People (1). After the Punishment of the Plague, and the Teftimony of the further Miracle in Aaron's Rod, their Oppofition ceafed (m); Aaron's Rod was by divine Command laid up in the Tabernacle in memory of this miraculous Confirmation of his Priesthood (~): And the People expreffed them felves convinced, that whoever prefumed to intrude into the Service of the Tabernacle, would be pursued by divine Vengeance unto Death (0). The Laws mentioned in the xviiith and xixth Chapters of Numbers, were given about this Time. Whilst the Ifraelites were in the Wilderness, fome Writers imagine that Sefofiris was King of Egypt, and that he raised a powerful Army, and conquered a great Part of the then known World. They fuppofe him the Son of Pharaoh, who in Purfuit of the Ifraelites was drowned in the Red-Sea: Archbishop Uher was of this Opinion (p), and the late learned Bishop Cumberland endeavours to fupport it (i). The Subftance of what he argues upon the Subject, amounts to, 1. That Sefoftris was the Brother of the Grecian Danaus, and therefore, fince Danaus is confeffed to have lived about the Times of Mofes (k), that Sefoftris must be likewife placed in the fame Age. 2. That according to the Teftimony of ancient Writers, Sefoftris was the Son of Amenophis, the Pharaoh, who was drowned in the Red-Sea. If indeed either of these Affertions can be supported, Sefoftris muft be placed in thefe Times: But if both these Arguments may be refuted, Ariftotle's general Opinion, cited by the learned Bifhop, that Sefoftris lived before Minos (1), or Apollonius's imagining him to have planted Colonies in Colchis before the Argonautic Expedition (m), or Pliny's hinting him to have lived before the Trojan War, will be of no great weight; for it is known, that very confiderable Writers have mistaken the true Time of the Reign of Sefoftris (n). 1. Bishop Cumberland contends, that Danaus and Sefoftris were Brothers: But a fuppofed Citation from Manetho in Jofephus, is the only Proof of this Fraternity (o): Manetho is fupposed to have faid, that Sethofis was called Ægyptus, and that Armais his Brother was Danaus. I must confess, I fufpect the Paffage : The Words cited feem to me to be not Manetho's, but Jofephus's (p): Jofephus, after having fet down a large Citation from Manetho, adds, what I conceive, he inferred from him to be true: And I the rather think fo, because nothing, that comes up to what is here cited, appears in the Remains of Manetho, as tranfmitted to us by either Africanus or Eufebius, tho' they have both of them given us the Lift of Kings cited by Jofephus, and one of them fome Words of Manetho, from which Jofephus might 4. (2) Arift. Polit. 1. 7. c. 10. (m) Apollon. Argonautic. 1. 276. (n) See Pref. to Vol. II. (0) Jofeph. contra Apion. 1. 1. c. 15. (p) The Words in Jofephus are, xyE WÖÖTIÖ μÈV Σέθωσις εκαλῶ το ΑίγυπΘ, Αρμαῖς ἢ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αυτό Δα ναός. pro probably make his Inference: Africanus tranfmits to us the Series of Kings, but has not remarked any Relation between any two of them (9): But Eufebius at the Name of Armes or Armais, calls him alfo Danaus, and records that` he reigned in Egypt five Years, and then fled out of the Kingdom from his Brother Ægyptus, and went to Greece, and reigned at Argos (r); fo that from Eufebius it looks probable, that Manetho had hinted Danaus and Ægyptus to be Brothers: Jofephus imagined Ægyptus and Sethofis to be one and the fame Person, and hence concluded, that Manetho had fuggested Danaus and Sethofis to be fo related: This feems to me to be the Foundation of what is cited in and from Jofephus. That Danaus was indeed the Brother of Ægyptus, may be proved from many ancient Writers (rr); but it appears evident, from divers Circumftances recorded concerning each of them, that Egyptus and Sefoftris were not the fame Perfon. Belus the Son of Neptune and Libya married Anchinoe Daughter of Nilus, and had two Sons by her, Ægyptus and Danaus (s): Thus it appears, that these two Perfons were Brothers: But if we pursue the Hiftory of Egyptus, we may evidently fee that he and SeJoftris were not the fame Perfon. Ægyptus had fifty Sons, as Danaus had fifty Daughters (t), (r) Id. p. 73. Eufeb. (rr) Apollodor. 