Relation there are many surprizing Stories of wonderful Austerities and Examples which would be dangerous to imitate Several learned Men are of Opinion that this Palladius was likewise Author of the Life of St. Chrysostome X. Paul Orosius a Spanish Priest of the City of Tarragon and Disciple of St. Austin flourish'd under the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius The City of Rome having been taken in the Year 410. by Alaric King of the Goths the Pagans had a mind to render the Christians Odious by accusing them of being the cause thereof as likewise of all the other Calamities which befel the Roman Empire It was upon occasion of this Reproach that Paul Orosius at the Request of St. Austin undertook their Defence by shewing that all Ages have produc'd the like Misfortunes and that the Empire of Rome has never been more free from 'em than since the Birth of Christ. This Work says Du Pin is a kind of Vniversal History divided into VII Books which is not ill writ and yet not over-exact for there are many gross Faults to be met with both in the History and Chronology XI Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus a City of Syria was born in Antioch The Greek Church never had a Prelate more Learn'd and of a better Judgment He was elected into this See about the Year 423. And in 431. he assisted at the Council of Ephesus He wonderfully refuted the Heresies of his time both with Tongue and Pen. Those Works we have of his sufficiently convince us of his deep Learning and great Parts He wrote V Books of Ecclesiastical History which begun with the Heresy of Arius and proceeded on to the time of Theodosius the Younger which likewise Gennadius says he continu'd to the reign of Leo in V other Books but which however are now lost Vtinam quis tantum Thesaurum eruat e Tenebris sicubi adhue delitescunt says Father Labbe the Jesuit Among the other Works of Theodoret there is his Monastical History containing the Lives of the most famous Anchorets of his Time This Book is entituled Philotheus that is as Nicephorus explains it The History of the Beloved of God Herein are related great and wonderful Examples of Virtue XII Socrates say the Schools learnt Grammar at Constantinople under the care of Ammonius and Helladius both Natives of Alexandria He has written an Ecclesiastical History in VII Books which either begins or ends that of Eusebius that is from Constantin and continues to the 17th Consulship of Theodosius the Younger which begins with Festus in the Year 439. so that this History of Socrates comprehends the space of 140. Years Photius says it is very Uncorrect as to its Stile and less Authentick in expounding the Doctrin of the Church He gives us a great deal of reason to believe that he was byass'd to the Errors of the Novatians in that he extreamly commends the Bishops of that Persuasion and blames the Catholicks with a great deal of Vehemence XIII Sozomen Native of Salamis in the Island of Cyprus frequented the Bar for some time at Constantinople He has written IX Books of Ecclesiastical History from the third Consulship of Crispus and Constantin Junior both Sons of Constantin the Great and both Emperors to the seventeenth Consulship of Theodosius Junior that is to say from the Year 324. to the Year 429. We have lost a Continuation of this History for near 20 Years It is somewhat strange that Theodoret Socrates and Sozomenes should all Three undertake the same Work at the same time The reason I suppose must be that they did not like each others Works For it is certain says Nicephorus Writing upon this Subject that the Readers and Writers are often of different Opinions Also these Historians might well be presum'd to favour the Party they Adher'd to XIV Victor of Vtica a Bishop of Africa in the fifth Century of the Church has written an Account of the African Persecution by the Vandals in III Books the beginning whereof shews that it was compos'd in the Year 487. under the Reign of the Emperor Zeno about 60 Years after the Vandals had pass'd from Spain to Africk over the Streights of Gibraltar You shall there meet with a List of the African Bishops which were then involv'd in that Persecution among which Victor himself was not spar'd by the Tyrant Huneric XV. Cassiodorus was Chancellor and chief Minister to Theodoric the Goth and several other Kings of Italy From the Age of 20 Years he was rais'd to all the great Employments in the State all which he acquitted with that Address that he might well serve for a Model to the most refin'd Politicians that succeeded him Under the Reign of Vitigius perceiving the Power of the Goths begin to decrease in Italy he retir'd from the World to his Monastery of Viviers which he had caus'd to be Built on the Extremities of Calabria Amidst his most Burthensom Employments he did not omit Writing several excellent Books of which we shall only mention those that relate to History His Chronicle dedicated to King Theodoric was compos'd while he was a Minister of State says Father St. Marthe in his Life of Cassiodorus It is very much Abridg'd containing only the Names of the Consuls and their principal Actions Vossius after Ioseph Scaliger calls this Chronicle Farrago Cassiodori Chronicon tantum farrago est Which Injury against so great a Man the learned Benedictin that was Author of his Life could not endure They find Fault with him says He for not being exact in Chronology in a work which was purely Chronological It is therefore that they fall upon this great Person with so much Gall and Fury They particularly accuse him of being deceiv'd in counting the Consuls from the Emperor Tiberius to Dioclesian but they might be answer'd that he was not deceiv'd only by depending on the Authority of Eusebius he reckon'd the Consulship of Junius Brutus an Olympiad sooner than he ought That the multitude of Consuls amounting to 25. made in one Day caus'd a great Confusion among Historians and that in a Word the Faults of Cassiodorus are for the most part to be imputed to his Copyers c. He has also written a History consisting of three Parts and drawn out of three Authors viz. Socrates Sozomenes and Theodoret all which he has reduc'd into XII Books All these three Historians he got his Friend Epiphanius the School-Divine to Translate and out of them he afterwards compos'd a Body of History selecting out of each what he found most Excellent and Proper for his Purpose He likewise writ a History of the Goths in XII Books of which we have reason to regret the Loss and whereof we have now remaining only what Iournandez Bishop of Ravenna has preserv'd and which is to be found among the Works of Cassiodorus King Athalaric own'd that this Work was of a profound Reach that its Author had therein rescu'd from Oblivion several ancient Gothish Monarchs which were quite forgot
