purfued and overtook in their retreat. The harsh reflections of the Historian, on the comparison he has drawn between the fuppofed clemency of thefe poor Heathens, and the alleged cruelty of the enlightened David's vengeance upon them, we find judiciously answered in the Section before us; as is alfo the cenfure paffed on David's causing the Amalekite to be flain, who brought him the news of Saul's death.

The Doctor employs the XIIth Section in difcuffing the war between David and Ifhbofheth, Saul's fon; afferts the rectitude of David's reclaiming his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, who had been espoused to another man, during her father's perfecution of David. And here our Author aims fome pleasant strokes at the Hiftorian; as indeed he feldom lofes any fair opportunity for a good sarcasm, or biting irony, on his antagonist,-being ready to engage him at all weapons, and at the fame time willing, perhaps, to let us fee that he is not always fo fericufly angry with him, as he appears to be upon fome occafions, which feem peculiarly provoking.

Coming to the Hiftorian's unjust cenfure of David, for his putting to death Rechab and Baanah, the two affaffins of their unfortunate mafter Ifhbofheth,--our Author, with a laudable refentment, in which every generous mind will join. with him, feverely chaftifes the Hiftorian's petulance, and places the conduct of his hero in a noble light; fuch, indeed, as every brave and honeft man will be pleased to view him in. These base and murtherous traitors expected a reward from David, for thus ridding him of his rival, and putting him at once in quiet poffeffion of the long-contefted throne of all Ifrael: and, indeed, they had the reward they juftly merited. As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my foul out of all adverfity, (faid David, upon the Regicides prefenting him with their mafter's head)-when wicked men have fiain a righteous perfon, in his own houfe, upon his bed,—shall I not require his blood at your hand, and take you away from the earth ?This was truly noble, great, and god-like !-yet, such is the force of prejudice, the Hiftorian, who feems to have thought David incapable of any laudable action from laudable motives, treats this fair inftance of his generofity and honour, as mere political fineffe, and downright hypocrify.

Sections XIII. and XIV. are employed in defending David from the charge of ambition and cruelty in his wars; and particularly in regard to the Moabites, of which nation two

P 3.

thir ds

thirds are faid to be put to the fword, by causing them to lye proftrate on the ground, and meajuring them by lines; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive: "fo fyftematic was his wrath!" Hift. p. 51.

Doublefs fuch a procedure muft appear very ftrange to thofe Readers who can only confult the English Bible. But, as our Author rightly obferves, the Hiftorian fhould have been fure of his reading, and of his meaning too, before he had pronounced fo pofitively in the affair.

*

"The antient Verfions (fays he) read differently from our present text. The vulgate: He measured two lines, the one to kill, and one to keep alive. The + 70. differently, but to the fame fenfe: There were two lines for putting to death, and two for taking alive; according to both which accounts, not two thirds, but one half of the inhabitants only were put to death. And it appears from the text itself, that it fhould be thus fupplied and rendered; And he measured two lines, i. e. divided the country into two parts; a line, i. e. a tract, for # death,

Menfus eft autem duos funiculos; unum ad occidendum et unum ad vivificandum.

* Και εγένοντο τα δύο σχοινίσματα το θανάτωσαν, και τα δυο σχένισματα alarypnown.

And, וימדד שני דבלים

1. The words in the original are, be in ajured two lines. Repeat, from the foregoing word, a line, to put to death, arm, and the julin fs of a line to keep alive. And this fupplement is natural and agreeable to the language. Many instances may be produced of this mature. Thus Pial. cxxxiii. 3. As the dew of Hermon, that defcended on the mountains of Zion; which should be rendered, as it is in cur verfion: As the dew of Hermon, as the dew that defcended on the mountains of Zion. So Pfal. cx. 3. What we render almost without any fenfe, from the womb of the morning thou haft the dew of thy youth, becomes an elegant expreffion, if we repeat the word dew, Kos tibi ab utero aurora ros juventutis tuæ. The dew of thy youth is as the dew from the womb of the morning. So Pfal. cxii. His heart is fixed, be fall not be afraid, till be fee his heart, or his defire, on pis enemies.

The meafurement of lands was formerly by the line, as now it is generally done by the red; and becaufe lands were divided into certain tracts and portions by the line, hence the line is often put for the tract marked out by it, or even where the line had never been made ufe of at all. Thus, all the region of Argob, as we render it, is in the original,an, all the line of Argob. So

ban the

death, and the plenitude of a line, i. e. a very large tract of the country, for life; to deftroy the inhabitants of the one, and preferve the inhabitants of the larger part alive.

"As to the first clause of the verfe: He measured them with a line, cafting them down to the ground; our * Hiftorian makes it to fignify, that David caufed the inhabitants to lie proftrate on the ground, and then measured them to put them to death. But the words are very capable of a different fenfe.

the line of the fea, is the fea coaft. Zephan. ii. 5, 6, 7. So in the place before us:ana, He measured them by line, i. e. divided the country of the Moabites into feveral parts, that he might the better know what towns it was moft proper to demolish. 18 DIN, to level them with the ground; and to extirpate the inhabitants of them. Cæteris occifis, ne difficilis effet cuftodia. Grot. in loc. Let me juft add, that the g the plenitude, or fu nefs of the line, feems to denote a very large tract of the country; and might be larger, for any thing our Author can tell, than that, where the inhabitants were ordered to be put to death.

