222 TRAVELS TO DISCO VEIt 



proteclecl ; and in this cafe will, I hope, be found a valuable- 

 fragment, becaufe, whatever have been my conscientious 

 fears of running fervants, who work for pay, into danger of 

 lofmg their lives by. peril of the fea, yet I can fafely fay, that 

 never did the face of man, or fear of danger to myfelf, deter 

 me from verifying with my eyes, what my own hands have ; 

 put upon paper. 



In the days of the Ptolemies, and, as I mall fhew, long 

 before, the weft coaft of the P^ed Sea, where, the deepefl wa- 

 ter, and moft dangerous rocks are, was the track which the 

 Indian and African mips chofe, when loaded with the richeft 

 merchandife that ever veiTels fmce canned. The Ptolemies 

 built a number of large cities on this coaft ; nor do we hear 

 that mips were obliged to abandon that track, from the dif- 

 afters that befel them in the navigation. On the contrary, 

 they avoided the coaft of Arabia ; and one reafon, among 

 others, is plain why they ihould ; — they were loaded with 

 the moft valuable commodities, gold, ivory, gums, and pre- 

 cious ftones ; room for ftowage on board therefore was very- 

 valuable.. 



Part of this trade, when at its greateft perfection, was 

 carried on in veflels with oars. We know from the prophet 

 Ezekiel*, 700 years before Chrift, or 300 after Solomon had . 

 iiniihed his trade with Africa and India, that they did not 

 always make ufe of fails in the track of the monfbons ; and ; 

 confequentiy a great number of men muft have been necef- 



fary 



*Ezek. chap, xxvii. 6th and 29th verfes» 