speak when he does it to the purpose Livy perswades more by his sound Morals than great Capacity For through the various Intrigues Interests Passions and other Disorders which he describes he gives a glimpse of an honest Mind which proclaims a better Man than Historian We see in them the inmost recesses of the Heart of those he describes the very bottom of his own and among the false Lights he discovers in their Conduct he is never out himself He judges well of all for his Soul is as Upright as his Wit is True Livy is the most accomplish'd of all Historians for he has all the great Parts requisite to write History a fine clear Imagination a noble Expression a true Judgment an admirable Eloquence He has none but great Ideas in his Mind he fills his Readers Imagination by what he says by that means he affects the Heart and moves the Soul He has the greatest Genius for History and is one of the greatest Masters of Eloquence that ever liv'd I don't understand what Asinius Pollio means by reproaching him with a Country way savouring of Padua which he calls Patavinity His great Talent is to make People feel what he says by ingaging those that read him in his own Sentiments by inspiring them with his Hopes and Fears and giving them all his Passions by his admirable Art of setting the most secret Springs of the Heart a going I hope the Reader will easily excuse me for dwelling so long upon Livy's History He is the great Master of this Art and deserves to be well known and since no Man can give us a better account of him than Monsieur Rapin I thought it proper to give you this long Abstract V. Velleius Paterculus was nobly born as he proves from those of his Name that had born the greatest Employments in the Army And he had himself been in the Wars with great Honour and Reputation He had been Tribune of the Soldiers and had Travell'd through the Provinces of Thracia Macedon Achaia Asia Minor and on both the Banks of the Euxin Sea so that both by his Employments and Travels he had great advantages to write History The two Books that remain of History for the greatest of his Works are lost begin about the Sixth Year of the Reign of Tiberius and are dedicated to Marcus Vinicius Consul who had Marry'd Tiberius's Grand-daughter His Style is pure clear elegant and such as is thought worthy of the best Age of the Roman Empire There are in his History some particulars not to be found any where else Never did any Man know better than he how to blame and how to commend yet in some Peoples Opinion he goes a little too far in the Praises he gives to the House of Caesar Augustus But how can a Man avoid that Fault when he writes his History before the Eyes of the reigning Family Therefore I easily forgive him the excessive Praises he gives to Tiberius but really he is guilty of too gross Flattery when he bestow'd so much Incense upon Sejanus his Favourite whom he endeavours to make pass for the honestest Man that Rome ever saw Velleius Paterculus is very exact in setting down the Times of the Events he speaks of he describes the Original of several Cities he makes the Eulogy of those that have been famous in the Wars in the Government of the State or in the Sciences in short there 's a great deal to be learnt from that Author Father Rapin speaks thus Paterculus and Florus are florid genteel delicate and agreeable in their mean way of Writing Let Paterculus be pretty trim and genteel in the Character he has pitch'd upon but let Livy be great and serious because small Beauties have need of Ornament to shew themselves whereas the great ones need no Addition to their natural Graces We must always speak within bounds let an Historian never diminish or exaggerate Things either as Tacitus who casts his Venom upon every Thing or Paterculus who makes every Thing look gay and pleasant VI. Quintus Curtius was a Roman Knight the Age he liv'd in is not well known but the most common Opinion is That he flourish'd under the Emperor Vespasian Quintilian who mentions all the Historians of Note in the Tenth Book of his Institutions written in Domitian's Time yet says not one Word of Quintus Curtius's History which induces us to believe That his Work might not have been Publish'd at that Time which Opinion is also confirm'd by the silence of the other Ancients Quintus Curtius has written the History of Alexander the Great in X Books but the two First with the end of the Fifth and some little places of the Tenth have been lost There is not a more excellent Author among the Latin Writers than Quintus Curtius He may be said to be among Historians what Alexander is among Conquerors and that the Panegyrist is to the full as great as his Hero So that Alexander would have now no Reason to complain that he had not like Achilles Homer to celebrate his Actions Some are for Livy's Style others for that of Tacitus but all agree upon the Excellence of that of Quintus Curtius which is beyond all dispute worthy of the Age of Augustus as Vossius speaks Imo vel Augustaeo aevo digna est dictio Iustus Lipsius says that he is the Author that Princes should make themselves most familiar with and that they ought to have him continually in their Hands Let us now consult Rapin's Judgment upon this Author Quintus Curtius says that Critick is shining and florid Nothing can be more Polite than Quintus Curtius he has a florid and gay Expression which extreamly pleases the Men of Wit Every thing ought to be grounded upon Reason and therefore Quintus Curtius is not always in the right When he endeavours to make his Hero so admirable he does not make him take the wisest Resolution but on the contrary the most Heroick and Perillous he always finds a Charm in Danger and cares not so much for Conquests as the Honour of Conquering It is in his Power to surprize Darius in the Night and by that means keep him from knowing how weak he was Darius having double the Men But this great Man who is less sollicitous of getting a Victory than making his Valour to be admired attacks the King of Persia in the broad Day being resolv'd rather to die with Honor than Conquer by a Surprise Darius after his defeat offers to divide Asia with him and proposes a Match between him and his Daughter but Alexander rather chuses to arrive at Glory thro' Dangers than become a Master so peaceably he will hear none of these Proposals and aims at nothing but what 's extraordinary His Historian I must confess does him a great deal of Honor but does not all this great Honor want a little probability Does he not make his Hero more Rash than Wise and more Venturesome than Ambitious He thought those Sentiments
