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HIS Second Volume, which I now offer to the Publick, carries down the Hiftory of the World to the Exit of the Children of Ifrael out of Egypt. The Method I have kept to is the fame as in the Former Volume; and I have in this, as in the other, interfperfed, as I go along, feveral Digreffions upon fuch Subjects, as either the Scripture Accounts, or the Hints we meet with in Prophane Authors concerning the Times I treat of, fuggefted to me.

Sir Ifaac Newton's Chronology was not publifhed, until after I had finifhed both my former Volume, and the Preface to it; but as his Sentiments upon the ancient Chronology have been fince that time offered to the World, it will become me to endeavour to give fome Reasons for my having formerly, and for my still continuing to differ from him. I am not yet come down to the Times where he begins his Chronology, and for that at Reafon, it would be an improper, as well as a very troublefome Anticipation, to enter into Particulars, which I fhall be able to fet in a much clearer Light, when I fhall give the History

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of the Times which he has fuppofed them to belong to. But fince there are in Sir Ifaac Newton's Works feveral Arguments of a more extenfive InAluence, than to be confined to any one particular Epoch, and which are, in Truth, the main Foundation of his whole Scheme, and do affect the whole Body of the ancient Chronology, I fhall endeavour to confider them here, that the Reader may judge, whether I have already, as well as whether I fhall hereafter proceed rightly, in not being determined by them. The first of them which I fhall mention, is the Aftronomical Argument for fixing the Time of the Argonautic Expedition, formed from the Conftellations of Chiron. This feems to be Demonftration, and to prove incontestably, that the ancient that the ancient Prophane Hiftory is generally carried about 300 Years higher backward than the Truth: The full Force of this Argument is clearly expreffed in the short Chronicle (a) as follows.

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I." Chiron formed the Conftellations for the "Ufe of the Argonauts, and placed the Solftitial "and Equinoctial Points in the fifteenth Degrees "or Middles of the Conftellations of Cancer, "Chela, Capricorn, and Aries. Meton, in the "Year of Nabonaffar 316, obferved the Summer "Solftice in the eighth Degree of Cancer, and "therefore the Solftice had then gone back feven "Degrees. It goes back one Degree in about 61 72 Years, and feven Degrees in about 504 "Years: Count thefe Years back from the Year "of Nabonaffar 316, and they will place the A

gonautic Expedition 936 Years before Chrift. " The Greeks [lays our great and learned Author (b))

(a) See Short Chronicle, p. 25. The Argument is offer'd at large Chronology of the Greeks, p. 83.

(b) Chronology of the Greeks, p. 94.

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placed it 300 Years earlier. The Reader will eafily fee the whole Force of this Argument, Meton, Anno Nabona. 316, found that the Solftices were in the 8th Degrees of the Conftellations; Chiron, at the time of the Argonautic Expedition, placed them in the fifteenth Degrees: The Solstice goes back feven Degrees in 504 Years; from whence it follows, that the Time when Chiron placed the Solftices in the fifteenth Degrees was fo4 Years before Anno Nabona 316, when Meton found that they were in the eighth Degrees.

The Fallacy of this Argument cannot but appear very evident to any one that attends to it; for fuppofe we allow that Chiron did really place the Solftices as Sir Ifaac Newton reprefents, (tho' I think it most probable that he did not fo place them) yet it must be undeniably plain, that nothing can be certainly established from Chiron's Pofition of them, unless it appears that Chiron knew how to give them their true Place. It was eafy for fo great a Mafter of Aftronomy as Sir Ifaac Newton, to calculate where the Solstices ought to be placed in the Year of our Lord 1689 (d), and to know how many Years have paffed fince they were in the fifteenth Degrees of the Conftellations; but tho' we fhould allow, that Chiron imagined them, in his Time, to be in this Pofition, yet, if he really was mistaken in his Imagination, no Argument can be formed from Chiron's Pofition of them; for fuppofing the true Place of the Solftices, in the Days of Chiron, to be in the nineteenth Degrees of the Constellations, it will be evident, from what was the true Place of them in the Year of our Lord 1689, as well as from what was the Place of them Anno Nabonaff. 316, that the Time of Chiron's making his Scheme of the Heavens was about 300 Years earlier than

(d) Ibid. p. 86.

