560 
stories, are extremely unfavourable to 
persons on the higher floors; for, if the 
fire broke out under them, that which 
prevented their descent by the stair- 
case, would, in all probability, prevent 
their escape by a rope from their win- 
dow, as, in either case, they must pass 
through the flames. Many persons who 
have been found burnt to death, have 
shown themselves, at different in- 
tervals, at their window; but not finding 
assistance at hand, and not being able to 
bear the heatand smoke which ascended 
from the windows under them, have been 
compelled to retire, and fall victims to 
the devouring flames. 
May 25, 1807. J. M. Frinpart,. 
a 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ENQUIRER.—No. XXIT. 
WHO WAS SESOSTRIS? 
HE earliest and most conspicuous 
Greek account of Sesostris is that 
which occurs in the second book of He- 
rodotus, an historian who flourished about 
four hundred and fifty years before Christ. 
A second account occurs in the first book 
ef Diodorus Siculus, who flourished about 
four hundred years later than Herodotus, 
ander the emperor Augustus. Except 
in these two accounts, vo details of the 
life and deeds of Sesostris have been given 
by the classical historians; although in- 
eidental mention of him, as the first great 
conqueror, is frequent. So that an exa- 
mination of these two accounts will suf- 
fice to bring forwards what is suppesed 
to be known concerning him. 
I. Herodotus states (Euterpe, 101) that, 
after Meris, who built a new porch to 
the temple of Vulcan, and who also built 
vast pyramids in Egypt, flourished Sesos- 
tris. 
“ This Sesostris (continues Herodotus, , 
IT. 102), as the priests tell us, was the 
first, who, in leng boats, sallied from the 
Arabic Gulf to overturn the settlers on the 
Red Sea. Proceeding further, he came 
to a frith unnavigable from its shallows, 
Thence returning to Agypt, according 
to the records of the priests, and raising 
a numerous army, he overspread the con- 
tinent and overturned all the impeding 
nations. As many of them as he found 
brave, and desirous of liberty, among 
those he set up pillars, indicating by let- 
ters his name and country, and how he 
had subverted them by power. But, 
where he took their towns combatless and 
welcomely, on the pillars he inscribed the 
same things as where he had found the 
people mee but added the private 
The Enquirer.—No XXII. 
[July t5 
parts of a woman to indicate their coware 
dice.” 
Herodotus proceeds to say that Sesos~ 
tris. passed from Syria into Europe, sub- 
duing Scythians and Thracians (Euterpe, 
103); and that he left a colony on the ri- 
ver Phasis, ashe returned. “ The Agyp- 
tians maintain (adds Herodotus, 104) that 
the Colchians descend from these troops 
ot Sesostris; and this I can believe, as 
they have black complexions and woolly 
hair, and practice circumcision, a rite pe- 
culiar to the Colchians, Hgyptians, and 
the /Ethiopians. The Pheenicians and 
Syrians of Palestine confess to have re- 
ceived this practice from the Agyptians.” 
The Colchians (he says further, 105) ma- 
nufacture such linen as the Hgyptians. 
“ Of the pillars which in the conquered 
. districts Sesostris, the king of Aégypt, 
erected, not many appeartoremain. In 
the Syrian Palestine I myself (affirms 
Herodotus, If. 106) have seen some ex- 
tant, inscribed both with letters and with 
the private parts of awoman.” He adds 
that in Ionia, near Ephesus, was thought 
to exist a statue of Sesostris, but that 
others called ita statue of Memnon. 
“ This A®gyptian Sesostris being re- 
turned (continues our historian, II. 107) 
and bringing with him many men of the 
subverted nations, he was invited, the 
priests say, at the Pelusian Daphne, by a 
brother whom he had put over /Egypt, 
he and his family to a feast. The house 
was surrounded with combustibles, and 
set on fire: which when Sesostris disco- 
vered, he deliberated with his wife on 
the means of escape;- and with her con- 
sent used two of their children as step- 
ping-stones athwart the burning pyre. 
These two children being sacrificed, the 
rest were saved with their father.” 
“* Sesostris being returned into Agypt 
(Euterpe, 108) took vengeance on his bre- 
ther. Ofthe many captives brought home 
he made thisuse: they had to dragstones 
of immense length for the temple of Val- 
can, and were compelled to dig at those 
ditches with which /®gypt is intersect- 
“2 Paid 
“Thus was Egypt regularly divided 
(Euterpe, 109), and a square plot ofground 
was assigned by this king to each Hgyp- 
tian, and a quit-rent was imposed to be 
paid yearly: and if any suffered by the 
falling short of the inundation of the Nile, 
he might certify it to the king, and the 
king sent commissioners to measure the 
dry land, and to abate the tax upon it; 
hence arose geometry.” bs 
“ Only this king of Kgypt ( ~~ 
110 