Years which we interpose betwixt the Creation of the World and the Birth of our Saviour is sufficient to correct and explain the Successions of the Patriarchs Judges and Kings and all the History of the People of God 2. The space of 4000 suffices also to set in order and connect all that Prophane History tells us apparently true about the Antiquities of the Chaldeans Egyptian and Chinese as I shall shew anon when I come to speak of each Monarchy in particular 3. The eminently learned Archbishop Vsher after a long and laborious Study acknowledges That the space of 4000 is the most agreeable to the History 〈◊〉 the Bible which he demonstrates in his excellent Work called Annales Veteris Novi Testament That Book has been so generally approved of in thâ— World that People have been glad to see at the enâ— of S. Vitre's Bible the fine Chronological Tables dâ—â—gested according to Vsher's Scheme They have been abridged since and put into French and afterwards into English at the end of the History of the Bible-wiâ—â— Figures and in what manner soever they have appeared they have found a very kind acceptance Furthermore the Bishop of Meaux has followed it in his learned Lessons upon History to the Dauphin of France People do not agree says he upon the precisâ— individual Year wherein our Saviour came into the World but all agree That his true Birth was some Years befoâ—â— our Vulgar Aera which however we shall follow with thâ— rest for Conveniency-sake Without disputing any moâ—â— about the Year of our Saviour's Birth it is enough for us to know that it happen'd about the 4000 th Year of the World Some place it a little higher others a little lower and others in this very Year a Diversity which proceeds as much from the uncertainty of the Years of the World as that of the Birth of our Saviour Discourse upon Universal History 4. This Number of 4000 Years is also easy to retain for all round even Numbers leave a clear Image and make a distinct and deep Impression in our Mind which is very necessary in Chronology where Memory has so much to do that we can never use too many Helps to support it Now this Epocha has all the Advantages that can be desired For if from the 4000th Year where we place the Birth of our Saviour that is that Point of History that ought to be most dear and important to us we run back 1000 Years higher we meet precisely with the Dedication of the Temple of Solomon in the Year of the World 3000. If we go on still a thousand Years wanting eight higher we will find the Birth of Abraham in the Year 2008. Finally about the Year of the World 2500. the Law is given to Moses And all those bright and remarkable Points of Sacred History are express'd by round even Numbers which extreamly ease and help the Memory 5. There was in the first Ages of the Church an ancient Tradition That the World was to last but 6000 Years which popular Opinion is said to be originally derived from Eliah's House But however 't is certain that this Tradition was grounded upon Rules of Consonance and Agreeableness The chief of which was That God had made the World in Six Days and rested the Seventh To this they added That according to the Words of the 89th Psalm v. 4. A thousand Years before the Lord are like one Day and therefore that there were 6000 Years appointed for the Labours of this Life after which time the Saints would enjoy a Sabbath with God that is rest for ever with him They allowed 2000 Years before the Law 2000 Years under the Law at the end of which the Messiah was to come and whose Reign was to last 2000 Years more Finally they said That if the World did not endure all that Time 't would be because the Sins of Men should grow to such a height that God could no longer bear with them Thus the 6000 Years of the World are the Six Days of the Week before God and the eternal Sabbath of the Saints in the Repose of Glory will be the Seventh Sex millibus annorum stabit mundus Duobus millibâ—â— inane Duobus millibus Lex Duobus millibus Messiaâ—â— Isti sunt sex dies Hebdomadae coram Deo Septimus diâ—â— Sabbathum aeternum est Mille anni ante occulos tuâ— tanquam dies Psal. 89. This ancient Tradition of thâ— Iews which the first Fathers of the Church have wiâ—â—lingly received places with us the coming of thâ— Messiah in the Year of the World 4000. 6. Those that are taken with the subtle Speculation of the Rabbi's will find something that will please theâ— in this Epocha of 4000 Years Among the Virtuoso's 〈◊〉 the Cabala one of the most mysterious ways of Interâ—preting the Scripture is that which they call Sephiroâ— which is properly an Explication of the Holy Text bâ— the Elements or Letters whereof every Word is comâ—posed Now as all the Hebrew Letters as well as thâ— Greek are Numeral all the Secret lies in considerinâ— the value of each Letter and finding out a mysteriouâ— Number in one or more Words and it cannot be deâ—nied but by this Method the Rabbi's have sometime hit upon very ingenious and subtle Explications Wâ— speak this without laying any Stress upon abundanâ—â— of minute and frivolous Inquiries wherewith all theâ—â— Books swarm Of all the Words upon which those Doctors have exercised their Brains in this sort of Analysis there none wherein they discover so many Mysteries as iâ— this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bereschith which begins the Book oâ— Genesis and serves for the Title according to the Custom of the Hebrews 'T would be impertinent in this place to relate all the Witticisms scattered up and down in the Books of the Cabalists about this Wordâ— I shall only mention a curious one which has a particuâ—lar relation to the Subject I treat of This Word Bereschith which signifies In Principiâ—â— In the Beginning not only contains the Promise God made of giving his Son since one may as well read Barschit Dabo filium I shall give the Son but it expresses also the Year of the World wherein the Eternal Father was to give his Son for the Salvation of Men. This is the Method they use to find out that Year 1. They take out of this Word all the Letters whose value exceeds 100. Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 200. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 300. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 400. 2. In the Name of every Letter of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they take again the Letters worth more than 100. Thus in the Letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beth is found the Letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that stands for 400. In 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resch there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worth 200. and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worth
