The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended
"I have drawn up the following Chronological Table, so as to make Chronology suit with the Course of Nature, with Astronomy, with Sacred History, with Herodotus the Father of History, and with itself..."
FIRST EDITION, complete with three folding engraved plates of the Temple of Solomon.
“In his old age, Newton turned again to the theological interests that had burned with consuming intensity during the years of his early manhood... In the years 1705-1710, he returned to theology with renewed vigor, and for all his editions of the Principia and Opticks, theology was the primary occupation of his old age... Newton’s conclusions in theology had been as radical as his conclusions in natural philosophy. So far they had seen the light of day only within a limited circle of trusted confidants...
“Newton had been at work revising his interpretation of the prophesies and other theological works for about ten years when Caroline, princess of Wales, heard about his new principles of chronology in 1716. Interested, she summoned Newton and asked for a copy of what he had written. Newton never lightly surrendered one of his compositions. He had even less desire to hand over to the princess of Wales a treatise which might still have contained assertions heretical enough to secure his instant dismissal from the Mint. Well schooled as he was in the art of delay, he pleaded that the work was ‘imperfect and confus’d,’ but he knew very well that one did not dally with a royal command. In haste he drew up an ‘Abstract’ of his chronology, what was later called the ‘Short Chronology,’ which put the work into ‘that shape the preperest for her Perusal...,’ and delivered it to the princess in a few days. By themselves, cut off from the ‘Origines’ which was their source, there was nothing very novel in the ideas the ‘Abstract’ presented and nothing to excite odium. By disguising radical theology as chronology, Newton had made it safe enough even for royal consumption.
“Newton had not heard the last of the ‘Abstract,’ however. A copy made its way to France where a translation, entitled Abrege de la chronologie, was published in 1724, together with a refutation composed by Nicholas Freret of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres. Nor were the Abrege and the ‘Remarks’ the end of the business. Father Etienne Souciet, another expert on ancient chronology, published five dissertations against Newton’s system of dates. Initially Newton, who was now an old man, undertook to ignore the attacks in order to avoid another controversy. Eventually he changed his mind and decided that he must defend himself by bringing his full treatise on chronology out. He was at work revising it when he died. We should not from that conclude that the work was unfinished. Endless revision, however minute the alterations, was Newton’s fate. Conduitt published the full volume, The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, in 1728, the year after Newton’s death.” (Richard Westfall, The Life of Isaac Newton).
London: Tonson, Osborn, and Longman, 1728. Quarto, early full calf gilt rebacked with original spine laid down. Light wear to binding. A FINE COPY, with extraordinarily large margins.
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