food; and, from the story of Joseph's entertainment of his brethren, it appears, that their enmity to shepherds was not occasioned by these Hebrews eating animal food, which, Sir Isaac says, the Egyptians abstained from. And he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and SLAY, and make ready: for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade: and the man brought the men into Joseph's house-and they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him. Here, we see the common provision for their entertainment was animal food. And no one can doubt whether Joseph conformed to the Egyptian diet. He sat single out of state, with regard to the Egyptians; the Egyptians sat apart, with regard to the Shepherds; and Both were supplied from the Governor's table, which was furnished from the Steward's slaughter-house. The truth of this is farther seen from the murmuring of the Israelites in the wilderness, when they said, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the FLESHPOTS, and when we did eat bread to the fullt. Now we can scarce suppose the Egyptians would permit their slaves, whom they kept in so hard oppression, to riot in flesh-pots, while, as Sir Isaac supposes, they them-. selves fared hardly and abstained from Animals.

4. Again, he supposes, that the exact division of the land of Egypt into Property was first made in the time of Sesostris. Sesostris (says he) upon his returning. home, divided Egypt by measure amongst the Egyptians; and this gave a beginning to surveying and geometry. p. 218. And in another place, he brings down the original of geometry still lower; even as late as Mæris, the fifth from Sesostris. Maris (says he)-for preserving the division of Egypt into equal shares amongst the soldiers-wrote a book of surveying, which gave a beginning to geometry. p. 248. Let the reader now consider, whether it be possible to reconcile this Gen. xliii. 16, 17-32-34. + Exod, xvi. 3.

with

with the following account of Joseph's administration. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh ; for the Egyptians sold EVERY MAN HIS FIELD, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the Priests bought he not; for the Priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph_said unto the people, Behold I have bought you this day, and your land for Pharaoh: lo here is the seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass, in the increase, that you shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food and for them of your own housholds, and for food for your little ones. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the Priests only, which became not Pharaoh's*. Here we have the description of a country very exactly set out and settled in private property. It would afford room for variety of reflections: I shall confine myself to the following. If private property had not been, at this time, established with the utmost order and exactness; what occasion had Joseph to recur to that troublesome expedient of transplanting the People, reciprocally, from one end of Egypt to the other? His purpose in it is evident: it was to secure Pharaoh in his new property, by defeating the ill effects of that fondness which people naturally have to an old paternal inheritance. But what fondness have men for one spot, rather than another, of lands lying in common, or but newly appropriated? Were the Egyptians at this time, as Sir Isaac Newton seems to suppose, in the state of the unsettled Nomades, they would have gone from one end of Egypt to the other, without Joseph's sending; and without the least regret for any thing they had left behind. But without weakening the great man's conjecture by Scripture-history, How does it appear from the simple fact of Sesostris's dividing the large champaign country

* Gen. xlyii, 20, & seq.

of

of Egypt into square fields, by cross-cut canals, that this was a dividing Egypt by measure, and giving a beginning to surveying and geometry? If we examine the cause and the effects of that improvement, we shall find that neither one nor the other part of his conclusion can be deduced from it. The cause of making these canals was evidently to drain the swampy marshes of that vast extended level; and to render the whole labourable*. But a work of this kind is never projected till a people begin to want room. And they never want room till private property hath been well established; and the necessaries of life, by the advancement of civil arts, are become greatly increased. As to the effects; Ground, once divided by such boundaries, was in no danger of a change of land-marks; and consequently had small occasion for future surveys. So that had not the Egyptians found out geometry before this new division, 'tis probable they had never found it out at all. The most likely cause, therefore, to be assigned for this invention, was the necessity of frequent surveys, while the annual overflowings of the Nile were always obliterating such land-marks as were not, like those cross-cut canals, wrought deep into the soil. But these put a total end to that inconvenience. Indeed, Herodotus seems to give it as his opinion, that geometry had its rise from this improvement of Sesostrist. But we are to remember what hath been said of the incredible Antiquity which the ancient Greek writers, and particularly Aristotle, assigned to this Hero: the natural consequence of the Egyptian's having confounded the ages and actions, though never the persons, of Osiris and Sesostris.

