Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/83

 On the fiating of Ancient History. 73 events running beyond it and destroying its initialness, or else we shall probably, before any quantity of events begins, have a long line of useless numbers, while the numbers we have actually to count events in are large and awkward 47. Supposing then an epoch in the middle of events, how are the pre-epochal years to be marked? The most natural and ready way is by previous epochs, as for instance, the Greeks were disposed to count pre-Olympiadic events from the war of Troy : but there is a disadvantage, as has been said, in having more than one independent epoch, if it can be otherwise. Another way is by retrograde reckoning : this was in use to a very limited degree, in regard of ancient epochs 48 ; it was in use also, as Mr Clinton in defending it has pointed out, in the form of a reckoning from the time of composition, independent of any epoch, in various chronicles, of which a notable instance is the Parian. But first, this reckoning ^expi ffiev, of the distance of events from ourselves, or of how long ago they happened, which is in fact the natural chronology of unchronological people, is a very different thing from a systematic historical backward dating from an epoch : and next, a list of events unconnected with each other, and only stowed each, as in a museum, in its chronological place, which is what the Parian and such chronicles are, is not a history 49, and the date of each event is an independent fact, with very little reference to a stream or course. The most remarkable instance of retrograde dating is the history of Velleius Paterculus, in which, considering apparently that consular dating was not 47 Gibbon's note (D. and F. c. 40, tion, we shall find 3000 of ignorance end), in which he regrets that we do-not, and darkness, and aooo either fabulous like the Greeks at present or till lately, or doubtful," before we can apply the use one uniform mundane epoch to date reckoning to history at all. from, I cordially agree with, both as to 48 Orosius, for instance, uses for his idea of the true value of an epoch, earlier events a backward dating from ("The period, however arbitrary, is clear the epoch of Rome, and convenient"), as to his estimate of 43 Besides, it is certainly "inventis our present reckoning, (" our double and frugibus, glande vesci" to go back to the perplexed method of counting backwards Parian chronicle for an example how we and forwards from the Christian era") ; should exhibit chronology now. The and as to what he says of the advantage Parian chronicle, contemporary with of a way of dating which shall help our Timaeus, exhibits even an ante-Timsean general mental view of history. But I reckoning, a dating back -from itself, cannot think it a point to praise in the like Herodotus and Thucydides, with an Greek epoch, that "of the 7296 years eponymous reckoning by archons of supposed to have elapsed since the crea- Athens.