IS 4

Cha.pter

Second.

3 PIutaicTi.de lude,

P-. 35 I-Diodor. 1 . i.p. 9.

GHRONQLOGY.

ftars at any time, and to fail by them at ali times, without lightrof the ihore : and this gave a beginning to aftronomy and navi-gation. For hitherto they had gone only by the Ihore with oars,in round veffels of burden, firft invented on that fliallow fea bythe pofterity of Abraham; and in paffing from ifland to iflandguided themfelves by the iight of the iflands in the day-time, orby the fight of forne of the ftars in the night. Their old yearwas the lunifolar year, derived from Noah to ali his pofterity,.till thofe days; and confifted of twelve months, each of thirtydays, according to their calendar : and to the end of this ealen-dar-year they now added ftve days, and thereby made up the fo-lar year of twelve months and live days, or 365 days»

XII. The ancient Egyptians feigned % that Rhea lay fecretlywith Saturn ; and Sol prayed that fhe might bring forth neitherin any month, nor in the year ; and that Mercury played at dicewith Luna, overcame, and took from the lunar year the 7 2(1part of every day, and thereof compofed ftve days, and addedthem to the year of 360 days, that fhe might bring forth inthem ; and that the Egyptians celebrated thofe days as the birth-days of Rhea’s ftve ehildren, Ofiris, Orus fenior,. Typhon, Ifis,and Nephthe, the wife of Typhon. And therefore, accordingto the opinion of the ancient Egyptians, the ftve days were addedto the lunifolar calendar-year, in the reign of Saturn and Rhea,the parentsof Ofiris, Ifis, and Typhon; that is, in the reign ofAmmon and Titsea, the parents of the Titans ; or in the latter

half

§ XIII,

(') See Plato in thePhrEdrus (p. 1:40), and in the Philebus (p. 374). Plato, the moft antient^and perhaps the beil informed, of the Greek writers now extant who- mention this Thoth, orus he calls him Theuth, fays, that he ilourifhed when Thamoun, the lame whom the Greeksculi Ammon, was king of ali Egypt refidingat Thebes. Philo Byblius, as he is quoted by Eufe-biiis (Praep. Evang. p. 231) fays, that Thoth ivas he whom the Greeks called Hermes ; and Dio-dorus makcs Hermes the fecretary of Oft-ris, lib. 1. c. 15, 16. p. 10. plato’s aflertion however?s confirmed hy the authoriry of Sanchoniathon; who, as he is quoted by Eufebius (Prxp. Evang.lib p. 24) makes Hermes the fecretary of Saturn ; that is, of Ammon, the father of Ofiris.And.the title which Hermes bore among the Eleans, of Parammon (Pauian lib. 5, c. 13. p. 416)feems alfo to make for this tradition. Manetho, according to Syncellus, fpeaks of two Hermes;,the elder he calls Thoth; the fecond the fon of Agathodcemon and the father of Tat (Syncell.p. 40). Tuily (De Nat. Deor. lib. 3. c. 21) fays, that the Thoth of the Egyptians, who taugluthem letters, was that Mercury who kiiled Argus ; and that he fled imo Egypt for that rnnrder.This may feem fomewhat in favour of our author's fyllern ; fince it appears, that it was Tully’aopinion as well as his, that the Thoth, who taught the Egyptians the ule of letters, was tio native

Egyptian;