Of the Chaldeans, and their eriginal. From the fame.

I

Have fhewn, that the diftin&tion made by Africanus, Eufebius, and others, between Chaldean and Arabian kings, is void of all foundation: and, were the lift, that they produce, genuine, it would determine the point against them. All that can be efleemed true in the feries they produce, is the names of thote who are foremoft in the lift. And, however mistaken they may have been in thofe that follow; yet, fetting them aside, we may learn, in refpect to the Chaldeans, what was the opinion of these writers, and what tradition had taught them; that Ham, Chus, and Nimbrod were the heads of this nation. And as the Chaldeans were the moft antient inhabitants of the country called by their name; there are no other principals, to whom we may refer their original. They seem to have been the moft early conftituted, and fettled, of any people upon earth: And from their fituation it appears, and from every other circumftance, that Chus was the head of their family, and Nimbrod their first king.

They feem to have been the only people, that did not migrate at the general difperfion: and the center of their province was at Ur, not far from the conflux of the Tigris and Euphrates. From hence they extended themselves under the names of Culeans and Arabians, as far as Egypt weft, and eastward to the Ganges; occupying to the fouth all the Afiatic fea-coaft, and the whole of the large continent of Arabia: And from thence they paffed the

Erythrean gulf, and penetrated into Ethiopia. They were continually incroaching upon upon thofe that were nearest to them; and even trefpaffed upon their own brotherhood. In procefs of time they got full poffeffion of Egypt, and the whole coaft of Africa upon the Mediterranean even to the Atlantic ocean, as far as Fez and Taffilet: and are to be found within the tropics almoft as low as the Gold Coaft. Upon the Gambia is the king of Barfally, of Arabian extraction, as are all the Phooley nations; who retain their original language, and are of the religion of Mahomet. One of thefe, job Ben Solomon by name, was not many years fince in England. He had been unjustly feized on by a prince, his neighbour, and carried to America, where he was fold for a flave: but writing an affecting account of his misfortune in his native tongue, it raifed the curiofity, as well as pity, of fome perfons of confequence in thefe parts; who redeemed him, and fent for him over; and having fhewa him fingular marks of favour, at his request difpatched him to his own country.

it was about Michaelmas) I waited on the late lord Heneage, earl of Winchelfea, at Eastwell houfe, and found him fitting with the regifter of the parish of Eatwell lying open before him. He told me, that he had been looking there to fee who of his own family was mentioned in it. But, fays he, I have a curiofity here to show you. And then fhewed me, and I immediately transcribed it into my almanack, Richard Plantagenet was buryed "the 22d daye of December, anno 66 ut fupra. Ex Registro de Eaftwell, fub anno, 1550. "This is all the regifter mentions of him; fo that we cannot fay, whether he was buried in the church or church-yard; nor is there now any other memorial of him, except the tradition in the family, and fome little marks where his houfe ftood. The story my lord told me was this:

When Sir Thomas Moyle built that houfe, (Eaftwell-place) he obferved his chief bricklayer, whenever he left off work, retired with á book. Sir Thomas had curiofity to know what book the man read; but was fome time before he could difcover it; he ftill putting the book up if any one came toward him. However, at laft, Sir Thomas furprised him, and fnatched the book from him; and looking into it, found it to be Latin. Hereupon, he examined him, and finding he pretty well understood that language, he enquired, how he came by his learning? Hereupon, the man told him, as he had been a good mater to him, he would venture to truft him with a fecret he had never before revealed to any He then informed him, That he was boarded with a Latin school

one.

mafter, without knowing who his parents were, till. he was fifteen or fixteen years old; only a gentleman (who took occafion to acquaint him he was no relation to him), came once a quarter, and paid for his board, and took care to fee that he wanted nothing. And, one day, this gentleman took him, and carried him to a fine great house, where he paffed through feveral ftately rooms, in one of which he left him, bidding him ftay there.

Then a man, finely dreft, with a ftar and garter, came to him; afked him fome questions, talked kindly to him, aad gave him fome money. Then the fore-mentioned gentleman returned, and conducted him back to his school.

