THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2 9 x 



fhepherds. Now the fhepherds, we are told, were the direct 

 natural enemies of the Egyptians who lived in towns. 

 The fhepherds alio facrinced the god whom the Egyptians 

 worfhipped. We cannot (fays Mofes *) facrifice in this land 

 the abomination of the Egyptians, left they ftone us. If the 

 Egyptians did not eat with them, fo neither would they with 

 the Egyptians ; but it is a millake that the Egyptians did not 

 eat fieifi as well as the fhepherds, it was only the fiefli of cer- 

 tain animals they differed on, and did not eat. 



The Egyptians worfhipped the cow f, and the fhepherds 

 lived upon her fiefli, which made them a feparate people, 

 that could not eat nor communicate together ; and the very 

 knowledge of this was, as we are informed by fcripture, 

 the reafon why Jofeph told Pharaoh, when he afked him 

 what profeflion his brethren were of, " Your fervants, fays 

 Jofeph, are fhepherds, and their employment the feeding of 

 cattle ;" and this was given out, that the land of Golhen 

 might be allotted to them, and fo they and their defcendents 

 he kept feparate from the Egyptians, and not expofed to 

 mingle in their abominations. Or, though they had abftain- 

 ed from thcfe abominations, they could not kill cattle for 

 facrifice or for food. They would have raifed ill-will a- 

 gainft themfelves, and, as Mofes fays, would have been 

 ftoned, and fo the end of bringing them to Gofhen would 

 have been fruftrated, which was to nurfe them in a plen- 

 tiful land, in peace and fecurity, till they fliould attain to 

 be a mighty people, capable of fubduing and filling the 

 land to which, at the end of their captivity, God was to 

 lead them. 



O o 2 The 



: Exod. chap, viii. ver. 26, f Heiod. lib. ii. p. 104. fee. 43, 



