revolution; and it was easy and natural for the first astronomers to divide the circle of the sun's annual course into three hundred and sixty parts, long before geometry arrived at perfection enough to afford a reason for chusing to divide circles into that number of degrees. All the time of the antidiluvian world, chronology was fixed and easy; for a year could be more exactly measured than it now can.

At the Flood, the heavens underwent some change: the motion of the sun was altered, and a year, or annual revolution of it, became, as it now is, five days and almost six hours longer than it was before. That such a change had been made,' most of the philosophers observed, and, without doubt, as soon as they did observe it, they endeavoured to set right their chronology by it: for it is evident, that as soon as the solar

See Plutarch de placit. Philos. 1. 2. c. 8, 1. 3, c. 12, 1. 5. c. 18. and Plato Polit. p. 171, 175, 269, 270, 271; and Laertius in vit. Anaxagor. lib. 9, seg. 33.

year became thus augmented, the ancient measure of a year would not do, but mistakes must creep in, and grow more and more every year they continued to compute by it.

The first correction of the year, which we read of, was made in Egypt;" and Syncellus names the person who made it, viz. Assis, a king of Thebes, who reigned about a thousand years after the Flood. He added five days to the ancient year, and inserted them at the end of the twelfth month. And though this did not bring the civil year up to an exact measure with the solar; yet it was a great emendation, and put chronology in a state in which it continued for some ages. The Egyptian year thus settled by Assis, consisted of months and days, as follow:

'Emayoueva, or additional five days, begin August 24, and so end August 28, that the first of Tyoth next year may be August 29, as above.

The Babylonians are thought to have corrected their year next to the Egyptians; they computed but three hundred and sixty days to a year, until the death of Sardanapulus, about one thousand six hundred years after the Flood. At his death Belesis began his reign, and Belesis being the same person with Nabonassar, from the beginning of his reign commenced the famous astronomical æra called by his name. The Nabonassarean year agrees exactly with the

Egyptian year before-mentioned.

The

months differ only in name; they are the same in number, and of equal lengths; but this year does not begin in autumn, as the Egyptian does, but from the end of our February, which was the time when Nabonassar began his reign.

The ancient year of the Medes, is the same with the Nabonassarean it begins about the same time, has the same number of months and days, and Epagomena, or additional days at its end; and was probably brought into use by Arbaces, who was confederate with Nabonassar against Sardanapalus; and who by agreement with him. founded the empire of the Medes, at the same time when the king set up himself king at Babylon. Dr. Hyde' agrees to this origin of the Medes' year, and supposes that it was instituted about the time of founding the empire of the Medes. He very justly corrects Golius, and accounts for the Median year's beginning in the

Rel. vet. Pers. c. 14.

spring; by supposing it derived from the Assyrian, though in one point I think he mistakes. He imagines that all the ancient years began about this time, and that the Syrians, Chaldeans, and Sabæans, who began their year at autumn, had deviated from their first usages; whereas the contrary is true; for all the ancient nations began their year from the autumn. Nabonassar made the first alteration at Babylon; and his year being received at the setting up the Median empire, the Medes began their year agreeably to it. Dr. Hyde supposes the ancient Persian year to be the same with the Median; but Dean Prideaux was of opinion that the Persian year consisted only of three hundred and sixty days, in the reign of Darius.

Thales was the first who corrected the Greek year. He flourished something more

than fifty years after Nabonassar.

He

learned in Egypt that the year consisted of

Connect. vol. i. Ann. ante Christum 509,

'Diogenes Laert. in vit, Thaletis,