370

for this Purpose, than his equal Diftribution of the Lands of the Commonwealth, his Prohibition of all Gold and Silver Coin, and that laborious temperate Kind of Life habituated to the Exercises of War, in which every Citizen was trained up from his Infancy. In a Word, it is Commendation enough to fay, that while Sparta adhered to the Establishments of Lycurgus, fhe was invincible in herself, and respected by all the World. Some time before Lycurgus, flourished Homer and Hefiod, the two renowned Grecian Poets. We fee in their Works the amiable Simplicity of those ancient Times; and tho' Hiftory has left us very much in the Dark; as to the early Ages they defcribe, yet it is abundantly plain from their Writings, that the Greeks were by this Time a powerful People, and had made confiderable Advances in all the different Branches of human Learning. In Judah, Joafh during the Life of Jehoiada, ruled the People with Wisdom and Juftice; but after the Death of that great Man, he became a very Tyrant, infomuch that he ordered 3164. Zechariah the High-Prieft, the Son of his Benefas ctor, to be ftoned to Death. But Heaven did not long defer Vengeance for this Act of Perfidy and Ingratitude. The Year following being beaten by the Syrians, he fell into Contempt, and was flain by his own Servants. Amaziah his Son fucceeded him in the Throne. Mean while the Kingdom of Ifrael, which had been greatly weakened under the Succeffors of Jehu, by its almoft continual Wars with the

3179.

3194.

Kings of Damafcus, began to recover and flourish by the wife and vigorous Administration of Jeroboam the fecond, who exceeded in Piety and Valour all that had gone before him. Nor did Uzziah or Azariah the Son of Amaziah acquire lefs Glory in Judah. In the 34th Year of his 3228. Reign begins the famous Computation by the Olympiads, of which we have already spoken in our Chronology. It is celebrated in Hiftory, not only as being the great Epocha of the Greeks; but alfo, because here, according to Varro, the fabulous Times end. They are fo named on account of the many Fables which the Poets have interwoven with the Tranfactions they describe, infomuch that it is almost impoffible to diftinguish Truth from Falsehood.

P. Now that you fpeak of Varro and his Diftribution of Time, I fhould be glad you would give me fome Account of it; because I remember to have feen it feveral times ré

ferred

ferred to, and was at a Lofs, as not well knowing what it

meant.

G. Varro divided the whole Series of Time into three Periods. The first extended from the Creation of the World to the Deluge, and is by him called the unknown Age, there being nothing in profane Hiftorians relating to that Time, which has any Appearance of Truth. The fecond Period reached from the Deluge to the firft Olympiad, and this is what he stiled the fabulous, for the Reasons mentioned above. The third and laft, beginning with the firft Olympiad, was carried down to the Age in which that Author wrote, and may by us be extended to the prefent Times. He calls it the hiftorical Period, because henceforward the Tranfactions of Mankind are handed down to us by faithful and authentic Relations; so that the Olympiads, while they conftitute the great Epocha of the Greeks, are at the fame time to be confidered as the Era of true Hiftory. However, this holds only in respect of the Transactions of the Heathen World, inafmuch as holy Writ furnishes a true and authentic Relation of the Affairs of the chofen People, from the Times of Abraham the Father and Founder of the Jewish Nation; and has even traced Things back in a general Summary, to the first Formation of the Universe. By this means I have been enabled to lay before you a juft Account of the Progress of human Affairs; and deducing History from its Source, have preferved the Chain of Ages unbroken, and disposed of the scattered Fragments of profane Hiftory, according to the true Places they ought to poffefs in the general Course of Time. Sacred Hiftory is very foon going to leave us; but we may esteem it a Happiness, that having conducted us with Certainty thus far, we are arrived at a Period where the Relations of other Writers may be depended on. the Thread of Hiftory is continued, we fee Ages fucceeding one another in a connected Series, we can pursue the Affairs of Mankind in a juft and orderly Progreffion, from their first Original, to the Times in which we live. But to return whence we digreffed. Azariah was fucceeded in the Kingdom of Judah by his Son Jotham, who proved a wife and pious Prince. Ifrael mean while was torn with inteftine Divifions. Shallum had flain Zachariah the Son of Jeroboam, and ufurped the Crown; which infpiring Menahem with Hopes of gratifying his Ambition by the like means, he confpired against the Ufurper, and ferved him as he had done his lawful Prince. Pul was at this Time King of Affyria, who taking Advantage of thefe Diftur- 3233.

