renown of Alexander which other Autors have said Parte jâ Climat 4. concerning his Non ultra in the East and yet the Arabick Geographer asscribeth also unto him the Pillars of Hercules in the West and saith moreover that by the help of his Mathematicians hee digged up an Isthmus and joined two seas together See this Autor in his first Part of his 4. Clime That which is already recorded of this Mightie Conqueror by Historians more commonly known is as great a burden as fame can bear and yet I have seen two Greek unpublish'd Autors in the Baroccian Archives Archivae Bara Bâ—blioth Bod. that have gon beyond all that is yet extant as if they would set down not how much Alexander could do but how much 't was possible for the Reader to believ for so they have scrued up his Acts to a most prodigious and incredible hight that nothing more can bee exspected from the Historia Lombardica or the most impudent Legend and yet I finde nothing at all said of this Agger Justin hath said much for Alexander out of Trogus Pompey and much is set down by Diodorus to saie nothing of Zeno Demetrius printed at Venice in vulgar Greek and a French Autor not extant both which have written the life of Alexander and that they might lie by Autoritie they have don it in vers and yet none of all these ever durst to saie that this was anie of his Acts to join Pharos to Alexandria nay Plutarch in the life of this Alexander saith that Pharos was an Isle in those daies and verie well intimateth that the Isthmus was congested in after times Therefore if this would not bee remembred neither by those who knew all that Alexander did nor yet by others who durst to write more then they knew Bar-Jonah is not to bee regarded in this matter But Joseph Scaliger troubleth us further for hee saith that this Isthmus was raised per Superiores Ptolemaeos by the former Ptolemies and his Autoritie for this is out of Julius Cesar in the third book of his Commentaries De Bello Civili towards the later end of that Book there Cesar saith thus Haec insula objecta Alexandriae portum efficit sed â superioribus regionibus in longitudinem passuum 900. in mare jactis molibus angusto itinere ponte cum oppido conjungitur At the first reading of these words I marvailed how Scaliger could pick out the thing which is pretended seeing that here is no intimation to that purpose but upon a further inquirie I found in the Critical Notes upon this Place that Brodaeus would have it read A superioribus Regibus and out of this varia lectio Scaliger got his Superiores Ptolemaeos Suppose wee then that the true waie of reading should bee according to Brodaeus yet how will Cesar bee trusted for this in whose judgment wee all know that the Pailing up of an Isthmus would bee too great a work for a woman in comparison whereof Cesar's Ditches and Trenches could bear no reputation Therefore it concern'd the Dictator to darken the glorie of Cleopatra for fear that should eclips his own therefore the exploit is obscurely suggested in terms of generalitie and ambiguitie that it was don A superioribus Regibus which whether it bee to bee understood of Ptolemie Lagus and Philadelph or of those which succeeded who can tell us and if it bee not it maketh nothing against us But why are wee bound to read Regibus seeing that in the most antient and the correctest Copies wee finde it constantly written A superioribus Regionibus and so it is to bee referred to in longitudinem passuum 900. à sup Region c. or otherwise it may follow the force of the Conjunction sed which leadeth to another waie of Interpretation and either of these waies seemeth fully to satisfie the Autor's meaning and affordeth a Construction proper to the Place So wee see that these words of Cesar are not of force enough to overthrow the Testimonie of Ammianus Marcellinus therefore it holdeth still that Pharos remained an Isle till the daies of Cleopatra and wee are sure that Aristaeas was dead long before therefore for him to make mention of the Heptastadium is an inexcusable Anachronism and there needeth nothing more to prove the first thing which was required That the Autor of the present Historie of the Seventie cannot bee that Aristaeas who was to live in the daies of Ptolemie Now wee are to prove that the true Aristaeas had this passage of the Cels. And this will bee easie to do becaus Gedaliah in his Shalshelet Hakabbala professing to set down this Historie of the Seventie Interpreters briefly out of Aristaeas toward the later end of his Abstract useth these words R. Gedalea in Shalshelet fol. 23. