to march by their Armies; about whose extent in front, or number and depth of their lines, I shall not enter into a dispute with any man.

20, &c.

IX. THEIR firft ftation was in Ramefes, Ibid. 12. the fecond in Succoth, and the third in Etham. 37. & 13. Hitherto the country being practicable and well inhabited, they cou'd order their march by known towns, and other remarkable boundaries; fo that thus farr there was no need of fteering by the Starrs, or by the Compafs had it been then in ufe, or by other the like methods: nor in effect do we read of any fuch in these marches, ordinary or extraordinary. But at Etham begun the wil- Ibid. 13. derness of the red fea, as on the other fide conti- 18. nu'd a wilderness vaft and horrible, where a visible Guide became abfolutely neceffary: nor cou'd MOSES fuffice, tho he had liv'd in it very many Ibid. 2. 15. years; for fomthing must be seen by the whole & feq. 3.1. Army, and fo order'd as to make certain fignals, & feq. wherby they might all halt or procede at once (as) explain'd before) and know when they were to incamp, where to tarry a confiderable time in one place, and when again to leave it. These fignals (which are now perform'd by Canon both on fea and land) were to the Ifraelites no less neceffary by night than by day; because hafte, or other exigences, did fometimes oblige them to march in the night. Being therfore in Etham on the edge Ibid. 13. of the wilderness, the thing appointed for making 20. fignals was FIRE; whofe Flame, but not its Smoke, is very far feen by night: as its Smoke, tho not its Flame, is perceiv'd at a great distance by day. Before I come to particular proofs from Scripture, I fhall here in a few words declare the manner of ordering this FIRE. It was under the direction of a proper Officer, and highly elevated in a certain machine on a Pole, which was 21. 8. &c.

carry'd

In Hebrew

,Num,בס

Ibid. 10.

1110.

carry'd before the first line of the Army, whence it cou'd be seen by all the reft. But as foon as the Tabernacle was made and erected (which was the Tent where GOD, as King, was present by his fymbols and his minifters) then this fire was immediately plac'd on the top of it, and fo became confpicuous to the whole Army. Trumpets made of filver indeed they had, defign'd by diftinct fignals, as you read in Numbers, for the calling of the Affembly and the journying of the Camps: but as these cou'd not poffibly be heard throout all the Camp, confifting of above 600000 men; fo the fignals alternatly appointed by the Flame and the Smoke, were as follows. As long as the Fire continu'd on the top of the Tabernacle, were it for days, or months, or years, fo long they continu'd in the Camp: but whenever it was taken off, whether by night or by day, then they ftrait remov'd and begun their march after it, till fet again on the top of the Tabernacle; which was the known fign of pitching their tents, of which they were doubtless advertiz'd by Officers deftin'd to watch for that purpose.

X. NOW e'er I come to the proofs I promis'd from Scripture, I think it proper here to give fome inftances, that this guidance by Fire, so natural in fuch places and fo commodious, was practis'd by other nations; particularly by the Perfians, who not onely had great wildernesses in their own, and in the neighbouring territories: but also made frequent irruptions into Egypt thro this very wilderness, where the Ifraelites wander'd up and down during forty years; not as if thefe did not know the fhorter cut into the land of Canaan, but that for very expedient reasons (which will be read in the Introduction to our REPUBLIC OF MOSES) they declin'd

from

from the known road. To begin with the latest example, when ALEXANDER wag'd warr in Afia against the Perfians, tis recorded of him that 13 he alter'd many things to good purpofe in the difcipline of his Army, from what was us'd by his anceftors: for no wife man will difdain to learn of his greatest enemy, befides that circumstances will often oblige a General to change his ordinary conduct. Among the other alterations made by ALEXANDER,, one is deliver'd in these 14 words. When he wou'd have the Camp to remove, the fignal was given by a Trumpet; wherof the found nevertheless was not fufficiently heard, by reafon of the confus'd noise of the multitude. Wherfore beforder'd a Pole, which might be seen from all parts, to be fet on the top of the General's tent, on which a fignal hung vifible to all alike, namely, FIRE was obferv'd by night, and SMOKE by day. I here appeal to the most prejudic'd reader, whether two drops of water can be liker, than thefe fignals of ALEXANDER and MOSES, partly by Trumpets, partly by Fire and Smoke? and had we no other proof, we ought of courfe to conclude, that there was no more of miracle in the one than in the other. But we shall have no need to rest on this advantage. In the mean time we are to obferve, that ALEXANDER learnt this from the Perfians, among whom Fire was exalted on the Royal tent; for no other end in my opinion, fays the no lefs judicious than learned

13. In difciplina quoque Militaris rei pleraque, à majoribus tradita, utiliter mutavit. QUINT. CURT. lib. 5. cap. 2.

14. Tuba, quum caftra movere vellet, fignum dabar, cujus fonus plerumque, tumultuantium fremitu exoriente, haud fatis exaudiebatur. Ergo Perticam, quae undique confpici poffet, fupra Praetorium ftatuit, ex qua fignum eminebat, pariter omnibus confpicuum. Obfervabatur Ignis noctu, Fumus interdiu. Id. Ibid.

