consistent with itself, and with the great range of Profane History connected therewith, he endeavoured to trace the subject to its original sources, and to explore the most ancient records, chronicles, and fragments still extant, and the earliest Historians and Chronologers; namely, the Masorete and Samaritan Hebrew Texts; the Vatican and Alexandrine Greek Versions; the works of Josephus, Theophilus, Eusebius, Syncellus, Abulfaragi, and Eutychius; the Greek and Latin Historians, Herodotus, Xenophon, Diodorus Siculus, Ctesias, Justin, &c.; the fragments of Sanchoniatho, Berosus, and Manetho, respecting the Phoenician, Chaldean, and Egyptian antiquities, and the Hindu records published in the Asiatic Researches

His first attempt was to examine carefully the principles upon which the reigning systems were built, in order to seek a solid foundation for a general system. This led him into a minute investigation of the evidences for and against the longer and shorter computations of the Patriarchal generations from Adam to Abraham, found in the Masorete and Samaritan Hebrew Texts, in the Greek Version, and in Josephus; and the result was, a conviction of the untenableness of the shorter computation, which he discovered to have been first fabricated by the Jews, about the time of the publication of the Seder Olam Rabba, their great system of Chronology, in A.D. 130.

His next attempt was to retrieve the genuine Chronology of Josephus, many of whose leading dates had been adulterated by his early editors, in order to make them correspond with the Jewish system, which unfortunately was too soon adopted by several of the primi

tive Christian writers. And at length, by repeated trials, amidst the mass of spurious dates that pervade his works at present, he found a few genuine ones, which led to the discovery of his original system; a system which he flatters himself is now established by a connected chain of analytical and synthetical argument, shewing the conformity of the general outline, with the particular periods that compose it, in detail; and also, by its agreement with that of the first Christian Chronologer, Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, in A.D. 168, according to the representation of Abulfaragi, the celebrated Armenian annalist. And the rectified era of the Creation, B.C. 5411, furnished by both conjointly, forms the basis of the present system; which, if it be found just in its principles, and correct in its construction, will, he trusts, reconcile Sacred and Profane Chronology together more satisfactorily than any that has been hitherto submitted to the inspection of the learned.

The usual arrangement of the received systems of Chronology seemed also to require emendation. Those of Petavius, Usher, Prideaux, &c. exhibit an intermixture of Sacred and Profane History, a variety of controversial discussions, and of elaborate digressions, which tend to render their works prolix and perplexing to readers who might wish to confine their attention to one branch of Chronology at a time, and to acquire a clear and connected view of Sacred by itself, and of the several branches of Profane by themselves. He has therefore treated of each branch separately. To simplify the subject still more, he has thrown into a copious Introduction matters merely of a controversial nature, as far as could be effected; and has there discussed the

present state of Chronology, the evidences for and against the shorter Hebrew and longer Greek computations, the defects of the reigning systems, and the rectification of those of Josephus and Theophilus.

As a previous Apparatus necessary for Chronological computation, he has annexed to the Introduction, Elements of Technical Chronology, explaining the usual measures of time, days, weeks, months, years, &c. employed by different nations; a correcter standard of reigns and generations founded upon extensive observation of their mean lengths; the principal eclipses noticed in history, which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem; the leading epochs, eras, and periods, used in Sacred and Profane Chronology, and the principles upon which they are adjusted; a new translation and correction of the Chronicle engraved on the Arundelian or Parian marbles, and a discovery of two different principles of computation employed therein; a vindication of the admirable Canon, incorrectly supposed to have been originally framed by Ptolomy, &c.

To this Apparatus of Technical Chronology, it was found necessary to add a Geographical Apparatus, in order to remedy the imperfection or incorrectness of the explanations of Sacred Geography given by Wells, Cellarius, Reland, &c. in several material points; such as the universality and course of the deluge; the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites; their stations or encampments in the deserts of Arabia Petræa, from the time of their exode from Egypt, till their arrival in the land of Canaan; according to Bishop Clayton's Map and explanation; a more correct Map of the city of Jerusalem, and its environs, &c. with a variety of mis

cellaneous remarks on subjects of importance, which had been originally inserted in the body of the work, but are now detached from thence, not to interrupt the reader's attention from the main course of the argument.

Sacred Chronology, which forms the first and most important branch, and furnishes the standard, by reference to which all the rest have been adjusted, is divided into distinct periods of time, reaching from the Creation of the World to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Under each period, is given a general outline of the history, and of the principal Chronological prophecies, respecting the descent and advents of CHRIST, from the original promise given to our first parents, and afterwards more distinctly and circumstantially revealed to succeeding prophets, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Nathan, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, &c. until their last and fullest revelation by OUR LORD and his Apostles. Indeed, to delineate the outline of the grand prophetic period of 2300 days, foretold by the Prophet Daniel, which includes the fortunes of the Jewish Church, (and of the Christian also), from Nehemiah's reformation of the Jewish polity, to its final restoration at the end of the desolation; intimated likewise in several other prophecies yet unfulfilled; was the author's chief motive for devoting so much of his time. and attention to these studies.

Of Profane Chronology, the Assyrian, from its remote antiquity, and early connection with Holy Writ, first solicits attention. In this the author acknowledges his obligations to the works of the learned Mr. Jackson, for the sagacious distinction between the first and second Belus, of whom the former seems to have been the

Nimrod of Scripture, and the Ninus of the Greeks, who founded the Assyrian empire; and between the second Belus and the second Ninus, of Ctesias, and Justin, the refounder of the Assyrian monarchy. He is also indebted to Dr. Gillies, in his recent History of the World, from Alexander to Augustus, for a judicious correction of the received Assyrian Chronology, by reducing the number of kings from Ninus II. to Sardanapalus, and the duration of their reigns, to nearly half the amount of each found in the extravagant list of Ctesias. A reduction warranted by the surer authorities of Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and more conformable to SCRIPTURE. And the Scriptural dynasty of the Assyrian kings is explained and adjusted to that of the Babylonian kings, by means of Ptolomy's Canon; while the erroneous supposition is exposed, of a double capture of Nineveh, unskilfully adopted from Ctesias, by modern Chronologers, Petavius, Usher, &c.

The Chaldean, or Babylonian Chronology, which follows the Assyrian in the order of time, is here rectified, by a careful comparison of the varying accounts of Sacred and Profane History, now attempted to be reconciled and adjusted to each other, chiefly by the help of Ptolomy's Canon; in which a slight error, of two years in defect, in the short reigns of Ilverodamus and Nericassolassar, or the Evilmerodach and Belshazzar of Scripture, is compensated by an equal and opposite error of two years in excess, committed in the reign of Cyrus and by this simple rectification of the Canon, joined to that fortunate discovery of Jackson, that the death of Belshazzar preceded the capture of Babylon, by Cyrus, no less than seventeen years, this perplexed