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And everie daie the King asked them the Interpretation of som hard sayings and dark sentences which may bee seen at large in this * Of Aristaeas hee meaneth Book And they still gave him such an Answer as was to the purpose and well-pleasing in his sight insomuch that the King marvailed greatly c. After this saith hee they were conducted to a certain Island 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about a mile distant from Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to each of them was appointed a several Conclave c. Wee cannot imagine the Autor to bee so notoriously impudent as to have cited this out of Aristaeas if it had not been there Therefore now if wee give the reason why Josephus should leav it out wee have brought that to pass which was required to bee don Josephus having had good experience of the Heathen not onely by his conversation with their Books but also with themselvs made observation of that whereof hee himself afterward found caus to complain that as they made little account of the Nation of the Jews and their Religion so they slighted their Antiquities and misbelieved anie thing that could bee said or written for their Renown Josephus beeing well aware of this and desirous by all means that his work might finde Acceptation with the Gentiles took diligent heed to make the disposition of his Historie of such a temper as that nothing should bee proposed so incredible as not to bear som congruitie with such things which had been known to bee before and were like to bee hereafter Therefore when hee cometh to the miraculous passages of Holie Writ hee useth a fair waie of Dissimulation still moderating the wonder of a work that hee may bring it down to the Heathens Faith and make it fit for ordinarie belief The Reader shall willingly believ this after experience made in an Instance or two When Josephus cometh to tell of Israëls departure out of Egypt and how they passed through the mid'st of the Sea upon drie land hee relateth the Storie bonâ fide but withall superaddeth thereunto a most unwarrantable Extenuation His fear was lest the
is not don to that end but that beeing but Parts and Members severed from the Whole they yet might make shew of as great an appearance of Integritie as could bee allowed Their Place in their Bodie is to bee esteemed from their proper Lineaments drawn within the Square that is such Portions of Meridians and Parallels as they consisted of in the Globe it self Briefly to the Constitution of a particular Chart These Moments especially make up the Projection the Graduation The Reference to the great Meridian the Scale and the Compass Projection The Projection is most commonly as I said upon a Parallelogramme somtimes inscribed with an Oval as the Map of Flanders and Germane Basse in Ortelius or upon a Circle as that of the North Pole in Mercator's Atlas And becaus no Region is exactly square or round so much of the bordering Territories are usually thrust in as may not onely declare the Bounds but fill up the Square too The Projection is mainly concerned in the fore-knowledg of the Longitude and Latitude of the Countrie And the Latitude is to bee expressed by Parallels from North to South as the Longitude by Meridians from West to East each of them at 10 Degrees distance or the Meridians at 15 as the Geographer shall pleas and may bee drawn either by Circle as the Maps of Asia and America in Ortelius his Theatrum or by right Line and that either extended as in the Map of Africa there or onely begun upon the Parallelogramme as in the Map of Europe and then the two extreme Parallels may bee the North and South sides of the Parallelogramme but if they bee right Lines they are not that is the Meridians are not to bee drawn direct or parallel but inclining and concurring to confess the Nature of the Whole whereof they are such parts and the named Parallels are more notably to bee distinguisht then the rest if they have place in the Map as in that of Africa you have the Equator and both the Tropicks either graduated as the Equator or drawn double at least as the Tropicks c. For the Graduation Graduation The Degrees of Longitude are most commonly divided upon the North and South sides of the Parallelogramme The Degrees of Latitude upon the East and West sides or otherwise upon the most Eastern and Western Meridian of the Map within the Square as in the Descriptions of Ptolemie continually or if the Projection bee upon a Circle as that of the North Pole in the Atlas the Degrees of Longitude are set upon the uttermost Parallel and those of Latitude upon a portion of the Great Meridian answerable to the Semidiameter of that Latitude And the Climes maie bee set down to the Degrees of Latitude as in the Description of Portugal by Vernandus Alvarus But it hath seemed good to som Geographers nay even to Ortelius himself in these particular Descriptions for the most part to make no Graduation or Projection at all but to put the matter off to a Scale of Miles and leav the rest to bee beleev'd Whether this or Mercator's waie in the Atlas were