N E II 
jf for their own refidence; which encouraged many others 
voluntarily to follow their example. Of the reft of the 
people every tenth family was taken by lot, till the city 
became fo far rebuilt and inhabited, that it began to re¬ 
fume fomething of its former luftre; and Herodotus, who 
faw it loon after this time, compares it, in the third book 
of his hiftory, to Sardis, the metropolis of Alia Minor. 
Nehemiah, likewife, had the genealogies of the people 
well examined into and clearly ftated, not only for the 
fake of their civil rights, that by knowing their tribes and 
families they might be directed where to take their pof- 
fefiions; butalfofor the fake of the famduary, that none 
might be admitted to ofticiate who were not of the tribe 
of Levi or family of Aaron. 
While Nehemiah was thus occupied in civil matters, 
Ezra had completed his colleftion of the facred books, 
and was preparing himfelf and loine other priefts to read 
and explain them to the people at the approaching feaft of 
trumpets. See the article Ezra. Nehemiah now re¬ 
turned a fecond time toShulhan, after having enjoyed 
his government twelve years, during which he fupported 
the dignity of his office with a very expenfive and liofpi- 
table magnificence, which he defrayed out of his own pri- 
vate-purle, generoufly relinquilhing the allowance from 
the province which had been granted to other governors. 
After fpending five years at the Perfian court, the king 
nominated him once more to the government of Judah 
and Jerulaiem, with very extenfive powers. As loon as 
he came to Jerufalem,he found that a number of flagrant 
abufes had crept into the Jewilh church and common¬ 
wealth during his abfence. The temple had been pro¬ 
faned ; the fabbath had become totally aifregarded ; and 
divine worlhip had ceafed, either in confequence of the 
tidies and other dues for the maintenance of it being 
embezzled by the high-prieft, or withheld through the 
avarice of the people. And what aggravated the crimi¬ 
nality of the Jews was, that they had at that time among 
them the prophets Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi, who 
rebuked them feverely for their mifeondufif, and warned 
them of the dreadful punilhments which it would bring 
upon them. All theie abufes Nehemiah employed him¬ 
felf in correcting, with zeal and vigour; and, to prevent 
the people from falling into them in future, either through 
ignorance or forgetfulnefs of the mo laic law, he made 
provifion for the frequent reading and expofition of it, 
not only in Jerufalem, but alfo in ali other cities and places 
in Judea, as had been formerly done with good fuccefs by 
lome of the pious princes of Judah. About the fame time 
the Chaldee paraphrafes were introduced, in order to fa¬ 
cilitate the knowledge of the mofaic law, and the other 
facred books, among thole who were unacquainted with 
the original Hebrew. How long Nehemiah lived after this 
reformation, which was finilhed about the year 409 B. C. 
and whether he died in Judsea or in Perfla, we are not 
informed either in the Hebrew Scriptures or byjofephus; 
only the latter fays, that he died at an advanced age : and 
we may add, that, at the period when his book terminates, 
he mult have been at leaft feventy years old. Book of 
Nehemiah. Jofeph. Ant. Jud. lib. xi. Prideaux's Conneht. 
book vi. 
NEHENK', a river of Perfla, which unites with the 
Maklhid to form the Mend. 
NEHERPOU'R, a town of Hindooftan,in Oude : thirty- 
four miles north-eaft of Manickpour. 
NE'HILOTH, /. [Heb. to lead.] A kind of mufical 
inftrument. 
NEH'KON, a principality of Yemen, in Arabia, which 
is a fmall diftrift between Dsjof and Hafchid-u-Bekil. 
The Iheik is an independent prince, who poflefles a lew 
fmall inconfiderable towns, with a fertile mountain, on 
which are many villages. 
NEH'LA, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of Jye- 
nagur : ten miles north of Jyenagur. 
NEHOGATOOAN'NAH, a river of America, which 
runs into the Miffiflippi in lat. 44. 24. N. Ion. 93. 5. W. 
N K I <50! 
