[;284 ] 
the Reid mg, which had been given them, feemed 
doubtful to the Gentlemen then prefent, they were 
pleafed to honour me with defiring my further 
Thoughts concerning them. Both thofe Dates are 
faid to be cut oit Stones,, and in. Relief. I confi- 
dered them as carefully, as 1 was able, and after the 
iki&cft Examination could fee no fofficient Reafon 
to think either of them fo old, as had been repre- 
fented. For which Opinion I now take Leave- to 
offer the following Reafons. 
I. One of the Stones, which was' found in the 
Friers Abbey, and is now fixed in the Wall of a Gar- 
den belonging to Alderman Baldwin in Corke , con- 
tains together with the Date feveral Words cut in 
capital Letters, asalfo two human Images (one a Trum- 
peter and the other a Drummer) with other Ornaments 
and Decorations.(feTAB. I. Fig. 2.) The Date, as there 
expreffed, runs thus: A. A). 158. But it is evident, 
here mud be fome Miftake 5 lince it is generally al- 
lowed by Chronologers, that this Way of computing 
Time from the Birth of Chrift , which is called the 
Chrijlian Aera<> was hot introduced till the fixth 
Century, in the Reign of the Emperor JuJlinian> 
and is commonly aferibed to ADiony/ius Exiguus (a). 
It has therefore been fuppofed, that the Figure r is 
omitted in the Place of Thoufands, which would 
make the Date 11585 and. for which there Teems to 
be fufficient Place, as there is not for any other Fi- 
gure afterwards. But that the Sculpture on this Stone 
cannot 
fa) See Petav. De doStrhi. temp. L. xii. c. 2, 3. Bever. Ingit . 
(hranol. L. it. c. io. Strauch. Breviar. chron. L. iv. c. 40. ^uaejl./^. 
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