more Artificial I will not judg in the caus of the King of Spain's Geographer For the first Meridian Reference to the great Meridian It is a fault you will more generally finde that there is verie seldom any expression of that Reference so that though there bee Graduation and the Longitude set before your eies yet you will finde your self uncertain unless it bee told you before that the Longitudes in Mr Camdem Speed Nordon and the late English Describers generally are taken from Mercator's First Meridian by S. Michael in the Azores though som of them indeed and not M. Camdem onely but such too as made it their business to do otherwise have proposed the Matter in effect to bee don by the Canaries as the Autor of the Brief Introduction to Geographie if I understand him in these words Vpon the Globe there are manie Meridians drawn all which pass through the Poles and go North and South but there is one more remarkable than the rest drawn broad with small Divisions which runneth thorough the Canarie-Islands or Azores Westward of Spain which is counted the first Meridian in regard of reckoning and measuring of Distances of places one from another for otherwise there if neither first nor last in the round Earth But som place must bee appointed where to begin the Account And those Islands have been thought fittest becaus no part of the World that laie Westward was known to the Antients further than that and as they began to reckon there wee follow them But as concerning Mercator himself you have more to look to Mercator's constant Meridian was that by S. Michaël and so you will finde it in the Atlas set out by Rumuldus But in that of Hondius Edition lately translated into English you will finde it otherwise though you shall see too in what a fair waie you are to bee deceived of this also In the Description of Island pag. 33. The Book saith It is situated not under the first Meridian as one hath noted but in the eighth Degree from thence To which the Margin but not knowing what saith That this first Meridian is a great Circle rounding the Earth from Pole to Pole and passing thorough the Islands called Azores and namely the Isle of S. Michaël as the same Noter to pag. 10. Hee might think hee went upon a ground good enough for in the seventh Chapter of the Introduction Mercator himself saith thus Ptolomie hath placed the first Meridian in the Fortunate Isles which at this daie are called the Canaries Since the Spanish Pilots have placed it in the Isle of Goss-hauks which in their Language are called Assores and som of them placed it in the middle of Spain c. Now wee must hold saith hee that the Longitude is a certain space or interval of the Equator closed between Meridians the one from the Isles called Azores from whence it taketh the begining the other from that Place or Region whereof wee would know the Distance And yet for all this the Longitudes in that Book are accounted from the Canaries as you may see in the East Hemisphere and in the general Description of Africa The Editioner Hondius would have it so and which is marvel the Marginal Noter could chuse but know hee himself in the verie Begining maketh this Profession of it Ptolomie saith hee and wee in this Book do make the Longitude to bee a segment of the Equator comprehended betwixt the Meridian of the place and the Meridian of the Fortunate Islands for from these Islands the Begining of Longitude is taken c. Having saved you this Labor in Mercator you may now bee told what is to bee don with Ortelius For his own Descriptions hee alwaies taketh to Ptolomie's Meridian by the Canaries as you may see in his Vniversal Face of the World and in the General
Tephillim and Mezuzoth onely in the Syriack Tongue But Rabban Simeon the son of Gamaliel saith that the Sepharim also might not bee written in anie other Language the Greek onely excepted By the Tephillim and Mezuzoth the Doctors meant those Schedules which were inscribed with set forms of devotion and placed upon the posts of their Houses or otherwise worn in their foreheads By the Sepharim or Books they intend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Books of the Law the Prophets and the Hagiographa and so the Sepharim are here expounded by the Gloss upon this place By occasion of these words in the Mishna R. Jehudah relateth this Storie in the Gemara 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Wee receiv it by Tradition that King Ptolmai assembled together the seventie two Seniors and placed them in seventie two several Conclaves not making them acquainted with his purpose after that going in to each of them hee said unto them Write mee now down the Law of Moses the Master The Blessed and glorious God put understanding into everie mans heart and they all accorded in one and the same sens So the Talmudists The verie same circumstances of