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the Phithon, of Strabo: both which relate to the Pithom of the Scriptures. This town was upon the Arabian canal, in the neighbourhood of Phaccusa, and overagainst Bubastus. All these places were more or less near to the hill of Arabia, at the foot of which the canal commenced. It is to be observed, that the nome of Phaccusa is not taken notice of by Herodotus; and Strabo only mentions a village of that name but Ptolemy speaks of a city, the capital of a province. It was very antient; and seems to have been by most Greek writers included in the nome of Heliopolis. This nome is represented by Herodotus as the uppermost in Delta; extending towards the mountain of Arabia, where the country became most contracted. At the very point of Delta stood the city Cercasora, so described as not to be mistaken: being nearly overagainst the mountain afore mentioned, and being "the place "where the Nile was first divided :”—xad' ñv oxigeTas & Neiλos. -- Strabo, however, places it in Lybia : and, as the Canobic branch, which separated it, might in Strabo's time be much impaired; (in the same manner as it is at this day) he might esteem it no longer an island, and place it very truly on the continent. But there are other difficulties in his account, that cannot be so easily got over. As Strabo was upon the spot, and very inquisitive, and is very minute and diligent in his description; we cannot suppose him to have been grossly mistaken: nor could there be originally that obscurity and incon

sistency, which we now experience in this passage. After having spoken of the canal, together with the towns of Phaccusa and Phithom, he says; 44 ουτοι δ' οι τοποι πλησιάζεσι τη κορυφή το Δελτα αυτε δε και ἡ Βεβαςος πολις, και ὁ Βεβαςιτης νόμος και ὑπερ αυτων. ὁ Ηλιοπολιτης νομος. Ενταυθα δ' εςιν ἡ τε Ήλιε πολις. "These places (the towns of Phaccusa and Phi"thom) are situated not far from the vertex of Del"ta: there too (towards that vertex) is the city of "Bubastus with its nome, and above them the nome "of Heliopolis, with the city of the sun." After this he gives a very ample description of the last city, and its superb temple; and then concludes ; εντευθεν δη ὁ Νειλος εςιν ὁ ὑπερ τα Δελτα, 66 you come now to the river above Delta." Thus far it is plain: but afterwards, every circumstance is perplexed and contradictory; so that there is no interpreting what he says with any consistency. 45 Εντευ θεν δη ὁ Νειλος εςιν ὁ ὑπερ τε Δελτα τετε δη τα μεν δεξια καλεσι Λιβυήν αναπλέοντι ώσπερ και τα περι Αλεξανδρειαν, και την Μαρεωτιν τα δ' εν αρισερα. Αραβίαν. Ἡ μεν εν Ἡλιοπολίτις ἐν τῇ Αραβία εσιν, εν δε τη Λιβύη Κερκέσουρα πολις, κατα τας Ευδοξε κείμενη σκοπας· δείκνυται γαρ σκοπη τις προ της Ήλια πολεως" καθαπερ και προ της Κνιδα, καθ ̓ ἦν εσημείωτο εκεινος των κρανιων τινας κινησεις. νομος Λιτοπολίτης δυτος. The meaning is this: "After

Ὁ δε

44 Vol. 2. pag. 1158.

4s Ibid. pag. 1160.

Heliopolis you come to the Nile above Delta: "and as you pass up the river, the right hand side " is called Libya; just as all the country is about "Alexandria and Mareotis: but the left hand side "is esteemed Arabia. The nome of Heliopolis is "therefore in Arabia: and the city Cercesoura is "in Libya, lying near the observatory of Eudoxus. "For they shew you an observatory just before the city Heliopolis, situated like that at Cnidus: "which observatory Eudorus, when in Egypt, made "use of to contemplate the celestial motions. This "is the nome called Litopolites." Here is a sad confused scene. We are informed that above De!ta on the right hand of the Nile was Libya, on the left hand was Arabia; in which last was situated Heliopolis and its nome; as Cercesoura on the other side was in Libya. The author marks out the situation of Cercesoura, by saying it was near the observatory of Eudoxus: which observatory stood before Heliopolis, the city of the sun, and in the nome of Litopolis. Here is a city in Libya described by an object in Arabia; which could not well determine it, as it lay at a distance, though represented and applied to as near: and this object is said to stand before Heliopolis, the capital of a very considerable nome and yet the author concludes that this is the nome of Litopolis: which is absurd and impossible; for no such nome existed. This passage has been corrected by some unskilful hand; and the order of things has been inverted. A change of