C

is FRE

IS FREINSHEMIUS, but to be a fignal either for a march or a battle: for altho a fignal was given by a trumpet, yet it cou'd not be heard by the whole Army, efpecially confifting of fuch a multitude of people; fo that ALEXANDER feems, in the alteration mention'd by QUINTUS CURTIUS, to have borrow'd his inftitution from hence. That this was no random conjecture we are now going to prove.

XI. THE military Discipline of the Perfians, which they us'd in all ages, is thus defcrib'd by QUINTUS CURTIUS, in the march of DARIUS against ALEXANDER, agreeing in most particulars with the account of 16 HERODOTUS many ages before him. It has been a custom (lays 17 he) deliver'd down to the Perfians from their ancestors, to begin their march after Sun-rifing. When it grew clear day, the Signal was given by a trumpet from the KING's tent. On the top of this tent the image of the SUN, inclos'd in Crystal, made fo

15. Porro hanc imaginem non alio fini fuper tabernaculum Regis fuiffe arbitror, quàm ut fignum effet vel profectionis vel pugnae. Quanquam enim fignum buccina dabatur, exaudiri ab univerfo exercitu non poterat, praefertim in tanta hominum multitudine. Ut vel hinc mutuatus videri poffit ALEXANDER inftitum fuum, quod narrat CURTIUS. In annotat. ad cap. 2. lib. QUINT. CURT.

16. Lib. 7. cap. 40.

5.

17. Patrio more Perfarum traditum eft, orto demum fole procedere. Die jam illuftri fignum e tabernaculo Regis buccinâ dabatur. Super Tabernaculum, unde ab omnibus confpici poffet, imago Solis cryftallo inclufa fulgebat. Ordo autem agminis erat talis. Ignis, quem ipfi facrum et aeternum vocabant, argenteis altaribus praeferebatur. Magi proximi patrium carmen canebant. Migos trecenti et fexaginta quinque juvenes fequebantur, puniceis amiculis velati, diebus totius anni pares numero: quippe Perfis quoque in totidem dies defcriptus eft annus, Currum deinde, Jovi facratum, albentes vehebant equi. Hos eximiae magnitudinis equus, quem Solis vocabant, fequebatur. Lib. 3. cap, 3.

bright

ト

bright a fhow, as to be feen by all the Camp. The order of the Army was after this manner. The FIRE, which they call'd facred and eternal, was carry'd before on filver Altars. Next came the MAGES finging a Hymn, after the custom of their country. After the MAGES follow'd three bundred and fixty five YOUNG MEN, clad in fcarlet robes, being equal in number to the days of the whole year: for the year is likewife divided into as many days by the Perfians. Then proceded the confecrated Chariot of JUPITER, drawn by white borfes. Thefe were follow'd by another horfe of extraordina vy fize, which they call'd the horse of the Sun, So farr our author, in whom you may read the whole proceffion. I needed to have quoted only a fmall part of this paffage, to prove the Fire on the top of the principal tent (for that carry'd be fore the Army, was the facred fymbol of the Di vinity) but I produc'd the reft to fhow that the march of the Ifraelites and the Perfians was fo like, as to be almost the fame: which however ought not to be matter of wonder in people, that not onely dwelt on the fame continent, but that had frequent intercourfe and warrs, as the Jews were more than once in fubjection to the Perfians. The Signal to the armies of both, was given by a trumpet from the royal tent; for what in Scripture, from the Latin word, we call the Tabernacle, ought to have been tranflated the Tent (as fomtimes it is render'd the Tent of the Num. 9. Teftimony, and the Tent of the Congregation) and 15. Exod. 39. was in effect the Tent wherin JEHOVAH, the King of the Ifraelites, was prefent by his Symbols and Minifters. Sacred Fire was carry'd before thefe Nations, which, tho acknowledg'd by both to be a Symbol of the Divinity (as Fire was kept by both inextinguifh'd in their holy places, and affirm'd to have been originally C 2 kindl'd

32.