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among a People civilized and polifhed by Arts and 
Literature. 
Sufpicious as thefe and the like Circumftanees are, 
is it not furprifing to hear Authors, upon their Words 
only, and upon little or no Foundation befides (as I 
queftion not will appear), afferting with fo much Po- 
fitivenefs, that the Chinefe Hiftory reaches up indif 
putably to the Times of Noah (a)? A thing fo far 
from being indifputably true, that no Article what- 
ever perhaps will admit of greater Debate. 'Tis true 
indeed, the Chinefe give us a long Lift of Kings that 
reigned among them from the Time of Fo-hi , and a 
Series of Dates, that, if allowed, may carry up his 
Age 29^2 or 2847 Years before the Chriftiano^gra (, b ). 
But how eafy is it to feign * * Dates and Suceeflions of 
Kings ! Let it be made appear what Foundation this 
Chronology depends on 5 what ancient Monuments 
the Chinefe have, and in what manner preferv'd. Mar- 
bles, I fuppofe, they have none 5 and their Paper, fuch 
at leaftas is brought into Europe , appears to be of too 
fine a Confiftence for the Prefervation of Records. 
You will be told, Sir, perhaps, that a great Part, 
at leaft, of their Chronology is verified by Eclipfes* 
Avery pompous Argument! but, when narrowly ex- 
amined into, will be found to prove juft nothing at 
all. We are told indeed (r), that the ancient Chinefe 
Obfervations confift of 26 Eclipfes of the Sun , and 
21 Conjunctions of Jupiter with the fix'd Stars. 
The 
{a) Shuckford r s Conned. Vol. I. p. 101. (b) Ibid. p. 29. 
* See thefe TranJ . N°. 415. p. 397, where this Chronology feeras 
to befetin a true Light by theViceroy himfelfof Canton 1724. C.M. 
( c ) Obf % Math . Apron, Geogr, GhrmU Tom, I, Prep p, 13, 14, 