Great Mogol descended from him Wenceslaus the Emperor depos'd 1399. Rupert of Bavaria succeeds 1400. By reason of the many Civil Wars Italy throws of the German Yoke and several Governors of Cities make themselves absolute as the Scaligers in Verona thâ— House of Est at Ferrara the Gonzagues at Mantua c. Sigismond K. of Hungary chosen Emperor 1410 He erected Savoy into a Dutchy in favour 〈◊〉 Armedeus 141â— Henry V. King of England 141â— He is victorious in France wins the famous Battle at Agincourt 1415. The Government of that Kingdom is resign'd to him by the King Charles VI. 142â— Iohn VII Paleologus Emperor at Constantinople 1417. Henry VI. a Child King of England 142â— Loses what his Father had gain'd in France Richard Duke of York claims the Crown 144â— The Rebellion of Iack Cade suppress'd 1450. The King is worsted by the Yorkists and finally depos'd 1â—60 Albert of Austria chosen Emperor 143â— Frederick of Austria his Brother succeeds 144â— The Art of Printing invented 144â— Iohn Huniades Emperor of Constantinople 144â— Is victorious against the Turks Scanderbeg Prince of Epirus famous for his Victorâ—â—â— over the Turks 144â— Constantine XIII Paleologus the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople famous for his Valour 1443. Mahomet II. call'd the Great Sultan of Turks 1451. Takes Constantinople Constantine being slain puts an end to that Empire 1453. EPOCHA XIII Constantinople taken by the Turks and the Christian Empire of the East terminated 1453. This Epocha is continued as far as the Year 1660. wherein King Charles being Restor'd the ancient Lawful Government of England was re-establish'd IT must be confess'd that this Epocha begins not so happily as those that have gone before it for whereas almost every one of them commenc'd from some great Action whereby the Almighty bestow'd some benefit upon his People this alas begins with a deplorable state of the Christian World and shews us the expulsion of the true Religion out of Greece and its Neighbouring Provinces by the entrance of the Mahometan Cruelty into Europe after it had ravag'd almost all Asia and Africa But it must be acknowledg'd that the Divine Providence was just in this Punishment of those unworthy Christians who by intruding Heresies first caused Schisms and continual Feuds in the Church and afterwards by Superstition profain'd their most Holy Religion and yet by bitter Persecution destroy'd the Holy Professors of true Christianity that in those Ages oppos'd themselves to the innovated Idolatry and Superstition We might justly enough call the last Epocha Dark and Illitarate as we must Name this that follows the Enlightned and Learned Age of Christianity for the Northern Barbarians that over-run Europe in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries had so effectually swept away all sâ—â—ts of Learning that tho' themselves afterwards beâ—ame Christians and somewhat Polite yet it requir'd Ages of Time to revive that Learning which they had destroy'd and in effect what thro' the Wars that happen'd and thro' the absolute Power the Clergy exercis'd which gave them an opportunity of living Lazily in Convents all the Sciences and even Arts too were in a very low Estate till in this Century the discovery of the Art of Printing put Books into the Hands of the Laity the which being follow'd in the next Age with the appearance of those great Literati Picus Mirandula Desider Erasmus Mars Ficinus c. Learning began to Revive and by the continued zealous prosecution of the Work that those great Men begun we may now venture to say We have almost arriv'd to the Perfection of those Ages wherein the Greeks and Romans made themselves immortal by their great Erudition and Ingenuity That wonderfully useful Instrument the Marinerâ— Compass had been found out in the beginning of the Fourteenth Century by the help whereof the Portugueze had ventur'd to Navigate on the Coasts of Africa and by degrees advancing we find them at length towards the end of this Age got as far as India from whence they brought by Sea vast quantities of the rich Commodities of those Parts which before that time came but sparingly hither because brought over an immense Tract of Land to Alexandria before we could receive 'em This was follow'd by a discovery of a new World which Christopher Colombus with great Hazard as well as Skill and Pains found out and thereby gave the Spanish Monarch an opportunity of encreasing his Dominions to an almost infinite extent and of enriching Europe to an inexpressible degree out of the inexhaustible Mines of Mexico and Peru. The following Epocha shews us moreover the Church reform'd and the Christian Religion restor'd to its ancient Purity a Blessing of inestimable value and which we ought all to praise God for and continually pray that he lets not again Superstition to prevail or which is worse Atheism and Irreligion to Profane our Piety Years of Jes. Chr. The Turks having taken Constantinople proceed in their Conquests and gain the Peloponnesus now call'd Morea 1459. Edward IV. Son to Richard Duke of York who had been slain in his Wars against Henry VI. gains the Crown of England 1460. Marries the Lady Gray which disgusts his great Friend the Earl of Warwick 1465. Warwick raises Wars against him and in the end forces him to fly the Kingdom 1470. Henry plac'd on the Throne again after 9 Years Imprisonment but Edward soon expells him 1471. He dies leaving his Crown to his young Son Edward V. 1483. Maximilian of Austria Son to the Emperor Frederick Marries Mary Heiress of Burgundy 1477. They had Issue Philip who Married Ioan the Daughter of Ferdinand King of Spain by which all the Netherlands became afterwards united to that Kingdom Maximilian chosen Emperor 1493. Richard Duke of Glocester usurps the Throne and Murders his Nephews 1483. Richard III. a Tyrant slain at Bosworth by Henry VII who was of the Lancastrian Family and Marry'd the Daughter of Edward IV. declar'd King 1485. Is oppos'd by two Impostors Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck 1486 1499. In the Year 1454. the Portugueze discover'd the Cape of Good Hope and prosecuting their Voyaging they at length got as far as the East-Indies which was discover'd by Vasq. de Gama who was sent by the King of Portugal to that purpose and arriv'd before Calicurt May the 20th 1498. Ferdinand King of Arragon and Isabella Queen of Castille by Marriage unite those Kingdoms and erect the Monarchy of Spain 1474. Ferdinand expels the Moors out of Spain and erects the Inquisition against them which gains him the Title of Catholick 1496. Christopher Columbus a Native of Genoa having partly by his own Study in Geography and partly by Information of some Seamen who had been driven on some far Western Coast conceiv'd an Opinion That there was a large Country Westward of us yet unknown apply'd himself zealously for the Discovery of it to which purpose he first desir'd Assistance of the State of Genoa afterwards of our King Henry VII and of Emanuel King
