Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	aaron_n	age_n	moses_n	24	3	6.8487	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51638	The Egyptian history, treating of the pyramids, the inundation of the Nile, and other prodigies of Egypt, according to the opinions and traditions of the Arabians written originally in the Arabian tongue by Murtadi, the son of Gaphiphus, rendered into French by Monsieur Vattier ... and thence faithfully done into English by J. Davies ...	Murtaḍā ibn al-ʻAfīf, 1154 or 5-1237.; Vattier, Pierre, 1623-1667.; Davies, John, 1625-1693.	1672 (1672)	Wing M3128; ESTC R23142	128,209	344

beauty of the Original and the Gold glittering in the two first pages after the manner of other Books cu●iously written in the East had not engaged my longer consideration of them whereby I was satisfied that the Italian Inscription was not answerable to the Arabian Art and could not forbear crying out O soeculum infelix● as Erasmus did upon a like occasion having found as he saith Commentaries on Mimus Publianus Qui neque coelum neque ●er●●m attingerent tamen accuratissime depictos ceu rem sacram This impertinent title had no doubt been given our Manuscript by a person who had casually cast his eye on some passages where it mentions the Enchanters of Egypt and the same injury might haply have be done by a like precipitation to the Sacred Books of Genesis and Exodus wherein there is also mention made of those Magicians and the wonderful effects of their Magick which they had the impudence to compare with the Divine miracles of Moses and Aaron These Enchanters then are part of the subject of this Book but not all as being one of the things which many ages since had raised admiration in those who considered Egypt but not the onely one nor the principal in a Country where the Earth the Waters and the Air out-vy one the other in affording extraordinary subjects of Meditation to Philosophers upon natural things and whose Inhabitants have signalized themselves by their prodigious structures and by the invention even of Philosophy it self The Land of Egypt is it self a stranger in the place of its situation if we credit the conjectures of it of Philosophers who have attentively viewed and considered it it came thither from a Countrey so remote that the industry of men could never settle any Commerce for the importation of fruits from those places whence nature conveys them the very soil whereby they are produced The air there is in a perpetual serenity never disturbed at any Season of the Year with Snow Hail Rain Lightning or Thunder The Waters there rise to a prodigious height during the greatest heats of Summer when they are elsewhere lowest or dryed up and in Winter when they are every where either frozen up or over-flown they there g●id gently below their ordinary course The surface of the Earth is spread with a pleasant verdure with so sweet a temperature of the Air that the fairest Springs of other Countries come not near it In the Moneth of March the Harvest ready to be cut down guilds the pregnant Fields which are devested thereof before the Moneth of April And in the Moneths of July and August the same Fields are changed into so many Seas and the Cities and Villages into so many Islands by a fortunate inundation which spares the Inhabitants the trouble of tilling and manuring them as must of necessity be done elsewhere for the Egyptians have no more to do but to Sow the Seeds therein when the Waters are fallen away and slightly to stir the slime which is spread thereon that they may be covered which they did heretofore as Herodotus relates by driving Herds of Swine after the Sowers Thus do they get the Fruits of the most fertile piece of earth in the Universe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to use the terms of the same Author most easily and without any trouble after they have gathered the productions of the Waters by a yet more easie fishing or rather as Aelian expresses it by an Harvest of Fish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which lie scattered on the slime in the midst of the Fields These natural prodigies have alwaies engaged the greatest wits in an enquiry into their causes which are reducible onely to two heads For the serenity of the Air proceeds no doubt from the nature of the adjacent and neighbouring Countries and Waters which are not apt to send thither any vapours which might be condensed into Rain Hail or Snow nor yet any mineral exhalations which might cause thunder and lightning and the other Miracles which are seen by the Raies of that delightful Sun are the effects of that admirable River which keeps the Inhabitants of that Countrey in such quiet after it hath brought them the soil which is to sustain and nourish them For the better understanding of this it is to be observed that Aegypt is only a Plain or rather a spacious Valley reaching in length from South to North from the Tropick of Cancer or a little beyond it to the Mediterranean Sea for the space of about two hundred and thirty Leagues and in breadth from East