the Storie are set down in their Massicta Sopherim and by Abraham Zacuth in the Book Juchasin besides the four Editions of their Hebrew Josephus or Goreous son in all which it is also extant Among the Arabians there hath as yet com to my Hands one onely Chronologer of these times said the son of Batric and hee also maketh the same report And becaus this Author is not as yet made publick it shall bee here set down what hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Said Abeâ— Bâ—ta Arabs in Historia Eccles And in the twentieth year of the Reign of Ptolomie the King went up to the Citie Jerusalem and brought with him from thence seventie Men of the Jews unto Alexandria and commanded them saying Interpret unto mee your Book of The Law and the Prophets out of the Hebrew into Greek And hee put everie one of them into a several Cell by himself that hee might see now each of them would interpret apart And when they had finished their work the King saw what everie Man had don and their writings all concorded nothing was contrarie in anie one of them So the Book of the Interpretation was sealed up and put into the Hous of their God Serapis c. Thus said the Son of Batric according to the Manuscript Copie of his Historia which I saw at Cambridg in the Archives of their Publick Librarie Philo Judaeus though hee maketh no express mention of the Cels yet if hee doth not intimate som such thing let the Reader tell us what hee meaneth by this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is And they sate down privately by themselvs and having no other companie but the parts of Nature the Earth the Waters the Air and the Heauens the Mysterie of whose Creätion their first work was to discover this beeing the begining of Mose's Law they prophecied as if they had been divinely inspired not one one thing and another another but all in the same sens and words as if they had been prompted by som invisible Director In these words however it may bee said wee are not certain that the Author intended our matter of the Cels yet thus much wee can bee sure of That hee pointeth out such a waie of Interpretation as carrieth with it no less of wonder then the former But Justin the Martyr a Samaritan speaketh it plainly and with a verie remarkable Confidence as wee read in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Gentiles where hee saith That the King appointed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to each of the Interpreters a small several Cel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that everie man might perform the Interpretation by himself And having said somthing of their wonderful agreement hee provideth against the incredulitie of all Men by this resolute enforcement strongly urged from his own experience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is This O yee Gentiles wee report unto you not in the guis of a Fable or a fained Storie but as a received Tradition delivered unto us by the Inhabitants of the Place for wee our selvs also beeing at Alexandria saw the remainder of those Cels and they are yet to bee seen in the Isle Pharos at this present daie To this undoubted Testimonie of Justin Martyr may bee added that of Irenaeus who in the same Centurie maketh the like report Ptolomie saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. considering with himself that if they should bee suffered to confer one with another they might perchance conceal somthing of the veritie of their Scripture by waies of Interpretation hee separated them each from other and commanded them that everie man should translate the same part and this order was observed in all the Book c. And concerning their agreement hee saith That they all set down the same things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same Sens and in the same Words insomuch that all people that were then present acknowledged that the Translation was made by the inspiration of God c. And that the wonder of the work might not bee an hindrance to it self to make it seem the less probable for beeing strange Hee excuseth it by another of the same kinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And wee have the less caus saith hee to marvail that God should thus do seeing hee wrought as great a Miracle for his Scripture by the hand of Ezra in the Restitution of the Law In the third Centurie the credit of the Storie is upheld by Clemens of Alexandria and in the fourth by Cyril of Jerusalem Clemens saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that everie one of them having interpreted by himself according to his proper Inspiration the Translations were Compared and they were all found to agree both in Sens and Words But Cyril more perspicuously and at large 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is And the King providing that the Interpreters