t 22+ J 
Thus ended this famous quarrel between the Medes 
and Lydians, thro’ the timely event of a total folar 
eclipfe, made hill the more eminent, that it was cal- 
culated, and foretold to the Ionians by Thales of 
Miletus, at that time in the 37 year of his age. 
He was born of Phoenician parents ; and there, no 
doubt, learned his knowlege in aftronomy. He was 
the firft, who brought this fcience into Greece, and 
that 300 years after the pretended Chiron of the 
Argonauts. 
It is an invincible argument, that he learned his 
art ; for a whole life is not fufficient, fo to obferve 
the motions of fun and moon, as to be able to calcu- 
late an eclipfe. 
This is the firff eclipfe, which we have recorded 
in fo circumftantial a manner. Notwithftanding all 
this, it is ftrange to fee, how the learned have erred 
about the true year of this memorable affair. 
Pliny begins the miflake, telling us, that it was 
the fourth year of the XLVJII Olympiad; whereas 
it was the fourth year of the XL 1 II. It is not un- 
likely, the numeral letter V is crept into the original. 
Clemens Alexandrinus makes it about the fiftieth 
Olympiad. Dr. Prideaux makes it y years too late ; 
Archbifhop Ufher 2 years. Sir Ifaac Newton gives 
us the true month and day, but afiigns the j8y year, 
as Ricciolus. 
I have defigned the map here exhibited, from my 
friend Weaver’s calculation (Fig. IX.), which will 
prefent us with a juft notion of the whole affair. It 
is a proje&ion of the moon’s fhade, as it palfed over 
the earth’s furface from 20 to 60 degrees of longitude 
eafl from London ; and from 25 to 50 degrees of 
north 
