UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 263 



the Pali, or shepherds ; and their leaders called 

 themselves the Shepherd-Kings. Six of these 

 Shepherd-kings are said to have successively 

 reigned in Egypt, till at length the native princes, 

 weary of their tyranny, rebelled, and expelled 

 them. They retired into the land of Canaan, 

 and established themselves at Jerusalem, and in 

 other strong situations in that country, which, 

 from them, obtained the name of Palestine, or 

 Palis-tan the country of the Pali. These peo- 

 ple afterwards became the Philistines, who 

 were such troublesome neighbours to the Israel- 

 ites. 



u The memory of their tyranny was still fresh 

 in the minds of the Egyptians, at the time that 

 Joseph's family removed to Egypt; and it was, 

 therefore, natural that every shepherd should 

 be an abomination to the Egyptians. Cush, 

 you know, was the eldest son of Ham ; the 

 Egyptians were decended from Mizraim, the 

 second son of Ham, and Egypt is to this day 

 called Mizr, by the Arabs and Abyssinians. 



l( As to your second question," continued my 

 uncle, ** in regard to their being ordered to dwell 

 in the land of Goshen, it appears probable that 

 there had been shepherds in those parts before ; 

 otherwise Joseph could scarcely have foreseen 

 that that portion of the land would be given to 

 his brethren. Besides which, Goshen being 

 chiefly adapted to pasturage, which was so con- 