VOL. I.

Cc

Thus

bances

bances in Ifrael, advanced againft it with an Army. But Menahem found means to fatisfy him by a Present of a thoufand Talents. Archbishop Uber conjectures this Pul to have been the Father of Sardanapalus, imagining that Name to imply as much as Sardan the Son of Pul. It was in the Reign of this Sardanapalus that the Athenians, whofe Difpofition was pushing them on infenfibly to a popular Government, upon the Death of Alcmeon the laft of their perpetual Archons, retrenched the Power of these Magiftrates, and limited their Administration to ten Years. Charops was the first who held this Dignity under these Restrictions. But we muft now turn our Eyes towards Italy, and take a View of the first Beginnings of that Empire, which is in time to fwallow up all the reft, and fpread its Victories to the remoteft Regions of the known World. After the Deftruction of Troy, Eneas gathering together the few Remains of his unhappy Countrymen, failed for Italy; where marrying the Daughter of King Latinus, he fucceeded him in the Throne, and left it to his Pofterity. This Race of Latin Kings held the Sovereignty for upwards of three hundred Years; nor do we read of any remarkable Revolution till the Time of Numitor and Amulius. But then Amulius feizing upon the Crown to the Prejudice of his elder Brother Numitor, remained poffeffed of it till Romulus and Remus the Sons of Ilia, Numitor's Daughter, arriving at Manhood, reftored their Grandfather to his Inheritance, and flew the Ufurper.

Years of the
World.

7th Epocha. The Building of Rome. 3250.

This Revolution was followed foon after by the Building of Rome in the Reign of Jotham King of Judah. Hiftorians are not agreed as to the precise Year of this Event. The Computation of Archbishop Usher, founded on the Authority of Fabius Pictor, places it a little before the Beginning of the eighth Olympiad, in the 3966 Year of the Yulian Period. This I take it was the true Year of the Foundation of Rome. But as Varro's Account is now almoft univerfally followed; to prevent a Difagreement between this Tract, and those other Hiftories that are moft likely to fall in your Way, I fhall proceed upon his Hypothefis, which fixes it to the 3d Year of the 6th Olympiad, that is, in the 3960th Year of the Julian Period, 430 Years after the Deftruction of Troy, and 753 before the Beginning of the Chriftian Era. The Romans, (according to Plutarch and others,) began to build on the 21ft of April. This Day was then confecrated to Pales Goddefs of Shepherds, fo that the Festival of Pales, and that of the Foundation of the City, were afterwards jointly celebrated

brated at Rome on the fame Day. This Æra fo remarkable in History, as ferving the best of any to direct us in regulating our Accounts of the Western and European Nations, is removed but a few Years from another of no less Note in the Eastern Chronology. For about fix Years after the building of Rome, according to the Computation of Varro, happened the Downfal of the Affyrian Monarchy, occafioned chiefly by the Effeminacy of Sardanapalus. This Prince neglecting wholly the Administration of public Affairs, and shutting himself up in his Palace amongst his Women and Eunuchs, fell into Contempt with his Subjects; whereupon Arbaces Governor of Media, and Belefis Governor of Babylon, confpiring against him, befieged him in his Capital, and reduced him at laft to the Neceffity of perifhing miferably with his Wives and Eunuchs in the Flames of his own Palace. Upon the Diffolution of this mighty Empire, there arose two others in its Stead, founded by the two Leaders of the Confpiracy. Belefis had Babylon, Chaldea, and Arabia; and Arbaces all the reft. Belefis is the fame with Nabonaffar, from the Beginning of whofe Reign at Babylon, commenceth the famous Aftronomical Æra I am speaking of, from him called the Era of Nabonaffar. For this Æra we are beholden to Ptolemy's Canon, which beginning with Nabonaffar, carries down the Succeffion of the Babylonian Kings, and afterwards of the Perfian and Macedonian, quite beyond the Birth of Christ. This Canon is a fure Guide in Regard to the Eafterni Chronology, and comes in the most opportunely that can be imagined, for the connecting of facred and profane Hiftory. For as it commenceth several Years before the Babylonifh Captivity, by which the Courfe of the Jewish Hiftory is interrupted; we can here take up the Series, and continue down the Account of Time with Certainty, to the Beginning of the Christian Æra. The first Year of Nabonaffar coincides with the seventh Year of Rome, the fecond of the 8th 3257. Olympiad, the 747th before Christ, and the 3967

