life. For," fays Abbé Fleury, in his admirable Work, Of the manners of the Ifraelites, where the fubject I am upon is thoroughly examined," it is the peafant "who feeds the citizen, the magiftrate, the gentle"man, the ecclefiaftick: And, whatever artifice "and craft may be used to convert money into com"modities, and thefe back again. into money; yet "all must ultimately be owned to be received from "the products of the earth, and the animals which it "fuftains and nourishes. Nevertheless, when we com pare men's different stations in life together, we give "the lowest place to the husbandman: And with ma"ny people a wealthy citizen, enervated with sloth, "ufelefs to the publick, and void of all merit, "has the preference, merely because he has more "money, and lives a more eafy and delightful life. "BUT let us image to ourselves a country where "fo great a difference is not made between the feve❝ral conditions; where the life of a Nobleman is "not made to confift in idleness and doing nothing, t but in a careful preservation of his liberty; that ¢ is, in a due fubjection to the laws and the confti"tution; by a man's fubfifting upon his eftate with"out any dependance, and being contented to enjoy "a little with liberty, rather than a great deal at the price of mean and bafe compliances: A country, "where floth, effeminacy, and the ignorance of things neceffary for life, are had in their juft contempt; and where pleasure is lefs valued than "health and bodily ftrength: In fuch a country, it "will be much more reputable for a man to plough, and attend aflock, than to wafte all his hours in fauntering from place to place, in gaming, and in "expenfive diverfions." But we need not have recourfe to Plato's common-wealth for instances of men who have led these useful lives. It was thus that the greatest part of mankind lived during near. four thousand years; and that not only the Ifraelites, but the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Ro 66 mans, mans, that is to fay, nations the moft civilized, and most renowned for arms and wifdom. They all inculcate the regard which ought to be paid to agriculture, and the breeding of cattle: One of which (without faying any thing of hemp and flax so neceffary for our cloathing) fupplies us, by corn, fruits, and pulfe, with not only a plentiful but delicious nourishment; and the other, befides its fupply of exquifite meats to cover our tables, almoft gives life fingly to manufactures and trade, by the fkins and ftuffs it furnishes. PRINCES are commonly defirous, and their intereft certainly requires it, that the peafant who, in a literal fenfe, fuftains the heat and burden of the day, and brings fo great a proportion of the taxes of the nation, fhould meet with favour and incouragement. But the kind and good intentions of Princes are too often defeated by the infatiable and mercilefs avarice of those who are appointed to collect their revenues. Hiftory has tranfmitted to us a fine faying of Tiberius on this Diod. 1. head. A prefect of Egypt having augmented the 57.p.608. annual tribute of the province, and, doubtless with the view of making his court to the Emperor, remitted to him a fum much larger than was cuftomary; that Prince, who, in the beginning of his reign thought, or at least spoke justly, anfwered, That it was his defign, not to flea but to fhear his sheep.to * Κείρεσθαι με τὰ πρόβατα, ἀλλ ̓ ἐκ αποξύρεσθαι βάλομαι. Diod. L. 57. CHAP. VI. Of the FERTILITY of EGYPT. NDER this head, I fhall treat only of fome UN of corn which it produced. PAPY PAPYRUS. This is a plant from whose root shoot out a great many triangular stalks, to the height of Plin. 1.13- Oft turn your ftile, if you defire to write THE meaning of which is, that a good performance is not to be expected without many corrections. At laft the use of paper + was introduc'd, and this was made of the bark of Papyrus, divided into thin flakes or leaves, which were very proper for writing, and this Papyrus was likewife call'd Byblus Memphis as yet knew not to form in leaves. PLINY calls it a wonderful invention *, fo ufeful to life, that it preferves the memory of mighty actions, and immortalizes those