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have gone backwards four degrees & so have been in the fourth degree of Aries in the days of Hipparchus, & by consequence have then gone back eleven degrees since the Argonautic Expedition, that is in 1090 years according to the chronology of the ancient Greeks then in use. And this after the rate of about 99 years, or in the next round number an hundred years to a degree, as was then stated by Hipparchus. But it really went back a degree in seventy & two years & eleven degrees in 792 years. Count these 792 years backward from the year of Nabonassar 602 (the year from which we counted the 286 years) & the recconing will place the Argonautic expedition about 43 years after the death of Solomon. The Greeks have therefore made the Argonautic expedition about three hundred years ancienter then the truth, & thereby given occasion to the opinion of the great Hipparchus, that the Equinox went backward after the rate of only a degree in an hundred years.

Hesiod tells us that sixty days after the winter solstice the star Arcturus rose just at sunset. And thence it follows that Hesiod flourished about an hundred years after the death of Solomon.

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have gone backwards four degrees & so have been in the fourth degree of Aries in the days of Hipparchus, & by consequence have then gone back eleven degrees since the Argonautic Expedition, that is, in 1090 years according to the chronology of the ancient Greeks then in use. And this is after the rate of about 99 years or in the next round number an hundred years to a degree as was then stated by Hipparchus.. But it really went back a degree in seventy & two years, & eleven degrees in 792 years. Count these 792 years backwards from the year of Nabonassar 602 (the year from which we counted the 286 years,) & the recconing will place the Argonautic Expeditions about 43 years after the death of Solomon. The Greeks have therefore made the argonautic expedition about three hundred years ancienter then the truth, & there by given occasion to the opinion of the great Hipparchus, that the Equinox went backward after the rate of only a degree in an hundred years.

Hesiod tells us that sixty days after the winter solstice the star Arcturus rose just at Sunset. Till his days & long after, the solstices were placed in the middles of the constellations of , & , their motion not being then known: & the sun's Apogee was then in 24gr. In those sixty days & almost six hours more from noon to sunset, the Sun would move from the winter Solstice into 0gr 10′ & the opposite point of the ecliptic which rose at the same time with Arcturus, would be in 0gr. 10.′ The north latitude of Arcturus is 30gr 57′, & the elevation of the pole at mount Helicon neare Athens where Hesiod lived, was 37gr. 45′ according to Ptolomy. And thence Ricciolus (lib. vi Almagest. cap. xx. Prob. viii) teaches how to compute the excess of the longitude of Arcturus above the longitude of the said opposite point of the Ecliptic. And by the computation I find that this excess is, 11gr. 14′. Which being added to 0gr. 10′ gives the longitude of Arcturus {} 11gr. 24′. When the sun sets visibly his upper limb is 33′ below the Horizon, being so much elevated by the refraction of the Atmosphere, & his center is still 16′ lower, in all 49′ below the horizon. And the part of the Ecliptic between the Horizon & the center of the sun, is an arch of 62′ minutes. And when the star rises visibly, it is 33′ below the Horizon, being so much elevated by the refraction. And the Arch between the Horizon & the starr in the parallel of the stars latitude is 41$\frac{1}{4}$ minutes. And these 62 & 41$\frac{1}{4}$ minutes amount unto 103$\frac{1}{4}$ minutes, which being added to the longitude of the star found above gives its correct longitude in 13gr. 7$\frac{1}{4}$. The longitude of this star at the time of the Argonautic Expedition was 13gr. 24′. 52″, as above. And the difference 17′. 37″, is so small as scarce to be sensible in the coarse observations of the ancients, & will vanish by allowing a minute of time between the observation of the setting sun whereby the eyes of the spectator would be dazzelled, & the observation of the rising star after the eyes were recovered.

From all these circumstances grownded upon the coarse observations of the ancient Astronomers, we may reccon it certain that the Argonautic Expedition was not earlier then the reign of Solomon. And if these Astronomical arguments be added to the former arguments taken from the length of the reigns of kings according to the course of nature: from them all we may safely conclude that the Argonautic Expedition was after the death of Solomon, & most probably that it was about 43 years after it.

The Trojan war was one generation later then that Expedition as was said above, several captains of the Greeks in that war being sons of the Argonauts. And the ancient Greeks recconed Memnon or Amenophis King of Egypt to have reigned in the times of that war, feigning him to be the son of Tithonus the elder brother of Priam, & in the end of that war to have come from Susa to the assistance of Priam. Amenophis was therefore of the same age with the elder children of Priam, & was with his army at Susa in the last year of that war; & after he had there finished the Memnonia, he might return into Egypt & adorn it with buildings & Obelisks & statues, & dye there about 90 or 95 years after the death of Solomon when he had determined & setled the beginning of the new Egyptian year of 365 days upon the Vernal Equinox, so as to deserve the monument above mentioned in memory thereof.

