CHRONOLOGY. 65 



XXXVIII. Every reader, endowed with a juft 

 dilcernment, will readily allow that thefe four 

 parts of chronology afford clear lights, and are 

 excellent guides to conduct us through the thick 

 darknefs of antiquity. That impartiality, how- 

 ever, which directs us to give a faithful relation 

 of that which is true and falfe, of the certainty 

 and uncertainty of all the fciences, obliges us 

 here freely to confefs, that thele guides are not 

 infallible, nor the proofs that they afford ma- 

 thematical demonftrations. In fad, with regard 

 to hiftory in general, and ancient hiflory in par- 

 ticular, fomething mud be always left to conjec- 

 ture and hiftoric faith. It would be an offence 

 againit common probity, were we to fuffer our- 

 felves to pafs over in filence thofe objections 

 which authors of the greateft reputation] have 

 made againil the certainty of chronology, 

 fhall extract them from their own works -, 

 we hope that there is no magiftrate, theologian, 

 or public profeflbr in Europe, who would be 

 moan enough to accufc us of a crime, for not 

 unworthily difguifing the truth. 



XXXiX. r. The prodigious difference th 



is between ti . chc vulgate, 



in point of chronology, occafions an eimurrail- 

 mcnt, which is the more difficult to avoid, I 



i'Jt pofitively lay on which fide the error lies. 

 The Greek Bible counts, for example, from the 

 creation of the world to the birth of ,\br.: 

 1500 years more than the Hebrew and 1 



III. Bibles, 



