I know not that any town ever sustained so long and obftinate a fiege.

CLVIII. Pfammitichus had a fon, whofe name was Necos, by whom he was fucceeded in his authority. This prince firft commenced that canal 28

the idol of their god Dagon. Its fcriptural name was Afhdod. When the Philistines took the ark from the Jews, they placed it in the temple of Dagon, at Afhdod. See 1 Samuel, chap. v. 2, 3. "When the Philistines took the ark of God, they took it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

"And when they of Afhdod arofe early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord," &c.

This place is alfo mentioned in the Acts. Philip, having baptized the eunuch of Candace, was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and found at Azotus. There is still in this place an old firucture, with fine marble pillars, which the inhatants fay was the house which Samson pulled down.-T.

280 That canal.]-The account given by Diodorus Siculus is this: The canal reaching from the Pelufian mouth of the Nile to the Sinus Arabicus and the Red Sea, was made by hands. Necos, the fon of Pfammitichus, was the firft that attempted it, and after him Darius the Perfian carried on the work fomething farther, but left it at length unfinished; for he was informed by fome, that in thus digging through the ifthmus he would caufe Egypt to be deluged, for they fhewed him that the Red Sea was higher than the land of Egypt. Afterwards Ptolemy the Second finished the canal, and in the most proper place contrived a fluice for confining the water, which was opened when they wanted to fail through, and was immediately closed again, the ufe of it answering extremely well the defign. The river flowing through this canal is called the Ptolemæan, from the name of its author. Where it discharges itself into the fea it has a city named Arfinoe. Of this canal Norden remarks, that he was unable to discover the smallest trace, either in the town of Kieni, or the adjacent parts.

leading

412

EUTER PE.

leading to the Red Sea, which Darius, king of Perfia, afterwards continued. The length of this canal is equal to a four days voyage, and it is wide enough to admit two triremes abreaft. The water enters it

411

407

from the Nile, a little above the city Bubaftis: it283 terminated in the Red Sea, not far from Patumos, an Arabian town. They began to fink this canal in that part of Egypt which is nearest Arabia. Contiguous to it is a mountain which stretches towards Memphis, and contains quarries of ftone. Commencing at the foot of this, it extends from weft to east, through a confiderable tract of country, and where a mountain opens to the fouth is difcharged into the Arabian gulph. From thenorthern to the fouthern, or, as it is generally called, the Red Sea, thé fhorteft paffage is over mount Caffius, which divides Egypt from Syria, from whence to the Arabian gulph are a thousand stadia. The way by the canal, on account of the different circumflexions, is confiderably longer. In the profecution of this work, under Necos, no lefs than one hundred and twenty thoufand Ægyptians perifhed. He at length defifted from his undertaking, being admonished by an oracle, that all his labour would turn to the advantage of a barbarian; and it is to be observed, that the Ægyptians term all barbarians who speak a language different from their 11wk 3.5.

own.

CLIX. As foon as Necos difcontinued his labours with refpect to the canal, he turned all his thoughts to military enterprizes. He built veffels

of

46

16

430

413

part

of war, both on the Northern Ocean, and in that
of the Arabian gulph which is near the Red Sea.
Veftiges of his naval undertakings are ftill to be
feen. His fleets were occafionally employed, but
he alfo by land conquered the Syrians in an engage-
ment near the town of Magdolum 281, and after his
victory obtained poffeffion of Cadytis 2 a Syrian
city. The vest which he wore when he got this
victory he confecrated to Apollo, and fent to the
Milefian Branchidae. After a reign of feventeen
years, he died, leaving the kingdom to his fon
Pfammis.

CLX. During the reign of this prince, fome ambaffadors arrived in Egypt from the Eleans. This people boasted that the establishment of the Olympic games poffeffed every excellence, and was not furpaffed even by the Ægyptians, though the wifeft of 313 mankind. On their arrival, they explained the motives of their journey; in confequence of which the

281 Magdolum.]-The battle here mentioned was against Jofias, king of Judah. It did not take place at Magdolum, a place in Lower Egypt, but at Magiddo. The refemblance of the names deceived Herodotus.-Larcher.

28 Cadytis.]-This city of Cadytis could be no other than Jerufalem. Herodotus afterwards defcribes this to be a mountainous city in Palestine, of the bignefs of Sardis. There could be no other equal to Sardis, but Jerufalem. It is certain from Scripture, that after this battle Necos did take Jerufalem, for he was there when he made Jehoiakim king.-See Prideaux, Connect. i. 56-7.

D'Anville alfo confiders Cadytis as Jerufalem, though fome authors diffent.-T.

2-7

2

ment.

prince called a meeting of the wifeft of his fubjects: at this affembly the Eleans defcribed the particular regulations they had established; and defired to know if the Egyptians could recommend any improveAfter fome deliberation, the Egyptians enquired whether their fellow-citizens were permitted to contend at thefe games. They were informed in reply, that all the Greeks without distinction were fuffered to contend. The Ægyptians obferved, that this must of course lead to injustice, for it was impoffible not to favour their fellow-citizens, in preference to ftrangers. If, therefore, the object of their voyage to Ægypt was to render their regulations perfect, they fhould fuffer only ftrangers to contend in their games, and particularly exclude the Eleans.

CLXI. Pfammis reigned but fix years; he made an expedition to Ethiopia, and died foon afterwards. He was fucceeded by his fon Apries 283, who, next to his grandfather Pfammitichus, was fortunate 284 beyond all his predeceffors, and reigned

283 pries.This is the fame who in Scripture is called Pharaoh Hophra. It was at this period that Ezekiel was carried to Jerufalem, and fhewn the different kinds of idolatry then practifed by the Jews, which makes up the fubject of the 8th, 9th, Icth, and 11th chapters of his prophecies.-See Prideaux.

254 Was fortunate.]-Herodotus in this place feemingly contradicts himfelt: how could he be termed moft fortunate, who was dethroned and flrangled by his fubjects? He probably, as M. Larcher alfo obferves, meaus to be underfood of the time preceding the revolt.-T.

five-and-twenty years 285. He made war upon Si-
don, and engaged the king of Tyre in battle by fea.
I fhall briefly mention in this place the calamities.
which afterwards befel him; but fhall discuss them
more fully when I treat of the Libyan affairs.
Apries having fent an army against the Cyreneans,
received a fevere check. This misfortune the -

286

27gyptians afcribed to his own want of conduct; and

3

23

431

imagining themselves marked out for deftruction,
revolted from his authority. They fuppofed his
views were, by deftroying them, to fecure his tyranny
over the rest of their country. The friends, there- ti
fore, of fuch as had been flain, with those who re-
turned in fafety, openly rebelled.

CLXII. On difcovery of this, Apries fent Amafis to foothe the malcontents. Whilft this officer was perfuading them to defift from their purpose, an Ægyptian standing behind him placed an helmet on his head 87, faying that by this act he had made him king. The fequel proved that Amafis was not averfe 88 to the deed; for as foon as the rebels had

Apiness Und hies Grote

32
12.3

declared

255 Five-and-twenty years.]-Diodorus Siculus fays he reigned twenty-two years; Syncellus nineteen.

286 Difcufs them more fully.]—This refers to book the fourth, chap. clix. of our author; but Herodotus probably forgot the /, engagement here made, for no particulars of the misfortunes of Apries are there mentioned.-T.

287 Helmet on his head.]-The helmet in Egypt was the dif tinction of royalty.

283 Was not averje.]-Diodorus Siculus relates, that Amafis, fo far from making any great effort to bring back thofe who had

abandoned

2.

81

86