community (that is, the bulk of it) could not, if they wished it, get rid of their prejudices and fuperftitions, for want of leifure to reafon on them; nor might they be happier, by the change. We appeal to the history of mankind.

"With regard to travelling, on the score of rational curiofity and improvement, it ought at leaft to command the respect and approbation of mankind. To what is the rapid advancement in thofe arts, which adminifter to the comforts of common life, in Europe, under an increafed and increafing population, to be afcribed, but to the importation of useful inventions, and products, from other countries; adopting from amongst them, that which is useful and applicable, either as a new discovery, or as a modification of a former practice? Thus the communities of the earth have infenfibly improved, even from a period fo remote, that the names of their early benefactors have been loft; or perhaps, in fome inflances, they have only loft their mortal diftinctions, to become gods or demi-gods. The world has feen a Pythagoras, an Anacharfis, an Herodotus, a Peter Alexiowitz, a Banks, forego either the exercife of unlimited power, the blandifhments of elegant fociety, or, at least, the comforts of cafe and security; to brave the dangers of the deep, or thofe greater dangers, which often arife from an intercourfe with man in his favage ftate; in queft of knowledge, or of ufeful productions. Not that kind of knowledge alone which merely adminifters to the pleasure of the traveller; but that, which is derived from inquiries, concerning what useful cuftoms or inftitutions amongst men, and what products of the earth or fea might be imported into their own countries, or their colonies.

"The interchange of ufeful vegetable productions between the different countries of the earth, with a view to cultivation, is alone an object which commands the gratitude of the world; and happy the man whose fame refts on this folid foundation: a foundation that opinion cannot shake, tince all feel and participate in the benefits; whilft fyftems of politics, and the fame of their authors, vanish; and are, in comparison with the other, like unfubftantial clouds, that vary their form and colour, with every change of pofition or circumftance." P. 159.

The eighth and ninth fections are occupied with the defcription and illuftration of Afia; as known to Herodotus. The principal matters difcuffed are thefe. It appears that the Greek hiftorian did not know more than one third of Asia; that is, he defcribes no more, but he had heard of the Hyperboreans, of the Vaft Deferts which extend to the eaft beyond India, and alfo of the Iffedones. Yet his Afia, excepting Arabia, the Maffage, and part of India, comprized very little more than was fubject to Darius Hyftafpes. Mr. R. explains, in the progrefs of the eighth fection, the longitudinal extent of Afia, and of the earth, as described by Eratofthenes, Strabo, and Pliny; communicates fome curious remarks on the Cafpian Strait and Mount Argæus, on the Mediterranean and Euxine feas; and concludes with a moft perfpicuous and fatis

factory

factory account of the elevated region of Eastern Afia, and the courfes of its waters. He deduces from his premises this conclufion, that the whole of Eastern Afia is on a higher level than the Western.

We

The fubject of Afia is continued in the ninth fection. here find the errors of Herodotus corrected, with respect to the relative pofitions of the Mediterranean, the Euxine, Caspian, and Perfian Seas. It is proved that these errors were continued to the time of Strabo, and conftituted the principal cause of the wandering of the ten thoufand Greeks under Xenophon. The other mistakes of Herodotus refpecting Afia, and the pofitions of Perfia, Media, Allyria, and Arabia, are alfo pointed out and explained. What is faid on the fubject of the Erythræan Sea, of the Arabian and Perfian Gulfs, deferves the most attentive regard, and is highly creditable to the author's fagacity and diligence. This fection concludes with an account of the dimenfions of Scythia, of the principal rivers of Western Afia, and with an explanation of the cause which induced Herodotus, and from him Strabo, to confound the Araxes with the Jaxartes.

The tenth fection treats wholly of the Eaftern Scythians, or country of the Maffagetæ. The eleventh and twelfth fections comprize a very curious differtation on the twenty Satrapies of Darius Hyftafpes. The thirteenth fection examines the report of Aritagoras, concerning the Royal Road, from Ionia to Sufa. The fourteenth fection defcribes the fituation and remains of ancient Babylon. The fifteenth is occupied with an account of the captivity and difpofal of the ten tribes of the Jews. This laft fection is peculiarly interefting, and juftifies the following extract.

