fucceffor made away with him for his riches, &c. the story may be seen in Virgil, and it is here only barely hinted at, to fhew the correspondent customs of the Phoenicians and Irish; to this may be added, that their deities were the fame. They both adored Bel, or the fun, the moon and the ftars. The house of Rimmon * which the Phoenicians worshipped in, like our temples of Fleachta, in Meath, was facred to the moon. The word Rimmon has by no means been understood by the different commentators; and yet by recuring to the Irish (a branch of the Phoenician) it becomes very intelligible; for Re is Irish for the moon, and Muadh fignifies an image; and the compound word Reamhan, fignifies prognofticating by the appearances of the moon. It appears by the life of our great St. Columba, that the Druid temples were HERE decorated with figures of the fun, the moon, and ftars. The Phoenicians under the name of Bel-Samen, adored the Supreme; and it is pretty remarkable, that to this very day, to wish a friend every happiness this life can afford, we fay in Irish, "the "bleffings of Samen and Bel be with you!" that is, of all the feafons, Bel fignifying the fun, and Samhain the moon. Neptune was alike adored by the Phoenicians and Irish; and it is worthy notice that the Irish language ONLY, explains the attributes of this deity, though common to other countries; from Naomh, or Naoph, facred, and Ton, aware! We have already noticed the schools faid to have been established by Phænius after his return from Senaar; and this we findindeed with wonder-confirmed by holy writ; for Joshua tells us that the city of Debir, which his army destroyed, was in remoter days called Kiriath-Sephir, which literally fignifies the city of Books or Letters. From this text the learned Goguet is clear, that arts and letters were publicly taught here foon after the 2 Kings, ch. v. ver. 18. + Chap. xv. ver. 15. flood. flood *. In the fragments of Sanconiathon, preserved by Porphyry and Eusebuis, Phænix is fecond in the list of their kings; and if we suppose him the fon of Baath it will correspond with our annals. Indeed the various revolutions that country underwent as well by Joshua as other invaders, and the neglect and deftruction of annals ever attendant on fuch misfortunes, might encourage fucceeding writers to mix fable with tradition, and conjecture with hiftory. It was the anachronisms and abfurdities found in this fragment, that made Mr. Dodwell † labour to prove that no fuch author ever exifted; and that it was fabricated by some early Greek. But it would be hard to say for what end fuch impofition could be offered. Materials, I take for granted, must have been had to work on; and thefe very probably (like fome of our moderns), they formed to their own ideas. Theodoret conjectures that the word Sanconiathon fignifies Philalethes, or a lover of truth. For my own part, I think writers have rather mistaken the title of the work; and as letters were hereditary in families, as well in Phoenicia as in Ireland, the word Sanconiathon was the title of the national history, from Seanachas, antiquity, and Aithne, knowledge; juft as the grand digeft of our history, was called Seanachas more, or the great antiquity. But to prove to conviction the origin of the Irish nation, it is to be noticed that the Carthaginians, who were confeffedly a Phoenician colony, were, like the Irish, called alfo Poeni. That they spoke the Phenician language will not be doubted; and if it will appear that the Bearla-Pheni, or Irifh, is the fame with the Carthaginian, demonftration can go no farther. This the learned Colonel Vallencey has proved beyond a doubt in a late publication ; and in the course of the present history it will Origine des Arts & des Sciences, tom. iv. p. 84. + A Difcourfe on Sanconiathon's Phoenician History. Collation of the Irish and Punic languages, &c. appear appear that a close connection and correspondence was conftantly kept up between the two ftates. Both were renowned for their fleets and for commerce, and were alike attentive to the encouragement of arts, fciences, manufactures, and agriculture. If we confult modern writers we fhall find their ideas of ancient navigation extremely confined. Scarce will they allow them more than coasting voyages; as if they were not as capable of confulting the great book of nature, and their own particular interests, as the moderns. Scripture affords fufficient proofs of an early knowledge of aftronomy, navigation, and commerce; and it is agreed upon, that before the days of Abraham, the Phonicians were a commercial people and carried on a confiderable traffic with the Greek iflands. Nay Herodotus affures us, that they carried on about this time an extenfive trade, monopolizing all the commerce of Egypt and Affyria and making diftant voyages; that it was in one of these, whilft expofing their goods to fale at Argos, that they