THESOURCEOFTHENILE. 467 



name, and being in danger of his life, he fled and embark- 

 ed on the Red Sea, failed round the peninfula of Africa, 

 croiTed the Atlantic Ocean, and came fafely to Cadiz. 



The fpirit of inquiry, and dcfire of travelling, fpread it- 

 felf inilantly through Egypt, upon this voyage of Eudoxus ; 

 and different travellers pufhed their difcoveries into the 

 heart of the country, where fome of the nations arc report- 

 ed to have been fo ignorant as not to know the ufe of fire : 

 ignorance almoft incredible, had we not an inflance of it in 

 our own times. It was in the reign of Ptolemy IX. that A- 

 gatharcides * drew up his defcription of the Red Sea. 



The reigns of the other Ptolemies ending in the Xlllthof 

 that name, though full of great events, have nothing ma- 

 terial to our prefent fubjec~t. Their conftant expence and 

 profufion mull have occafioned a great confumption of 

 trading articles, and very little elfe was wanting; or, if there 

 had, it muft have arrived at its height in the reign of the 

 celebrated Cleopatra; whofe magnificence, beauty, and great 

 talents, made her a wonder, greater than any in her capital. 

 In her time, all nations flocked, as well for curiofity as 

 trade, to Alexandria ; Arabs, Ethiopians, Troglodytes, Jews, 

 and Medes ; and all were received and protected by this 

 princefs, who fpokc to each of them in his own languagef. 



The difcovery of Spain, and the pofTeilion of the mines 

 of Attica from which they drew their filver, and the revo- 



-; N 2 lution 



* Dodwcll'b Diflertat. vol. I. Scrip. Grcec. Min. Id. Ox. 1698. 8vo. 

 4- Plut. Vita. Ant. p. 913. torn, 1. part 2. Lubec. 1*124. fol. 



