gers, how difficult is it even now to arrive at the true history of the fimplett fact? and how wide of all refemblance does not the fame tale appear, as told by people under the oppofite impreffions of vanity, prejudice, or intereft? How justly may we therefore fufpect the hiftorians of every darker age, whofe materials were defective, and whofe imaginations were strong: who lived at periods when impofition was gainful, and credulity unbounded: where the neceffary measures to fecure the adoration of the Million to a Calf, a Cat, or a Beetle, furnifhed Priests (the great fources of Egyptian and other ancient annals) with fuch powerful incentives to the invention of the wildest and the moft improbable of fictions.

"Take many points of modern history, and all the information we receive is merely what each nation or party has written relative to public affairs: whilst the events themselves are still furrounded with obfcu rity and doubt. Read the Proteftant Writers of France, and every circumitance of horror marks the Maffacre of St. Bartholomew's day: but turn to the Catholic page, and it becomes a neceffary, a prudent, and a lawful act; the mere preventive of a fimilar tragedy, meditated by the Admiral de Chatillon against the adherents of the Houfe of Guife. Take two foreign writers of our English history, over whom country and party prejudices ought to have had no influence; and how different is the colouring of the fame tale? With Rapin, the Caligulas and the Neros fall short of the inhuman James, on the fuppreffion of Monmouth's infurrection: whilst the mild, the juft, the forgiving prince is the portrait of the Pere d'Orleans. Contraft the Memoires de Sully with the Libels of the League against Henry IV. or the Siecle de Louis Quatorze with the Invectives of the Proteftant Refu gees; and the Glorious Monarch, or the Savage Tyrant appear be fore you in fucceffive review. To enlarge upon the various opinions of our own writers, on the great events of English history, would be endlefs and unneceffary; the circumstances I have mentioned being merely intended to inculcate this fimple pofition, That few facts, either of ancient or modern times, are fo fully authenticated as to render farther enquiry improper."

We are happy to find the opinion of this erudite and judicious writer fo pertly correfpond with our own ideas both of ancient and modern Hiftory. We are not, indeed, qualified to judge whether the Perfians, and other Afiatics, were fo remarkably attentive, as he affirms, in regard to the annals of their country; but we can well conceive, from the fatisfacory idea he has given of their literature and learning, that they might be equally fo with the Greeks and Egyptians; of whole partiality and neglect he adduces fufficient proofs. In difcuffing the point of ancient hiftory, our author is led to condemn the chronological conjectures of Sir Ifaac Newton *, Sir

John

Of Sir Ifaac's Chronology in general, he makes the following judicious gemarks,

John Marsham and others; concluding generally from a connected series of particular obfervations,

"That the Greeks and Romans, in their ancient hiftories, efpecially of diftant countries, are often wrong; and, in general, liable to fufpicion: That their accounts of the Eaft, as well with regard to manners, as historic facts, are inconfiftent with the Afiatic authors; irreconcileable with Scripture; contradictory in themselves; and often impoffible in nature: That as the later writers, Diodorus, Strabo, Plutarch, are often in compleat oppofition to the earlier historians, and complain of the repugnances with which they are every where perplexed, nothing can more ftrongly point to a fundamental error: That modern chronologers, commentators, and compilers of Ancient Hiftory, differ likewife greatly in opinion; fupporting frequently their fyftems by points of a moft doubtful complexion, and rejecting others of a far more probable appearance: That a refemblance of names is often preferred to a confiftency in facts: That the inventions of fupetition, or the fictions of poets, are often viewed as real events; and the fame critical accuracy employed in fixing the early epochs of imaginary beings, as in refolving the moit rational truths of more authentic times."

It is from the uncertainty of this bafis of ancient hiftory, that our author infers no materials for elucidating it fhould be depreciated; an inference that leads him to remark on the subject of mythology, and particularly on Mr. Bryant's celebrated performance lately published.

