[ 1 55 ] 
XXIII. A Letter from the Rev . Mr. George 
Coftard to Dr. Bevis, concerning an Eclipfe 
mention d hy Xenophon. 
Dear Sir, 
Read April 12, /^VF what life the doctrine of eclipfes 
I/53 ‘ is hi hiftory and chronology, you 
know too well for me to tell you. The earlieft ac- 
count of any in the Greek hiftory is that faid to have 
been foretold by Thales to the Ionians. Of this I 
fhall fay nothing more at prefent, for fear of repeat- 
ing what I have already obferved to you upon that 
fubjed. The next, that is generally taken notice of 
by writers, is, that in the firft year of the Peloponne- 
ftan war mentioned by Thucydides. But there is an- 
other before that, as I apprehend, equally remarka- 
ble, which, as Mr. Jackfon (Vol. I. p. 426.) hath 
quoted me for, may deferve fome farther conftdera- 
tion. 
It is well known, that Herodotus and other writers 
make Cyrus to have depofed Aftyages. On the con- 
trary, Xenophon fays, that Aftyages was fucceeded by 
his fon Cyaxares, who left the kingdom to Cyrus by 
will. The truth, I believe, is, that Cyrus did not 
depofe Aftyages, and therefore fo far Xenopnon is 
right, but depofed Cyaxares ; in which he was de- 
ftgnedly wrong. That he knew the Perftans forced 
the empire from the Medes, I think, appears from 
fome no very obfcure hints even in the Cyropezdia 
itfelf. But that argument I fhall not enter into far- 
ther at prefent. In his Anabajis , which is nothing 
^ U 2 but 
