BOOK VI. in their eastern route the pacific sacerdotal founders of the Chinese monarchy. This opinion coincides with that of Kampfer and Titsingh; who, from a long residence in the island, are doubtless the best qualified judges of the matter and it has met with the approbation of Sir William Jones, though he strongly contends that the Japanese are a branch of the same ancient stem with the Chinese. It seems, that the former would resent, as an insult on their dignity, the bare suggestion of their descent from the latter and, in truth, the dissimilitude of the two national characters proves sufficiently, that the Japanese are not mistaken in their opinion'. Their supposed origination from a tribe of Sacas, who had preceded the Brahmenical Chinas, seems to be confirmed by the circumstance of a district in Japan being still called Sacaia: and it is yet further confirmed by the occurrence of the local name of Gotho; for the Sacas and the Goths were of the same race 2.

(3.) Another branch of the Cuthic stock bore, according to the Institutes, the appellation of Cambojas: and these are doubtless to be found in Cambodia or the extensive district which bears the general name of the eastern peninsula of India. Their descendants are the Cossais, the Siamese, the Peguers, and the now predominating Burmas. These are a warlike and intelligent people, not unworthy of their Gothic ancestry: and, like the unmixed Scythians from the extremity of Asia to the extremity of Europe, they are universally worshippers of Buddha or Saca or Dagon3.

4. Nothing now remains but to turn our attention to the south-west: and here an amazing scene opens upon us, in which, as usual, we find the adventurous Scythians the chief actors.

Their colonies in this quarter were the Phenicians, the various tribes of Zanzummim or Anakim, the Philistim or Palli who communicated to the whole land of Canaan the name of Palestine or Pallisthan, and the mighty Shepherd or Pallic kings of Egypt. When these last, after miraculously experiencing the wrath of heaven, were expelled by the native Mizraim under their ancient princes: a new series of migrations was the conse

'Asiat. Res, vol. ii. p. 379, 380.

Kæmpfer's Japan. b. i. c. 8. p. 104. note a.

3 Simes's Embassy to Ava. passim.

quence, which affected both Europe and Africa and Asia. But such events chap. iv. are of a magnitude to require and deserve a separate discussion. At present, suffice it to say, that the Phenicians have often most erroneously been ascribed to the house of the servile Canaan; while the Philistim, from an ill understood expression of Moses, have been misdeemed a branch of the Mizraim'. In reality, they were alike descended from the great family of Cush; and were equally, in the first instance, emigrants from Asiatic Cusha-dwip or Ethiopia. By lapse of time they might indeed, especially the Phenicians, be mingled with the Canaanites: but their national origin was most assuredly altogether different. At least, they agreed only in the circumstance of their being equally the children of Ham through the two distinct lines of Cush and Canaan.

5. As the grand characteristic of nearly all the Noetic families is the existence of a polity, more or less perfectly dividing the community into separate castes; so that the sacerdotal and military classes, proudly refusing to mix with the subject multitude, should constantly be at the head of affairs, while the plebeians were degraded to a state of servitude; a polity emanating from the universal predominance of the house of Cush: so a principal characteristic of that part of the military tribe, which seceded from the other part and which in consequence was regarded as outcast and heretical, is a polity, which either knows nothing of a division into castes, or which recognizes only a priesthood administering the religion of an entire nation of freemen or nobles or warriors; for, in the estimation of the warlike Cuths, these terms were synonymous.

Thus among the Burmans there are no castes; among the Chasas, none; among the Chinese, none. The Japanese have a distinct order of priesthood with an ecclesiastical emperor (as Kæmpfer calls him) at their head, while a secular emperor presides over the state: but I cannot find, that they have any other castes in the Hindoo sense of the word. As for the ancient Scythians, Thracians, Persians, and Lydians, they partly had, and partly had not castes. This point we learn from Herodotus: and Strabo

2 Simes's Embassy to Ava. vol. ii. p. 3. Asiat. Res. vol. vi. p. 251. Kæmpfer's Japan. b. ii. Staunton's Embass. to China.

