THE PREFACE. THE defign of this undertaking is to set before the reader a view of the hiftory of the world, from Adam to the diffolution of the Affyrian empire, at the death of Sardanapalus, in the reigns of Ahaz king of Judah, and Pekah king of Ifrael. At this period the most learned Dean Prideaux began his Connection of the Old and New Teftament; and I would bring my performance down to the times where his work begins, hoping that, if I can fet the tranfactions of these in ages a clear light, my endeavours may be of some service towards forming a judgment of the truth and exactness of the ancient Scripture-history, by shewing how far the old fragments of the heathen writers agree with it, and how much better and more authentic the account is which it gives of things where they differ from it. What is now published is but a small part of my defign; but if this meets with that acceptance, which I hope it may, the remaining parts shall foon follow. Chronology and geography being neceffary helps to hiftory, I have taken care to be as exact as I can in both of them; and that I might give the reader the cleareft view of the geography, I have here and there added a map, where I differ in any particulars from other writers, or have mentioned any thing not fo VOL. I. a clearly clearly delineated in the draughts already extant. And as to the chronology, I have obferved, as I go along, the several years in which the particulars I treat of happened; and where any doubts or difficulties may arise, I have endeavoured to clear them, by giving my reasons for the particular times of such transactions as I have treated of. In the annals, as I go along, I have chofen to make ufe of the æra of the creation of the world, that seeming to me moft eafy and natural. The transactions I am to treat of are brought down from the beginning, and it will be often very clear at what interval or distance they follow one another, and how long after. the creation; whereas, if I had used the fame æra with Dr. Prideaux, and computed by the years before Christ, it would have been neceffary to have afcertained the reader in what year of the world the incarnation of Chrift happened, before he could have had a fixed and determinate notion of my chronology: however, when I have gone through the whole, I fhall add fuch chronological tables, as may adjust the feveral years of the creation both to the Julian period and Chriftian æra. It is fomething difficult to fay of what length the year was that was in ufe in the early ages. Before the flood, it is most probable that the civil and folar year were the fame, and that 360 days were the exact meafure of both. In that space of time the fun made one entire revolution; and it was easy and natural for the firft aftronomers to divide the circle of the fun's annual course into 360 parts, long before geometry arrived at perfection enough to afford a reason for the choofing to divide circles into that number of degrees. All the time of the antediluvian world, chronology was fixed and and eafy; a year could be more exactly measured than it now can. At the flood, the heavens underwent fome change: the motion of the fun was altered, and a year, or annual revolution of it, became, as it now is, five days and almoft fix hours longer than it was before. That fuch a change had been made, most of the philofophers obferved; and without doubt, as foon as they did obferve it, they endeavoured to fet right their chronoogy by it: for it is evident, that, as soon as the folar year became thus augmented, the ancient measure of a year would not do, but mistakes must creep in, and grow more and more every year they continued to compute by it. b The first correction of the year which we read of was made in Egypt; and Syncellus names the person who made it, viz. Affis, a king of Thebes, who reigned about a thousand years after the flood. He added five days to the ancient year, and inferted them at the end of the twelfth month. And this, though it did not bring the civil year up to an exact measure with the folar, yet was a great emendation, and put chronology in a ftate which it continued in for fome ages. The Egyptian year thus fettled by Affis confifted of months and days as follows: 'Erayéμeval, or additional five days, begin Auguft 24, and fo end August 28, The The Babylonians are thought to have corrected their year next to the Egyptians: they computed but 360 days to a year, until the death of Sardanapalus, about 1600 years after the flood. At his death Belefis began his reign; and Belefis being the fame person with Nabonaffar, from the beginning of his reign commenceth the famous aftronomical æra called by his name. Nabonaffarean year agrees exactly with the Egyptian year before mentioned. The months differ in name only; they are the fame in number, and of equal lengths: but this year does not begin in autumn, as the Egyptian does, but from the end of our February, which was the time when Nabonaffar began his reign. The |