the Remainder will be the Year of the Julian Period, correfponding with the first of the faid Epocha. And having once connected the Beginning of the Epocha, it will be eafy to connect its fubfequent Years, as there is nothing more required to it but a bare Addition of thefe Years. To illuftrate this Matter by an Example. The Olympiads began in the 776th Year before Chrift, which fubftracted from 4714, leaves 3938 for the Year of the Julian Period. Again, Rome, according to the Chronology of Archbishop Ufher, who founds his Computations upon the Authority of Fabius Pictor, was built in the 748th Year before the Nativity of our Lord. Now 748 taken from 4714 as before, leaves 3966, the Year of the Julian Period correfponding to that of the Foundation of Rome. In the fame Manner may any other Epocha of former Ages be connected with this universal Standard of Computation; and the great Advantage of fuch a Reduction is this, that we can thereby compare the feveral Epochas together, and determine coincident Times, and the coeval Tranfactions of different Nations, which, as I faid before, is bringing the whole Train of paft Events into one connected Series, and exhibiting them to the Mind in a diftinct Order of Succeffion. For knowing by the foregoing Calculation, that the Olympiads began in the 3938th Year of the Julian Period, and that Rome was founded in the 3966th Year of the fame, I fee that in the regular Course of Time, there is a Difference of about 28 Years between these two Epochas. When therefore I read in the Hiftory of Greece, that during the 112th and 113th Olympiads, Alexander was pushing his Conquefts in Afia, and carrying his Victories even into the Heart of India; and learn likewife from the Roman Hiftorians, that about the Year of the City 420, &c. Papirius Curfor was fubduing the Samnites, and laying the Foundations of the Roman Greatness: obferving the Times here nearly to coincide, and fall within about the fame Years of the Julian Period; I thence gather, that at the very Time Alexander was establishing the Macedonian Greatnefs in the Eaft, an Empire was rifing in the Weft, referved by Providence to crush the Tyranny he was forcing upon Nations, at the Expence of so much Blood and Treafure.

But befides the comparing of Epochas, and determining the coincident Times of Hiftory; it is by the Julian Period alone, that different Chronologers, who proceed upon different Computations, can underftand one another. Scaliger supposes the World to have been created in the 3950th Year before Chrift, and all his Calculations proceed upon this HyVOL. I.

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pothefis, in which he is followed by most of the German Writers. Archbishop Ufher on the other Hand, whose Authority is of great Weight, throws the Year of the Creation back to the 4004th before the Christian Æra; and other Chronologers proceed upon other Suppofitions. If therefore they computed only by the Years from the Creation, we could never underftand their Calculations, nor the Reafon of the Differences between them, till we first knew how many Years every Author reckoned from the Creation to the Birth of Chrift; which multiple Inquifition would often be attended with much Trouble and Uncertainty. But by annexing to the Years of the Creation, the correfponding Years of the Julian Period, all these Difficulties are removed, and the different Hypothefes upon which Chronologers proceed, lie in the moft obvious Manner before us. Thus finding that Uber refers the Creation of the World to the 710th Year of the Julian Period, and Scaliger to the 764th, Í fee at once what different Suppofitions they go upon, and in reading their Works, can guide my Judgment accordingly.

I have only one Obfervation more to make upon the Advantages arifing from the Ufe of this Period, and it is this that as with refpect to paft Tranfactions, it is thus a common Standard for comparing them together, and adjufting the different Suppofitions about them; fo in regard to those that are to come, it may be made an infallible Criterion, to determine without a Poffibility of Error the Years in which they happen. This will evidently be the Cafe, if upon every remarkable Occurrence likely to make a Noife in future Ages, Chronologers take care to note the Character of the Cycles anfwering to the Year in which it falls out. For hereby it will be fixed to one determinate Year of the Period, in fuch Manner, that no other Year in the whole can poffibly belong to it. Nor is this to be efteemed a Matter of flight Confideration; inafmuch as the Want of fuch a Method of ascertaining of Time, has left us uncertain as to the true Year in which the City of Conftantinople was taken by the Turks. One fhould think indeed, that fo important a Revolution would have made too great a Noife in the World, to fuffer any the leaft Circumftance relating to it to pafs unobserved; and yet we find, that while fome place it in the Year of our Lord 1452, others ftrenuously contend, that it happened not till the Year after. Now had the Julian Period been known in thofe Days, Chronologers, by recording the Characters of the Cycles, would have fo truly determined the Year, that no Difpute of this Kind could have arifen.

For

For the Characters being given, the Year answering to these Characters may eafily be found by the following Rule. Multiply the Character or Year of the Solar Cycle into 4845, that of the Lunar into 4200, and the Year of the Indiction into 6916. Add all thefe Products into one Sum, which divided by 7980, the Number of the Julian Period, and the Remainder, neglecting the Quotient, will be the Year you feek for. I know for Inftance, that the Year in which our Lord was born, was the 10th of the Solar Cycle, the 2d of the Lunar, and the 4th of the Indiction, and would thence find the Year of the Julian Period answering thereto. In order to this, according to the foregoing Inftructions, I multiply 10, the Character of the Solar Cycle, into 4845, and the Product thence arifing is 48450. Again, I multiply 2 the Lunar Cycle into 4200, and find the Product to be 8400. Laftly, I multiply 4 the Year of the Indiction into 6916, and obtain 27664 for the Product. All these Products added together make 84514; and this Sum divided by 7980, gives 10 for the Quotient, with the Remainder of 4714. The Quotient, as I faid before, is not confidered in the prefent Queftion; but the Remainder expreffes the Year of the Julian Period required: and that 4714 is the Year thereof answering to the Year of Chrift's Nativity, we have feen above. For a fecond Example; the prefent Year 1754 has 27 for the Character of the Solar Cycle, 7 for that of the Lunar, and 2 for the Indiction; to find thence the Year of the Julian Period. Firft 27, the Solar Cycle, multiplied into 4845, gives 124815. Again, the Lunar Cycle, multiplied into 4200, gives 29400. Laftly, by multiplying 2, the Year of Indiction, into 6916, we have 13832. Add all thefe Products into one Sum, and they make 174047. Divide this by 7980. and after the Divifion is finished, we have 6467 for a Remainder, which is the Year of the Julian Period answering to the prefent Year of the Christian Æra, as may be readily demonftrated, by adding 4713 to 1754, the current Year of our Lord, according to the Directions given for that Purpose in a former Paragraph.

