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To the northward of hither Egypt is Paleftine, to the eaftward 

 the land of Saracene, to the well: Libya, and to the fouth the 

 mountain called Climax. The head of the Nile is near the cliffs 

 of the Red Sea, though fome fay it is in the weftern part of 

 Africa, near mount Atlas, whence it flows over a large tract of 

 fand till it finks ; it then proceeds in its courfe till it becomes a 

 great fea ; and the fpot where the river takes its rife, is called by 

 fome Nuchul, and by others Dara. Hence, at fome diftance 

 from the wider part, before it rifes from the fand, it runs weft- 

 ward to Ethiopia, where the river is called Ion, till it reaches 

 •the eaftern parts, where it becomes wider '., and then it finks 

 again into the earth ; after which it appears oppofite to the cliffs 

 of the Red Sea (as I mentioned before), and from this place 

 (where it rifes again) is the river called Nilus. Then running 

 from thence weftward, the Nile divides its ftream round an ifland 

 called Meroe, and taking a turn to the northward, it empties it- 

 felf into the Mediterranean, where (in the winter feafon) the 

 current at the mouth is oppofed by the northern winds, fo that 

 the river is ipread all over Egypt, and by the rich earth which it 

 -carries along with it, fertilizes all that country. The further 

 Egypt lies along the fouthern part of the Red Sea, and to the 

 ■eaft lies the Ocean, and to the weft is the nearer Egypt, and in 

 ' the two Egypts are four and twenty nations. 



As we have given a defcription of the north part of Alia, now 

 will' we fpeak of the fou'ch part. We have before informed you 

 that mount. Caucafus is to the north of India, which begins firft 

 eaftward of the Ocean, and lies dne weft of the Armenian moun- 

 tains, which the inhabitants of the country call Parcoadra;, from 

 -\bich mountains the river Euphrates takes its rife, and from 



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1 Literally a great fea. 

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