46

place in two words, and a very slight alteration in one of them will reduce every thing to its original state, and clear up all this perplexity. The names Heliopolites and Latopolites, being pretty much alike, have been transposed, and should be made to change place again. But still there will remain this difficulty, that no such nome as Litopolites was ever heard of. Besides, what is the meaning of Λιτοπολίτης ? it is neither sense nor grammar; no more than 'HowλTIs was before. The passage still depraved: but this feminine article, that is here retained, will lead us to the true reading as it was ἡ Λιτοπολις. originally, which was 47 Airowoλ65. The text then

is

46 There was voμos Antewoditng towards the lower part of Delta to the west, called so from Antes mois, the city of Latona: but that was quite a different place from this. And there was Aaro= woλs high up in Thebäis, likewise far removed from this city.

47 Η μεν εν Ηλιοπολιτις: it should have been ὁ Ηλιοπολιτης, if Heliopolis had been here meant : but the corrector, who changed the text from Litopolis, did not know that the nome was masculine, though the city had been feminine: nor, though it was ATOwoλs with a single letter, yet it was 'Hews with a diphthong : he therefore left these remains of the original reading, which in some measure lead us to the truth and confirm it. Out of Я λiroπολις they formed Ηλιοπολις and Ηλιοπολίτης. Casaubon, in a short note upon this passage, would have the place called Latopolis, according to Ptolemy. But the city, which he speaks of, was not situated here; but, as I have above mentioned, in the Thebäis. Whatever this city was called, it was a translation of the Egyptian name, which was taken from the nature and situation of the place near the quarries. Latopolis, if it was so call

will stand thus: τα μεν δεξια καλεσι Λιβύην-τα δ' εν αριτερα Αραβίαν ή μεν εν Λιτοπολις εν τη Αραβία εσιν, εν δε τη Λιβύη Κερκέσερα πολις κατα τας Ευδοξε κείμενη σκοπας· δείκνυται γαρ σκοπη τις προ της Ήλις πολεως, καθαπερ και προ της Κνιδε, καθ ̓ ἣν εσημείωτο εκείνος των ερανίων τινας κινησεις· ὁ δὲ νομος Ηλιοπολιτης δυτος. δε "On the right "hand of the Nile is Libya, as you sail up; on the "left, Arabia. Therefore the city Litopolis must "be esteemed in Arabia; as Cercesoura, a place "on the other side, is adjudged to Libya. Cerce"soura stands near the observatory of Eudoxus :

for they shew you in the front of Heliopolis an "observatory, &c. that Eudorus made use of. Here "then is the nome of Heliopolis:" between which city and Cercesoura this edifice stood. By this small change every thing becomes clear and intelligible so that Strabo's account agrees with that of Herodotus, which it illustrates; and he is no longer at variance with himself.

ed, was named from the Litomiæ, quasi λarouwv roλis, from λas, lapis and Litopolis, which is the same as Abooks, is of the like original. It must be owned that Stephanus Byzant. calls this city urbs Latona : Λητους πολις, πολις Αιγύπτε επι δε μοιρα Μεμα pidos: but he is certainly mistaken. It was Litopolis, that was in this province. Strabo's authority must be valid; he was an eyewitness of what he speaks of; and seems to have been very inquisitive and exact. Harpocration mentions the same place by the name of Litepolis: which is still a mistake for Litopolis, but nearer to the reading in Strabo.

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