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of the S. 2. Sepulveda de anni emend. derives the Word Werd Ara Ara from a vicious Pundation of A. E R. A.i. c.AN

NUS ERAT AUGUSTI; but this Etymology is rejected by Andreas Refendius and Sca Liger 1. 5. de emend. temp. upon the confideration" that in the compendious Writings or ancient Monu.. ments, 'twas unusual to put A for Annus, unlefs Vixit went before; and that 'tis improbable they would put the two Letters E R. for Erat, and the Letter A. both for Annus and for Auguftus. Befides, it appears both from the Books of the Councils of Carthage and Toledo, and from an Infcription upon the Temple at Nebriffa, that the Spaniards wrote it Era, and not Æra. Fabricius Paduan, in Catena temp. Annul. 41. writes it Heram, ab Hern, as being firft fixed by fome great Man or Monarch.Ifidorus Lib.V.Etym.c.36. will have it Aram ab Are,from the Tribute-Moneywherewith-Cafar Auguftus taxed all the World,and ftamp'd the World upon it, that in its Circulation it might carry a Sym bol of Univerfal Subjection to the Roman Empire. As for our part we approve moft of their Opinion, who think that by Era the Ancients mean'd a certain Number, commencing from a determin'd Head. It feems moft probable that the Word Eram was a corrupti on of the Plural Era as it appears from Varro and of the care Cicero in Hortenf.

of a Chro- S. 3. There ought to be Characters ready at hand nologer in whereby an Epocha may be establish'd; elfe all care fixing and will be fruitlels: For fince Epocha's, as Scaliger fays, explaining are only Notations and Titles of Time: They ought to have proper and diftinct Characters.

an Epocha.

Cycle its

Derivation and

Multiplicity.

How a Pe

5. 4. Cycle comes from the Greek Word núna, Circulus, a Cycle: And every thing that has an Orbi cular Revolution, is called by this Name. Thus there are Horary, Diurnal, Lunar, Solar, Secular Cycles, &c.

§. 5. We understand almost the same thing by a Period differs riod as by a Cycle; only.we commonly apply the name from a Cyof a Period to a larger interval of time. A Period cle, Epocha differs from an Epocha and an Era, in this, that it or Era. includes a Refpect to the Terminus ad quem, whereas thefe two relate only to the Terminus a quo. Thus we may justly fay that the prefent year is the 1664 of the Chriftian Epocha, but we cannot call it fuch a Year of the Christian Period, because this is not a Periodick Epocha.

BOOK

BOOK II.

OF

Chronological Characters.

CHAP. I.

Of Chronological Characters in general.

Chronological Characters are the Principles from which we fhew the certainty of times.

2. Thefe Characters are either Aftronomical or not Aftro nomical.

3. Aftronomical Characters, are those which are taken from the Stars, as they measure time by their Motion, and are made ufe of to decide Chronological Controverfies: Such are chiefly the Equinoxes,the Solstices, the New Moons, the Lunar Phafes, the Eclipfes of the Sun and Moon, the Conjunction of the Planets, either with the fixed Stars, or betwixt themselves; and others of the like Nature.

4. Thofe Characters which are not Aftronomical, are fuch as owe their Original either to the Will of God or Man, and determine either Days or Years. Of these we fhall fpeak in order hereafter.

&. 1.THAT Chronology does not want its certain Whether Principles,is evident, if we confider thofe Cha- there are racters, which in part we have named; and which here- any, and after we shall explain: Nor is the teftimony of Wit- obat fort neffes of inconfiderable ufe upon this Head: for,as St. Au- of Princiguftine l. 3. de Civ.Dei c. 3. has well faid; In the courfe ples in Chronology of humane Affairs I am equally certain of the building

of

of Rome and Conftantinople; tho I have feen the one with my Eyes, and know nothing of the other, but by hear-fay. And therefore Chronology in this part is like other Sciences, in which the conclufion is not believed except it be firmly proved or demonftrated. But if from Authority only without any Character or other neceffary Connexion of Years, a Series of time should be laid down, the whole would have no other ground than mere opinion, and be deftitute of all other principles of belief. However the Chronologers Principles differ from Phyfical ones in this; that the latter relate both to Knowing and Being, which the former do not.

