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they were not altogether unknown in Greece, " even before the Arrival of Cadmus ; 'tis probable that the most early Ages of Greece were not quite "deftitute of all hiftorical Monuments.

But granting the Greeks entirely ignorant of the Art of Writing before the Coming of that famous Hero amongst them; yet here Mr. Squire fays he may venture to reft his Caufe, fince this alone is fufficient, without going higher, to eftablish the Credibility of their ancient Chronology, as far back at least as he is concerned with the Defence of it. "Oral Tradition might be fafely enough rely'd

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upon for a faithful Conveyance, of the most "notable Events between Cecrops and Cadmus ; "and from this Period, 'tis not to be doubted but "that the Greeks made the fame Ufe of Letters, as "those other Nations did, from whom they are

fuppofed to have learned them.Tho' there"fore it be confeffed, that far the greatest Part of the moft ancient hiftorical Monuments of Greece

are long fince perifhed; yet will it by no Means "follow from hence, that there never were fuch "Monuments in Being, or that the oldeft Hifto"rians did not make the beft Ufe of them they

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might, in delivering down to Pofterity that Part of their old Chronology which has ftill efcaped the general Ruin of Time."

SECTION III.

Jofephus, 'tis true, in his Book against Apion, frequently charges the Greeks with their Ancestors having totally neglected to preferve any regular Account of their ancient Hiftory. But in all his Charges upon this Head, he is thought, by many learned Men, to be too partial to his favourite Scheme, of exalting the Credit of his own Nation at the Expence of the Greeks. "For not only the "old

*

"old Infcription upon Corebus's Tomb (contemporary with Deucalion) mentioned by Paufanias, as likewife three, ftill extant in Herodotus, of a Date not much later than that of Cadmus himfelt, but even the Writings of Homer and Hefiod fufficiently evince the Rafhness of Jofephus's Afσε fertion, and at the fame time fully vindicate the Antiquity of historical Monuments amongst the "Greeks."

This Conclufion will appear still more certain, if we confider farther, that there is scarce a noble Family in ancient Greece, whofe Pedigree we are not able, even at this great Distance of Time, to carry up as high as Deucalion, Cadmus, Danaus, &c. the very Founders of their feveral Republicks. But muft not this have been absolutely impoffible, " had not the ancient Greeks, in Imitation of their « undoubted Ancestors, the Egyptians and Phenicians, carefully committed to Writing the Names and Families, as well as Actions, of all thofe who by their fuperior Abilities had deserved well of the Publick?"The most ancient Hiftories of this Country, which were almost all of them concerning Genealogies, render this Point unqueItionable. Actions in general, fuch, I mean, as

have been attended with any great and remark"able Consequences, may be confusedly remem"ber'd through a long Séries of Years; but the diftinguishing Names of Men, the particular Succeffions, and feveral Intermarriages of Families, could not poffibly have been conveyed to Pofterity, with any tolerable Degree of Exactnefs, through any confiderable Length of Time, "had they not conftantly been committed to fome kind of Repofitory, more certain and durable than the frail Memory of Man ”

Herod, lib. 5. chap. 56.

It is not to be denied, Mr. Squire fays, that Hiftory, like all other Arts, was originally fimple and unadorned. "The Names and Succeffions of "Princes, the Genealogies of illuftrious Perfons, "any great Revolution of State, or beneficial In"vention to the Publick, was feverally infcribed, "under its proper Year, without farther Embellishments, upon Tables, and afterwards deposited "in the most frequented and facred Places."

But when the States of Greece became more firmly established, and the Sciences were cultivated amongst them, History affumed another and more elegant Form; fresh Authors continually arifing, more "curious and induftrious to tranfcribe both the "publick and private Records and Infcriptions, to "range and digeft them in a proper Order and "Method, and to adorn their Narrations with "Politeness of Style and Variety of Matter." And from hence Mr. Squire thinks we may deduce thofe many monstrous Tales, that almost every where deform the ancient Hiftory of Greece: For as the feveral Transcribers of thefe publick Monuments could not fet off their Relations with a Diversity of real Incidents; as they could not enter into the true Springs of the Tranfactions which they faw fimply recorded, and as they could not but be fenfible how much Mankind are delighted with the Marvellous, this made them have Recourfe to the vain Tradi tions of the Vulgar, and fometimes to their own fertile Imaginations, to fupply all Deficiencies of this Nature.

