-S IN ENGLi 



w ho acquire 1 ice, and of tin- < 



it lifii .-,.!. 1 tint tin) truth chapter of 



iw of the earth at 

 an party period, and tluit it agree* in uowo i.trikinjr particulars 



with the rei-ords of ] 



[ '\'\ re, M ii rodotoi did liai.vlon, .. 

 eye of an intolli^" rod probable 



Unit lie held inten-our-n \\ith l!io best-informed men iu thut 

 ohool of commoroo and navigation. Tho geographical 



boundaries tn which hn alliiilcs an- e,m -nl'Ted as place.; 



I limits of their knowledge vi/..,Tar.-hMi,< >phir, the Islet*, 



Slirlia and I'nliin, tho 1,'ivrr, Gog and Magog, und tlin North. 



deemed, with very gn-at probability, to have been 

 the nai ! S'ripturc for Africa, It .-.ppi-ar- to havo 



belonged originally to a great African city, call. 1 i 



.mil well known from its rivalry to Komo ; it was 

 in! to tho whole continent of which that 

 city might bo considered tho metropolis ; but especially to that 

 division of it, now known by the namo of Northern Africa, ex- 

 of Egypt and tho countries adjacent to tin- Arabian Gulf. 

 This division was called by tho Itomaiis Africa, I'ropria, that is, 

 Africa Proper, and included Carthago; and Jerome calls a 

 voyage to Tarshish an " African voyage." This also solves a 

 ditliculty which has been found in tho Scriptural accounts of 

 two different voyages to Taivhisli ; tho one up tho Mediter- 

 ranean Sea, from the Strait of Gibraltar, bringing iron, silver, 

 lead, and tin, tho produce of Spain and Britain (Ezck. xxvii. 

 12); and the other, up tho Eed Sea, or Arabian Gulf, from tho 

 Strait of Bab-ol-mandeb, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, 

 and peacocks, tho produce of Central Africa (1 Kings x. 22). 



<>i'ln>; as being connected with Tarshish and Sheba in the 

 voyages of Solomon's ships for gold and other produce, is rightly 

 considered as a part of Africa, which indeed appears highly pro- 

 liable from tho similarity of the name. The eastern coast is 

 tho quarter to which all tho indications seem evidently to point. 

 In the voyage to Tarsliish by tho Red Sea, the name of Ophir 

 is also mentioned, and in ono case tho latter is substituted for 

 the former (2 Chron. ix. 10). But we have seen that Tarslii. li 

 is a name for one part of Africa ; now, Ophir is a name for 

 another part of tho .same continent. As gold is the produce of 

 Ophir, wo must look to that part where it is to bo found. This, 

 for tho sake of consistency in the history of the voyage, can 

 only be Sofala, whore abundance of gold is said to exist, and 

 whence it could easily be brought in ships through tho Bed Sea 

 to Sheba in Arabia ; from tho Strait of Bab-el-mandeb it could 

 either be carried overland through this country to Jerusalem, 

 or it could be transported up the gulf to tho place now called 

 Suez, whence it could readily bo brought into the palace of 

 Solomon the king. 



The Isles, the isles of tho Gentiles, tho isles of the sea, tho 

 isles of Chittim and of Elishah, all point out the islands which 

 abound in the Mediterranean, which is called "the sea" and 

 " tho groat sea" in Scripture. These are acknowledged to be 

 Sicily and the other islands belonging to Italy and Spain ; the 

 islands of Greece, a country almost wholly insular and penin- 

 sular; and tho islands of Cyprus and Crete (Candia), with 

 various other smaller islands scattered through the Archipelago, 

 and lying on tho west of Asia Minor. 



Arabia Felix, or Arabia the Happy, is considered to bo the 

 country anciently called Sheba or Sabcea. Its trade was in gold 

 and incense; and it was carried on by caravans which came 

 from the coast, where they had been imported from Ophir. The 

 " companies of Sheba " are mentioned in Job a fact which 

 shows tho antiquity of its commerce ; and tho " multitude of 

 its camels" are spoken of in Isaiah another fact which shows 

 its value and long continuance. The commerce of Dedan rivalled 

 that of Sheba. It came up the Persian Gulf from the Strait of 

 Ormuz. The imports were ivory and ebony, and " precious 

 clothes" for chariots. These were tho commodities of India, 

 and they were carried across the desert of Arabia, or Arabia 

 Deserta, into Petra, tho capital of Arabia Petram, or Arabia ihc 

 which consisted chiefly of the ancient country of Idumea, 

 or Edom. The inhabitants of Dcdan were only tho merchants 

 who brought the produce of India to the capital of Edom, as a 

 dep6t for the supply of tho countries lying to tho north and the 

 west of it, and " tho travelling companies of Dcdanim " might 

 consist of native Hindoo or Asiatic traders, whoso home was on 

 the deep. 



