Before Chrift 825 — 750. 29 



and more efpecially of weights and meafures, till now : and we mufl 

 fuppofe that Phidon rather introduced Tome improvements hitherto un- 

 known in Greece, and has thence got the credit of being the inventor. 

 \_Marmo?- Par Strabo, L. viii, p. 549 — Flin. Hijl. nat. L. vii, c, 56.] 



The invention of coin is by others afcribed (and probably on no bet- 

 ter foundation) to the people of ^Egina, a fmall i-ocky ifland in the bay 

 between Athens and Argos, who were among the firfl of the Greeks 

 that applied to commerce and navigation, whereby they made their 

 little territory the center of the trade of Greece. 



825 — Caftor afcribes the fovereignty of the fea to the Phoenicians. 

 He feems not to have known, that they really poflefled it for ages be- 

 fore and after this time. 



784 — He next compliments the Egyptians with the fame fupremacy 

 at fea ; and that at a time, when, there is good reafon to believe, they 

 did not poflefs a fingle veilel better than the miferable craft, which they 

 ufed upon the river. 



753 — The Milefians are next reprefented as fupreme in naval power; 

 and they feem to have had fome title to commercial fame, if we may 

 eftimate their commerce by the number of their colonies, which, ac- 

 cording to Pliny \H'iJl. nat. L. v, c. 29] were above eighty (i. e. eighty 

 towns) chiefly on the fhores of the Propontis and the Euxine fea. 



According to Varro, the proclamations of the emperors, and mofl of 

 the Roman writers, this year was diftinguiflied by the foimdation of 

 Rome *, which was deftined by Providence to combine under one go- 

 vernment, and unite in fome kind of commercial intercourfe, all the 

 countries on the coafts of the Mediterranean fea, together with fome of 

 thofe on the Atlantic ocean. 



750 — Bochoris king of Egypt began to open his eyes to the mif- 

 taken policy of his predeceflbrs in regard to commerce, for the en- 

 couragement of which he made fome good regulations. One of the laws 

 enaded by him, or by his fucceflbr Afychis (if he was his fuccefl^br f ) 

 empowered his fubjeds to borrow money by giving as a fecurity the 



* There is every reafon to believe, that the date guftus there were twenty emperors in 244 years ; 



of the foundation of Rome is as httle known as that and thofe emperors did not expofe their facred per- 



of the other villages of Italy, which never emerg- fons to the dangers of war, as the chief of a o-ann- 



ed from their original obfcurity ; and that moft of of robbers (for fuch was a king of Rome ) mult 



the events, related in the firfl five or fix centuries continually have done. Pliny makes Rome about 



of its fuppofed hiftory, have as little foundation in half a century older than Varro does : and of the 



truth as the early hillory of fome nations now earlier authors, who mention the foundation of 



exilling, which have been falfified in humble imi- Rome, fcarcely any two agree in the year, which 



tation of it. Indeed the number of 244 years, is a clear proof that no one had ever tliought of a 



afcribed to the reigns of feven kings of fo fmall a date for it, till the fplendour of their conqueils, 



territory in fuch times of rapine and violence, and and confequent vanity, inlligatcd them to fearclx 



thofe elective kings, none of whofe reigns could into, and fupply from invention, an origin and 



commence in early youth, and of whom four are early hiftory of their city. 



faid to have been killed and one expelled, is alone -f- There is fome reafon to believe, that thefc 



fufficient to overthrow the whole traditional part are only two names of the fame prince, 

 of the Roman hiftory. From the acceffion of Au- 