5. The next inference this illustrious Writer makes from his system is, that letters were unknown in Egypt till the time of David. When the Edomites (says he) fled from David with their young king Aadad into Egypt, it is probable that they carried thither also the use of letters: for letters were then in use amongst the posterity of Abraham—and there is no instance of let

* See note [KKKK] at the end of this Book.

† Δοκέοι δέ μοι ἐνθεῦτεν γεωμετρία εὐρεθεῖσα, ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐπανελθεῖν. Herodot. 1. ii. c. 109. ↑ See p. 228.

ters,

ters, for writing down sounds, being in use before the days of David in any other nation besides the posterity of Abraham. The Egyptians ascribed this invention to Thoth the secretary of Osiris; and therefore letters began to be in use in Egypt in the days of Thoth, that is, a little after the flight of the Edomites from David, or about the time that Cadmus brought them into Europe. p. 209. It appears from the two stone-tables of the Law, and from the engravings on Aaron's breastplate, that letters were in common use amongst the Israelites at the time of their egression from Egypt. Now supposing alphabetic writing to be amongst the peculiar advantages of the chosen people, was it not more likely that the Egyptians should learn it of them during their long abode in that country, than from the fugitive Edomites, if they had indeed carried thither (which however is a mere conjecture) the use of letters? But when we consider that alphabetic writing was introduced amongst the chosen people some time between the age of Jacob and that of Moses, it seems most probable that they learnt it of the Egyptians. But, for a full confutation of this fancy, and of the arguments that support it, I am content to refer the reader to what I have occasionally observed, though to other purposes, in my discourse of the Egyptian hieroglyphics

*

6. Lastly, he observes, that Egypt was so thinly peopled before the birth of Moses, that Pharaoh said of the Israelites, "Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;" and that to prevent their multiplying, and growing too strong, he caused their male children to be drowned. p. 186. Yet this country, so thinly peopled at the birth of Moses, was, we find from Scripture, so vastly populous, by the time Moses was sent upon his mission, that it could keep in slavery six hundred thousand men besides children † ; at a time, when they were most powerfully instigated to recover their liberty; which yet, after all, they were unable to effect but by the frequent desolation of the hand of Gop upon their insolent and cruel masters. And is this to be reconciled with Sir Isaac's notion of their preceding thinness? But he likewise supports himself on Scripture. *See p. 116. & seq. + Exod. xii. 97.

Egypt

Egypt was so thinly peopled-that Pharaoh said— Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Strange interpretation! The Scripture relation of the matter is in these words; And Pharaoh said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come `on, let us deal wisely with them: lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them Taskmasters, to afflict them with their burdens. But the more they afflicted them, the more they grew and multiplied*. By the whole turn of this relation it appears, that the more and mightier signify only more prolific and healthy. And that was in truth the case. The Egyptians of this time, as we have shewn †, were very luxurious: While the manners of the Israelites concurred with their condition to render them hardy and fruitful, by an abstemious and laborious course of life. On this account the king expresses his fear. But of what certainly not that they should subdue their masters; but that they should escape out of bondage: which, even to the very moment of their egression, was the sole object of the Egyptian's fear.--Lest (says he) they multiply; and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so GET THEM UP OUT OF THE LAND. This was a reasonable apprehension: for Egypt was in every age subject to the incursions of that fierce and barbarous people the Arabians, on that very side which the Israelites inhabited: who, possessing their own District, unmixed with Egyptians, had the keys of the country in their hands, to admit or exclude an invader at their pleasure. A circumstance which would make the smallest province formidable to the most powerful kingdom. To prevent then so probable a danger, their taskmasters are ordered to increase their oppressions; and they groan under them without power to resist, till set free by the all-powerful hand of God.

Thus we see how Sir Issac Newton's system stands with regard to SACRED ANTIQUITY. What is still

Exod. i. 9. & seq.

See p. 95. & seq.

worse,