On the Dating of Ancient History. 53 eponymous: and such individuals were the eponymous archons at Athens, the consuls at Rome, the priestesses of Juno at Argos, &c. : or it may be a numeric reckoning of the years : which if it goes continually on from a fixed point of past time is called epochal, and the point an epoch 2 . The original home of epochal reckoning as distinguished from eponymous, and from mere numerical reckoning of years of kings, appears to have been in the East rather than in the West. Contemporary annalic historiography, which in the West, where it existed at all, as perhaps at Rome, associated with aristo- cratic and priestly families or corporations, took only the form of very dry, curt, and jejune fasti, was akin to the dynastic and despotic spirit of the East, and flourished there. The native character of history in the West was the original or etymologic lo-Topla, that is chorographic investigation and discursive or anti- quarian research, suited to gratify the curiosity of an awaken- ing and inquiring people, who were just beginning to be alive to a wider world: or else it was the epic 3 narrative appealing to moral and human sympathies, and gradually, as poetry went off, and civilization came on, developing into pragmatic 4 history, as Polybius calls it ; the point of which is still the human inter- est attaching to the actions, but an interest now business-like, rational, and speculative, the analyzing of the practical and real way in which affairs are conducted. The East however presents 2 I have throughout avoided the use distinct annual marking of the progress of the word era, except in its original of the subject, such as we see in Thu- signification, as tending to confusion. cydides : but this is very different from The Christian era is indeed a natural the Oriental. form of expression, because it may be 4 Polybius's pragmatic history is sim- said to have succeeded to the original ply the history of affairs, as distinguished one, and was very probably suggested from the descriptive and often poetical in some measure, to Bede for instance, character which much history before his by it : but it is a pity that the word has time had had. It is what pleases and taken so very vague and general a use. instructs a man who is ttoltlk6s (Pol. 9. Epoch is the word used by the Grseco- 1.) we may call it political history. It Egyptian astronomers to denote the was not Polybius, but Thucydides, who fixed point from which the years of Na- first used the thing (with some epic ad- bonassar were counted, and we do not mixture) ; Polybius was only the first want any other word for such points : it to talk about it. On the various confu- seems to have been an astronomical or sions and misuse of the word, the reader astrological word, signifying the position had better see Sir W. Hamilton's Pis- of the stars at a given moment. cussions on Philosophy, p. Ill, note, and 3 Epic, or subjectual history, may of the books there referred to. course have its own way of annalism, or
