E G Y 
Gained, as we had heard, four hundred (hops of weavers. 
It was now a defert, like tiie former: the artificer had 
expired in his (hop, and his family lay dead around him. 
A third city, which we afterward vilified, appeared like 
the former, a feene of death and defolation. Being obliged 
to re tide f'ome time in this place for the purpofe of agri¬ 
culture, we hired perfons to throw the bodies of the dead 
nto the Nile, at the rate of ten for a dirhem. Wolves 
and hyenas reforted hither in great numbers, to feed on 
the corpfes.” Here is a proof of wolves being found in 
Egypt, by a perfon who fefided in the country, in con- 
tradidtion to Denort. 
It is highly creditable to Abdollatiph, that, though 
the crimes which he deferibes were fo extremely com- 
raon, and the temptations to commit, as well as the op¬ 
portunities of committing them, fo extremely powerful 
and invifing, yet he never loll fight, even for a moment, of 
thofe virtuous principles which appear to have-regulated 
his conduct; nor does he ever (peak of thefe offences, 
without the mod pointed abhorrence and detefiation. 
Page 239. “ The felling of free perfons had now be¬ 
come a common pradiice; and a beautiful girl might be 
purchafed for a few dirhems. Two young girls were of. 
fered to me for a dinar; and I faw two girls, one of whom 
was a virgin, expofed to fale for eleven dirhems. For 
five dirhemS, a woman offered to Jell me her daughter, 
who was beautiful beyond defeription ; and, when I up¬ 
braided Iter with the heinous nature of the crime', (he 
bade me take her as a prefent. Women, who had any 
(hare of beauty, frequently prodrated themfelves before 
men, and intreated them to purchafe or difpofe of them. 
Many, who thought thefe praftices lawful, fent their 
purchafed (laves into Erak, Chorafan, and other parts. 
What appears to me molt ’unaccountable of alL the 
wonders which I have related, is that, notwithftanding 
the Koran frequently reproves mankind for their impeni¬ 
tence,and for plunging themfelves without remorfe into 
fin, they ihould perlid in their wickednefs, as if they were 
entirely exempt from the common lot of humanity.” 
In this valuable work, Abdollatiph is led to trace con- 
cifely, but clearly, many other principal revolutions of 
Egypt. Among thefe, lie records particularly the cop- 
queti and defolation of that country, by Nabuchodonofor, 
for the fpace of forty years ; and thus mod unexpe&edly 
do we find in a Mohammedan hidorian, who certainly had 
no fuperflitious reverence for the Jewifh or Chridian pro¬ 
phecies, and, indeed, probably no knowledge whatever 
of their contents, a new and unequivocal teflimony to the 
exadt accomplifhment of the predidlion of Ezekiel, chap, 
xxix, ver. 9, 10, n, 12. 19. And l will make the land of 
Egypt deflate in the midjl of the countries that arc defolate, and 
her cities, among the cities that are laid wafe , fall be deflate 
forty years, &c. So defolate, fays Dr. Bryant, that 
not a prince of its own people could be found to reign 
over it, for the fpace of upwards of two thoufand years ! 
ANCIENT INHABITANTS, RELIGION, LAWS, 
LANGUAGE, ARTS, &c. 
Of the fird inhabitants of Egypt, we appear to have 
the bed accounts in the Mythology of the learned Dr. 
Bryant; who remarks that the antiquity of this kingdom 
may be feen from its founders Flam and Mizraim, by 
whofe names the country was of old called. He adds, 
that they were of a collateral line with the people of Ca¬ 
naan ; for the father of the Mizraim and the Canaanites 
were brothers. Egypt is therefore called Mizraim, in the 
ficriptures ; which name is perpetuated to this day by the 
Turks, who dill call the country 'MiMn. Some confider 
Mizraim as a people, not as a perfon ; and the head of 
their family is imagined to have been Mifor, or Metzor. 
Stephanus Byzantinus, among other names, (tiled Egypt 
MviTapci, the land of Mufar, or Myfar. Jofephus called 
Egypt, Medra; Eufebius and Suidas, Medraia; by which 
i.s meant the land of Metzor, a different rendering of My- 
ior. Sanchoniathon alludes to this perfon under the name 
Vol. VI. No. 356. 
