aid the foundation of the _Egyptian_ Empire: for by the
assistance of his young son _Sesostris_, whom he brought up to hunting and
other laborious exercises, he conquered _Arabia_, _Troglodytica_, and
_Libya_: and from him all _Libya_ was anciently called _Ammonia_: and after
his death, in the temples erected to him at _Thebes_, and in _Ammonia_ and
at _Meroe_ in _Ethiopia_, they set up Oracles to him, and made the people
worship him as the God that acted in them: and these are the oldest Oracles
mentioned in history; the _Greeks_ therein imitating the _Egyptians_: for
the [259] Oracle at _Dodona_ was the oldest in _Greece_, and was set up by
an _Egyptian_ woman, after the example of the Oracle of _Jupiter Ammon_ at
_Thebes_.

In the days of _Ammon_ a body of the _Edomites_ fled from _David_ into
_Egypt_, with their young King _Hadad_, as above; and carried thither their
skill in navigation: and this seems to have given occasion to the
_Egyptians_ to build a fleet on the _Red Sea_ near _Coptos_, and might
ingratiate _Hadad_ with _Pharaoh_: for the _Midianites_ and _Ishmaelites_,
who bordered upon the _Red Sea_, near _Mount Horeb_ on the south-side of
_Edom_, were merchants from the days of _Jacob_ the Patriarch, _Gen._
xxxvii. 28, 36. and by their merchandise the _Midianites_ abounded with
gold in the days of _Moses_, _Numb._ xxxi. 50, 51, 52. and in the days of
the judges of _Israel_, _because they were _Ishmaelites__, _Judg._ viii 24.
The _Ishmaelites_ therefore in those days grew rich by merchandise; they
carried their merchandise on camels through _Petra_ to _Rhinocolura_, and
thence to _Egypt_: and this trafic at length came into the hands of
_David_, by his conquering the _Edomites_, and gaining the ports of the
_Red Sea_ called _Eloth_ and _Ezion-Geber_, as may be understood by the
3000 talents of gold of _Ophir_, which _David_ gave to the Temple, 1
_Chron._ xxix. 4. The _Egyptians_ having the art of making linen-cloth,
they began about this time to build long Ships with sails, in their port on
those Seas near _Coptos_, and having learnt the skill of the _Edomites_,
they began now to observe the positions of the Stars, and the length of the
Solar Year, for enabling them to know the position of the Stars at any
time, and to sail by them at all times, without sight of the shoar: and
this gave a beginning to Astronomy and Navigation: for hitherto they had
gone only by the shoar with oars, in round vessels of burden, f