Our

our great and learned Author fuppofes, tho' Chiron erroneously placed the Solfices at that time in the 15th Degrees of the Conftellations, inftead of the 19th; and whether Chiron might not mistake four or five Degrees this way or that way, we may judge from what follows.

Chiron's Skill in Aftronomy was fo imperfect, that we cannot imagine he could find the true Place of the Solstices with any tolerable Exactness. The Egyptians were the first that found out, that the Year confifted of more than 360 Days. Strabo informs (e) us, that the Theban Priests were the most eminent Philofophers and Aftronomers, and that they numbred the Days of the Year, not by the Course of the Moon, but by that of the Sun and that to twelve Months, confifting each of thirty Days, they added five Days, every Year, Herodotus teftifies the fame Thing (f). "The E"gyptians (fays he) were the first that found out "the Length of the Year." And he tells us particularly what they determined to be the true Length of it, namely, "twelve Months of thirty "Days each, and five Days added befides them." Diodorus Siculus fays, The Thebans, (i.e. the "Priests of Thebes in Egypt) were the first that "brought Philofophy and Aftrology to an exact"nefs;" and he adds, "They determined the "Year to confift of twelve Months, each of thirty "Days; and added five Days to twelve fuch

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Months, as being the full Measure of the Sun's "Annual Revolution (g)." And thus, until the Egyptians found out the Miftake, all Aftronomers were in a very great Error, imagining the Sun's Annual Motion to be performed in 360 Days.

(e) Strabo. Geogr. Lib. 17. p. 816. (f) Herodot. Lib. 2. cap.4. (g) Diodor. Sic. Hift. Lib. 1. p. 32. Diodorus indeed mentions the Tapton, or fix Hours, which were added afterwards; but thefe were not accounted to belong to the Year fo early as the five Days.

It may perhaps be here faid, that the Egyptians had improved their Aftronomy before Chiron's Days, and that Chiron may be fuppofed to have been inftructed by them, and fo to have been a pretty good Aftronomer. To this I answer.

If the Egyptians had improved their Aftronomy before Chiron's Time, yet the Greeks were ignorant of this Meafure of the Year, until Thales went to Egypt, and converfed with the Priests of that Nation: Thales, fays Laertius (b), was the first who corrected the Greek Year. And this Opinion of Laertius is confirmed by Herodotus, who reprefents Solon, a Cotemporary of Thales, in his Conference with Crafus very remarkably mistaking the true Measure of the Year. Thales had found out, that the Year confifted of 365 Days; but the exact Particulars of what he had learned in this Point, were not immediately known all over Greece, and fo Solon reprefents to Crafus that the Year confifted of 375 Days; for he reprefents it as neceffary to add a whole Month, i. e. thirty Days, every other Year, to adjust the Year then in ufe to its true Measure (i): The Notion therefore of the received computed Year's being too fhort, was new in Solon's Time: He was apprized that it was fo; but what Thales brought from Egypt upon the Subject, was not yet generally known or understood, and fo Solon made Miftakes in his Gueffes about it. Thales, according to the vulgar Account, lived above 600 Years after Chiron, and above 300 Years before him according to Sir Ifaac Newton; and therefore Chiron was entirely ignorant of all this Improvement in Aftronomy. Chiron imagined 365 Days to be a Year, and if he knew no better how to eftimate the Sun's Annual Motion, his quara húμte, his Draughts of the Conftellations, must be very in

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(6) Laert. in vitâ Thaletis. (i) Herodot. 1. 1. c. 32.

accurate;