E G Y P T. 
felf, heading his land forces, obliged the nations of Ethi¬ 
opia to pay him an annual tribute of ebony, gold, and 
ivory; and afterwards overran and pillaged all Afia, and 
foine part of Europe. He is even faid to have extended 
his victories beyond the Ganges, and to have advanced 
as far as the ocean. The Scythians were obliged to fub- 
mit to-his authority. The ancient kingdom of Colchis 
•was partly colonized by his followers; and his empire 
extended from the Ganges to tire Danube. It was his 
cuftom to ereCl pillars in every country he fubdued, with 
an infeription to this elf eel: “ Sefoftris, king of kings, 
and lord of lords, vanquished this country by the power 
of his arms:” and thefe pillars were alfo marked with 
hieroglyphical figures, expreflive of the courage or pu- 
fill.animity of the conquered nations. 
Finding a feafeity of provifions in Thrace, whither he 
had advanced in the progrefs ot his conquefls, he returned 
to Egypt laden with the fpoils of various fubjugated na¬ 
tions, and followed by a furprifing multitude of captives. 
He now rewarded his officers and foldiers with a truly 
royal munificence, in proportion to their rank and merit ; 
revolving that thofe who had been his companions in the 
toils of war, ffiould be enabled to pafs the remainder of 
their days in the full enjoyment of peace and plenty. 
While he thus provided for the future repofe of his brave 
followers, he rendered his power highly advantageous 
to his fubjefts, by enriching their country with ufeful 
works and magnificent edifices. An hundred temples, 
raifed as monuments of gratitude to the tutelar gods of 
all the cities, were the firft and mod celebrated teftitno- 
nies of his figr.al fuccefs ; and, in the courfe of this uni- 
verfal undertaking, no Egyptian was employed, as ap¬ 
peared from an infeription upon each temple to this 
efi'eft: “ No native laboured hereon.” But he was par¬ 
ticularly fludious of embellifhing the temple of Vulcan 
at Memphis, in acknowledgment of that god’s imaginary 
deliverance of himfelf and his family from fire, contrived 
by his own brother, at the period of his return from the 
wars. 
To fecure Egypt from the inroads of its neighbours, 
the Syrians and Arabians, he fortified all the eaftern fide 
with a wall that extended from Pelufium to Heliopolis, 
a diftance of 187 miles and a half. He alfo raifed a great 
number cf lofty mounts, to which he removed fuch towns 
as had formerly been injured by the inundations of the 
Nile ; and cut on both fides of the river feveral canals, 
which not only advanced the trade and profperity of the 
kingdom, by affording an eafy communication between 
the diftant cities ; but alfo rendered the country inaccef- 
iible to the cavalry of its enemies, which in former times 
had haraffed it by frequent predatory incurfions. B,ut 
with refpeCl to the kings and chiefs of the conquered na¬ 
tions, who waited upon him to prefent their tribute, his 
behaviour was grof'sly infolent ; for he is faid to have 
catifed thefe princes, four a-breaft, to be harnelfed to his 
car inftead of h.orfes, that they might draw, him to the 
temple. A conduft fo unworthy fails not to tarnifh all 
his warlike actions, and draws a cloud over the lull re of 
his private virtues. Having loft his fight in his old age, 
this celebrated hero of antiquity laid, violent hands on 
himfelf, and left the throne to his foil Pheron. 
This monarch, by fome called Pheron, and by others 
Sefoftris the Second, feems to have performed nothing to 
dignify his memory. Herodotus relates, that in an extra¬ 
ordinary inundation of the Nile, he capricioufly took of¬ 
fence, and infolently threw a javelin into the waters, as 
if he intended to chaftife them for their encroachment 
upon his dominions ; he was, however, immediately af- 
flidled with a violent pain in his eyes, and foon after had 
the misfortune to be involved in total darknefs. Several 
ages after this event, the government devolved to Am- 
mofis, whofe reign was one continued feene of cruelty, 
violence, and oppreflicn. Many of his fubjeCts were 
/dragged to execution without caufe ; others were ftrip- 
ped of their poffeflions upon no other motive than his 
Vol. VI. No. 350 
2i)3 
imperious will; and toward all lie behaved with the moil 
intolerable arrogance ; till at length he was driven from 
the throne by the united exertion- of the people, addled 
by Adlifiuies, king of Ethiopia. Adtifanes united Egypt 
and Ethiopia under his government, bore his prof; erity 
with prudence and moderation, and behaved in the molt 
affectionate manner towards his new fubjeCts. Having 
caufed a general fearch to be made after the Egyptian 
robbers, lie commanded their notes to be cut off, and 
then banifhed them to the rentoteft part of the defert, 
between Syria and Egypt, where he built them a town, 
which, from the mutilation of its inhabitants, was uif- 
tingnifhed by the name of Rhinocolura. 