Amongst other learned men," fays he, "who, apparently from an idea of their modern date, have difputed the utility of the Arabic and Perfian languages, in the investigation of remote antiquity, is the ingenious author of A New System or Analysis of Ancient Mythology; a work in which the novel ingenuity of the Analytic Syftem; the penetration and judgment difplayed in the refutation of vulgar errors; with the new and informing light in which he has placed a variety of ancient facts; leaves the learned world only to regret, that this claffical

"This publication, indeed, bearing the name of the immortal Newton, though highly built upon by fubfequent chronologers, is fo unfpeakably inferior to that great man's other works, that I am almoft unwilling to be lieve it's authenticity; and can hardly be perfuaded he ever would have pub. lifhed it himself. The materials of which it is compofed were probably mere memoranda, committed to paper in the intervals of relaxation from more abstracted, fiudies. He could not but perceive contractions and impoffibilities in the ancient hiftorians, and in the fyftems of those who had framed chronologics from their data. Something he might have meditated, and fomething we might have had, of authority fimilar to his higher demonitrations, had he lived to have feut it into the world, completely confidered, and finished with that penetrating difcernment, which fo remarkably diftinguished his philofophical invetligations. But this remains to be regreted. Polthumous publications are always to be fufpected; and many a great man's fame has felt most cruel ftabs from the avidity of the public for even the gleanings of fuperior genius, and the undifcerning zeal of fome furviving friends.

writer

writer had not, to his fingular knowledge in Greek and Roman literature, added fome tincture of the languages and learning of the East. As there appears, however, to be an impropriety in any perfon's condemning what he confeiledly does not understand; and as this learned gentleman has attacked a province, which I conceive it to be my duty to defend; I fhall endeavour to remove fome of the prejudices which he may have created: as the errors of a writer of uncommon abilities, who has laid down canons for future history, may have a more dangerous tendency than the mistakes of inferior men, whom few read, and fill wer follow."

In confequence of this conception, our author proceeds feverally to examine the three principal points, Mr. Bryant undertakes to establish, viz.

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First, The univerfality of the deluge from gentile authorities. Secondly, The migration, after the Babel difperfion, of a people whoin he calls Cuthites or Amonians, the defcendants of Chus the fon of Ham. Thirdly, The Arkite ceremonials, with the general worship of the Sun and Fire, as introduced by thofe people into the different countries where they established colonies."

The firft head he difpatches concisely thus:

"Two great lines, our learned author obferves, marked, in par" ticular, the Amonian character; The monuments and rites which they where initituted, as memorials of the Univerfal Deluge; and every The proofs they every where left of their idolatrous worship of the Sun and Fire. With regard to the firit great event, I fhall only obferve, in general, that the departing from the Sacred Writings, to prove the deftruction of mankind by Pagan authorities, however laudable the intention, feems first to fhake to the foundations the venerable fabrick, and then to prop it with a bullrush. For, where recourfe is had to feeble and imperfect evidence, a caufe must ever le hurt in proportion to its failure. Yet, as if truth wanted the aid of fiction, innumerable have been the attempts of the learned to establish, by fo eed and unnatural conttruction, a conformity between the early history of the Hebrews and the later fables of Greece, Egypt, and other ancient nations. From the fragments of Berofus, Abydenus, Sanchoniathon, Manetho, and other remote fablers, any thing, and every thing, may indeed be drawn, which a lively imagination can fuggeft; but the working up of fuch strange materials into any circumitance defcriptive of Noan's deluge, fhews a warmth of tancy highly prepared for the reception of every thing marvellous; whilit, giving them all their utmott force, they prove, at last, precifely nothing: for ingenious men, ir refolved to apply to profane materials in fupport of Scripture, ought to go to mountainous districts, and to countries far removed from the poffibility of natural inundations: they ought to confider Hindojan, and other quarters of the world, where they pofitively retufe to believe this important era. Testimonies from fuch regions would be far more conclutive than hundreds of volumes from Egypt and Chaidea. The periodical over-flowings of the Nile, it is eaty to imagine, might have proved fatal to the firft inhabitants of Egypt, till experience had

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taught

taught them to guard against its inundations; whilft the terror naturally filling the minds of rude men, who, with difficulty, had escaped a deluge in which their dearest friends had perifhed, might eafily give rife to ten times more fuperftitious rites than ever inveftigation has difcovered in ancient Egypt. The fame arguments will hold with equal force, in regard to the fill darker glimmerings from Babylonia; where mounds, canals, and all the efforts of the ruling powers for thousands of years, have not been able to prevent the fudden defolation which the Euphrates and Tigris have often fpread around. To advance, in fhort, as proofs of an univerfal deluge, fuch ceremonies as the proceffions of Egyptian priests, with a boat and a ftrange figure, appears to be equally unfatisfactory, as the demonftration of a general deftruction by fire would have been, from obfervations on the environs of Mounts Vefuvius or Etna."

