OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. 695 



most men, equal to about 18 or 19 inches,— and the length, very nearly of the 

 cubit as employed amongst the Greeks and Romans. But amongst the Egyptians, 

 Assyrians, and Phoenicians, the cubit was more nearly — 20*7 inches ; and was 

 seldom found more than a few tenths of an inch different therefrom ; while in 

 Egypt more particularly, it was kept and is still kept, very close thereto, by 

 being engraved on the column of the Nilometers ; no departure from the scale 

 of which can take place, without introducing immense confusion into the agri- 

 culture of the country. Whatever, therefore, was the derivation, or reason for 

 originally fixing on that particular length for a working scale, or measure, — 

 there seems no doubt amongst all authors, ancient and modern, that the chief 

 Egyptian cubit both is, and always was, close upon 20*7 inches in length. 



Amongst other authors. Sir Isaac Newton deduces this size for it, from 

 some of the passage measures of the Great Pyramid ; which we know, from 

 other sources, must have been built by Egyptian workmen. And, in his " Dis- 

 sertation on Cubits," he shows that its, (the 20*7 inch cubit), use was introduced 

 among the Israelites, during their long captivity in Egypt, and their cruel bond- 

 age to building work, which required constant attention to measures. He points 

 out, however, in strangely clear and express terms, that they looked on it inva- 

 riably as "a profane and adventitious cubit," as " the cubit of a man," merely ; 

 and employed it only for ordinary, social, and week-day purposes : while, for 

 sacred occupations, they employed a certain other and larger cubit, which he has 

 reason to believe that the leaders of their race had received, or adopted in very 

 early times indeed, or long before they went down to Egypt. In such case, the 

 preserving of that measure through the Egyptian captivity, and its after restriction 

 to sacred purposes only, and its continued employment therein up to the time of 

 Josephus, — form very notable features in its history ; and Sir Isaac endeavours 

 to arrive at a precise knowledge of its size. By continued approximations from 

 many facts, he reduces the limits within which its length must be contained, from 

 variations of 2 or 3 inches, to hardly as many tenths ; and at last arrives at the 

 absolute length of 249 English inches as the most probable result. He guards, 

 however, against this determination being considered final, and refers its improve- 

 ment to those who shall hereafter Treasure more stones in the Great Pyramid and 

 the Temple at Jerusalem: pending which, but noting the usual shortening of standard 

 scales in long ages, and that much of the above determination rests on a scale pre- 

 served by the Talmudists, and which they confess was shorter than two ancient 



I copies of the sacred cubit engraved on the walls of Susan and Babylon, — there 

 seems fully suflacient reason to increase the 24-9 English, to 25*0 Pyramid, inches. 



j And now comes the question, why should a measuring rod of that length have 

 been considered as "sacred;" and one so little differing from it, as 20-7, be con- 

 sidered " profane, and amongst a people frequently receiving divine revelation 

 of knowledge ?" We have no reason given in the Bible to guide us, and none 



VOL. XXIII. PART III. 9 A 



