Tanis and the river, in Arabia, in a spot opposite to them. This allotment of Goshen necessarily determines the situation of many other places, that must be made to agree with it. For not only Rameses and Pithom, but the nome of Bubastus, with its city and appendages; and likewise that of Heliopolis must accord with this situation of Goshen so that, if there be an error in the first principle, there will be found a sad series of mis-takes, before we come to a conclusion. The chief points that he proceeds upon are these that "Goshen was in the way to Egypt, at the entrance "of it, as people came from Canaan: that it was

near to Tanis, and was a place of pastures: and "lastly, that the spot he attributes to Goshen had "this excellency; and was particularly adapted to "flocks and herds." I shall not enter into a detail of all his false reasoning: nor point out the passages in antient authors, that he has misapplied. Let it suffice, if I shew that he is fundamentally in the wrong; and has chosen a part of the world for the residence of the Israelites, that was never habitable. He was hurried on with a zeal for his hypothesis, and never in the least considered the natural history of the country he treats of: in which there was neither province nor city; for it was all a desert Pomponius Mela mentions that one part of Arabia which lay upon the Red Sea, was sufficiently fruitful but from Egypt to the Red Sea (that is from

2

west to east) it was all a barren flat, plana et sterilis. Pliny speaks to the same purpose: 3 Arabia-sterilis, præterquam ubi Syria confinia attin·git.-Agrippa a Pelusio Arsinoen Rubri maris oppidum per deserta CXXV. M. passuum tradit. Diodorus Siculus, speaking of the same part of the country to the east of lower Egypt, says, that it was from north to south a wild, from Pelusium quite up to Heliopolis; ano nλ8018 μέχρις ἩλισποΈλεως δια της ερημα. Strabo is more full and to the purpose. - 5 Ἡ δὲ μεταξυ τε Νειλε και το Αράβιε κολιε Αρα

μεν εςι και επι γε των άκρων αυτής ίδρυται το Πηλεσίον:

· αλλ' ερημος άπασα εστί, και αβατος ςρατοπεδῳ.

Arabia, we find, commenced from the very Nile. Pelusium stood upon the extremity of it; from

₹

? P. Mela. lib. 1. cap. 10.

3 Plin. Nat. Hist, lib. 5. cap. 11. Edit. Harduin.

The words of Diodorus relate to the great work of Sesostris ; who is said to have carried on a fortification from Pelusium as high up as Heliopolis, by way of defence to the anterior parts of Egypt. It was 1500 stadia in length, and went the whole way through the desert: απο Πηλεσίο μέχρις Ηλιοπολεως δια της egne. lib. 1. p. 36. Edit. Stephan. He in another place mentions Egypt as very difficult of access, on account of this desert; δυσπροσίτε παντελως εσης. lib. 15. p. 478. See Jos. de Bell. Jud. lib. 4. cap. 11. of Titus's march; and Polyb. lib. 5. of the march of Ptolemy to Gaza.

Strabo, vol. 2. p. 1155. Edit. Amst. 1707. JuocioConos · ετιν ή Αίγυπτος εκ των εωθινων τοπων. ibid.

6

whence extended a vast desert, not fit for the march or encampment of an army. And he farther adds, that besides its being without water, its sands were full of reptiles, undoubtedly of a poisonous nature. Προς δε τῷ ανυδρος είναι και αμμώδης έρπετων πληθος έχει των αμμοδύλων. And in another place, mentioning the same part of Arabia from the Nile to the Red Sea, he represents it as a sandy waste, that could scarcely be passed, except on camels: δι ερημων δε και αμμώδων χωρίων αι υπερβάσεις επι καμήλων. Plutarch assures us, that when Antonius marched his army from Syria towards Egypt, he and his soldiers had such apprehensions from this desert, and this particular part of the desert, that they esteemed it the worst enemy they had to encounter: 7 Επει δε τα πολεμε μαλλον εφοβείτο την επι το Πηλέσιον ὁδον, άτε δη δια ψαμμε βαθειας και ανυδρο, περι το εκρηγμα και τα της Σερ βωνίδος έλη γινομένης αυτοις της πορείας. Even the few towns upon the sea coast from Palestine to Egypt seem to have been very bare of the necessaries of life. One of them was Ostracine; where water was so scarce, that to desire drink of an inhabitant became a proverbial expression for asking alms of a beggar; * Αρτας μεν εκ ήλήσαμεν παρα σε, ότι

8

• Concolor exustis atque indiscretus arenis

Ammodytes. Lucan. lib. 9. v. 715. See Deut. 8. v. 15. 7 In Vit. Antonii.

* Greg. Nazianz. Epist. 46.

Mount Casius

μηδε ύδωρ παρά την Οςρακινην οικενίων. was itself θινώδης τις λοφος ακρωτηριάζων, ανυδρος : 669 sharp sandy hillock, without water." The next place beyond Ostracine was Rhinocolura; and as badly circumstanced as the former. It was surrounded with a morass of sea water; so that all their wells were tainted; and bad as their water seems to have been, there was even of this great scarcity.

ΤΟ

Περιέχει μεν γαρ αυτην χωρα πληρης άλμυρίδος εντος δε τα τειχες ολίγον εσιν ύδωρ εν φρέασι, και τέτο διεφθαρμενον, και πανέλως τη γευσει πικρον. This desert, which began at Pelusium and the Nile, reached in the way to Palestine as far as Gaza, which was situated on the edge of it-άυτη εςιν έρημος, says " the Apostle. And Arrian 13 observes of the same place; εσχατη δε ῴκειτο, ὡς επ' Αιγυπτε εκ Φοινικης ιοντι, επί τη αρχή της

ερημε

But Lakemacher is not contented with cursorily speaking of this part of the world. He goes so far as to describe it; telling us what it was, and what it was not; as if he had been witness of its good

9 Josephus of the march of Titus says ; Προς τῷ το Κασια Διο ἱερῳ τρατοπεδεύεται· τη δι ύσεραια κατα την Οσρακινην. έτος ὃ ςαθμός ην ανυδρος. De Bell. Jud. lib. 4. cap. 11. Mela seems to think more favourably of this hill: but, I believe, without

lib. 1. cap. 9.

το Diodorus Siculus. lib. 1. pag. 38.

"Acts. 8. v. 26.

12 Exped. Alex. lib. 2.

any reason.

13 Ille

ness, and had traversed it at his leisure. tractus-ab ipsâ naturâ ad pecora alenda videbatur factus. Neque enim tot rivis, uti Delta, incisus erat abruptusque; sed campis continuis lateque patentibus liberè evagandi palandique gregibus faciebat copiam. Quocirca illo potissimum delectatos fuisse pastores non est magnopere mirandum. It was a rich open country: in short, a perfect Arcadia. To this minute and whimsical description of a region that the author was totally unacquainted with, let me subjoin an account of the true nature of these parts; and, as far as I can judge, of the very spot that has been above treated of, with some occurrences that happened there; as they are described by a modern traveller. Baumgarten, a German nobleman, set out with a Caravan from Cairo to go to Syria, December the 6th, in the year 1507. He travelled five days; when he came towards the part of Arabia that lay between Damiata and Syria. "On the twelfth day about sun-rising we came to a desolate and decayed " cottage; where we stopped about two hours; " and then went on in our sandy journey towards Not far from this cottage we saw above ten thousand carcases of sheep, goats, asses, and "other creatures lying on the ground, rotten and

"the sea.

14

13 Vol. 2. p. 320.

14 Churchill's Collection of Travels. vol. 1. p. 457.