were then most powerful, would be tempted to invade the country likewise. Finding, therefore, in the Saite nome, a city situated most conveniently on the north side of the Bubastic channel [of the Nile] which was called Avaris, or Abaris, [the pass,] in an ancient theological book, he rebuilt and fortified it most strongly, and garrisoned it with 240,000 soldiers.* Hither he used to come in summer to furnish them with corn and pay, and he carefully disciplined them for a terror to foreigners. He died after he had reigned nineteen years.

Of the second king in this dynasty, nothing is recorded, except that he reigned forty-four years. After him succeeded

APACHNAS, PACHNAN, OR RUCMA,

in whose reign it is supposed Abraham visited Egypt, and the first pyramid was commenced. Concerning this king, Dr. Hales says, that the third king was surnamed Rucma, from his immense wealth, which he collected by oppressing the Egyptians, though "he tenderly loved his own people," the shepherds; and, wishing either to extripate the natives, or to break down their spirits by hard and incessant labour, he employed them in constructing those stupendous monuments of ancient ostentation and tyranny, the pryamids, which are evidently the factitious mountains meant in the Hindu records, originally cased with yellow, white, or spotted marbles, brought from the quarries of Arabia, though built of the Libyan stone on the spot.

These stupendous monuments are certainly of the remotest antiquity, and the Hindu record seems to be correct in ascribing the first and greatest pyramid to Apachnas, the third of the shepherd-kings, and the rest to his successors. It is, indeed, confirmed by the tradition of the native Egyptians, as related by Herodotus. This tradition says, they were built by one Philitis, a shepherd, who kept his cattle in these parts, and whose memory was held in such abhorrence that the inhabitants would not even repeat his name. The time employed in building the first pyramid, according to Herodotus, was thirty-two years and six months, which ranges within the reign of Apachnas of thirty-seven years and seven months,

* Here, as in some other places, the numbers stated by ancient historians are given without affixing any remark on the great probability of their being exaggerations or over-statements. That they are erroneous, generally there is little doubt; but they are given only on the authority of ancient writers, who were too fond of the marvellous.

according to Manetho. The three great pyramids, Pliny says, were built in the space of seventy-eight years and four months; if, therefore, the first was erected by Apachnas, the others must have been built by his two immediate successors, concerning whom we have no precise information. At length, under the sixth king,

the Egyptians, wearied out with such long continued tyranny, and insupportable labours, rebelled; and after a war of thirty years, succeeded in obliging their oppressors to withdraw from their country, after they had enslaved it upwards of 250 Those who survived this warfare withdrew, it would years. appear, to Palestine, where they became the Philistines, a name that is derived from Philitis, "shepherds," which comes from the Sanscrit, Pali, "shepherd." Manetho's account is clear on this point; though, at first view, an ambiguity is produced by his confounding them with another race of shepherds, the Israelites, who arrived not very long after the departure of the shepherds, and who, after a stay of almost equal duration, departed to the same country. That the Philistines came from Egypt is very generally agreed. Scripture states repeatedly that they came from the country of Caphtor, and that this signifies Lower Egypt, is now generally believed.

This race of shepherd-kings was succeeded by a dynasty of native kings; but of the history and chronology of the kings of this period little is known. One, whom the Scriptures introduce to our notice in the interesting narrative of Joseph, is supposed by Mr. Wilkinson to be Osirtasen I., of whom he says, that if the name of this monarch was not ennobled by military exploits equal to those of Rameses, the encouragement given to the arts of peace, and the flourishing state of Egypt during his rule, evince his wisdom; and his pacific character satisfactorily accords with that of the Pharaoh who so generously rewarded the talents and fidelity of a Hebrew stranger. But this author's data differ from the Scriptural dates of Hales, which appear to be clearly established, thereby involving a grave difficulty which cannot be overcome in any other way than by supposing he has lost the century which is wanting to make the time Joseph of and Osir

* Aphoph signifies a giant.

tasen synchronise, and to produce a correspondence between the Egyptian and Hebrew history of the ensuing years. The name of Osirtasen, moreover, stands in the tomb of Beni Hassen as one of the kings of the sixteenth dynasty, according to the lists of Manetho. It is better, therefore, to introduce this monarch to the reader's notice simply under the Scripture name of Pharaoh.

