| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Ages. | | |
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Varro (Fragments, p. 219, Scaliger’s edition, 1623) recognises three ages:— | 1 |
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| (1) From the beginning of mankind to the Deluge, a time wholly unknown. |
| (2) From the Deluge to the First Olympiad, called the mythical period. |
| (3) From the first Olympiad to the present time, called the historic period. | |
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Titian symbolised the three ages of man thus:— | 2 |
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| (1) An infant in a cradle. |
| (2) A shepherd playing a flute. |
| (3) An old man meditating on two skulls. | |
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According to Lucre’tius also, there are three ages, distinguished by the materials employed in implements (v. 1282), viz.: | 3 |
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| (1) The age of stone, when celts or implements of stone were employed. |
| (2) The age of bronze, when implements were made of copper or brass. |
| (3) The age of iron, when implements were made of iron, as at present. | |
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Hesiod names five ages, viz.:— | 4 |
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| The Golden or patriarchal, under the care of Saturn. |
| The Silver or voluptuous, under the care of Jupiter. |
| The Brazen or warlike, under the care of Neptune. |
| The Heroic or renaissant, under the care of Mars. |
| The Iron or present, under the care of Pluto. | |
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 The present is sometimes called the wire age, from its telegraphs, by means of which well-nigh the whole earth is in intercommunication. | 5 |
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Fichte names five ages also: the antediluvian, post-diluvian, Christian, satanic, and millennian. | 6 |
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hoc.
