Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	egypt_n	moses_n	pharaoh_n	2,863	5	10.3611	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13705	A briefe description of the whole worlde wherein are particularly described all the monarchies, empires, and kingdomes of the same, with their seuerall titles and situations thereunto adioyning.	Abbot, George, 1562-1633.	1599 (1599)	STC 24.5; ESTC S4483	38,383	66

whereas in deed they came of Hagar the hand maid of Sara Abrahams wife and therefore should of her be called Ismaelites or Hagarens because they would not seeme to be come of a bond woman and from him whom they suppose a bastard they terme themselues Sarazens as comming from Sara they are called by some writers Arabians in stead of Sarazens their name beeing drawne from their first countrie In the countrie of Arabia standeth a citie called Mecha which is the place where Mahomet was buried and in remembrance of him there is built a great Temple vnto the which the Turkes and Sarazens doe yearlie goe on pilgrimage as some Christians do to the Holie land For they account Mahomet to be the greatest Prophet that euer came into the world saying that there were three great Prophets Moses Christ and Mahomet and as the doctrine of Moses was bettered by Christ so is the doctrine of Christ amended by Mahomet In this respect as we reckon the computation of our yeares from the incarnation of Christ so the Sarazens account theirs from the time of Mahomet The Turkes whose fame began now about two hundred yeares since haue imbraced the opinions and the religion of the Sarazens concerning Mahomet On the West-side of Arabia betweene that and Egypt lieth the gulfe called of the country Sinus Arabicus by some Mare Erythreum but commonly the red Sea not of one Erythrus as some suppose but because the sand and bankes there-about are in colour red This is that sea through the which by Moses the people of Israel were led when they fled out of Egypt from Pharao God causing by his power the waters to stand on both sides of them which they passed through as on drie land This is that sea through the which the spices of the East Indies were in times past brought to Alexandria in Aegypt and from thence dispersed into Christendome by the Venetians which spices and Apothicarie drugs are found to be far worse then before time they were by reason of the great moisture which they take on the water by the long nauigation of the Portingales by the backe part of Africa This is that sea through the which Salomon did send for his golde and other precious marchandise vnto the East Indies and not to the West Indies as some lately haue disputed Whereout the vanitie of that opinion may appeare that America and the West Indies were knowne in the time of Salomon for if he had sent thither his course had beene along the Med. and through the straights of Gibraltar commonly called Fretum Herculeum between Spaine and Barbarie But the Scripture telleth that the nauie which Salomon sent forth was built at Eseon Gabar which there also is said to stand on the red sea so his course might be East-ward or South-ward not West-ward In the desert of Arabia is the Mount Horeb which by some is supposed to bee the same that is called the Mount Sina where manie thinke it was that Abraham shoulde haue offered vp his sonne Isaac but it is certaine that it was the place where God in the Wildernesse did giue vnto the people of Israel his law of the ten commaundements with thundering lightning and earth-quake in most fearefull manner De Africa Egypto FRom Arabia and Palastina toward the West lyeth Africa hauing on the North-side from the one end of it to the other the Mediter sea The greatest part of which countrie although it hath beene gessed at by writers in former time yet because of the great heate of it lying for the most parte vnder the Zona Torrida and for the Wildernesses therein it was in former times supposed by manie not to bee much inhabited but of certaintie by all verie little discouered till the Portingales of late beganne their nauigation on the backe-side of Africa to the East Indies So exact a description is not therefore to bee looked for as hath beene of Asia and Eurupa Ioyned to the Holy land by a little Isthmos is the countrie of Aegypt which is a land most fruitfull as any almost in the world although in these daies it doth not answere to the felicitie of former time This is it which in the time of Ioseph did relieue Canaan with corne and the familie of Iacob which did so multiplie in the land of Aegypt that they were growne to an huge multitude when God by Moses did deliuer them from thence This countrie did yeeld exceeding