them, and so baked them thoroughly. They were very good to eat and very savoury."

No. 107.-xiii. 18. Garment of divers colours.] Party-coloured vestments were esteemed honourable. To make them, many pieces of different coloured ribbands were sewed together. (Shaw's Trav. p. 228.) Kings daughters were thus arrayed. HARMER, vol. ii. p. 91.

No. 108.-xvi. 13. And cast dust.] When the consul, whom Pococke attended, entered Cairo, "according to an ancient custom of state, a man went before, and sprinkled water on the ground to lay the dust." (vol. i. p. 17.) In hot and dry countries this practice must have been very convenient. It was used in Judea before the time of David, it will explain Shimei's behaviour, and give it great energy. He threw stones and dust at him, who probably had been honoured by having the ground moistened, that the dust might not rise, when he walked out. So also Acts xxii. 23. Chardin has made an observation, which places this matter in a different point of view he says, "that in almost all the East, those who accuse a criminal, or demand justice against him, throw dust upon him; as much as to say, he deserves to be put under ground and it is a common imprecation of the Turks and Persians-Be covered with earth." The Jews certainly thought Paul deserved to die; and Shimei might design to declare by what he did, that David was unworthy to live. HARMER, vol. ii. p. 109.

No. 109.-xx. 9. Joab took Amasa by the beard to kiss him.] Mr. Harmer, (vol. ii. p. 54.) supposes we are to understand this expression as referring to the prac tice of kissing the beard itself, which was a customary thing. D'ARVIEUX (Voy. dans la Pal. p. 71.) describing the assembling together of several petty Arab princes

M

at an entertainment, says, that "all the emirs came just together a little time after, accompanied by their friends and attendants, and after the usual civilities, caresses, kissings of the beard and of the hand, which every one gave and received according to his rank and dignity, they sat down upon mats.

No. 110.-xxii. 6. Snares of death.] This is an allusion to the ancient manner of hunting, which is still practised in some countries, and was performed by " surrounding a considerable tract of ground by a circle of nets, and afterwards contracting the circle by degrees, till they had forced all the beasts of that quarter together into a narrow compass, and then it was that the slaughter began. This manner of hunting was used in Italy of old, as well as all over the eastern parts of the world, (VIRGIL En. iv. l. 121–131. SHAW's Travels, p. 235.) and it was from this custom that the poets sometimes represent death as surrounding persons with her nets, and as encompassing them on every side. Thus Statius, lib. v. Sylv. i. l. 156.

-Furoæ miserum circum undique lethi
Valavere plage."

SPENCE'S Polymetis, Dial. xvi. p. 262. HORACE, lib. iii. Ode xxiv. 1. 8. See also Psalm xviii. 5. et al.

No. 111.-xxiv. 18. Threshing floor.] These among the ancient Jews, were only, as they are to this day in the East, round level plats of ground in the open air, where the corn was trodden out by oxen, the Lybyca area of Horace, ode i. 1. 10. Thus Gideon's floor (Judges vi. 37.) appears to have been in the open air; as was likewise that of Araunah the Jebusite; else it would not have been a proper place for erecting an

altar, and offering sacrifice. In Hosea xiii. 3. we read of the chaff which is driven by the whirlwind from the floor. This circumstance of the threshing floor's being exposed to the agitation of the wind, seems to be the principal reason of its Hebrew name; which may be further illustrated by the direction which HESIOD (opera et Dies, 1. 597. gives his husbandman to thresh his corn in a place well exposed to the wind. From the above account it appears that a threshing-floor (rendered in our textual translation a void place) might well be near the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and that it might afford no improper place for the kings of Israel and Judah to hear the prophets in.

See 1 Kings, xxii. 10; 2 Chron. xviii. 9.

No. 112-1 KINGS ii. 7.

But show kindness unto the Sons of Barzillai the Gleadite. and let them be of those that eat at thy table.

THE privilege of eating at court was both private and public. Those passages which speak of a right to eat at a royal table may be understood as referring to public and solemn feasts. Chardin thus understood the dying advice of David to Solomon, which he says, may be referred to the megelez, not the daily and ordinary repasts; at these megelez many persons have a right to a seat; others are present only from special grace. We are therefore to consider it, of their receiv in a right to a constant attendance there.

HARMER, vol. i. p. 351.

No. 113.-ii. 9. Now therefore hold him not guiltless; for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoary head bring thou down to the grave with blood.] David is here represented in our English version, as finishing his life with giving a command to Solomon to kill Shimei; and to kill him on account of that very crime, for which he had sworn to him by the Lord, he would not put him to death. The behaviour thus imputed to the king and prophet, should be examined very carefully, as to the ground it stands upon. When the passage is duly considered, it will appear highly probable that an injury has been done to this illustrious character. It is not uncommon in the Hebrew language to omit the negative in a second part of a sentence, and to consider it as repeated, when it has been once expressed, and is followed by the connecting particle. The necessity of so very considerable

an alteration, as inserting the particle NOT, may be here confirmed by some other instances. Thus Psalm i. 5. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, NOR the Heb. is and, signifying and not) sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Psalm ix. 18. (Psalm xxxviii. 1. Psalm 1xxv. 5. Prov. xxiv. 12., If then there are in fact many such instances, the question is, whether the negative, here expressed in the former part of David's command, may not be understood as to be repeated in the latter part; and if this may be, a strong reason will be added why it should be so interpreted. The passage will run thus: Behold, thou hast with thee Shimei, who cursed me, but I swear to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death by the sword. Now therefore hold him NOT guiltless, (for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him) but bring NOT down his hoary head to the grave with blood. Now, if the language itself will admit this construction, the sense thus given to the sentence derives a very strong support from the context. For, how did Solomon understand this charge? did he kill Shimei in consequence of it? certainly he did not. For, after he had immediately commanded Joab to be slain, in obedience to his father, he sends for Shimei, and knowing that Shimei ought to be well watched, confines him to a particular spot in Jerusalem for the remainder of his life. 1 Kings ii, 36-42. KENNICOTT'S Remarks, p. 131.

No. 114-x. 22. Peacocks.] ELLIS, in Cook's last voyage, speaking of the people of Otaheite, says, they expressed great surprise at the spaniards (who had lately made them a visit (because they had not red feathers as well as the English, (which they had brought with them in great plenty from the Friendly Isles) for they are with these people the summum bonum and extent of all their wishes. (vol. i. p. 129.) As these islands