EGYPT. 
294 
ing of a merciful difpofition, and abhorring the impiety of 
his deceafed relatives, opened the temples, redored the 
facrifices, encouraged his people to follow their vefpec- 
tive avocations with avidity, and cheerfully redreffed the 
injured, to the bed of his ability. This conduct might 
naturally have been fuppofed to have drawn down bleth¬ 
ings upon his perfon and family ; but, on the contrary, 
his lovely daughter was torn from his arms by death, and 
the oracle at Butus pronounced that his own life fl'.ould 
continue but fix years more. In confequence of this pre¬ 
diction the king fent to remonftrate with the oracle, al¬ 
leging that his father and uncle, who were montiers of 
impiety, had been bletled with length of days ; while 
he, who had reverenced the gods, and afted with juft ice 
and humanity towards his fubjefts, was requited with fo 
fevere a fentence. To this expoflulation the oracle re¬ 
plied, that Cheops and Cephrenes were acquainted with 
the decree of fate which had doomed the Egyptians to 
one hundred and fifty years of fevere inifery, and had act¬ 
ed conformably thereto; but, as the prefent reign had 
interrupted the courfe of the defiined affliction, it muft 
therefore be fuddenly terminated. Mycerinus, finding 
his doom irrevocable, refolved to make the mod of Iris 
allotted time, and ordering a fplendid illumination to be 
prepared every night, fo that lie devoted the whole of 
his time to feading and revelry, thenceforward making 
no didiriftion between day and night. He is alfo laid to 
have erected a pyramid, which, from the balls to the 
middle, was of Ethiopian (lone, inferibed on the northern 
front with the name of the royal founder. 
Though we are unable to-fix with accuracy the time 
of his fucceffion, we (hall proceed to notice Gnephadtus, 
a king renowned for his temperance, and for the execra¬ 
tion lie denounced againd Menes, who firlt introduced 
excefs and luxury among the Egyptians. This execra¬ 
tion refulted from the falutary repole which Gnephadtus 
enjoyed, after a day of fatigue and (lender diet, in the 
mid ft of a barren defert; and, by confent of the priefts, 
it was engraved upon a pillar in the temple of Thebes. 
Bocchoris, the (on of this abftemious prince, was fur- 
named the Wife, on account of his great prudence and 
knowledge ; though his perfonal appearance is faid to 
have been ignoble. He is called the fourth Egyptian 
lawgiver; and his excellent decifions were retained for 
feveral ages after his death. The lulire of his qualities 
was, however, tarnifhed by his inordinate love of money; 
and he drew a general odium upon himfelf, by letting in 
a wild bull to the facred animal called Miievis, though 
the latter obtained a complete viftory over his antago¬ 
nist. Previous to this event, Bocchoris was highly vene¬ 
rated by his fubjefts, but at la(t he was taken captive by 
Sabbaco the Ethiopian, and burnt to death. 
Afychis, whom Come authors fuppofe to have been the 
fame with Bocchoris, is faid to have built the eaftern 
portico to the temple of Vulcan with peculiar magnifi¬ 
cence ; to have erected a pyramid of brick, on which ap¬ 
peared a vaunting infeription ; and to have enafted a law, 
whereby a man might borrow money on the dead body 
of his father. The throne was now filled by a blind man 
named Anyfis, who, on the invafion of his kingdom by 
Sabbaco, fled'for (belter to the fens. Sabbaco, who is 
faid to have condemned the unhappy Bocchoris to the 
devouring flames, no fooner found himfelf eftablifhed in 
his new dignity, than he laid afide his cruelty, and be¬ 
came a pattern of clemency and benevolence. He was 
excited to the invafion .of Egypt by a dream, which af- 
fured him that he diould hold that country for the fpace 
of fifty years. During his continuance in Egypt, he ex¬ 
hibited the brightelt proofs of wifdom and piety, and 
ftudied to render his power (erviceable to all his fubjefts. 
