Poole, Reginald S.: The cities of Egypt (London, 1882)

I IO

CITIES OF EGYPT.

could be more exact. Similarly we read of the allow-
ance of grain for the Aperiu who were engaged in forced
labour.

One more illustration of the sojourn may be drawn
from the group of documents belonging to the same
period. It is a note of the authorisation given by Men-
ptah, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, to certain Arab chiefs
of Edom, to settle near Pithom ' in order that they and
their cattle might live in the great farm of Pharaoh.'
This, as M. Chabas points out, is precisely parallel to
the settlement of Jacob and his family. It may be
added that it is not impossible that these strangers
were invited, or allowed to come, in order that they
might take the place of the Israelites scattered in their
labour, and thus break up the nationality of the Hebrew
settlement.

Scanty as these illustrations are, it will be seen that
they show the accuracy of the narrative in the Bible.
Any day may afford such direct evidence as has been
hoped for ever since hieroglyphics were interpreted.
Explorations in Egypt, especially in the sites of the Land
of Goshen and the neighbourhood, may yield the
wished-for result, or it may be found in some neglected