divided the kingdom into thirty-six nomes or proces, which he bestowed on persons of the most apved fidelity. Sometimes in fleets, which covered the lian and Mediterranean seas, and sometimes with ares, which traversed the countries from the banks of the nges to those of the Danube, he subdued, conquered, imphed, and erected in several places columns which e the following inscription: "Sesostris, king of kings, i lord of lords, vanquished this country by the power of arms."

After an absence of nine years he returned to Egypt, d raised an hundred temples to the tutelar gods of all

cities; and on each temple was inscribed, "No yptian laboured in the building of this edifice." He said to have caused the kings and chiefs of the naas which he conquered, to be harnessed to his chariot tead of horses, that they might draw him to the temple. is conduct tarnishes all his warlike actions, and draws a ud over the lustre of his pacific virtues. This celeted hero of antiquity became blind in his old age, and d violent hands on himself.

He was succeeded by his son, whom some call Pheron, d others Sesostris II., and who performed no miliy achievements. Having indignantly thrown a javeinto the waters of the Nile, he became afflicted with a lent pain in his eyes, and soon after was involved in al darkness.

To several other sovereigns, of whom the last was a cruel, olent, and oppressive tyrant, succeeded Actisanes, king Ethiopia, who united Egypt and that country under s government. This prince was a rigid enforcer of jusce, and peopled Rhinocolura, a remote city between ria and Egypt, with robbers, on whom he inflicted a ark of ignominy, by cutting off their noses.

On the death of Actisanes, the Egyptians elected endes for their king. After Mendes followed an anarchy five generations, till a Memphite of ignoble extraction as advanced to the regal dignity. He was called Cetes y the Egyptians, and Proteus by the Greeks, who ascribI to him the power of assuming all kinds of forms.

Rhampsinitus, the son and immediate successor of roteus, was so avaricious, that his conduct resembled that a mean-spirited steward, rather than that of a mighty

king. lents.

At his death, his treasury contained 400,000 ta

After seven other monarchs, Cheops ascended the throne and is branded in the page of histroy for his tyranny and impiety. He built the largest of the pyramids, and prostituted his daughter to aid him in defraying the expence of this edifice. The daughter herself also erected a small pyramid, to perpetuate her memory.

After a reign of fifty years, Cheops was succeeded by his brother Cephrenes, whose actions corresponded with those of his predecessor, and who likewise built a pyramid.

Egypt was next governed by Mycerinus, the son of Cheops, whose disposition was meek and merciful, and whose life the oracle at Butus predicted would be of short duration; because his gentle conduct had interrupted the course of the afflictions, which the Egyptians were destined to suffer.

Gnephactus was a king renowned for his temperance, and for the execration which he denounced against Menes, who first introduced excess and luxury among the Egyptians.

Bocchoris, the son of this abstemious prince, was surnamed the Wise, on account of his great prudence and knowledge.

Asychis, his successor, built a pyramid of brick, and enacted a law by which a man might borrow money on the dead body of his father.

Sabbaco, an Ethiopian, ascended the throne by right of conquest, and drove from it Anysis, a blind monarch, who fled to the fens. This prince being warned in a vision, that unless he massacred all the priests, he could not retain the sovereignty, chose rather to abdicate the throne, and retired into his own country. On this, Anysis resumed the reins of government, and after his death, was succeeded by Sethon, priest of Vulcan.

After the decease of Sethon, Egypt was under the dominion of twelve kings, who built the famous Labyrinth already described. (B. C. 670.) Eleven of them were conquered by Psammetichus, one of their number, who seized on the whole kingdom, and whose reign was politic, wise, and magnificent. Having been assisted in subduing the other monarchs by some Grecians, Carians, and Ionians, he treated these foreigners with great partiality, which

irritated the Egyptians, many of whom left his

es.

. 616.) On the death of Psammetichus, the devolved to his son Nechus, who attempted to e Red Sea with the Nile by a canal. The fleets reat, and enterprising prince having sailed out of Sea by the straits of Babelmandel, proceeded toe eastern coasts of Africa, doubled the Cape of ope, and passing the Straits of Gibraltar, returned t by the way of the Mediterranean. He vanthe Medes on the banks of the Euphrates, and d over the Jews under Ahaz, but was conquered chadnezzar, king of Babylon.