At length, however, he had a vifion in his deep, wherein 
the tutelar god of Thebes informed him-that he could no 
longer retain the Egyptian diadem with happinefs and 
fecurity, unlefs he maffacred the priefts as he palled 
through them with his guards. I11 conference of this 
vifion he fent for the priefts, and refigning the crown, 
which lie had now held for the promifed term of fifty 
years, he returned into Ethiopia. On this Anyfis came 
forth from his hiding-place, and re-affumed the reins of 
government, having formed an ifiand during his long ab- 
fence, compofed of earth and fand, in the midd of the 
Nile, for his habitation. 
Sethon king of Egypt, and pried of Vulcan, injurioufly 
diveded the military order of their lands and ancient pri¬ 
vileges ; in confequence of which they thought them- 
felves abfolv.ed from their allegiance,and determined not 
to bear arms under his command. In this date of a (fairs, 
Egypt was threatened with an invafion by Sennacherib 
king of Aflyria. Sethon, perceiving his danger, had now 
recourfe to the men whom he had treated with fuch in- 
jufiice; but, finding them obdinate in their determina¬ 
tion, he repaired to his god, and in the deeped diftrefa 
implored afiidance. Whild he was in the temple he fell 
into a deep deep, during which he imagined Vulcan (food 
before him, exhorting him to march againd the enemy, 
promifing to crown his efforts witli a complete vidtory. 
Animated by this dream, he affembled a body of tradef- 
men, labourers, and artificers, and boldly commenced his 
march towards Pelufium. The night after his arrival, aa 
infinite multitude of field rats entered the enemy’s camp, 
and gnawed the quivers, (liield-draps, and bow-firings, 
to pieces ; in confequence of which Sethon purfued them 
with great (laughter, and, in memory of the miraculous 
event, eredted a datue of done in the temple of Vulcan, 
holding a rat in one hand, and bearing an infeription to 
this effedt : “ Whoever beholdeth me, let him learn to 
reverence the gods.” Such is the account given by He¬ 
rodotus ; but we are inclined to fuppofe, with M. Rol- 
lin, that this dory is merely an alteration of that which 
is narrated in the feventeenth chapter of the Second Book 
of Kings. We there' read that Sennacherib king of the 
Affyrians, having vanquiflied all the neighbouring na¬ 
tions, defigned to befiege Hezekiah in Jerufalem. The 
Jewidi miniders, alarmed for their own fafety, fent (in 
oppofition to the advice of their prince and the prophet 
liaiah) to the Egyptians and Ethiopians for afiidance. 
Thefe armies united and marched immediately to their 
relief; but were overthrown in a pitched battle by the 
Affyrians, who purfued them into Egypt, and plundered 
the country. At his return from thence, on the very 
night preceding his intended affault of the holy city, lie 
loll one hundred fotir-fcore and five thoufand men, by the 
immediate judgment of God, placed in tlie hands of the 
dedroying angel. This was the real faft; but, as it was 
no ways honourable to the natives of Egypt, they endea¬ 
voured to turn it to their advantage* by corrupting the 
circumdances, and weaving it into the tale recited by 
Herodotus. 
After the death of Sethon, Egypt was divided into 
twelve kingdom's, and as many nobles leized on the go¬ 
vernment of the date. Thefe kings entered into the 
-drifted adociation for the public welfare, and built the 
famous labyrinth, in order to perpetuate their names to 
the latefi ages. Their government was'for a confidefable 
time attended with peace, and their regulations were pro¬ 
ductive of fatisfaCtion and harmony ; till at length, being 
all affembled in the temple of Vulcan, Pfammetichus pre- 
fented his libation in his helmet, the high-pried having 
neglefted to provide him with a golden bowl. This oc¬ 
currence, though purely accidental, was obferved by the 
other kings as an inaufpicious augury refpeCting then- 
future fortunes, as they immediately recollected that an 
oracle had affirmed, the man who diould offer his li¬ 
bation to Vulcan in a brazen cup, diould be king of all 
Egypt. They thought it therefore prudent to fecure 
themfelves from his attempts, and unanimoufiy agreed 
to banifli him into the fenny parts of the country. Plam- 
metichus withdrew in purluance of his lenience, but lent 
to the oracle of Latona, to enquire by vvliat means lie 
might hope for redrefs. The oracle affirmed, in aiifwer, 
that 
