cause of enlightening the greeks, and through them the whole
western world, is not to be disputed. But our design is only to
consider Egypt itself, and give a slight sketch of the country, before
we proceed to examine the particular objects, which the drawings
were intended to illustrate.
The space it occupies is of no great extent; for, though it’s length
from north to south may be about five hundred and fifty miles,
the greater part of it is extremely narrow, being confined by two
fidges of mountains, between which is the bed of the Nile; and
the base of the Delta, or that part which borders on the Mediterranean,
where it is broadest, does not exceed a hundred and thirty
miles. . The great fertility of the land, however, of that part of it
at least which has been generally deemed the gift of the N ile both
by the ancients and moderns, cherished an astonishing population.
Indeed the accounts that are transmitted to us of the number of
it’s cities are incredible; for Herodotus says, that in thè reign of
Amasis it contained twenty thousand. I t is probable, however,
that Herodotus did not employ the proper term on the occasion;
and the idea of extent we associate with our word city tends but
to increase our misconception: while at the same time it is unquestionable,
from the stupendous masses of architecture, and gigantic
works of art, which at this day lie scattered on it’s plains,
or from their solidity still brave the efforts of Time, that there was
a period, when it’s population must have been immense. Assisted
by the hand of Industry, the fertilizing stream of the N ile diffused
plenty over every spot of ground, to which Art could convey it;
while the same A rt prevented it’s inordinate flow from sweeping all
before it, and diverted the too impetuous torrent into channels,
where it might spend it’s fury without harm, and become a blessing
instead of a curse.
When these great and useful labours were accomplished, when
all Egypt was converted into a garden, which afforded the necessaries
of life in abundance with little toil, the policy of the pha-
raohs led them to employ the industry of the people in erecting
works of less utility, though calculated to excite admiration. Hence
the vast palaces of the once famous Thebes; hence the sphinxes,
the obelisks, the pyramids, that have existed the wonder of ages
past, and will exist the wonder of ages to come. But mutability
is th e character impressed upon human nature by the hand of
Omnipotence. These works were finished, and these days passed
away. From a concatenation of moral and physical causes, which
we shall not attempt to trace, the face of Egypt has been changed
like the features of it's inhabitants. To the egyptian toiling in the
excavation of canals to cover his fields with luxuriant harvests
labour no doubt was pleasant; to the egyptian thus habituated to
industry the erection of a palace for his king, or a temple for his
god, was a mean to save him from the oppressive demon of Idleness:
but when other generations arose, who had never reaped the
fruits of their industry; impelled to labours, in which they could
see no utility, at the will of an imperious taskmaster; working from
day to day, from year to year, to raise a vast pile for the sole purpose
of enclosing a single corpse; labour became disgusting to
them, and they naturally sunk into lifeless indolence. Thus prepared
for subjugation, conqueror after conqueror invaded their