idolatry and all manner of wickedness; in consequence of which, the king of Egypt was sent against them, who took the city of Jerusalem, and robbed the temple and the palace of their treasures, and carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made; in the place of which the king substituted others of brass. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he continued on the throne seventeen years, at the expiration of which, he died, and was buried with his fathers. He was succeeded by his son Abijam,

5. The revolted Israelites, under Jeroboam, did not exceed their brethren of Judah in virtue and piety.The king, in order to prevent the people from going up to Jerusalem to sacrifice, which he supposed they would be inclined to do from their former habits, and their reverence for the temple and the ark, made two golden calves, the one of which he placed in Dan, and the other in Bethel, the northern and southern extremities of his dominions, He, also, established festivals to be observed on the same days with those of Jerusalem, and advanced to the priesthood the lowest of the people, who were not of the house of Levi. In these ways he made Israel to sin, and provoked the severe displeasure of the Lord,

6. On a certain day, as Jeroboam stood by the idol which he had erected at Bethel, impiously executing the office of a priest, by burning incense, a prophet of God came thither from Judah and denounced a heavy wo upon the altar, and upon those who should sacrifice upon it, which he declared should be accomplished in the reign of a future prince by the name of Josiah; and to confirm the truth of his prediction, he further said, that the altar should be rent, and the ashes upon it poured out. This speech so incensed Jeroboa, that, stretching out his hand, he ordered his attendants to seize the prophet; but, his hand immediately withered away, and the altar became rent so that the hes fell upon the ground.

7. The king was then convinced of the inspiration of the prophet, and entreated him to pray for the restoration of his hand, which he readily did, and it returned

to its former state. Jeroboam then urged the stranger to go home with him and receive some refreshment; but the latter refused the invitation, upon the ground, that the Lord had commanded him neither to eat nor to drink. He then departed from the place, and was followed by an old prophet, who had been informed by his sons, of the transactions at the altar, and who had persuaded him, by a false statement, to return.

8. While they were seated at the table, the word of the Lord came unto the old prophet, and he addressed the man of God who was from Judah, declaring in substance, that in consequence of his disobedience to the command of heaven, he should not be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers. This sentence was soon put in execution; for immediately after leaving the city, he was attacked by a lion and slain. The prophet of Bethel, when he heard of this calamity, went out and took the body, which had been neither torn nor disfigured, and returning with it, caused it to be buried in his own tomb; at the same time expressing his confidence that the predictions concerning the altar would all be fulfilled, and giving it in charge to his sons, that when he died, they should lay him by the side of the man of God.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who succeeded Solomon ?-2. What caused the Ten Tribes of Israel to revolt from Judah ?-3. Who became king of Israel?-4. Which Tribe continued to adhere to Judah?-5. What of importance happened to Jerusalem in the reign of Rehoboam?-6. What did Jeroboam do to prevent his people from going up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice ?-7. What happened to Jeroboam at Bethel?

JULIUS CÆSAR, AND POMPEY.

1. THE ambition of Cæsar and of Pompey had now evidently the same object; and it seemed to be the only question in those degenerate times, to which of these aspiring leaders the republic should surrender its liberties

The term of Cæsar's government was nearly ex:

piring; but to secure himself against a deprivation of power, he procured a proposal to be made in the senate by one of his partisans, which wore the appearance of great moderation, namely, that Cæsar and Pompey should either both continue in their governments, or both be deprived of them, as they were equally capable of endangering the public liberty by an abuse of power.

2. The motion passed, and Cæsar immediately offered to resign, on condition that his rival should do so but Pompey rejected the accommodation; the term of his government had yet several years duration, and he suspected the proposal to be a snare laid for him by Cæsar. He resolved to maintain his right by force of arms, and a civil war was the necessary conse quence. The consuls and a great part of the senate were the friends of Pompey. Cæsar had on his side a victorious army, consisting of ten legions, and the body of the Roman citizens, whom he had won by his liberality. Mark Antony and Cassius, at that time tribunes of the people, left Rome and repaired to Cæsar's camp.

