278 AN ESSAY ON THE 



the Western parts of Europe, including Gaul and 

 Spain. Homer uses, in that sense, the appellations 

 of Hyper cm and Apera"^; Abera is found in Apollo- 

 dorus; for thus we must read instead of Abdera, as 

 we shall see hereafter. It is well known to the 

 learned, that, at a very remote period, Europe and 

 Africa were considered but as one of the two grand 

 divisions of the world ; and that the appellation of 

 Africa was even extended to the Western parts of 

 Europe, all along the shores of the Atlantic. Hence 

 the West wind, or Zephifriis, is called the Lybian 

 or African wind; and Homer, if I am not mista- 

 ken, makes Zephyrus to blov^r directly from Lybia^ 

 or Africa into Greece. 



Instead o^ para and purxia, the word much' a, face, 

 or front, is often used, particularly in the spoken 

 dialects, and some times with the augmentative 

 particle su; and in the dialect o^ Bengal, sho; thus 

 they say sho much, right in front, due East. 

 Though equally grammatical, yet it is not usual to 

 say, Su-para, Su-purva, Sho-para, or Sho-purva, in 

 that sense. It seems, however, that it was once in 

 use ; for in Scripture we have Pariaim and Se-par- 

 vaim, or Se-pharvaint, the name of a country, the 

 situation of which is by no means well ascertained; 

 yet it is probable, that it was near the mountains 

 of Se-phar, or Se-para, towards the East, according 

 to Scripture: and it is not unreasonable to suppose, 

 that Parvaim, Se-pharvaim, with the mountains of 

 Se-phar, belong to the same country, which I take 

 to be India, called by the Copts, Sopheir ; and by no 

 means to be confounded with Ophir. India is also 

 called, by Hesyciiius and Josephus, Su-phir, or 

 Su-pheir* and So-phora l)y PROcopiusf. 



* Odyss. Lib. VI". V. 4, el Lib. VII". v. 8, ApoUod. Biblioth. 

 p. Lib. IL §. to. 



t Procopius in Schol. ad Lib. 3, Regum, 



