Sequestered in a remote ifland, giving laws to neighbouring ftates, and free from foreign invafions for the certain space of 2060 years, they had time and leisure to attend to their history and antiquities; and they certainly exceeded all nations of the world in their attention to these points! As I have endeavoured to elucidate a variety of obscure parts in ancient hiftory, and to determine many controverted æras in ancient chronology, by the annals of Ireland, it is but just that the candid critical reader should receive the clearest evidences and the fullest information, as to their authenticity. matter fatisfactorily explained, he will then, no doubt, naturally inquire, why an hiftory, fo manifeftly interefting to letters, and which throws fuch lights on the early laws, religion, and cuftoms of the Celta, fhould lie fo long concealed from public view, efpecially in ages learned and inquifitive as this and the laft have proved? But of these points in their order; and first as to our chronology.

This

The Milefians began their own immediate history with Phænius, the inventor of letters, and their great ancestor. They have not determined on the precise period of time in which he flourished; but yet the generations and names of his lineal fucceffors, to the fons of Milefius, have been preferved with fuch care and accuracy; and the fame fubject, from that period to

this day, has been continued with fuch unexampled fidelity, that it will require little trouble to determine it, with precision and certainty, by admitting of the following reasonable computation. Twenty-three generations are counted from Phænius to Heber, and I have allowed thirty-five years to each generation, which I think, (confidering the remoteness of the time and longevity of the people) will be deemed a fair and reasonable medium. If to this we add eighty-one years for the fuppofed extent of his life, it will make up the grofs fum of eight hundred and eighty-fix years. By the Reim-Riogra, or Royal Chronology of Giolla-Caomhain, a writer of great antiquity, ninety monarchs of Ireland are reckoned from Heber to Conaire the Grand, in whose administration the Incarnation happened; and the reigns of these princes, one with another, according to his computation, amounts to 1657 years. But, in this lift, a reign of seventy-feven, of seventy, and of fixty years, is allowed to fome princes; to one in particular (and, it would feem, merely on account of his furname of Soaglach, or the Long-lived) an hundred and fifty is given! But, in Ireland, the monarchy was elective with refpect to perfons, though hereditary in point of blood. Minors were declared incapable of governing; and no prince could become a candidate for the throne who had not paffed the age of twenty-five. Re

volutions

volutions were frequent, and the longest sword always determined the conteft. Sound criticism and plain sense seem to concur in reducing fo improbable a period to a reasonable time, and will, I think, justify me in lopping off an exuberance of three hundred and ninetythree years from this account; fo that, from the birth of Phænius to the Incarnation, comprehends a space of 2146 years, in which a clear chronology, fubject to the feverest scrutiny, is exhibited, and which, if not under, does not exceed true time.

From this period the Irish chronology is allowed to be accurate by the most critical judges of the matter; yet, as Sir James Ware, and, from him, most British writers, who were very incompetent judges, have affirmed, that our chronology at beft is but uncertain till the landing of St. Patrick; let us, for argument fake, admit it to be fo, and endeavour to reconcile the number of reigns in this interval to reafon and chronology. Loaghaire began his reign A. C. 428, four years before the landing of St. Patrick, and twenty-nine princes intervened between him and Conaire. From the landing of Patrick the most incredulous have not doubted our chronology nor could it be otherwife, as the time of his legation was fo well known to foreign as well as domeftic writers. Fifty-one monarchs fwayed the Irish fceptre from the days of Loa gaire to thofe of Roderic. O'Connor,

laft

laft emperor of Ireland. Now, if we compare the number of reigns in the first and second stages of our history, or from Heber to Conaire, and from him to Loagaire, with thofe in the third, or uncontrovertibly true time, we will fee a very clofe agreement, and that the periods preceding this laft epocha, are rather contracted than enlarged. Let us fuppofe upon an average, that the reigns of these princes, one with another, did not exceed fourteen years each; and when we confider the nature of an elective government, where each prince generally fell by the sword of his fucceffor, it feems a fair medium. The number of reigns from Heber to Conaire are 90 × 14=1260, just four years lefs than the time affigned! From Conaire to Loagaire were 29 × 14 = 406, which is twenty-two years lefs than true time; and fifty-one reigns from Loagaire to Roderic, multiplied by fourteen, produce but 714 years, which is about forty years lefs than the real time. Thus it appears (I apprehend), evident, that inftead of extending, I have sensibly contracted our ancient chronology, and that if it does not want half a century of true time, it cannot be deemed a day beyond it.

From this chronology, the periods in which the following interesting facts happened, appear thus-The invention of letters by Phænius, (computing from the Hebrews), was in the year of the world 1912, the fixtyfecond year of his age, and fixteenth of his reign.

The

The introduction of letters, of arts, and sciences into Egypt by Niul, the son of Phænius took place, in the year of the world 1941.

The Cretans received the Phoenician alphabet from Cadmus the high-prieft, fon to Sru, and brother to Heber Scot, in the year of the world 2046; and this at once explains a matter very doubtful and very interesting to ancient history. The Greeks, unable to determine the time in which Cadmus lived, have conjectured it to be after the days of Mofes. Now in his days, the Hebrew alphabet contained twenty-two letters, which is fix letters more than the Cadmean; and the Ifraelites, then bordering on Phoenicia have made fome literati fuppofe, that this laft alphabet must have contained more letters than antiquity has attributed to it; but we now plainly fee, that Cadmus preceded Mofes by more than four centuries, which at once removes all doubts, and justifies the reports of antiquity.

The first Phoenician fettlement in Africa took place in the year of the world 2279. For it is agreed on, that long before the days of Joshua a Phoenician colony had made a fettlement about Carthage, though, till now, the time has not been determined on with any kind of precifion.

Briotan, the fon of Feargus, with his followers, retired from Ireland to Britain A. M. 2380; and from him the country took this name, (its more ancient one, being Inis

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