VI. RAMESSE-VAPHRES, nine and twenty Years.
All these Princes reign’d successively; only between the second and third there was one call’d Thusmares. The same Syncellus speaks elsewhere of another Ramesses, whom he places between Armais and Amenophis, Kings of Egypt; and also of one call’d Rhampsis, whom he places between Kertos and Amenemes.
Maneth. apud Joseph. cont. App. l. 1. p. 1041.Manetho speaks of Ramesses or Armesses, and of Ramesses Miamum Predecessor of Amenophis. We have already taken notice elsewhere, that the Chronology of the ancient Kings of Egypt was very perplex’d; and that very little was known of the Actions of those Princes. Usher places the Reign of Ramesses, the Successor of Armais, in the Year of the World 2426, before Christ 1574, before the Vulgar Era 1578. He reigned but a Year and four Months; and Ramesses Miamum succeeded him, in the Year of the World 2427, and reigned sixty-six Years and two Months. His Successor was Amenophis. Usher thinks that Ramesses was that new King who oppress’d the Israelites in Exod. i. 8.Egypt, and who knew not the Services that Joseph had done that Country. ‘Twas he that caus’d to be built the Cities of Exod. i. 11. Exod. xiv. 28.Phitom and Ramesses, and that pursued the Israelites into the Red-Sea, where he was drowned, with all his Army.
Marsham places this Ramesses in the sixteenth Age of the Egyptian Era; which answers to the Reigns of Joash, Amasiah, Azariah, Jothan, and Ahaz, Kings of Judah. He thinks it was he that caus’d to Plin. l. 36. c. 8. Hermap. apud Ammianum. Marcel. l. 17.be made the famous Obelisk mention’d by Pliny, Hermapion, and Ammianus Marcellinus, and which is still to be seen at Rome, before the Church of Lateran. The magnificent Encomiums of this Prince, Ammian. Marcel. l. 17. Plin. l. 36. c. 8.which are read upon this Obelisk in hieroglyphical Characters, and the Empire of the World ascribed to him, cannot agree, according to Marsham, to any other than a Successor of Sesostris, whom he thinks to be much later than Moses’s time.
Pliny says, that Ramesses who caus’d the great Obelisk to be made, which we have now mention’d, reign’d in Egypt at the time of the Taking of Troy. Ramises quo regnante Ilium captum est. That this Obelisk was ninety-nine Foot high, and four Foot wide; That twenty thousand Men were employ’d to cut it: And that when it was rais’d in the City of Heliopolis, in order to excite the Care and Diligence of the Workmen, the King fix’d his own Son upon the Top of the Spire, that they might raise it with the greater Caution and Circumspection, for fear of killing the young Prince.
When Cambyses King of Persia put Fire to the City of Heliopolis, he was moved with the Beauty of this Monument, and caus’d the Flames to be extinguish’d when they approach’d the Foot of this Obelisk. Ammian. Marcel. l. 17. Vid. Gruter. Inscr. p. 186.The Emperor Augustus, tho’ he caus’d two others to be brought from Egypt to Rome, yet he durst not attempt to meddle Vid. Marsham. Can. Chronol. Ægypt. sæculo 16.with this. Constantine the Great resolved to remove it from the Place where it was, in order to bring it to Rome; but being surpriz’d by Death before he could accomplish his Design, the Obelisk was brought no farther than Alexandria. The Emperor Constantius, his Son, had it brought to Rome, and placed it in the great Circus. It is not known how long it continu’d there, nor when it was thrown down; but Sixtus V. having taken it out of the Ground, and having repair’d it as far as possible, erected it in the Year 1588, before the Portal of the Church of Lateran, where it is still at this Day.