Ohfervations in Egypt. 4.^^ 



been given to it upon the fame Account ; or rather perhaps 

 from the Muddinefs of the Stream. For the Specimens ot it, 

 which I have often examined, were of a much lighter Colour, 

 than our common Garden Mould ; neither doth the Stream 

 itfelf, when faturated with it, appear blacker than other 

 Rivers under the fame Circumftances. As for the Nile^ (or Ktl, 

 as it is pronounced by the Inhabitants,) it is, in all Probability, 

 nothing more than a Contraction oiNahhal^ ['7nj]i. e. The River, 

 as we may fuppofe it to have been called, by way of Eminence. 



In order to meafure the Ni/e's Increafe, there is built upon r^^ Mikens, 

 the Point of an Ifland, that lyes betwixt Ktiiro and Geeza, Hor^^eajFrlli: 

 large Room, fupported by Arches, into which the Stream ^''^'"^' 

 hath free Admittance. In the Middle of it is placed the 

 Mikeas [^Wi] or meafuring Pillar, which is divided, as the 

 antient Nilefcopes ' may be fuppofed to have been, into Cubits. 

 But the Cubit itfelf, or Teek, 'x'^x'i, as it is ftill called, ha.thTL'Cui,ts,h- 

 not continued the fame. For Herodotus acquaints us, that, in divM, 'Lve 

 his Time, xhe Egyptian Cubit was the fame with the *S'^w/W';S/«r/.""'"' 

 which, being no other, as we may conjecture, than the com- 

 mon Gnecian or y^ttic Cubit ', contained very little more * than 

 a Foot and a half oiEngliJJj Meafure. Three or four Centuries 

 afterwards, when the famous Statue of the Nile, that is ftill 

 preferved at Rome, may be fuppofed to have been made, the 

 Cubit feems to have been of about 10 Inches : for fuch, ac- 

 cording to the exaCteft Meafure that could be taken, is the 

 Height of one or other of the fixteen little Children, that are 

 placed upon it, and which reprefented, according to TJoilofiratus', 

 lb many Cubits. The prefent Cubit is ftill, of a much greater 

 Extent ; though it will be difficult to determine the precife 

 Length of it. And indeed, with Regard to the Meafures of 

 the Arahians^ as well as of other Nations, we have very few 

 Accounts or Standards that we can truft to. 



For Kalkafendas^ makes the Hafemaan ov Great Teek to hecr^at Diver. 

 only twenty four Digits; but the Arabian Author, quoted by 



fity of Opini- 

 ons concer?!ivg 

 tioe Length of 

 , „ , , ., , this Cubit. 



I Y.a-n7iMi'^ NEIAOSKOriEION vara -rav ^aiTi>^iav ly 7» Mi/zffy. D'lod. I.I. p. 23. ix. •m»<.av yg}vi»i 



<} sTi^TOjriffiaf To/jTj/f ^^ 70K hiyj-^iois emaSas Imyi^tixfjiiYiif. ibid. Vid. Strab. Geogr. J. 17. p. ctf2. 

 2 O 3 Ao'JTf?/®- Tmynjf -juyxa-y^ ^t<^Qr ti^* ttS 2»t(ui'M. Herod. Eut. 5- K^^- 3 ^tTrih (i^UT^h) fjS^ ^ 

 l(^^'ii< iMTiiofditis x^ TiltAirYtyiQf, jav TmSiiiv (^ ■nt^itTnihau^v ioiiTay, n Si nAyiQr, i^ct.7m>^al^\s. Idem. 

 ibid. ?. 149. 4 Our PiofefTor Greaves makes the Difference betwixt the Englijh and Gteek, 

 Foot, (and fo in Proportion of the Cubit) to be as 1000 is to loo^j^. <; nw rlvNt^Kov » 

 itviytis i.^ugi>u7t ■Tra.iS'ia. ^uf^fMr^a 7a hd/xaTi. 19 NfiA®- aino7( \iaf}cLn<JTm,-m -nahAoi, K) oti KiifuT']ov:nv twiiv, 

 07Qr Aiyv-SioK 'ots-'X'^x. Philojlr. Icon. deM/o. 6 Septem autem genera Cubiturum /Irabtcorum 

 recenfet GMcofenditis Philohgtts. i. Cab'nasHotnar^us, i| cubiti communis & /JUTela, tSAJUljo, 



R r r r r Golius 