than any of those Authors who have acquir'd so great Reputation in the World and procur'd Greece the Title of The Mother of Sciences and Arts for he liv'd near 500 Years before Homer 800 before the Philosopher Thales who writ the first concerning Nature 900 before Pythagoras and above 1100 before either Socrates Plato or Aristotle who have been the most celebrated and chief Masters of all the Wisdom of Greece Preface to the French Translation of Genesis 3. It is true that Moses writ the History of the Creation a long time after it since that he writ Genesis it may be about the Year of the World 2550. But this ought not to gravel any Man of Sense for when once he has conceived that Mâ—ses foresaw future Things through the Spirit of God which revealed them to him it will not be hard to believe that he was also Inspired with those that were past and before his Days This History also may be very well establish'd without having any recourse to Revelation for it is possible Moses might have said to those of his Time I am resolved to write of the Transactions from the beginning of the World to this Day and of which I believe no Body can be better inform'd than my self for Amram my Father has often said to me Son I will relate to you all the History of the World down even to us according as I have learnt it from Levi my Grandfather who had what he told me from Isaac his Grandfather with whom he liv'd 33 Years And as for what relates to Isaac he might have heard all what he told Levi from Sem with whom he liv'd also 50 Years Now nothing can be more probable than that Sem might say to Isaac after this manner You may safely believe what I tell you about the Deluge since I have been an Eye-witness of all I pretend to know And you ought likewise to believe me when I acquaint you about the Creation of the World and of all what relates to Adam since I liv'd near 100 Years with Methusalem my Great Grandfather who learnt all these Matters from Adam himself with whom he liv'd 243 Years So that between Isaac and Adam there are but two Persons Mathusalem and Sem and then between Isaac and Moses his Father there is only one more who is Levi. Insomuch that to speak plainly without having Recourse to Supernatural Proofs never any History deserv'd greater Credit than that of Genesis A TABLE Of the Hereditary and Domestick Traditions of the Patriarchs who might reasonably be presum'd to Instruct one another from Adam even down to Moses  Born in the Year of the World Liv'd Years Dy'd in the Year of the World Adam liv'd 143 Years with 1. 930. 930. Mathusalem liv'd 98 Years with 687. 969. 1656. Sem who liv'd 50 Years with 1558. 600. 2158. Isaac who liv'd 33 Years with 2108. 180. 2288. Levi who liv'd a long time with 2255. 137. 2392. Amram Grandson of Levi whom no doubt he had seen since this Amram was Father of Moses who was born only 41 Years after the Death of Levi. It is certain that Moses writ nothing but what was within the Memory of Man since he was only removed from Adam about Four or Five Generations Between Adam and Isaac there are but two Persons Methusalem and Sem and between Isaac and Amram the Father of Moses there is but one who is Levi. It follows therefore that Adam Methusalem Sem Isaac Levi and Amram the Father of Moses have successively convers'd with and instructed each other in the History of the World which was then only that of their several Families especially at a time when there were no other Histories which Men might apply themselves to or divert themselves with It is not my Design here to confute the several Objections which the Enemies both of the Iewish and Christian Religion have rais'd against the Pentateuch and other Books of the Bible That is altogether foreign to my purpose and would engage me so deep in Theological Disputes that I should quickly lose Sight of my Introduction to History Any one may be satisfied by Monsieur Huetius Bishop of Auranches his learned Treatise concerning Evangelical Demonstration or the famous Father Simon 's Book of the Inspiration of the Sacred Writers what might be answer'd to the frivolous Arguments which Spinosa who liv'd some short time in Holland brought in his trifling Treatise call'd Tractatus Theologico-Politicus against the Truth and Divinity of the Holy Bible This Author tho' born a Iew falls nevertheless very severely upon Judaism without shewing at the same time any great kindness for Christianity So that we may reasonably infer That his Design was to abolish all Religion particularly the Iewish and Christian and establish Atheism and Libertinism leaving every Body to their liberty of believing what they pleas'd providing at the same time they prov'd no Disturbance to the Common-wealth But Father Simon has sufficiently demonstrated That this Spinosa was a Blockhead and that he understood neither the Criticks of the Scripture nor the Learning of the Iews In a Word what I have said particularly of Genesis may suffice to Imprint in us a more than ordinary Idea of the Authority and Divinity of this Book which is the sole Foundation of all the rest of the Bible The Order of the Books of the Old and New Testament First the Old Testament consists of 45 Books I. Genesis comprehends the History of the Creation of the World the Lives of the Patriarchs the Deluge the Genealogy of the Offspring of Noah down to Ioseph and in short all the History of 2369 Years II. Exodus so call'd from its giving an Account of the coming of the People of Israel out of Egypt contains likewise the Transactions of Moses in the Desert how God gave the Laws of the Decalogue to the People and whatever hapned during the space of 145 Years from the Death of Ioseph to the building of the Tabernacle III. Leviticus which contains the Laws Ceremonies and Sacrifices of the Jewish Religion the perpetual Fire distinguishing Beasts clean from unclean and many other Things of which the Inspection and Management belong'd peculiarly to the Levites IV. Numbers where is to be found the numbering of the People of Israel after they came out of Egypt with their History of 39 Years till they went into the Desert V. Deuteronomy that is The Second Law not that Moses then gave a different Law from what he had before published on Mount Sinai but because he therein renewed it to the Children of such as dy'd in the Desert These are the Five Books of Moses call'd the Pentateâ—ch and which contain the History of 2552 Years and an half computed from the Creation of the World VI. Ioshua 'T is commonly thought Ioshua himself was Author of this Book It comprehends the History of 17 Years to be reckon'd from the death of Moses to that of Ioshua VII Iudges It is
