In the firft Section of that which is intended for a Defence of the ancient Greek Chronology, Mr. Squire obferves, that the Uncertainty of this, as well at that of almost all other Nations of the known World, has been of late much exaggerated. Bishop Stilling fleet will not allow the Greeks to have had any certain Succeffion of Time before the Olympiads: And Sir Ifaac Newton afferts, that not only the fabulous Ages wanted a good Chronology, but the historical likewife for the first fixty or feventy Years after the Olympiads: So that whatever the Grecian Sages have tranfmitted to us of the Ages preceding the Median War, is to be rejected as fo much Romance, built on mere Conjecture: For Sir Ifaac is pofitive, the Europeans had no Chronology before the Time of the Perfian Empire, and whatever Chronology they now have of ancienter Times hath been framed fince by Reasoning and Conjecture. Mr. Squire is ready to own, that the ancient Greek Chronology might not be altogether fo fyftematical and determinate in thofe very early Ages as it was afterwards; but can by no Means admit that there was none at all, that the whole Series of Greek History till the Perfian War lay jumbled together in Confufion and Obfcurity, without any Care taken to diftinguifh and afcertain the glorious Actions of their renowned Ancestors, their Kings and Legislators. In order therefore to clear up this Question, and to determine how far the prefent Greek Chronology is to be received as authentic, and in what refpects it is to be corrected as weak and defective, our Author, in this Effay, examines particularly into the *Orig. Sacr. Book I. Cap. vi §. 2. Ibid. Evidence Art. 2. Evidence on which it was first founded, confiders the chief Objections that have been raifed against it, and produces fome of those many Marks of Credibility, with which it is even yet attended: Premifing however, that by the ancient Chronology of Greece in this Differtation, he all along means the Interval between the Arrival of the Egyptian Cecrops and his Companions into Attica, and the common Era of the Olympiads. With regard to the firft of thefe Heads, that is, the Evidence on which the Greek Chronology was first established, Mr. Squire fays, "We can make it appear, that as far back as the Days of Cecrops, the utmoft Limit of their Chronology that he has "taken upon him to inquire into, the Greeks had "not only a well-grounded Tradition to direct their "Researches, but, what is more to our Purpose, "from Cadmus's Time at leaft (within fifty or fixty "Years of the abovementioned Period) the Knowledge and Ufe of Letters, and confequently hif "torical Monuments among them: We can make "it further appear, that during all this Interval they "had a fettled Form of Year to measure the dif "tinct Portions of Duration by, and proper Æra's "with which to compare, and from whence to 66 compute the several Facts mentioned by them : "But laftly, and above all, it appears that this Chronology is in every respect agreeable to the "common Course of Nature, to the Rife and Pro"grefs of Arts and Sciences in their Country, and by no means contradictory to the intervening Ge"nerations and Succeffions of their Kings and "other great Men, as far as we are able with any Certainty to compare them together." Why then, fays Mr. Squire, fhould we deny our Affent to it, seeing we have the moft convincing Evidence we can reasonably demand in Support of its Credibility? SECT SECTION II. There are three general Methods of tranfmitting the Memory of past Actions to Pofterity. 1. Tradition. .2. Monumental Figures, Images, or Symbols; which ferve to revive in Men's Minds the Traces of those Matters they have formerly been acquainted with and inftructed in. 3. The Ufe of Letters, or the Art of tranfmitting things to Futurity by Writing. Upon each of these Methods our Author makes fome Obfervations, in order the more clearly to evince" that the ancient Greeks did really make "a due Use of them, in conveying to Pofterity, "the Memory of their own and other illuftrious Men's Actions: And confequently that their Nar"rations, as far as they have been faithfully tranf"mitted to us, ought to be efteemed as genuine and "authentic, and compofed with as much Diligence "and Fidelity, with as much Probability and Confiftency, as the general Obscurity of