NEHOT'MAN, a town of Cochinciiina, fituated on a 
river which runs into the Cbinefe Sea, forming a bay at its 
mouth. Lat. 12. 55. N. Ion. 109. 9. E. 
NEHOW'. See Oneehow. 
NEHRIN'GEN,,a town of Anterior Pomerania: five 
miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Tribfee. 
NEHRWA'LEH, a town of Hindooftan, in Guzerat: 
twelve miles fouth-eaft of Pultan. 
NEHUSH'TA, [Heb. a fnake.J The name of a woman. 
NEHUSIi'TAN, f. [Hebrew.] The brazen ferpent 
which Mofes lifted up in the wiidernefs, fo called in con¬ 
tempt. 2 Kings. 
NE'H WISCHDORF, a town of Bohemia, in the circle 
of Kaurzim : fourteen miles eaft of Prague. 
NEI'A, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra: eight miles 
fouth-weft of Bifignano. 
NEI'DA, a town of the duchy of Stiria: nine miles 
fouth-eaft of Hardeburg. 
NEIDEGG', a town of Aultria : eight miles weft- 
foutii-weft of Sonneberg. 
NEIDEK', a town of Bohemia in the circle of Elnbo- 
gen : eight miles fouth of Joachimftal. 
NEI'DENAU, a town of Wurtemberg, on the Jaxt : 
nine miles north of Heilbronn, and twenty-three eaft- 
fouth-eaft of Heidelberg. 
NEI'DENBURG, a town of Pruffia, in the province of 
Oberland : eighty miles fouth of Koniglberg, leventy-five 
eaft of Culm. Lat. 53. 12. N. Ion. 20. 23. E. 
NEI'DENSTEIN, a town of Germany, in the principa¬ 
lity of Hefle: nine miles fouth-weft of Caflel, and fix eaft 
of Naumburg. Lat. 51. 12. N. Ion. 9. 15. E. 
NEI'DERBRONN, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Lower Rhine : ten miles fouth-weft of Weif- 
femburg. 
NEIF, f. [n(f, Icel. naeve, Dan. neive or nieve, Scot- 
tifli; and loin the north of England.] Filt. It is likewife 
written neaf —Sweet knight, I kils thy nef. Shakefpeare's 
Hen. IV.—Reach me thy nef. B. Jonfon's Pottafter. 
NEIFE, J'. [law Fr.] A woman born in villenage.— 
Ncife is a woman that is bound, or a villain woman : but, 
if ffie marry a freeman, Ihe is thereby made free. Tenues 
de la Ley. 
NEIFEL'DN, a town of Auftria: ten miles fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Aigen. 
NEI'FFEN, orNnuFFEN, a town of Wurtemberg: fe- 
venteen miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Stuttgart, and thirty eaft 
of Altenftaig. Lat. 48. 32. N. Ion. 9. 25. E. 
To NEIGH, v. n. [hntegan, Sax. hiunio, Lat.] To 
utter the voice of a horfe or mare.—They were as fed 
horfes, eve ry one neighed. Jer.v. 8. 
Note a wild and wanton herd, 
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, 
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud. 
Shakefpeare . 
NEIGFI, J'. The voice of a horfe.—It is the prince of 
palfreys; his neigh is like the bidding of a monarch, and 
his countenance enforces homage. Shakefpeare-. 
NEIGH'BOUR,/' [nehgebujt, nehbuji, Sax. from neh, 
nigh, and gebuji, an inhabitant.] One who lives near to 
another: 
A kid fometimes for feftivals he flew : 
The choicer part was his fick neighbour's due. Harte. 
One who lives in familiarity with another; a word of 
civility : 
Mafters, my good friends, mine honeft neighbours. 
Will you undo yourfelves ? Shakefpeare's Macbeth. 
Intimate ; confident: 
The deep-revolving witty Buckingham 
No more (hall be the neighbour to my counfels. Shakefp. 
[In divinity.] One partaking of the fame nature, and 
therefore entitled to good offices.—Sins againft men are 
injuries 5 hurts, lodes and damages, whereby our neigh¬ 
bour 
