cent parts; but Reu is called by the feventy Interpreters Ragau. And as to the pofterity of Arphaxad fettling here, it is remarkable, that in the very beginning of the book of Judith, we have mention made of Arphaxad, who reigned over the Medes in Ecbatane; this name being probably given to the faid King in memory and honour of their forefather Arphaxad, the fon of Shem, and grandfon of Noah; who probably upon the difperfion of mankind fettled himself in thefe parts of Afia; whence we find here a whole country retaining plain footsteps of his name, it being called Arrapachitis in Ptolemy, probably for Arphaxaditis.

Proceed we to the book of Judith; and the most remarkable place in this hiftory is the city or town of Bethulia, wherein Judith lived when it was befieged by Holofernes, the general of the Affyrian army. That this place was situated not far from Dothaim, is evident, as from other texts, fo especially from chap. vii. ver. 3. where it is faid, that the army under Holofernes encamped in the valley near unto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dotbaim even to Belmaim, and in length from Bethulia unto Cyamon (or the Bean-field) over-against Efdraelon. Now Dothaim being probably the fame with Dothan, and Efdraelon the fame with Jezreel, we may from hence make a pretty good guefs at the fituation of Bethulia, that it was fuch as is affigned it in the map hereunto belonging. Brochard tells us, that from the place taken for Bethulia, when he travelled the Holy Land, to Tiberias on the fea of Galilee, was one league, and that the latter lay to the fouth-east of the former. As for the other places mentioned in the book of, Judith, they are either fuch as are of very uncertain fituation, or elfe of no great note, or laftly fuch as have been already defcribed. And the fame may be faid of the places that are mentioned in the feveral following Apocryphal books, till we come to the two books of the Maccabees, which are the laft of the Apocryphal books.

In these two books, as being chiefly historical, we have mention made of many places, among which, excepting those already spoken of, the chief or moft remarkable are these that

CHA P.

VI.

3.

Of Bethulia,

4.

Of Modia,

VI.

CHAP. follow: Modin I mention first, on account of its being the dwelling-place of Mattathias, of whom was defcended Judas furnamed Maccabeus. The fituation of this place is not well agreed on, fome placing it not very far from Jerufalem. For Mr. Maundrel tells us, that in his return from Bethlehem to Jerufalem, he made a vifit to (what is now-a-days called) the wilderness and convent of St. John the Baptist; and that being come within about a league of the convent, he had in fight Modon, a village on the top of an high hill, the buryingplace of those heroical defenders of their country, the Maccabees. And fo likewife Le Bruyn tells us, that at a little distance from the convent of the Holy Cross (which is about an hour's journey from Jerufalem) he faw upon a very high hill, the place where the Maccabees lie buried, and the ruins of their house. And a little after he tells us, that being gone further on in his way to Bethlehem, he turned towards Modin; and he not only gives us a draught of it, but alfo tells us, that of the burying-places of the Maccabees there are ftill feven arches remaining, under which the bodies were laid. From which it may be inferred, that our author was either at or very near the place; and confequently, that it lies not very far from Jerufalem and Bethlehem. But others will have Modin to lie much farther weftward, namely, on the coaft, or not far from the coaft, of the Mediterranean Sea. And this opinion is founded on I Maccab. xiii. 25, 26. where it is faid thus: Then fent Simon, and took the bones of Jonathan his brother, and buried them in Modin, the city of his fathers.-Simon also built a monument upon the fepulchre of his father and his brethren, and raised it aloft to the fight, with hewn ftone behind and before. Moreover, he fet up feven pyramids one against another, for his father and his mother, and his four brethren. And in thefe he made cunning devices; about the which he fet great pillars. And upon the pillars he made all their armour for a perpetual memory; and by the armour, fhips carved, that they might be feen of all that fail on the fea. Now from the laft claufe of this paffage it seems evident, that Modin was at no great distance from the Mediterranean Sea. Whence it

VI.

will follow, that the forementioned place, taken notice of CHAP, by Mr. Maundrel and Mr. Le Bruyn, is not rightly reputed to be the burying-place of the Maccabees; but that their opinion is better founded, who place Modin much nearer to the coaft of the Mediterranean Sea. Agreeably hereunto Eufebius and Jerom tell us, that Modin was fituated near to Diofpolis, or Lydda. And Bonfrerius obferves*; that fome moderns place the fituation of Modin at four miles distance from Lydda, and one long mile from Joppa.

