e evidence; and it is only of late years that the fragments
remaining of his Chronicles of the Theban Kings have been properly
appreciated. He hoped to free history as well as geography from the
myths that deform it, a task which the prejudices and interests of man
will never permit to be accomplished. Some amusing anecdotes of his
opinions in these respects have descended to us. He ventured to doubt
the historical truth of the Homeric legends. "I will believe in it when
I have been shown the currier who made the wind-bags which Ulysses on
his homeward voyage received from Aeolus." It is said that, having
attained the age of eighty years, he became weary of life, and put an
end to himself by voluntary starvation.

[Sidenote: Chronology of Eratosthenes.]

I shall here pause to make a few remarks suggested by the chronological
and astronomical works of Eratosthenes. Our current chronology was the
offspring of erroneous theological considerations, the nature of which
required not only a short historical term for the various nations of
antiquity, but even for the existence of man upon the globe. This
necessity appears to have been chiefly experienced in the attempt to
exalt certain facts in the history of the Hebrews from their subordinate
position in human affairs, and, indeed, to give the whole of that
history an exaggerated value. This was done in a double way: by
elevating Hebrew history from its true grade, and depreciating or
falsifying that of other nations. Among those who have been guilty of
this literary offence, the name of the celebrated Eusebius, the Bishop
of Caesarea in the time of Constantine, should be designated, since in
his chronography and synchronal tables he purposely "perverted
chronology for the sake of making synchronisms" (Bunsen). It is true, as
Niebuhr asserts, "He is a very dishonest writer." To a great extent,
the superseding of the Egyptian annals was brought about by his
influence. It was forgotten, however, that of all things chronology is
the least suited to be an object of inspiration; and that, though men
may be wholly indifferent to truth for its own sake, and consider it not
improper to wrest it unscrupulously to what they may suppose to be a
just purpose, yet that it will vindicate itself at last. It is
impossible to succeed completely in perverting the history of a nation
which has left numerous enduring records. Egypt offers us testimonials
reaching over five thousand years. As Bun