id="footnotetag11" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">^[11]Mirum de eâ accepimus, cum Phœnice Ave, quæ putatur ex hujus Palmæ argumento nomen accepisse, iterum mori, et renasci ex seipsà. Hence we find it to have been an emblem of immortality among all nations, sacred and prophane. The blessed in heaven are represented in the Apocalypse by St. John, ^[12]as standing before the throne in white robes, with branches of Palm in their hands. The notion of this plant being an emblem of royalty prevailed so far, that when our Saviour made his last entrance into Jerusalem, the people took branches of Palm trees, and accosted him as a prince, crying, ^[13]Hosanna—blessed is the King of Israel.

The title of Phoinic seems at first to have been given to persons of great stature: but, in process of time, it was conferred upon people of power and eminence, like αναξ and ανακτες among the Greeks. The Cuthites in Egypt were styled Royal Shepherds, Βασιλεις Ποιμενες, and had therefore the title of Phœnices. A colony of them went from thence to Tyre and Syria: hence it is said by many writers that Phœnix came from Egypt to Tyre. People, not considering this, have been led to look for the shepherd's origin in Canaan, because they were sometimes called Phœnices. They might as well have looked for them in Greece; for they were equally styled ^[14]Ἑλληνες, Hellenes. Phœnicia, which the Greeks called Φοινικη, was but a small part of Canaan. It was properly a slip of sea coast, which lay within the jurisdiction of the Tyrians and Sidonians, and signifies Ora Regia; or, according to the language of the country, the coast of the Anakim. It was a lordly title, and derived from a stately and august people. All the natives of Canaan seem to have assumed to themselves great honour. The Philistines are spoken of as ^[15]Lords, and the merchants of Tyre as Princes; whose grandeur and magnificence are often alluded to in the Scriptures. The prophet Ezekiel calls them the princes of the sea. ^[16]Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments. And Isaiah speaks to the same purpose. ^[17]Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, that crowning city, whose merchants are princes; whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? The scripture term by which they are here distinguished is שרים, Sarim: but the title which they assumed to themselves was Ph'anac, or Ph'oinac, the Phœnix of the Greeks and Romans. And as it was a mere title, the sacred writers of the old testament never make use of it to distinguish either the people or country. This part of Canaan is never by them called Phœnicia: yet others did call it so; and the natives were styled Phœnices before the birth of Homer. But this was through mistake; for it was never used by the natives as a provincial appellation. I have shewn that it was a title of another sort, a mark of rank and pre-eminence: on this account it was assumed by other people, and conferred upon other places. For this reason it is never mentioned by any of the sacred writers before the captivity, in order to avoid ambiguity. The Gentile writers made use of it; and we see what mistakes have ensued. There were Phœnicians of various countries. They were to be found upon the Sinus ^[18]Persicus, upon the Sinus ^[19]Arabicus, in Egypt, in ^[20]Crete, in ^[21]Africa, in ^[22]Epirus, and even in Attica. ^[23]Φοινικες—γενος τι Αθηνῃσι. There is a race of people called Phœnicians among the ^[24]Athenians. In short, it was a title introduced at Sidon, and the coast adjoining, by people from Egypt: and who the people were that brought it may be known from several passages in antient history; but particularly from an extract in Eusebius, ^[25]Φοινιξ και Καδμος, απο Θηβων των Αιγυπτιων εξελθοντες εις την Συριαν, Τυρου και Σιδωνος εβασιλευον. Phœnix and Cadmus, retiring from Thebes, in Egypt, towards the coast of Syria, settled at Tyre and Sidon, and reigned there. It is said, that ^[26]Belus carried a colony to the same parts: and from what part of the world ^[27]Belus must be supposed to have come, needs not to be explained. Euripides styles Cepheus the king of Ethiopia, the son of Phœnix: and Apollodorus makes him the son of Belus: hence we may infer, that Belus and Phœnix were the same. Not that there were any such persons as Phœnix and Belus, for they were certainly titles: and, under the characters of those two personages, Colonies, named Belidæ and Phœnices, went abroad, and settled