5 6 Before Clirift 607. 



have applied to them for navigators rather than to the Piioenicians, who 

 could have no knovvlege of the navigation of the eaft coaft of Africa, 

 except what they might perhaps derive from the journals of the navi- 

 gators, who accompanied Solomon's vefTels almoft four centuries before. 

 But the Phoenicians appear to have been the only people known to the 

 Egyptians as navigators. To them, therefor, Necos applied, and they, 

 mindful of the advantages reaped by their anceftors from a participa- 

 tion with Solomon of the ufe of a harbour in the Red fea, gladly en- 

 gaged in an adventure, whereby they hoped to have an opportunity of 

 becoming acquainted with the rich countries, whence the Arabians ob- 

 tained the pretious commodities, which every year drew great fums of 

 money from them. But we may be afTured, that the Phoenician com- 

 mander did not negled to fhip onboard each of his veflels at lead two 

 Arabian pilots, acquainted with the navigation of the Red fea and a 

 confiderable extent of the eafl coaft of Afi-ica, and with the nature of 

 the tides (fo dreadful to the Mediterranean navigators), the prevailing 

 currents, and periodical winds. 



The Greek colonies in Afia, by their intercourfe with the Phrygians, 

 Lydians, and other nations in their neighbourhood, who were in a more 

 advanced ftate of fociety than themfelves, but more particularly by their 

 commercial intercourfe with the Phoenicians and Egyptians, nations ftill 

 more civilized and enlightened, emerged from barbarifm long before 

 the European Greeks, and greatly outftripped them in the career of li- 

 terature and philofophy, as well as of commerce. And hence v\^e find, 

 that almoft all the early poets, hiftorians, and profeflors of natural and 

 moral philofophy, whofe great talents have raifed a monument of ever- 

 lafting fame to Greece, were in reality natives of the Afiatic coaft, or of 

 the adjacent iflands *. Among the earlieft of the Greek philofophei-s 

 was I'hales of Miletus, defcended of Phoenician parentage, who by tra- 

 vel and ftudy among the Egyptians, and no doubt, among his Phoeni- 

 cian relations, acquired fonie knowlege of geometry and aftronomy. 

 He pointed out to the Greeks the conftellation called tbe lejfer bea?-, by 

 which the Phoenicians fteered their courfe in the night ; and he impart- 

 ed to them the knowlege of the rotundity of the earth, the divifion of 

 it into five zones, and the Egyptian divifion of the year into 365 days ;■ 

 notvv'ithftanding which they perfifted for hundreds of years after his 

 time in the erroneous calculation by 360 days. But, what chiefly com- 

 manded the admiration of an ignorant people, was his prediction of the 

 year (601) in which a remarkable eclipfe of the fun fhould happen, and 

 the accidental circumftance of two arniies, adually engaged in battle,, 



feparating on account of the unufual darknefs. [flcrod. L. i, c. 74 



Diog. Lnert. L. i] His predidion of the eclipfe, coming no nearer than 



• A v:rcat ruml)cr of their names arc collcfted by BlackwcU in his Enquiry inlo'the, life and wrlt-^ 

 ti'gi nf Homer, pj}. \i— \ ^, fourth cd. j 



