37^ STUDIES OF NATURE. 



He recommended to them carefully to prefervc 

 the feeds, and to put ihem in the ground at the 

 proper feafon. From the joy expreffed by this ex- 

 cellent Prince, and by his People, I was made fen- 

 fible that Man's highefh delight confifts in doing 

 good to his fellow-creatures. 



Cephas faid to me : *' Now is the time to (hew 

 ** to my compatriots the ufe of the Arts of Egypt. 

 ^* I have faved from the Ihipwrecked veffel the 

 *' greateft part of our machines; but hitherto 

 ^' they have remained unemployed ; nay, 1 durft 

 *' not fo much as look at them; for they reminded 

 *' me too affeélingly of the lofs of you. The mo- 

 *' ment is come for turning them to account. 

 ** Thofe fields of corn are now ripe ; that hemp, 

 ** and thofe flaxes, are haftening to be fo." 



Having gathered thofe plants, we taught the 

 King, and his People, the ufe of mills, for re- 

 ducing corn to flower, and the different procelTes 

 of preparing dough, in order to make bread of 

 it (22). Previous to our arrival, the Gauls peeled 

 wheat, oats, and barley, by pounding them with 

 wooden mallets in the trunk of a tree hollowed 

 out, and fatisfied themfelves with boiling the grain 

 in this flate for food. We afterwards fhewed them 

 the method of fteeping hemp in water, to feparate 

 .the filaments frqm the fl.raWj of drying it, of beat- 