not certainly known who compil'd this Book tho' some ascribe it to Samuel It represents the Republick of the Iews under the Dominion of Iudges counting from the death of Ioshua to that of Sampson It contains a Series of History of it may be 317 Years that is to say from the Year of the World 2570 to 2887. Therein the Israelites are to be found groaning under very severe Hardships God having delivered them over to the Power of their Enemies for the Punishment of their Idolatries VIII Ruth This Book whose Author is not known contains an Example of uncommon Piety and of the singular Providence of God Ruth a Moabitish Woman being not willing to forsake her Mother-in-Law follows her till she comes into her own Country where God so employs his Providence for the Welfare of Ruth that she marries for her second Husband Boas a very rich Man of that Country and becomes Mother of Obed Grand-father of David from whom our Saviour Iesus Christ descended according to the Flesh. There is no doubt but this History of Ruth hapned in the time of the Iudges 'T is said to be during the Administration of Samgar about 28 Years after the death of Ioshua IX The first Book of Samuel contains all that passed under the Governments of Heli and Samuel as likewise under the Reign of Saul for about the space of 101 Years that is from the Year of the World 2848 to 2949. X. The second Book of Samuel comprehends all the Reign of David during 40 Years XI The First Book of Kings contains the History of Solomon's Reign as likewise how his Kingdom was divided after his Death Afterwards it treats of Four Kigns of Iuda There is in this Book a Series of History for the space of 126 Years XII The Second Book of Kings contains the several Reigns of 12 Kings of Israel to the Destruction of that Kingdom and of 16 Kings of Iuda to the Captivity of Babylon This Book also relates wonderful Things of Elijah and Elisha his Companion It contains in all the History of 308 Years The Author of the First and Second Books of Kings is unknown but all together include the space of 597 Years XIII The First Book of the Paralipomenes or Chronicles XIV The Second Book of the Paralipomenes or Chronicles These two Books are so nam'd because they contain the Acts and other Circumstances which had been omitted in the foregoing Historical Books This Second ends at the Year of the World 3468. where ended likewise the 70 Years of Captivity when Cyrus gave Liberty to the People of Iuda to return into their own Country to build their Temple and the Walls of Ierusalem 'T is commonly thought that Esdras was Author of these two Books XV. The First Book of Esdras according to the common Opinion was written by the Person whose Name it bears It contains the History of the Captivity of the Iews with their Deliverance and Re-establishment in Iudea from the first Year of Cyrus his Reign to the 20th of Artaxerxes sirnam'd the Long-handed All which comprehends the space of 28 Years computing from the Year of the World 3468 to 3550. XVI The Second Book of Esdras was compil'd by Nehemiah It begins at the 20th Year of Artaxerxes and continues even to the beginning of the Reign of Darius his Son sirnam'd the Bastard which comprehends the History of the Iews during 31 Years and extends to the Year of the World 3581. XVII Tobit There are those that are of Opinion that Tobit the Father and the Son were the Compilers of their own History but this carries no Authority along with it Tobit was one of those Israelites that was transported out of Samaria by King Senacherib This Book includes several great Examples of Virtue and excellent Principles of Morality You may there observe Tobit faithful to God even under strange Trials His Charity the Care he had to bury the Dead his Patience after he had lost his Sight and finally his admirable Instructions of Piety to his Son Tobit the Son informs us with what Dispositions we are to engage in Marriage In a word the Providence of God towards all those that put their Trust in him shines throughout the whole course of this Book XVIII Iudith The Author of this Book is by no means known Huetius was of Opinion That it was writ during the Captivity in Babylon tho' the History of Iudith related in this Book hapned according to the Opinion of the Learned before this Captivity Thus it is thought that this wonderful Expeditâ—on of that Pious Widow who was 64 Years old when she cut off Holofernes's Head was transacted after King Manasses was Re-establish'd Iudith liv'd 41 Years after this bold Action that is to say to the Year of the World 3389. when she was 109 Years of Age. XIX Esther The History of Esther hapen'd under the Reign of Darius Son of Histaspes It is Ahasuerus who is all along mention'd in this Book The Composure of it is attributed to Mordecai but it appears to me that Esther might also have had a hand in it XX. Iob. It is thought that this Book was first written in Arabick and afterwards Translated into Hebrew by Moses The History of Iob can by no means be a Fiction the Persons and Nations therein mention'd by their proper Names the several Testimonies of Tobit Ezekiel and S. Iames together with the Sentiments of the ancient Fathers ought to convince us that this Story is true Iob was either before Moses or else at the same time with him and this History probably hapned during the Israelites being in the Desert because there is no mention made in it of the written Law XXI The Psalms These are commonly ascrib'd to David altho' there be many that are none of his and which have been written a long time after his Death as well by Esdras as other Prophets XXII The Proverbs of Solomon This Book was Compos'd by him whose Name it bears and contains excellent Precepts of Life as well in what relates to the Service of God as our duty towards our Neighbour XXIII Ecclesiastes also belongs to Solomon This Book decries perfectly the Vanity of the greatest Enjoyments in this World XXIV The Canticles or Song of Songs is also of Solomon This Book is altogether Mystical It describes in a very lively manner the incomprehensible Love of Christ towards the Church his Spouse as likewise the Churches return to Christ. S. Ierom observes that among the Iews none were suffer'd to read this Book till they had attain'd the Age of 30 Years so that we may say with this Father That Solomon writ his Proverbs for those that were just entred in the Paths of Piety his Ecclesiastes for such as were somewhat advanc'd But for his Canticles they requir'd a Mind altogether elevated and disengag'd from the Clogs of this World XXV The Book of Wisdom This Book contains the Spirit and many other Things of Solomon altho' in all
