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to all that were in Samaria and the cities thereof, "and beyond Jordan unto Jerusalem, and Betane, "and Chellus, and Kades, and the river of Egypt, "and Taphnes, and Ramesse, and all the land of Gesem,” Έως τε ελθειν επανω Τανέως, και Μέμφεως : "Until you come above Tanis, and Memphis." I have quoted at large; as nothing can be more curious, and exact, than this geographical series. And we may learn from this and the foregoing passages, that however the place in dispute may be expressed, it was situated high in Egypt, and in the neighbourhood of Memphis. And as the authors of the Greek version resided in Egypt, and knew well the situation of Tanis on the sea-coast, and had at the same time these evidences so immediately under their inspection; they must have been very blind and inattentive, if they were guilty of this misnomer. I cannot help thinking, that the mistake is owing to persons, who copied from them; and that in the original translation the word was Traans, which has since been changed to Tanis. Such alterations are sometimes to be observed in the version of the 27 Seventy.

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28

27 Where it is said in Ezekiel, chap. 30. v. 15, "I will pour my fury upon Sin [Pelusium] the strength of Egypt;" it has been changed in the Seventy to Sais: και εκχέω τον θυμον με επι Σαϊν, την ισχυν Αιγυπτε. This could hardly be an error in the original translator.

28 The geography of the Scriptures is wonderfully clear and exact; and appears to great advantage, when compared with that

I have mentioned, that this place, which has been rendered Tanis by the Jews, was by ethnic writers

of the ethnic writers. There is in the Acts of the Apostles a description of nations according to their situation, very similar to the account, which I have taken from the book of Judith. Πως ήμεις ακοομεν έκαςος τη ίδια διαλεκτῳ ἡμων εν ή εγεννηθημεν ; Παρθοι και Μήδοι και Ελαμιται, και οι κατοικέντες την Μεσοποταμίαν, Ιεδαίαν τε και Καππαδοκιαν, Ποντον και την Ασίαν, Φρυγίαν τε και Παμφυλίαν, Αίγυπτον και τα μέρη της Λιβύης της κατα Κυρήνην, και οι επιδημεντες Ρωμαίοι, Ιεδαίοι τε και Προσηλυται, Κρητες και Αραβες, ακέομεν λαλεντων αυτων ταις ημετεραις γλώσσαις τα μεγαλεία το Θεο. Εξίσαντο de wares. Acts 2. v. 8, &c. What is mentioned, is concerning the gift of tongues at the feast of pentecost: when the Jews, and strangers, of all nations, who were' come to the passover at Jerusalem, heard the Apostles speaking in the languages of every country." How hear we every man in our own language, "wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, "and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, "in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia; in Egypt, and "in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers from Rome,

both Jews and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear "them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And "they were all amazed." I mention this, because I cannot help suspecting a slight mistake in the passage, as exhibited in our present copies. There seems to be a principal province omitted, where the Jews resided in Asia; and Judea is substituted, which could have had no place in the list. To say, that among the nations, residing at Jerusalem during the feast of pentecost, were people of Judea, would be so unnecessary a truth, that we cannot suppose it would have been mentioned by the Apostle: and that these people of Judea should at all wonder to hear the Apostles speak in their tongue the wonderful works of God is a thing impossible; for their tongue was the language of the Apos

expressed Saïs. The Grecians, I know not why, seem to have had a particular fancy in striking out, what is the final letter in the original word y, and changing it in many places, where they copied. Thus for Ilium they wrote Ixos; for Pergamum Περγαμος : for Clemens Κλημης, for 39 Crescens Κρηστ κης, Pudens Πέδης. The word P, Keren was changed to Kegas; and Cohen, the chief person in the Samothracian mysteries, was expressed Coes: and it is remarkable, that Josephus, when he speaks of Cain and Abel, in his first book of the antiquities of the Jews, always calls the former Kaïs; which is exactly analogous to the expressing Tsain by Saïs. 3ο Προσηγορεύετο δ' αυτων ὁ μεν πρωτος Καΐς.—Καῖς δε τα τε άλλα πονηροτατος ην.—Ενθεν ὁ Καῖς παροξυνθείς. Whence we may gather, that, if a Grecian writer be supposed to mention "Tsain, he must call it

tles. The people here meant were, I imagine, the Lydians; in whose country, and near it, were the cities Sardis, Thyatira, Colossa, Laodicea, in all which the Jews resided in great numbers: all that part of Asia was full of them. There is a geographical order observed in this detail of nations, as far as it could be maintained: which is interrupted by the mentioning of Judea. This country did not belong to the series: yet is introduced with the nations of Asia minor; though it was nearer to Egypt. The passage, I imagine, stood originally in this manner -Πάρθοι, και Μήδοι, και Ελαμιται, και οι κατοικεντες Μεσοποταμίαν, Καππαδοκιαν τε και Λυδίαν, κ. τ. λ.

29 2 Timothy. 4. v. 10. 21.

30 Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. 1. cap. 2.

31 The author means only in respect to the termination.

Sais, according to the common usage of his language. What Plato terms Σαΐτικος νομος, had been more truly expressed Σαϊνιτικος and Τσαϊνιτικος. So likewise in Pomponius Mela, the city near Memphis, mentioned among those so remote from the sea, might instead of Saïs, have been with more propriety written Tsaïs, being the Tsain of the Egyptians: but this would not have been consonant to the analogy of the two languages. 3

32

What has been here said may in some degree remedy a difficulty, which occurs in Manetho, where he speaks of the city Abaris. He tells us, that the first pastor king Salatis built it in the nome of Sais, on the east side of the river Bubastus. Εύρων δε [Σαλατις] εν νομῳ τῳ Σαΐτη πολιν επικαιροτατην, κειμένην μεν προς ανατολην τε Βεβαςιτε ποταμό, καλεμένην δ' απο τινος αρχαιας θεολογίας Αβαριμ, ταυτην εκτισε. 33 Now this city Abaris I have shewn to have been over against the apex of Delta, where the Nile was first divided, at a great distance from the city and nome of 34 Saïs: and the river of 35 Bubastus was

32 They have no words, which begin with those double letters. 33 Joseph. contra Apion. lib. 1. § 14.

34 Saïs, at the distance of three days sailing down the river from Cairo; called now Se al Hajar, or antient Saïs. Egmont and Heyman. vol. 2. pag. 113.

35 The river of Bubastus was the upper part of the great Pelusiac branch of the Nile; at the commencement of which the city Abaris was situated.

equally remote: so that these circumstances cannot be reconciled, but upon the principles above.

Syncellus seems to have perceived a mistake ; and 36 endeavours to amend it in another manner, by substituting for the Saïtic, the Sethroïtic nome. This is an arbitrary manner of proceeding; and not supported by any authority: but it favours his notion, that Zoan was Tanis, to which Sethron was next in situation. But there was no relation between Zoan and Tanis: and they who have maintained this notion, have been misled by a similitude of sound; and that but a faint resemblance: which at any rate would be too fallacious to found an opinion upon, when unsupported by other 37 evidence.

We may learn from what has been said, that the name of the province Zain was of antient date; and the memory of it almost effaced in the time of the Grecians. Plato however, and Mela have preserved it; but with some variation. They both describe it at the very top of lower Egypt, at the first division of the Nile. I have abundantly shewn, that the land of Goshen was there; that it was a place of pastures, the plain of Egypt, and the particular spot, where the Israelites resided: in other

36 Syncellus. pag. 61.

37 Had he called it the Sethite nome, instead of the Sethroite, he would have been nearer the truth; as hereafter will appear.