3 68 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



enrich herfelf all at once, fhe effectually ruined that com- 

 merce, and her kingdom fell immediately afterwards. 



Whoever reads thehillory of the moll ancient nations, will 

 find the origin of wealth and power to have rifen in the 

 eaft ; then to have gradually advanced weftward, fpreading 

 itfelf at the fame time north and fouth. They will find the 

 riches and population of thofe nations decay in proportion 

 as this trade forfakes them ; which cannot but fugged to 

 a good underftanding, this truth conftantly to be found in 

 the difpoiition of all things in this univerfe, that God makes 

 ufe of the fmalleft means and caufes to operate the greateft 

 and moll powerful effects- In his hand a pepper-corn is the 

 foundation of the power, glory, and riches of India ; he 

 makes an acorn, and by it communicates power and rich- 

 es to nations divided from India by thoufands of leagues 

 of fea. 



Let us purfue our confideration of Egypt. Sefoflris, be- 

 fore the time we have been juft fpeaking of, paffed with a 

 fleet of large mips from the Arabian Gulf into the Indian 

 Ocean ; he conquered part of India, and opened to Egypt 

 the commerce of that country by fea. I enter not into the 

 credibility of the number of his fleet, as there is fcarce any 

 thing credible left us about the (hipping and navigation of 

 the ancients, or, at lcaft, that is not full of difficulties and 

 contradictions ; my bufmefs is with the expedition, not with 

 the number of the mips. It would appear he revived, ra- 

 ther than firft difcovered, this way of carrying on the trade 

 to the Eaft Indies, which, though it was at times intermit- 

 ted, (perhaps forgot by the Princes who were contending 

 for the fovereignty of the continent of Alia), was, neverthe- 



lcfs, 