3. The senate, apprehensive of his designs, pronounced a decree, branding, with the crime of parricide, any commander who should dare to pass the Rubicon, (the boundary between Italy and the Gauls) with a single cohort, without their permission. Cæsar infringed the prohibition, and marched straight to Rome. Pompey, to whom the senate committed the defence of the state, had no army. He quitted Rome, followed by the consuls and a part of the senate, and endeavoured hastily to levy troops over all Italy and Greece; while Cæsar triumphantly entered the city, amidst the acclamations of the people, seized the public treasury, and possessed himself of the supreme authority without opposition.

4. Having secured the capital of the empire, he set out to take the field against his enemies. The lieutenants of Pompey had possession of Spain. Cæsar marched thither, and subdued the whole country in the space of forty days. He returned victorious to Rome, where, in his absence, he had been nominated dictator. In the

succeeding election of magistrates, he was chosen consul; and thus invested, by a double title, with the right of acting in the name of the republic. Pompey had, by this time, raised a numerous army, and Cæsar was anxious to bring him to a decisive engagement. He joined him in Illyria, and the first conflict was of doubtful issue; but leading on his army to Macedonia, where they found a large reinforcement, he gave battle to Pompey in the field of Pharsalia, and entirely defeated him. Fifteen thousand were slain, and 24,000 surrendered themselves prisoners to the victor, A. U. C.* 705,

B. C. 49.

QUESTIONS.

1. What proposition did Cæsar make?-2. Did Pompey accede to it?-3. What decree did the Roman senate pronounce at this time?-4, What did Pompey, as Cæsar advanced to Rome?-4. With what title was Cæsar invested, after returning from Spain?—6. At what battle was Pompey defeated ?

BATTLE OF PHARSALIA.

1. As the armies approached, the two generals went from rank to rank, encouraging their troops. Pompey represented to his men, that the glorious occasion, which they had long besought him to grant, was now before them; "and indeed," cried he, "what advanta ges could you wish over an enemy, that you are not now possessed of? Your numbers, your vigour, a late victory, all ensure a speedy and an easy conquest over those harrassed and broken troops, composed of men worn out with age, and impressed with the terrors of a recent defeat. But there is a still stronger bulwark for our protection, than the superiority of our strength -the justice of our cause. You are engaged in the defence of liberty, and of your country. You are sup ported by its laws, and followed by its magistrates. You have the world spectators of your conduct, and wishing you success. On the contrary, he whom you

* Anno Urbis Condite, or year of building the city.

oppose is a robber and oppressor of his country, and almost already sunk with the consciousness of his crimes, as well as the bad success of his arms. Show, then, on this occasion, all that ardour, and detestation of tyranny, that should animate Romans, and do justice to mankind."

2. Cæsar, on his side, went among his men with that steady serenity, for which he was so much admired in the midst of danger. He insisted on nothing so strongly, to his soldiers, as his frequent and unsuccessful endeavours for peace. He talked, with terror, on the blood he was going to shed, and pleaded only the necessity that urged him to it. He deplored the many brave men that were to fall on both sides, and the wounds of his country, whoever should be victorious. His soldiers answered his speech with looks of ardour and impatience; which observing, he gave the signal to begin. The word on Pompey's side was, Hercules the invincible ; that on Cæsar's, Venus the victorious.. There was only so much space between both armies, as to give room for fighting; wherefore, Pompey ordered his men to receive the first shock, without moving out of their places, expecting the enemy's ranks to be put into disorder by their motion. Cæsar's soldiers were now rushing on with their usual impetuosity, when, perceiving the enemy motionless, they all stopt short, as if by general consent, and halted in the midst of their career. A terrible pause ensued, in which both armies continuued to gaze upon each other with mutual terror.

3. At length, Cæsar's men, having taken breath, ran furiously upon the enemy, first discharging their javelins, and then drawing their swords. The same method was observed by Pompey's troops, who as vigorously opposed the attack. His cavalry, also, were ordered to charge on the very onset, which, with the multitude of archers and slingers, soon obliged Cæsar's men to give ground; whereupon, Cæsar immediately ordered the six cohorts, that were placed as a reinforcement, to advance, with orders to strike at the enemy's faces. This had its desired effect. The cavF alry, that were but just now sure of victory, received