116 
is no doubt the sensitive plant, which he could only have 
seen in southern latitudes. 
Earlier than these times it is needless for our purpose to 
trace the history of medicine ; but it presents a perfect 
blank from the Peloponnesian war to that of Troy, or for 
a period of about 700 years. It is interesting only to 
observe, that Podalirius and Machaon were sprung from 
^Esculapius, the god of physic, who is described as being 
the son of Apollo: in him we recognise not only the Orus 
of the Egyptians, but also the Surya of the Hindoos, as has 
been long ago (v. p. 57), remarked by Professor Wilson. 
That Egypt was a highly civilized country, where 
philosophy and the sciences had, at an early period, 
made some progress, we might safely assume from its 
having been frequented by the Greeks for the purposes 
of study and information. That Lower Egypt was at a 
still earlier date a populous and flourishing kingdom; we 
know from the notice of it in Scripture, when visited 
by Abraham, about 1920 years before the Christian era. 
Memphis had at this time acquired great importance. 
The " hundred gated Thebes'" is the constant theme of 
Homer's praise, and must have been founded centuries 
before his time (8 or 900 B.C.). Even this must be long 
posterior to the peopling and civilisation of Nubia, whence 
the tide of civilisation is concluded, on good grounds, to 
have descended along the banks of the Nile. For." Ethi- 
opia's blameless race,'" who founded the ancient Meroe, 
and constructed the monuments of Nubia ; . must have 
flourished at a long anterior period. Because their temples, 
though similar to, are simpler than those, which, as the 
result of descending and improving ages, are, and ever 
have been, the wonder of ages. They were ancient also in 
the times, of what we now call those of ancient history. 
To have raised so many and such extensive structures, 