Some time after, the fame gentleman came to him again, with a horfe and proper accoutrements, and told him, he must take a journey with him into the country. They went into Leicestershire, and came to Bosworth field: and he was carried to king Richard III's tent. The king embraced him, and told him he was his fon. " But child," fays he, "to-morrow I muft fight for my crown, and, affure yourself, if I lose that, I will lofe my life too but I hope to preferve both. Do you ftand in fuch a place, (directing him to a particular place) where you may fee the battle, out of danger, and when I have gained the victory, come to me; I will then own you to be mine, and take care of you. But, if I fhould be fo unfortunate as to lose the battle, then shift as well as you can, and take care to let nobody know that I am your father; for no mercy will be fhewed to any one fo nearly related to

me."

me." Then the king gave him a purfe of gold, and difmiffed him. He followed the king's directions. And, when he faw the battle was loft, and the king killed, he hafted to London, fold his horfe and fine cloaths, and the better to conceal himself from all fufpicion of being fon to a king, and that he might have means to live by his honeft labour, he put himself apprentice to a bricklayer. But, having a competent fkill in the Latin tongue, he was unwilling to lofe it; and having an inclination also to reading, and no delight in the converfation of thofe he was obliged to work with, he generally spent all the time he had to fpare in reading by himself.

Sir Thomas faid, "You are now old, and almost past your labour; I will give you the running of my kitchen as long as you live." He answered, Sir, you have a numerous family; I have been used to live retired; give me leave to build a house of one room for myself, in fuch a field, and there, with your good leave, I will live and die." Sir Thomas granted his requeft; he built his house, and there continued to his death.

I fuppofe (tho' my lord did not mention it) that he went to eat in the family, and then retired to his hut. My lord faid, that there was no park at that time; but when the park was made, that houfe was taken into it, and continued ftanding till his (my lord's) father pulled it down. "But," faid my lord, I would as foon have pulled down this houfe;" meaning Eastwell-place.

I have been computing the age of this Richard Plantagenet when VOL. X.

he died, and find it to be about 8f. For Richard III. was killed Auguft 23, 1485, (which substracted from 1550, there remains 65) to which add 16, (for the age of Richard Plantagenet at that time) and it makes 81. But, though he lived to that age, he could scarce enjoy his retirement in his little houfe above two or three years, or a little more. For I find by Philpot, that Sir Thomas Moyle did not purchase the estate of Eastwell till about the year 1543 or 4. We may therefore reasonably fuppofe, that, upon his building a new house on his purchase, he could not come to live in it till 1546, but that his workmen were continued to build the walls about his gardens, and other conveniences off from the house. And till he came to live in the houfe, he could not well have an opportunity of obferving how Richard Plantagenet retired with his book. So that it was probably towards the latter end of the year 1546, when Richard and Sir Thomas had the fore-mentioned dialogue together. Confequently, Richard could not build his house, and have it dry enough for him to live in, till the year 1547. So that he must be 77 or 78 years of age before he had his writ of ease. *** I am,

an

The ancient planetary fyftem was unfettled thing: it differed often, as the dark conjectures of their philofophers furnished a variety of opinions without fixing upon one. But it appears from great authorities, that one of the most popular and prevailing opinions was that which was after'wards called the Ptolemaic. The earth was in the centre and then the reft of the planets in this order: firft the Moon, then Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. As there were feven planets, the lyre had for this reafon feven ftrings: it was - formed upon this plan to exprefs the harmony of the heavens. Varro calls the planetary fyftem << nobilem divûm lyram." And Quintilian takes it for granted, that the world was the great original from which the lyre was taken: "mundum ipfum ejus ratione compofitum effe, quam poftea fit lyra imitata." One of the ancient muficians fays, that Mer

Saturn. Jupiter. Mars.

cury, the inventor of the old fevenftringed lyre, fitted it up and tuned it in imitation of those fpheres which the planets moved in.

Let us now come to Dion Caffius. What he fays upon the fubje&t amounts to this: That calling the days of the week by the names of the feven planets was a custom taken from the Egyptians; and, though not of very ancient date, was then become familiar among the Romans, and received among all nations: that this diftribution of the days was owing to the music of the an. cients. One of their most cele-brated tunes was the Diateffaron; and ftriking the ftrings of the lyre, as that tune directed, would affign the days of the week to each planet, just in that order, in which they are now ranged. There is no explaining this well, without giving a scheme of it. The planets in the order of the old Ptolemaic fyftem ftood thus:

7

5

4

2