Tiot cojitinued 



Obfervations in Egypt. 45^ 



been given to it upon the ilime Account ; or rather perhaps 

 from the Muddinefs of the Stream. For the Specimens ot it, 

 which I have often examined, were of a much lighter Colour^ 

 than our common Garden Mould ; neither doth the Stream 

 itfelf, when faturated with it, appear blacker than other 

 Rivers under the fame Circumitances. As for the Nile, (or iVi/, 

 as it is pronounced by the Inhabitants,) it is, in all Probability, 

 nothing more than a Contraftion QiNahhal, [Sm] i. e. The River , 

 as we may fuppofe it to have been called, by way of Eminence. 



In order to meafure the Ni/e's Increafe, there is built upon r/-^ Mikens^ 

 the Point of an liland, that lyes betwixt Kairo sLnd Geeza, a^^^/Sf^ 

 large Room, fupported by Arches, into which the Strean/'^''' 

 hath free Admittance. In the Middle of it is placed the 

 Mikeas [^Wi^] or meafuring Pillar, which is divided, as the 

 antient Nile [copes ' may be fuppofed to have been, into Cubits. 

 But the Cubit itfelf, or Teek, -ττίίχϋί, as it is ftill called, hath The cui,fs,h:^ 

 not continued the fame. For Her odoi/is a.cqunnts us, that, Ίη^ΐνΜ,ίαΖ 

 his Time, the Egypttan Cubit was the fame with the Samian^-Jttf^. 

 which, being no other, as we may conjeolure, than the com- 

 mon (?r<^a^^/ or v^/^/V Cubit ', containedvery little more* than 

 a Foot and a half oiEnglifi Meafure. Three or four Centuries 

 afterwards, when the famous Statue of the Nile, that is ftill 

 preferved at Rome, may be fuppofed to have been made, the 

 Cubit feems to have been of about το Inches : for fuch, ac- 

 cording to the exadleft Meafure that could be taken, is the 

 Height of one or other of the fixteen little Children, that are 

 placed upon it, and which reprefented, according to Thiloβratus', 

 ib many Cubits. The prefent Cubit is ftill, of a much greater 

 Extent ; though it will be difficult to determine the precife 

 Length of it. And indeed, with Regard to the Meafures of 

 the ^rahians^ as well as of other Nations, we have very few 

 Accounts or Standards that we can truft to. 



For Kalkafendas' makes the Hafemaan or Great Teek to hQGre^t 

 only twenty four Digits; but tht Arabian Author, quoted by S'L?S^ 



the Length of 

 , " , , ^ , -^ , this Cubit. 



I Κ«ΤΕ3•ϊ£Λ)<5«/ ΝΕΙΛ02Κ0ΠΕΙ0Ν V3TO Tai' Ρ««•/λ!&?^ ec T» Mi|Wf«. Dtod.l.l. Ό-ΪΧ. b. τη^-ων y^vaf 



"f νζίζ^ττίξίιηαί Ttumf Ί^ζβ. 7o7( Aiyj-n^ioK Λκαζωί α.ναγί^!ΐμμίν>ΐ{. ibid. V'ld. Stral;. Geogr. J. 17. 11.^62, 

 2 Ο 3 A/jiiTflf®• ;™χι/ί TO^^sCKH Ta•®' iay iri 2i«<V• Herod. Eut. 5• I<58. 3 ΈξατήίΊι (^ίζί(-dS■e) /jS/j -f 

 of^L|«i μίτξίομίιιιιί it, τΐ'ΤξαήχιΟ', των mJiof (Δμ τιτξϋτπχλα/ςκν Vayrtci, η Λ' τίχ?®', iptfaaKcu^^. Idem. 

 ibid. 5. 149•, 4 ^u•" HiofeiTor Greaves makes the Difference betwixt the Engiy}} and Greeks 

 Foot, (and ib in Proportion of the Cubit) to be as 1000 is to 1007IJ3. 5 ^^^ ilvNf'Kof h 

 "3•ίίχΗ5 i^i/£puji ■TTAiS'ici ξψμ-,τζΛ τ£ Ιιίματι. ■ij ό Νίΐλ@' uinois -^^άννυ-ηι,τά τιλ^λ, itj 'άτΐΜ^ίιτ]οιΐ7ΐν αύττγ, 

 5)ί•@Άοι;^(οίί 'sa-'X^^x. Philoflr. Icon. deNilo. 6 Septem autem genera Cubitorum ^abicorum 

 recenlec CdUofendius Philolo^iis. i. Cah'nui Homaraus , i| cubiti communis & μίτείν, t>vs'*>-b'^, 



R r r r r Golius 



Diver* 



