the principal æra from which the Mahometans compute their time.

CHAP. LXIII.

OF A CENTURY, A LUSTRUM, A JUBILEE, AND OTHER PARTICULARS.

A

Century, or an age, is a courfe of an hundred years.

A luftrum is a space of five years, used by the Romans, at the end of which a review of the people was made, first by the kings, then by the confuls, but after the year 310 by the cenfors, who were magiftrates created for that very purpose. After the cenfus was finished, an expiatory or purifying facrifice was made, confifting of a fow, a fheep, and a bull, which were carried round the whole affembly, and then flain; and thus the people were faid to be purified*. And because this was done at the end of every fifth year, hence luftrum is often put for the space of five years; especially by the poets.

* Luftrari.

At

At every luftrum, the fenate itself was reviewed by one of the cenfors; and if any one, by his behaviour, had rendered himself unworthy of that high rank, or had funk his fortune below that of a senator, his name was paffed over by the cenfor in reading the roll of fenators; and thus he was held to be excluded from the fenate *.

A jubilee is a periodical festivity, or public rejoicing, on account of fome remarkable event, or in memory of fome eminent perfon.

According to the æra by which we reckon, we date the time of every memorable tranfaction, as, A. M. Anno Mundi, in the year of the world. A. D. Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord. A. C. Ante Chriftum, before Chrift; and fometimes B. C. is put for before Christ.

A. Æ. C. Anne Era Chriftianæ, in the year of the Christian æra.

A. U. C. Anno Urbis condita, in the year of the building of the city of Rome; or A. ab U. C. in the year from the building of the city; and fo of the other epochas.

A CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF MEMORABLE

EVENTS FROM THE CREATION TO THE DE-
LUGE.

ABOUT four thousand and four years before the

Christian æra, God created the world, and our first parents Adam and Eve, placing them in the Garden of Eden, or the terreftrial paradife, from whence they were foon expelled for eating the forbidden fruit.

In the second year of the world, happened the birth of Cain, the first who was born of a woman. He killed his brother Abel A. M. 129.

In the year of the world 987, Enoch, for his piety, was tranflated into heaven, being 365 years

old.

In the year 1656, Methuselah, the longest liver of all men, died, aged 969 years.

The fame year Noah, his wife and three fons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, with their wives, entered the ark, which had been built by God's command. The flood began on the feventeenth day of the fecond month, anfwering to our October, and continued a whole year. Thus the old world. was destroyed by a deluge.

CHAP.

CHAP. LXV.

REMARKABLE EVENTS FROM THE FLOOD TO THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, A.M. THREE THOUSAND.

MUCH about the year of the world 1757, the

tower of Babel was built by Noah's pofterity, upon which God miraculously confounded their language, and thus difperfed them into different

nations.

Soon after this event, Noah is, with great probability, fuppofed to have departed from his rebellious offspring, and to have led a colony of some of the more tractable into the Eaft. There, either he, or one of his fucceffors, in the opinion of the most celebrated hiftorians, founded the ancient Chinefe monarchy.

In the year of the world 1770, the celestial ob servations were begun at Babylon, the city which first gave birth to learning and the fciences. A few years after, Mifraim, the fon of Ham, founded the kingdom of Egypt, which lafted 1663 years, down to its conqueft by Cambyfes, in the year before. Chrift 525.

In the year 1945, Ninus, the fon of Belus, founded the kingdom of Affyria, which lafted above 1000 years; and out of its ruins were formed the Affyrians of Babylon, thofe of Nineveh, and the kingdom of the Medes.

Prometheus first ftruck fire from flints, A. M. 2289.

In the year of the world 2433, Mofes was born in Egypt, and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who educated him in all the learning of the Egyptians Some years after, Cecrops brought a colony from Egypt into Attica, and began the kingdom of Athens, in Greece.

Scamander came from Crete into Phrygia, and began the kingdom of Troy, A. M. 2458.

In 2511, Cadmus carried the Phoenician letters into Greece, and built the citadel of Thebes. Two years after this, Mofes performed a number of miracles in Egypt, and departed from that kingdom, together with 600,000 Ifraelites, befides children; which completed the 430 years of fojourning. They miraculously paffed through the Red Sea, and came to the defart of Sinai, where Mofes received from God, and delivered to the people, the ten commandments, and the other laws, and fet up the tabernacle, and in it the ark of the covenant.