Epidemics. 209 



gave a close approximation to the real date of the commence- 

 ment of the captivity, but not its exact date; which, in so short 

 and comprehensive a chronology as that of St. Matthew's, is 

 most important, and strongly confirms the accuracy of the 

 outline of time given by Usher, from the birth of Abraham 

 to the Egyptian exodus, and again on to David (the 

 latter end of whose reign was in the beginning of the 28th 

 generation from Christ), and from David on to the captivity, 

 would be the first half of that period, and the latter half 

 from the captivity on to Christ. This, in difficult deter- 

 minations of time, gives an accessory to our means of 

 determining certain difficult dates, which heretofore has not 

 been brought into requisition. 



We now leave the subject of chronology, as a science, to 

 apply it more directly to practice. 



Petau Petavius, in his " De Doctrina Temporum," gives the 

 date of 767 B.C. as the time when a plague spread over the 

 whole world, as then known some give 800 B.C., and some 

 a later date ; but all may be speaking of the self-same 

 epidemic, traversing different countries at nearly identical 

 times. 



According to the view maintained in this short dissertation, 

 to 103 B.C. add 640 ; there will result 743 B.C., which 

 would be the time of the commencement of a new epidemic 

 period. The same would be slowly dying out towards 200 B.C. 

 This date is not far from that of Petau Petavius's, the 

 celebrated monk, as already given. 



If from this date, or 743, we date back to the Egyptian 

 exodus, we have 748 years, or about 108 years more than 

 the epoch of 640. From the Egyptian exodus to the Deluge 

 is about 850 to 790 years B.C. 



From the Deluge to the Egyptian exodus dates from 790 to 

 860 years, as expressed in round numbers, and from the 

 exodus to Christ 1491 years, the half of which will be about 



14 



