length of both Reigns and Generations, both which must be longer or fhorter in this or that Age in fome measure, according to what is the common Standard of the Length of Men's Lives in the Age they belong to. Seven Reigns, as has been faid, are in general not fo long as Generations : But from hiftorical Obfervations a Calculation may be formed at a Medium, how often one time with another fuch Failures of Defcent happen, as make the Difference, and the Lengths of Reigns may be caculated in a Proportion to the Lengths of Generations according to it. Sir Ifaac Newton computes the Lengths of Reigns to be to the Lengths of Generations one with another as 18 or 20, to 33 or 34 (). Thefe Particulars ought to be duly confidered, in order to judge of our learned Author's Argument from the Length of Reigns and Generations. For,

1. The Catalogues of Kings, which our great and learned Author produces to confirm his Opinion, are all of later Date, fome of them many Ages later than the Times of David. He fays (m), the eighteen Kings of Judah, who fucceeded Solemon, reigned one with another 22 Years a-piece. The fifteen Kings of Ifrael after Solomon reigned 17 Years a-piece. The eighteen Kings of Babylon from Nabonaffar reigned 11 Years a-piece. The ten Kings of Perfia from Cyrus reigned 21 Years a-piece. The fixteen Succeffors of Alexander the Great, and of his Brother and Son in Syria, reigned 15 Years a-piece. The eleven Kings of Egypt from Ptolemæus Lagi reigned 25 Years a-piece. The eight in Macedonia from Caffander reigned 17 Years a-piece. The thirty Kings of England from William the Conqueror, reigned 21 Years a-piece. The first 24 Kings of France from Pharamond reigned 19 Years a

(1) See Newton's Chronal, of the Greeks, p. 53, 54 bid.

(m) Id.

piece. The next twenty four Kings of France from Ludovicus Balbus reigned 18 a-piece. The next fifteen from Philip Valefius 21 Years a-piece, and all the fixty three Kings of France one with another reigned 19 Years a-piece. These are the

feveral Catalogues which our great and learned Author has produced: They are of various Dates down from Solomon to the prefent Times; but as none of them rife fo high as the Times of King David, all that can be proved from them is, that the Obfervation of David, who remarked that the Length of human Life was in his Times reduced to what has ever fince been the Standard of it (), was exceedingly juft; for from Solomon's Time to the prefent Days it appears, that the Lengths of Kings Reigns in different Ages, and in different Countries, have been much the fame, and therefore during this whole Period, the common Length of human Life has been what it now is, and agreeable to what David stated it. But,

2. It cannot be inferred from thefe Reigns of Kings mentioned by Sir Ifaac Newton, that Kings did not reign one with another a much longer fpace of Time in the Ages which I am concerned with, in which Men generally lived to a much greater Age, than in the Times out of which Sir Ifaac Newton has taken the Catalogue of Kings which he has produced. From Abraham down to almoft David, Men liv'd, according to the Scripture Accounts of the Lengths of their Lives, to I think, at a Medium, above 100 Years, exceeding that Term very much in the Times near Abraham, and feldom falling fhort of it until within a Generation or two of David: But in David's Time the Length of human Life was at a Medium but feventy Years (0); now any one that confiders this Difference, muft fee, that the Lengths of Kings Reigns, (0) Ibid.

(2) Pfalm xc. ver. 10.

as

as well as of Generations, must be confiderably affeed by it. Succeffions in both muft come on flower in the early Ages, according to the greater length of Men's Lives. I am fenfible I could produce many Catalogues of Succeffions from Father to Son, to confirm what I have offered; but fince there is one which takes in almoft the whole Compafs of the Times which I am concerned in, and which has all the Weight that the Authority of the facred Writers can give it, and which will bring the Point in queftion to a clear and indifputable Conclufion, I fhall for Brevity's fake omit all others, and offer only that to the Reader's farther Examination. From Abraham to David (including both Abraham and David) were fourteen Generations (p); now from Abraham's Birth A. M. 2008, to David's Death about A. M. 2986 (9) are 978 Years, fo that Generations in these Times took up one with another near 70 Years a-piece, i. e. they were above double the length which Sir Iaac Newton computes them; and which they were, I believe, after the Times of David: We must therefore fuppofe the Reigns of Kings in thefe ancient Times to be longer than his Computation in the fame proportion, and if fo, we muft calculate them at above 40 Years a-piece one with another; and fo the prophane Hiftorians have recorded them to be; for according to the Lifts which we have from Cafter (r) of the ancient Kings of Sicyon and Argos, the firft twelve Kings of Sicyon reigned more than 44 Years apiece one with another, and the firft eight Kings

