204 Epidemics. 



late to one general form of development and accelerated 

 mode of progress, especially if both be in their primitive 

 natures animal poisons, and out of the two produce a new 

 disease, stamped with distinctions different from either, but 

 marked with the leading lineaments belonging to both. 

 This is what we find in the higher orders of animal life, 

 when hybridity diverts nature from its pure line of repro- 

 duction. Yet, if it extends only to different breeds of the 

 same species, the cross improves and ripens the breed, and 

 the reproductiveness. 



Let us now consider chronology in relation to Ancient 

 Epidemics. 



If there is a part of history more intricate than another, it 

 is surely that period of the world between the fall of Nineveh 

 to the coming of Christ. But for this part of history 

 Clinton has done wonders, and he has done it honestly, for 

 in his voluminous chronology he has carefully cited his 

 authority in the original, and then gives his comment. 

 Layard has even done more ; he has rectified our chronology 

 t>y raising a dead literature, engraven on stone, into a new 

 life; and Rawlinson, Pote, Bunsen, and Renan have each 

 in his way helped to unfold history in relation to chronology. 

 Leaving the old chronology, where Sardanapalus of 818 B.C. 

 is reduced to 650 B.C., we get to the more definite period of 

 the Jewish Captivity in Babylon, at 587 B.C. Comparing 

 this with the Olympiads, and the foundation of Rome, a 

 tolerable index of time may be formed ; as from the Baby- 

 lonish captivity and backwards a tolerably connected chrono- 

 logy can be fixed, taking not the Book of Judges, which, in 

 respect of succession, gives no data at all ; but, taking the 

 Exodus of Israel as a fixed period, and adding to that period 

 480 years, as given in i Kings, chap, vi., ist verse, which 

 was the fourth year of Solomon's reign, we get a very 

 tolerable outline of chronology from the time of Christ to 