the Times," and other Difficulties naturally attending these In66 quires, would admit of. Tradition feems to have been the first and moft natural Means of conveying to Pofterity the Memory of paft Events. By this Means, 'tis probable, thofe obfcure Accounts of the Creation of the World, of its Deftruction by the Deluge, and fome other Remains of Scripture Hiftory, which we find fcattered up and down in the Writings of the Ancients, were dispersed through the feveral Nations of the Earth. And in this fame Manner like"wife, that is, by oral Tradition, there is no doubt "but many valuable Fragments of Grecian Antiqui ty, which muft otherwife inevitably have perish'd, "were at firft preferved and communicated to Pofterity." 66 But But it may be fuggefted, that Tradition, of itself, must be acknowledged to be a very imperfect Foundation to build a credible Hiftory, much less a confiftent Scheme of Chronology upon. There is little if any Force in this Objection: "For fince, according to the Parian Marbles, we "have no more than fixty-one Years Interval be"tween the Arrival of Cecrops and of Cadmus into Greece; and, according to Sir Ifaac New"ton's Computation, only thirty-fix; this Argu"ment, from the Uncertainty of Tradition in ge"neral, will not in the leaft affect the Chronology "of thofe Times here inquired into. A Tradition of fifty or fixty Years might fafely enough be rely'd "upon, and would afford a folid and well-grounded 39 Foundation for thofe to proceed upon, who firft "made ufe of Letters in collecting the fcattered "Portions of Grecian History and Chronology; especially as Tradition was herein very much af fifted by The Second Method of communicating the Memory of paft Actions to Pofterity; that is, by external Monuments, and reprefentative Symbols. One of these, and that of the greatest Benefit to the old Chronology, was the Inftitution of publick Feftivals. "For as the Celebration of fuch So lemnities was either annual or quadriennial, or "otherwife to be performed within fome certain "Revolution of Time, the Perfons whofe Duty it was to officiate at them were, upon this Account, obliged to mark out the Courfe of the Year with their utmoft Care and Exactnefs: So that it was fcarce poffible, after the Appointment of any of these great Feftivals, for even the common Peo"ple, whofe Duty it was regularly to attend them, σε ever to be ignorant of the exact Number of "Years that paffed between fuch Appointments and any intermediate Event: And the Greeks, "from 2 "from the first Arrival of the Egyptians into their "Country, were never without fuch ftated Feafts amongst them." Both thefe Methods, however, whether Oral Tradition or Reprefentative Symbols, must be allowed, Mr. Squire fays, to be of themselves very infufficient for conveying, through any long Period of Time, a perfect Account of paft Events; and therefore 'tis not to be doubted, but that as foon as ever Letters were invented, their peculiar Fitnefs for that Purpose was as eafily perceived, and they, accordingly, made ufe of. Hence those frequent hiftorical Monuments infcribed upon Pillars, both Stone and Brass, upon Tripods, &c. which we read of in the most early Ages of Mankind. From fuch publick Memorials preferved in the feveral Cities of his Country, and from the facred Records depofited in the Temples of the Gods, Sanchoniatho is exprefly faid by Eufebius to have compiled this Hiftory of Phenicia. It was a Custom in Egypt, from the most early Ages of that People, for all ufeful Inventions, together with their Authors Names, to be engraven upon Pillars of the most lafting Materials, and afterwards to be depofited in the most facred Places; and from thefe publick Monuments it was, that the beft Egyptian Hiftories were in latter Ages compiled. But as Mr. Squire's prefent Concern is more particularly with Greece, he paffes over the Obelisks of Sefoftris, and other ancient Monuments of a like Nature, mentioned in the first Hiftories of almost all the Nations of the Earth; obferving only in general, "That if Letters were in Ufe before the Flood, or if they were invented before the grand Difperfion of Mankind in the Days of Phaleg, or, laftly, if they were known in Egypt before Cecrops and his "Companions left that Kingdom, as moft un doubtedly they were, then 'tis highly probable “they |