item orationis genere, ut animum debilitati corpusculi jam oblitum INDEX LIBRORUM A JOANNE JACOBO REISKIO EDITORUM. 1. Abi Mohammed el Kasem Bascensis vulgo Haririi consessus XXVI 2. Taraphæ Moallakah cum scholiis Nahas et versione latina. Lugd. Bat. 1742. 4. 3. Miscellaneæ observationes medicæ ex Arabum monumentis. Dispu- 4. De principibus Muhammedanis, qui aut ab eruditione, aut ab amore 5. De Arabum epocha vetustissima, Sail ol Arem, i. e. ruptura catarrhac- 6. Constantini Porphyrogenneti libri duo de cærimoniis aulæ Byzantinæ, 7. Animadversiones ad Sophoclem. Lipsiæ 1753. 8. 8. Animadversiones ad Euripidem et Aristophanem. Lipsia 1754. 8: 10. Abilfedæ annales Moslemici. Latinos ex arabicis fecit. Lipsia 11. Thograis so genanntes Lommisches Gedicht, aus dem Arabischen 12. Abilwalidi Risalet s. epistolium, arabice et latine cum notulis. 13. Animadversionum ad græcos auctores volumen primum, quo 14. Sammlung einiger arabischen Sprüchwörter, die von Stecken oder 15. Animadversionum ad græcos auctores volumen secundum, quo 16. M. T. Ciceronis Tuscul. disput. libri quinque. Accedit libellus variarum lectionum et animadversionum. Lipsia 1759. 12. 17. De Zenobio, sophista Antiocheno. Lips. 1759. 18. De quibusdam e Libanio repetitis argumentis, ad historiam ecclesiasticam christianam pertinentibus, inprimis de Optimo Episcopo. Lipsiæ 1759. 4. 19. De rebus, ad scholam Nicolaitanam Lipsiensem pertinentibus, expositio. Lips. 1759.4. 20. De Actamo, philosopho arabico. Lipsia 1760. 4. 21. Animadversionum ad græcos auctores volumen tertium, quo Thucydides, Herodotus et Aristides pertractantur. Lipsiæ 1761.8. 22. Teutsche Uebersetzung der Reden aus dem Thucydides. Leipzig. 1761. 8. 23. Animadversionum ad auctores græcos volumen quartum, quo Polybii reliquiæ pertractantur. Lipsiæ 1763. 8. 24. Demosthenis und Eschinis Reden, verteutscht, und mit nöthigen Anmerkungen erläutert. Lemgo 1764. 8. Volumina quinque. 25. Proben der Arabischen Dichtkunst in verliebten und traurigen Gedichten, aus dem Montanabbi, arabisch und teutsch, nebst Anmerkungen. Leipzig. 1765. 4. 26. Theocriti reliquiæ cum scholiis græcis et commentariis integris variorum, tribus libris animadversionum et indicibus. Tom. II. Lipsiæ 1766.4. 27. Animadversionum ad auctores græcos volumen quintum, quo Libanius, Artemidorus, et Callimachus pertractantur. Lipsiæ 1766.8. 28. Animadversiones ad Porphyrii librum de abstinentia a carnibus, insertæ editioni Rhoerii, V. Cl. Ultrajecti 1767. 8. 29. Abilfedæ geographia, latine reddita, inserta Collectaneis historicis et geographicis Bueschingii, V. Cl. 1770. His collectaneis anno 1771 inserta est Marai Geschichte der Regenten in Egypten. 30. Oratorum græcorum volumen primum et secundum s. textus Demosthenis, cum scholiis e cod. Bavarico et Augustano. Lipsiæ 1770. 31. Apparatus Critici ad Demosthenem volumen primum, secundum, tertium, quæ Wolfianas, Taylorianas et Reiskianas notas continent. Lipsia 1774. et 1775. 4. 32. Indices operum Demosthenis. Lipsiæ 1775. 8. 33. Oratorum græcorum volumen tertium, Eschinem complectens. Lipsiæ 1771. 8. 34. Oratorum græcorum volumen quartum, continens varietatem lectionis et indicem græcitatis ad Æschinem, item tres orationes Dinarchi, unam Lycurgi, quatuor Andocidis. Lipsia 1771. 8. 35. Oratorum græcorum volumen quintum, Lysiæ textum cum notis Taylori, Marclandi et Reiskii contínens. Lipsiæ 1772. 8. 36. Oratorum græcorum volumen sextum, fragmenta Lysiæ, Taylori lectiones Lysiacas, latinam Lysiæ versionem, a Reiskio confectam, varietatem lectionis et indicem græcitatis continens. Lipsiæ 1772. 8. 37. Oratorum græcorum volumen septimum, Isæi et Antiphontis reliquias, notas, versionem Isæi, et indices græcitatis continens. Lipsiæ 1773.8. 38. Oratorum græcorum volumen octavum, continens reliquias Lesbonactis, Herodis Attici, Antisthenis, Alcidamantis, et Gorgiæ, latinam versionem Antiphontis, et indicem græcitatis. Lipsia 1773. 8. 39 Plutarchi quæ supersunt omnia græce et latine. E principibus editionibus castigavit, virorumque doctorum suisque annotationibus instruxit I. I. Reiske. Vol. I. 1774. Vol. II. et III. 1775. Vol. IV. et V. 1776. 8. Lipsiæ. Reliqua volumina, jam parata prelo, deinceps omnia prodibunt. 40. Dionysii Halicarnassensis opera omnia, græce et latine, cum annotationibus Henr. Stephani, Sylburgii, Porti, Casauboni, Ursini, Valesii, Hudsoni et Reiskii. Vol. I. et II. 1774. Vol. III. IV. et V. 1775. Vol. VI. 1777. Lipsiæ. 8. 41. Maximi Tyrii dissertationes e recens. Davisii. Editio altera, cui Marclandi notæ accesserunt. Recudi curavit et annotatiunculas addidit I. I. Reiske. Lipsiæ. Vol. I. 1774. Vol. II. 1775. 8. MEMOIR On the Antiquity of the Zodiacs of ESNEH and DENDERA. PART I. THE antiquity of these zodiacs must be decided, if it be decided at all, by the internal evidence which they themselves furnish. It seems, however, to be generally agreed, that they were intended to represent the state of the heavens at the commencement of a Sothic period; and consequently that they may be referred, with the greatest probability, either to the year 2782 before Christ, or to the year 1322 before Christ, or to the year 138 after Christ. Before I proceed to canvass these questions, or to examine the zodiacs, I shall make some remarks: first, upon the system of chronology which is generally received-secondly, upon the progress which the ancient Egyptians, and the Orientalists in general, had made in the science of astronomy-and thirdly, upon the origin of the zodiacal symbols. 