Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 004.djvu/69

 many things, most worthy to be known, may be found for which on may look in vain elsewhere.

And what he performes herein, he doth in a Method different from others, viz. meerly by Arithmetick, without the aid of Chronological Tables; which, even of the best Authors, will hardly be found without manifold faults.

In the first Book he treats of Time in general; of a Moment, (de Scrupulo;) an Hour, a Day, Week, Month: And then of the several sorts of Years, the Celestial, Iulian, Gregorian, Ægyptian, Æthiopick, Persian, Syriack and Grecian; item, the Astronomical, Civil, and Solar Year of the Iews, and the Arabick year.

In the second, the Author (shewing good skill in Astronomy) treats of 'Conjunctions', and Eclipses, of the Æquinoxes and Solstices, the Circle of the Sun, and, the Dominical Letter; the Circle of the Moon or the Golden number, the Roman Indication, and Epacts, of several eminent Periods or Revolutions of Time, as the Metonick, Calippick, the Dionysian and Iulian Period; of several Æra's or fixed Characters or Time, as the Christian and Dioclesian; of the Age of the World according to the Accompt of the Græcians: Moreover of the Iewish Æra; The Æra or Ethnick Accompt from the taking of Troy; and the Antiochenian Epocha: the Olympiads, and Agones Capitolini: Of the Iulian year, the Spanish Æra; the Æra of the Victory at Actium; the Epocha ofNabonassar; as also of the Philippean, Alexandrian, and the Yezdegirdican Epocha; and of the Mahumetan Æra, the Hegira, or Flight of Mahomet.

In the Arithmetical Part, the Author shews not only his great skill in Arithmetick, even in the Speculative parts thereof, accompanied with good knowledge in the Grounds of Geometry but likewise his understanding of Exotick and Ancient Languages; rand, as a Specimen thereof, explains the Common Characters of Arithmetick, as he doth also the Indian, Roman, Hebrew, Smaritan, Græcian, Syriac, Arabick and Æthiopick Characters. And to the End of the second Book he hath annexed an Appendix, wherein, in Roman Letters, he hath explained the Hebrew, Syriack, Persian, Æthiopick and Arabick Words for the respective Months of the Year, for the ayde Rh