of the proud Jews the divine lustre of his miracles, how shining soever it was, and from the sight of the devil himself, as penetrating and attentive as he was, the evident proofs of his divinity.

Notwithstanding that seeming weakness, and even meanness, Jesus Christ will certainly conquer the whole universe. It is under this idea a prophet represents him to us; "He went forth conquering and to conquer." His work and mission are, "to set up a kingdom for his father, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom which shall not be left to other people;" like those of which we have seen in the history; "but it shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms; and it shall stand for ever."

The power granted to Jesus Christ, the founder of this empire, is without bounds, measure, or end. The kings, who glory so much in their puissance, have nothing which approaches in the least to that of Jesus Christ. They do not reign over the will of man, which is real dominion. Their subjects can think as they please independently of them. There are an infinitude of particular actions done without their order, and which escape their knowledge, as well as their power. Their designs often miscarry and come to nothing, even during their own lives. But with Jesus Christ it is quite otherwise; "All power is given unto him in heaven and in earth." He exercises it principally upon the hearts and minds of men. Nothing is done without his order or permission. Every thing is disposed by his wisdom and power; every thing cof Apoc. vi. 2.

3 Matth. xxviii. 18.

operates directly, or indirectly to the accomplishment

of his designs.

Whilst all things are in motion, and fluctuate upon earth; whilst states and empires pass away with incredible rapidity, and the human race, vainly employed in the external view of these things, are also drawn in by the same torrent, almost without perceiving it; there passes in secret an order and disposition of things unknown and invisible, which, however, determine our fate to all eternity. The duration of ages has no other end than the formation of the bodies of the elect, which augments, and tends daily towards perfection. When it shall receive its final accomplishment by the death of the last of the elect; h" Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power." God grant that we may all have our share in that blessed kingdom, whose law is truth, whose kingdom is love, and whose duration is eternity. Fiat, fiat.

h 1 Cor. xv. 24.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.

CHRONOLOGY.

CHRONOLOGY is the knowledge of times. It shows to what

The years

year the events related in history are to be referred. used for measuring the duration of time are either solar or lunar. The solr year is that space of time between one equinox and another ofthe same denomination the next year; for instance, from the venal equinox to the vernal equinox following, which contains thre hundred and sixty five days five hours and forty nine minute.

The lunaryear, is composed of twelve lunar months, of which each is tweny nine days, twelve hours and forty four minutes, that make in all three hundred and fifty four days eight hours and forty eight mnutes.

Both of these years are called astronomical, to distinguish them from that vularly used, which is termed civil or political.

Though naions may not agree among themselves in the manner of determning their years, some regulating them by the sun's motion, and others by the moon's, they however generally use the solar year in chronology. It seems at first, that as the lunar years are shorter than the solar, that inequality should produce some error in chronological calculations; but it is to be observed, that the people who used lunar years, added a certain number of intercalary days to make them agree with the solar; which reconcile them with each other, or at least, if there be any difference, it may be neglected when the question is only to determine the year in which a fact has happened.

In chronology there are certain times distinguished by some great event, to which all the rest are referred. i These are

1 Εποχή

called epochs, from a Greek word, which signifies to stay, because we stay there to consider, as from a resting place, all that has happened before or after, and by that means to avoid anachronisms; that is to say, those errors which induce confusion of times.

The choice of the events which are to serve as epochs is arbitrary; and a writer of history may take such as best suithis plan.

When we begin to compute years from one of these points distinguished by a considerable event, the enumeration and series of such years are called eras. There are almost as many eras as there have been different nations. The principal, and most used are those of the World, of Jesus Christ, ofthe Olympiads, and of Rome. I should have been glad to have used all the four in the chronological table at the end of my hstory; but the narrow compass of these pages obliges me to cofine myself to the two most famous; that is to say, that of the World, and that of Jesus Christ.

Every body knows, that the Olympiads derive ther origin from the Olympic games, which were celebrated in Peloponnesus, near the city of Olympia. These games were so solemn, that Greece made them her epoch for computing he years. By Olympiad is meant the space of four years complet, which is the time that elapsed between one celebration of games and another. The first used by chronologers begins, according to Usher, in the summer of the year of the world three thousand two hundred and twenty eight, before Christ seven hundred and seventy six. When the time on which an event happened is reckoned by the Olympiads, authors say the first, second, or third, &c. year of such an Olympiad ; which being once known, it is easy to find the year of the world to which the same fact is to be referred; and in like manner, when the year of the world is known, it is easy to find that of the Olympiad which agrees with it.

Rome was built, according to Varro's Chronology, in the year of the world three thousand two hundred and fifty one, and the seven hundred and fifty third before Jesus Christ. Cato dates the foundation of that city two years later, in the year of the world three thousand two hundred and fifty three, before Jesus Christ seven hundred and fifty one. I shall follow the opinion of the