On the deceafe of Actifanes, the throne was left at the 
difpofal of the Egyptians, and they eledted Mendes for 
their king. His actions, however, were, in all probabi¬ 
lity, unworthy notice, as he is' merely celebrated in hif- 
tory for building a fepulchral labyrinth. After Mendes, 
enfued an interregnum for five generations, at the end of 
which a Memphite, of ignoble extradtion, was exalted to 
the tiirone. The priefts charadterized him as a magician, 
and pretended that he could afl'ume whatever form he 
plealed. His Egyptian name was Cetes, which the Greeks 
rendered Proteus. During his reign, Paris and Helen were 
driven by contrary winds on the coafts of Egypt, in their 
paffage to Troy ; but when the Egyptian monarch under- 
flood the perfidious breach of hofpitality the young Trojan 
had committed, he commanded him to quit His dominions 
within three days; at the fame time detaining Helen and 
her lui(band’s treafures, till they might be reftored to the 
injured owner. 
Rhampfmitus, the fon and fucceffor of Proteus, was ot 
fo avaricious a difpolition, that Diodorus afferts, his con¬ 
duct during his whole reign, was rather that of a mean- 
fpirited fteward than of a wealthy king. The fame au¬ 
thor informs us, that he was never at any expence either 
for the honour of the gods or tire welfare of his people, 
but that his whole delight was in the augmentation of 
his private fortune, which, at his deceafe, amounted to 
no lefs than 400,000 talents. He is, however, faid to 
have been a ftriCl obferver of that good order which had 
hitherto fubfifted throughout the kingdom, from its fiifi: 
foundation. This king was fucceeded by feven others, 
all of ignoble character, except Nilus, who is celebrated 
for the great number of canals lie dug in the country, and 
for his endeavours to render the advantages of the Nile 
as general as poflible, for which reafon the river that had 
been formerly called Egyptus, was now firft called by his 
name. 
Cheops is branded in the page of Egyptian hiftory for 
his tyranny and impiety. He began his reign with (hut¬ 
ting up the temples, and forbidding all public facrifices ; 
he then boldly Subverted the laws, invaded the liberties 
of his people, and reduced them to a ftate of the mod ab- 
jedt fiavery ; numbers of them were lent to work in the 
Arabian quarries, and others burdened with the labour 
of railing the largeft of the pyramids. By this and other 
works of oftentation, the king was reduced fo low, that 
he expofed his daughter to proftitution for the fake of 
gain. She complied with his injunctions, and is ffid to 
have required each of her gallants to contribute a done 
towards a fmall pyramid which file built, after her fa¬ 
ther’s example, to perpetuate her memory. This f ran- 
nical prince, having reigned fifty years, was fucceeded 
by his brother Cephrenes, whofe actions were ffriCtly 
confonant with thole of his predeceffor. He alfo ereCted 
a pyramid, but its dimenfions were confiderably fmaller 
than thofe of the other. I-le reigned fifty.fix years, and 
left orders that his remains fiicuid be depofited in his py¬ 
ramid ; but neither this king nor Cheops obtained their 
wi'fh in this refpeCt, as their friends, .dreading the rage of 
the populace, buried them in lilence and oblcurity. 
Egypt having thus groaned under the fway of tyranni¬ 
cal power for the fpace ot one hundred and fix years, was 
next governed by Mycerinus, the fon of Cheops, who, be- 
4 F ing. 
