r. The Philistines are spoken of as [15]Lords, and
the merchants of Tyre as Princes; whose grandeur and magnificence are often
alluded to in the Scriptures. The prophet Ezekiel calls them the princes of
the sea. [16]_Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their
thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments._
And Isaiah speaks to the same purpose. [17]_Who hath taken this counsel
against Tyre, that crowning city, whose merchants are princes; whose
traffickers are the honourable of the earth?_ The scripture term by which
they are here distinguished is [Hebrew: SHRIM], Sarim: but the title which
they assumed to themselves was Ph'anac, or Ph'oinac, the Phoenix of the
Greeks and Romans. And as it was a mere title, the sacred writers of the
old testament never make use of it to distinguish either the people or
country. This part of Canaan is never by them called Phoenicia: yet others
did call it so; and the natives were styled Phoenices before the birth of
Homer. But this was through mistake; for it was never used by the natives
as a provincial appellation. I have shewn that it was a title of another
sort, a mark of rank and pre-eminence: on this account it was assumed by
other people, and conferred upon other places. For this reason it is never
mentioned by any of the sacred writers before the captivity, in order to
avoid ambiguity. The Gentile writers made use of it; and we see what
mistakes have ensued. There were Phoenicians of various countries. They
were to be found upon the Sinus [18]Persicus, upon the Sinus [19]Arabicus,
in Egypt, in [20]Crete, in [21]Africa, in [22]Epirus, and even in Attica.
[23][Greek: Phoinikes--genos ti Atheneisi]. _There is a race of people
called Phoenicians_ _among the [24]Athenians._ In short, it was a title
introduced at Sidon, and the coast adjoining, by people from Egypt: and who
the people were that brought it may be known from several passages in
antient history; but particularly from an extract in Eusebius, [25][Greek:
Phoinix kai Kadmos, apo Thebon ton Aiguption exelthontes eis ten Surian,
Turou kai Sidonos ebasileuon.] _Phoenix and Cadmus, retiring from Thebes,
in Egypt, towards the coast of Syria, settled at Tyre and Sidon, and
reigned there._ It is said, that [26]Belus carried a colony to the same
parts: and from what part of the world [27]Belus must be supposed to have
come, needs not to be explained. Euripides styles Cepheus the king of
Ethiopi