༔ "The ftory of Tobit throws much light on the condition of the captive Ifraelites in Affyria and Media: and it is very curious to remark how the habitual induftry, perfeverance, adroitness, and knowledge of bufinefs, poffeffed by the Jews, raised them to ftations of trust under their new mafters, and gave them opportunities of enriching themselves. Tobit, and Achiacarus his kinfman, both held employments, either in the state, or in the royal household, or both; under the kings of Affyria, in Nineveh. Tobit was amongst the captives taken away by Shalmanefer, from the remainder of the ten tribes left on this fide Jordan, after the two and half had previously been carried away by Tiglath Pilefer: and was himself of the tribe of Naphtali. The following is an abstract of his hiftory. (See the Book of Tobit). "He was made purveyor to Shalmanefer (or Enemeffar); and, we muft fuppofe, grew rich; for he left in truft with a friend at Rages, in Media, ten talents of filver. But Shalmanefer ding was fucceeded by Sennacherib, whofe wanton cruelty to the captive Jews, heightened by the tailure of his attempt on Judea, occafioned Tobit to fall under

his difpleafure; his property was forfeited, and he was obliged to flee from Nineveh, through fear of his life. The tyrant, however, was quickly dispatched, and was fucceeded by his fon Efarhaddon (Sarchedonus of Tobit) who, like his grandfather Shalmanefer, appears to have underfood the value of the fervices of the Jews, and to have regarded them with a favourable eye. Achiacarus, the nephew of Tobit, was appointed to a high office in the government; and, by his interceffion, Tobit returned in peace to Nineveh, and was there fupported by him. After this, it appears that he went into Elymais; that is, we fuppose, to Sufa; but neither the errand, nor the time of his ftay, are mentioned. It is probable that, as Efarhaddon united the kingdom of Babylon to that of Nineveh, &c. he made ufe of Sufa as his winter capital, as was the practice of the Perfian monarchs afterwards; and that Tobit accompanied his nephew, who followed the king of course.

After this, we find him again at Nineveh (fee chapter xi. ver. 16) from whence he dispatches his fon Tobias to Rages, by way of Ecbatana, for the money. At the latter place, he marries his kinfwoman, Sara; and fends a meffenger on to Rages. The mode of keeping and delivering the money was exactly as at prefent in the Eaft. Gabael, who kept the money in truft, "brought forth bags, which were fealed up, and gave them to him ;" and received, in return, the "bandwriting," or acknowledgment, which Tobias had taken care to require of his father, before he left Nineveh. The money, we learn (chap. i. ver. 14) was left in truft, or as a depofit, and not on ufury; and as it may be concluded, with Tobit's feal on the bags. In the Eaft, in the prefent times, a bag of money paffes (for fome time at least) currently from hand to hand, under the authority of a banker's feal, without any examination of its contents.

"Two camels were taken from Ecbatana to Rages, for the money. The ten talents of filver, which should have been equal in weight, according to Dr. Arbuthnot, to about 940lb. avoirdupois, might be conveniently carried on two camels. Only two perfons accompanied them, which shews that the country muft have been very quiet; fince the distance between Ecbatana and Rages is upwards of 200 of our miles; and, it may be observed, that Tobit regarded Media as a more fettled country than Affyria, which is fhewn as well in his own condu&t as in his advice to his fon.

"This hiftory of Tobit fhews, not only that the Jews were distributed over Media, but that they filled fituations of trust and confidence: and, on the whole, it may be conceived that the perfons brought away from the land of Ifrael, were thofe from whom the conqueror expected ufeful fervices in his country, or feared disturbances from, in their own. In effect, that the claffes were much the fame with thofe brought away from Judea, by the king of Babylon and that the great body of the people remained in the land, as being of ufe there, but would have been burthenfome if removed; confequently, that those who look for a nation of Jews, tranflated into Media or Perfia, certainly look for what was never to be found: fince no more than a feleft part of the nation was fo tranfplanted.

"In the diftribution of fuch captives, it might be expected that a wife monarch would be governed by two confiderations: first, to profit the moft by their knowledge and induftry; and, fecondly, to place them in fuch a fituation, as to render it extremely difficult for them to return to their own country. The geographical pofition of Media appears favourable to the latter circumftance, there being a great extent of country, and deep rivers, between; and it can scarcely be otherwife than that the Jews, by their communication with the Egyptians and Phoenicians, together with their own habits of life, were in poffeffion of many branches of knowledge, that had been but imperfectly communicated to the Medes.

