Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/712

 688 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

that Herodotus fixes upon, as being fufficient to oblige the payment in his days; and the other is 1 6, or a cubit more ; fa that if the Nilometer proves any thing at all, it is this, that preemptively the Nile has never increafed from Masris to Perronius's, or in 1400 years, and certainly that, if it has not diminifhed, it has not increafed for 700 years from Herodo- tus to the emperor Julian.

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Procopius, in his firft book, I think, fays, that 18 peeks was too full a Nile, and occafioned dearth by its quantity. But, in the middle of the 6th century, he tells* us it requi- red 18 cubits for a minimum, by which Egypt was to pay the meery; fo that in 100 years from Julian to Juftinian, the minimum had increafed three cubits, which was 4I feet ; not one foot in 100 years as the propofition bears ; and this would prove too much, if it was true, but it is impofli- ble.

Thus far, then, we are at liberty to fay, that, as long as Egypt was a Greek kingdom, no vifible alteration or in* creafe of the foil can be fairly eftablilhed from hiftory or infpeclion.


 * Procop. lib. iii. de Reb. Goth.

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