body, chosen then to take advantage of the misfortunes of the Romans? You consider that the 365th year of the city, the date of that event, is 385 before Christ: consequently this must have happened about the time of Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander, when the Grecians, under such a leader, might have extirpated the Roman nation from the earth, had they ever heard of them, or thought the conquest of them an object worthy their ambition.

Numberless questions might be answered in like manner, even on this very narrow circumscribed plan, if it was completely mastered. I might require that other periods or epochas should be learned with the same exactness-but these may serve to explain my meaning, and to show you how practicable and easy it is. One thing, however, I must observe, though perhaps it is sufficiently obvious; which is, that you can make no use of this sketch of ancient chronology, nor even hope to retain it, till you have read the ancient history. When you have gone through Rollin's Histoire Ancienne once, then will be the time to fix the ancient chronology deep in your mind, which will very much enhance the pleasure and use of reading it a second time; for you must remember that nobody reads a history to much purpose, who does not go over it more than once.

When you have got through your course of ancient history, and are come to the more modern, you must then have recourse to the second of the three divisions, viz. middle chronology; containing

too much involved in obscurity, to require a very minute knowledge of its history: it may be sufficient to fix two or three of the most singular circumstances by their proper dates.

The first epocha to be observed is the year of our Lord 330, when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, who restored peace to the oppressed and persecuted church, removed the seat of empire from Rome to Byzantium, called afterwards from him Constantinople. After his time, about the year 400, began those irruptions of the Goths and Vandals, and other northern nations, who settled themselves all over the western parts of the Roman empire, and laid the foundation of the several states which now subsist in Europe.

The next epocha is the year 622 (for the ease of memory say 600,) when Mahomet, by his successful imposture, became the founder of the Saracen empire, which his followers extended over a great part of Asia and Africa, and over some provinces of Europe. At the same time, St. Gregory, bishop of Rome, began to assume a spiritual power, which grew by degrees into that absolute and enormous dominion, so long maintained by the popes over the greatest part of Christendom. St. Augustine, a missionary from St. Gregory, about this time, began the conversion of Great Britain to Christianity.

The third and concluding epocha in this division,

is the year 800; when Charlemagne, king of France, after having subdued the Saxons, repressed the Saracens, and established the temporal dominion of the pope by a grant of considerable territories, was elected emperor of the West, and protector of the church. The date of this event corresponds with that remarkable period of our English history, the union of the Heptarchy, or seven kingdoms, under Egbert.

As to the third part of chronology, namely the modern, I shall spare you and myself all trouble about it at present; for if you follow the course of reading which I shall recommend, it will be some years before you reach modern history; and when you do, you will easily make periods for yourself, if you do but remember carefully to examine the dates as you read, and to impress on your memory those of very remarkable reigns or events.

I fear you are by this time tired of chronology; but my sole intention, in what I have said, is to convince you that it is a science not out of your reach, in the moderate degree that is requisite for you the last volume of the Ancient Universal History is the best English chronological work I know; if that does not come in your way, there is an excellent French one, called Tablettes Chronologiques de l'Histoire Universelle, du Fresnoy, 3 tomes, Paris; there is also a chart of universal history, including chronology, and a biographical chart, both by Priestley, which you may find of service to you.

Indeed, my dear, a woman makes a poor figure,

sufficiently pitiable; but the highest mark of folly is to be proud of such ignorance-a resource, in which some of our sex find great consolation.

Adieu, my dear child! I am, with the tenderest affection,

Ever yours.

X.

ON READING HISTORY.

MY DEAR NIECE,

WHEN I recommend to you to gain some insight into the general history of the world, perhaps you will think I propose a formidable task; but your apprehensions will vanish, when you consider that of near half the globe we have no histories at all; that of other parts of it a few facts only are known to us; and that even of those nations which make the greatest figure in history, the early ages are involved in obscurity and fable: it is not indeed allowable to be totally ignorant even of those fables, because they are the frequent subjects of poetry and painting, and are often referred to in more authentic histories.

The first recorders of actions are generally poets: in the historical songs of the bards are found the only accounts of the first ages of every state; but in these we must naturally expect to find truth mixed with fiction, and often disguised in allegory. In such early times, before science has enlightened the minds of men, the people are ready to believe every thing; and the historian, having no restraints from the fear of contradiction or criticism, delivers the