to West between two Mountains which are its limits one towards Arabia and the other towards Africk but not alwaies at an equal distance one from the other For at the Northern extremity along the Shore of the Mediterranean Sea that distance is about six score leagues above the places where Heliopolis heretofore stood and where now Cairo is about fifty leagues distant from the Sea it diminishes so for the space of about seventy leagues that the two Mountains are not above six or seven leagues distant one from the other Above that space they dilate again and the Countrey grows wider even to its Meridional extremitie which makes the upper Aegypt otherwise called Thebais Thus is Aegypt naturally divided into three parts which may be called Upper the Lower and the Middle In the Middle which is much narrower then the others and which our Author calls Gize as much as to say the passage was the City of Memphis near the Western Mountain on which not far thence there are several Pyramids and those of the most sumptuous In the upper Aegypt was heretofore the famous City Thebes which had a hundred Gates and was afterwards called Diospolis and Syene seated directly under the Tropick of Cancer so that the day of the Summer Solstice the Sun at noon shined to the bottoms of Wells and streight and perpendicular Pillars made not any shade and Elephantina beyond which presently began Ethiopia and Copta whence there was a way to the Red Sea the shortest and easiest of any along that Coast by which there were brought on Camels abundance of Indian Commodities which were afterwards embarqu'd on the Nile and the little Cataract where Strabo saies the Mariners fell down from the top to the bottom with their Boats in the presence of the Governour of Aegypt to make him sport and the Lake of Maeris with two Pyramids in the midst of it each six hundred foot in height three hundred under water and three hundred above and the Labyrinth yet more prodigious then the Pyramids In the Lower Aegypt are the mouths of the Nile whereof the two most distant one from the other make the Delta which is a Triangular Island the Basis whereof is the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the two sides the two arms of the Nile which come to those mouths Cairo is above the Delta towards Arabia near the place where heretofore Heliopolis stood The Arabians now call

him his son Axames and after him his son Lates and after him Tolma the Coptite otherwise called the Valide son of Masgab who was the Pharao of Moses and who governed unjustly and tyrannically attributing to himself what belonged not to him wherefore Moses destroyed him after he had given him the space of 400 years to be converted and drowned him and all his people and all the Egyptians who had followed him in the Red Sea by the virtue of his Rod according to the Decree of the Malediction of God as we shall relate hereafter if God give us leave Some would have the Pharao of Joseph to be the same with that of Moses grounding their conjecture on what Almighty God said of him A Believer of the house of Pharao said thus Joseph is already come to you heretofore and the rest of the verse God knows how it is AN ABRIDGMENT OF The Second Part of the Book OF THE PRODIGIES OF EGYPT THE Reverend Prelate the Doctor Murtadi the Son of Gaphiphus the Son of Chatem the Son of Molsem the Macdesian the Sapheguian Gods mercy upon him saith citing his Author That the Apostle of God Gods peace and mercy be with him said what follows When I was raised to Heaven I saw two Rivers and I asked Gabriel which they were He answered me thus They are the Nile and Euphrates The Son of Guebasus says that the same Apostle of God Gods peace and mercy be with him spoke thus The All-mighty and All-good God hath caused to descend from Paradise upon the earth five Rivers Sichone which is the River of the Indies Gichone which is the River of Balca the Tigris and Euphrates which are the two Rivers of Gueraca and the Nile which is the River of Egypt He made them descend from one of the Springs of Paradise seated at the lowest of its stories upon the wings of Gabriel Gods peace be with him and hath committed them to the custody of the Mountains causing them to flow upon the earth and making them useful for men for divers conveniencies of their Lives And that is it which the Almighty saith And we have made the Waters of Heaven to descend after a certain measure and have appointed them their habitation upon earth and we and the rest of the verse When the time of the going forth of Gog and Magog was come Almighty God sent Gabriel Gods peace be with him who took up by his Order from above the earth the Alcoran and Science and the Black Stone and the Support which is the place of Abraham Gods peace and mercy be with him and the Shrine of Moses Gods peace be with him with what was within it and these five Rivers mentioned before All this was taken up into Heaven And that is it which the Almighty saith And it is in our power to carry it away and when I have taken up these things from the earth the Inhabitants of it were the