^4 Before Clirifl: 664 — 607. 



65^ — The firft naval battle known in Grecian hijlory was fought be- 

 tween the Corinthians and their own colonifts, who had fettled in Cor- 

 cyra. [fJljiicyd. L. i.] 



641 — Among the Greek'traders, who availed themfelves of the in- 

 dulgence of Pfammitichus, was Coteus of Samos, who acquired a great 

 fortune, and the prefervation of his name in all fucceeding ages, by an 

 accident, which he muft have confidered at the time as the ruin of his 

 voyage. On his way to Egypt he met with a gale of wind from the 

 eaft, which continued fo long, that he was carried quite through the 

 paflage, now called the Straits of Gibraltar, to TarteiTus on the fouth- 

 weft coafl of Spain ; and thus he had the honour to be the firfl Greek, 

 who ever faw the Atlantic ocean *. In this market, fo unexpectedly 

 found, he united the profits, which had been divided between the 

 Greeks and the Phoenicians ; and the goods he purchafed, having never 

 before been diredly imported into any Grecian country, yielded a pro- 

 fit far furpaffing the moil lucrative voyage ever made by any Grecian 

 merchant, excepting Softrates of yEgina, of whom, I believe, nothing 

 elfe is known, but that his profperity in trade was unparalleled. From 

 a tenth part being preiented to Juno, we are luckily furnifhed with the 

 knowlege of the profits made in this extraordinary fortunate adven- 

 ture ; and they amounted to fixty talents, which, if they were Euboic 

 talents of filver, contained a quantity of that metal equal to ^//^f 1,625 

 flerling. \Herod. L. iv, c. 152] From the curious hiftory of this voyage 

 we alio know, what was reckoned a prodigious great fortune in the age 

 of Herodotus. The Greeks, however, appear not to have availed them- 

 felves of this accidental difcovery by continuing the trade f. 



616 Pfammitichus king of Egypt was fucceeded by his fon Necos. 



This prince, inheriting his father's defire to increafe the commerce of 

 his fubjeds, in order to open a trade with the rich countries of the Eafl, 

 rcfumed the grand defign (originally conceived by Sefoftris, and adual- 

 ly put in execution by him or his fon) of uniting the navigation of the 

 two feas by a great navigable canal. The conftrutTiion of canals, fo fi- 

 miliar to the prefent age, was fo little underflood in the time of Necos, 

 that the natural impediments were abfolutely infuperable by the fcience 

 of his engineers ; fo that the imdertaking was abandoned, after 120,000 

 workmen had loft their lives by the intolerable labour. [Harodot. L. ii, 



607 — Necos, thus difappointcd of effedlng a jundion between the 

 »wo feas, eftabliflied ports, and built a fleet of fliips on each of them ; 



* TI1C expedition, afcribetl to Herciilca, belongs they liavo enibellifhetl the motley tiiftory of thcii- 



10 Milcurlufi, wlio \[\ alfo called tlic Tyrian Her- own dcmigoil. 



ciilcs. The Grecian fabiilllls availtd ihcmfdvcs of f 'VUh will be explained in a note on the inia- 



tlin identity to juh iiim of liio aitions, wlieiewith p;innry Greek tKidc to Britain, uiukr the year 550 



j ^cfore Chrilt, 