The learned Authors of the Universal Hiftory are of the fame opinion, and think this is the meaning of the Sacred Hiftorian: An. Hift. Vol. II. p. 135. note 5. I am forry I cannot have the honour of agreeing with them. Mr. Le Clerc alfo tells us, that it seems to have been the manner of the Eastern Kings towards those they conquered, especially fuch as had incurred their peculiar difpleasure, to command their captives to lie down on the ground, and then to put to death fuch a part of the captives as were measured with a line. He farther fuppofes, that the Moabites ufed this practice, and that therefore David retaliated their own cruelties upon them. But I be. lieve no history will give us any example of the like custom, and Le Clerc owns that there is no authority to prove it an Hebrew one. And, indeed, it appears to me to be fo abfurd and needlefs a ceremony, and fo inconfiftent with every system of war, that we have any account of, that I cannot believe David was so very fyftematic, as our Author makes him to be. Bishop Patrick, I think gives the true fenfe of the place. He measured them with a line, i. e. Having conquered the whole country, he took an exact furvey of every part of it Cafting them to the ground. Laying level their strong holds, and fortified places. The account Jofephus gives of it is, Ta per duo μέρη της τρατίας αυτων τὴ μαχῇ νικησας, διεφθειρε. Το δε λειπομένον αιχμαλωτον ελαβε. I. A. vii. 5. 2. He conquered and destroyed. two parts of their army, and took prifoners the reft; an account, that is much the fame with that of the Authors of the Universal History, who fuppofe that the Scripture means two thirds only of those, who appeared in arms against him. Ubi fujra.

P.4

δυο

And

*

And David fmote Moab, i. e. the country and its inhabitants, and measured them with a line; took an exact furvey of the towns and cities and strong holds of the whole land, to throw them down to the ground; i. e. to destroy and level them to the ground, as far as David thought neceflary to humble them, and fecure himfelf: and fo made the whole nation tributary to his crown. For they became David's fervants, and brought him gifts.".

The next remarkable charge of cruelty brought against David, is founded on his fevere treatment of the Ammonites, whom he "put under faws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln. In the parallel place our verfion renders it †, He cut them with faws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Our Author confeffes, that the precife punishments here alluded to are not understood at this time, writers being much divided in their expofition; but that extraordinary punishments are meant, cannot admit of a doubt, for Jofephus writes, that the men were put to death by exquifite torments.

"His Reflections upon this part of the history are very pathetic. How fhall a person, fays he, fubject to the fenfations of humanity, how fhall a man not feeled to a very Jew, find expreffions fuited to the occafion, when he relates the treatment of this poor city Rabbah. The ftudy would be as difficult as unneceffary. The fimple unexaggerated tale, if feriously attended to, will back the humane Reader fufficiently. And is it thus the people of God, headed by a man, peculiarly ftyled the Man after God's own Heart, ufed prifoners of war? Bella horrida bella!

It is frequent, in the facred writings, to put the inhabitants of a country for the country itself, as containing the inhabitants. Thus, Moab fll be trodden down. Ifai. xxv. 10. And again, They fhall lay their hand on Edom and Moab, i. e. feize the country of both thefe nations. Ifai. xi. 14. They have devoured Jacob, i. e. as it is immediately added, They have laid waste his dwelling place. Pfal. lxxix. 7. Many other places might be mentioned. I may add that the version of the 70. favours this interpretation. For they render the place, Επαταξεν Δαυίδ την Μωαβ, fci. χώραν, the country of Moab, * SisμETINσE AUTH', as fome copies have it, and meefured it and thus Grotius understands it. Tres defignavit partes terræ Moabitice. In loc. And to this the Pfalmift feems plainly to refer, when speaking of the wars with Moab, Edom, and other nations, he fays, I will. divide Sechem, TX), and meet out the valley of Succoth; viz. in order to divide it. Pfal. lx, 6.

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I have put all these pitiful exclamations together, that the Reader may fee how the man, that can calmly relate the maffacre of Saul, made by him in cool blood, and without any provocation, and yet not fhed one tear over the innocents he butchered, and, with an heart fleeled to a very Jew, not making a fingle exclamation on account of his barbarity, yea apologizing for fo diabolical a cruelty; can at the same time paint out poor David in the blackest colours, represent him fo fteeled, as to be infenfible of all humanity, and hold him up as a monster of barbarity, for an execution, fuppofing it with all the circumftances of feverity in which our Author reprefents it, yet made in revenge for an infamous outrage on majefty, the violation of the law of nations, the bringing two powerful armies to invade his country, the great number of his fubjects that must have been loft in the two battles; whilft the injuries were fresh in his mind; the perfons who offered them present to his view; the whole nation engaged by an unrighteous war in vindication of the infult; and some severe vengeance was, in the ftrictest equity, due to the authors and abetters of fo many acts of injuftice and violence. But Saul's victims were priefts of the Lord, and David's were Ammonites,

"But, methinks, he is a little too hafty and paffionate in his exclamations; for he acknowleges, that neither himself, nor any body else *, knows what the punishments were that are here alluded to; and therefore it is no wonder that no one can find expreffions fuited to the occafion: for how fhould they, when they understand not the circumstances of the occafion, or the nature of the punishments ufed upon it. Why then all these tragical complaints about fomething he knows not what? Perhaps they might be more confiftent with humanity, and not argue a quite fteeled infenfible heart; and then the fimple unexaggerated tale will not fo fhock the humane Reader, as he imagines. Let us fee if the original words will not bear a milder interpretation. Literally rendered. they read thus, And he brought forth the people, and placed them by , more nearly, put them to the jaw, and to iron

• Page 58.

barrows,

+ That the prefix fignifies, to, in numerous places, may be feen in Noldius; and it doth fo, in conftruction with this very verb in the place before us. Let not the King put this thing 17 to his Jervant. 1 Sam. xxii. 15. and in feveral other inflances that might be mentioned. It may also be observed, that the Syriack and Arabitk verfions give a more favourable interpretation of this paffage, and

render