P T. • S 60 
ofMn7W|; and joins him with Sydic : botfi which he makes 
the fons of the (hepherds Afnunus ar,d Magus. Anuinus 
is the fame with Aimm or Ham, the real father of Myfor, 
from whom the Mizraim are fuppofed to be defeended. 
The Mizraim who thus fettled in Egypt, were branched 
out into (even families. Of thefe the Caphtorim were 
one ; who feem to have redded between Pelufium in 
Lower Egypt, and mount Cafius, upon the fea-coaft. 
Caphtor, front whence the people were denominated, 
fignifies a tower'upon a promontory ; and was probably 
the fame as Migdol, and the original reddence of the 
Caphtorim. This people made an early migration into 
Canaan, where they were called Paledines, the Philidim 
of the Hebrews; and (he country where they fettled, 
was named Paledina. Whether the whole of their fa¬ 
mily, or only a part, are included in this migration, is 
uncertain. Be it as it may, they feem to have come up 
by divine commidion, and to have been entitled to immu¬ 
nities, which to the Canaanites were denied. Amos, ix. 7. 
In confequence of this, upon the coming oi the Ifraelites 
into Canaan, they feem to have been unmolefted for years. 
They certainly knew from the beginning that the land 
was dedined for the Ifraelites, and that they only dwelt 
there by permidion. Gen. xx. 15. xxi. 23. xxvi. 27. Jofua, 
xiii. 2. 
The other tribes’of the Mizraim fent out colonies to 
the wed, and occupied many regions in Africa ; to which 
part of the world they feem to have confined themfelves. 
The children alfo of Phut, the third of the fons of Ham, 
palled'very deep into the burning regions of the Couth,, 
and mod of the black nations are defeended from them. 
Lybia Proper was peopled by the Lubim, or Lehabim, 
alfo one of the branches from Mizraim. The fons of 
Phut fettled in Mauritania ; where was a regioif and river 
called Phutia. Some of this family fettled above Egypt 
near Ethiopia, and were ftiled Troglodyte. Syncellus, 
p. 47. Many of them palled inland, and peopled the 
Mediterranean country. In procefs of time the fons of 
Chus, after their expulfion from Babylonia and Egypt, 
made fettlements upon the fea-coads of Africa, and came 
into Mauritania. We accordingly find traces of them in 
the names, which they bequeathed to places ; fuch as 
Chuzis, Cluifarez, upon the coad ; a city Cotta, a pro¬ 
montory Cotis, in Mauritania. By their coming into 
thefe parts the memorials of the Pluiteans were in fonie 
meafure obfeured. They are, however, to be found 
lower down; and the country upon one fide of tiie river 
Gambia is at this day called Phuta. It is not poflible at 
this didance of time to diferiminate the feveral cads 
among the black nations. Many have thought, that all 
thofe who had woolly hair were of the Ethiopian, or 
Cuthite, breed. But nothing can be inferred front this 
difference of hair : for many of the Ethiopic race had 
draight hair. Herodot. I.5. c. 1. And we are told by Mar- 
cellinus, that fome of the Egyptians had a tendency to 
wool; whence Volney feents to have referred them to a 
negro origin. Darknefs of complexion was a circum- 
ftan'ce more or lefs to be obferved in all the brandies of 
the line of Ham ; but univerfally among the Nigritas, 
of whatever branch they may have been. 
Egypt fell under the fubje.6l.ion of a threefold race of 
kings : the Meftrati, who were undoubtedly the genuine 
defeendants of Mizraim, who fird gave name to the 
country. The Auritae, who were the Arabian (hepherds, 
and their kings ; thefe reigned here a conllderable time, 
maintaining themfelves by force; till, after many drug¬ 
gies, they were finally expelled by the natives. Ladly, 
the regular Egyptian kings. The Auritae were called 
by the Grepks and Romans Arabians: but their true 
name was Cufiian or Cufeaus ; the fame which they gave 
to the province where they fettled, which was the bed 
of the land ; and was fitiiated within the Delta, at the 
extreme and highed part of Lower Egypt. To this place 
the children of Ifrael fucceedcfi, after it had been aban¬ 
doned by ifs.former inhabitants; but at what interval of 
5. B time 