carried off the famous Io, daughter to Inachus. That at, or foon after the days of Abraham, a colony from Egypt invaded and poffeffed themselves of Greece, the voice of antiquity declares; but yet when it is confidered that the early Egyptians held mariners in great detestation, which their religion inculcated, Typhon or the fea, being the enemy of Ofiris ; that their priests vowing celibacy, would touch neither falt or fish, and and of course confidered that element, and thofe that traded thereon, as impure; and that not till the days of Sefoftris had they any ideas of maritime affairs-it will be difficult to reconcile this account to reafon, without recuring to Irish history. There we behold the fon of the great Phænius married to a daughter of Egypt, and large poffeffions granted to him and to his followers. We fee Gadel-glas and Eafru peaceably fucceed to these territories; and when we confider how close to the time of the vocation of Abraham, Sru poffeffed himself of Crete, we shall I conceive VOL. I. H conceive be ftruck with the great lights which our history throws on this whole relation. If from this we recur to the hiftory of Egypt, however obfcured by fable, we shall see farther evidences in support of our history. There we may behold amongst their first princes, a Nilus, or Niulus, registered, and the only one of the name. We learn that the ancient name of the Nile was Abantri, or the father of rivers; and Ab in old Irish, as well as in fome of the Oriental tongues, is father, and Ouen a river! We also read that it changed this name for that of Nilus, in honour of this prince, who by canals and aqueducts conveyed its water to diftant parts of the kingdom. Now the name Niulus was, and ftill is peculiar to the Irish nation; by it many of our princes were formerly called, and to commemorate this great ancestry, the chiefs of the Heremonian line glory in the name of O'Neill at this day. But befides thefe, which are fomething more than prefumptive proofs, we find a memory of thefe early and fome fubsequent events preferved by the Egyptians themselves, though fhamefully defaced by exaggerations and anachronisms. In these early days, when nations were thinly inhabited, an inconfiderable body of men were fufficient to fubjugate extenfive countries. We may judge by the fame of the Argonautic expedition, what trifling exploits were made to fwell to mighty deeds. The story I allude to is this: Plutarch, in the life of Solon, tells us, that when studying in Egypt, he was informed by the priests of Sais of the famous Atalantic Ifle. The relation was fo fingular and striking, that he formed the plan of an epic poem on it, but was prevented by old age. by old age. The ftory was, that these islanders became fo powerful by fea as to reduce Africa and Greece, and were meditating new conquefts, till checked by the fuperior power of the Athenians. That this famous ifland was placed beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in the Atalantic ocean; and that its its inhabitants, 9000 years before Solon, lorded it over Lybia, as far as Egypt, as well as over Greece. But that the power of these islanders should appear adequate to the extent of their conquests, these priests affured Solon that it was larger than Europe and Afia; and because it was known that no island of fuch extent then existed, they affirmed that in an after period it fuddenly disappeared. Plato, a defcendant from Solon, in his Dialogues of Timæus and Ctifias, resumed this work; the tranflator of which entitles them, Prifci Mundi Hiftoria; to which may be added, that Lord Bacon, in his New Atalantis, deems the whole relation to be founded on facts. Sir Ifaac Newton has taken fome pains to elucidate this account *. He fixes the time of thefe exploits at 400 years earlier; but remarks, that the Egyptian priests fo magnified the time-as indeed they did the story—that instead of 400 they made it 9000 years. The size of the island, we may add, they magnified in the fame ratio; fince they affirmed it to be larger than Europe and Asia, though by them confeffed to be AN EUROPEAN ISLAND! We see evidently that it was by way of pre-eminence to all other islands in that fea, called the Atalantic Ifle, and it only remains to ascertain the place, and all the other difficulties will disappear. Homer tells us, in the Odyffey, that immediately after the taking of Troy, which was A. M. 2767, Ulyffes found Calypfo, the daughter of Atlas, feated in this isle, which, on account of its great antiquity, he alfo calls Ogygia. He tells us that it was about ten days fail from the Pillars of Hercules, at least that Ulyffes was fo long in his paffage to it; and that it was named the Woody Island likewife. Ireland being always called Ogygia, as well as Inis na Bhfiodhbhaidhe, or the Woody Island, and its distance from the Streight's mouth agreeing fo exactly with • Chronology. H 2 Homer, |