In his tables, the annals are extended to years, and the different monarchs, as ufual, inferted; but the lifts of eminent men in every department are added to the fame plate. The names of kings are engraved parallel to the top of the page: thofe of warriors, philofophers, &c. parallel to its fide, with lines drawn under them, expreffive of the time of their birth and death, as in Dr. Prieftley's chart. The lines therefore, drawn across to divide the reigns of the kings, cut these biographical lines in different parts, and thus point out the connection in their several periods. This feems to be the great improvement in the tables themselves, but feveral other fupplemental ones are added, which confiderably increase the value of the work. We fhall therefore give an abstract of the whole, and it will probably appear most candid to felect that of our author. 1. The elements or principles of chronology constitute the fubject of the first part. The various divifions of time, viz. the hour, the day, the week, the month, the year, the folar and lunar cycles, the epact, the indiction, and the Julian period, are explained, and proper rules and examples are given under each head. Several remarkable epochs, æras, and periods, occurring in history, the dates and quantities of thefe are afcertained with accuracy; and they are treated in the following order: 1. The creation of the world. 2. The Jewish æra. 3. The patriarchal period. 4. The univerfal deluge. 5. The vocation of Abraham. 6. The fojourning of the Ifraelites in Egypt. 7. The Argonautic expedition. 8. The fiege and deftruction of Troy. 9. The period from the exit of the Ifraelites to the building of Solomon's Temple. 10. The period of the reigns of the kings of Judah and Ifrael. 11. The æra of the Olympiads. 12. The epoch of the building of Rome. 13. The Nabonaffarean aera. 14. The date of the Babylonith captivity. 15. The foundation of the Perfian monarchy. 16. The establishment of the Roman confular dignity. 17 The feventy weeks of Daniel. 18. The Death of Alexander the Great. 19. The aera of the Seleucidae or Syro-Macedonians. 20. The Spanish aera. 21. The true and vulgar Chriftian aeras. The epoch of the paffion of our bleffed Saviour. 23. The deAtruction of Jerufalem. 24. The aera of Dioclefian. 25. The aera of Conftantinopel. 26. The epoch of New Rome, or Conftantinople. 27. The aera of Hegira. 28. The aera of Jefdegird. 29. The epoch of the Reformation. 22. 2. Though the greater part of readers may have acquired a general acquaintance with hiftory, yet the dates and material circumftances relating to kingdoms and empires, together with the connection and regular fucceffion of the moft ftriking events, are often loft fight of, or not properly attended to. In order to imprefs thefe particulars on the mind, I have exhibited, in Y 2 the the fecond part, a fuccinct and connected view of the time, mode, and circumstances of the establishment, progrefs, perfection, decline, and fall of every confiderable kingdom in the world, from the earliest period to the prefent age. This part may ferve, in fome degree, as a compendium of univerfal hif tory. 3. As eclipfes are effential to the adjustment and deter mination of many dates in chronology, I have inferted a correct lift of feveral before the Chriftian aera, obferved by astronomers, or recorded by hiftorians, and of all, from A. D. 1. to 1900. Thefe eclipfes were calculated with infinite labour by Mr. Pingre, and published in L'Art de verifier les Dates. To this catalogue I have prefixed an explanation, containing fome. tables, by which the extent of the penumbra, and the quantity of eclipfe in any given latitude and meridian, may be known. As the hiftory of the church bears a confiderable proportion to that of the world, I have added, for the benefit of thofe who would be conversant in ecclefiaftical affairs, a chronological lift of councils; and I have fixed the date of every council, the city and province in which it was affembled, the person who prefided, and the chief fubjects of debate. These lifts of eclipfes and of councils, confiitute the third part of the following work. 4. The chronological tables and charts are contained in the fourth part, and may be confidered as the refult of all that precedes. They commence B. C. 2200. The lifts of emperors, kings, and pontiffs, defcend in a parallel direction ;and the years of every reign may be known by the means of a marginal fcale. The names of perfons renowned in history are inferted; and the duration of their respective lives is marked by a line, which, when applied to