I J Before Chrift 1450 — 1350. 



the new fettlers, quickly repaired, and foon learned how to procure, in 

 exchange for their hitherto-negle<fted and ufelefs native commodities, 

 articles of which nature or their own ignorance had denied them the 

 ufe, and even the knowlege. It is probably impoflible, and it is furely 

 unnecelTary, to particularize the names, and to reduce the dates of their 

 feveral fettlements to chronological order *. Some of the later ones, 

 whofe beginnings are better known, will be noted in their proper 

 places. 



Here it is proper to obferve, that Tyre, which will make fuch 

 a diftinguiflied figure in the hiftory of antient commerce, is now for 

 the firft time mentioned, and m.erely as a ftrong or fortified city, while 

 Sidon is dignified with the appellation of G?rat-\-. [Jo/hua, c. 19.] 



1350 — About this time Egypt was governed by Myris, or Moeris, 

 who is honoured with the title of the Philofopher. This philofophic 

 king is faid to have invented the principles of geometry, a fcience fo 

 effential to commerce, that no difiant voyage can be undertaken with- 

 out the afliftance of charts, in the confiiruction of which, as well as in 

 the art of navigation, or the meaiurement of a fhip's courfe upon the 

 tracklefs ocean, it is almofi: needlefs to inform the reader, that the 

 knowlege of geometry is the firll and mofl indifpenfible requifite. 

 Among the Egyptians, however, this art was entirely confined to the 

 menfuration of the land, the boundaries of which were frequently de- 

 llroyed or mifplaced by the inundations of the Nile ; and thence its 

 Yi2iTSi(i/\ni]iOXt\ng'\v). Gveek meafuremeiit of the earth. But, as it appears 

 that aftronomy, which requires a previous knowledge of geometry, was 

 well known feveral centuries before this time in the country where Job 

 lived, in Babylon, China, and India, wc mud believe that Herodotus,, 

 from whom we derive almofi all our knowlege of the early hiftory of 

 Egypt, has been impofed upon in this matter by the Egyptian priefts, 

 for the honour of their country, or that the fcience has been invented 

 in feveral countries. 



Myris alio improved his country by forming canals, and an artificial 

 lake of ftupendous magnitude, calculated to receive the water of the 



• Tlic reader, who is dcfirous to fee all, that of the mod aiiliciit lu'ilon'aiis in tlic world, 



could be collected Ijy vad erudition and indcfatig- who menlion,'. it as a inoft antient city, inhabited 



able indullry on the fiibjeifl of the I'liccnieian colo- by the fifth generation of mankind. h\ order to 



nies, may confult Docharfs Cbannan. account for the various dates, perhaps it is only 



•J- There is great difagrecment ainonp authors nccctTary to remember, that there were in Phocni- 



conccrning the time wlien 'I'yrc was founded, cia at Icafl four cities of the name of Tyre, the 



Jofcplius dates it 240 years before Soloman's moll antient of which was for many ages much 



tinnplc, or about 1,250 before I he commencement inferior to Sidon in power and opulence. \_Sc! 



of the Chrillian a'ra ; \^j'liit\q. L. viii, c. 2] and Rocliart, Chatiaan, col. 776.] 



others make it llill later. 'I'liis paffage in Jofliua When Herodotus was at Tyre, the priefts told 



appears fufiicicnt to prove it entitled to a much him, that it was 2,300 years liiice the foundation 



higher antiquity; to which may he added the of tluir viiy. [//«•»(/»/.£. ii, f. 44. J 

 temmony of Sanconiatho, n Pliecuician, and one 



