Page:Reflections upon ancient and modern learning (IA b3032449x).pdf/174

 Disgrace. Those Egyptian Priests, whose Business it was to gather Knowledge, must have had an extraordinary Love for a sedentary Life, or have been averse to inform themselves from others, more than the rest of Mankind, who would not be at the Pains either to learn what Sesostris's Soldiers could have told them, or to go about Two Hundred Miles Southward to search for that, which they must certainly have often reasoned about, if they were such Philosophers as they pretended to be.

Nay, by the Curiosity of the Greeks we are sure they did reason about it; they thought it as much a Wonder as we can do now: Rather more, because they knew of no other Rivers, that overflow at periodical Seasons like it, as some are now known to do in the East-Indies.

Upon the whole Matter, after a particular Search into the whole Extent of Egyptian Learning, there seems to be no Reason to give the Egyptians the Preeminence in point of Knowledge above all Mankind. However, considering the great Labour which is requisite to form the First Notions of any part of Learning, they deserve great Applause for what they discovered, and ought to have proportionable Grains of Allowance for