in the most general sense of the word, signifies the duration of any being, from its first coming into existence to the time of speaking of it, if it still continues; or to its destruction, if it has ceased to exist some time before we happen to mention it.

Among the ancient poets, this word was used for the space of thirty years; in which sense, age amounts to much the same with generation. Thus, Nestor is said to have lived three ages when he was 90 years old.—By ancient Greek historians, the time elapsed since the beginning of the world is divided into three periods, which they called ages. The first reaches from the creation to the deluge which happened in Greece during the reign of Ogyges; this they called the obscure or uncertain age, because the history of mankind is altogether uncertain during that period. The second they call the fabulous or heroic age, because it is the period in which the fabulous exploits of their gods and heroes are said to have been performed. It began with the Ogygian deluge, and continued to the first Olympiad; where the third or historical age commenced.—This division, however, it must be observed, holds good only with regard to the Greeks and Romans, who had no histories earlier than the first Olympiad; the Jews, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Chaldees, not to mention the Indians and Chinese, who pretend to much higher antiquity, are not included in it.

The interval since the first formation of man has been divided by the poets into four ages, distinguished by the epithets of golden, silver, brazen, and iron. During the golden age, Saturn reigned in heaven, and justice and innocence in this lower world. The earth then yielded her productions without culture; men held all things in common, and lived in perfect friendship. This period is supposed to have lasted till the expulsion of Saturn from his kingdom. The silver age commenced when men began to deviate from the paths of virtue; and in consequence of this deviation, their lives became less happy. The brazen age commenced on a farther deviation, and the iron age took place in consequence of one still greater.—A late author, however, reflecting on the barbarism of the first ages, will have the order which the poets assign to the four ages inverted; the first being a time of rudeness and ignorance, more properly denominated an iron than a golden age. When cities and states were founded, the silver age commenced; and since arts and sciences, navigation and commerce, have been cultivated, the golden age has taken place.

In some ancient northern monuments, the rocky or flinty age corresponds to the brazen age of the Greeks. It is called rocky, on account of Noah's ark, which rested on mount Ararat; whence men were said to be descended or sprung from mountains: or from Deucalion and Pyrrha restoring the race of mankind, by throwing stones over their heads. The northern poets also style the fourth age of the world the athenian age, from a Gothic king Madenis, or Mannus, who on account of his great strength was said to be made of ash, or because in his time people began to make use of weapons made of that wood.

Among the Jews, the duration of the world is also divided into three ages. 1. The aeonum inane, or void age, was the space of time from the creation to Moses. 2. The present age, denotes all the space of time from Moses to the coming of the Messiah; and, 3. The age to come, denotes the time from the coming of the Messiah to the end of the world.

Various other divisions of the duration of the world into ages have been made by historians.—The Sibylline oracles, wrote, according to some, by Jews acquainted with the prophecies of the Old Testament, divide the duration of the world into ten ages; and according to Josephus, each age contained six hundred years. It appears, by Virgil's fourth eclogue, and other testimonies, that the age of Augustus was reputed the end of those ten ages, consequently as the period of the world's duration.

By some, the space of time commencing from Constantine, and ending with the taking of Constantinople by the Turks in the 15th century, is called the middle age; but others choose rather to date the middle age from the division of the empire made by Theodosius at the close of the 4th century, and extend it to the time of the emperor Maximilian I, in the beginning of the 16th century, when the empire was first divided into circles.—The middle is by some denoted the barbarous age, and the latter part of it the lowest age. Some divide it into the non-academical and academical ages. The first includes the space of time from the 6th to the 9th centuries, during which schools or academies were lost in Europe. The second from the 9th century, when schools were restored, and universities established, chiefly by the care of Charlemagne.

The several ages of the world may be reduced to three grand epochs, viz. the age of the law of nature, called by the Jews the void age, from Adam to Moses; the age of the Jewish law, from Moses to Christ; and the age of grace, from Christ to the present year.

Age is also frequently used in the same sense with century, to denote a duration of 100 years.

Age likewise signifies a certain period of the duration of human life: by some divided into four stages, namely, infancy, youth, manhood, and old age; the first extending to the 14th year, the second to the 25th, the third to the 50th, and the fourth to the end of life: by others divided into infancy, childhood, youth, manhood, and old age.

law, signifies a certain period of life, when persons of both sexes are enabled to do certain acts. Thus, one at twelve years of age ought to take the oath of allegiance to the king in a leet; at fourteen he may marry, chuse his guardian, and claim his lands held in socage. Twenty-one is called full age, a man or woman being then capable of acting for themselves, of managing their affairs, making contracts, disposing of their estates, and the like.

Age of a Horse. See Horse.

Age of Trees. These after a certain age waste. An oak at an hundred years old ceases to grow. The usual rule for judging of the age of wood, is by the number of circles which appear in the substance of a trunk or stock cut perpendicularly, each circle being supposed the growth of a year; though some reject this method as precarious, alleging, that a simple circle is sometimes the produce of several years; besides that, after a certain age, no new circles are formed.

Age-priest, in law, is when an action being brought against a person under age, for lands descended to him, he, by motion or petition, shews the matter to the court, praying the action may be stayed till his full age, which the court generally agrees to.