Thus far we have confidered them as learned men and Their trade artificers, improving themselves, and cultivating their and navi minds fedately at home. It remains that we mention gation. them as merchants, navigators, and planters of colonies in foreign parts. As merchants, they may be faid to have engroffed all the commerce of the western world: as navigators, they were the boldeft, the most experienced, and greatest discoverers, of the ancient times: they had, for many ages, no rivals. In planting colonies they exerted themselves fo much, that, confidering their habitation was little more than the flip of ground between Mount Libanus and the fea, it is furprising how they could furnish such supplies of people, and not wholly depopulate their native country.

We have fuppofed that the Phoenicians were induced to deal in foreign commodities, by their neighhourhood with the Syrians, whom we have confidered as the most ancient of those who carried on a confiderable and regular trade with the more eaftern regions; and we fee no reafon to depart from this conjecture. For their own territory was but small, and little able to afford any confiderable exports, if we except manufactures; but that their manufactures were any ways confiderable, till they began to turn all the channels of trade into their own country, is hard to believe. In Syria, which was a large country, they found store of productions of the natural growth of that foil, and many choice and useful commodities brought from the Eaft. Thus, having Thus, having a safe coaft, with convenient harbours, on one fide, and excellent materials for ship-building on the other; perceiving how acceptable many commodities, that Syria furnished, would be in foreign parts; and being, at the fame time, perhaps, fhewn the way by the Syrians themselves, who may have navigated the Mediterranean; they turned all their thoughts to trade and navigation; and, by an uncommon application, foon eclipfed their mafters in that art.

It were in vain to talk of the Edomites, who fled hither in David's time; or to enquire why Herodotus fuppofes the Phoenicians came from the Red Sea : their origin we have already feen. That fome of the Edomites fled into this country in the days of David, and that they were a trading people, we have elsewhere fhewn: what improvements they brought with them into Phoenice, is hard to fay; and, by the way, it is as difficult to afcertain their numbers. In all probability they brought with them a knowlege of the Red Sea, and of the fouth parts of Arabia,

C 3

Egypt,

Egypt, and Ethiopia; and by their information made the Phoenicians acquainted with thofe coafts; by which means they were enabled to undertake voyages to those parts, for Solomon, and Pharoah Necho, king of Egypt.

Their whole thoughts were employed on fchemes to advance their commerce. They affected no empire but that of the fea; and feemed to aim at nothing but the peaceable enjoyment of their trade. This they extended to all the known parts they could reach; to the British ifles, commonly understood by the Caffiterides; to Spain, and other places in the ocean, both within and without the Streights of Gibraltar; and, in general, to all the ports of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the lake Mæotis. In all thefe parts they had. fettlements. and correfpondents, from which they drew what was useful to themselves, or might be fo to others; and thus they exercised the three great branches of trade, as it is commonly divided into importation, exportation, and transportation, in full latitude. Such was their fea-trade; and for that which they carried on by land in Syria, Mefopotamia, Affyria, Babylonia, Perfia, Arabia, and even in India, it was of no lefs extent, and may give us an idea of what this people once was, how rich, and how defervedly their merchants are mentioned in Scripture as equal to princes. Their country was, at that time, the great warehouse, where every thing, that might either adminifter to the neceffities or luxury of mankind, was to be found; which they diftributed as they judged would be best for their own intereft. Their own commodities were, the purple of Tyre, the glafs of Sidon, and the exceeding fine linen made in this country: thefe, and other curious pieces of art, in metals and wood, feem to have been the chief, and almoft only commodities of Phoenice itself. Their territory was fo fmall, that it is, not to be imagined they could afford to export any of their own growth; it is more likely that they rather wanted, than abounded with, the fruits of the earth.

Having thus fpoken, in general terms, of their trade, we shall now touch upon their fhipping, and fome things remarkable in their navigation. Their larger embarka tions were of two forts; they divided them into round fhips, or gauli; and long fhips, gallies, or 'triremes 1. When they drew up in line of battle, the gauli were dif

Vide Huet. Hift. de la Com. & de la Navig. des Anc. p. 58, $ Ifa. xxiii. 8. Vide Bochart. Canaan, lib. ii. cap. 11. col. 739. pofed

pofed at a small diftance from each other in the wings, or in the van and the rear: their triremes were contracted together in the center". If, at any time, they observed that a ftranger kept them company in their voyage, or followed in their track, they were fure to get rid of him, if they could, or deceive him, if poffible; in which policy they went fo far, as to venture the lofs of their fhips, and even their lives; fo jealous were they of foreigners, and fo tenaciously bent on keeping the whole trade to themfelves. In order to difcourage other nations from engag ing in commerce, they practifed piracy, or pretended to be at war with fuch as they met when they thought themselves ftrongeft. This was but a natural stroke of policy in people who grafped at the whole commerce of the then known world. We must not forget here the famous fifhery of Tyre, which fo remarkably enriched that city, in particular. The fish they fought after were thofe that afforded purple, the richest dye in the world; they were always careful to take them alive. An ancient author attributes the diffolutenefs of Tyre to the number of the dyers there established; from whence we may gather they were a rich and numerous body of people, proud and extravagant, vain and debauched. This fifh is now either loft (X), or unknown to the prefent natives of the country.

We might here speak of the Phoenician voyages in the fervice of Solomon, had we not a more proper place in view to expatiate on that fubject. The long voyage fome of them undertook in the service of Necho, king of Egypt, round Africa, failing out of the Red Sea, and returning by the way of the Streights mouth, ought not to be passed over; a voyage in which they employed three years.

SECT. III.

The Chronology of the Phænicians.

T were labour in vain to dwell on this fubject. In general we may obferve, that the hiftory of the Phonicians is no other than a continuation of that of Canaan, Their particular epochs it is impoffible to discover. Their records, once fo faithfully kept, are now no more. We will not, therefore, enter, profeffedly, upon fo dark a matter; but shall content ourselves with touching thereon occafionally hereafter. It is obferved, that they boasted an exceffive antiquity, of no less than thirty thou fand years. To adhere to the method we have laid down, we fhall fubjoin a series of the kings of the different king doms of this country, fo far as we can collect them.

Reigned

Kings and Judges According to Menand. According to Theo

of Tyre.

The eldest of the

Ephef.

Ab

murderers of Ab

daftartus,

Aftartus,

phil. Antioch.

8 months

12 years

6

7

9

29

40

36

10

2 months

ΙΟ

Abbar, the high} 3

priest,

Myttonus and

Geraftus,

Balator,

Merbal,

Trom,

|| Maffen, ]] Strato,

}

6

I

4

20

We need only refer the reader to the very unaccountable difference between Menander the Ephefian, and Theophilus of Antioch, in their reigns of the Tyrian princes,

to