On the fecond head he proceeds as follows:

The next point, in relation to the Cuthite or Amonian worship of the Sun and Fire, I fhall confider, with more attention; as the strongest arguments feem naturally to fpring from the fubject, to demonstrate the uferulnefs of the Arabic and the Perfian languages, in relation to the history and mythology of ancient times; and thow convincingly, at the fame time, that the most intimate acquaintance with the literature of Greece and Rome will lead the greatest critical acumea but a little way without fuch affistance. To make the fubfequent obfervations more intelligible, it will be proper to give two extracts from the learned author's preface, which will fully fhow the ground-work of his ingenious hypothefis. "It is neceflary for me to acquaint the "reader, that the wonderful people, to whom I alude, were the de"fcendants of Chus; and called Cuthites and Cufeans. They tood "their ground at the general migration of families: but were at lait "scattered over the face of the earth. They were the first apoftates " from the truth; yet great in worldly wildom. They introduced, "wherever they came, many useful arts; and were looked up to, as a fuperior order of beings: hence they were filed Heroes, Damons, Heliade, Macarians. They were joined in their expeditions "by other nations; efpecially by the collateral branches of their family, the Mizraim, Captorim, and the fons of Canaan. Thele "were all of the line of Ham, who was held, by his pofterity, in the highest veneration. They called him Amon: and having, in pro "cels of time, raised him to a divinity, they worshiped him as the "fun: and from this worthip they were filed Amonians." "Moft ancient names, not only of places but of perfons, have a "manifeft analogy; there is likewife a great correspondence to be ob"ferved in terms of fcience, and in the titles which were, of old "beltowed upon magiftrates and rulers. The fame obfervation may "be extended even to plants and minerals, as well as to animals, elpecially to thofe which were efteemed at all facred; their names "feem to be compofed of the fame or fimilar elements, and bear (6 a maniteft relation to the religion in ufe among the Amonians, and to the deity whom they adored. This deity was the fun; and mot of the ancient names will be found to be an atcmblage

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ان ،،

"of titles bestowed upon that luminary. In confequence of this, "I have ventured to give a list of fome Amonian terins, which "occur in the mythology of Greece and in the hiftories of other "nations. Moft ancient names ieem to have been compofed out "of these elements; and into the fame principles they may be again "refolved by an eafy and fair evolution. I fubjoin to these a short "interpretation, and, at the fame time, produce different examples "of names and titles, which are thus compounded. From hence the "reader will fee plainly my method of analysis, and the bafis of "my etymological enquiries."

Thos has this learned gentleman created a people to fill up every chafm of high antiquity, and to account for all the phenomena of early population, hiftory, and fuperftition. As the Sacred Writings however afford no lights to trace the wanderings of this extraordinary family; and as all his gleanings from profane tradition might with equal force, in the fame ingenious hands, prove Confucius to be William the Conqueror, his proofs, à priori, feem to amount to nothing; the great weight of his evidence retting chiefly on the ground of etymological deduction. Such being the station, he has chofen to controvert the fyftems of all preceding writers, and to fix the principles of all fucceeding history, it could have been wifhed, that the most unquestioned ftrength had marked his fundamental axioms; that the definitions of his elementary particles had been precifely fixed; that the languages, whence he has drawn the meanings he has annexed, had been diftinétly specified; and that not a doubt fhould have been left upon the reader's mind with regard to the great bafis upon which this fabrick ftands. But on this leading point, affer tion feems too often to have ufurped the province of proof: of above forty radicals, a half at leaft do not appear to approach the fenfes he has given them: whilft mifled by his ear and his eye, he has fancied analogies, which the languages will not bear; and drawn conclufions, to which the premifes feem compleatly foreign."

For the proofs of what is here advanced, we must refer the reader to the differtation itfelf; taking leave of this part of it with the author's own conclufion.

"Upon the whole, an able general will make admirable difpofitions even on bad grounds. Mr. Bryant's arguments will ever command refpect; but the ftations he has chofen muft, in my humble opinion, battle all his skill to defend. Without an acquaintance with those Eastern tongues, all analysis of Eaftern names must be compleatly fanciful: for whilft numbers of words, which may be expreffed per fectly alike in European characters, have roots and meanings totally different; others, which, in the eye of a ftranger to the dialects, may bear no refemblance, will claim the fame radical origin, and polfefs little variation of fenfe. Widely differing, therefore, as thofe Eastern inflexions are from the genius of European tongues, it must be evident, even to those who have never made them an object of ftudy, that the fame principles which might guide an enquirer through the etymologies of the one clais, maft, in general, palpably miticad