Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/628

 604 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

at laft come down, as great a fecret as ever, to thefe latter, times of bold and impartial inquiry.

Though Egypt was not created by the Nile, it was the lirft part that received benefit from it ; it was there, in the time of its overflowing, that it appeared in all its beauty, and Egypt meafured its profperity or defolation by the a- bundance or fcantinefs of this ftream. It was not, however, in Egypt the inquiries into the time and caufe of its inun- dation began ; all thefe were fettled and reduced to rule be- fore a city was built within the reach of the inundation.

Man, that knew not the caufe, was alfo ignorant of the limits of that inundation, having only in his mind a tradi- tion of deluges that had deftroyed the earth, traces of which appeared on every hill. He was with reafon aftonimed to fee, that, wild and wide as the torrent appeared, it was fub- ject to the controul of fome power that prohibited it from irregularity in the time of its coming, and forbade it to de- ftroy the land it was deflined to enrich ; they faw it fubfide within its banks, and overflow no more after it had afford- ed to hufbandry the utmoft advantage it could receive. But what the controuling power was they knew not, confe- quently could never divine whether this regularity was tranfitory or perpetual ; whether it was not liable, at fome time, to break its bonds, and fweep both man and his la- bours together into the ocean.

Whether the Nile was conftant to its time of riling, whe- ther it did not revolve in fome cycle or period, or whether, arrived at a certain number of inundations, it was not to -flop and overflow no more, was what could only be deter- mined