238 ANT lENT METAPHYSICS. Book IL 



from ^thopia when it overflowed. This addition began to be made 

 after the reign of the Gods, as the Egyptians called their Daemon 

 Kings, had ceafed. Such an increafe of land muft have made a won- 

 derful increafe of people, more than, I believe, were in Upper Egypt. 

 And this new created land mufi: have added not only a great deal to 

 the numbers of the people, but alfo to the progrefs of learning and 

 of arts and fciences. In Upper Egypt it does not appear that there 

 was more than one college of Priefts, that of Thebes ; but in the Del- 

 ta there were feveral, and particularly one, mentioned by Herodotus, 

 at Heliopolis, where he fays, there were the moft learned Priefts with, 

 whom he converfed. Now it is evident, that by the increafe of the 

 number of colleges, learning muft have been increafed ; for befides 

 the increafe of the numbers employed in learning, there muft have 

 been, as I have obferved, an emulation among the feveral colleges, 

 which muft have contributed very much to the advancement of 

 knowledge. I will only add farther upon this fubjed:, that this fo^ 

 wonderful an event, as the creation of a new country, muft have 

 happened by the providence of God, which had deftined that Egypt 

 fhovlld be the parent country of all arts and fciences ; and. for that 

 purpofe fhould abound more than any other country in numbers of 

 men, fo as to be able by the colonies, which it fent out, to pro- 

 pagate arts and fciences all over the earth then known; for which 

 purpofe Egypt, as I fhall £how afterwards, was better fituated than 

 any other country. 



Thus I think I have proved that the Egyptian government anfwer- 

 ed the three great purpofes propofed by government, the Health, the 

 Mora!-3, and the Numbers of the people. 



And thus much may fuffice for the internal government of Egypt. 

 As to their tranfadions with other nations, their government was in 

 this refpedt more remarkable, perhaps, and more diftinguilhed from 



that 



