_The 'Rh Ya_--Initiated according to tradition, by Chow Kung; uncle of Wu Wang, the first Emperor of the Chow dynasty, B.C. 1122. Ascribed also to Tsze Hea, the disciple of Confucius. _The Bamboo Books_--Containing the Ancient Annals of China, said to have been found A.D. 279, on opening the grave of King Seang of Wei [died B.C. 295]. Age prior to last date, undetermined. Authenticity disputed, favoured by Legge. _Confucius_--Author of Spring and Autumn Classics, &c., B.C. (551-479). _Ctesias_--Historian, physician to Artaxerxes, B.C. 401. _Herodotus_--B.C. 484. _Aristotle_--B.C. 384. _Megasthenes_--About B.C. 300. In time of Seleucus Nicator. His work entitled _Indica_ is only known by extracts in those of Strabo, Arrian, and Ælian. _Eratosthenes_--Born B.C. 276. Mathematician, Astronomer, and Geographer. _Posidonius_--Born about B.C. 140. Besides philosophical treatises, wrote works on geography, history, and astronomy, fragments of which are preserved in the works of Cicero, Strabo, and others. _Nicander_--About B.C. 135. Wrote the _Theriaca_, a poem of 1,000 lines, in hexameter, on the wounds caused by venomous animals, and the treatment. Is followed in many of his errors by Pliny. Plutarch says the _Theriaca_ cannot be called a poem, because there is in it nothing of fable or falsehood. _Strabo_--Just before the Christian era. Geographer. _Cicero_--Born B.C. 106. _Propertius (Sextus Aurelius)_--Born probably about B.C. 56. _Diodorus Siculus_--Wrote the _Bibliotheca Historica_ (in Greek), after the death of Julius Cæsar (B.C. 44). Of the 40 books composing it only 15 remain, viz. Books 1 to 5 and 11 to 20. _Juba_--Died A.D. 17. Son of Juba I., King of Numidia. Wrote on Natural History. _Pliny_--Born A.D. 23. _Lucan_--A.D. 38. The only work of his extant is the _Pharsalia_, a poem on the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey. _Ignatius_--Either an early Patriarch, A.D. 50, or Patriarch of Constantinople, 799. _Isidorus_--Isidorus of Charaux lived probably in the first century of our era. He wrote an account of the Parthian empire. _Arrian_--Born about A.D. 100. His work on the Natural History, &c. of India is founded on the authority of Eratosthenes and Megasthenes. _Pausanias_--Author of the Description or Itinerary of Greece. In the 2nd century. _Philostratus_--Born about A.D. 182. _Solinus, Caius Julius_--Did not write in the Augustan age, for his work entitled _Polyhistor_ is merely a compilation from Pliny's _Natural History_. According to Salmasius, he lived about two hundred years after Pliny. _Ælian_--Probably middle of the 3rd century A.D. _De Naturâ Animalium._ In Greek. _Ammianus Marcellinus_--Lived in 4th century. _Cardan, Jerome A._--About the end of 4th century A.D. Printing invented in China, according to Du Halde, A.D. 924. Block-printing used in A.D. 593. _Marco Polo_--Reached the Court of Kublai Khan in A.D. 1275.