which were sent him might not com together appointed for each of them a several Cel in the Isle Pharos near to Alexandria and to each of them was delivered the whole Bible to translate And beeing thus separated the one from the other everie man's part was finished within the space of seventie two daies at which time they all met together and having compared their Translations they were found to concord not onely in the meaning but also in the verie Manner of expression For this Translation was not set forth in pleasing words or the pomp of humane Sophistrie but all was interpreted by the same Spirit by which it was first delivered c. In the fourth Centurie wee finde the Tradition remembred by Epiphanius but not without som alteration of the Circumstances for hee saith that the Translation was performed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in
neque cur potuerint hactenus caussam reddere potuit Hee saith that no man can tell from whence they had it or could ever yet give a Reason why they should put it in Concerning this Translation the Traditions are That under the Reign of Ptolomie Philadelph and by the agencie of Demetrius seventie and two of the Elders of Israël were invited over to Alexandria with the Originals of their Law That they were appointed a Recess in the Isle Pharos where in the space of seventie two daies they rendred it into Greek That the Translation first diligently revised and approved of by the Jews there frequently residing at that Time was carefully and solemnly put up and reserved in the King's Librarie So Aristeas and from him Josephus Philo seemeth to intimate as if the Translation had been severally and unanimously performed that is by two and two in a Cel as Epiphanius and the Emperour in the Novels But by the fuller Autoritie both of the Jewish and Christian Interest It was Translated all alike and by every one in a Separate Conclave Antiquitat Judaïc l. 12. â— 2. So Justin Martyr Irenaeus Clemens Alexandrinus Cyrillus Hierosolymitanus the Talmudists in Megillah Nikra fol. 9. A. in Massichta Sopherim c. 1. Halac 8. Abraham Zacuth in Juchasin R. Gedalias in Shalshelet Haccabala fol. 23.24 c. And Justin Martyr would have the Gentiles to know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That this is no Fable or fictitious Relation for that Hee himself had been there and visited the ruines of the Cels and received this Tradition from the Inhabitants of the Place It is added moreover by the said Aben Batric that Simeon the Just was one of the Interpreters and that upon his unbelief of a Passage in the Translation which prophecyed of Christ it was given unto him not to see death till hee had seen the Glorie of God Whom when hee had taken up in his Arms hee then began that his Nunc Dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace c. For the Translation hee expresly affirmeth that the whole was performed by each of them in his several Cel no man dissenting from another and that the several Copies were all sealed up and put into the Temple of Serapis And yet contrarie to all this one Armius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quoted in the Preface to an Arabick Version of the Greek Pentateuch saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catena Arab. in Pentateuc Mâ—s. in Arch. Bodleianis That the Elders disagreed and that therefore the King commanded they should bee put in prison and under chains An eager and famous Contestation passed betwixt Saint Hierom and S. Austin about this matter the former attributing so little to the Storie that with him The Cels and Separation are but a Fable the later so much That hee accounteth their varieties from the Original to bee no less harmonious then those of the Gospels But forasmuch as the Testimonies notwithstanding their number and concurrence may bee all thrust up into the single autoritie of Aristeas and that so substantially disabled by Scaliger the most indifferent men take part with Saint Hierom. The truth of all may seem to bee as followeth The Talmudists in Sopherim deliver a Tradition of five Elders who translated the five Books of Moses for Ptolomie the King Sopher c. 1. Halac 7. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that this was a sad daie to the Hous of Israël and like the daies of the Calf c. And the time of this Translation is to this daie kept a fast and noted in their Calendar with a Miracle of three daies darkness which as they saie was then upon the Earth The Tradition seemeth to point us to that version of the Law performed before the times of Alexander the Great Clem Alex. 1. Sâ—rom as Aristobulus testifieth in his first book to Ptolomie Philametor But the Tradition erroneously casteth it upon the daies of Ptolomie when not the Law onely but the Prophets also were translated and by the seventie Elders as before Those among the Jews who read the Law in this Translation were called Hellenists otherwise the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Korin lemephrah Such as read the Law backwards as the Talmud in Sota fol. 32.6 In the Jerusalem Talmud it is said that R. Levi coming to Caesarea and hearing them read the Shemang or Audi Israël a Section of the Law Deut. