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138 138 THE MARITIME PLAINS.

the foot of the highland in the Valley of Elah, the battle- field of David and Goliath. From hence the wady passes westward through the hills of the Shephelah by a crooked gorge, which begins on the east at the foot of Shuweikeh, the site of Shocoh, and debouches into the plain at the foot of Tell es San, the Crusaders' Blanchegarde, and most probably the biblical Libnah. The plain here consists of the low rolling plateau which encloses the hollow around Mesmiyeh. Over this plateau fled the Philistines after the death of Goliath, northward to the Plain and City of Ekron, and southward across the Plain of 'Arak el Menshiyeh to Gath, by the way to Shaaraim. 1 Sam. xvii, 52.

The Nahr Eubin comes down to the Plain of Ekron from sources at Beeroth, which lies due east of the outfall ; but the basin makes a great semicircular sweep to the south, including the Plain of Gibeon, and passing west of Jerusalem ; it also takes in the Plain of Eephaim, and extends as far south as 'Ain Shems (Beth Shemesh), where it is at the foot of the highland, having collected all the drainage between Beeroth and Bethlehem. From 'Ain Shems it passes through the hills of the Shephelah, by the broad Wady es Surar, in the midst of Samson's country, which looks down on the Plain of Ekron, The plain is about six miles across, and a spur from the Bamleh heights separates it from another on the coast, about four miles in extent, and containing Yebnah (Jabneel), with other villages. Between the Plain of Yebnah and the sea-shore, is a sandy down three miles in width, and forming part of a series, which from Jaffa southwards, takes the place of the narrow sandhills which skirt the shore northward.

The Plain of 'Arak el Menshiyeh (so called here for con- venience in the absence of any other name), is more con- siderable than the Plain of Ekron, being 14 miles in length from the eastern hills to Esdud (AshdodX and four or five miles in breadth. Dr. Kobinson crossed from Tell es Safi to Keratiya on the way to Gaza, and found the scene en- livened by large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats ; the country beautiful and fertile, almost perfectly level, with a light-brown loamy soil. The crops were good, yet