History of the Reed family in Europe and America

10 ORIGIN OP THE NAME,
word Tyre probably meant the ruling city, or the city of
the tyrant, or king. All governments were then despotic.
" King " and " tyrant " were synonymous terms ; and it
only became necessary to know that a city or country had
a tyrant to know that he was a king : and the fact of his
being a king also gave the assurance that he was a tyrant ;
each of the words implying one who ruled. The word
Esau seems to be the word " red," or " read," in another
dialect ; and the Red Sea is in some books called the Read
Sea, as was also the Arabian Sea. The name Esau meant
" the elder," or one having the rights of primogeniture ; as
Jacob meant " the younger," or one without those rights.
Tlie rights of seniority were very early established, and
the elder was in all cases considered the ruler ; while the
Jacobins, or Jameses, or the younger, were the subjects.
Esau was called the Red, being one of the greatest men of
his time ; his country, Edom, or Red ; as the Erythraean
Sea, contiguous to his dominions, was called the Read or
Red Sea.
Phoenicia, Edom, and Asia Minor, were in advance of
their neighbors in commerce and civilization. They so far
excelled in manufactures and colors, that the rulers of
other countries sought their fabrics for their kiugly robes ;
and thus the passage of Scripture : " Who is this that
cometh from Edom with dyed garments ? " &c. These
dyed garments were called red, having reference to Edom,
or the country, with a ruler or king ; as the fabrics of the
present day are called damask. The word " read " and its
affinities are used at the present day among many nations
in that part of the world.
One of the principal cities of Persia is called by that
name ; and some of the rulers of India have a title which
probably originated from the same source as " raja," or
" rajah," for king. The word has at times been partly