THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 657 



As for the firft, it is only the tranflation of the word Ba- 

 liar, applied to the Nile. The inhabitants of the Barabra, to 

 this day, call it Bahar el Nil, or, the Sea of the Nik, in con- 

 tradistinction to the Red Sea, which they know by no other 

 name but Bahar el Melech, the Salt Sea. The junction of 

 the three great rivers ; the Nile, flowing on the weft of 

 Meroe ; the Tacazze, which wafhes the eaft fide, and joins 

 the Nile at Maggiran, in lat. 1 f ; and the Mareb, which falls 

 into this laft, fomething above this junction — gives the name 

 •of Triton to the Nile. 



More doubt has been raifed as to the third name, ^Egyp- 

 tus, which it obtains in Homer, and which, I apprehend, 

 was a very ancient name given it even in Ethiopia. The 

 generality, nay, all interpreters, I may fay, imagine, as in 

 that of Siris, that this name was given it in relation to its 

 colour, viz. black; but with this I cannot agree; Egypt, in the 

 Ethiopic, is called y Gipt, Agar; and, an inhabitant of the 

 country, Gypt, for precifely fo it is pronounced, which means 

 the country of ditches, or canals, drawn from the Nile on 

 both fides at right angles with the river ; nothing, fure- 

 ly is more obvious than to write y Gipt, lb pronouncing 

 Egypt, and, with its termination, us, or os, Egyptus. The Nile 

 is alfo called Kronidcs, Jupiter ; as alfo fevei al other names ; 

 but thefe are rather the epithets of poets, relative and tran- 

 ficory, not the permanent appellation of the river. 



I would pafs over another name, that of Geon, which 

 fome of the fathers of the church have fondly given it, pre- 

 tending it was one of the rivers that came from the terref- 

 trial paradife, and enconipaifcd the whole land of Cum, 

 whilll, for this purpofe, they bring it two thoufand miles by 



Vol. III. 4 O a feries 