the fcale, will give the number of years. On the flighteft infpection contemporaries are obferved; an advantage not to be derived, in the fame degree, from tables differently conftructed. Thefe tables and charts are introduced by a circumftantial account of their conftruction and ufe. 5. To aid the memory of ordinary readers of history, I have collected a confiderable number of memorable events and occurrences, (including many aftronomical obfervations and celeftial phaenomena) relating to the feveral nations and kingdoms of the world, from the earlieft ages, and have arranged them in chronological order. Not only the year, but frequently the month, and the day of the event, are fubjoined. As thefe have been extracted, for the most part, from genuine fources of information, the dates, I prefume, will be found to be fufficiently accurate. 6. In the appendix are inferted many tables requifite to the illuftration of feveral parts of the fyftem. The titles of these tables are as follow: The years of the Hegira, with the correfponding years of the Chriftian aera, and the feirae of these years years to A. D. 1900: 2. The Olympiads, with the names of 14. the victors, and of the archons of Athens. 3. The different computations of the age of the world. 4. The characters of the Arabian months 5. A feries of remarkable dates and epochs, from the creation of the world to the commencement of the Chriftian aera, with proofs from the facred writings, ancient hiftory, &c. 6. A lift of Theban kings, according to the chronicon of Eratofthenes. 7. Ptolemy's canon of the Chaldean, Perfian, Grecian, and Roman kings. 8. The months of many nations adjusted to those of the reformed Julian year. 9. The Jewish common and embolifmal years compared. 10. The dates of many remarkable epochs, aeras, and periods, in the order of the Julian months. 11. The days of the Julian, year reckoned from January, and thofe of the Egyptian year from Thoth. 12. The Nabonaffarean and Julian years compared. 13. A table of lunations, from one to 10,000. The number of days, hours, and fidereal, folar, and Julian years, from one to 10,000. 15. The golden number from one to 4000; 16. A table fhewing the days of the months by the dominical letter. 17. The number of direction for finding Eafter Sunday, by the golden number and the dominical letter. 18. The dominical letters from B. C. 4,200, to A. D. 4000, for old and new ftyles. 19. The pafchal limits from A. D. 1583, to A. D, 1900. old and new ftyles. 20. The day of the week, which answers to any day of the month. 21. A table of epacts, 22. A requifite table to that of the epacts. 23 A table for the reduction of parts of the equator into mean folar hours, and v. v. 24. A table for the reduction of time into parts of the equator, and v. v. 25. The limits of folar eclipfes. 26. A table of the latitudes of places, and the differences of meridians. 27. The number of lunations and decimals in any given time, &c. The ufe of each of thefe tables is fnown and illuftrated. 7. Lastly, as many perfons, diftinguished by abilities, natural or acquired, could not find a place in the tables or charts, I have annexed a copious biographical index, in which the dates of the reigns of kings, and of the lives of remarkable men, are inferted, and concite characters of both are occafionally given.' After this extenfive abstract, we fhall only add our opinion of the whole, as it appeared to us, after a careful and repeated examination, In the afcertaining the eras, we fufpect that Mr. Playfair has fometimes determined too haftily; but we ought to add, that he is generally fupported by refpectable authority. In obfcure fubjects it is not eafy to decide; it is ftill lefs fo, when various opinions may be fupported by numerous arguments, and each fo vague as to have little influence on the ballance. We cannot eafily enter into any difcuffions on this fubject, till we receive our author's Y 3 Chro Chronological Effays, or more minute Directions to his Guides: In general, these intricate fubjects are explained with clearnefs, precifion, and conciseness: we think his ftyle, though lefs pleafing to general readers, well adapted to this fhort comprehenfive mode of relation. The annals of various nations deferve the fame character; we have no particular reafon to impeach his accuracy in these refpects. The age of authors is frequently uncertain; and we fear many errors have unavoidably crept into this part of his work; but it is infeparable from its object, and we ought not to blame, for a difference of opinion is no foundation in this respect for