The Perfian empire, from the birth of Caiamurath, com prehends (t) The reigns of men in Egypt, according to Manetho (u), From the deluge, according to George of Trebifond, From that epoch, according to the Indians themselves hap- age, From the deluge, according to the Septuagint version, d'Anquetil and father Tieffenthaler (y), Y. B. C. 3547 3901 3545 3734 350 3101 3299 3188 The genealogy of the kings of Cachemire (≈), 3215 From the deluge, by the Samaritan calculation, 2998 From the first commencement of the Chinese empire by 2953 Fohi, and the firft existence of men (aa), From the foundation of Tyre, according to Herodotus, 2783 I shall not diffemble, that according to my opinion feveral centuries must still be defalcated from all of thefe fupputations: but should we even not conteft calculations fo apparently uncertain, we have here an estimation of the times elapfed between the deluge and Jefus Chrift, by an author who cannot be fufpected of a defire of shortening them, which in no instance reaches to 4000 years, and on a medium of all these calculations does not produce 3500. Other means ftill remain of determining whether, in fact, the epocha of the deluge should be carried higher or brought lower, These are, the examination of the events which are pretended to fill up the spaces of this high antiquity, and of the perfonages who appear to occupy the firft ages of these chronologies; but above allthe ftate, progrefs, and establishment of nations, and a general review of the state of the world in times more recent and confequently better known. From these we may regulate our judg ment on the more or less considerable antiquity which may reafonably be allowed to an event which, having reduced the human race to a very small number, must have nearly produced the effect of a recent creation. In default of more authentic monuments, the gradual population and the progreffive occupation of the earth at different epochas will furnish the most probable indications of its date within a few hundred years. It is evident that the imaginary reigns of the fun and moon, of the gods and demigods, are either entirely ideal or relate to the antediluvian world. If they ought not to be entirely rejected, at least by the avowal of Mr. Bailly, and as appears by feveral paffages of antient authors, the calculation of their years must be greatly curtailed by reducing them to diurnal revolutions of the earth. Even fince the commencement of the reigns of mortals, which in general may be fuppofed to relate to the times elapfed fince the deluge, that author agrees that years of twenty-eight days and of three months must be fometimes applied to feveral periods of these antient chronologies. It appears that years of 60 and of 180 days were also in use in this high antiquity; and confequently it is more than poffible that even in times not quite fo remote reductions will be ftill neceffary to be made, in order to bring their calculations to our prefent ftandard. To diftinguish with precision when these different measures of time are applicable, is impoffible. When preffed by men of learning, the Egyptian priests have fometimes unveiled part of their fecret; but to the vulgar they ftill maintained the whole feries of years comprehended in their computations to have been really folar years. To fill up this long fucceffion of ages by a list of generations which might answer to it, they, as Sir John Marsham and Sir Ifaac Newton wifely conjecture, placed in fucceffion as reigning over all Egypt the catalogue of petty kings, who after the time of Mofes, either from divifions or partial conquests, or from the general usage of those times, when population became extended, reigned at the same time over divers parts of the country, at Coptos, Thebes, This, or Elephantis in the higher Egypt, and over other diftricts of the lower, until again re-united into one kingdom under Mifphragmutofis, moft pro bably bably in the thirteenth century before Christ (bb). The pretended annals of these antient times, compofed of a lift of names without facts, or with the fame facts repeated, fhew this to evidence. Without even giving themfelves fo much trouble, they often invented imaginary fucceffions of kings. The ftatues of 330 kings and of 330 high priests fhewn to (cc) Herodotus in the temple of Memphis, many of whom must have exifted long before Memphis itself was built, clearly prove how anxious they were to perpetuate their falfehoods. The first of these tricks feems alfo to have been exercised by the Chinese chronologers. For fome time it was the fashion to expatiate on the high antiquity of that nation. The firft miffionaries, willing to exalt the glory and importance of a people whom they firft brought to the knowledge of Europeans, and who had received them with such distinction, contributed, from felf-vanity (dd), to give credit to fables rejected by the learned of the country itself, who agree that the only part of their history to which any confidence can be given rises no higher than fome ages before Confucius, who lived 550 years before Chrift; that is to say, as late as with us (ee). I will even venture to affert, that, excepting what relates to that morality which is engraven in the hearts of all men of all ages, the subject matter of the writings of this celebrated philofopher, as well as his annals, fhews an age and country very little enlightened. There is even a greater uncertainty in the hiftory of this than of any other people. All their antient annals, without excepting those of Confucius, doomed to deftruction by the emperor Chihoangti 213 years before Chrift, were patched together 73 years after, by order of Vu-ti, from remnants of mutilated and difperfed copies, or from the memory of the few learned men who could furvive that long. interval; or rather from the traditions preserved by their children. For this reafon the authors of the Kangmo, or great annals of the empire, the most esteemed hiftoriographers of that nation, fix the commencement of their truly authentic history and certain chrono-logy to three or four centuries before Chrift. Mr. Sale, one of the moft learned co-operators in the antient univerfal history, and, fince that, Mr. De Guignes, both of them truly learned in the oriental languages, have drawn from the text itself of the more antient pretended annals of China the moft complete proofs of their falfity. In. thefe chronicles it is faid, that one of their kings firft drew men from caves and hollow trees to inhabit huts made of reeds, and firft subftituted corn to wild fruits and acorns. Some of his fucceffors are cited as the inventors of the firft rude arts, gradually perfectioned under a long lift of kings, without other facts. Several ages after,. comes another king who again draws men from caverns, followed by other fucceffors who again invent the fame arts. From hence we may boldly conclude, that, like the Egyptians, the Chinese have placed in fucceffion as reigning over the whole country the feveral dynasties of petty princes reigning independent at the fame time in different parts of the country, though paying homage, as was the cafe in Ireland, to a chief king, whofe family, either from supposed pre-eminence or from election, was looked upon in the fame light as |