A Chrono- §. 2. When we argue from one Science to another, logar prov- where the Objects are different in toto génere, 'tis a faul ing his ty tranfition, but whereas Chronology is fubalternate Conclufions and dependant upon Aftronomy, and has its Object confrom Aftro- tain'd under the Object of Aftronomy, 'tis no Error nomical for a Chronologer to have recourfe to Aftronomy, any Principles more than for an Architect to ufe Geometry, or a Mufiis not guil cian Arithmetick..

sy of a μe

cal Chara

§. 3. Aftronomical Characters are not made ufe of in

τάβασις. Chronology as Conclufions, but as firft Principles; fo Aftronomi that there is no need of demonftrating them: Wherefore &erscannot we think they act prepofterously who give in theirChrobe conve- nological Writings whole Theories, particularly of the niently Sun, Moon and fixed Stars, which Petavius has alfo treated of done very prolixly in his Doctrina temporum, Whereas in Chrono- the Knowledge of Aftronomy is fuppofed or taken for logy as to granted by a Chronologer.

their To

διότι

S. 4. It may fometimes happen that the mean Equinoxes or Solstices' as alfo the mean New and Full Moons Not only may fall upon another day, than the true; but wherethe mean as to find out the true Places of the Luminaries timesof the requires a more prolix Calculation, let the Chronolo Equinoxes, ger confult the Aitronomer: Or in regard that fuch a Solftices, difference feldom happens, he may, being not perfect in jundions Aftronomy, be content with the Knowledge of the of the Lu mean Motions.

and Con

minaries,

but also the true, is eceffary to be known by a Chronologer.

9.5. The

5.5. The Conjunction of the Planets, their mutual Afpect, their Ingrefs into other Points of the Zodiack, befides the Cardinal ones, with other Characters yet lels frequent, may be likewise made use of in Chronological Concerns, but they are rarely met with in that Verge.

Additions to the foregoing Chapter, Collected out of Dr. Beveridge's Inftitutiones Chronologica.

RULES.

1 Among the Natural and Aftronomical Characters the New and Full Moons afford us a very certain meafure of Computation.

2. The other noted Characters are the Eclypfes, the Equinoxes and the Solftices.

3. An Eclypfe in general is a privation of light in a lucid Body occafion'd by the interpofition of an opake Body.

4. Eclypfes are either Lunar or Solar.

5. A Lunar Eclypfe is the privation of the Solar light in the Moon occafion'd by the interpofition of the Terreftrial Globe between the Sun and Moon.

6. Some Lunar Eclypfes are Total and fome Partial. 7. A Total Eclypfe of the Moon happens, when the whole Circle of the Moon is dipp'd within the fhadow of the Earth, and fo rob'd of its light.

8 A Partial Lunar Eclypfe is that in which only part of the Moon is obfcur'd.

9. A Solar Eclypfe is a robbing the Earth of the Solar light, effected by the interpofition of the Moon between the Sun and the Earth.

10. Some Eclypfes of the Sun are Total and fome Par tial.

11. A Total Eclypfe of the Sun happens when the whole Body of the Sun is hid from our view by the interpofition of the Moon.

12. In a Partial Solar Eclypfe, only part of the Sun is out of our view.

Eclypfes

a certain

Standard of time.

13. An Equinox is that feafon of the year in which the
days and nights are equal.

14. There are two Equinoxes, viz. the Vernal and the
Autumnal; the former happening when the Sun enters
Aries, and the latter when it goes into the fign called
Libra.

15. A Solstice is that feafon of the year in which the
excefs of the day beyond the night, or the night beyond
the day, is greatest.

16. There are two Solftices, that of the Summer and that of the Winter.

17. The Summer Solstice takes place when the Sun enters Cancer, and then the day is fpun out to the greatest length, while the night shrinks to its shortest meaJure.

18. The Winter Solstice comes about when the Sun marches into Capricorn, and then the night is at the longest, and the day at the forteft measure.

19. There are two things to be equally obferved both in the Equinoxes and the Solstices; namely the Anticipation and the Calculus or method of Computation.

20. The Anticipation of the Equinoxes and the Solftices is their yearly retroceffion towards the beginning of the Months, occafioned by the excess of the Julian above the Tropick years..

21. The Computation of the Equinoxes and Solstices is
regulated either by Aftronomical Tables or by the Rules
of Arithmetick.

§. 1. The Eclypfes both of the Sun and Moon are very
S.
certain Standards of time, for they are cloath-
ed with fo many circumstances that two cannot happen
to be exactly of the fame Nature in all points. 'Tis
true, the Moon will fuffer Eclypfes after 18 years on
the fame day that it did before, but then they do not
happen at the fame minute or under the fame circum-
ftances. And as for the return of the Solar Eclypfes,
they are always diftinguifh'd by the variation of the
Parallaxes.

The cause
§. 2. The Moon being an opaque Body receives all its
of Total light from the Sun, and confequently muft needs be ob-
and Patti- fcured when the Earth coming between intercepts the
al Eclypfes. rays of the Sun. Now that never happens, but at Full

Moon, when the Moon is oppofite to the Sun; and not then neither, unless the Sun, Earth and Moon be all in.

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