Tho /liver meant tho great river, the river Kupbratea. Oa 



iU bank* utood the mighty capital* of Awyria and Babylon, 



to flourished tho nu>t renowned empire* of antiquity. 



Hero al*o wan supposed to have been the seat of Paradise, or 



tho garden of Kdun. Tim* mil!. t'.- j,- 



" Seek nut fur Parndwe, with curium eye. 



In Avutic clime*, where Tigris' wave. 



Mixed with Kui>liratc in tumultuous Jojr, 



Doth the brood j.luina of Babylonia lave. 



"Tin gone with all it charms, and, like a dream, 



Like Babylon iUelf, ft swept away ; 



Bestow one tear upon the mournful them*. 



Hut let it not thy gentle heart dismay. 



For know, wherever love and virtue gold*, 



They lead us to a state of heavenly peace; 



'Where bliss, unknown to guilt and name, preside, 



And pleasure* unalloyed each hour increase." 



Along tho countries situated between tho Euphrates and the 

 Tigris, and on both aides of these river*, Ezekiel mentions a 

 number of cities, an Haran, Canned, Eden, Asabur, etc., from 

 which great caravans proceeded to Tyro with cloths and other 

 valuable commodities. Those appear to have been brought 

 overland across the countries of Asia, and probably by : 

 caravans from Hind' -Lin and tho borders of China, tho native 

 country of talk. 



Tho Xorlli, and Gog and Magog, described by Ezekiel, hare 

 been considered as denoting tho Scythian hordes of warriors 

 \vlio invaded the south, and carried away " silver and gold and 

 a great spoil." But the passages in which tho Xorth is men- 

 tioned are, with more reason, supposed to refer to the high 

 table-lands in.tho interior and the north of Asia Minor, Phrygia, 

 Galatia, Cappadocia, and Paphlagonia. The imports from these 

 regions were " vessels of brass and persons of men." These 

 countries are famous for their produce in copper, iron, and steel 

 to this day ; and their trade in slaves for the supply of harems 

 is equally notorious. Horses and mules nre also mentioned as 

 brought from the same quarter ; and thin trade also hats been 

 found a branch of the traffic carried on in tho upland tracts 

 of Paphlagonia. Tims we havo given a succinct view of the 

 ancient geography recognised in the Scriptr 



LESSONS IN ENGLISH. I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



IN commencing a series of lessons in English, it appears de- 

 sirable to let tho readers of tho POPULAR EDUCATOR know 

 what they may expect. Briefly, then, we intend to exhibit tho 

 facts of the language and tho productions of the language. 

 Tho facts of. the language, if systematically presented, will 

 involve its laws ; and on the other hand, the productions of 

 the language, historical ly treated, will comprise its literature. 

 In this way, tho facts and the productions proposed for 

 our consideration will obviously lead the careful student to 

 a knowledge of the language. Nor without a study of both 

 the facts and tho productions can any such knowledge be 

 acquired. A knowledge of any language implies a familiarity 

 with its literature, a id a familiarity with the facts or laws 

 of its construction. ..t is not possible to have one without the 

 other, any more than it is to know the principles of Grecian 

 art without having studied its masterpieces. Apart from the 

 literature of a language, we cannot know its grammar ; apart 

 from tho grammar of a language, we cannot know its literature. 

 The literature of a language is the organic life, whose laws 

 grammar has to learn and expound. The grammar of a language 

 is merely a systematic exposition of the laws obeenred in the 

 composition of its literature. Hence it is that an acquaintance 

 with the literature of a language should precede the study of 

 its grammar. Indeed, the productions of a language are earlier 

 than its grammar. Men pronounced sentences, delivered 

 speeches, composed and sang poems, long before they had any 

 idea of tho rules of which grammar ia made np. The thought 

 was first ; then came the utterance, and out of many utterances 

 at last grew the science of grammar. Grammar has no other 

 function than to deduce and set forth the laws of a language, 

 which have been already observed by some great writer or great 

 writers. The criticism which in Greece gave birth to gramro*" 

 was long posterior to Homer. 



The knowledge of the grammar of a language, then, does not 

 involve a knowledge of the language itself. Still lees are th 



