~ 
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. agt 
fhepherds. Now the fhepherds, we are told, were the direc 
natural’ enemies of the Egyptians who lived in towns. 
The fhepherds alfo facrificed the god whom the Egyptians 
worfhipped. Wecannot (fays Mofes *) facrifice in this land 
the abomination of the Egyptians, left they ftone us. Ifthe 
Egyptians did not eat with them, fo neither would they with 
the Egyptians ; but it isa miftake that the Egyptians did not 
eat flefh as well as the fhepherds, it was only the flefh of cer= 
tain animals they differed on, and did not eat. 
Tue Egyptians wfortiipped the cow }, and the fhepherds 
lived upon her flefh, which made them a feparate people, 
that could not eat nor communicate together; and the very 
knowledge of this was, as we are informed by {cripture, 
the reafon why Jofeph told Pharaoh, when he afked him 
what profeffion his brethren were of, “ Your fervants, fays 
Jofeph, are fhepherds, and their employment the feeding of 
cattle ;” and this was given out, that the land of Gothen 
might be-allotted to them, and fo they and their defcendents 
be kept feparate from the Egyptians, and not expofed to 
mingle in their abominations. Or, though they had abftain- 
ed from thefe abominations, they could not kill cattle for 
facrifice or for food. ‘They would have raifed ill-will a- 
gainft themfelves, and, as Mofes fays, would have been 
ftoned, and-fo the end of bringing them to Gofhen would 
have been fruftrated, which was to nurfe them in a plen- 
tiful land, in peace and fecurity, till they fhould attain to 
be a mighty people, capable of fubduing and filling the 
land to which, at the end of their captivity, God was to 
lead them. 
O02 THE 
* Exod. chap. vili. ver. 26s + Herod, lib, ii, p. 104. fec. 4o 
