1044 CONCLUSIO N. 
then have a Account of the Countries that lie 
between jijta and America^ with which the Inhabitants 
of Europe are moft defirous of being acquainted, and 
towards obtaining of which we have done all that lies in 
our Power, by labouring to Ihew, that fuch a Circum- 
navigation is not either impofllble or impra6licable, 
notwithftanding what has been alledged by fome very 
underftanding Perfons to the contrary. 
III. The Plan upon which the History of the 
Commerce of the Indies is written, the Publick muft 
be fatisfied is entirely new j and as it is very extenfive, 
taking in the Accounts of the remoteft Antiquity ; fo, 
upon reviewing it, there appears to be fome Room for 
Emendation. There is not the leaft Doubt to be made, 
that the firft Mention we have of Indian Commodities, 
is theTraffick carried on in Spices by the Idumeans and 
we have faid in general Terms, that they carried on a 
Trade with Arabia^ Perfia, and India^ from which we 
have no Reafon to depart ; but perhaps that Matter is 
not quite fo clearly explained' as it might be, and as 
the bell Lights that can be obtained from Hiifory 
confirm it, fo there is much Probability in the Conjec- 
tures offered upon this Subjedt, fmee the Publication of 
this Work, that the firft Traders by Sea in the World 
'w&vQ Arabians. We will therefore lay hold of this 
Opportunity of inferting a very curious Paffage from a 
late Treatife on Trade and Commerce, which will very 
much illuftrate, though it does not in the leaft contradidl 
what is advanced in the third Sedtion of the fecond 
Chapter of our firft Book ; that Paffage runs thus : 
“ It is a Point as yet undecided by the Learned, 
to what Nation the Invention and firft Ufe of Com- 
“ merce belonged ; fome attribute it to one People, 
“ fome to another, for Reafons that are too long to be 
“ difeuffed here. But after mature Refledlion, I muft 
“ confels it feems moft probable to me, that the Inha- 
“ bitants of Arabia were thofe that firft made long 
“ Voyages. It muft be allow’d, that no Country was fo 
“ happily feated for this Purpofc as that which they in- 
“ habited, being a Peninfula wafhed on three Sides by 
“ three famous Seas, the Arabian.^ Indian and Perjian. 
“ It is alfo certain, that it was very early inhabited, 
and the firft Notice we have of any confiderable 
Trade, refers it to the IJhmaelites, who were fettled 
“ in the higher Part of Arabia. To them Jofeph was 
fold by his Brethren when they were going down 
with their Camels to Egypt with Spicery, Balm and 
« Myrrh. 
“ It may feem ftrange to infer from hence, that 
“ Commerce was already pradlifed by this Nation, 
“ fince Mention is here made of Camels, or a Caravan, 
“ which certainly implies an Inland Trade ; and it muft 
be likewife allowed, that Balm and Myrrh were the 
Commodities of their Country. But whence had 
they the Spicery ? Or how came Arabia to be fo fa- 
“ mous in ancient Times for Spices ? Or whence pro- 
“ ceeded that Miftake of many great Authors of An- 
“ tiquity, that Spices adtually grew there Moft cer- 
“ tainly becaufe thefe People dealt in them, and that 
** they dealt in them the firft of any Nation that we 
“ know of, appears from this very Inftance : Straboy 
“ and many other good Authors, afture us, that in fuc- 
“ ceeding Times they were very great Traders ; they 
“ tell us particularly what Ports they had, what prodi- 
“ gious Magazines they kept of the richeft Kinds of 
“ Goods i what wonderful Wealth they obtained ; in 
“ what prodigious Magnificence they lived ; and into 
“ what Exceffes they fell, in refpedl to their Expences, 
“ for Carving, Building, and Statues. All this fhews 
“ that they were very great Traders • and it alfo fhews 
that they traded to the Eabf-IndieSy for from thence 
“ only they could have their Spices, their rich Gums, 
their fweet-feented Woods, and their Ivory, all 
“ which it is exprefly faid that they had in the greateft 
Abundance. This therefore proves they had an ex- 
tenfive and flour ifhing Commerce, and that they had 
“ it earlier than any other Nation, feems to me evident 
« from their dealing at that Time in Spices. 
« Befides, there is much lefs Difficulty in fuppofing 
« that they firft difeovered the Route to the/»^w, than 
if we afcribe that Difcovery to any other Nation ; for 
in the firft place, they lay neareft, and in the next*, 
.c conveniently ; to which we may add. 
