long before the Nicene Council, which left it to the Bishop of Alexandria; for it was a moft ancient Inftitution. The Hierophante amongft the Egyptians and Greeks, the Priests among the Jews, the Chaldean-SouthSayers amongst the Babylonians, the Brachmanes a mongst the Indians, the Pontifices amongst the Romans, the Druids amongst the Gauls,c. had the care of ordering their Fafti. §. XI. We are not willing with Scaliger to affright Chronology men with the Infcription, Nemo nifi liberalibus difci- a difficult plinis & omnigenis Artibus initiatus accedat: Yet 'tis Science. certain that there is fcarce any Science appertaining to Philofophy fo difficult as Chronology, chiefly because the knowledge of many Sciences, more efpecially of Mathematicks and Hiftory, is required in those that apply themselves to the study of it. Chrono S. XII. The Divifion of Chronology into General The Divi and Special is warranted, both from the condition of fion of the Object to be known, which prefents it felf to our logy. understanding, firft in the general, afterwards in particular; and from the Analogy of other Sciences; for fince all Sciences may be divided into General and Special, this feems to be a fufficient reafon, why in delivering the Doctrine of Times, we fhould not depart from this Method. §. XIII The following Divifion is attributed to E. According lias, not the Thisbite, but a Jewish Doctor long af- to others. ter his time. Two thousand years before the Law, two thousand under the Law, two thousand under the Meffiah. Which Tradition is divers ways, and almost in every Interval erroneous. S. Auftin l. 12. cont. Fauftum, makes fix Ages according to the number of the days of the Worlds Creation; The firft from Adam to Noah, the Second from Noah to Abraham, the Third from Abraham_to_ David, the Fourth from David to the Babylonish Captivity, the Fifth from the Captivity to Chrift, the Sixth from the Coming of Chrift to the End of the World, which the Seventh fhall follow comprehending Eternal Life. This Divifiou is followed by Beda and Ifidore. According to others thefe Six Ages are adjusted, as in the following Verfes. Primus Adam, Fustusque Noe, magnus Pater Et pofthac Mofes, David, Natufque Redemptor: The meaning of which is to this purpose. Adam leads the Van, Juft Noah begins the fecond Age, and the great Patriarch Abraham gives rife to the third. The fourth, fifth and fixth take date from Mofes, David and the Nativity of our Saviour. The feventh lasts to all Eternity, and lodges the bleffed in a place of endless Reft. THE 7 The General Part. BOOK. I. Of fome Terms in CHRONOLOGY, AND Those the most Common: CHA P. I. Of Minutes, Scruples and Moments. RULES. A Minute is the least part of Time in ufe among us, which is commonly called a Scruple. 2. A Scraple or Minute, when it is taken in the ufual and Mathematical Senfe,differs from the Jewish. 3. The Vulgar and Mathematical Scruple is the 60th part of an Hour, divifible into 60 other Parts, and foon i whence they are called firsts', feconds", thirds", fourths!" &c. 4. A Jewish Scruple is the 1080th part of an Hour, divided ufually farther into Moments. 5. A Jewish Moment is the 76th part of a Scruple, S. I. F Abricius Paduanus in Catena Temp. Annal. divided How the Antient's divided an and Atomes: So that a Point was the 4th part of an Hour. B 4 hour hour, a Moment the 10th part of a Point, an Uncia the 12th part of a Moment, and an Attome the 47th part of an Uncia; And thus a whole Hour contains 4 Points, 40 Moments, 408 Uncia's 22560 Attomes; but this Divifion is now grown obfolete. Mathema- S. 2. As Chronologers divide the Hour and the parts sical Divi- of it, fo the Mathematicians divide any Total into 60 fon. Scruples, and with very good reafon. For tho' the Divifion of the whole into Parts is otherwife free, yet to avoid the trouble which is caus'd by Fractions, (except the number of 10 which is more commodious than it) a more convenient number than this can fcarce be found; especially if it be observed, that these 60 parts may be confidered as Totals; as is more largely fhewed in Arithmetick. The Jewish S. 3. If it be ask'd why the Jews divide the Hour Divifion. into 1080 Scruples, the Author of the Neomenia fet forth by Munfter gives this reafon for it, because there no number that is divifible into fo many forts as this of 1080 is; for it may be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, &c. §. 4. And that Superftitious Nation which boafts fo The Inftitu much of Revelations will not allow it to be an Humane sion of it. Invention, but would perfwade us that it was reveal By whom used. ed from Heaven. For fo fays R. Samuel. Ifachar afcended into Heaven, and brought from thence 1080 parts. S. 5. Neither would they have this Divifion to have been used by any others befides themfelves, for by Aben-Ezra upon the 12th of Exodus, they are called the Parts of Ifrael, though very falfely; for Scaliger de Emend. Temp. 1. 1. hath obferyed that the Samaritans, Arabians and Perfians, befides other Eaftern Nations, have made ufe of this Divifion as well as they. How to 'S. 6. To reduce the Jewish Scruples to the Mathemareduce Ma- tical, and these again to the Jewish, you may fay; If thematical 60 Mathematical Scruples make 1080 Jewish, how to Jewith many will the Mathematical Scruples propofed make? Scruples. And again, if 080 Jewish Scruples be equal to 60 Mathematical Scruples, how many of these will be equal to the number of the Jewish Scruples propoled? And it will appear when the Operation is finished finished, that one Mathematical Scruple contains 18 Jewish, and one Jewish no more than 3" and 20"" of the Mathematical. Agreeably hereto the two brief Tables following are compofed, inftead of the long ones which we have in Scaliger, Can. Ifag. l. 1. c. I. A Table fhewing how Mathematical Scruples may be reduced to Jewish. A Table fhewing how Jewish Scruples may be reduced to Mathematical. Jud. Math. Jad Mathem. Jud. Math. vide the Hours o §. 7 Epiphaneus reports that the Marcofiáns ( so cal- of fome. led from one Marcus a celebrated wife Magician, who that diinterpolated the Valentinian Herefie) divided the Hour into 30 Parts, But this hour was not their common therwife. hour, but comprehended two Equinoctial Hours; whence undoubtedly it came to pass, that whereas 30 Degrees of the Equator did rife and fet in that space of time, the Marcofians divided their compounded Hour |