21.  Now  Joshua,  when  he  had  thus  spoken  to
them,  found  that  the  multitude  approved  of  hie
proposal.  So  he  sent  men  to  measiu-e  their
country,  and  sent  with  them  some  geometricians,
who  could  not  easily  fail  of  knowing  the  truth,
on  account  of  their  skill  in  that  art.  He  also
gave  them  a  charge  to  estimate  the  measure  of
that  pai-t  of  the  land  that  was  most  fruitful,  and
what  was  not  so  good  ;  for  such  is  the  nature  of
the  land  of  Canaan,  that  one  may  see  large  plains,
and  such  as  are  exceeding  fit  to  produce  fruit,
•which  yet,  if  they  were  compared  to  other  parts
of  tlie  country,  might  be  reckoned  exceedingly
fruitful ;  yet  if  it  be  compared  with  the  fields
about  Jericho,  and  to  those  that  belong  to  Jeru-
salem, will  appear  to  be  of  no  account  at  all ;
and  although  it  so  falls  out  that  these  people
have  but  a  veiy  little  of  this  sort  of  land,  and
that  it  is,  for  the  main,  mountainous  also,  yet
does  it  not  come  behind  other  parts,  on  account
of  its  exceeding  goodness  and  beauty;  for  which
reason  .Joshua  thought  the  land  for  the  tribea
should  be  divided  by  estimation  of  its  goodness,
rather  than  the  largeness  of  its  measure,  it  often
happening,  that  one  acre  of  some  sort  of  land
was  equivalent  to  a  thousand  other  acres.  Now
the  men  that  were  sent,  wliich  were  in  number
ten,  travelled  all  about,  and  made  an  estimation
cf  the  land,  and  in  the  seventh  month  came  to
him  to  the  city  of  Shiloh,  where  they  had  set  up
the  tabernacle.