Passing over the circumstance of his having imprisoned his chief butler and baker, as recorded Gen. xl., the first notice we have of this monarch in the sacred narrative, is the circumstance of his having dreamed two remarkable dreams. He thought that he was standing on the margin of the Nile, when he beheld seven beautiful fat heifers come up from the streams and feed in a meadow. After a while, at the same spot, seven of the leanest and most ill favoured kine that he had ever beheld, came up, and stood on the banks with the seven fat and beautiful heifers, which they finally devoured. The king then awoke; but falling asleep again, he dreamed that he saw seven good and plump ears of corn spring up on one stalk; and after that, there sprang up seven other ears of corn, thin, and blighted by the east wind, by which the good ears were devoured, Gen. xli. 1-7. These dreams appeared to have a signification and analogy not common in dreams, and therefore the king was anxious in the morning to have them interpreted. But none of his "wise men," who usually interpreted his dreams, could solve their meaning, ver. 8, and their failure reminded the chief butler of the dreams which the chief baker and himself had dreamed in the prison-house, and which Joseph, who, as the reader will recollect, was imprisoned with them, interpreted in a manner that the events had justified, ver. 9-13. This he related to Pharaoh, and the monarch sent an order to the chief of the royal police to release Joseph, and send him to the palace. The mandate was obeyed, and Joseph came; when the king, addressing him, said, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it." To this Joseph modestly replied, not willing to encourage delusion in the breast of the monarch: "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace," ver. 14-16. The king then related his dreams, and Joseph told him that they bare the same signification, which was, that seven years of exuberant plenty were approaching, which would be followed by seven years of famine, so severe, that the seven years of plenty would be ut

terly forgotten. Then perceiving how the exuberant supplies of the first seven years might be husbanded so as to meet the deficiency of the seven succeeding years, he proceeded to lay his views before the king, advising him, at the same time, that some wise man should be invested with full powers to give effect to the measures suggested, ver. 17—36.

The king, pleased with the interpretation, and struck with the wisdom of the plans, by which Joseph proposed to avert the evils which that interpretation foretold, asked, "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" And then he addressed him thus, "Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou." After this, he proceeded to invest him with his high office. He took his own signet ring from his finger, and placed it upon the finger of Joseph, conveying to him, by that act, the highest powers he could delegate, and saying as he did it, "See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt." He then ordered him to be arrayed in vestures of fine linen, such as were worn only by majesty, after which he placed with his own hands a chain of gold about his neck. Then, it being the custom in the east in those days to promulgate with great pomp and ceremony such acts of royal favour, and to make known the authority conferred, he commanded that Joseph should be conducted in procession through the city, in the second of the royal chariots, and that heralds should proclaim before him, "Bow the knee," ver. 37-43.

When Joseph returned, and again stood before the king, Pharaoh expressed in stronger language his own views of the powers he had conferred. Reserving his own authority, he said, "I am the king;" but he added, "without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt,"

ver. 44.

The act of raising a foreigner and a slave to such a high office appears to have been very unusual in ancient Egypt. All the avenues to power and in the state were zealously guarded by the priesthood, who disliked the intrusion of any one not of their own order. Hence, that the foreign origin of Joseph might not be constantly presented to their view, the king changed his name to Zaphnath-paaneah, "the revealer of secrets;" and that he might establish him in his position, by securing him the countenance and support of the priestly

order, he brought about his marriage with Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, the chief priest of On or Heliopolis, the city of the sun, who was, without doubt, one of the most eminent and influential of his illustrious order, that city being, as we have seen, the prime seat of the sacred mysteries and science of that country, ver. 45.

Shortly after his elevation, Joseph made a tour through the land of Egypt, in order to acquaint himself with the state of the country, and with the materials with which he had to work, and to determine the arrangements which might be necessary to give effect to his contemplated measures. In this tour of survey, he directed the construction of immense granaries in the principal cities, and established proper officers, who were charged with the duty of buying up one-fifth part of all the corn during the seven years of plenty within the surrounding district. For this purpose, the whole land was divided into districts, of probably nearly equal extent. All this was effected; and the corn thus purchased was stored away in the granaries for use during the years of famine, ver. 46-49.

Those years of famine arrived as was foretold. The countries from whence the Nile flowed not being visited with rains in their season, that circumstance kept back, for seven long years, the fertilizing inundations of that river, and a general dearth was the consequence. The surrounding countries, also, seem to have been visited with the same drought, as they experienced the like visitation of famine, ver. 54, 55.

When the pressure of the famine began to be felt by the Egyptians, they cried to Pharaoh for bread. The king referred them to Joseph, and that wise statesman now opened all the store-houses, and sold corn, not only to the Egyptians, but, with some restrictions, to other countries, ver. 56, 57. In the second year of the famine, when their money was all spent, they again came to Joseph for bread; and he offered to supply them with corn in exchange for their cattle, which was cheerfully accepted. By this means subsistence was secured for another year; but in the year following, they had no cattle left wherewith to buy food. In this exigency, they came to Joseph, therefore, and freely offered to transfer their lands to the king, and to place their persons at his disposal, on the condition that they should be supplied with food while the famine lasted, and with seed to sow the land when it again became cultivable. This was agreed to, and Joseph