hosts of darkness, the drujas, deep born in darkness, now pestering the people on earth, were hundreds of millions of familiars taking to fetalism! Vampire spirits who suck the blood and the flesh of mortals till the brain and heart are wild and mad! Till the mortal is driven to nameless deeds of horrors, desperate with the foul obsession. Spirits who bring poison and horrid smells to afflict mortals; spirits who delight to feed on mortal flesh corrupted with scabs and running sores. Spirits who teach reincarnation and lust as the highest, most exalted heaven.
And now the mighty hosts of Anuhasaj, alias De‘yus, the Lord God, the false, broke in on every side, and spread here and there, searching for foulness and for fuel to feed their thousands of hells.
And these, in remembrance of Osiris‘ hated name and treachery, went for his great kingdom, followed by billions of angels, desperate from long-continued slavery, roused for deeds of vengeance. Forth into his capital, Agho‘aden, they rushed, beating down the pillars of fire and high archways, and rushing into the throne of Osiris, seized him and his vice-Gods and high marshals and dragged them off and cast them into foul-smelling hells, hideous with the wail and roar of maniacs and tormented drujas, and with kicks and blows and poundings covered them up in foul darkness, heaped deep and smothering in suffocating gases.
Then off ran other legions for Te-in and his high officers, and to pillage his kingdom. And him and them they seized and bore off in triumph to equally horrid hells. And then for great Sudga others ran, even more desperate for vengeance‘ sake; and him they also caught, despoiling his mighty kingdom, and cast him into hell.
And now the earth and her heavens crossed the boundaries of the ji‘ay‘an forests, and rolled slowly towards the homes and dominions of other etherean Gods.