BOOK VI. specially instances the Iberians, as being regularly divided into four orders Whenever such was the case, I should pronounce, that the circumstance originated, either from conquest, or from the primeval secession of other tribes under the influence of the Cuths. These mingled Scythians were viewed with no small contempt by those, who had preserved their blood pure and uncontaminated. Herodotus mentions, that beyond the Gerrhus lay what was denominated the royal province of Scythia. This was occupied by the noblest and at the same time the most numerous of the Scuths, who viewed all the rest of their countrymen in the light of slaves. The country extended from Tauris far to the south, and from the Palus Meotis far to the east; while to the north-west it stretched along the Tanais. It was evidently peopled, as we may collect both from the spirit of the nation and from their proud title of royal Scythians or Scuthic kings, by an entire race of military nobility: and these seem to have acquired a complete ascendancy over the various hordes of their mixed brethren. One branch of them, we are told, migrated to the north-east, where they fixed themselves at some considerable distance from the frontiers of the Argippèan Chinese but the most numerous portion travelled westward; for the local situation of the royal or noble Scythians plainly demonstrates them to have been the ancestors of those, who in Europe were known by the appellations of Teutones, Germani, Goths, and Sarons. Accordingly, like their forefathers, this warlike race, to adopt the phraseology which we have derived from them, was entirely composed of gentlemen or freemen. Every man was a soldier: every man had a voice in the great council of the nation: every man claimed a right to give his opinion respecting matters of importance, while affairs of less moment were alone entrusted to the exclusive management of the princes. All were noble: yet, as no state can exist without some having the preeminence, high antiquity of blood was the characteristic of their kings, a superior genius for war was the badge of their generals. So loose was their allegiance, and so slight their submission, that they rather spontaneously acted together to accomplish some com

Herod. Hist. lib. ii. c. 167. Strab. Geog. lib. xi. p. 501.

2 Herod. Hist. lib. iv. c. 20.

mon object in which all were interested, than served by constraint under an CHAP. IV. arbitrary superior. The multitude were not the serfs, but the free military vassals or retainers, of their princes and higher nobility. Every part of their constitution breathed an armed and unrestrained freedom: each individual felt his strength and importance: and it is most curious to observe the marked difference in point of government, as delineated by the masterly pens of Cesar and Tacitus, between this nation of soldiers and their neighbours the caste-divided Celts. Yet these warriors, who would scarcely yield to any secular lord, freely submitted to the commands of their priesthood: nor did they think bonds or even stripes any degradation from such sacred hands '.

Cæsar. Comment. lib. vi. c. 21, 22, 23. Tacit. de mor. Germ. c. 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 25, 31, 38, 39. The complete liberty of the Gothic Germans, so foreign from that division into castes by which the inferior ranks were reduced to a state of absolute servitude and political insignificance, is most pointedly described in a single sentence of Tacitus. De minoribus rebus principes consultant: de majoribus, OMNES.

CHAPTER V.

Respecting the Shepherd-Kings of Egypt, and the various Settlements of the Military Caste, in Consequence of their Expulsion.

I Now come to treat of a very extraordinary people, whose history will throw considerable light on some parts of Holy Scripture.

I. The substance of what we know concerning them is thus recorded by different authors.

1. We had formerly, says Manetho the Egyptian, a king named Timaus. In his days, through the wrath of heaven, a race of men, whose origin was unknown to us, suddenly made their appearance from the east. These invaded our country: and such was their military prowess, that, in a very short time and without encountering any material resistance, they reduced it under their dominion. Our nobility they completely subjugated: and, not content with having obtained the mastery, they proceeded to burn our cities and to overturn the temples of our gods. All the natives they treated with the utmost cruelty: for they murdered some of them, and degraded to abject servitude the children and the wives of others. At length they made one of their number to be king: and the name of this person was Salatis. The new prince established himself at Memphis; reduced both the upper and the lower province to the payment of tribute; and placed garrisons in all