EGYPT. 



363 



History. 



Osyman- 

 di&s. 



It would be fruitless to fatigue ourselves with conjec- 

 tures about the name or race of that people who invaded 

 and over-ran Egypt, and whose governors are denomi- 

 nated Shepherd kings. They must have been an unpo- 

 lished race of men ; a wandering and unsettled tribe of 

 warriors, whose habits of life had not risen above the pas- 

 toral state. Being intruders, they must have been unwel- 

 come in the land of Egypt. Different in their manners, 

 rude and unformed in their habits, their conduct and prac- 

 tice must have been abhorrent fi om the milder manners of 

 a more polished people. Severe in their habits, and cruel 

 toward a conquered nation, their yoke must have been gal- 

 ling to a subdued and an oppressed people. Their deli- 

 verance from so afflicting a thraldom must have been de- 

 lightful, and the memory of their sufferings would be 

 deep and lasting. The vast number of years during 

 which they are said to have held Egypt in bondage, was 

 a period which could not be reviewed but with distressful 

 remembrances, and the names of their oppressors^ must 

 long have been detested. 



Osymandias is the next Egyptian king whose history 

 has assumed any probable shape ; and yet the narrative 

 of his reign is doubtful and imperfect. While he was 

 upon the throne, the city of Thebes was still in its glory, 

 and some of its most remarkable ornaments are attribu- 

 ted to this prince. His palace was an edifice of exquisite 

 workmanship ; and in the manner of those times, it was 

 of vast extent. In front there was a court of an immense 

 size ; adjoining this space there was a portico of 400 feet 

 long, the roof of which was supported by animal figures 

 of fifteen cubits high. This portico led into another court 

 similar to the first, but more superb. Here, among other 

 ornaments, were three statues of vast size, which is alone 

 sufficient to shew the antiquity of Osymandias' reign. 



In the infancy of science, every thing is vast ; and to 

 command admiration among the uncultivated, immensity 

 is better calculated than beauty, deep design, or elegance 

 of workmanship. These statues are said to have repre- 

 sented Osymandias and some of his family ; but this is 

 of little importance to the history of those times, which 

 leads us to approximate the period of society in which 

 Osymandias lived, by the state of literature and science 

 which belong to the period of his reign. Sculpture and 

 the art of building had evidently arrived at consiilonlle 

 improvpmenta. Fn* O>o tjlc of arcnitecture, as well 

 as the art of the statuary, which the ruins of Thebes have 

 disclosed, have justly commanded the admiration of the 

 curious and discerning. There were other courts, and 

 other porticos, together with piazzas, halls, and galleries, 

 which excelled in workmanship as well as in extent. 

 There the chisel had sculptured, with wonderful art, the 

 triumphs of the king, the sacrifices which he offered, the 

 administration of justice in the courts of law, and many 

 other emblems of his transactions and reign. But his 

 tomb has been celebrated above all other buildings at 

 Thebes ; and it has been chiefly remarkable for the em- 

 blems of astronomy which it bore. It was encompassed 

 with a golden circle of 365 culiits in circumference, to 

 represent the number of 'days which were then included 

 in the year, and shews that the solar year was not then 

 distinctly understood. Here the rising and the setting 

 of the stars were represented to view ; various parts of 

 the ceiling in the public buildings of Osymandias were 

 painted blue and bespangled with stars, to exhibit an idea 

 of the firmament ; and a hall was stored with the most 

 valuable writings ol those times, and was significantly 

 denominated the dispensary of the mind. From the 



whole it appears, that the reign of Osymandias, though v History. 

 remote and not accurately defined, was in a period of N """ "Y"* 

 considerable improvement. 



His lineal descendants are said to have reigned in Egypt 

 during the course of eight generations; but their trans- 

 actions, and even their names, are not distinctly known. 

 Uchoreus was the last of that race ; and in his time the 

 city of Memphis appears to have become the successful 

 rival of the ancient and venerable city Thebes. It is in- 

 deed added, that he transferred the abode of the Egyp- 

 tian kings from Thebes to Memphis. 



Passing by other sovereigns, who are rather alluded to Moeri* 

 than specified in the conjectural parts of this history, we 

 shall take notice of Meeris, who would probably have 

 been left in the same obscurity as many other ancient 

 kings of Egypt have been, had not the lake which bears 

 his name preserved his memory. That work of stupen- 

 dous labour will be adverted to in a subsequent part of 

 this article ; and it may be considered as a remnant of 

 those mighty works which Moeris did to aggrandise his 

 kingdom. He adorned the temple of Vulcan at Mem- 

 phis, and must be supposed to have been the author of 

 many important improvements, which have been lost in 

 die lapse of time, and forgotten among the changes of 

 early and obscure events. He was the 330th king from 

 Menis ; and the immediate predecessor of Sesostris, 

 whose history is now to claim our attention. 



Sesostris is known by various other names, according Sesostri?. 

 to the variety which different languages and other cir- 

 cumstances are calculated to produce, such as Sesonchis, 

 Sesoosis, and Sesothis. He has also been supposed to 

 be the Sesac or Shishak who took Jerusalem in the reign 

 of Rehoboam ; while others have supposed that he was 

 the Pharaoh who reigned in Egypt, and who was drown- 

 ed in the Red Sea, when pursuing the Israelites to bring 

 them back : but these are conjectures, and not historical 

 facts, they may amuse, but they cannot instruct. Under 

 the pretext of a dream, his father adopted measures 

 which, in his view, were calculated to furnish his son 

 with certain means of conquest and power. Exercising 

 the influence which he seems to have possessed, he col- 

 lected a number of youths of the same age with his son, 

 and trained them up together at his own expence, that 

 they might be attached to the person of Sesostris; and 

 that, by being trained up in a hardy and active manner, 

 they might be able to brave dangers, and be the mean:; 

 of honour and aggrandisement to his son. 



Having made successful inroads into Arabia, and be- 

 ing led to put confidence in his own resources and skill, 

 Sesostris returned into Egypt, and devised measures for 

 such campaigns and conquests as have perpetuated his 

 fame. Being resolved to take the field in person, and 

 having the prospect of being a long time absent from his 

 kingdom, he adopted prudential means for preserving 

 tranquillity while he was abroad. By promises and sa- 

 lutary arrangements, he attached the army to his inte- 

 rest ; and he provided carefully for the internal peace of 

 the state. He divided the empire into 36 provinces, aad 

 having appointed a governor to each, lie constituted his 

 brother regent of the kingdom, with supreme power 

 till he himself should return. He fitted out two fleets, 

 one in the Mediterranean, and the other in the Red Sea. 

 With the former he conquered the islands of Cyprus, to- 

 gether with several islands of the Cyclades, and the whole 

 coast of Phoenicia ; and with the latter lie scoured the 

 Red Sea, and entered the Indian ocean. 



His army was in great force. It consisted of 600,000 



