m 



■On. Egypt a « d the Nile 



Edonos of the Greeks, who reigned in Pale/tine and in the country arounql 

 Damafcus: his friend CaiceVa* whom the Greeks called Orontes, renew- 

 ed, the fight, and was alfo flam. ■ Then came the king of the Cudla-ckfas, 

 and Maha'sya'-ma, ruler of the Sydma-mucbas, andufually refiding in Arva- 

 Ji'ban, or Arabia ; the former of whom I conceive to be Blemys; and the 

 fecond Arabus, whom the Greek Mythologies alfo named Orobandas 

 and Or u andes: they fought a long time with valour, but were defeated ; 

 and, on their humiliating themfelves and imploring forgivenefs, were allowed 

 to retire, with the remains of their army, to the banks of the Call, where 

 they fettled; while Parasu-ra'ma, having terminated the war in Gufia- 

 dwipa, returned to his. own country, where he was deftined to meet with 

 adventures yet more extraordinary. 



This legend is told nearly in the fame manner by the poet Nonnus, a 

 •native of Egypt -, who fays, that, after the defeat of Ly cur g us, the Arabs 

 yielded and offered facriiices to Bacchus ; a title corrupted from Bh a ca- 

 va t, or the preferring power, of which a ray ox: portion had become incarnate 

 in the perfon of Parasu-ramac he relates, that " Blemys with curled 

 ff hair, chief of the ruddy, or Erytbrean Indians, held up a bloodlefs olive- 

 S( branch with the fupplicating troops, and bowed a fervile knee to Dion Ysos, 

 :'-' who had flain his Indian fubjedts; that the God, beholding him bent to 

 " the ground, took him by the hand and raifed him; but conveyed him, to*- 

 " gether with his many-tongued people, far from the dark Erytbrean Indians., 

 tf (fmce he abhorred the government and manners of Deriadeus) to the 

 f' ikirt of Arabia-, that He, near the contiguous ocean, dwelt in the happy 

 ■" region and gave a name to the inhabitants of its towns j but that rapid 

 " Blemys paffed onward to the mouth of the Nile with feven branches, 

 ft defdned to be a contemporary ruler over the people of Ethiopia; that the 