Should it however be still doubted whether the Greeks, from their firft Acquaintance with Letters, made a conftant use of them in Writing and Compofing, our Author now proceeds to an Argument

that

that will, he thinks, put that Matter quite out of Difpute, and at the fame time most strongly corroborate the ancient and established Chronology of that Country; "as it will demonftrate that the "Arrival of Cadmus, fuppofing that he first inftructed the Greeks in the Knowledge of Letters, "could not poffibly be much later than where 'tis "ufually placed."

This Argument is founded upon the Nature of Writing and Compofing in general. The Sum of it is: It must be the Work of Time to refine any Language, and bring it to the Standard of Perfec tion; nor must we expect Mafter-pieces in the Art of Writing till after long Labour, many repeated Trials, and the conftant Obfervation of the Learned for fome Centuries; efpecially in a Country where Wars, Revolutions, Migrations, &c. have been frequent, as was the Cafe in ancient Greece.

Now to apply this. We fee that the Art of Compofing, even in Poetry, was arrived to its higheft Perfection, when Homer and Hefiod wrote their Poems. From hence we may infallibly conclude that the Greeks, fome Ages before this Time, had been conftantly exercifed in the Art of Writing, and that these Poets had very good Models before them for their Imitation. From hence Mr. Squire thinks we may prove the Antiquity of Letters in that Country when thefe Authors wrote, and in fome Measure investigate the Age of Cadmus himfelf. Thus,

According to the old Chronology, as fettled by the Arundelian Marbles, there was near fix hundred Years between Hefiod and this famous Propagator of Letters amongst the Greeks. These cannot be thought too many for effectuating the Perfection of Writing: More rather might be thought neceffary.

But now, if we compare the Age of Hefiod with that of Cadmus, according to Sir Isaac Newton's D 2

Cor:

1

Correction of this Chronology, there will be hardly two hundred Years between them: Which is by no Means reconcileable with the ordinary Course of Nature. For," could the Art of Writing, could the "Art of Writing in Verfe, arrive at its utmoft "Point of Excellence, in an Inftant, as it were, "when compared with other Nations, amongft "the Greeks, a People continually hartaffed with foreign and inteftine Wars, and confequently in their early Ages altogether unfit for applying themselves to the more inftructive Arts of Peace?" This Confideration alone, Mr. Squire thinks, is fufficient to evince the Unreasonablenefs of rejecting the present Syftem of Greek Chronology." But if «Homer was ftill more ancient than Hefiod, as "fome fuppofe; and if there were other good "Poets more early than either of them, as there indifputably were, if the leaft Credit is to be "given to what the Ancients have told us of Olen, "Linus, Mufæus, Orpheus, &c. this will ftill "more ftrongly confirm our Argument for the "Antiquity of the Grecian Nation, from the Per"fection of their moft early Writing; and for the "conftant Ufe of Letters among them, from their

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being firft acquainted with them by Cadmus."

But we need not, Mr. Squire fays, defcend fo low as Homer, to prove the early Perfection of Arts and Sciences in Greece: For Sir Ifaac Newton fup pofes, that, long before the Trojan War, Aftronomy had made a great Progrefs in that Country. And if so abftrufe a Science was fo far advanced, as he will have it to be, in thofe early Ages, is it to be imagined, that Hiftory and Chronology, Arts far more eafy to be attained, and much more agreeable to the natural Temper of Mankind, fhould be fo little regarded, or rather fo entirely neglected, as that nothing left us by the Ancients on thefe Subjects fhould deferve our leaft Efteem?

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