Again, continuing on the background of importance of the cycle of Neros to the ancients, as mentioned in Anacalypsis.
The following observations of the very celebrated astronomer Cassini, made more than a hundred years ago, and extracted from La Loubere's History of Siam, will enable me to elicit several conclusions respecting the famous Neros, of the greatest importance. As an astronomer, M. Cassini is in the first rank. No one will deny that his calculations upon acknowledged or admitted facts are entitled to the highest respect. I think they will enable me to point out the origin of many of the difficulties respecting Buddha and Cristna, and to explain them. They will also enable me to show the mode which was adopted by the early popes and other priests, in fixing the times of several of the most important Christian epochas; as well as to exhibit the mode in which the Gods Buddha and Cristna have been regenerated. These circumstances have either been unobserved, or they have been concealed from Europeans. After a long discussion on the formation of the Siamese astronomical and civil epochas, in which, with profound learning, Cassini explains the process by which they have been formed, he says— " The first lunisolar period, composed of whole ages, is that of 600 years, which is also composed of 31 periods of 19, and one of 11 years. Though the chronologists speak not of this period, yet it is one of the ancientest that have been invented. " Josephus,1 speaking of the patriarchs that lived before the deluge,
1 Antiq. Jud. Lib. i. Cap. iii.
says, that ' God prolonged their life, as well by reason of their virtue, as to afford them the means to perfect the sciences of geometry and astronomy, which they had invented: which they could not possibly do, if they had lived less than 600 years, because that it is not till after the revolution of six ages, that the great year is accomplished.' This great year, which is accomplished after six ages, whereof not any other author makes mention, can only be a period of lunisolar years, like to that which the Jews always used, and to that which the Indians do still make use of. Wherefore we have thought necessary to examine what this great year must be, according to the Indian rules. By the rules of the first section it is found, then, that in 600 years there are 7200 solar months; 7421 lunar months, and 12/228. Here this little fraction must be neglected; because that the luni-solar years do end with the lunar months, being composed of entire lunar months. It is found by the rules of Section II., that 7421 lunar months do comprehend 219,146 days, 11 hours, 57 minutes, 52 seconds: if, therefore, we compose this period of whole days, it must consist of 219,146 days. 600 Gregorian years are alternatively of 219,145 days, and 219,146 days: they agree then to half a day with a solilunar period of 600 years, calculated according to the Indian rules. The second lunisolar period composed of ages, is that of 2300 years, which being joined to one of 600, makes a more exact period of 2900 years: and two periods of 2300 years, joined to a period of 600 years, do make a lunisolar period of 5200 years, which is the interval of the time which is reckoned, according to Eusebius's chronology, from the creation of the world to the vulgar Epocha of the years of Jesus Christ. These lunisolar periods, and the two epochas of the Indians, which we have examined, do point unto us, as with the finger, the admirable epocha of the years of Jesus Christ, which is removed from the first of these two Indian epochas, a period of 600 years, wanting a period of 19 years, and which precedes the second by a period of 600 years, and two of 19 years. Thus the year of Jesus Christ (which is that of his incarnation and birth, according to the tradition of the church, and as Father Grandamy justifies it in his Christian chronology, and Father Ricciolus in his reformed astronomy) is also an astronomical epocha, in which, according to the modern tables, the middle conjunction of the moon with the sun
happened the 24th March, according to the Julian form re-established a little after by Augustus, at one o'clock and a half in the morning, at the meridian of Jerusalem, the very day of the middle Equinox, a Wednesday, which is the day of the creation of these two planets. The day following, March 25th, which, according to the ancient tradition of the church, reported by St. Augustine,1 was the day of our Lord's incarnation, was likewise the day of the first phasis of the moon; and, consequently, it was the first day of the month, according to the usage of the Hebrews, and the first day of the sacred year, which, by the divine institution, must begin with the first month of the spring, and the first day of a great year, the natural epocha of which is the concourse of the middle equinox, and of the middle conjunction of the Moon with the Sun. This concourse terminates, therefore, the lunisolar periods of the preceding ages, and was an epocha from whence began a new order of ages, according to the oracle of the Sibyl, related by Virgil in these words (Eclog. iv.): "Magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo; Jam nova progenies Coelo dimittitur alto. " This oracle seems to answer the prophecy of Isaiah, Parvulus natus "at nobls"; (ch. ix. 6 and 7;) where this new-born is called God and "father of future ages; Deus fortis, pater futuri sceculi," The interpreters do remark in this prophecy, as a thing mysterious, the extraordinary situation of a Mem final (which is the numerical character of 600) in this word "the hebrew word lmrbe", ad multiplicandum, where this Mem final is in the second place, there being no other example in the whole text of the Holy Scripture whereever a final letter is placed only at the end of the words. This numerical character of 600 in this situation might allude to the periods of 600 years of the Patriarchs, which were to terminate at the accomplishment of the prophecy, which is the epocha, from whence we do at present compute the years of Jesus Christ.
* On this prophecy Mr. Faber says, " In this extraordinary poem, he (Virgil) celebrates the expected birth of a wonderful child, who was " destined to put an end to the age of iron, and to introduce a new age of gold (precisely the idea of Isaiah). The last period sung by the Sibylline prophetess, is now arrived."
1 De Trin. Lib. iv. Chap.