"One cannot help adverting to the policy which led Peter the Great of Ruffia to place the Swedish captives in Siberia, in preference to the more civilized parts of his empire; namely, that his fubjects in that remote part might profit by the fuperior knowledge of the arts of life poffeffed by thefe captives. Moreover, by the wide and dreary tract of country, which was placed between them and their homes, they would find it impracticable to return; at the fame time that, by remaining at large, their minds were left more at ease, than if subject to a more rigorous confinement nearer home.

"One circumftance appears very remarkable. Although it is pofitively faid, that only certain claffes of the Jews were carried to Babylon, at the latter captivity; and alfo, that on the decree of Cyrus, which permitted their return, the principal part did return (perhaps 50,000 in all) yet fo great a number was found in Babylonia, in aftertimes, as is really aftonifhing. They are spoken of by Jofephus as poffeffing towns and diftricts in that country, as late as the reign of Phraates, about 40 years before Chrift. They were in great numbers at Babylon itself, and alfo in Seleucia and Sufa. Their increafe muft have been wonderful; and, in order to maintain fuch numbers, their industry and gains also must have been great. But it must also have been, that a very great number were difinclined to leave the country in which they were fettled, at the date of the decree. Ammianus Marcellinus, fo late as the expedition of Julian, fpeaks of a Jews' town, at the fide of one of the canals between the Euphrates and Tigris.

"The numbers of Jews reported by Benjamin of Tudela (in the 12th century) to have refided in the different cities in the East, are fo much beyond probability, that, it may be fuppofed, he included the whole population of the cities, and not that of the Jews alone.

"We shall conclude this inquiry with a fhort view of the report of Diodorus Siculus, concerning the Jews.

"It appears that he either wrote, or intended to write, a history of the wars against the Jews (by the kings of Syria, we suppose) but nothing more appears than a fragment of his xlth book, ftating his intention; and giving alfo (probably as an introduction) a short history of the origin of the Jewish nation, as a body of ftrangers in Egypt; of their expulfion from Egypt; and of their fettlement in Judea; agreeing in the principal events of their history, with that of their legiflator, Mofes; but with a far different colouring. In another fragment (of his xxxivth book) he gives a fhort account of their fub

jection,

jeftion, by Antiochus Epiphanes, and of his indécent profanation of the temple and altar. And again, in his first book, c. 7, he touches flightly on the fubject of their religion, and inftitutes, in common with thofe of the Egyptians, Cretans, Getes, &c. From these pasfages collectively it appears, that he confidered the Jews, although not as a popular, or an amiable people, yet as a very wonderful people; whether in refpect of their inftitutes, which kept them distinct from. the rest of the world; of their municipal laws, which accomplished the purposes of useful education, and frugal habits (the foundation of a valt population, confidering the general fterility of their country) of their unalterable firmnefs and patience under misfortunes; or of their obftinate bravery in combat. But he obferves, that through the great change in empires that had taken place, and the confequent and unavoidable admixture of the Jews with foreign nations, many of the ancient laws and cuftoms of the Jews had been changed or laid afide. If this could be faid in the days of Auguftus, how different must the Jews of our days be from thofe of remote times, when they appear to us unlike all the rest of the world; and a kind of STANDING MIRACLE!" P. 403.

The fixteenth fection commences with the illustration of the Africa of Herodotus, to which we fhall next month give our

attention.

(To be concluded in our next.)

ART. VI. Poems, by the Rev. William Lifle Bowles. Vol. II. 12mo. 6s. 6s. Printed by Crutwell, Bath, for Cadell and Davies, &c. London. 1801.

HE lovers of poetry will fee with great pleafure a fecond volume by Mr. Bowles, whofe firit has been received with fuch extenfive approbation. They will perufe this fecond volume, if they agree with us in judgment and feeling, with a confiderable increase of fatisfaction. The fame of this author depended hitherto chiefly on his Sonnets, a fpecies of compofition which, notwithstanding the extravagant fame allotted by the Italians to Petrarch, muft ever belong to the class of minor poetry. A fpecies which, from its own minority of merit, naturally excites the fufpicion of minority of genius. A Sonnet may be polished into elegance, or warmed into pathos, and both the efforts have been fuccessfully made by Mr. Bowles in many instances; but fublimity, the grand and genuine object of poetical ambition, is almoft inevitably excluded from it. For variety of description; for adorning and elevating a fub

K

BRIT, CRIT, VOL. XVIII, AUG. 1801.

jec,