cenfure. We think that the age of Offian may now be fatisfactorily removed from the third century. The series of remarkable events is full, accurate, and ufeful. The fupplemental tables are fomewhat different from the order mentioned in the Introduction. The firft is a tranflation of the Arundel Marbles, the different computations of the age of the world is the laft, and the years of the Hegira the third. twenty-third and twenty-fourth tables are confequently joined, and marked N° I. and II. Their utility is fufficiently apparent, and, fo far as we can judge, from our examination of the computations, we have no room to fufpect their accuracy. The In the conduct of this work, when compared with that of Dr. Blair, there are fome variations. The explanation of the nature of the different eras, and the rules for reducing them, are important additions: the fupplemental tables are alfo ufeful and fatisfactory. The lift of councils and eclipfes are more remotely connected with the fubject; but, as they are fometimes referred to, cannot be a very unneceffary part of the fyftem. On the other hand, Dr. Blair's tables are not only more extenfive, and confequently more diftinct, but they contain alfo at one view, the fubftance of our author's chronological hiftory and biographical index, which is exceedingly convenient, when a fhort reference is only neceffary. And fince this method obliges Dr. Blair to add an index of remarkable events, it at the fame time facilitates the investigation of fome fubjects, in which we are not directed by a name of any diftinguished actor in the scene, as in the inftances of a battle or a famine. His maps too are very correct, and highly useful. We have thus fhortly endeavoured to ascertain the respective merits of these valuable works, fo far as concerns the form. The comparative execution is a fubject too extenfive for our prefent inveftigation. In that of Dr. Playfair, which is our principal object, we find no remarkable errors. The tables, though fomewhat crowded, are ftill diftin&t; and if his form fub. fubjects him to fome inconveniences, they are compenfated by additional materials. The biographical index is very full: the characters are concife and comprehenfive, frequently accurate and juft. At its first appearance, Dr. Blair's fyftem was fuppofed to be out of print; and the price was confiderably enhanced; but, as fome copies have unexpectedly appeared, there is now, we believe, no great difference in that refpect. An Apology for the Monoftrophics which were published in 1782. With a fecond Collection of Monoftrophics. By George Ifaac Huntingford, A. M. 8vo. 45. 6d. Dodfley. IN 6 N our Review for June 1783, p. 346, we gave fome account of this gentleman's publication, entitled Metrica Monoftrophica. The present is intended as a vindication of it against fome frictures in the Monthly Review, wherein each individual poem feems to have been examined with inquifitorial ftrictnefs. If, however, Toup's obfervation, with which this Apology opens, be allowed, De pedibus iambicis nihilo certiores funt viri doctiffimi, quàm de iis quæ apud antipodas," the difpute, fo far as metre is concerned, is put an end to at once ibi omnis effufus labor. No man can be questioned for walking out of the way where there is no path: the whole common is free and open to him. This affertion of Toup's therefore, for the honour of verbal criticism, muft not be entirely allowed our author confeffes it not altogether void of foundation, though perhaps not strictly true.' He fuppofes that In fome particulars refpecting their metre, (fuch as, whether in iambics this or that foot fhould be admitted, and whether in lyrics this or that verfe might be adopted) the Greek poets did not always follow one uniform rule. More particu larly in the ftructure of lyric compofitions, they feem very frequently to have been guided only by the general effect of the rhythmus and harmony, without any regard to metre: and even when they propofed to themfelves an adherence to metrical combination, they often appear to have confidered rather a certain proportion of time, than any exact correspondence of fimilar feet." To thefe obfervations we have the following remark of Beda's, extracted from Voffius's Inftitutiones Poeticæ, 1. 1. 8. 12. fubjoined. Videtur rythmus metris effe confimilis verborum modulata. compofitio, non metrica compofitione fed numero fyllabarum, ad judicium aurium examinata-rythmus per fe fine metro effe po teft: metrum vero fine rhythmo effe non poteft-metrum eft ratio cum modulatione; rhythmus eft modulatio fine ratione.' |