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to doubt its Egyptian origin, it will be difficult to resist theunanimous voice of antiquity on this subject; for we shallscarcely find a district of Greece without its tradition offoreign adventurers, bringing to the coasts an improved stateof knowledge and civilization; and whether these personagesare to be traced directly to Egypt , or rather to Syria , isimmaterial, as in that age the two countries were nearlyidentified 1 . The vanity of some nations may, perhaps,receive gratification from the fabled .intercourse of theirancestors with foreign heroes, and their own descent fromsuch a source. The expedition of Aeneas , and even thesettlement of the Trojan Brutus might be pleasing to theirself-created posterity ; but the proud feelings of the earth-bornAthenians could never have been flattered by the inventionof a tale which confessed their rescue from the rudeststate of barbarism by an unknown Egyptian , whose onlyclaim to notice is in his capacity of their legislator. Aconfirmation of the prior advances made in the arts ofdesign by the inhabitants of the coast of Syria and of Egypt is afforded by the conclusive testimony of Homer, from’whose expressions the wealth and magnificence of theEgyptians are apparent, and with whom it is a sufficientcommendation of any object of beauty and elegance that itshould be called Sidonian . The distinctive appellationwhich he has given to this people, is that of * skilfulworkmen 2 .’ It is true, that with the Greeks the arts soon

1 See some conclusive observations on this subject. Mitford’s Hist, of Gr. v. I.It must however be admitted that the silence of Ilomer tends, in some degree, toinvalidate the notion of Egyptian colonization.

2 2i Soyes tfoXuScdfcaoi. II. xxiii. 744. ct pass.