CHRONOLOGY. 59 



age were ftill living in London, and could have 

 contradicted him immediately, if he had given 

 any falie or exaggerated relations. 



After the cotemporary authors, we fhoulcl 

 give more credit to thofe who lived near the 

 time the events happened, than thofe who lived 

 at a diflance. 



3. Thofe doubtful hiflories, which are related 

 by authors that are but little known, can have 

 no weight if they are at variance with reafon, or 

 etlabiiihed tradition. 



4. We mud diftruft the truth of a hiftory 

 that is related by modern authors, when they do 

 not agree among themfelves in k-vcral circum- 

 ftances, nor with ancient hiftorians, who are to 

 be n 1 as original fources. We fhould 

 efpecially doubt the truth of thofe brilliant por- 

 traits, that are drawn at pleafure by fuch as 

 never knew the pcrfons they are intended for, 

 and even made feveral centuries after their de- 



XXXV. The mod pure and mod fruitful 



cient hiltory is doubtlefs to be found 



in tlu- Holy Bible. Let us here for a moment 



! J it as divine, and let us prefumc 



to confider it as a common hiftory. N 



when Mid the writers of the books of the 



Old Teftam< confklcr them Ibnu-iimes as 



authors, 



