Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	channel_n	water_n	zone_n	17	3	13.0829	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49450	A new history of Ethiopia being a full and accurate description of the kingdom of Abessinia, vulgarly, though erroneously called the empire of Prester John : in four books ... : illustrated with copper plates / by ... Job Ludolphus ... ; made English, by J.P., Gent.; Historia Aethiopica. English	Ludolf, Hiob, 1624-1704.; J. P., Gent.	1682 (1682)	Wing L3468; ESTC R9778	257,513	339

those Fountains and Spring-heads have been since discover'd so long and unsuccessfully sought for by the Ancients Athanasius Kircher has describ'd them from the Relation of Peter Pays who view'd them himself In the Kingdom of Gojam saith he and in the Western Parts thereof in the Province of Sabala which the Agawi inhabit are to be seen two round Spring-Heads very deep in a place somewhat rais'd the ground about it being quaggy and mershy nevertheless the Water does not spring forth there but issues from the foot of the Mountain About a Musquet Shot from thence toward the East the River begins to flow then winding to the North about the fourth part of a League it receives another River a little farther two more flowing from the East fall into it and soon after it enlarges it self with the addition of several other Streams About a days journey farther by the Relation of the same Peter it swallows up the River Jema then winding Westward some twenty Leagues it turns again to the East and plunges it self into a vast Lake This Relation differs not from what Gregory has discoursed to me only he particulariz'd the names of the Countries that perhaps were the more special Denominations of those places of which Sabala was the more general Name For as he related to me the Spring-head of Nile is in a certain Land call'd Secut upon the top of Dengla which perhaps is the name of a Mountain He also affirm'd that it had five Spring-heads reckoning in the Heads of other Rivers which have no particular name and are therefore taken for the Nile But it passes through the Lake Tzanicum preserving the colour of its own Waters like the Rhosne running through the Lake Lemann and the Rhine through Acronius or the Lake De Zell Then winding to the South it washes on the left hand the principal Kingdoms of Habessinia Bagemdra Amhara Waleka Shewa Damota and takes along the Rivers of those Countries Bashlo Tzohha Kecem Jema Roma and Wancit Then on the right hand embracing Gojam its Native Country almost like a Circle and swell'd with the Rivers of that Region Maga Abaja Aswari Temci Gult and Tzul it turns again to the West as it were bidding farewel to its Fountains and with a prodigious mass of ramass'd Rivers leaving Habessinia upon the right hand rolls to the North through several thirsty Nations and sandy Deserts to enfertile Egypt with its Inundations and there makes its way through several mouths into the Sea For the more certain Demonstration of the Truth it will be of particular moment to insert the Relation of Gregory himself perhaps the first that was ever made public by an Ethiopian Epist d. 20. Octob. 1657. The Course of Nile is like a Circle it encompasses Gojam but so that it never returns back to its Head making directly to Sennar And therefore Gojam lies always upon the right hand of Nile but all the other Kingdoms of Ethiopia as well those that lye near as those at a distance remain still upon the left As it flows along it takes in all the Rivers great and small with several Torrents as well Foreign as Habessinian which by that general Tribute acknowledge him their King who having thus muster'd together all the Waters of Ethiopia jocundly takes his leave and proceeds on his Journey like a Hero according to the Command of his Creator to drench the Fields of thirsty Egypt and quench the drowth of Thousands The Spring-head of this famous River first shews it self in a certain Land which is called Secut upon the top of Dengla near Gojam West of Bagemdra Dara the Lake Tzana and Bada Rising thus it hastens with a direct course Eastward and so enters the Lake of Dara and Bed as it were swimming over it Passing from thence it flows between Gojam and Bagemdra but leaving them upon the right and left speeds directly toward Amhara Having touch'd the Confines of Amhara he turns his Face toward the West and girdles Gojam like a Circle but so that Gojam lies always upon the right hand of it Having past the Limits of Amhara it washes the Confines of Walaka and so on to the extream bounds