and ISLANDERS of Asia. 3 



it is not on vague and fufpected traditions, that we muft build our belief of 

 fuch events; but Newton, who advanced nothing in fcience without 

 demonstration, and nothing in hiftory without fuch evidence as he thought 

 conclufive, afferts from authorities, which he had carefully examined, that 

 <the Idumean voyagers i& carried with them both arts and fcienees, among 

 " which were their agronomy, navigation, and letters i for in Idume, fays he, 

 ** they had letters, and names for confellat/ons f before the days of Job, who 

 *' mentions them.*' Job, indeed, or the author of the book, which takes 

 its name from him, was of the Arabian ftock, as the language of that fub- 

 lime work inconteftably proves ; but the invention and propagation of let- 

 ters and aftronomy are by ail fo juftly afcribed to the Indian family, that, if 

 Strabo and Hetr.odo.tus were not grofHy deceived, the adventurous 

 Idumeans, who firft gave names to the ftars, and hazarded long voyages in 

 fhips of their own conftru&ion, could be no other than a branch of the 

 Hindu race : in all events, there is no ground for believing them of 2* fourth 

 diftinct lineage j and we need fay no more of them, till we meet them again, 

 on our return, under the name of Phenicians. 



As we pafs down the formidable fea, which rolls over its coral bed between 

 the coaft of the Arabs, or thofe, who fpeak the pure language of Ismail, 

 and that of the Ajams, or thofe, who mutter it barbaroujly, we find no cer- 

 tain traces, on the Arabian fide, of any people, who were not origi- 

 nally Arabs of the genuine or mixed breed: anciently, perhaps, there were 

 troglodytes in part of the peninfula, but they feem to have been long fup- 

 planted by the Nomades, or wandering herdfmen ; and who thofe Troglodytes 

 were, we mail fee very clearly, if we deviate a few moments from our in- 

 tended path, and make a fhort excurfion into countries very lately explored 

 on the Weftern, or African, fide of the Red Sea. 



A a 



