Now although it be very probable, that at Ezion-gaber, where Solomon furnished his fleets for the East Indies, there was store of fresh water; and though Herodotus, l. 3. maketh mention of a great river in Arabia the Stony, which he calleth Corys, from whence, saith he, the inhabitants convey water in pipes of leather to other places, by which device the king of Arabia relieved the army of Cambyses; yet is Adrichomius greatly deceived, as many times he is, in finding these springs at Gadgad, or Jetabata, being the nine and twentieth or thirtieth mansion. For it was at Punon that those springs are spoken of, which in Deut. x. 7. is also called Jetabata, or Jotbath, a land of running waters, and which by all probability fall into the river Zared, the next adjoining. And that these springs should fall into the Red sea at Ezion-gaber, or Eloth, I cannot believe, for the way thither is very long. And this I find in Belonius, that there are divers torrents of fresh water in those sandy parts of Arabia; which, though they continue their course for a few miles, yet they are drunk up by the hot and thirsty sand, before they can recover the banks of the Red

sea.

From Jetabata Moses directed his journey towards the Red sea, and encamped at Hebrona; and from thence to Ezion-gaber; which city in Josephus's time had the name of Berenice, and in Jerome's, Essia. From thence keeping the sea and Eloth on his right hand, he turned towards the north, as he was by God commanded; z Ezion-gaber being the furthest place towards the south-east that Moses travelled in that passage.

It seemeth that Ezion-gaber, or Azion-gaber, Eloth, and Madian, were not at this time in the possession of the kings of Edom. For it is said, a That the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the mount Hor, near the coast of the land of Edom; so as the mount Hor was at this time in the south bor`der of Idumæa. And if Ezion-gaber, and the other places near the Red sea, had at this present been subject to the Idumeans, Moses would also have demanded a free passage through

z Deut. ii.

a Numb. xx. 23.

them. It is true, that in the future the Idumeans obtained these places; for it is said, ↳ And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran, and took men with them; which were those companies that followed young Hadad of Idumæa into Egypt, when he fled from Joab. Likewise it is said of Solomon, that he made a navy of ships in Ezion-gaber besides Eloth, in the land of Edom.

SECT. V.

Of Moses's arrival at Zin Kades; and the accidents while they abode there.

FROM Ezion-gaber he turned again towards the north, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh; or in Beroth, of the children of Jacan, where they sat down in the first month of the fortieth year after they left Egypt. For at the next mansion Aaron died in the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year; the nine and thirtieth year taking end at Ezion-gaber. And at this city of Kades, (for so it was thought to be,) or near it, died © Miriam, or Mary, Moses's sister, whose sepulchre was to be seen in St. Jerome's time, as himself avoweth. From hence, ere they departed to the mountain Hor, d all the people murmured most violently against Moses, by reason of the scarcity of water. For neither the punishments by fire from heaven, by being devoured and swallowed up by the earth, by the sudden pestilence which often seized them, nor any miracle formerly shewing either the love or wrath of God, could prevail with this nation any longer than while they were full fed and satisfied in every of their appetites; but instead of seeking for help and relief at God's hands, when they suffered hunger, thirst, or any other want, they murmured, repined, and rebelled, repenting them of their changed estates, and casting ungratefully on Moses all their misadventures; yea, though they well knew that their own fathers had left their bodies in the deserts, and that they were now entered into the fortieth year, wherein all their miseries were to take end. And being as it were in sight of the land promised, they b Kings xi. 18.

e Numb. xx. I. RALEGH, HIST. WORLD. VOL. II.

M

a Numb. xx. 3.

again as obstinately tempted God as in former times, and neither trusted his promises nor feared his indignation. But as the will and purposes of God are without beginning, so his mercies being without end, he commanded e Moses to strike a rock adjoining with his rod, and the waters issued out in a great abundance, with which both themselves and their cattle were satisfied. Nevertheless, because God perceived a kind of diffidence both in Moses and Aaron at this place, therefore he permitted neither of them to enter the land promised, whereto perchance their worldly desires might invite them. But it pleased him to end the travels of Aaron at the mountain Hor, being the next and thirtyfourth station. At which mountain of Hor Aaron was despoiled of the garments of his priesthood, and the same put on Eleazar his son, as God had commanded. Which done, Moses and Eleazar descended the mountain, but God received Aaron on the top thereof, and he was no more seen.

