means on one side, and the Philistines on the other, that they were necessitated to seek their fortune among other tribes. Some hired themselves out to assist their brethren in the conquest of their lots, and others dispersed themselves among every tribe, where they served as scribes, notaries, &c. so fully was Jacob's curse verified on them, as well as on the tribe of Levi, on account of their cruel massacre of the Shechemites: "Cursed (said the patriarch) be their anger, for it was fierce; and their revenge, for it was inhuman: I will disperse them in Jacob, and .catter them in Israel."

Having thus completed the purposed description of the lots of the twelve tribes, it will be proper to speak of the five Philistine satrapies, before we enter upon the geography of those nations which bordered on the Israelitish provinces.

These satrapies, viz. Gath, Ekron, Ashdod, Ascalon, and Gaza, were situated along the Mediterranean coast; and extended from the seaport of Jamnia to the mouth of the river Bezor. The dimensions of their territories cannot be satisfactorily ascertained, but they were upon the whole confined within narrow limits.

Gath, the birth-place of the gigantic warrior Goliath, was conquered by king David, fortified by Rehoboam, and retaken by Uzziah and Hezekiah. It was seated under the 35th degree of east longitude, and 31st degree, 56 min. of north latitude; six miles south of Jamnia, fourteen south of Joppa, and thirty-two west of Jerusalem. It recovered its liberty and pristine splendor in the days of Amos and Micah, but was afterward demolished by Hazael, king of Syria.

After

After that period it was a place of small consideration, till the holy war, when Fulk, king of Jerusalem, erected a castle on its ruins.

Ekron, situated about ten miles south of Gath, and thirty-four west of Jerusalem, appears to have been a place of considerable strength and importance. Upon the first division of "The promised Land," it fell to the lot of Judah, but was afterward given to the tribe of Dan.

Ashdod was a famous port on the Mediterranean, situated about fifteen miles south of Ekron, between that city and Ascalon. It was here the idol Dagon fell in pieces before the ark of God. The strength of the place was so considerable that it is said to have sustained a siege of twenty-nine years under Psammetichus, king of Egypt.

Ascalon, another maritime town and satrapy, lying between Ashdod and Gaza, was reckoned the strongest of any on the Philistine coast; but was soon reduced, after the death of Joshua, by the tribe of Judah. This city was made an epis copal see from the earliest ages of christianity, and during the holy war it was adorned with several magnificent edifices; but these have been demolished by the Saracens and Turks, and Ascalon is now dwindled into an inconsiderable village.

Gaza, the last satrapy, stood on a fine eminence, about fifteen miles south of Ascalon, four north of the river Bezor, and at a small distance from the Mediterranean. It was surrounded by the most beautiful valleys, supplied with an abundance of water, and encompassed, at a further distance on the inland side, with cultivated bills. The city was remarkably strong, and

£ 3

surrounded

surrounded with walls and towers after the Phi

listine manner. It was taken by Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, but soon after regained by the ancient inhabitants, who kept possession of it till the time of Samson. It passed from the Jews to the Chaldeans, Persians, and Egyptians, till it was pillaged by Alexander the Great. It was a second time destroyed by the Maccabees, and no further mention is made of it till St. Luke speaks of it as a ruined place.

It stands about three miles distant from the sea, and still exhibits some noble monuments of antiquity, such as stately marble colonnades, finely wrought sepulchres, &c. In the immediate vicinage of the city is a round castle, flanked with four square towers; and a little above it are the remains of an old Roman castle, the materials of which are so firm that the hammer will make no impression on them. The Greeks have here a handsome church, with a fine roof, supported by marble pillars of the Corinthian order. The castle is the residence of the sangiac. The adjacent territory is pleasant and delightful; but beyond it the ground is rather barren, quite to the river of Egypt, and inhabited by wild Arabs.

It

Majuma, or New Gaza, was the ancient seaport to the former, and a place of considerable note in the time of Constantine the Great. stood near the mouth of the river Bezor, in 31 deg. 41 min. north latitude, and 34 deg. 50 min. east longitude. It still possesses some curious antiquities, but it would be now difficult to determine whether they belonged originally to Majuma or Old Gaza.

To the south of Majuma stood the two mari

time cities of Anthedon and Rhinocolura: the former was a port on the Mediterranean, destroyed by Alexander Junneus, one of the Maccabitish kings, and afterward rebuilt by Herod, who called it Agrippius, in honour of Agrippa, the favourite of Augustus. The latter was seated on the northern side of the river of Egypt, which parted that kingdom from the tribe of Simeon. It very early became a bishopric under the metropolitan of Pelusium; and in the time of the holy war it was converted into a strong fortress, under the name of Pharamica. It is at present an inconsiderable place, and the circumjacent territory a mere wilderness.

It remains now to conclude this section with a concise account of the countries belonging to those nations that were seated round Palestine, and whose history has been given in the preceding chapters.

Idumea, or the Land of Edom, constituted a part of Arabia Petræa, having Judea on the north, Egypt, and a branch of the Red sea on the west, the rest of Arabia Petræa on the south, and the desert of Arabia on the east. Its extent seems to have varied considerably at different periods, in consequence of which Josephus distinguishes it, when at the largest, by the epithet of Great, in opposition to its more narrow boundaries. The same author divides it into Upper and Lower Idumea; but the country, upon the whole, is represented as dry, mountainous, hot, and, in some parts, steril; the high lands exhibiting many dreadful caverns and recesses, which resemble those in the southern part of Judah. This country is at present under the dominion of the Turks, mostly waste

and

and uncultivated; and inhabited by wild Arabs, with whom Europeans have little inter

course.

The nation of Amalek was seated in that part of Arabia Petræa which lay eastward of the Edomites, and extended almost as far north as the Asphaltite lake, and southward to the Red sea; but as the people were mostly of a wandering disposition, and lived in booths, tents, or caverns, like the Arabs, it is impossible to ascertain their limits with any degree of precision.

Midianitis, or the Land of Midian, was situated on the north of Amalek. It was hot, sandy, and in many parts desert; yet abounded with camels and other species of cattle. It appears to have contained many cities, castles, &c. as early as the time of the Exodus. The city of Midian was, in all probability, rebuilt subsequent to that period, as both Eusebius and St. Jerome assert there were some remains of it to be seen in their time.

The land of Moab was likewise in Arabia Petræa, on the north of Midian, having the river Arnon on the west, the land of Gilead on the north, and the Ishmaelites on the east. It contained several considerable cities, which the Moabites wrested from the gigantic Emins, but which were afterward possessed by the Jews,

The Ammonites were seated to the north-east of their brethren, the Moabites, in Arabia Deserta, having the Arnon on the west, the Ishmaelites on the south, the deserts of Arabia on the east, and the hills of Bashan and Gilead on the north. Their territories, according to the sacred historians, seem to have been anciently confined by the rivers Jabbok and Arnon; but