to the bitter Fountains (kk), and these bitte Fountains, and the bitter Lakes mentioned by Strabo and Diodorus, and the bitter Waters which the Ifraelites found at Marah, may eafi

be conceived to be the fame: The City Arfinoe, agreeably to both Strabo's and (1) Diodorus's Pofition of it, was fituate near the Place of the prefent Suez, and not far from the Neighbourhood of this Place reached Trajan's River, which was carried on to the bitter Lakes, and hither the Ifraelites may be conceived to have wandered. They went from the RedSea into the Wilderness of Shur, they could not pass thro' towards Canaan, for want of Water, they turned about towards Ægypt where they hoped to find a Plenty, and came to Marab upon the Coaft of Suez.

Jofephus gives a very idle Account of the change of the Tafte of the Waters of Marab (m): He fuppofes, that the Country they were now in, afforded no Water naturally; that the Ifraelites funk Wells, but could not find Springs to fupply enough for their Occafions; and that what they did find was fo bitter, that they could not drink it; that they fent out every way to fearch, but could hear of no Water; that there was indeed a Well at Marah, which afforded fome Water, but not a Quantity fufficient for them, and that what it supplied them with, was fo bitter, that even their Cattle could not drink it; that upon the If

(kk) Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 6. c. 29. fup. (m) Jofephus Antiq. 1. 3. c. 1.

(1) Diodor. & Strabo ubi raelites

raelites Uneafinefs with Mofes, He prayed to God, and took his Rod, and split it down in the middle, and perfuaded the People that God had heard his Prayers, and would make the Water fit for them to drink, if they would do as he should order them: Upon their asking what he would have them do, He directed them to draw out of the Well, and pour away the greatest Part of the Water; the doing this, He fays, ftirring and dafhing about the Waters by the Buckets they drew with, purged, and by Degrees made them potable. But 1. This Account of Jofephus differs from what the prophane Writers, as well as Mofes, relate of the Country where the Ifraelites now were: Jofephus reprefents it as a Place where no Water was to be had; but according to Mofes, the People were in Extremity at Marah, not for want of Water, but of good Water, and to this Strabo agrees; he fuppofes Water enough in this Place, many large Lakes and Foffes (n), tho' he tells us they were in ancient Days bitter, until by a communication (0) of the River, the later Inhabitants of the Country found out a way to meliorate the Taste of them. 2. Had the Ifraelites found a Well, as Josephus fuppofes, if the Supply of Water it afforded was too fcanty for their Occafions, what Relief would it have been to them, to

(η) διώρυγες πλείες και λίμναι πλησιάζεσαι αυτος. Strabol. 17. p. 804. (ο) Τῶν πικρῶν καλεμένων λιμνών, αἱ πρότερον μὲν ἦσαν πικραὶ, τμηθείσες ἢ ἡ διώρυγος μετεβάλλοντο τῇ Εκ σει τῇ ποταμᾶ. Id. ibid.

B 3

draw

draw off and throw away the greatest Part of their defective Supply, in order to sweeten a fmall Remainder? Or 3. How could the dashing Water about at the Bottom of a Well, fufficiently purify it from its mineral Tafte, which most probably was given it from the very Earth, against which they must thus dash it? But it must be needless to refute at large this Fancy of Jofephus.

The Writer of the Book of Ecclefiafticus hints a different Reason for the Cure of those bitter Waters: He fuggefts, that the Wood which Mofes was directed to use, had naturally a Medicinal Virtue to correct the Tafte of the Waters at Marah: Was not, fays he, the Water made fweet with Wood, that the Virtue thereof might be known? (p) But I cannot think, that the Opinion of this Writer can be admitted: for 1. It does not feem probable, that Mofes here used a whole and large Tree; rather he took a little Bough, fuch as he himself could put into the Water, and immediately the Taste of the Waters changed. 2. If it could be thought, that Mofes employed the People to take down a very large Tree, and convey it into the Water, can we fuppofe, that even the largest Tree, fteeped in a Lake, should immediately communicate a fufficient Quantity of its natural Sweetnefs, to correct the Tafte of Water, enough for the occafions of fo many hundred thousands of People? But 3. We have great Reason to think, that there was no

(p) Ecclus. xxxviii. 5.

Tree

Tree in thefe Parts of this Virtue: Had there been fuch an one, after the Virtue of it was thus known, especially Mofes having recorded this his ufe of it, it would certainly have been much ufed by others, and as much inquired after by the Naturalifts; but tho' Strabo, Diodorus Siculus, and Pliny have all remarked, that there were bitter Waters in these Parts of the World, yet they knew of no Trees of a Medicinal Quality to correct the Tafte of them. Pliny tells us of a Method afterwards invented to meliorate the Taste of fuch Waters (q); but tho' he has treated largely of the Powers and Virtues of Trees and Plants, (r) and of the Trees in these Parts of the World particularly (s); yet he never heard of any of this fort, and therefore undoubtedly there were not any. The Author of Ecclefiafticus was a very learned Man, and had much given himself to the reading the Writings of his Fathers, and had carefully collected their Sentiments, and added fome Obfervations of his own to them (t), and this feems to have been his own; had it been a receiv'd opinion of the Jewish Writers, I should think Jofephus would have had it, or had there really been a Tree of this Nature, the Heathen Naturalifts would have obferved it; but from their intire filence, I imagine, that the Author of Ecclefiafticus fpeculating in the Chapter, where we find this Hint, upon the Medicines

(9) Nitrofe aut amaræ aquæ polentâ additâ mitigantur, ut intra duas horas bibi poffint. Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 24. c. I. Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 24. per tot. lib.

(t) Prologue to Ecclus

(5) Ibid. c. 12.

(r)

which God hath created out of the Earth (u), offered this Hint purely from his own Fancy, without any Authority for it. The Book of Ecclefiafticus is but a modern Compofure in comparison of Mofes's Writings, it was first published in Egypt about 132 Years before Chrift (w), and being published in Egypt was much read by the Jews of Alexandria, and accordingly Philo, who lived there about our Saviour's Time, was acquainted with the Opinion of this Author, but He very juftly doubts the Truth of it, and queries whether the Wood here ufed, had naturally, or whether God was not pleased to give it its Virtue for this particular Occafion (x).

From Marah the Ifraelites removed to a Place, where they found twelve Fountains of Water, and threefcore and ten Palm Trees: A Place not unlike this, is defcribed by Strabo (≈), the Ifraelites called it Elim. From hence after fome Days Reft, they marched first to the Red-Sea (a), perhaps to the very Place, where they came over out of Egypt, and from thence they went into the Wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth Day of the fecond Month after their deFarting out of the Land of Egypt (b) i. e. exactly a Month after their leaving Egypt; for they left Egypt foon after Midnight of the fourteenth Day of the first Month (c): The Wilderness of

(u) Ecclus. xxxviii. 4. 1. Vol. 3. p. 62. φοινικῶνα είναι ένυδρον, τιμάς τε κομιδῆ, διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν τ κύκλῳ καυματησαν τε, καὶ άνυδρον, και άσκιον ὑπάρχειν. Strabo, Geog. 1. 16. p. 776. (a) Numbers xxxiii. 10. Exodus xvi.

(w) Prideaux Connect. P. ii. B. (x) Philo de Vitâ Mofis 1. 1. (x)

I.

(c) Exodus 12.

(b)