1. According to the chronology which is generally received, 5824 years have elapsed since the creation of the world, to the period at which I am now writing. It is my earnest wish to confirm the authority of the sacred records, on which this system of chronology is said to be founded; but I think myself at liberty to examine those records, and to judge for myself whether the received chronology be founded on them, or not. I am fully aware that in doing so, I shall expose myself to the charge of presumption; but this is a censure which I must be satisfied with enduring, since it shall never deter me from freely expressing my opinions, either on this, or on any other subject, on which I feel myself competent to speak. The world, as I have just stated, has been created 5824 years, according to the received chronology. It has been created 6065 years, according to the Samaritan text-7210 years, according to the Septuagint-and 7508 years, according to the testimony of Josephus. The received chronology is founded on a literal, but, as I conceive, a mistaken interpretation of the Hebrew text. It appears, both from the version of the LXX, and from Josephus, that some error has crept into the Hebrew text, in fixing the number of years between the creation and the deluge; and that a similar error has occurred, in reckoning the number of years from the deluge to the birth of Abraham, is still more apparent. But in this last instance the fault lies, perhaps, rather with the modern translators than with the original Hebrew. At Genesis, c. xi. v. 10. it is said, Shem was a son of an hundred years, ( ♫ND) when he begat Arphaxad. Now at v. 12, where it is mentioned that Arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begat Salah, the words, son of an hundred years, are to be understood after Arphaxad, and so of all the other descendants of Shem, down to Abraham. Thus the Samaritan copyist, the LXX, and Josephus, must have read the text. It is true that these writers differ from each other about the number of generations; but all alike have supplied the words which I have cited in their proper places. With respect to the number of generations, I hesitate not to follow the LXX, because their reckoning is the same with that adopted by St. Luke and it follows, that the name of the second Cainan must have existed in some of the ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible. To the authorities which I have quoted, are opposed the version of Jerom, the traditions of the Rabbin, and the present state of the Hebrew text. The authority of Jerom may be referred to that of the Jew of Tiberias, who taught him Hebrew-the "masters in Israel" are not agreed among themselves about the chronology of the Bible; the age of the world being now 5571 years according to the Seder Olam Rabba; 6179 years according to the Seder Olam Sutha; 5878 years according to Maimonides; 5574 years according to Gersom; about 6000 years according to the Asiatic Jews-the present state of the Hebrew text is, perhaps, nearly what it was in the time of the Masorites, and so much may be allowed for its approach to absolute integrity; but the retrenchment of the words, son of an hundred years, might appear justifiable to the copyists, since they might observe, that all persons, acquainted with the elliptical structure of the language, would supply them of course. Those then who adhere to the present Hebrew text, but who read it, as I think I have shown it ought to be read, will reckon not less than 6562 years, from the creation to the present time. For my own part, however, I do not scruple to adopt the chronology of the LXX, and to assign a period of 7210 years from the creation to the year 1820 of the Christian æra. This period is thus divided-2262 years from the creation to the deluge, and 3128 years from the deluge to the birth of Christ.. My readers will see in the sequel, that it was absolutely necessary for me to state my opinion on the subject of chronology. Many of the traditions of the Orientalists, which it seems difficult to reject, may be reconciled to the Mosaic chronology, if we take the LXX for our guides; and various monuments of Egyptian antiquity can be explained consistently with the same chronology, if we will only allow that Josephus must have been at least as well acquainted with it as we are. 2. There appears to be a general notion, among men of science at the present day, that the boundaries of human knowledge were extremely limited until within the last three or four centuries. It cannot be doubted that the art of printing has aided, in an extraordinary degree, the progress of knowledge and the researches of science; but it may be suspected, that the acquisitions of the moderns have been contemplated by their admirers, with rather too much of partial complacency. He, who is now employed in adding new materials to the mighty mass of human learning, easily believes that nothing like it has ever existed before. He smiles with contempt, when he hears it suggested, that the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, or the Indians, may have done as much, or nearly as much, for the sciences, in two thousand years, as the moderns have done in two centuries. He appeals to the Greeks, and victoriously proves, how little was the science possessed by that ingenious and eloquent people. They have taught us what the Barbarians knew; and the ignorance of both Greeks and Barbarians is easily detected and exposed by the superior science of the modern philosopher. It may, however, surely be questioned, whether, or not, |