AGE 



AGE 



the Jcwilli law, from Mofes to Chrifl, called by the Jtws the 

 prefeiit age. — And the nge of gnice, from Chrlil to the 

 [ircfeiit year. The Jews call the third ajre, the age to come, 

 or future age ; denoting by it the time from the advent of 

 the Meffiah to the end of the world, tjce Incarnation 

 and ErornA. 



The Romans diftinguilhtd the time that preceded them 

 "into three ages : the obfcure or uncertain age, wiiich reached 

 down as low as Ogyges king of Attica ; in whofe reign the 

 deluge happened in Greece. — The fabulous, or heroic age, 

 which ended at the tirll olympiad ; and the hiilorical age, 

 which commenced at tke building of Rome. Varro calls 

 the period preceding the deluge, an age entirely unknown. 

 The fecond he calls fabulous, on account of the numerous 

 fables, with which the accounts of it, that have been tranf- 

 mitted to pofterity, are interwoven. Diodonis Siculus, 

 (torn. i. p. 8.) extends the ftibulous age no farther than the 

 Trojan war ; from which time the milt which had ovcrcail 

 the preceding periods begins to clear up, and fome rays of 

 truth to break out. The commencement of the hiftorical 

 age is ufually referred to the firft olympiad, in the year of 

 the world 322S, and iHll contiuues. This divifion, it is to 

 be obferved, only holds good with regard to the Greeks and 

 Romans, who had no hiftories earlier than the firll olvm- 

 piad. The Jews, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Chaldees, 

 not to add the Indians and Chinele, pretend to much higher 

 antiquity. 



Among the poets, the four ages of the world are, the 

 golden, the lilver, the brazen, and the iron age. See the 

 Metamorphofis of Ovid, lib. i. or rather Hciiod, in his 

 poem, Ef.7axai r.fj-r.fxi. Opera el Dies, ver. 108, &c. He is 

 the firfl that has defcribcd thefe tour ages. 



inuring the golden age Saturn reigned, and imiverfal 

 harmony and plenty prevailed. See Saturn. The fdver 

 age commenced when men began to deviate from the paths 

 of virtue, and their lives- became Icfs happy. The brazen 

 and iron ages denote periods of greater degeneracy. A late 

 author, however, inverts the order of the poets ; and thinks 

 the liril, which was a period of ignorance and barbarilm, 

 might be more properly denominated an iron than a golden 

 age ; when cities and llates were founded, the fdvtr age 

 commenced; and fmce arts and fciences, navigation and 

 commerce, have been cultivated, the golden age has taken 

 place. 



Bochart (Geog. Sac. 1. iv. c. tz. t.i.col.226. Ed. Villem.) 

 has defcribed thefe four ages of the poets in the following 

 manner. The firft, or golden age, lallcd under the govern- 

 ment of Saturn, or Noah, 100 years from the flood to 

 Phaleg, in which period there was no divifion of the land. 

 Thus TibuUus reprefents it, (lib. i. eleg. iii.) 



Non fixus in agris. 



Qiii regerct certis finibus arva, lapis." 



.And Virgil (Gcorg. i. v. 126.) 



" Nee fignare quidem aut partiri hmite campum 

 Fas erat." 



In the filver age, the lands were divided and cultivated, 

 houfes were built, and the tower of Babylon was ereftcd. 



" Turn prlmum fubiere domos, &c." 



The third, or brazen age, was marked by the infurrcftion 

 of Nimrod, the Bacchus of the ancients, firft a hunter and 

 afterwards a warrior, who transferred his power from wild 

 beafts to men, and eftablifhed a tyrannical government. 

 Thus defcribed by Virgil, (ubi fnpra. v. 139.^ 



*' Turn Inqueis captare fera<;, et fallere vlfco, 

 Inventinn : et magiios canibus circumdare faltus."^ 



And by Ovid : Metam. lib. i. v. 125. 



" Tei'tia poft illas fuccefiit acnea proles, 

 Saevior ingeniis, et ad hotrida promtior arma.'" 



And alfo by Hefiod, (Op. and Dies. v. 143. p. 1^4. Ed. 

 Robinf.) thus tranllated : 



" Tertia deinde a^tas fummi Jovis cdita nutu, 

 Vilior argento, de duro conllitit xre. 

 Fraxinca. et vehemens robuftaqut, Martis amoic 

 In pugnas et bella ruens." 



This was fucceeded by tlie iron age in which we live. 

 On fome ancient northern monuments we find the rocky 

 or ftony age, which corrcfpoiids to the brazen age of 

 Hefiod, and the Greeks ; being called rocky, on account of 

 Noah's ark, which refted on mounf Ararat. The northern 

 poets alfo dencmiinate the fourth age the aftien age, from a 

 Gothic king, Madcnis or Mannus, who, on account of his 

 great ftrength, was faid to be made of afli ; or becaufe ia 

 his time people began to make ufe of weapons made of that 

 wood. Phil. Tranl. N'^ ^01. 



Age is fometimes ufed among the ancient poets in the 

 fame feiifc with gin'Fration, for a period of 30 years. 

 Thus Neftor ia faid to have liv^d three ages, when he was 

 90 years old. 



The Eaft Indians alfo reckon four ages fince the begin- 

 ning. — The firft, which they reprefent as a fort of golden 

 age, lafted according to them, 1728000 years: in this the 

 god Brahma was born, and th^ men were all giants ; their 

 manners were innocent: they were exempt fmm difeafes, 

 and lived 400 years. — In the fecond age, which lafteJ 

 1296000 years, their rajas were born : vice now crept into the 

 world ; mens lives were fallen to 300 years, and their fize 

 retrenched proportionally. — Under the third age, which 

 lafted 8064000 years, vice being more increafed, men only 

 attained to 200 years. — The laft age is that wherein we 

 now live, of which 4027213 years are already gone; and 

 the life of man funk to one fourth of its original duration. 



The period preceding the birth of Jefus Clirift has been 

 generally divided into fix ages. The firft extends from the 

 creation to the deluge, aad comprehends 1656 years. The 

 fecond age, from the deluge to AbraJiam's entering the 

 land of Promife, A. M. 2082, comprehends 426 years. The 

 third age, from Abraham's entrance into the promifed land 

 to the Exodus A.M. 2512, includes 430 years. The fourtli 

 age, from the Exodus to the building of the temple by So- 

 lomon, A.M. 2992, contains 480 years. The fiftli age, 

 from the foundation of Solomon's temple to the Babyloiiifli 

 captivity, A. M. 3416, comprehends 424 years. Thefixth 

 age, from the Bahylonith captivity to the birth of Jefus 

 Chrift, A. M. 4000, the fourth year before the vulgar 

 tera, includes 5S4 years. Thofe who follow the Septuagint, 

 or Greek verfioii, divide this period into fevcn ages, -viz. 

 I. From the creation to the deluge, 2262 years. 2. From 

 the deluge to the confufion of tongues, 738 years. 3. From 

 this contufion to the calling of Abraham, 460 years. 4. 

 From this period to Jacob's defcent into Egypt, 215 years ; 

 and from this event to the Exodus, 430 years, making the 

 whole 645 years. 5. From the Exodus to Saul, 774 years. 

 6. From Saul to Cyrus, 583 years. 7. From Cyrus to the 

 vulgar a-ra of Chriftians, 538 years ; the whole period from 

 the creation to this period, containing 6000 years. See 

 Chronoi.ot.y. 



The Sib} Uine oracles divide the duration of the world into 

 3 D 2 tsn. 