Quamvis Æthiopum populis Arabumque beatis

Gentibus, atque Indis, unus sit Iupiter Ammon.

I place the end of the reign of Sesac upon the fift year of Asa because in that year Asa became free from the Dominion of Egypt, so as to be able to fortify Iudea & raise that great army with which he met Zerah & routed him. Osiris was therefore slain in the fift year of Asa by his brother Iapetus whom the Egyptians called Typhon Python & Neptune. And then the Libyans under Iapetus & his son Atlas invaded Egypt & raised that famous war between the Gods & Giants from whence the Nile had the name of Eridanus. But Orus the son of Osiris by the assistance of the Ethiopians prevailed & reigned till the 15th year of Asa. And then the Ethiopians under Zerah invaded Egypt, drowned Orus in Eridanus, & were routed by Asa so that Zerah could not recover himself. Zerah was succeeded by Amenophis a youth of the Royal family of the Ethiopians, & I think the son of Zerah. But the people of the lower Egypt revolted from him, & set up Osarsiphus over them, & called to their assistance a great body of men from Phænicia, I think a part of the army of Asa. And thereupon Amenophis with the remains of his fathers army of Ethiopians retired from the lower Egypt to Memphis, & there turned the river Nile into a new channel under a new bridge which he built between two mountains; & at the same time he built & fortified that city against Osarsiphus, calling it by his own name Amenoph. And then he retired into Ethiopia & stayed there thirteen years. And then came back with a great army & subdued the lower Egypt, expelling the people which had been called in from Phænicia. And this I take to be the second expulsion of the shepherds. Dr Castelb[2] tells us that in Coptic this city is called Mariphtha. Whence by contraction came its names Moph, Noph.

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While Amenophis stayed in Ethiopia, Ægypt was in its greatest distraction. And then it was, as I conceive, that the Greeks hearing thereof contrived the Argonautic Expedition, & sent the flower of Greece in the ship Argo to perswade the nations upon the sea coasts of the Euxine & Mediterranean seas to revolt from Egypt & set up for themselves, as the Libyans Æthiopians & Iews had done before. And this is a further argument for placing that expedition about 43 years after the death of Solomon. Amenophis might return from Æthiopia & conquer the lower Egypt about eight or nine years after that expedition, & having setled his government over it, he might for putting a stop to the revolting of the eastern nations, lead his army into Persia & leave Proteus at Memphis to govern Egypt in his absence, & stay sometime at Susa & build the Memnonia, fortifying that city as the metropolis of his dominions in those parts.

Androgeus the son of Minos, upon his overcoming in the Athenæa or quadrennial games at Athens in his youth, was perfidiously slain out of envy. And Minos thereupon made war upon the Athenians, & compelled them to send every eighth year to Crete seven beardless youths <5r> And then it was, as I conceive, that the Greeks hearing thereof contrived the Argonautic Expedition, & sent the flower of Greece in the ship Argo to perswade the nations upon the sea coasts of the Euxine & Mediterranean seas to revolt from Egypt & set up for themselves, as the Libyans Ethiopians & Iews had done before. And this is a further argument for placing that expedition about 44 years after the death of Solomon. Amenophis might return from Ethiopia & conquer the lower Egypt about eight years after that expedition, & having setled his government over it, he might for putting a stop to the revolting of the nations, lead his army into Persia, & stay at Susa, & build the Memnonia, fortifying that city as the metropolis of his dominions in those parts.

[1] a Arrian. lib. 7.

[2] b in Moph

[3] a Evanthes apud Athenæum l. 67. p. 296.

[4] b Hygenus Fab. 14.

[5] Homer. Odyss. l. 8, v. 292.

[6] Hesiod. Theogon. v. 945.

[7] e Pausan. l. 2, C. 23.

[8] a Strabo l. 16

[9] b Isa. 23.2, 12

[10] c 1 King. 5.6.

[11] d Steph. in Azoth.

[12] e Conon Narrat. 37.

[13] f Nonnus Dionysiac. l. 13. v. 333 & seq.

[14] g Athen. l. 4. C. 23.

[15] h Strabo l. 10, p. 661. Herod. l. 1.

[16] a Strabo l. 16.

[17] b 2 Chron. 21.8, 10. & 2 King. viii.20, 22.