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hellenistin or in Greek would have hindred them which R. Jose perceiving angerly said Hee that cannot read it in Hebrew shall hee not read it at all Nay let him read it in anie tongue whatsoever that hee understandeth and hee hath don his dutie Sota c. 7. This preposterous waie of Reading as it was taken bred a diversitie of conversation and was the caus of manie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or murmurings betwixt the other Jews and Hellenists for so wee are to read not Grecians Act. 6.1 For the Translation I believ it to bee that which for the greatest part of the main bodie is yet exstant and that it was performed at such a Time and Place and possibly by such a Number of Elders for the Cels the Separation and miraculous concent of the Interpreters with other pompous circumstances remembred by Aristeas I assure my self they were all afterwards devised by the Hellenists to advance the reputation of their Scripture against that of the other murmuring Jews which derived down to the Fathers of the Church in such a disguis of Miracle and Antiquitie and which is more then that expresly quoted by the Evangelists and Apostles rather then the Original was easily received with that precipitation of Reverence as gave not time to consider what licentious courses had been practised upon it In this Translation as now received besides manie other various Readings two irreconciliable differences from the Original have passed the one purely Chronological by a numerous excess in the Anni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The other is not so onely but also the Interposition of another Caïnan into the Series of the Geneälogies This later committeth the new Testament with the Old The former leaveth the Old upon plain terms of contradiction to its self and is so vast as in fixing the Aera of the Floud to leav the Hebrew Computation manie hundred years behinde and so absurd as to let it follow that Noah died before the Flood and Methusalem lived after it To reconcile either of these two to the Original upon my duest consideration of all that hath been devised I finde to bee of an impossible performance To defend the Translation against the Original as the Romanists immoderately undertake putteth us upon an unreasonable and ensnaring consequence which howsoever men corrupted by engagement may more indiscernably swallow up yet super-induced upon a sincere and unmixed faith removeth the antient Land-mark and betraieth us to Atheïsm and instabilitie
bee known from anie other whatsoever within the duration of the world or the whole Circle at least Artificiosissima Periodus as Helvicus admireth with manie others so that the Autor needed not to break forth into his Nos qui eam excogitavimus periodum hanc satìs laudare non possumus Canon Isagog Lib. 3. Yet Salian otherwise a great Annalist looseth a Chapter or two in the disparagement of this Period as hee exspected it should redound but it falleth out unto his own The absurdness of his exceptions betraie him thus far that hee could have no juster caus why to expose this period then that himself had been so unfortunate as to build his Annals upon a less during foundation But of what accomplishment this Period is I think wee may best of all bee judg'd by Petavius the most open mouth against that great restorer of Chronologie This Petavius saith that there is not one thing in that whole Book De Emendatione temporum not liable to just reproof this onely period excepted then which hee confesseth to know nothing more important for the advancement of Chronologie and therefore earnestly commendeth it unto general practice assuring all men that by this means the most insuperable confusions of time may bee reduc'd to order with most incredible eas and effect CHAP. IV. Concerning the Aera's IN the account of Time there must bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Vnde and the Quo. Accordingly Chronologie whatsoever fixeth it self upon som certain term to which the reckoning shall refer The most natural Term would bee the World's creätion from which the Jews and wee Christians account our Times though wee rather from the Redemption Si origo Mundi in Hominum notitiam venisset indè exordium sumeremus Censorin De Die Natal Cap. 20. Som of those who could not attein the Worlds begining reckoned from their own So the Romanes ab Orbe Condita Otherwise this Account useth to respect