214 Wfc€lUne/t Curiofa. ' Vol IIL 



the inventer of their Ch^rafter : And ac- 

 count him to have lived 2950 Years before 

 the time of Chrift, during all which time 

 they pretend to have a certain and written 

 Account in their Books: But their Account 

 of the times preceding, they efteem more 

 Hypothetical and Fabulous ; depending chief- 

 ly upon Fiction and Oral Tradition : As you 

 will eafily believe, when you underfland how 

 many Years they make it fince the Creation of 

 the World to the preftnt Year i585. which by 

 the Account thereof in Mr. Graves's Tran-' 

 nation of Pulg. Bei^. will be found to be rd 

 lefs than eighty eight millions fix hundred 

 and forty thoufand one hundred and two 

 Solar Years, there having been run out fince 

 the Creation 88(^4 Ven, of Years (every V^n. 

 containing ten thoufand fach Years) and of 

 the prefent this Year i6%6. is the i02d. 

 Which Account is abundantly more extrava«» 

 gant than the a^gppnan : But this need not 

 invalidate their Hiftory fince Fohl \ by which 

 it appears that their Character was invent* 

 ed before the time of Mofes about 1400 

 Years, and even before Menes the firft King 

 of ^gyp^ about 500 Years. Sd that the Chi- 

 nefe Invention of Writing or Charafters^ 

 feems to be the moft ancient of that kind^ 

 And the Book faid to he written b^ 



Fohi^ the moft antient Book. 



Thefe Accounts made me the more defi- 

 rous to underftand fomewhat of the Reality 

 and Truth, of what is related concerning 

 the Knowledge of Literature and manual 

 Arts, which thefe People of China are faid to 

 have poflefTed fo long a time in lb great Per* 



fedion^ 