who attchiev'd them. Varro afcribes this invention to Alexander the Great, Sæpe ftylum vertas iterum quæ digna legi fint Scripturus L. 1. Sat. 10. v. 72. + The Papyrus was divided into thin flakes (into which it naturally parted) which being laid on a table, and moiftned with the glutinous waters of the Nile, were afterwards prefi'd together and dried in the fun. Nondum flumineas Memphis contexere Biblos Noverat. Lucan. * Poftea promifcuè patuit ufus rei, qua conftat immortalitas hominum. Chartæ ufu maxime humanitas conftat in memoria. when when he built Alexandria; but he had only the merit of making paper more common, for the inven-' tion was of much greater antiquity. The fame Pliny adds, that Eumenes, King of Pergamus, fubftituted parchment inftead of paper; in emulation of Ptolemy King of Egyt, whofe library he was ambitious to excel by this invention, which carried the advantage over paper. Parchment is the fkin of a fheep drefs'd and made fit to write upon. It was called Pergamenum from Pergamus, whofe Kings had the honour of the invention. All the ancient manuscripts are either upon parchment, or vellum which is calf-fkin, and a great deal finer than the common parchment. It is very curious to fee white fine paper, wrought out of filthy rags pick'd up in the Plin. 1.19. ftreets. The plant Papyrus was ufeful likewife for fails, tackling, clothes, coverlets, &c. C. I. LINUM. FLAX is a plant whofe bark, full of fibres or ftrings, is ufeful in making fine linnen. The method of making this linnen in Egypt was wonderful, and carried to fuch perfection, that the threads which were drawn out of them, were almoft too small for the obfervation of the sharpeft eye. Priests were always habited in linnen, and never in woollen; and not only the priests, but all perfons of distinction generally wore linnen cloaths. This flax form'd a confiderable branch of the Egyptian traffick, and great quantities of it were exported into foreign countries. The making of it employ'd a great number of hands, especially of the women, as appears from that paffage of Ifaiah, in which the prophet menaces Egypt with a drought of fo terrible a kind that it should interrupt every kind of labour. If. 19. 9. Moreover, they that work in fine flax, and they that weave network fhall be confounded. We likewife find in fcripture, that one effect of the plague of hail Exod. 9. call'd down by Mofes upon Egypt, was the deftruction of all the flax which was then bolled. This ftorm was in March. 31. 3 BYSSUS. BYSSUS. THIS was another kind of flax extreamly Plin. ibid. fine and fmall, which often receiv'd a purple dye. It was very dear; and none but rich and wealthy perfons could afford to wear it. Pliny, who gives the first place to the Afbefton or Afbeftinum (i. e. the incombuftible flax) places the Byffus in the next rank; and fays, that it ferv'd as an ornament to the ladies*. It appears from the holy fcriptures, that it was chiefly from Egypt that cloth made of this fine flax was brought. Fine linnen with broidered Ezek. work from Egypt. 27. 7. I TAKE no notice of the Lotus or Lote tree, a plant in great requeft with the Egyptians, and whose berries ferved them in former times for bread, There was another Lotus in Africa, which gave its name to the Lotofagi or Lotus-eaters; because they Odyff. 9. liv'd upon the fruit of this tree, which had fo delici- v.84.102. ous a tafte, if Homer may be credited, that it made the eaters of it forget all the fweets of their native country, as Ulyffes found to his coft in his return from Troy. IN general, it may be faid, that the Egyptian pulfe and fruits were excellent; and might, as Pliny || obferves, have suffic'd fingly for the nourishment * Proximus Byffino mulierum maxime deliciis genito, inventum jam eft etiam [fcilicet LiI num] quod ignibus non abfumetur, vivum id vocant, ardentefque in focis conviviorum ex eo vidimus mappas, fordibus exuftis fplendefcentes igni magis, quam poffent aquis. i. e. A flax is now found out which is + Τῶν ὅ τις λωτοῖο φάγοι μελιηδέα καρπόν, Egyptus frugum quidem fertiliffima, fed ut prope fola is carere poffit, tanta eft cibo I. v. 94, 95. 2. 102. rum ex urbis abundantia. Plin. of |
