INTRODUCTION. 25 



the early period of the history of the Patriarchs, some as- 

 sociated tribes, that had previously inhabited the country to 

 the east of Egypt, invaded and conquered the districts bor- 

 dering on the Nile, and established a dynasty there under 

 the appellation of the Shepherd Kings. The Abimelech, with 

 whom Abraham had controversy, and who presented to him 

 sheep, oxen, and slaves, was one of those shepherd kings. 



To Egypt, then, let the honor still be yielded of having 

 first woven the fibres of the flax into linen ; but the invention 

 of weaving, the conversion into cloth of the animal fibres that 

 grow on the back of the sheep, is a claim of yet more an- 

 cient date, and belongs either to those who wandered with 

 their flocks far from the plains of Ararat, or who carried the 

 customs and arts of their forefathers into the country which 

 they subjugated."* 



Burckhardt thus describes the loom at present found among 

 the Arab shepherds : — 



" The Arab women use a very simple loom ; it is called 

 nulon, and consists of two short sticks, which are stuck into 

 the ground at a certain distance according to the desired 

 breadth of the shauke, or piece to be worked. A third stick 

 is placed across over them, and over the two horizontal cross 

 sticks, the woof. To keep the upper and under woof at a 

 proper distance from each other, a flat stick is placed between 

 them. A piece of wood serves as the weaver's shuttle, and 

 a short gazelle's horn is used in beating back the thread of 

 the shuttle. The loom is placed before the maharrem, or 

 women's apartment, and worked by the mother and her 

 daughters. The distaflf is in general use among them. At 

 Palmyra I saw several men using the distaff"; and among 

 the Kilby Arabs all the shepherds manufacture wool." 



The foregoing details are important as aiding to confirm, 

 by collateral testimony, the authenticity of the Scriptures as 

 shown in the customs of the wandering hordes of the East 

 at the present day, which are the identical customs of the prim- 

 itive shepherds : also, the humanity and watchfulness of their 

 flocks which characterized the latter, examples which should 

 have their due weight with every shepherd now, and in all 

 time to come. 



* Farmer's Series. 

 3 



