In Syria^ Phoenice &V. ^-^i 



Greek Coin likewife of his SonTi^m ', ftruck upon a like Occafi- 

 on5\ve fee a Shield, fufpended upon a PahiiTree, with a Victory 

 writing upon it. The fame Tree is made an Emblem o^Nea- 

 polis \ (formerly Slchem^ or Na-plofa, as it is now called) upon 

 a Medal oiT>omitian\ and of Seppbor/s' (or Saffour according 

 to the prefent Name,) xhQ Metropolis oi Galilee^ upon one of 

 Trajan s. It may be prefumed therefore that the Palm Tree 

 was formerly very much cultivated in the Holy Land. We Jericho ^/a^j 



•^ •' _ _ ^ , abounds with 



have indeed feveral of thefe Trees ftill remaining at Jericho^ y them. 

 where there is the Convenience they require of being often 

 watered : where likewife the Climate is warm, the Soil fandy, 

 and fuch as they delight to grow in. But at Sichem and other 

 Places to the Northward, 1 I'arely faw above two or three of 

 them together ; and even thefe, as their Fruit doth rarely or 

 ever arrive to Maturity, ferve more for Ornament than Ufe. 

 Upon that Part of the Sea Coaft, which I am acquainted with, 

 there were ftill fewer; and even thofe I met with, grew either 

 out of fome Ruin, or elfe fliaded the Retreat of one or other 

 of their Sbekhs, as they call the Saints of This Country. From 

 the Condition and C^ality therefore of thefe Trees at prefent, 

 it is very probable (provided the Climate and thc.Sea Air fhould 

 be, contrary to Experience, aflifting to their Increafe) that they 

 could never be either numerous or fruitful. The Opinion then „^ 



r phoenice not 



of fome Authors ' that Thozn'ice is the fame with a Country of/» caUedfrom 



^ being a Cottn- 



Date Trees, doth not appear to be well srounded; for we?r7»/Paim 



■ Trees 



may juftly imagine, that in Cafe fo necelTary and beneficial 

 a Plant had been once cultivated to Advantage, it would have 



I IOTAAIA2 EAAiiKTiAS. Viclorlafcribens in clypeo Palm£ appenfo. Vid. P'aiU. IsamlL Imp. 



Rom. Grsc. p. 21. 2 4>AAOTi. NEAFloAI. CAMAp. L. Ai. PalniA arbor. Id. p.24. 3 cEn*nPHNliNv. 



Pdlma arbcr.ld.p.^o. 4//(fW(.7;«xPalmetisconfita,fontibusirrJgua. Plin. l.j.cap.14. Exuberant 



fruges, (f'tys Tacitus, [peaking of this Ceuntrji) noftrum in morcm; prxtcrque eas Balfamum 



& Palmx. 1. y. cap.d. Strabo dcfcribeth ymf/;o to be (a?i!oi'«{o)' liJ psiv/zv, ]. x6. p.iiofJ,) 



Abounding with Date Trees. For the City of Palm Trees. Dcut.34.3. Judg. (. i6. and 3. 13, 



the Targum puts the City of Jericho, y Quod ad nomcn attinct Phcenices, id a Palrais efle 



duftum mihi videtur veri fimile ; alii a Phointce quodam id ducunt. Reland. Palaeft. p. jo. 



Palma arbor Urbis {Aradi) eft fymbolum, quo pler^que Phoenicia urbes utcbantur, quod 



*OINI= arbor provincis ?/;ffKki<e nomen dederit. F<t?V/. de Uxbib. p. 257. Oftheiame 



Opinion was Califthenes, according to the Author of the Hiftory of the World, p. zoy. But 



the moft probable Conjedure for the Name is as follows. " Edom, Erphra, and Phcenicia, are 



" Names of the fame fignification, the Words denoting a red colour : which makes it proba- 



" ble that the Erjthrcans who fled from David, fettled in great Numbers in Phcenicia j i.e. in 



" all the Sea Coalts of Syria, fcomEgjpt to Zidon: and by calling themfelves Phceniclans, in the 



♦'Language of Syria, inftead o( Erythreans, gave the Name of P/jffH/drf, to all that Sea Coaft, 



" and to that only. Sir If. Newton's Chron. p.io8, 109. Bochartvery ingenioufly fuppofeih 



the Fhcenl:es to be a corruption of p2y 03 Beri Anak^, { The Children of yftiak, ) Lib, j. 



Chan. ca^). i. 



A a a a a z it 



