st or abandon himself so implicitly and
blindly to them, as not, by his own application, to learn every thing
relating to the science of divination, of auguries and auspices. The
reason which he gives for the subordination and dependence in which kings
ought to live with regard to the gods, and the benefit derived from
consulting them in all things, is this: How clear-sighted soever mankind
may be in the ordinary course of affairs, their views are always very
narrow and bounded with regard to futurity; whereas the Deity, at a single
glance, takes in all ages and events. "As the gods," says Cambyses to his
son, "are eternal, they know equally all things, past, present, and to
come. With regard to the mortals who address them, they give salutary
counsels to those whom they are pleased to favour, that they may not be
ignorant of what things they ought, or ought not, to undertake. If it is
observed, that the deities do not give the like counsels to all men; we
are not to wonder at it, since no necessity obliges them to attend to the
welfare of those persons on whom they do not vouchsafe to confer their
favour."

Such was the doctrine of the most learned and most enlightened nations,
with respect to the different kinds of divination; and it is no wonder
that the authors who wrote the history of those nations, thought it
incumbent on them to give an exact detail of such particulars as
constituted part of their religion and worship, and was frequently in a
manner the soul of their deliberations, and the standard of their conduct.
I therefore was of opinion, for the same reason, that it would not be
proper for me to omit entirely, in the ensuing history, what relates to
this subject, though I have however retrenched a great part of it.

Archbishop Usher is my usual guide in chronology. In the history of the
Carthaginians I commonly set down four aeras: The year from the creation of
the world, which, for brevity's sake, I mark thus, A.M.; those of the
foundation of Carthage and Rome; and lastly, the year before the birth of
our Saviour, which I suppose to be the 4004th year of the world; wherein I
follow Usher and others, though they suppose it to be four years earlier.

We shall now proceed to give the reader the proper preliminary information
concerning this Work, according to the order in which it is executed.

To know in what manner the states and kingdoms were founded, that have
divided the universe; the steps whereby the