(p) Matt. i. (9) Uther's Annals. It may perlaps be thought that I ought not to compute thefe 14 Generations from the Birth of Abraham, but from the Death of Terah the Father of Abraham, who died when Abraham was 75. If we compute from hence, the 14 Generations take up but 903 Years,which allows but 64 Years and to a Generation, this is but almost double the length of Sir Ifaac Newton's Generations. (r) Eufeb. in Chron.

I

༧

of

of Argos fomething above 46, as our great Author has remarked (s), but the Reigns of the first twelve Kings of Sicyon extended from A. M. 1920 to A. M. 2450 (t); fo that they began 88 Years before the Birth of Abraham, and ended in the Times of Mofes, and the Reigns of the first eight Kings of Argos began A. M. 2154 (), and ended A. M. 2525; fo that they reached from the latter End of Abraham's Life, to a few Years after the Exit of the Ifraelites out of Egypt; and let any one form a juft Computation of the Length of Mens Lives in thefe Times, and it will in no wife appear unreasonable to imagine, that the Reigns of Kings were of this Length in thefe Days. I might obferve, That the ancient Accounts of the Kings of different Kingdoms in thefe Times agree to one another, as well as our great Author's more modern Catalogues. The twelve firft Kings of Affyria, according to the Writers who have given us Accounts of them (w), reigned, one with another, about 40 Years a-piece. The first twelve Kings of the Egyptian Kingdoms, according to Sir John Marsham's Tables, did not reign full fo long; but it must be remembred, that in the first Times, the Kings of Egypt were frequently elected, and fo, many times, Sons did not fucceed their Fathers (x).

Our great and learned Author remarks (y). that the feven Kings of Rome who preceded the Confuls, reigned, one with another, thirty-five Years a piece. I am fenfible it may be obferved, that (the Reigns of thefe Kings not falling within the Times I am to treat of) I am not concerned to vindicate the Accounts that are given of them; but I would not entirely omit mentioning them,

(s) Newton. Chron p. 51. (t) See hereafter B. VI. (u) See (w) Eufeb. in Chron. (x) See hereafter in Book (y) Newton's Chronol. p. 51.

Book VI.

VI. p. 97.

because

because the Lengths of their Reigns may be thought an undeniable Inftance of the Inaccuracy of the ancient Computations, more efpecially because these Kings were all more modern than the Times of David; for fuppofing Rome to be built by Romulus, A. M. 3256 (≈), we must begin Romulus's Reign almoft 300 Years after the Death of David, and the Lives of Men in thefe Times being reduced to what has been esteemed the common Standard ever fince, it may perhaps be expected, that the Reigns of these Kings fhould not be longer, one with another, than the Reigns of our Kings of England, from William the Conqueror; or of the Kings of France, from Pharamond; or of any other Series of Kings mentioned by our illuftrious Author: But here I would obferve, That thefe Seven Kings of Rome were not Defcendents of one another. Plutarch remarks of thefe Kings, that not one of them left his Crown to his Son (a). Two of them, namely, Ancus Martius and Tarquinius Superbus, were indeed Defcendents from the Sons of former Kings, but the other Five were of different Families: The Succeffors of Romulus were elected to the Crown, and the Roman People did not confine their Choice even to their own Country, but chofe fuch as were most likely to promote the publick Good (b). It is evident therefore, that the Lengths of thefe Kings Reigns ought not to be estimated according to the common Measure of Succeffive Monarchs; for had thefe Roman Kings been very old Men when advanced to the Throne, their feveral Reigns would have been very fhort; and the Reason why they are fo much longer, than it may be thought they

(2) Ufher's Annals. Avades y Tlu px

P. 457.

Flor. Hift.

(α) Τις τῶν Ῥωμαίων νεα Βασιλείς, ȧTENTE. Plut. de animi Tranquillitat. (b) See Dionyf. Halicar. Antiq. Rom. Livii Hift.

ought