either som great Name or som Notable event So the Greeks account from their Olympicks and the Assyrians from Nabonasser These or the like Terms of Computation Censorinus expresseth by the word Tituli They are most usually known by the Names of Aera Epoche They are called Epoche's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sistendo quòd illis sistantur terminentur mensurae temporum saith Scaliger De Emendatione Temp. Lib. 5. pag. 358. Aera saie the Alphonsine Tables Hispanis dicitur tempus limitatum ab aevo aliquo sumens exordium It was first of all said of the Aera Hispanica respecting the time of Cesar Augustus The Spaniards to complie with the successes of their Triumvir for the Division assigned Spain to Augustus received at that time the Julian form accounting the same from the Emperor under this Style as Sepulveda conceiteth Annus erat Augusti or A. er A. which in time for want of Interpunction was put together and became the word Aera Sepulved To this Scaliger Ridicula saith hee Ridicula tamen illi viro erudito adeò placuit Commentum suum ut ejus rei gratiâ duntaxat scriptionem illius Libelli de emendatione Anni suscepisse videatur c. James Christman fetcheth the word out of his Arabick from Arah computare which becaus of the Spanish usage might receiv som probabilitie from their conversation with the Moors But the Arabick Geographer in the second part of the fourth Clime deriveth this Etymon ab aere flavo and the Saracen calleth this term Aeram Aeris that is saith Christ-man Aeris solvendi Fisco Romano meaning a certain Tribute imposed by Augustus first upon the Spaniards and afterwards upon the whole Empire Som but most unreasonably derive the word from Hera one of the names of Juno so Garcios Loisa out of Hincmare as hee thinketh others from the same word as it betokeneth dominion so they force it they should rather have considered that Hera in the Spanish tongue signifieth time though from a Gothick Original from whence our Saxons had their gere or year as wee now call it And this may seem to bear som relation to the word especially for that Aera is oftentimes used for Annus in Isidore's Chronicle and elswhere Sir Henrie Spelman's Glossarie may bee seen in this word Scaliger Petavius Calvisius and others confirm that Era in old Latine signified as much as Numerus and 't is manifest enough out of Nonius Faustus Regiensis and Cicero himself and this they hold to bee the most likelie derivation of the word if it bee yet hee that first observed it was Resendius a Spaniard in an Epistle to a friend of his who required his Opinion concerning the Aera Hispanica But becaus this Etymon doth no waie intimate why that use of the word should bee peculiarly taken up among the Spaniards except it were true which Scaliger considered that it was in use elswhere but against which Petavius hath given a probable reason the Notation in the Glossarie would rather bee taken and so it may bee a word of the Gothick derivation translated thence to the Spanish use and properly said of their Epoche but now the common name of all others Those Aera's or Epoche's are severally to bee fixed and first of all that of Orbis Conditi CHAP. V. Aera Orbis Conditi MUch question hath been made among the Chronologers in what time of the Year the World should begin and more as som think then needed Not so for beside that for either reason also this ought not to bee indifferent to learned men yet in Chronologie it importeth necessarily that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is therefore called bee assured to som certain time wherein the Accompt shall determine seeing therefore it was necessarie that som one term or other must bee taken why not the true to choos If the Question were asked indefinitely whether the World began in the Spring the Summer the Winter or the Autumn the answer must bee That it began in all For so soon as the Sun set forth in his Motion the seasons immediately grew necessarie to several positions of the Sphear so divided among the parts of the Earth that all had everie one of these and each one or other at the same time The Question therefore is to respect som particular Horizon and becaus it is not doubted but that the Sun first to this upper Hemisphear and in special from the Horizon of our first Parents The Quere is to bee mooved concerning the Holie-Land at what time of the year the World there began 'T is agreed upon by all that it began in som Cardinal point that is that the Motions began from the Eastern Angle of the Holie-Land the Solstitial or Aequinoctial points one or other of them asscending in the Horoscope Nay Mercator excepted scarce anie man doubteth but this point was Aequinoctial either in the Spring or Autumn Whether in this or that was antiently a great Question between the Doctors Eliezer and Joshua as the Seder Olam