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critical judgment of Heaven, as they thought it, both sides put up their swords, and agreed to refer the controversy between them to two arbitrators. Halyattes, king of Lydia, chose Siennesis, king of Cilicia; Cyaxares, the Mediau monarch, chose Nebuchadnezzar, now busy in leading the Jews into captivity. This eclipse, predicted by Thales the Milesian in the 37th year of his age, happened on the 18th of May in the proleptic Julian style, in the year of the Julian period 4111, in the 603d year before the Christian era. It was total 4 minutes and a half, where the battle was fought. The shade entered the desert of Barca in Africa, soon after nine in the morning. It traversed the Mediterranean sea, and isle of Cyprus; entered Asia Minor at Cilicia, a little before eleven; about half an hour after, it passed the city now called Erzerum; near which Dr. Stukely supposes the battle was fought, as being at the boundary between the two kingdoms. It is between the river Halys, and the river Melas. on which was the antient city Melitene. The river Melas runs eastward into the Euphrates. At half an hour after twelve, the shade entered on the Caspian sea, and at one on the Kalmuc Tartary.

Phil. Trans. Abr. vol. xlviii. p. 380.

4235. [Ezek. xxxii. 3.] The manner of taking the crocodile in Siam is by throwing three or four nets across a river at proper distances from each other; that so if he break through the first, he may be caught by one of the others.

BROOKES, Nat. Hist. vol. i. p. 332.

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About thirty miles below the Falls of St. Anthony in North America, several-bands of the Naudowessie Indians have a burying-place, where these people, though they have no fixed residence, living in tents, and abiding but a few months on one spot, always contrive to deposit the bones of their dead.

At the spring equinox these bands annually assemble here, to hold a grand council with all the other bands; wherein they settle their operations for the ensuing year. At this time in particular, they bring with them their dead, for interment, bound up in buffaloes' skins.

If any of these people die in the summer, at a distance from the burying ground, and they find it impossible to remove the body before it would putrify, they burn the flesh from the bones, and preserving the latter, bury them in the manner described.

CARVER'S Trav. in N. America, pp. 40, 53, 263.

4236. [—— 24. There is Elam and all her multitude] While the Assyrians reigned at Nineveh, Persia was divided into several kingdoms. Amongst others there was a kingdom of Elam, which flourished in the days of Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, and Jehoiakim, kings of Judah; and fell in the reign of Zedekiah; Jer. xlix. 34-39. This kingdom seems to have been very powerful, and to have waged war with the king of Touran or Scythia, beyond the river Oxus, with various success; and at length to have been subdued by Cyaxares, in conjunction with the Babylonians.

Univer. Hist. vol. iv. p. 393.

4239.

Whilst the Abbe Hussey was here (in the oblivious convent of Latrappe) digging his own grave, and consigning himself to perpetual taciturnity, he was a very young man, high in blood, of athletic strength, and built as if to see a century to its end. When he came forth again into the world, I am persuaded, says RICHARD CUMBERLAND, that he left behind him in his coffin at La Trappe no one passion, native or engrafted, that belonged to him when he entered it.

Memoirs of R. Cumberland, pp. 358, 360.

4237. [Ezek. xxxvii. 1, &c.] Every Nation in a state of nature, and even the greatest part of those who are civilized, have made the tombs of their forefathers the centre of their devotions, and an essential part of their religion. When Europeans here proposed to savage nations a change of territory, this has been their decisive reply: "Shall we say to

4240. [Ezek. xxxviii. 2.] The tribes of the Curds are more than can be exactly numbered; but it is said that in Pars (Persia) there are above five hundred thousand families, which, during winter and summer, remain on the pasturelands. Some of these Curds maintain two hundred persons, such as shepherds, and labourers, and grooms, and boys and servants, and such like. One tribe of them goes forth two

thousand horsemen ; and there is not any tribe of less than a hundred horsemen. Their weapons and accoutrements, their numbers, war-horses, and troops, are such that they are able to contend with kings; and it is said that their race is 'originally Arabian. (EBN. HAUKAL, pp. 85, 92.) - The wandering Curds or Turkomans, whom Captain FRANKLIN met in the vicinity of Persepolis, informed him, that their tribe was Ort. (Tour to Persia, &c. Oct. Edit. p. 199.) We are inclined to think, say the Gentlemen who wrote the Univer. Hist., that the parts between the Euxine and Caspian seas are most likely to be those in which Magog settled. Vol. i. p. 371.

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Accordingly Caius Cesar, desirous to be called a God by every nation in subjection to the Romans, sent Petronius with an army to Jerusalem to place his statues in the temple, and commanded him that, in case the Jews would not admit of them, he should slay those that opposed it, and carry all the rest of the nation into captivity. The Jews declaring that they would suffer themselves to be slain, rather than permit this, Caius providentially died before his wicked and bloody threat could possibly be executed. See JOSEPHUS' Wars, b. ii. chap. x.

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4247. [Ezek. xliii. 7-9.] In Egypt, the dead body of a distinguished person (when embalmed), was enclosed in a case of wood, made to resemble a human figure, and placed (as Saul's body was, 2 Sam. xxxi. 10) against the wall in the repository of their dead.

