city Elana, or Elah, the Elath of the fcriptures, which bordered upon it. The other was the Sinus Horoopolitanus; which extended farther inland, and was nearest to Egypt. It was thus named by the Greeks from the city Heroum, which stood at its northern extremity. Near this point the children of Ifrael turned back; and, paffing downward with the fea on their left hand, they were brought into a defile, which confifted of a long extended coaft, and was bounded by the above mentioned finus to the eaft: and by the extremity of the Arabian mountain to the weft. At the end was the inundation above mentioned, which from the Greeks had the name of Clyfma: and supposed to be the fame place, which was called by the Arabians 2 Colfum. This inlet of water ftopped the Ifraelites, and prevented their proceeding farther: for it directly thwarted

It is now called Gibel Mocatti. See Shaw, Pocock, and Niebuhr.

Some fay, that whatever fimilarity may have appeared, in the purport of these two names, yet they are of a different fignification. Clyfma, Kavua, denotes an inundation, or place inundated: but by Colfum is meant an overwhelming, or fubmerfion. It was, they fay, given from the overwhelming of Pharaoh and his host.

them

For--the

them in their paffage: fo that they, were on every fide enclosed, and had their enemy preffing close upon their rear. Egyptians purfued after them,and overtook them encamping by the fea, befide Pi-habiroth, before Baal-zephon.

The place of this inlet is, I believe, now for the most part dry; and is called Bedea by the Arabs. It formerly extended fome miles inward towards Egypt, paffing through a mouth, or opening, between the mountains: which mouth or opening is very justly supposed to have been the Phi-Hiroth of the fcriptures. It is fome miles in length, and ftill retains marks of the fea, as we learn from Monconys, and others, who have paffed it. For, inftead of going round by the mountain of Arabia in a direction to the north of the eaft, travellers often pass towards the fouth-east through this hollow way, and fo arrive at Bedea, where it termi

Of the different roads to the Red Sea, and Etham, fee. Shaw's Travels, p. 433. and Niebuhr's Arabie, p. 352. Of the four roads mentioned by Pocock, Derb Ejenef is the most northern, and by this he supposes the Ifraelites to have paffed, as it led more directly to Etham, p. 155.

nates

1

nates at the Red Sea. From thence they turn to the left northward: and in about ten hours arrive at Suez. This road is called now Derb al Touriac. The history given by Monconys is remarkable, where he defcribes his paffage through the length of this opening. Après diner nous paffâmes pendant deux heures entre des montagnes, qui font de côté et d'autre fort droites, et fort hautes, et laiffent un grand chémin au milieu de trente ou quarante pas de large; qui ne femble pas mal a l'endroit, dans lequel l' Ecriture dit, que Pharaon pretendoit attraper le peuple Hebreu enfermé. Aut bout de ces montagnes il y a une vafte campagne, qui va jufque a la mer.--Le 18. nous fimes une heure de chémin à pié toûjours dans cette plaine, qui fe rétreffit entre de hautes montagnes, qui vont jufques a la mer, et font paroître cétte plaine un canal artificiel, excepté fa largeur, qui n'a guere moins de deux licus. Nous arrivâmes à onze heures au bord de la Mer Rouge, ou nos dinámes. Puis la cotoiant toujours jufques au foir nous marchames vers le nord, et laiffant les mon

Voyages de Monf. de Monconys, vol. 1. p. 409.

tagnes

tagnes au couchant, et la mer du coté du Levant-Le 19. nous partîmes au point du jour, et arrivâmes a neuf heures au devant de Suez. At the embouchure of this valley, between the mountains, was the Clyfma of the Greeks, and the Colfum of the Arabs, from whence the finus took its name. Here was also a tower and garrifon defcribed by ' Ptolemy as-Kλvoμa orion, and Kλvoμa xasgov by Hierocles: the encampment at Clyfma: which was perhaps the Migdol of the Egyptians. When the author turned to the left hand towards the north, he went over the very ground, where the Ifraelites encamped before their paffage through the fea: but in a contrary direction.

2

I have fuppofed, that the children of Ifrael were stopped, and entangled at the bottom of this pafs at Clyfma, rather than, as fome people have thought, at the top and entrance; which was nearer to the modern Suez. My reafon is, because, when a mountain terminates in a high cliff towards the sea, as the Arabian mountain does, though it leaves

* Sce Appendix to Antonini Itin, p. 728.

fufficient

fufficient room below, yet this paffage cannot be ftiled soμa, a mouth: or as the Latins would exprefs it, fauces montis. There must be a valley or aperture, each way bounded by hills, to conftitute fuch an opening. In the next place, if the Ifraelites had been at this place within fight of the Egyptians; they would not have stopped here but entered the defile: as people, when hard preffed, always retire as far as they can, however they may ultimately despair. They never unnecef farily ftop. For, let the enemy be ever so numerous, or fo well provided, a small body in a narrow pafs has a chance for a time to make some stand against them. Father Sicard thinks; that this paffage, which extends along that part of the Arabian mountain called now Gibel Attake, is not fufficiently capacious to receive fuch numbers, as were concerned in this march. But this objection seems to be of no weight. For, as it is well known, that caravans confifting of many thousands of people with their horfes, camels, and carriages come every year this way, to and

i

1 See Monconys, vol. 1. p. 410.

from