The Mediterranean, which bounds it to the westnorth-west, supplies it with refreshing breezes ; and mount Libanus, that is situated more to the north, intercepts those that are colder. The Mediterranean is what the Scripture commonly calls The Great Sea; for the Hebrews knew little of the ocean, and gave the name of seas to lakes and all great waters. The inland part of the country is varied with a great many mountains and hills proper for vines, fruit-trees, and small cattle; and the vallies abound with streams very necessary to water the country, which has no river but Jordan. Rain falls seldom, but the time of its coming is well regulated: it falls in the spring and autumn; and is therefore called the early and latter, or the evening and morning rain, in Scripture, which reckons the year as one day. In summer, the great dews compensate for the scarcity of rain. They had plains fit for tillage and pasture, particularly the great plain of Galilee and this variety of land, within so small a compass, must needs afford very beautiful landscapes, especially where a country has been well peopled and cultivated.

For we are not to judge of the Holy Land from the condition it is now in. From the time of the Crusades it was laid waste by continual wars, till it became subject to the Turks. By these means it is now almost desolate. There is nothing to be seen but little paltry villages, ruins, lands uncultivated and deserted, but full of high grass, which shews their natural fertility. The Turks neglect it, as they do their other provinces; and several of

the Arabian clans, called Bedouins, encamp there at pleasure, and plunder it with impunity. To know then what it was formerly, we must consult antient authors; Josephus; but, above all, the holy Scriptures. Consider the report which the spies made that were sent by Moses, and the prodigious bunch of grapes they brought back. And that we may not be surprised at it, let us compare the grapes in France with those in Italy, which is a cold country in comparison of Palestine. It is the same with regard to most of our fruits. Their names still shew that we had them originally from Asia and Africa: but they have not retained their extraordinary size and natural flavour with their

names.

The Israelites had vast crops of corn and barley: wheat is reckoned among the chief commodities that they carried to Tyre. They had plenty of oil and honey. The mountains of Judah and Ephraim were great vineyards. The palm trees that grew about Jericho yielded a considerable profit; and it was the only place in the world where the genuine balsam tree was to be found.

This fertility of their country, and the pains they took to cultivate it, account for its maintaining such a multitude of people, though it was of

a

Joseph. War. B. iii. c. 3. Ant. B. v. c. 1, 5, 21. Whiston's Translation, fol. Lond. 1737.

b Numb. xiii. 23.

Josephus, War, B. i. c. 5.

Ezek. xxvii. 17.

Fastidit Balsamum alibi nasci. Plin. Hist. Nat. lib. xvi.

c. 32.

so small extent. For what the Scripture says of it seems hardly credible at first sight. When the people first came into this land, there were more than six hundred thousand men bearing arms, from twenty years old to sixty. In the war of Gibeah, the tribe of Benjamin alone, which was the least of all, had an army of twenty-six thousand men, and the rest of the people had one of four hundred thousand. Saul headed two hundred and ten thousand men against the Amalekites, when he rooted them out.h David always kept up twelve corps, each consisting of twenty-four thousand men, which served by the month, and amounted to two hundred and eighty thousand. And when he numbered the people, which brought down the wrath of God upon him, there were one million three hundred thousand fighting men. Jehoshaphat had more in proportion: for, though he had scarcely a third part of David's kingdom, he had more troops fit for war; which, altogether, made eleven hundred and threescore thousand men, all under his immediate command, besides the garrisons in his strong places.'

Nor is there any thing incredible in all this: we see examples to the same purpose in profane history. The great city of Thebes in Egypt furnished out of its own inhabitants alone seven hundred thousand fighting men." In the year 188,

from the foundation of Rome, when Servius Tullius first numbered the people, they reckoned eighty thousand citizens fit to bear arms." Yet, at that time, they had nothing to subsist upon, but the land about Rome, which is now most of it barren and desolate; for their dominion did not extend above eight or ten leagues.

That was the chief foundation of their politics in old time. In the multitude of people, says the Wise Man, is the king's honour; but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince. They supported themselves much less by cunning than real strength. Instead of being industrious in setting spies upon their neighbours, and endeavouring to sow divisions among them, or gain credit by false reports, they took pains to people and cultivate their own country, and make the most of it they possibly could, whether it was small or great.

They endeavoured to make marriages easy, and the lives of married people comfortable, to get health and plenty, and draw out of the ground all it could produce. They employed their citizens in labour, inspired them with a love of their country, unanimity among themselves, and obedience to the laws: this is what they called politics.These are fine maxims, it may be said; but let us come to matters of fact. Shew us how it is possible that so small a country as Palestine should maintain so great a number of people. In order

" Liv. i. 24.

• See the supplement to this Chapter, Appendix, No. I.
Prov. xiv. 28.

to do this, we must have patience to go through a short calculation; and not to think it below us to descend to particulars, which is the only way of proving it to satisfaction.

Josephus has preserved a valuable fragment of Hecatæus the Abderite, who lived in the time of Alexander the Great, and was a courtier of Ptolemy the First. After relating many remarkable particulars concerning the manners of the Jews, he adds, that the country they inhabit contains about three million arures of very rich and fruitful ground." The arure, according to Eustathius, was a hundred square cubits, that is, one hundred and fifty feet, which, multiplied into so many square feet, make twenty-two thousand five hundred." Now our arpent, or acre of a hundred perches, contains forty thousand square feet, reckoning the perch but twenty feet. So nine of our arpents make sixteen arures.

I have informed myself of the produce of our best land; and find that it yields five quarters of corn per arpent, Paris measure. I have enquired likewise, how much goes to the sustenance of one man; and find that, at the allowance of two pounds and six ounces of bread per day, he consumes about three bushels of corn each month, which comes to thirty-six bushels per year. But this would not have been enough for the Israelites; we must give them at least double: and it may be

Joseph. cont. App. B. ii. p. 990. Whiston's Edit. Lond.

1