choice part of Religion and of the World And citing his Authors he speaks thus I have heard Abulamamus the Bahelian and Gabdollus the son of Basar the Mazenian who said The Apostle of God Gods peace and mercy be with him one day called his Companions together and said to them The All-mighty and All-good God shall enable you to conquer Egypt after me Make your advantage of the Fruits it brings forth for he who wants money wants not honesty for that Egypt is the Mother-nurse it supplies wherewithall to live plentifully Other Countries want her but she does not stand in need of any other Countrey He said to them also I have received it from Gabriel that God hath sent four Rivers out of Paradise the first of Wine the second of Milk the third of Water and the fourth of Honey Then the All-mighty and All-good God said I have made my particular standard of the Lord of Rivers which is the Nile in the book of God and it is a River flowing out of Paradise Megavius ask'd Cabay and said to him I ask thee in the Name of the great God giver of all good things Doest thou find in the Book of the All-mighty and All-good God that God declares his Will to this Nile twice a year I do replied he God tells her when he would have her flow and saith to her The All-mighty and All-good God commands thee to flow and she flows as far as God orders her and after that God discovers his Will to her and saith to her O Nile the All-mighty and All-good God commands thee to return to thy former condition and to praise him Jezidus the son of Chebibus speaks thus of it When Moses called upon God against Pharao and his Servants God hindered the Nile to encrease as much as it would have done Then they had recourse to Moses and desired him to pray to God for them which he did hoping they would believe in God This happened during the time they adored the Cross The next morning God had augmented the Nile for them 16 full Cubits Quisus the son of Chagegus affirms that somebody related it to him that Gamrou the son of Gazus after he had conquered Egypt having entered into it in the moneth of Baune which is one of the barbarous moneths the Inhabitants of the Countrey came to him and said Lord Commander our Nile which you here see governs its course according to a Law which it inviolably observes What Law is that says Gamrou When the 12th of this present moneth is come said they we take a young Maid a Virgin from her Father and Mother after we have satisfied them both and made them condescend to what we would do according to the custom we dress and adorn her with Jewels and Sumptuous Clothes then we bring her in the night time and cast her into the Nile and immediately it increases and spreads and raises its course This cannot be continued said Gamrou according to the Mussulman Law for the Mussulman Law destroyes the profane customs that have been in vogue before her So the Moneth Banne and the Moneth Abibe and the Moneth Mesri pass'd away and the Nile encreased not its course neither more nor less so that the Inhabitants of Egypt were upon thoughts of leaving the Countrey Gamrou seeing that writ of it to the Commander of the Faithful Omar Gods peace be with him acquainted him with what the Egyptians had said to him and desired to know his resolution thereupon Omar made him answer in these terms After that O Gamrou you have done what you ought to have done upon that occasion for the Mussulman Law abolishes the evil customs that have preceded it But I have inclosed a Note within the fold of this present Letter when you have read it take that Note and cast it into the Nile and God will do what he shall think fit Gamrou having receiv'd the Letter took the Note out of it on which he found these words written In the Name

three hundred young maids Others say he went abroad on Horse-back attended by ninety thousand Servants Men and Maids who belonged to him young men and young maids all Marriageable They relate that he gave very reproachful words to Moses and the Children of Israel priding himself in his great Wealth Moses taking much at his hands for Kindred sake and not willing to be incensed against him till the Ordinance for the payment of Tiths came down Then Moses made an Agreement with Caron that of a thousand Crowns of Gold he should pay one and of a thousand Drachmes one But his Soul grew the more Covetous by reason of the great quantity of Gold and Silver which he had after he had counted it and found so much He thereupon assembled the Children of Israel and began to make Speeches to them and spoke to them in these terms Moses has hitherto dealt with you as he pleased himself and now he would take away your goods You are our Lord and Master reply'd they command us to do what you think good We must said he corrupt such a one naming a woman of a lewd life and induce her to calumniate Moses so as that he may be suspected to have had some dealings with her that the Children of Israel may be put out of the good opinion they have of him and have an aversion for him and at last quite forsake him They promised that debauch'd woman a 1000. Crowne