THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 463 



Ptolemy Evergetes, fon and fuccefibr of Ptolemy Phila- 

 delphus, availed himfelf of this 'difcovery. Having provid- 

 ed himfclf amply with ncceffarics for his army, and order- 

 ed a fleet to coaft along befide him, up the R.ed Sea, he pe- 

 netrated quite through the country of the Shepherds into 

 that of the Ethiopian Troglodytes, who are black and wool- 

 ly-headed, and inhabit the low country quite to the moun- 

 tains of Abyffinia. Nay *, he even afcended thofe moun- 

 tains, forced the inhabitants to fubmiflion, built a large 

 temple at Axum, the capital of Sire, and railed a great many 

 obelifks, feveral of which are Handing to this day. After- 

 wards proceeding to the fouth-eaft, he defcended into the 

 cinnamon and myrrh country, behind Cape Gardefan, (the 

 Cape that terminates the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean) 

 from this,' croffed over to Arabia, to the Homerites, being; 

 the fame people with the Abyffinians, only on the Arabian 

 more. He then conquered feveral of the Arabian princes, 

 who firft refilled him, and had it in his power to have put 

 an end to the trade of India there, had he not been as great 

 a politician as he was a warrior. He ufed his victory, there- 

 fore, in no other manner, than to exhort and oblige thefe 

 princes to protect trade, encourage ftrangers, and, by every 

 means, provide for the furety of neutral intercourfe, by ma- 

 king rigorous examples of robbers by fea and land.. 



The reigns of the latter Ptolemies were calculated to 

 bring this commerce to a decline, had it not been for two 

 great events, the fall of Carthage, deftroyed by Scipio, and 

 that of Corinth, by the cenful Mummius. The importance of 



thefe 



* Men. Aduli. 