Situation of their Country na- 
curally inclined them to Navigation ; fo by the Help 
of the Monfoons, they might make regular Voyao-es 
‘ to and from the Indiesy with great Facility ; nor is it 
at all unlikely that this Difcovery might be at firft 
“ owing to Chance, and fo fome of their Veffels being 
blown by a ftrong Gale to the Oppofite Coaft, from 
v/hence they might take the Courage to return, by 
obferving the Regularity of the Winds at certain Sea- 
fons. All thefe Reafons taken together, feem to fa- 
vour this Opinion, that Commerce flourifhed firft 
among them j and as to its Confequences in making 
them rich and happy, there is no Difpute about 
“ them. 
. ^ Author having mentioned the Phanicians 
in Terms perfedlly agreeable to what we have faid of 
them, proceeds to ffiew what Ufes were made of their 
great maritime Skill by Solomony and takes Occafion 
from thence to confirm what he had before advanced in 
reference to the Arabians ; the PalTage is not long, and 
withal equally curious and inftructive, it runs thus : “ Ic 
is very certain, that Solomon made ufe of their Affift- 
ance in equipping his Fleets at Elath and Ezion Ge- 
“ ber, and it is very probable that thty put him upon 
“ acquiring thofe Ports, and gave him the firft Hints 
“ of the amazing Advantages that might be derived 
“ from the PofTcffion of them, and from the Com- 
“ be able to carry on. 
“ 1 hefe Ports were moft commodioufly fituated on the 
“ Arabian Gulph, and from thence his Veffels, manned 
chiefly by Phanicians y failed to Ophir and EharfiSy 
“ where-ever thofe Places were. Some Writers will 
“ needs have them to be Mexico and PerUy which is 
“ certainly a wild and extravagant Suppofition ; others 
“ believe, that we are to look for Ophir on the Coaft of 
Africa^ and Tharfis in Spain j but the moft probable 
“ Opinion is, that they were both feated in the Ealt 
Indies. 
“ By this adventurous Navigation he brought i nto 
“ his Country, Curiofities not only unfeen, but unheard 
“ of before, and Riches in fuch Abundance, that as 
“ the Scripture finely expreffes it, He made Silver in 
“ J erufalem as Stones, and Cedar Trees as Sycamores 
“ that grow in the Plains. The Metaphor is very bold 
“ and emphatical ; but when we cOnfider chat it is 
“ recorded in this Hiftory, that the Return of one Voy- 
“ age only to Ophir produced 450 Talents of Gold, 
“ which make5i328 lb. of our Troy Weight, we cannot 
“ doubt of the immenfe Profit that accrued from this 
“ Commerce. It is alfo obfervab|e, that the Queen of 
“ Sheba or Sabay which lies in that part of Arabia be- 
“ fore-mentioned, furprized at the Reports that were 
“ fpread of the Magnificence of this Prince, made a 
“ Journey to his Court, on purpofe to fatisfy herfclf, 
“ whether Fame had not exaggerated the Faft, and 
“ from the Prefents fhe made him of 120 Talents of 
“ Gold, of Spices in great Abundance, and precious 
“ Stones, we may difeern the true Reafon of her Cu- 
“ riofity, which proceeded from an Opinion, that no 
“ Country could be fo rich as her own. And there is 
“ another Circumftance very remarkable, and which 
“ feems ftrongly to fortify what we have advanced in 
“ the Beginning of this Difeourfe, it is added, neither 
“ was there any fuch Spices as the ^een of Sheba gave 
“ to King Solomon ; which feems to intimate, that 
“ the Arabians had penetrated farther into the Indies 
“ than even the Fleets of this famous Prince, and 
“ brought from thence other Spices (perhaps Nutmegs 
“ and Cloves) than had ever been feen belore. 
“ It was by his Wifdom, and by his fteady Appli- 
“ cation to the Arts of Peace, all of which mutually 
“ fupport each other, as they are all driven on by the 
“ WheeLof Commerce, which fupplies every Want, 
“ and converts every Superfluity into Merchandize, 
“ that this Monarch raifed his Subjects to a Condition 
much fuperior to that of any of their Neighbours, and 
‘‘ rendered the Land ^Jfrael^ while he governed it, the 
‘‘ Glory 