of gold others say a Basin full of gold Then the day of one of their Festivals being come Moses stood up to speak to them and after he had praised God and given thanks he spoke thus O ye Children of Israel God commands you me also that if any one among us be a Thief we should put him away from us if any one commit Fornication and be not married we should punish him with the Whip and if he be married we should stone him And if you your self have committed those crimes O Moses said Caron Yes reply'd Moses though it were my self Certainly reply'd Caron the Children of Israel believe that you have sinned with such a woman naming the debauched woman Moses having heard these words sent for the woman and charged her by him who had divided the Sea and sent the Law from Heaven to declare the truth Then God of his mercy touched the womans heart and she spoke thus By the true God those who say it speak an untruth but true it is that Caron and his people have promised me a reward if I testify'd that you had sinned with me O great Prophet who have spoken to God Then Moses fell down to the ground and worshipped God weeping and made this Prayer to him O Lord if I am thy Apostle avenge me for it is impossible for me to endure those who have not thy fear before their eyes And God revealed his will to him speaking thus Command the Earth to do what thou desirest and by my permission it shall obey thee Moses lift up his head and said to the people O ye Children of Israel God hath sent me to Caron as he sent me to Pharao let such of you as are of his party stand near him They all withdrew from Caron save onely two men who continued obstinate in their wrath their imposture and their malice Then Moses spoke thus O Earth take them Immediately the Earth swallowed them three up to the Waste Moses said again O Earth take them and the Earth took them in up to the Neck Then Caron and his two Companions began to entreat Moses to be merciful to them but Moses made no account of their Prayers for he was too much incensed On the contrary he pronounced the third time the same words O Earth take them and detain them in thy Bowels till the day of Judgment Then the Earth swallow'd them up quite and closed over their Heads Then said God to Moses O Moses thou art very inhumane my Creatures implored thy mercy several times and thou hast not had compassion on them By my greatness and by my glory had they but once called upon me they should have found me favourable and ready to hear them After that said the Author those of the Children of Israel who were not wise began to say Moses has not made imprecations against Caron but to possess himself after his death of his Tteasures and his House Moses hearing of this was angry at it and prayed to God that the House of Caron and all his goods might be swallowed into the bottom of the Earth The All-mighty and All-good God testifies it himself when he speaks thus And we have made him and his House to descend into the Bowels of the Earth he means Caron and no man can relieve him against God and he was not of those who are relieved They relate that the Commander of the Faithful Omar Gods peace be with him writ a Letter to Gamrou the son of Gasus who commanded in Egypt after he had Conquered it and had disposed of the affairs thereof and had imposed the Tribute on such as he had received by composition as well the Coptites as the other Inhabitants of it Behold the Tenure of that Letter From Gabdol Omar the son of Chettab to Gamrou the son of Gasus God give you his peace O Gamrou and his mercy and his benedictions and to all the Mussulmans generally After that I give God thanks for the favours he hath done you there is no other God but he and I pray him to bless Mahumet and his Family I know O Gamrou by by the relation which hath been made me thereof that the Province whereof you have the Government is pleasant and well Fortify'd well Cultivated and very Populous that the Pharaos and the Amalekites have Reigned there that they have display'd therein the marks of their greatness and of their pride imagining they were Eternal and taking where they had not made any accompt But now God hath established you in their Habitations and put into your power their Wealth their Servants and their Children and made you Inheritor of their Land praise and blessing and thanks be to him To him belongs honour and glory When you have received this my Letter write me the particular qualities of Egypt as well in respect of the Land as the Sea and make me know it as if I had seen it my self God preserve you Gamrou having received this Letter and seen what it contained answered Omar Gods peace be with him and writ to him in these terms From Gabdol Gamrou the son of Gasus the Son of Vail the Sa●amian to the Successor of the Apostle of God Gods peace and mercy be with him Omar the son of Chettab Commander of the Faithful one of the Chaliphs according to the right way whose Letter I have received and read and understood his intention wherefore I will dispel from his spirit the cloud of uncertainty by the truth of my discourse