harrows, or mines, and to axes of iron, and made them pafs by, or to the brick-kilns; made them flaves, and put them to the most servile employments; fawing, harrowing, or making iron harrows, or mining, and hewing of wood, and making of bricks. But what shall we fay to the parallel place t, which our verfion renders, He cut them with faws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes? Why, I fay in the first place, that the verb doth not agree in fenfe with the feveral punishments mentioned; for if be the root of, as our verfion makes it to be, it properly fignifies, ferra diffecuit, he cut with a faw, and therefore cannot be applied either to the axe, or harrow, or mine. But though this be the original sense of , yet it is ufed in Arabick in a more general sense, to fignify, difperfit, divifit, fegregavit, to difperfe, divide, feparate; and the place may be rendered, he divided, or separated, them to the faw, barrows, or iron mines, and axes, i. e. to these fervile employments, fome to one, and fome to another. It may be farther obferved, that the root of may be ; the meaning of which is, he ruled, or governed them, viz. by the faw, the harrows, or, mines and axes; made them flaves, and condemned them to thefe fervile employments . The word is thus rendered by Sebaftian Schmidius. Dominatus eft per ferram, &c. And this intepretation is far from forced, but agreeable to the proper fenfe and conftruction of the words, and will vindicate David from that inhumanity, which our Author feems delighted with fixing upon the Man after God's own Heart. The bella, horrida bella, here vanish in an inftant." render it, He brought them out, and threw them into chains, end iron fbackies, and made them pofs before him in a proper meafure, or by proper companies at a time. The verfion of the 70. is not fo clear as to the meaning. Εθήκεν εν τω πριονι και εν τοις τριβόλοις τοις σιδήροις και διηγαγεν αυτές δια τε πλήθίε. He put them in, or to the faw, &c. and made them toss by the brick-kiln; which may be well interpreted of his putting them to thefe fervile employments. hanna. Iron mines, as the words may be rendered; which will determine the meaning in this more favourable sense. Thus, fignifies gold, as being deeply dug out, or cut off from the mines. Frov. iii. 14. Pfal. lxviii. 14. From fidit præ cidit. +1 Chron. xx. 3. 1 The Syriack verfion: He bound them with iron chains, &c. and thus be bound them all. And the Arabisk: He bound them all with chains, killing none of the Ammonites. Sec. XV. Sect. XV. has for its fubject David's bringing the Ark into Jerufalem; and here our Author takes great pains to defend David from the ludicrous treatment of the Hiftorian, on account of his indecent dancing (as he ftyles it) before the ark; not forgetting, by the way, to beftow a little chastisement upon her haughty Majefty Queen Michal, for fo faucily refecting upon her Lord and Mafter's behaviour. On this fubject we fhall only obferve, that many of the customs and manners of fuch remote nations, and in fuch remote times, muft naturally appear very strange, and be utterly inexplicable to us. An Englishman, or a Frenchman, no doubt, would think it a little odd, to fee his fovereign capering in a proceffion among the vain fellows. But Kings were a different fort of people in David's and in Homer's time. As to the Doctor's defence of him, in this particular, he clearly fhews, that David's being faid to have UNCOVERED himself in the eyes of the hand-maids, &c. is not to be taken literally. In the XVIth Section, the Author undertakes the defence of David's conduct towards Mephibofheth and Ziba, in regard to the falfe and villainous accufation brought by the latter against the former; but here the Doctor has not given us all the fatisfaction we hoped for. Certainly, from the fame generous principle on which the murderers of Saul and Ifhbofheth were put to death, the treachery of Ziba ought to have fuffered exemplary punishment. As the Hiftorian feems refolved to cenfure every action of David's life that he finds upon record,fo his Opponent, with a like extreme of zeal for the other fide of the question, undertakes to answer all objections, as though unwilling to allow his hero any share of human frailty. Thus, in Section XVII. though the Doctor admits his behaviour in the affair of Uriah to be highly criminal, yet he finds a great deal to fay in extenuation of his guilt, and in praife of his penitence. For all this, too, we fhall refer to the book, with only one. remark: -If David was a fincere penitent,-why did he continue to cohabit with Bathfheba? He feems to have renounced Michal's bed on a lefs important occafion. The fubject of the XVIIIth Section, is David's giving up Saul's children to be put to death by the Gibeonites;-in which the Doctor has fhewn, that the Hiftorian has presumed a great deal more, in regard to this affair, than he had authority for. He has alfo convicted him of a grofs mistake in afferting, that, of Saul's family, Mephibofheth only was fpared; as Mephibofheth had a fon, then living, and four grandfons, grandfons, from whom defcended a numerous pofterity: fo that it is plain, David did not seek to extirminate Saul's house, in order to fecure the crown to his own posterity. The XIXth Section is employed in palliating David's fin in numbering the people. In the XXth, the Author animadverts on the Hiftorian's fneer at the ftory of David's being cherished, in his old age, by the young Shunamite. In Section XXI. Nathan is vindicated from the afperfion of being a liquorifh prophet; founded on his fuppofed refentment at not being invited to Adonijah's feaft. This Section is critically and well written; but we have now very little room left for particulars. In Section XXII. the imputation of David's frequently, in his Pfalms, breathing nothing but blood, and the most rancorous refentment against his enemies, is confidered. This is likewife an excellent part of the work, although the learned Author has overlooked one very material circumftance, in David's vindication, of which we do not believe him ignorant, in