i on the morrow after the earth had swallowed up Da than and Abiram and all that belonged to them," after Korah and his company were consumed with fire from the LORD, all the congregation murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and accused them of having killed the LORD's people. But hereupon GOD sent a plague among them, and took off fourteen thou sand by it, and also gave them a further evidence by the blossoming of Aaron's rod, that he was the person whom God had appointed to be priest for his people.' After the punishment of the plague, and the testimony of the further miracle in Aaron's rod, their opposition ceased; Aaron's rod was by divine command laid up in the tabernacle in memory of this miraculous confirmation of his priesthood." The people expressed; themselves now convinced, that whoever presumed to intrude into the service of the tabernacle, would be pursued by divine vengeance unto death. The laws, mentioned in the xviiith and xixth chapters of Numbers, were given about this time.. m Whilst the Israelites were in- the wilderness, some writers suppose that Sesostris was king of Egypt; and that he raised a powerful army, and conquered a greath part of the then known world. They suppose him to be the son of Pharaoh, who in pursuit of the Israelites was drowned in the Red Sea. Archbishop Usher was of this opinion; and the late learned bishop Cum berland endeavours to support it. The substance of what he argues upon the subject, amounts to, 1. That Sesostris was the brother of the Grecian Danaus; and therefore, since Danaus is confessed to have lived about the time of Moses,' that Sesostris must be likewise placed in the same age. 2. That according to the testimony of the ancient writers, Sesostris was the son of Amenophis, the Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea. If indeed either of these assertions can be supposed, Sesostris must be placed in these times. But if both these arguments may be refuted, Aristotle's general opinion cited by the learned bishop, that Sesostris lived before Minos, or Apollodius' supposing that he planted colonies in Colchis before the Argonautic expedition, or Pliny's hinting that he lived before the Trojan war, will be of no great weight; for it is known, that very considerable writers have mistaken the true time of the reign of Sesostris." t 1. Bishop Cumberland contends, that Danaus and Sesostris were brothers; but a supposed citation from Manetho in Josephus, is the only proof of this fraternity. Manetho is supposed to have said, that Sesostris was called Ægyptus, and that Armais his brother was Danaus. I must confess, I suspect this Sanchoniath, §. 4, p. 387. Apollon. Argonaut. lib. 4, 276. See Pref. to vol. ii. Joseph. contra Apion. lib. 1, c. 15. See vol. ii. b. viii. passage; for the words cited seem not to be those of Manetho, but of Josephus. Josephus, after having given a large citation from Manetho, adds, what I conceive, he inferred from him to be true. And I rather think so, because nothing, which comes up to what is here cited, appears in the remains of Manetho, as transmitted to us by either Africanus or Eusebius; though they have both given us the list of kings cited by Josephus, and one of them some words of Manetho, from which Josephus might probably make his inference. Africanus transmits to us the series of kings, but has not remarked any relation between any two of them. But Eusebius at the name of Armes or Armais, calls him also Danaus, and records that he reigned in Egypt five years, and then fled out of the kingdom from his brother Ægyptus, and went to Greece, and reigned at Argos; so that from Eusebius it seems probable, that Manetho had hinted that Danaus and Ægyptus were brothers. Josephus supposed that Ægyptus and Sesostris were one and the same person; and hence concluded, that Manetho had suggested Danaus and Sesostris to be so related. This seems to me to be the foundation of what is cited in and from Josephus. That Danaus was indeed the brother of Ægyptus, may be proved from many ancient writers; y The words in Josephus arc, Xeye yag oтs o Mey Zedwrit εκαλείτο Αιγυπίο, Αρμαις δε ο αδελφος αυτό Δανα Vid. Syncell. Chronograph. p. 72. * Id. p. 73. Euseb. Chron. p. 16. b Apollod. lib. 2. Chron. Alexandrin. Cedren. lib. 1. с с but it appears evident, from divers circumstances recorded concerning each of them, that Ægyptus and Sesostris were not the same person. Belus the son of Neptune and Libya married Anchinoe daughter of Nilus, and had two sons by her, Ægyptus and Danaus. Thus it appears, that these two persons were brothers; but if we pursue the history of Ægyptus, we may evidently see that he and Sesostris were not the same person, Ægyptus had fifty sons, as Danaus had fifty daughters; but, Sesostris had only six children. Ægyptus was indeed treacherously dealt with by his brother Danaus, and so was Sesostris by a brother; but in a manner very different. It is a known story, how the fifty daughters of Danaus were married, each of them to a son of Ægyptus, and how all of them, except one, killed their husbands, by the order of Danaus their father. Thus Danaus attempted to have his brother's family extinct; but the attempt upon Sesostris made by his brother, was of another sort. At Sesostris' return home from his conquests, his brother invited him, his wife and children to an entertainment, and fired the house f Euseb. in Chronic. Prideaux in Not. Historic. ad Chron. Marmor. с Apollod. lib. 2. Not. Eustath. et Didymi in Homer. Il. a. ver. 42. d Id. ibid. Pausan in Corinth. c. 25. • Herodot, lib. 2, c. 107. , Apollod, Eustath. et Didym. in loc. sup. citat, Pausan, in Corinthiacis. 1 i where he received them, with design to burn them." Sesostris enjoyed himself in Egypt after his conquests many years in peace, and died in his own country, and was succeeded in his kingdom by his son; but Ægyptus the brother of Danaus was an exile from Egypt as well as Danaus, and died and was buried in Achaia in Greece, and his only sur viving son Lynceus never was king of Egypt, but succeeded Danaus in the kingdom of Argos, and was buried in that country in the same tomb with Hypermnestra his wife.' Thus Egyptus and Sesostris were two different persons, the circumstances of whose lives, deaths and children, will in no wise coincide, but are very diverse from one another; and therefore it cannot. be conclusive to argue that Danaus was brother of Sesostris, because Danaus and Ægyptus are recorded to have been thus related. Diodorus Siculus and Herodotus are very large in their accounts of Sesostris ;" and both minutely mention the circumstances of his brother's treachery;" but neither of them hint that Danaus had been his brother. Danaus lived about the time of Moses;" and consequently Egyptus in the same age; but as m 'Diodor. Sic. lib. 1, p. 37. Herodot. lib. 2, c. 107. "Diodor. ubi sup. et p. 38. Herodot. lib. 2, c. 3. i Pausan in Achaic. c. 22. k Id. in Corinthiac. c. 16. m Diodor, lib. 1. Herodot. lib. 2. 1 Id. ibid. ct c. 21. n Diodor. p. 37. Herodot, lib. 2, c. 107. 0 See vol. ii. b. viii. Photii extrac. è lib. xI. Diodor. Sic. Photii Biblioth. p. 1151. |