of Mugara and Shewa Then it slides between Bizama and Gonga and descends into the Country of the Shankelites Whence he winds to the right hand and leaves by degrees the Western Clime upon the left hand to visit the Kingdom of Sennar But before he get thither he meets with two great Rivers that plunge themselves into his Streams coming from the East of which one is call'd Tacazè that falls out of Tigra and the other Guangue that descends from Dembea After he has taken a view of the Kingdom of Sennar away he travels to the Country of Dengula and so comes to the Kingdom of Nubia and thence turns to the right hand in order to his intended Voyage for Alexandria and comes to a certain Country which is call'd Abrim where the Stream is unnavigable by reason of the Cliffs and Rocks after which he enters Egypt Sennar and Nubia are seated upon the shore of Nile toward the West so that they may drink of his Waters besides that he guards their Eastern Limits as far as he approaches near them But our People and Travellers from Sennar after they have cross'd Nubia quit the River Nile leaving it upon the right hand toward the East and ride through a Desert of 15 days journey upon Camels where neither Tree nor Water but only Sand is to be seen but then they meet with it again in the Country of Riffe which is the Upper Egypt where they either take Boat or travel a foot in Company with the Stream But as to what he wrote concerning the flowing of great and small Rivers into Nile he explains himself in these words All great Rivers and smaller Torrents flow into Nile excepting only two The one is call'd Hanazo which rises in Hangota and the other Hawash which runs near Dawara and Fatagara But as if this had not been enough he goes on with a farther Explanation in another Epistle as follows But whereas I told you in a Description of Nile that all the Rivers of Ethiopia flow'd into it except two I am not to be understood as if I spoke of all Ethiopia For those Rivers that are upon the Borders of the Circuit of Ethiopia which are near the Ocean they fall into the Sea every one in their distinct Regions Now the Countries adjoyning to the Ocean are these Canbat Guraghè Enaria Zandera Wed Waci Gaci and some others The Native Country of Nile being thus discover'd the cause of his Inundation is manifest For most of the Countries under the Torrid Zone when the Sun returns into the Winter Signs are wash'd as we have said with immoderate Showers So that the prodigious mass of Waters that randevouzes from all parts cannot be contain'd within his Channel and therefore when it comes into the Levels of Egypt

it presently disburthens it self Those Northern Winds from their Anniversary Breezes call'd Etesiae add little to the Increase Tho some have written That their forcing the Sea against the Mouths of the River drives back the Waters of Nile and augments the cause of the Deluge A thing not likely in regard they are the most temperate of all the Winds and blow only in the day-time Thus far indeed they may prevail as they blow slacker or stronger to render the Increase somewhat the more unequal and that is all Vainly therefore did many believe that the Snow that melted from the Ethiopian Mountains delug'd into the River Nilus for them that profound Tracer of Nature Seneca Quest natural l. 4. c. 2. has solidly refuted Which makes it a wonder that Paulus Jovius should report the same as what he had gather'd from the certain Conjectures of the Habessines who at another time speaks of the very same thing as a great Secret of Nature which no Man had ever div'd into nay he reproves it for weakness with an ostentatious Wit to be over diligently curious in the search of such matters Yet tho the Fountains of Nile are known the course of it is not so well discover'd to the Habessines themselves after it has left them But the ancient and constant report is that it does not fall (p) Jul. Solin in Polyhist c. 43. The Ethiopians and Atlantic Nations are divided by the River Niger which is believ'd to be a part of Nilus entire into Egypt but that it is divided into two Channels and that the right Channel runs to the North as is well known but that the left runs Westward and keeping a long course divides the Country of the Nigrites 'till it fall into the Ocean This the ancient Egyptian Priests were not ignorant of for Herodotus the foremost in History after he has discours'd concerning the Springs of Nile learnedly reports That he had heard from an Auditor of the Money sacred to Minerva That half of the Water of Nile flow'd Northward into