Iugurtha is too minute and particular He should not have said so much to make the Bounds of the Kingdom of Atherbal and Iugurtha then in question What need was there to describe all that vast Country and to distinguish the particular Manners of so many different Nations Trogus charges Sallust and Livy and not without a great deal of Reason with a wanton and immoderate Excess of Harangues in their Histories And indeed all those Speeches we put in the Mouths of great Men carry with them an Air of Falshood for from what Memoirs can a Man pretend to have fetch'd them And besides a Warrior never speaks like an Orator Therefore Harangues are Supposititious as well as that which Sallust makes Catiline speak to the Conspirators which probably was secret and extemporary Most of Sallust's Harangues are always admirable but never to the purpose Nothing can be finer than Marius's Speech it is the soundest Piece of Morality in the World concerning a noble Birth every thing there is reasonable and Antiquity cannot boast of many Discourses where one may find so forcible Persuasions to Virtue but that is out of its proper Place And the Air with which he makes Cato and Caesar give their Opinions in the Senate himself as great as he is is little proportion'd to the rest of the History We ought to make the Picture of none but important Persons wherein Sallust is faulty for he gives us the Picture of Sempronius who is but indirectly concerned in the Conjuration of Catiline Sallust with all his Simplicity is too prolix when he inveighs against the Corruption and loose Manners of his Time he is always angry with his Country and always discontented with the Government He gives us too ill an Opinion of the Commonwealth by his Invectives and Reflections upon the Luxury of Rome Thus nothing can be more eloquent than the Description of the Condition Rome was in when Catiline took the Resolution of making himself Master of it And when that admirable Author represents the Commonwealth corrupted by Luxury and Avarice and sinking under the Weight of its own Greatness he uses the most exquisite and eloquent Expressions that can be met with in any History 'T is in those Images that a Man of Skill has an opportunity to shew it and the Historians of the first Rate are full of those fine Strokes Sallust's Preambles which are great Speeches full of Sense and manly Eloquence seem to me to carry with them an Air of Affectation They are generally Common Places that have no Relation to the History Perhaps this Author had some Pieces of Reserve which he employed upon occasion as Cicero us'd to do That Method may be good for an Orator who speaks often in Publick but such Precaution is not allowable in an Historian who is supposed to be Master of himself and of his time Among the Latins Sallust has a noble Expression a true Wit and an admirable Judgment No Person ever imitated so well the judicious exact and severe Stile of Thucidides He is sometimes stiff in his Expressions but he never flags his Conciseness makes him now and then obscure his Manners are always true and he gives Weight to all what he says His Sentiments are always fine although his Morals were bad For he continually declaims against Vice and always speaks well of Virtue I find him a little too morose and peevish with his own Country and too censorious upon his Neighbour but take him all together he is a very great Man IV. Titus Livius was of Padua and not of Apona as some have imagined Soon after he was come to Rome he got into the intimacy of all the great Persons of that Capital of the World which gave him an opportunity to take all the necessary Instructions for the Composition of his History which he Published under the Reign of the Emperor Augustus He wrote one part of it at Rome and the other at Naples where he sometimes retired to Study and give himself up intirely to his great Work His History reached from the Foundation of Rome to the Death of Drusus in Germany and contained 140 or 142 Books But we have but 35 of them left and those too by an additional Misfortune do not follow one another The second Decad is wanting We have only the first third and fourth with about a half of the fifth As for what we want we must be contented with the Epitome or Abridgment which Florus has made of it if so be that we can see without indignation a small imperfect Copy which has in some measure robb'd us of so great and compleat an Original For Abbreviators are generally charged as necessary to the loss of the Books which they Abridge Men are naturally lazy and are glad to meet with Epitomes to save themselves the trouble of reading great Volumes Thus the loss of Trogus Pompeius is laid upon Iustin and that of Dion Cassius upon Xiphiliuus because they have Epitomiz'd them There are a world of Learned Men that cry up to the Skies the Merit of Livy's History Vossius who relates all that has been said in his Commendation gives us in four words a fine Panegyrick upon that Author Nothing says he can be greater or richer than this Writer Nihil hoe Scriptore est grandius atque uberius We have remark'd somewhere in this Book that Alphonsus King of Arragon recovered of a very dangerous Fit of Sickness by the reading of Titus Livius But we have forgot one particular which does no less honour to that Author which is That this great King as an acknowledgment of his Recovery demanded of the City of Padua the Bone of the Arms wherewith that famous Historian had writ his History and having obtained his Requests this Wise Prince caused that Bone to be transported to Naples where he received it like a precious Relick However in the very Age he lived Asinius Pollio found fault with something in him which he calls Patavinity This Patavinity was a Country way of writing such as North-Country Men and others will have with respect to the English Tongue unless they live a considerable time in London or either of the Universities These was says Quintilian in Livy a Country way of Writing that betray'd his Birth at Padua and some Expressions which could never pass upon the Courtiers and Politest Men in Rome Some think it strange the Livy who was a Man of Wit should relate so many populous Reports which he did not believe at all himself as he always seems to inâ—inuate His History is full of Prodigies Now an Ox has spoken another time a Mule has ingendred and then again Men and Women Cocks and Hens have changed their Sex There rains nothing but Stones Flesh Chalk Blood and Milk The Statues of the Gods are said to have spoke wept or sweated Blood In short adds Mr. de la Mothe la Vayer how many Apparitions of Phantoms do we not find in him How many