aboundance of corne vnto the citie of Rome whereupon Aegypt as well as Cicilia was commonly called Horreum populi Romani It is obserued from all antiquitie that almost neuer any raine did fall in the land of Egypt whereupon the raining with thunder lightning and fire running on the ground was so much the more strange when God plagued Pharao in the dayes of Moses But the flowing of the riuer Nilus ouer all the countrie their cities onely and some fewe hils excepted doth so water the earth that it bringeth foorth fruit abundantly The flowing of which riuer yearly is one of the greatest miracles of the world no man being able to yeeld a sufficient and assured reason thereof although in Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus many probable causes and opinions are assigned thereof It is noted of this riuer if in ordinarie places it doe flow vnder the height of fifteene cubites that for want of moysture the yeare is not fruitfull and if it do flow aboue seuenteene cubites that there is like to bee a dearth by reason of the aboundance of the moysture the water lying longer on the land then the inhabitants do desire In Egypt hath learning bin very auncient But especially the knowledge of Astronomie and Mathematicks whereof before the time of Tullie their Priests would report that they had the discent for 1500. yeares exactly recorded with obseruation Astrologicall which as it is a fable vnlesse they doe reckon their yeares by the Moone as some suppose they did euery moneth for a yeare so it doth argue knowledge to haue bene among them very antient their Priestes had among them a kinde of writing and of describing thinges by picture which they did call their Hieroglyphica This in times past was a kingdome and by the Kinges thereof were built those great Pyramides which were held to be one of the seuen wonders of the world being mightie huge buildings erected of exceeding height for the magnificence of their founders There is part of two or three of them remaining vnto this day In Aegipt did stand the great Citie Memphis which is at this day called Cairo one of the most famous Cities of the East Here did Alexander build that Citie which vnto this day is of his name called Alexandria bing now the greatest Citie of merchandize in all Aegipt of which Ammiamus Marcellinus doth obserue that there is neuer any day or almost hath euer bene but that once in that day the Sun hath bene seene to shine ouer Alexandria This Citie was one

beene reputed alwayes a verie commodious and pleasurefull countrie It is wholie at this day vnder the Turke The mountaine Taurus goeth along from the West vnto the East part of it The greatnesse of it is such that it hath comprehended many kingdomes and great prouinces beside cities of great fame On the South-east part thereof neare Palaestina lyeth Cilicia the chiefe citie thereof is Tarsus the countrie of Saint Paul the place whither Salomon sent for great store of his golde and prouision for the Temple whither Ionas also fled when he should haue gone to Niniue In the straites of this Cilicia neere to the mountaine Taurus did Alexander giue the great ouerthrowe in person to Darius in the ioyning of their first battaile Westward from Cilicia lyeth the prouince called Pamphilia wherein standeth the citie Saeleucia built by Seleucus one of the foure great successors of Alexander the great On the West of this Pamphilia extending it selfe euen to the sea is Lydia where reigned sometime Croesus who was so renowmed for his aboundant riches Herein standeth as a sea-towne Halicarnassus the countrie of Herodotus and of Dionysius who wrote the Romane Historie which cittie was sometimes a kingdome as in the time of Xerxes to whose aide against the Graecians did goe Artimisia the Queene of Halicarnasse and here raigned Ada another Queene in the time of Alexander the great Vpon the sea-coast Northward from Lydia standeth diuers of those cities vnto the which Iohn in his Reuellation did write his seuen Epistles as Smyrna Pergamus Sardis and Ephesus but other of them as Laodicia Philadelphia Thiatira doe stand more in the inland Sardis was a citie of great pleasure and profite which is that place the winning whereof by the Greekes did so displease one of the kings of Persia that he caused it euerie day at dinner to be remembred vnto him that the Graecians had taken Sardis and that he must not cease till he had recouered it againe Ephesus was one of the most famous cities of the worlde the greatest glorie whereof did arise by reason of the most magnificent Temple of Diana which was at Ephesus to the building whereof all Asia the lesse did verie bountifully contribute It is