Of this mountain, called Hor, otherwise Mosera, as in Deut. x. 6. those Horites took name, which the Idumeans had formerly vanquished. Some there are which make Mosera, which was the twenty-seventh mansion, and Mosera which they write Moseroth for difference, which was the thirty-fourth mansion, and is also called Hor, to be two distinct places; because Moses, in passing from Cadesbarne towards Esion-gaber, encamped at Mosera, after he departed from Hesmona, and before he came to Benjaacan. And this Mosera, which is also called Hor, he came unto after he left Cades, where f Miriam, Moses's sister, died; the first being the twenty-seventh, and the second being the thirtyfourth mansion. But for Hor, which is also called Mosera, it should have been written, Hor juxta Mosera, “ Hor near "Mosera ;" for it is but one root of a mountain, divided into divers tops, as Sinai and Horeb are; whereof the west part Moses calleth Mosera, and the east part Horeb. By the west part Moses encamped as he passed towards the Red sea, on his left hand; by the east part, as he went back

again northwards towards Moab; as in the description of Moses's passage through Arabia, the reader may perceive.

Now it was from Cades, before they came to Hor, because Hor belonged to Edom, that Moses sent messengers to the prince of Idumæa, praying him that he might pass with the people of Israel through his territory into the land of Canaan, which bordered it: for it was the nearest way of all other from the city of Kadesh, where Moses then encamped; whereas otherwise taking his journey by the rivers of Zared, Arnon, and Jordan, he might have run into many hazards in the passage of those rivers, the far way about, and the many powerful kings which commanded in those regions. Now the better to persuade the prince of Idumæa hereunto, Moses remembered him that he was of the same race and family with Israel; calling him by the name of brother, because both the Edomites and Israelites were the sons of one father, to wit, Isaac; inferring thereby, that he had more reason to favour and respect them, than he had to assist the Canaanites, against whom Esau his ancestor had made war, and driven out the Horites (who were of their ancient races descended of Cham) out of the region of Seir, calling it by his own name Edom, or Edumaa. He also making a short repetition of God's blessings bestowed on them, and of his purposes and promises, assured Edom, or the king thereof, that he would no way offend his people, or waste his country; but that he would restrain his army within the bounds of the common and king's highways, paying money for whatsoever he used, yea, even for the water which themselves or their cattle should drink. For 8 Moses was commanded by God not to provoke the children of Esau. But the king of Edumaa knowing the strength of his own country, the same being near Canaan, rampard with high and sharp mountains; and withal suspecting, as a natural wise man, that 600,000 strangers being once entered his country, it would rest in their wills to give him law, resolvedly h refused them passage, and delivered this answer to the messengers; That i if they attempted to enter that way, he

* Deut. ii. 4.

h Numb. xx. 20, 21.

Numb. xx.

means.

would take them for enemies, and resist them by all possible And not knowing whether such a denial might satisfy or exasperate, he gathered the strength of his country together, and shewed himself prepared to defend their passage. For it is written, Then Edom came out against him, to wit, Moses, with much people, and with a mighty power. Whereupon Moses considering that the end of his enterprise was not the conquest of Seir or Edumæa, and that the land promised was that of Canaan; like unto himself, who was of a natural understanding the greatest of any man, and the skilfullest man of war that the world had, he refused to adventure the army of Israel against a nation, which, being overcome, gave but a passage to invade others; and which by reason of the seat of their mountainous country, could not but have endangered, or (at least) greatly enfeebled the strength of Israel, and rendered them less able, if not altogether powerless, to have conquered the rest.

SECT. VI..

Of their compassing Idumæa and travelling to Arnon, the border of Moab.

HE therefore leaving the way of Idumæa, turned himself towards the east, and marched towards the deserts of Moab. Which when Arad king of the Canaanites understood, and that Moses had blanched the way of Edumaa; and knowing that it was Canaan, and not Edom which Israel aimed at, he thought it safest rather to find his enemies in his neighbour's country, than to be found by them in his own; which he might have done with a far greater hope of victory, had Moses been enforced first to have made his way by the sword through Idumæa, and thereby, though victorious, greatly have lessened his numbers. But although it fell out otherwise than Arad hoped for, yet being resolved to make trial what courage the Israelites brought with them out of Egypt, before they came nearer his own home, leading the strength of his nation to the edge of the desert, he set upon some part of the army; which, for the multitude, occupied a great space, and for the many herds of cattle