600.) He was succeeded by his son Psammis, e Greeks consulted concerning the regulations of pic games, and who made an expedition into

594.) Apries, the son of Psammis, and the Hophra of Holy Writ, was a warlike prince, who the war against the Babylonians, and employed ces, both by sea and land, against the Tyrians, s, and Cypriots. Amasis, one of his generals, an insurrection, Apries was vanquished, and fell hands of the usurper. Amasis wished to save the ; but he was obliged to deliver Apries into the the people, who strangled him.

569.) Amasis was of plebeian extraction, on count his subjects treated him with no respect eginning of his reign. In order, therefore, to eir temper, and at the same time to conciliate ctions, he caused a golden cistern, in which he ash his feet, to be melted down and cast into a hich he commanded to be exposed to public . The people hastening in crowds to perform otions before the new god, the king informed the vile uses to which it had been once applied, was now become an object of their worship. cation of this remark was attended with success, ing was afterwards treated with due respect. rince had a strong partiality for the Greeks, to granted some important privileges. He was that conquered Cyprus, and extorted a tribute nhabitants. Having by some means exasperated the Persian, Amasis was threatened with an

invasion by that prince. About the same time Amasis, as if destined to involve himself in accumulated misfortunes, renounced the friendship and alliance of Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, who, in consequence of this preposterous conduct, offered to assist Cambyses with a fleet of ships, in his purposed invasion. Previously, however, to the commencement of the impending storm, Amasis paid the debt of nature, and left à distracted kingdom to his

son.

(B. C. 525.) Scarcely had Psammenitus assumed the ensigns of royalty, when Cambyses appeared on the frontiers of the kingdom with a powerful army, and soon made himself master of the important city of Pelusium. A severe engagement afterwards took place, in which the Egyptians were defeated with great loss. Those who escaped the slaughter, fled to Memphis, where they were besieged and compelled to surrender to the Persians, who put to death the prime nobility of the nation, and took the Egyptian monarch captive. Cambyses restored him to his liberty; but Psammenitus still thirsted for revenge on the conqueror. He was, therefore, condemned to drink bull's blood, and expired after a dismal reign of six months, and a short captivity. Cambyses pillaged and laid waste all Egypt, and caused the body of Amasis to be exposed to a thousand indignities, and finally to be consumed to ashes. He also pillaged and burnt the Theban temples; killed the god Apis with his own hand; and ordered the priests to be whipped. These severities made so strong and dreadful an impression on the minds of the wretched Egyptians, that they afterwards regarded the Persians with the most irreconcileable hatred.

In the reign of Darius Hystaspis, the Egyptians openly revolted against the Persians; and, (B. C. 460.) in that of Artaxerxes Longimanus, they bestowed the crown on Inarus, king of Libya. This prince maintained himself for some time against the Persians; but, though greatly assisted by the Athenians, he was at length defeated, taken prisoner, and crucified. This terrible example, however, failed in producing the desired effect. Amyrtæus and seven succeeding princes wore the crown of Egypt; but their authority, notwithstanding the assistance of the Greeks, was always precarious, and frequently overthrown by the Persians.

(B. C. 367.) It appeared probable for some time, that

ve of Egypt, would be able to establish throne of that kingdom; but imprudently. nit his troops to the guidance of Agesilaus, his army was defeated, and himself comte the crown.

Nectanebis, who was the leader of the innative of Egypt, now assumed the regal was, however, attacked by the Persians, quered Egypt; and Nectanebis, collecting res, fled into Ethiopia, whence he never eturn. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of re shall be no more a prince of the land of C. 350.) From this period Egypt was a ersia, till that monarchy was subverted by : Great, whom the Egyptians received as from the Persian yoke.

) On the division of the Macedonian empire, th of Alexander, Ptolemy Lagus was ine government of Egypt, Libya, and part of which he exercised regal power. He did not, me the title of king till nineteen years after Alexander.

year of the one hundred and twenty-fourth as finished the famous tower on the isle of in the same year the image of Serapis was Alexandria, after Ptolemy had for three sucs requested it of the king of Pontus without

founded the famous library at Alexandria, is death contained two hundred thousand vowhich was afterwards enlarged till the number mounted to seven hundred thousand. It was superb edifice under the inspection of several rning, who lodged together in a palace ornath gardens and porticoes, and who lived in the public expence, and ate at the same table. art of this library was committed to the flames aticism of the caliph Omar, under the persuaif these books contained the same doctrine as

ans differ respecting the extraction of this prince, some affirmwas a native of Eordea in Mygdonia, some that he was of amily of Macedon, and others that he was a Macedonian of