So the other day I was thinking. In many ways, the Sci-Fi genre - especially when handled by the likes of Heinlein and Asimov - is often an exploration of how human culture will work out in the future. It is also an imagining of the future - how will things change, or progress, over time, and what effects will that have on all of us?

However, the oldest stories of this type that I am aware of are only a little over 100 years old.

So here's my question: Can anyone think of fiction from before, let's say, the 1800s, that is set in the "far future" from the perspective of the original writer, and explores concepts like technological development and how society might change over spans of time?

For instance, I'd be extremely interested in any writing from the 16th century that is set in a fictional future - although considering the way people at the time looked at the world, and how the idea of "progress" didn't really emerge until the late renaissance, I'd be surprised if there is anything.