1. 2. Chron. Alexandrin. (9) Vid. Syncell. Chronograph. p. 72. Chron. p. 16.. Cedren. 1. 1. Eufeb. in Chronic. Prideaux in Not. Hiftoric. ad (s) Apollod. 1. 2. Not. Euftath. et Didy[(t) Iid. ibid. Paufan. in Co Chron. marmor. mi in Homer. Il. a. ver. 42. rinthiac. c. 25. but Sefoftris had but fix Children (u): Ægyptus was indeed treacherously dealt with by his Brother Danaus, and fo was Sefoftris by a Brother; but in a manner very different: It is a known Story, how the fifty Daughters of Danaus were married, each of them to a Son of Ægyptus, and how all of them, except one, killed their Husbands, by the Order of Danaus their Father: Thus Danaus attempted to have his Brother's Family extinct (w): But the Attempt upon Sefoftris made by his Brother was of another fort: At Sefaftris's Return home from his Conquefts, his Brother invited him, his Wife and Children to an Entertainment, and fired the House where he received them, with defign to burn them (x): Sefoftris enjoyed himself in Egypt after his Conquefts many Years in Peace, and died in his own Country, and was fucceeded in his Kingdom by his Son (y); but Ægyptus the Brother of Danaus was an Exile from Egypt as well as Danaus, and died and was buried in Achaia in Greece (≈), and his only furviving Son Lynceus never was King of Egypt, but fucceeded Danaus in the Kingdom of Argos (a), and was buried in that Country in the fame Tomb with Hypermneftra his Wife (b): And thus Ægyptus and Sefoftris were two different Perfons, the Circumftances of whofe Lives, Deaths and Children, will in no wife coincide, (u) Herodot. 1. z. c. 107. (w) Apollodor. Euftath. et Didym. in loc. fup. citat. Paufan. in Corinthiacis. (x) Diodor. c. 107. (y) Diodor. ubi fup. (z) Paufan. in Achaic. c. 22. (b) Id. ibid. et c. 21. Sic. 1. 1. p. 37. Herodot. 1. 2. but but are very divers from one another, and therefore it cannot be conclusive to argue Danaus to have been Brother of Sefoftris, because Danaus and Ægyptus are recorded to have been thus related. Diodorus Siculus and Herodotus are very large in their Accounts of Sefoftris (c), and do both of them minutely mention the Circumstances of his Brother's Treachery (d); but they neither of them hint Danaus to have been his Brother. Danaus lived about the Times of Mofes (e), and confequently Ægyptus in the fame Age; but as Ægyptus appears not to have been Sefoftris, the Fraternity between Egyptus and Danaus can have no Effect towards proving the Time of Sefoftris's Reign. II. Bishop Cumberland contends, that Sefoftris was the Son of Amenophis, who was the Pharaoh that was drowned in Pursuit of the Ifraelites in the Red-Sea. He cites Manetho and Chæremon in Jofephus to prove Amenophis to be the King, in whose Reign the Ifraelites went out of Egypt (f): This Amenophis, he fays, was the Father of Ramees, who was alfo called Egyptus, and had Danaus for his Brother, and Egyptus and Sefoftris were the fame Perfon. But 1. Amenophis was not the King in whofe Reign the Ifraelites left Egypt: Jofephus does indeed remark, that Manetko in one particular Place afferts it (g), and that Chæremon agrees (c) Diodor. 1. 1. Herodot. 1. 2. (d) Diodor. p. 37. Herodot. 1. 2. c. 107. (e) See Vol. II. B. VIII. Photii extract. è Lib. xi. Diodor. Sic. Photii Bibliothec. p. 1151. (g) Lib. contra Ap. 1. c. 26. 1 Sanchoniatho. p. 398. (f) N 3. with |