564 



APPENDiS:* 



LETTER from Abbe Don Lorenzo Hervas^ 

 to the Author, upon the Mexican Calen- 

 dar. 



Ab, Hervas, author of the work entitled^ Idea of the 

 Univerfe, having read this work in manufcript^ and 

 made fame curious and learned obfervaticns on the Mexi- 

 can Calendar^ communicated them in the following let- 

 ter ^ which we trust will prove acceptable to our readers. 



FROM the work of your Reverence 1 learn with in^- 

 finite pain, how much the lofs of thofe documents 

 which affifted the celebrated Dr. Siguenza to form his 

 Ciclography ; and the Cav. Borurini to publifh his Idea 

 of the General History of New Spain, is to be regretted ; 

 and at the fame time I am farther confirmed in my opi- 

 nion, that the ufe of the folar year was contemporary, 

 or, perhaps, anterior to the Dekige, as 1 attempt to 

 prove in the eleventh volume of my work, in which is 

 inferted The Extatic Journey to the Planetary World, 

 wherein I propofe fome reflections on the Mexican Ca- 

 lendar, which I fliall here anticipate and fubmit to your 

 cenfure. 



The year and century have, from time immemorial, 

 been regulated by the Mexicans with a degree of intelli- 

 gence which does not at all correfpond with their arts 

 and fcienceSi In them they were certainly extremely in^- 

 ferior to the Greeks or Romans ; but the difcernment 

 which appears in their Calendar, equals them to the 

 moft cultivated nations. Hence we ought to imagine, 

 that this Calendar has not been the difcovery of the 

 Mexi4:ans, but a commupication from fome more enlight- 

 ened 