regard to the CIXth Pfalm; which, as it is now generally agreed among the best Critics in facred literature, ought not to be numbered among thofe Pfalms wherein David is fupposed to throw out imprecations on his enemies: it being evidently no other than his rehearsal of those curfes, which his adverfaries denounced against himself. The XXIIId Section is appropriated to the confideration of David's dying charge to Solomon, to put Shimei to death, whom he had pardoned for curfing him, and fealed his pardon with an oath. The Doctor, with unabated zeal, endeavours to wipe off the reproach caft upon his hero on this account; but we confefs ourselves lefs fatisfied with this branch of his work, than with what he has advanced in the next Section, on the other execution given in charge to Solomon, by his expiring father, viz. that of the bloody, the turbulent, and dangerous Joab. The Hiftorian had charged David with great ingratitude toward his old faithful General, as he ftyles him; but we think the Doctor hath effectually vindicated him on this head. Section XXV. and laft, confiders the piety of David, which the Hiftorian had impeached, in various inftances. Here the Answerer is very fmart on his opponent for afferting, that piety is univerfally the fafft difguife for roguery. We would charitably fuppofe the Writer could only mean the appearance of piety. But all advantages are taken in war. The The Doctor concludes his elaborate and entertaining work with a free and candid expofition of his motives for undertaking this Review, with an extract from which we shall conclude the present article; after again offering our hearty thanks to the worthy Author, for the pleasure he has afforded us in the perufal of his truly learned and ingenious perform ance. "I have no apology (fays he) to make for the publication of these papers to the world, and defire no farther regard may be paid to them, than, as what they contain, can be fairly and honestly supported. I write not for victory, but truth. Our Author tells us, in the conclufion of his preface, that the fenfe, in which the acts of David are in his Hiftary underflood, is the most obvious and natural, appears from the amazing pains it hath occafioned his champions to force another upon them. Of this 'the life of David, by Dr. Delany, is a most remarkable and recent inftance; but whofe grofs palliations, puerile conjectures, and mean fhifts to which he hath been driven, prove the difficulty of the task, while they are too frivolous to bias any but the most catholic believers; and that Mr. Stackhoufe, in his Hiftory of the Bible, hath urged arguments against particular paffages, under the title of objections, fo cogent, that his answers to could not be fatisfactory even to himself. Dr. Delany I have never read, Mr. Stackhoufe I have never feen, nor confulted either in one fingle article; but this Author's characters of men will pafs but for little with me. What I have advanced in anfwer to him, I myself am anfwerable for, except where I quote my authors; and I affure him what I have faid appears quite fatisfactory to me, except where I exprefs my own uncertainty. But I queftion whether it will be fo intirely fatisfactory to him, becaufe I am fure I have convicted him of fome notorious falfhoods, in the most capital articles, which he hath again and again affirmed; which are contradicted by the most exprefs letter of the biblical historians. However, if I can be convinced, that I have any where mifrepresented him, or have been, miftaken in any part of my argument, I will publicly acknowlege it, and even give up David, when he is proved to be the wretch our Hiftorian hath represented him to be. I want to make men nothing but what they are; I have no inclination to palliate faults; I am not fenfible I have made any puerile conjectures; have no need of mean fhifts, for I have no caufe to ferve by them. Let David's Hiftory, as it lies in the Bible, be examined with the fame freedom and rules of found criticifm, hichw which are used in Tacitus, Rollin, and Rapin, and I defire no more; but will think of and treat David, as that Hiftory, fairly and candidly interpreted, reprefents him to be. What I object against, is, putting forced conftructions on particular pafiages; invidious infiuations, where there is nothing in the Hiftory to fupport them; improbable fuggeftions to eke out facts, or fupply the place of them; falfe affertions con- . trary to the truth of Hiftory, to furnish matter for calumny and reviling. In a word, all methods contrary to truth and honour, and inconfiftent with the rules of humanity, candor, and juftice. I am for truth wherever I can find it; I will blame what I think blame-worthy; I will give up characters that I think indefenfible, how venerable foever cuftom, party, prejudice, miftake, fuperftition and bigotry may have made them; will defend what I think to be right, and vindicate abufed innocence, as far as I can, against those who cruelly and wickedly defame it. In this view I would appear to the world as a Writer, and defire no regard to be paid me, as an Author, any farther than I answer this character." G A Charge to the Poets. By William Whitehead, Efq; PoetLaureat. 4to. Is. DodЛley. WE E have here a modeft and genteel exhortation to the prefent belligerent Bards, to ceafe their idle contests and diffenfions;-in which the good fenfe, refined tafte, and worthy heart of the Author, are equally confpicuous. A jealoufy of each other's pretenfions to fame, or a refentment.of the low eftimation, in which each profeffes to hold the abilities of his brother Poet, being the ufual foundation of all their bickerings, this illiberal principle is well ridiculed in the following reflection: What is't to you that numbers place your name His advice to fhun the fociety of those who make a trade of fcribbling, is undoubtedly founded on a thorough knowlege of the dangerous fraternity. Avoid all Authors." What! th' illustrious few, Who, fhunning Fame, have taught her to purfae; "Fair Virtue's Heralds ?"- Yes, I fay again, Avoid all Authors, 'till you've read the men. Full |