of the Julian Period. In the mean time Abaz having fucceeded his Father Botham in the Kingdom of Judah, was attacked by Rezin King of Syria, and Pekah King of Ifrael; whereupon applying to the King of Affyria, who is in Scripture called Tiglath-Pilefer, he readily obtained his Affiftance. This Tiglath-Pilefer is by fome conjectured to be the fame with Arbaces the Mede; but the more probable Opinion is, that he was of the Royal Family of Affyria, his Name TiglathPul-Affar, having a plain Refemblance of Pul, and SardanPul, the Names of the two former Kings. It is likely therefore, that taking Advantage of the Confufion that followed

Cc 2

up

1

upon the Diffolution of the Affyrian Monarchy, and the Divifion of it between Arbaces and Belefis, he put himself at the Head of those who still adhered to the Houfe of Pul, and getting Poffeffion of Nineveh, there established a third Empire for himself, while Arbaces and Belefis were employed in fettling themselves in the Provinces they had refpectively governed under the former Monarch. Thus we see a fecond Affyrian Empire rifing out of the Ruins of the former, of which Nineveh, as before, remained the Capital. Tiglath-Pilefer coming with a great Army to the Affiftance of Ahaz, took Ďamafcus, and entirely deftroyed the Kingdom of Syria, uniting it to his own. He likewife greatly diftreffed that of Ifrael, and even ravaged the Territories of his Friend and Ally King Ahaz. By this means were the Kings of Affyria first introduced into Palestine, which finding to lie convenient for them, they refolved to make a Part of their Empire. They began with the Kingdom of Ifrael, which Salmanefer, the

Son and Succeffor of Tiglath-Pilefer, entirely fubdu3283. ed, throwing Hofea the King thereof into Prifon,

and carrying the People into Captivity. About this Time died Romulus the firft King of Rome, after a Reign of 37 Years. He was all his Life engaged in Wars, and always returned from them victorious. But this hindered him not from attending both to the civil and religious Eftablishment of his new Colony, where he laid the firft Foundation of those Laws and Inftitutions, that contributed fo much to the Advancement of the Roman Empire. A long and 3290. uninterrupted Peace, gave Numa his Succeffor an Opportunity of finishing the Work, by softening the Manners of the People, and bringing their Religion into a more exact Form. In this Time feveral Colonies from Corinth, and other Parts of Greece, built Syracufe in Sicily; and likewife Crotona and Tarentum, in that Part of Italy called Magna Grecia, by reafon of the many Greek Colonies already fettled there. Mean while Hezekiah had fucceeded Abaz in the Throne of Judah. He was a Prince renowned for Piety and Juftice, and fo much the Favourite of Heaven, that it interpofed in a miraculous Manner, both in recovering him from a remarkable Sickness, and delivering him from the Menaces of Sennacherib King of Affyria. But Manaffeh his Son not treading in his Steps, he was fold into the Hands of Efarhaddon the Succeffor of Sennacherib. This Prince was wife and politic; he re-united the Kingdom, of Babylon to that of Nineveh, and by his many Conquefts equalled if not exceeded in Extent of Dominion, the ancient Affyrian Mo

narchs.