Of Perfe

The next place I fhall speak of is Perfepolis, mentioned 5. 2 Macc. ix. 2. It was the chief city, not only of that pro- polis. vince of the Perfian empire which is properly called Perfis, but of the whole empire; whence it is ftyled by the historian Quintus Curtius, the Queen of the Eaft. It was fituated near the banks of a river called Araxes, otherwife faid to be called Rhogomanes, and now-a-days Bendemir. It was built for the moft part of cyprefs-wood, the walls of the houses being of marble, digged out of an adjoining mountain. Diodorus Siculus, who at large defcribes this city, affirms it to be the richest and finest city in all the world. And we may well believe him as to the richness of it, Alexander the Great finding here one hundred and twenty thoufand talents in ready money for his own fhare, after the foldiers had made what fpoil they lifted of plate, bullion, images of gold and filver, and jewels of unspeakable value. But the chief beauty of it was the royal palace, built on an hill, furrounded with a treble wall; the firft of fixteen cubits height, the fecond of thirty, and the third of fixty: all of them of black polished marble, with stately battlements, and in the circuit of the whole palace an hundred turrets, which afforded a most admirable profpect. Nor was the infide of lefs beauty, than the outfide of majefty; the roof thereof fhining with ivory, filver, gold, and amber; and the King's throne being wholly compofed of gold and the richest pearls. But although it was thus rich and ftately, and one of the greateft ornaments of the eastern world; yet it was by Alexander, in a drunken.

VI.

CHA P. fit, confumed with fire, at the inftigation of Lais, that infamous ftrumpet, by way of revenge for the many cities of the Greeks, which the Perfians had formerly burnt in the Grecian wars. And though Alexander, when fober again, repented of what he had done, and gave order that it should be rebuilt, yet it never arofe to its former glory; the conqueror dying fhortly after, and that purpose with him. It was fo ruined in the time of Quintus Curtius (who lived, as our author Dr. Heylin obferves, in the time of Claudius Cæfar), that he profeffes no footsteps of it could then have been found, if not shewn and pointed out by the river Araxes, on whose bank it ftood. But notwithstanding this, it is the opinion of feveral ingenious perfons and travellers, and among them of M.Thevenot, that the place now-a-days called Tschehel-minar is part of the ancient Perfepolis, not only because of the river, which Diodorus Siculus and others mention to be there under the name of the little Araxes, now called Bendemir, but also of many other marks that cannot be called into queftion, fays Thevenot; who proceeds to give a large account of the ruins yet to be seen. The fum whereof is this: that they confift chiefly of three ranges of buildings, behind one another, from weft to caft; that they extend feverally in length from north to fouth; that each of the two firft ranges contains four buildings and two courts; the laft hath five buildings, whereof the third is the biggest of all.

6.

Another famous city, mentioned in the hiftory of the Of Sparta. Maccabees, is Sparta, otherwife called Lacedæmon, celebrated in the Greek 'hiftorians, as being one of the two moft confiderable and potent cities of Greece, the other whereof was Athens. It lay in the fouthern or fouth-weft province of the Peloponnefe, called Laconia.

Of Jamnia.

To return to Palestine, or the Holy Land: in the fouthern part of the western coaft hereof lay Jamnia, which Strabo says was distant from Azotus two hundred furlongs, that is, five and twenty miles, and so near to Joppa. And this fituation agrees very well with the hiftory of the Maccabees. For as Judas Maccabeus burnt one part of the Syrian fleet at Joppa, fo he burnt the reft at Jamnia, the flame being

feen

VI.

feen to Jerufalem itself, though reckoned two hundred and CHAP, forty furlongs off, that is, thirty miles. This town was an episcopal fee in the times of Chriftianity.

Not far from Jamnia is Cafphin fupposed to lie, described to be a frong city, fenced about with walls, and inhabited by people of diverfe countries; 2 Macc. xii. 13 which Judas Maccabeus took, making there an ́unfpeakable flaughter, as we are informed ver. 16.

8.

Of Cafphin.

9.

Of Tripolis.

On the fame coat with Jamnia and Joppa, but much higher to the north, lies the city Tripolis above Sidon, and so above the northern boundary of the Holy Land; but yet in the province call d by the Greeks Phoenicia. The name denotes three cities, and it is faid to be fo called, because built by the joint purfes of the three cities, Tyre, Sidon, and Aradus. It feems to have been of no great note in the time of the Romans, till made one of the epifcopal fees, belonging to the archbishop of Tyre in the primitive times. But thriving by degrees, it came to be of principal account, by the time that the western Chriftians warred in the Holy Land. For when conquered by them, it was made, as Heylin obferves, one of the tetrarchies, or capital cities for the four quarters of their dominions; which were, Jerufalem for Palestine, Edeffa for Comagena or Mefopotamia, Antioch for Syria, and this for Phoenicia. A city, which, I know not (fays my author) by what good hap, has fped better than any of those parts, retaining till as much in strength and beauty, as ever it had; if not grown greater by the ruin of all the reft. Our countryman Mr. Maundrel gives us this account of it. Tripoli is feated about half an hour from the fea. The greater part of the city lies between two hills; one on the east, on which is a caftle commanding the place; another on the weft, between the city and the fea. This latter is faid to have been at firft raifed, and to be ftill increafed by the daily acceffion of fand, blown to it from the fhore. Upon which occafion there goes a prophecy, that the whole city shall in time be buried with this fandy hill. But the Turks feem not very apprehenfive of this prediction. For instead of preventing the growth of this hill, they fuffer it to take its course,

H 4

and