that they give only the same kings with some small diversity in naming them; and that fifteen kings rightly chosen out of the names mentioned in these four dynasties, would give the true reigns which Manetho has recorded. 5. The dynastics, suggesting reigns without names of kings, were perhaps added by Africanus from the intimations of Herodotus; or, from the time when Manetho's account came to be generally esteemed deficient. Soon after Eratosthenes had published his catalogue, it might become customary for the learned to annotate upon their copies of the tomes of Manetho, what kings names, and what reigns they conceived he had omitted in every part of his history: and from some transcripts of such enlarged copies of the tomes of Manetho, Africanus, who did not write till near five hundred years after him, might apprehend, that such dynasties as he has given, might be collected froom the books of Manetho.

If the reader will take the pains to inspect Afri'canus' account of the dynasties, and compute the number of reigns, and years of the reigns contained in them; he will find the kings, named and not named, to be together in number four hundred and seventythree, down to the end of Nectanebus' reign; and that the sum of all their reigns amounts to four thousand eight hundred and twenty-three years four months and ten days. But Africanus could not intend to bring such a length of Egyptian history within

Herodotus computes about 368 kings down to Cambyses. Vid. Histor. 1. 2, 1. 3.

the compass, that his work could allow for it; because whoever will consider the nature of his epochs and chronology; in what year of the world he supposed Noah's flood to have happened; and to what year he fixed the end of Nectanebus' reign, will see, that he could not have above the space of two thousand eight hundred and eighty years for the Egyptian history. And unquestionably in the second part of his work, when he came to use the collections he had made, he brought his dynasties down to about this measure; which he might readily do, if, in composing his chronicle, he rejected the reigns as fictitious, which have no names of kings annexed to them, and took into his history only the kings, whose names he has given; for the kings so named by him are in number only one hundred and twenty eight, and the times of their reigns amount to two thousand nine hundred and eighty three years. Besides, Africanus might apprehend from Diodorus Siculus, who flourished in the times of Julius Cæsar, long after Herodotus and Manetho, and who had been in Egypt for information as well as Herodotus,' that Herodotus' enlarged catalogue of kings of Egypt ought probably to be re

2

If we may suppose in this number a mistake of one hundred years, which is no great matter, considering how often the translators might miscalculate, or write errone ously the old numeral characters, we shall have a number suited to Africanus' Chronology.

a Prideaux Connect. Part 2, B. 7. ad. ann. 60. Voss. de Hist Græc. 1. 2, c. 2. Diodor. lib. 1. p. 29.

duced to about this number. In this manner I would consider the work of Africanus, and think of him; not that he made imaginary dynasties, and altered and interpolated Manetho just as his fancy led him," for this would be to make him a most romantic writer; but rather, 1. That he took into his dynasties what he thought Manetho had duly adjusted to true history, and of this sort we may suppose his 1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, answering to Manetho's fifteen dynasties from the 16 to the 30. 2. He added to these in other dynasties, some names of kings mentioned in Manetho as having reigned in Egypt; but he differed from Manetho, I take it, in a material point about these kings. He deduced their reigns in dynasties made for them, as if they had continued and brought down the Egyptian succession. Manetho did not suppose that any of these kings had reigned in times distinct from the Egyptian; but rather that they were deputies to, or usurpers, who held and kept some parts of Egypt from the rightful sovereigns their contemporaries, kings of the true Egyptian line. Of these Africanus

• Diodorus suggests about 130 kings of Egypt. Hist. J. 1. a Sir John Marsham says of him, Maximus Manethonis interpolator Africanus vetustiores suas dynastias (siquid video) ex mero suo ipsius arbitrio disposuit: si penitùs inspiciamus, alias illarum frustula tantùm esse dynastiarum, alias reperiemus meros esse numeros inanitur turgentes. Marsham Can. Chron. p. 5.

Vid. Chronograph. in Synccll. p. 51. 52.

perhaps made his 2, 5, 6, 15 and 22 dynasties. 3. Africanus found numerous additions of nameless reigns suggested by annotators as belonging to Manetho's tomes, agreeably to what Herodotus had written of the Egyptian history. He took these also into his collection, and made of them his 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17 and go dynasties; though he discarded these again when he came to compose from the materials he had collected, supposing that Manetho had really given no more kings, than what there were names to be found in his books. 4. Africanus collected his 18 dynasty, as I have said, from Josephus. 5. The 31 dynasty might be added to Manetho by some later hand, who was minded to remark the Persian kings unto whom Egypt became tributary; and being thas transcribed into some copies of Manetho, it might come down to Africanus, and not be rejected by him. If we consider Africanus' work in this light, we shall do justice to his character; allow him to have been a serious and considerate writer, who took true pains to give what he judged a reasonable account of Manetho's performance, such as might represent it agreeing with what he reputed the true chronology of the world.

VI. Pamphilus Eusebius, bishop of Cæsarea in Palestine, wrote about a century after Africanus. His

Vid. quæ sup.

Αφρικανό χρονο Euseb. Eccie

8. Julius Africanus accuratissimus temporum observator. Vossius de Historic. Græc. lib. 2, c. 15. γραφιον σπουδασματα επ ακριβες πεπονημένα: siastic. Histor. 1. 6, c. 31.

Chronicon was a work of the same nature with Africanus' Chronographia; which he divided into two parts. The former part contained the Materia Chronologica for a universal history; in the second he ranged and synchronized such of the materials collected in the former part, as he intended to make use of; so as to give in one view a concurrent plan of the sacred and profane history. Eusebius began this part of his work from the birth of Abraham, and carried it down to the x year of Constantine the Great." In his former part, amongst other collections were the dynasties of Manetho, taken in a great measure from Africanus' account of them; though in some points he differed from Africanus sufficiently to shew that he did not think Africanus had ascertained indisputably the dynasties of Manetho. Eusebius represents that the dynasties down to Nectanebus contained the names of only ninety-three kings; and that the reigns which have no names of kings affixed to them, were only two hundred and fifty nine. But I would not carry the reader into a tedious discussion of every little difference between Africanus and Eusebius upon this subject. Their dynasties are described at large in Syncellus; and whoever would examine this subject more curiously, may, by consulting his work, sce and compare them with one another. However, I must observe, that Eusebius certainly took great liberty, in order to form the dynasties to his own purpose; sometimes following Africanus, and sometimes

Euseb. Chron. Marsham.

p. 6.

Syncell. p. 54-78.