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I.

THE vaft wealth which the Phenicians acquired by monopolizing the trade carried on Of the Jews in the Red Sea, incited their neighbours the Jews, under the profperous reigns of David and Solomon, to aim at being admitted to fome share of it. This they obtained, partly by their conqueft of Idumea, which stretches along the Red Sea, and partly by their alliance with Hiram king of Tyre. Solomon fitted out fleets, which, under the direction of Phenician pilots, failed from the Red Sea to Tarfhifh and Ophir. Thefe, it is probable, were ports in India and Africa which their conductors were accustomed to frequent, and from them the Jewifh fhips returned with fuch valuable cargoes as fuddenly diffused wealth and splendour through the kingdom of Ifrael ". But the fingular inftitutions of the Jews, the obfervance of which was enjoined by their divine legiflator, with an intention of preserving them a feparate people, uninfected by idolatry, formed a national character, incapable of that open and liberal intercourfe with ftrangers which commerce requires. Accordingly, this unfocial genius of the people, together with the disasters which befel the kingdom of Ifrael,

* Memoire fur le Pays d'Ophir, par M. D'Anville, Mem. de l'Academ. des Inscript. &c. tom. xxx. 83.

prevented

I.

prevented the commercial fpirit which their BOOK monarchs laboured to introduce, and to cherish, from fpreading among them. The Jews cannot be numbered among the nations which contributed to improve navigation, or to extend discovery.

thaginians,

BUT though the inftructions and example of of the Carthe Phenicians were unable to mould the manners and temper of the Jews, in oppofition to the tendency of their laws, they tranfmitted the commercial spirit with facility, and in full vigour, to their own defcendants the Carthaginians. The commonwealth of Carthage applied to trade and to naval affairs, with no less ardour, ingenuity, and fuccefs, than its parentflate. Carthage early rivalled, and foon furpaffed Tyre, in opulence and power, but feems not to have aimed at obtaining any share in the commerce with India. The Phenicians had engroffed this, and had fuch a command of the Red Sea as fecured to them the exclufive poffeffion of that lucrative branch of trade. The commercial activity of the Carthaginians was exerted in another direction. Without

contending for the trade of the eaft with their mother-country, they extended their naviga tion chiefly towards the weft and north. Following the courfe which the Phenicians had opened,

BOOK opened, they paffed the Streights of Gades, I. and pushing their discoveries far beyond those

of the parent state, vifited not only all the coafts of Spain, but thofe of Gaul, and penetrated at laft into Britain. At the fame time that they acquired knowledge of new countries in this part of the globe, they gradually carried their researches towards the South. They made confiderable progrefs, by land, into the interior provinces of Africa, traded with some of them, and fubjected others to their empire. They failed along the weftern coaft of that great continent, almost to the tropic of Cancer, and planted several colonies, in order to civi lize the natives, and accuftom them to commerce. They difcovered the Fortunate Iflands, now known by the name of the Canaries, the utmost boundary of ancient navigation in the western ocean .

NOR was the progrefs of the Phenicians and Carthaginians in their knowledge of the globe, owing entirely to the defire of extending their trade from one country to another. Commerce was followed by its usual effects among both these people. It awakened curiofity, en

Plinii Nat, Hift. lib. vi. c. 37. edit. in ufum Delph. 4to. 1685.

larged

I.

larged the ideas and defires of men, and incited BOOK them to bold enterprises. Voyages were undertaken, the fole object of which was to dif cover new countries, and to explore unknown feas. Such, during the profperous age of the Carthaginian republic, were the famous navigations of Hanno and Himilco. Both their fleets were equipped by authority of the fenate, and at public expence. Hanno was directed to fteer towards the fouth, along the coast of Africa, and he seems to have advanced much nearer the equinoctial line than any former navigator. Himilco had it in charge to proceed towards the north, and to examine the western coafts of the European continent. Of the fame nature was the extraordinary navigation of the Phenicians round Africa. A Phenician fleet, we are told, fitted out by Necho king of Egypt, took its departure about fix hundred and four years before the Christian æra, from a port in the Red Sea, doubled the fouthern promontory of Africa, and after a voyage of three years, returned by the Streights

Plinii Nat. Hift. lib. v. c. I. Hanonis Periplus ap. Geograph. minores, edit. Hudfoni, vol. i. p. 1.

› Plinii Nat. Hift. lib. ii. c. 67. Feftus Avienus apud Bochart. Geogr. Sacr. lib. i. c. 60. p. 652. Oper. vol. iii. L. Bat. 1707.

of

BOOK of Gades, to the mouth of the Nile". Eudoxus

1.

of Cyzicus is faid to have held the same course, and to have accomplished the fame arduous undertaking.

THESE Voyages, if performed in the manner which I have related, may justly be reckoned the greatest effort of navigation in the ancient world; and if we attend to the imperfect state of the art at that time, it is difficult to determine, whether we should most admire the courage and fagacity with which the defign was formed, or the conduct and good fortune with which it was executed. But unfortunately, all the original and authentic accounts of the Phenician and Carthaginian voyages, whether undertaken by public authority, or in profecution of their private trade, have perifhed. The information which we receive concerning them from the Greek and Roman authors, is not only obfcure and inaccurate, but, if we except a fhort narrative of Hanno's expedition, is of fufpicious authority *. Whatever ac quaintance with the remote regions of the earth the Phenicians or Carthaginians may have ac

Herodot. lib. iv. c. 42.

Plinii Nat. Hift. lib. ii. c. 67.

* See NOTE II.

quired,

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