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My hiftory of the Perfian Empire, fays Sir William Jones, is extracted from several Asiatick Writers, and might have been confiderably enlarlarged, if all the fables and dull events, which are found, it must be confeffed, in great abundance in the Originals, had been tranfcribed at full length. The Perfians would not readily forgive my prefumption, if they knew what a liberty I have taken with their Chronology, and how many thousand years I have retrenched from the pretended duration of their Empire.

From RICHARDSON's Differtation on the Languages, &c. of the Eastern Nations, p. 47.

"The reigning families of Perfia, previous to "the Arabian conqueft, are comprehended, by "their historians, under four dynasties (or fami"lies); the Pifhdadians, the Kaianians, the As"kanians, and the Saffanians. The Perfians, like "other people, have affumed the privilege of ro"mancing on the early periods of Society. The "first dynasty is, in confequence, embarraffed by દ fabling. (c) Their molt ancient princes are

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chiefly celebrated for their victories over "the Demons or Genii, called Dives and fome "have reigns affigned to them of 800 or 1000 "Years. Amidst fuch fictions, however, there " is apparently fome truth. Those monarchs proba"bly did reign, though poetic fancy may have "afcribed to them ages and adventures, which the

(c) Sir William Jones fays, the Perfian hiftory begins to be full of abfurd fables in the reign of Darab. B. Chrift, 424.

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"laws of nature reject. We difpute not the ex"iftence of our English Arthur, though we believe "not in the Giants and Magic of Geoffrey of "Monmouth. The Dives may have been favage 66 neighbours conquered by the Pishdadian Kings, "and magnified by tradition as beings of a super"natural fpecies. The Gods, the Titans and the "heroes of the Greeks; the Giants, the Savages, "and the monsters of Gothic romance, feem all

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to have originated, from fimilar principles; "from that wild irregularity of fancy, and that "admiration of the marvellous, which, in various degrees, runs thro' the legends of every darker period of the history of mankind. The longevity, at the fame time, afcribed to this race of monarchs, may either have been founded on "fome imperfect antediluvian idea, or may be re"folved, by supposing families, instead of individu"als; and that the Caiumaras, the Ghemfhids, "and the Feridouns of the Eaft, were merely fuc"ceffions of princes, bearing one common furname; like the Pharaohs, the Ptolemies or the "Cæfars of the Weft." (d)

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"With the second dynafty, a more probable "fyftem of history feems to commence; yet ftill "the era of Kaicobad the founder of this house, 66 cannot be precifely fixed. Though hiftorians "differ, however, with regard to the Chronology "of this prince in one point, which may lead us to ascertain it with tolerable accuracy, they appear, in general, to be unanimous. Darab the younger, dethroned by Alexander, is called the "9th Sovereign of this line. He was affaffinated "about 300 Years before Chrift. If 30 years are (d) Ce-amra in Irish, is head of the Nobles.

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"allowed therefore as the medium of each reign, 66 or 270 for the nine Kings, Kaicobad's Sove"reignty may poffibly have commenced about

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600 Years before our era, which will compre"hend the whole of that period of Perfian hiftory "for which we are indebted to the Greeks. Sir "I. Newton, it may be objected, with other Chronologists, have allowed but 20 Years to a "reign, and made that the universal standard for "all nations: but with fubmiffion to thofe learned men, nothing carries with it a stronger tendency to unhinge all chronology, than fuch an un. " modified fyftem."

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"The Kaianan dynafty being fuppofed then to commence nearly about 600 Years before the "birth of our Lord, this brings us to the reign "of that King of the Medo Perfians, called by the "Greeks Cyaxeres; (e) which according to Sir I. "Newton's conjecture, is fuppofed to have begun "in the Year Nabonaffar 137 (about 610 before "Chrift.) From this period till the Macedonian

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conqueft, we have therefore the history of the "Perfians, as given us by the Greeks; and the hiftory of the Perfians, as written by them"felves. Between thofe claffes of writers, we might naturally expect fome difference of facts; "but we fhould as naturally look for a few great "lines, which might mark fome fimilarity of ftory: yet, from every research which I have had an "opportunity to make, there feems to be nearly " as much refemblance between the annals of England and Japan, as between the European and Afiatic relations of the fame Empire.

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(e) i. e. Cai Cofru. See p. 61.

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6 names and numbers of their Kings have no analogy and in regard to the most splendid "facts of the Greek hiftorians, the Perfians are "entirely filent. We have no mention of the "Great Cyrus nor of any King of Perfia, who in "the events of his reign, can apparently be forced "into a fimilitude. We have no Cræfus King of "Lydia: not a fyllable of Cambyfes or of his "frantic expedition against the Ethiopians. "Smerdis Magus and the fucceffion of Darius, "the Son of Hyftafpes, by the neighing of his

horfe, are to the Perfians circumstances equally "unknown as the numerous affaffinations record"ed by the Greeks. Not a veftige is, at the fame "time, to be discovered of the famous battles of "Marathon, Thermopyla, Salamis, Platea, or "Mycale: nor of that prodigious force which "Xerxes led out of the Perfian empire to over"whelm the States of Greece. Minutely atten"tive as the Perfian hiftorians are to their numerous wars with the Kings of Touran or Scythia :

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(f) and recording, with the fame impartiality "whatever might tarnish as well as aggrandize "the reputation of their country: we can, with "little pretence to reason, suppose, that they "fhould have been filent on events of fuch mag"nitude had any record remained of their ex"istence, or the fainteft tradition commemorated "their confequences."

From this learned Orientalift's researches, we have two points established in favour of our Irish records, first, that they were not copied by Irish monks, either from Greek or Latin Authors, for

(f) The people whose history we are now treating of.

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no tranfactions of the Grecians at this period, as afferted by their writers, appear in the Irish history: fecondly, it correfponds fo much with the Perfian hiftory, that it must have been brought with them from Afia, and in point of time there is a great coincidence.

The Irish Annals inform us, that Mogh Nuadhat or Nuadhar, that is, the Magus Nuadhar, was the leader of this Colony into Eirin, which we tranflate Ireland, but may have fignified Iran of Perfia, and that this event took place, Anno Mundi 3303, that is, aboat 705 Years before the birth of our Saviour. (g)

Mr. Richardfon clearly proves that the first King of the second Dynafty, begun his reign about 600 Years before Chrift. Nuadar was the 8th King of the first Dynafty, and there were three between him and Kaicobad, or the first King of the second Dynasty, (as in the following table): allowing 30 years to each, and adding three times 30, or 90 to the former number, the Sum is 690 Years from the end of Nuadar's reign, which fubftracted from 705 leaves 15; that is, about the middle of Nuadar's Reign, he led the Pifhdadian Colony into Perfia, or Iran, foon after which he may have migrated with the Phænicians to Eirin, or sent off a Colony with them.

It will appear hereafter, that this Nuadhar Airgiodlamh, or filver handed, is Zerduft the ft, whofe existence Playfair makes about 600 years B. C.; he calls him a Perfian, we contend from Irish history, and other corroborating circumstances, that will appear in this chapter, that he was of the family of Dadan, fon of Rhegma, fon (g) See Page 73.

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