Egypt the other half Southward toward Ethiopia Which none of our Geographers either observ'd or mended Clim 1. Part. 4. But the Nubian Geographer puts me quite out of doubt when he writes And in this part of Ethiopia are the two Niles parted that is Nilus which waters out Country of Nubia directs his Course from South to North and most of the Cities of Egypt are seated on each side of his Banks and in his Islands The other part of Nile flows from the East toward the West and upon this part of Nile lies the whole Country of the Nigrites or at least the greater part of it A little after he adds concerning a certain Mountain And near to that one of the Arms of Nile turns off and flows to the West And this is the Nile that belongs to the Country of the Nigrites many of their Provinces lying upon it But near the Eastern side of the Mountain the other Arm turns off waters the Country of Nubia and the Land of Egypt and is divided in the Lower Egypt into four parts of which three fall into the Syrian Sea and the other empties it self in a Salt Lake which is near to Alexandria The words are every way most clear and very probable it is That the separation of the two Niles might be caus'd by the resistance of some rocky Mountain that constrain'd the two Streams to part since they could not undermine it To which the words of Leo Africanus relate The Region of the Nigrites In Descript Afric l. 1. c. 7. through which Nilus is said to flow Which seem to intimate that he had heard something by report concerning this same left Channel Nor am I a little confirm'd by the judgment of Gregory which he expressed to me by writing in these words But as to what is reported that Nile does not flow altogether and entirely into the Land of Egypt but that it is divided another way This all those persons of whom I have enquir'd averr to me to be truth This I also encline to believe for should it descend entirely thither in the Winter time the Egyptians could never be safe in their Houses But as to what concerns its separation they say That Parting happens after the River has pass'd by Sennar in the Country of Dengula before it arrives in Nubia However they say That the greatest mass of Water flows into Egypt and that the separated part runs directly to the western Ocean yet so that it comes not into Barbary but descends toward the Country of Elwah and so throws it self into the western Ocean Now that the River Niger should be the left Channel of Nile is most probable from hence for that as Pliny writes and Experience confirms l. 5. c. 8. it partakes of the same Conditions with it agrees in colour and tast of the Water it produces the same sort of Reed the same sort of Papyr and the same sort of Animals and lastly encreases and overflows at the same Seasons Neither does the Name it self contradict the Conjecture in regard that as we have said Nilus it self is by the Hebrews and Greeks call'd Niger But as to what the Egyptian related to Herodotus That the left Channel flow'd toward the South that perhaps might be for such a certain distance of Land not but that afterwards it might vary its Course and wind toward the West Which opinion after I had communicated to the most famous Bochart so highly skill'd both in the ancient and modern Geography and the best Judge of these matters he wrote me in answer Il est tres vray que le Niger est une partie du Nile Most certain it is that Niger is a part of Nile Now follows a Question no less admirable than it is of moment Whether it be in the power of the Abyssine Kings so to divert the Court of Nile that it should not overflow Egypt Many Writers assert the Affirmative trusting partly to Fame and partly to a Relation which we shall produce out of George Elmacine adding That the Turks therefore pay a Tribute to the Abessines Others also upon the sight of the Geographical Map believe it a thing easie to be accomplish'd to turn the Stream of Nilus into the Red-Sea which Albuquerquez that magnanimous Portugueze Viceroy in India was contriving to do However (r) Alf. d'Albuquerque in Comment ejusd part 4. c. 7. as Tellez alledges p. 20. Tellezius denies it feasable to turn the Course of such an immense mass of Waters for so vast a space of Earth through so many steep and rugged Rocks and that the Course ordain'd by the Prince of Nature is no way to be alter'd Of the same opinion are (s) In Orbe imperante tit Africa Period 2. Sect. 2. Hornius and others but they make no mention of Elmacinus Perhaps they never read or never consider'd his words which we shall here expose to the Readers