many obscenities which the World would not much care to know and it were to be wished says Muret that Suetonius had not inform'd us so well of so much Lewdness as Tiberius Nero and Caligula have been guilty of For it is to be fear'd that when a Man relates so many Impurities he may seem to set up a School to Teach them There are some other Pieces of Suetonius but they do not concern History X. Iustin according to the most probable Opinion flourish'd in the time of Antoninus Pius He is the Abridger of Trogus Pompeius's History and so they charge upon him the loss of that great Work The History of Trogus Pompeius contain'd XLIV Books and Iustin has kept to the same Number in his Abridgment The Latin of Iustin is very fine and such as is thought worthy of the Age of Augustus As for Trogus Pompeius he was a Native of the Country of the Vocontii in the Gallia Narbonensis and flourish'd under Augustus His Grand-father was made Free of the City of Rome through the favour of Pompey the Great And his Father after having born Arms under Caesar became his Secretary and Keeper of his Seal The Loss of his History is one of the greatest Misfortunes that could happen to the Common-wealth of Learning It began at Ninus the Founder of the Assyrian Monarchy and came down as low as the Emperor Augustus In Iustine's Epitomy of this History there are many Chronological Faults which ought not to be imputed to Trogus Pompeius for he was a Person too skilful to be guilty of them THESE are the most considerable Writers of the Roman Story which was continued by those commonly call'd Augustan Writers whose Names were Spartianus Lampridius Capitolinus Vulcatius c. and afterwards by Amianus Marcellinus a faithful and judicious Historian who flourish'd in the Year of Christ 375. and Aurelius Victor who liv'd in 395. and was an Author of great Prudence But to give particular Accounts of these and the many other Historians who will claim the same Respect would too much swell our Volume and they may be the rather omitted because those that follow are abundantly short in excellence of those we have been speaking of which the learned Gerhard Vossius declares and confessed that the good Days of History were past and the doating Age of it began after the Antonines when he began his second Book of Latin Historians with these Words Transitur ad Historiae Senectutem It is exceedingly useful to a Reader to be made acquainted with the History of the Author's Person and Circumstances together with a Character of his Work before he begins to read it for whereas without being preinform'd perhaps half the Book shall be read before he discover it and many Excellencies and Beauties and it may be Faults of the Work pass'd by unobserv'd for want of such Knowledge The Reader is on the contrary very much enlightned and Studies the Author with a great deal more pleasure and true Profit when he is already taught wherein his excellency consists or where his Faults lie that he pass not by the one without proper Notice or be 〈…〉 'T is for this Reason that we have given the preceeding Account of Historians and have been so large in their Characters wherein we have not presum'd to give our own Judgment but only to set down that of such Criticks as are of approv'd Learning and Judgment And this we think is the properest Introduction to the Study of History We shall proceed now to a short but distinct and as exact as possible Account of the most considerable Ancient and Modern Monarchies and Governments of the World But in as much as we perceive that the finishing this Work so perfectly as it should be will take up greater space than we at first intended this Volume shall terminate at the Birth of our Saviour and therefore having in this gone through the Three great Monarchies of Assyria Persia and Greece together with the Chinese and Egyptain Monarchies and the several smaller Kingdoms and Republicks that were contemporary with and mostly swallow'd up by them I say having gone through these and the Roman History till the arrival of that Monarchy to its highest pitch of Grandeur under the Emperor Augustus we shall close this Volume and compose another which shall continue a General History down to these Times A SYSTEM OF Universal History PART III. CONTAINING A Compendious History and Chronology of the most considerable Transactions that happen'd in the World from the Creation to the time of our Saviour Exhibiting a Series of the History and Succession of the Governments of these Nations Viz I. The Church of God under Patriarchs The Israelites under the Judges and Kings and the Iews under the High-Priests and Captains II. The Assyrian Monarchy III. The Persian Monarchy IV. The Grecian Monarchy V. The Empire of China VI. The Kingdom of Egypt VII The ancient Governments of Greece viz. of Athens Lacedemon Macedon Corinth Sicyon Argos Troy Lydia Tyre c. VIII The Roman Monarchy from its Origine to its Establishment under Augustus Printed for Tim. Childe 1698. A Short SYSTEM OF Universal History PART III. An Account of the Ancient Monarchies which preceded the Birth of IESVS CHRIST CHAP. I. An Account of the Church of God under the Old Testament GOD created the Heaven and the Earth and all that in them is He created them out of Nothing by the sole Power of his Word for his own Glory He did not make them all at once as if it were out of Necessity but in Six Days time and according to the Order which he thought most convenient The first Day he made the Light the second he made the Heaven the third Day he divided the Heaven from the Earth and caused the Earth to bring forth Herbs Trees and all manner of Plants the fourth Day he made the Sun Moon and Stars the fifth Day he made the Fishes and the Fowls the sixth Day he caused the Earth to bring forth all the other Beasts and lastly he made Man to command all the rest of the Creation The seventh Day God rested having finished all his Works that is he ceased from producing new Creatures God made Man in his own Image and Likeness that is to say after he had formed a Body out of the Earth he breathed into it the Breath of Life 'T is this Soul which is the Image of God because it is a Spirit God having made Man made also Woman to be an help meet for him and he made her of one of the Man's Ribs that so the Man and the Woman might love each other entirely and be made one as being but one Flesh. The Man whom God called Adam and the Woman whom God called Eve were Innocent when they came out of the Hands of their Cteator but they fell into Sin by the Malice of the Devil and involved all their Posterity in their Guilt and in all the Miserie 's