reported to haue beene two hundred yeeres in building and at seuen seuerall times as otherwise so especiallie by lightning to haue bin set on fire but the final destruction of it was by a base person named Herostratus who of purpose set it on fire to make himselfe famous More Northward toward the Sea-coast lyeth Phrygia which was the countrie from whence the Goddesse called Bona Dea or Pessinuntia and Cybile was brought to Rome In this countrie liued Gordius who knit that knot that Alexander cut hoping thereby to obtaine as an oracle had foretolde the whole kingdome of Asia In this countrie stoode Troy the siege whereof by the Graecians is made so famous by the Poetrie of Homer and of Virgil. Yet Northwarde from Phrygia lyeth the Countrie of Bithynia which was sometimes a kingdome where Prusias raigned that had so much to doe with the Romanes In this countrie standeth the citie Nicea where the first generall Councel was held against Arrius the Heretike by Constantine the great thereof called the Nicene Councell Here standeth also Chalcedon where the fourth general Councell was held by the Emperour Martianus against the heretike Nestorius From Bithynia East-ward on the North-side of Asia the lesse standeth the countrie of Paphlagonia where was the citie built by Pompey the great called of his name Pompeiopolis From thence Eastward ioining to Armenia is the kingdome of Capadocia which bordereth on Armenia Northward from thence near to the sea called Pontus Euxinus lieth the kingdome of Mithridates which was called Pontus This Mithridates had long warres with the Romanes whose subiects he caused to be slaine all in one night throughout Asia the lesse He was afterward ouerthrowne by Pempey the great Romane By him was inuented that preseruatiue against poison which of his name is called Mithridate There were also in Asia the lesse some other small countries as Galatia Lycia Caria and some other De Syria Palaestina SOuthward from Cilicia and Asia the lesse lieth Syria called Palaestina hauing on the East Mesopotamia on the South Arabia on the West Tire and Sidon and the end of the Mediterran sea The people of this Syria were in times past called the Aramites In their language is the translation of the new Testament called the Syriacke In this countrie standeth Antioch which was sometimes one of the famous Patriarks seas and is a citie of reckoning vnto this day Here also standeth now the Citie of Aleppo which is a famous Mart towne for the Marchandizing of the Persians and other of the East and for the Turkes and such countries as bee adioyning Here standeth also Tripolis The South part of Syria lying downe toward Aegypt and Arabia was the place where the children of Israel did dwel beeing a countrie but of small quantitie not in length two hundren Italian miles yet was so fruitfull flowing with milk and honie as the scripture calleth it that both it did maintaine aboue thirtie kings and their people before the comming of the children of Israel out of Egypt and also was sufficient afterwarde to relieue the incredible number of the twelue tribes of Israel It was noted of this countrie that whereas by the goodnesse of the Climate wherein it stoode and the fertilitie of the soile but especially by the blessing of God it was the most fruitfull land that was in the world nowe our trauailers by experience doe finde the countrie in respect of the fruitfulnesse to bee changed God cursing the land together with the Iewes the inhabitants of it It is obserued also for all the Easterne parts that they are not so fertile as they haue beene in former ages The earth as it were growing olde which is an argument of the dissolution to come by the day of iudgement Through this countrie doth runne the riuer Iordan which hath heretofore beene famous for the fruitfulnesse of the trees standing thereupon and for the mildnesse of the aire so that as Iosephus writeth when snow hath layen in other places of the land about the riuer it hath bin so calme that men did goe in single thinne linnen garments In this countrie standeth the Lake called Lacus Asphaltites because of a kinde of slime or Bytumen which dayly it doth cast vp being of force to ioyne stones exceeding fast in building This Lake is it which is called Mare mortuum a Sea because it is salt and dead for that no liuing thing is therein the water whereof is so thicke that fewe thinges will sinke therein insomuch that Iosephus saith that an Oxe hauing all his legges bound will not sinke in that water The nature of this lake was turned into this qualitie when God did destroy Sodome and Gomorra and the citties adioyning with fire and brimstone from heauen for Sodom and