of investigation? who determines the land of Goshen by the place of residence of Pharaoh; and Pharaoh's residence by the flight of "grass-hoppers.

In these inquiries we ought ever to have before our eyes the example of a skilful Chemist. A good operator, when he has carefully collected his ingredients, produces from them some highly rectified and ethereal spirit ; some sovereign and salutary essence, that is as grateful as it is beneficial. But the giddy Empiric suffers the volatile part to escape; and preserves nothing but a dull insipid phlegm; mere dregs and lees, that afford neither pleasure nor profit.

53 It was a west wind that took away the locusts from Egypt. For which reason Dr. Shaw supposes the abode of Pharaoh to have been at Memphis, rather than at Tanis; as Memphis lay more to the west of the Red Sea, whither they were carried. Now the Hebrews seem to have acknowledged but four winds: "And upon "Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of "heaven." Jeremiah 49. 36. So that the west wind is to be considered under a great latitude. Besides, as all Egypt lay more or less west of this sea, and the greatest part due west; this argument would become too universal; and would afford many places an equal claim. But the whole is too vague to prove any thing. The plague of locusts was not at the place of royal residence only, but every where: at Tanis as well as Memphis. The removing the king's seat would not remove the difficulty, if there were any nor can any thing by this means be determined. And after all, the words Ruah yam signify only a sea wind, a wind from the Mediterranean, as a learned writer has well observed.

OF

THE CAUSES

WHENCE

MANY ERRORS HAVE ARISEN

IN

INQUIRIES MADE INTO ANTIENT HISTORY.

MANY mistakes happen in geographical inquiries from the use of little despicable maps, of a contracted scale: by which means a writer is more easily induced to pursue his own visionary schemes; transposing and accommodating every object, as his particular fancy leads him. For the chart he makes use of being mean and scanty, his mistakes are not so palpable; and the violence he is guilty of not so glaring. Were the countries he treats of, fairly and amply defined; the changes and transpositions, which he so arbitrarily deals in, would appear gross to his own eye and he would be shocked with the wantonness of his imagination.

I have shewn that many of the learned authors I have spoken of were very rich in knowledge; and had noble resources to apply to. But they were too hasty; too soon satisfied; and, like many others, set out originally upon a system, to which every thing was to be reduced. They did not take time to sift, and to compare, the evidences that they had collected: and, without diligent canvassing and comparing in these dark inquiries, the truth can never be obtained. The historians which they appeal to, are neither precise nor accurate: so that singly they are often unintelligible. There is therefore no certain way of proceeding, but to take their evidence collectively; and make them correct and explain one another.

But the chief cause of this uncertainty in profane history, and the many errors in consequence of it, has arisen from the false delicacy of the Grecian writers; through whose hands these histories have been transmitted to us. Their ears were so unnecessarily nice, that they could not endure to represent things in their native dress: but changed the names both of men and countries; in order to accommodate them to their own idiom and pronunciation. Nor were they content with bare inflexions of words and terminations; but were guilty of a puerile levity, in catching at every similitude of sound; and thinking that the etymology of every name which they met with was to be found in the Greek: at least their language was a canon, by which all others

2

were to be modelled. This was the standard, to which every thing was brought; and if they met with any names that would not abide the trial, they deemed them barbarous, and entirely omitted them. Strabo fairly confesses that this was his way of proceeding. Ου λεγω δε των εθνων τα ονόματα τα παλαια, δια την αδοξίαν και άμα ατοπίαν της εκφοράς αυτών. The antient historian Cephalæon says the same. * Εμοι δε ἡ γραφὴ τι τερπνον, ή τι χαριεν εμελλεν έξειν ονομακλήδην ανευ πράξεων βαρβαρων φωνέοντι τυραννες, δείλες και μαλακές Bagbages; On this account 3 Josephus was afraid to mention the names of the persons who composed the family of his great ancestor Jacob; lest they should prove uncouth to the nice ears of his readers: Τα μεν ουν ονοματα δηλωσαι τέτων οὐκ εδοκιμαζον, και μας λιςα δια την δυσκολιαν αυτων. But having made some apology, and smoothed and polished them, he at last ventures to produce them. Sometimes they only translated the names of places; which was something tolerable; for there was then a chance of re

1 Strab. vol. 2. p. 1123.

2 Ex rwr Kepaλatros apud Euseb. Chron. Can. Edit. Scal. p. 30.

3 Ant. Jud. lib. 2. cap. 7. Plato informs us, that Solon who wrote concerning Egypt, would not admit the names of men or places into his poems, without a thorough alteration. Plato in Critia. This, I suppose, was effected two ways; either by changing the names to words the nearest in sound; or translating them to such as were of the same meaning.