Page:Reflections upon ancient and modern learning (IA b3032449x).pdf/151

 Mystical Part of the Egyptian History, from that which seems to look like Matter of Fact. 2. He reduced the Dynasties into Collateral Families, reigning at the same time, in several Parts of the Country; which, as some learned Men saw before, was the only Way to make those Antiquities consistent with themselves, which till then were confused and incoherent. But it seems evident by the Remains that we have of Manetho in Eusebius, and by the Accounts which we have of the Egyptian History in Josephuss Books against Appion, and in the Ancient Christian Writers, that the Egyptians in Ptolemees Time did not intend to confine themselves within the Limits set by Moses, but resolved to go many Thousand Years beyond them. If therefore Eratostheness Table be genuine, not only Manethos Authority sinks, but the Pillars from whence he transcribed his Tables of the Kings of their several Dynasties are Impostures, since they pretend to give successive Tables of vast Numbers of Kings reigning in several Families, for many Ages; which ought to be contracted into a Period of Time, not much exceeding Two Thousand Years. If the Table of Eratosthenes be not the true Rule by which the Egyptian Antiquities are to be