604 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



at laft come down, as great a fecret as ever, to thefe latter, 

 times of bold and impartial inquiry. 



Though Egypt was not created by the Nile, it was the 

 lirft part that received benefit from it ; it was there, in the 

 time of its overflowing, that it appeared in all its beauty, 

 and Egypt meafured its profperity or defolation by the a- 

 bundance or fcantinefs of this ftream. It was not, however, 

 in Egypt the inquiries into the time and caufe of its inun- 

 dation began ; all thefe were fettled and reduced to rule be- 

 fore a city was built within the reach of the inundation. 



Man, that knew not the caufe, was alfo ignorant of the 

 limits of that inundation, having only in his mind a tradi- 

 tion of deluges that had deftroyed the earth, traces of which 

 appeared on every hill. He was with reafon aftonimed to 

 fee, that, wild and wide as the torrent appeared, it was fub- 

 ject to the controul of fome power that prohibited it from 

 irregularity in the time of its coming, and forbade it to de- 

 ftroy the land it was deflined to enrich ; they faw it fubfide 

 within its banks, and overflow no more after it had afford- 

 ed to hufbandry the utmoft advantage it could receive. But 

 what the controuling power was they knew not, confe- 

 quently could never divine whether this regularity was 

 tranfitory or perpetual ; whether it was not liable, at fome 

 time, to break its bonds, and fweep both man and his la- 

 bours together into the ocean. 



Whether the Nile was conftant to its time of riling, whe- 

 ther it did not revolve in fome cycle or period, or whether, 

 arrived at a certain number of inundations, it was not to 

 -flop and overflow no more, was what could only be deter- 

 mined 



