Aoz likewise denotes certain periocha of the duration of the world. Thus, among christian chronologers, we meet with the age of the 13W of nature, which comprehends the whole time between Adam and Moses; the age of the Jewish law, which takes in all the time from Mo ses to Christ; and lastly, the age of grace, or the number of years elapsed since the birth of Christ.
Among ancient historians, the duration of the world is also subdivided into cer tain periods, called ages; of which they reckon three : the first, reachi ngfrom the creation to the deluge, which happened in Greece, during the reign of Ogyges. called the obscure or uncertain age ; the histmy of mankind, during that period, beingaltogether uncertain. The second, called the fabulous or heroic, terminates at the first olympiad; where the third, or historical, age commences.
The ancient poets also divided the du ration of the world into four ages, or pe riods; the 'first of which they called tlie golden age, the second the silverage, the third the brazen age, the fourth the iron age. Not unlike these are the four ages of the world, as computed by the East In dians, who extend them to a monstrous length.
AGE, in law, signifies certain periods of life, when persons of both sexes are enabled to do certain acts, which, for want of years and discretion, they were incapa ble of before. Thus, a man at twelve years of age ought to take the oath of al legiance to the king, in a leet: at four teen, which is his age of discretion, he may consent to marriage, choose his guar dian, 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 es tates, and the like ; which before that age they could not do. A woman is dowable at nine years of age, may consent to mar ry at twelve, and at fourteen choose her guardian, and at twenty-one may alienate her lands.
AGE, in military affairs. A young man must be fourteen years of age, before he can become an officer in the line, or be entered as a cadet at Woolwich. Persons may be enlisted as soldiers from sixteen to forty-five ; after the latter age, every inhabitant is exempted from serving in the militia.