HEROD. Euterpe, lxxxvi.

Now a carpenter that fells timber, after he had sawn down a tree meet for the purpose, carved it diligently, when he had nothing else to do, and formed it by the skill of his understanding, and fashioned it to the image of a man; or made it like some vile beast, laying it over with vermillion, and with paint, colouring it red, and covering every spot therein; and when he had made a convenient room for it, set it in a wall, and made it fast with irou: for he provided for it that it might not fall, knowing that it was unable to help itself (for it is an image, and has need of help): He then makes prayer for his goods, for his wife and children, and is not ashamed to speak to that which has no life. For health, he calls on that which is weak; for life, prays to that which is dead for aid, humbly beseeches that which has least means to help for a good journey, he asks of that which cannot set a foot forward and for gaining and getting, and for good success of his hands, asks ability to do, of him that is most unable to do any thing. See No. 2835.

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Wisdom of SOLOMON Xiii. 11 — 19.

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4263. [Ezek. xlvii. 2.] Shiloah, called also Siloam (John ix. 7) was a fountain under the walls of Jerusalem, towards the East, between the city and the brook Kidron. CALWET thinks that this was the same with Eurogel, or the Fuller's fountain, which is mentioned in Joshua xv. 7. xviii, 16; in Lam. xvii. 17, and in 1 Kings i. 9. Its waters were collected in a great reservoir for the use of the city; and a stream from it, supplied the pool of Bethesda.

See Dr. A. CLARKE, on John ix. 7.

4264. [- —9.] About eight miles up Savannah river, at the villa of the Hon. Jonathan Bryan, Esq., I observed, says BARTRAM, in a low wet place at the corner of his garden, the Ado (Arum esculentum); this plant is much cultivated in the maritime parts of Georgia and Florida, for the sake of its large turnip-like root, which, when boiled or roasted, is excellent food, and tastes I ke the Yam: perhaps this may be the Arum Colocasia. There is also another species of the esculent Arum, called Taunier, which is a large and beautiful plant, much cultivated and esteemed for food, particularly by the Negroes. Trav. p. 467.

4265.10.] There are no fish in the Dead Sea; but there are certain Zoophytes, such as the actinia calendula, thus described by HUGHES: At the north end of the island of Barbadoes, in St. Lucy's parish, is a cave about 14 feet long, and 11 wide: its bottom is a basin always full of transparent salt water, covering a porous stone of about 4 feet long, and 3 in breadth. From small holes in the sides of this stone, at different depths, appear in full bloom, at all times of the year, several seemingly fine radiated yellow flowers, resembling marigolds; which, on the approach of a finger, shrink, stalk and all, into the stone; re-appearing after a few minutes, in their former beauty. (See Exod vii. 11, 12.) — The top of the stone, out of which these seeming flowers grow, is covered over with small blue flowers resembling the yellow ones, and with clusters of water-bottles that resemble unripe grapes. These corallines probably are the plants bearing fruit that never come to ripeness, said in the book of Wisdom (x. 7) to be in or near the Dead Sea.

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The intense saliness of its waters is what prevents either animals or vegetables from living in it.

See TACITUS, Hist. lib. v. cap. vi. PLIN. lib. v. cap xv & xvi. VOLNEY, vol. i. p. 281. STRABO states that no person could dive in this water, nor wade into it above the navel. Geogr. vol. ii. p. 1107. POCOCKE, in confirmation, says that he could lie motionless on its waters, in any attitude, without sinking. See his Trav. in 1743, vol. ii. p. 34.

When Vespasian went to see this lake, he commanded that some who could not swim, should have their hands tied behind them, and be thrown into the deep; when it so happened, that they all swam, as if a wind had forced them upwards.

JOSEPH. Wars, b. iv. chap. viii. § 4. — vol. v. From a chemical analysis accurately made by MARCET, it appears, that the water of the Dead Sea, contains salts nearly one-fourth of its weight.

See Phil. Trans. for 1807, vol. ii. p. 296.

This lake is situated in the south of Syria, near Jerusalem, occupying an extent of from 60 to 70 miles in length, and from 10 to 20 in breadth.

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12.] Those plantations of palm-trees that are near the banks of the river Jordan, are much more flourishing and fruitful, than such as are remote from its waters. JOSEPH. Wars, b. iv. ch. viii. § 2.

Verse 19.] The river, called Sichor on the border of Egypt; near to the Isthmus of Suez. See Josh xiii. 3.

THE BOOK OF THE

PROPHET DANIEL.

IN

N all barbarous or uncivilized countries the stateliness of the body is held in great veneration: nor do they think any capable of great services or actions, to whom nature has not vouchsafed to give a beautiful form and aspect. (Q. CURTIUS, Hist. l. vi. c. v.) — And it has always been the custom in Eastern nations to choose such for their principal officers. Verse 4. See Sir PAUL RICAUT'S Present state of the Ottoman Empire, b. i. c. 5. p. 13.

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4276. [32.] They who are of the most antient Church called Man or Adam, and were celestial men, are above the Head (of the Grand Man of the Spiritual Heavens) in a very high elevation (of the Angelic Heavens); where they dwell together in the utmost happiness, in an aura

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