What I have faid will, I believe, ferve to give you a fufficient Knowledge of this celebrated Period, at least as far as common Ufe requires. The Numbers into which in the foregoing Question you multiply the Cycles, are founded upon Calculations too fubtile and refined for you, as yet, to be able to trace them. But these and other Myfteries of the Science will unfold themfelves gradually, in Proportion as you advance in a Courfe of Study. There is one Thing

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however worth while to attend to, that this Period when traced to its Beginning, runs feveral hundred Years beyond the Creation. Scaliger when he first invented it, might eafily have accommodated its Years to the Years of the World. He had only to apply its firft Year to the Year of the Creation, and then computing the Cycles downward, fhew what Years of thefe Cycles correfpond to the Year when he introduced it. But fuch a Method would have had this Inconvenience attending it, that the Cycles of his Period, would not have been the fame with the Cycles then in use. He therefore thought it better to take the Cycles as he then found them fettled in the Calendar of the Latin Church, and tracing them backward thro' their several Combinations, to the Year in which they all began together, there fixed the Beginning of his Computation, which was by this means carried up feveral hundred Years beyond the Creation of the World. Now this Method is not only best suited to Practice and common Ufe, as the Cycles of the Period are the fame with those of the Calendar, but it has alfo this Advantage; that thereby we can with greater Ease adjust the different Opinions of Chronologers. For almost all of them proceeding upon different Syftems, and varying in their Account of the Years between the Creation and the Birth of Chrift; it fo happens that most of these Computations, especially fuch as are in ufe among the Weftern Chriftians, fall within the Years of the Julian Period; fo that by reducing them to it, we have (as was before fhewn) an eafy Way of comparing them together, and adjufting them one to another.

P. I fuppofe, now that you have explained the Julian Period, and conducted me thro' all the feveral Measures of Time, you will next, according to the Plan laid down at your first fetting out, fhew how this Chronological Knowledge may be moft ufefully applied to the Purposes of Hiftory.

G. It is indeed neceffary that you should have fome general Knowledge of the Succeffion of Ages, and the most remarkable Tranfactions that have happened in the World; and thefe, if laid before you in a juft and orderly Manner, will ferve to conduct you thro' all the Labyrinths of Hiftory. You may remember I told you, that Chronology was fitly divided into two Branches; one comprehending the feveral Divifions and Periods by which Time is meafured, and the other treating of the various Epochas to which different Nations refer in their Computations. It is the fecond of these that now falls under our Confideration; and as I have already explained that general Measure of Time, to which as a Štan

dard

dard all other Eras may be referred, I fhall take care in tracing out the particular Epochas, to annex the Years of the Julian Period, in order to give you a diftinct View of the Succeffion of Time, and enable you to compare this general Draught with fuch other Computations as may afterwards fall in your way. If we confider Time as running forward in a continued Train of feveral thousand Years from the Creation of the World to the Birth of Christ, and were to take an Account of the Hiftory of Mankind during that long Interval; it is evident that our narrow Minds are by no means able to comprehend distinctly the Tranfactions of so many Ages, or view them in a due Order of Succeffion, unlefs we begin by dividing this large Period into feveral deffer Spaces and Intervals. For the Occurrences that happen within each of these will be then more easily retained, and may be afterwards united by the Mind into one general Plan. Such a Divifion as that I am speaking of, does the Confideration of Epochas afford. For they being certain fixed Points of Time, diftinguished by fome memorable Event, the Mind confiders them as convenient Refting-places, from whence to take a View of whatever has fallen out remarkable before or fince. Now the Epochas of ancient History being all removed from one another by a greater or leffer Term of Years, the feveral intervening Periods may be very naturally confidered as fo many Subdivifions of the general Course of Time. It should therefore be the firft Care of one who applies to the Study of Hiftory, to get a diftinct Notion of thefe Intervals, that is, of the Spaces of Time between Epocha and Epocha, and at the fame Time to acquaint himself with the most remarkable Transactions that have happened during every Period in Order. For thus he prefents the Mind at once with a general Plan of the whole Body of ancient History, and difpofing paft Events in a regular Series, by this means avoids Perplexity and Confufion.

P. I understand you. As in ftudying the Geography of any Nation or Kingdom, we first get acquainted with its general Regions, and then fixing upon fome remarkable Cities in each of these, difpofe of the other Towns round them, every one according to its Diftance, that the Mind by proceeding thus from Province to Province, make take a progreffive View of the whole Country, and comprehend it in all its Parts: fuch muft be the Method of Hiftory. We muft divide it into certain Parts and Intervals, each beginning with fome memorable Occurrence; and then getting_acquainted with the most remarkable Tranfactions of every Period, dif

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