Reprint Of Scarce, Or Curious, Books On Freemasonry.

teaching the inhabitants to cultivate it , and to form agreeable and useful societies ; thus Sesostris was the first king , of the race of men , who bore arms in Asia , and there introduced and established the laws and sciences of E gypt . He even ruled all the four kingdoms of Egypt , not indeed by a sovereign power , but by the superiority of his genius , his virtues , and reputation . His first successors supported for a timeespeciallAvith regard to forei

, y gn provinces , the splendour of so great an empire ; and AVO find , about one hundred years after Sesostris , Mendes or Mcmnon , king of Thebes , ruler of Susa and Phrygia , chastising the lwolted Bactvians , and re-establishing order among the people conquered by his ancestor . But Eamosses , who succeeded Memnon , wanting both the courage and the conduct of his forefatherslostby his Aveaknessail the conquered dominionsandb

, , , , , y his pride , a title which he had , till then , retained abovo tho other kings of Egypt . His immediate predecessors having need of all their cunning as Avell as force , to keep the distant provinces under the 3 'oke of obedience , had treated these kings with discretion , and had not abused that right , Avhich they perceived had in truth onl y devolved upon Sesostris , on account of his personal merit . But young Harnesses * soon discovered his character b

y two obelisks which he caused to be inscribed Avith titles so ostentatious and false , with regard to him , that in latter ages they have thought to relate to Sesostris . _ This young prince , whose Avholo study Avas to deck himself with a vain and momentaueous glory , the ignominious consequences of Avhich he never foresaw , took upon him ' to send these kings , Avho were now become his equals , his commands in form . But they soon gave him to understand that they insisted upon EgjqnVs retaining its pristine form

of four dynasties , Avhich had been always independent since the four sons of Menes . They alleged that Sesostris himself had not interrupted them ; and that the kings their predecessors , in his life-time , reseiwing the royal title and dignities , had accepted of diverse regulations , by him proposed , only because they appeared to be equally advantageous to the whole nation . Such was the division ho had made of all Egypt into thirty-six nomesf or provincestho particular gOA'cmors of which couldivith greater

, , ease , keep , a Avatchful eye OA'er the productions of nature and art Avhich they furnish for foreign commerce ; and over the taxes they Avere in a condition to contribute in case of a general Avar . It was to him , they said , were owing those temples which Avere erected in each city , to the honour of its tutelar god ; tho wall which extended from Pelusa to Heliopolis , and put . a stop to the inroads of tho Syrians , and bordering Arabians of the

deserts , a people under no manner of discipline ; the great canal , by Avhich a communication was opened between the Mediterranean and the Eed Sea , and the Avholo eastern and western commerce made to pass through Egypt ; and . lastly those dykes and sluices , which taking in the Avholo space from the cataracts of the Nile to its mouth or entrance into the sea , between the moimtains of Libya and the coasts of the Eed Sea , stopped or received , occasion

as required , the inundations of that river . But they added that , all these undertakings being finished , they kneAV how to maintain them , each in his OAVU dominions , Avithout the adAdce of Eamesses , from Avhom they absolutely refused to receive any commands . This ojiposition put an end to a dispute Avhich a king , more Avise than he , might haA e kept undecided ; and he Avas obli ged to take up with the title of king of Thebes the great , Avhich devolved to Sesostris by right of his ancestors .