have not spoken this word against his own life.] Solómóri considered it as a treasonable request, that Adonijah should desire to have David's wife. For, according to the custom of the Hebrews, no man who had been the servant of the king might serve any other master; nor might any man ride upon the king's horse, nor sit upon his throne, nor use his sceptre; much less might any private person marry the king's widow, who belonged only to his successor. Thus God gave David all the wives of Saul. 2 Sam. xii. 8. See Selden de Uxor. Heb. lib. i. cap. 10.

No. 877.-ii. 28. And caught hold of the horns of the altar.] That it was customary to fly to the altar as to a place of safety, is evident from this and various other passages of scripture. It was equally practised by the Jews and other nations. With the Greeks it certainly prevailed. Of the altar of Jupiter Hercæus it is said to one,

The altar mentioned by Virgil was of the same nature: to this Priam fled at the taking of Troy. See Æn. ii.

No. 878.—iv. 7. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided victuals for the king and his household.] These are doubtless to be considered as his general receivers; for "the revenues of princes in the East are paid in the fruits and productions of the earth; there are no other taxes upon the peasants." Chardin, MS. HARMER, vol. ii. p. 284.

No. 879.-viii. 31. And the oath come before thine altar in this house.] It was the custom of all nations to touch the altar when they made a solemn oath, calling

God to witness the truth of what they said, and to punish them if they did not speak the truth. PATRICK, in loc.

No. 880.-viii. 63. And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace-offerings which he offered unto the Lord, two and twenty thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thou sand sheep.] Such great sacrifices as this were imitated by the heathens in their hecatombs, which consisted of a hundred beasts of a kind. They are described by Julius Capitolinus in his life of the emperors Pupienus Maximus and Balbinus; the last of whom, he says, was so transported with joy, that he offered a hecatomb. A hundred altars of turf were raised in one place; at them a hundred swine and a hundred birds were killed. PATRICK, in loc.

No. 881.-viii. 65. And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him.] Such solemnities were usual among the heathen, when they celebrated the presence of any of their gods. This Ez. Spanheim (upon Callimachus's Hymn to Apollo, v. 13.) conjectures to have been derived from this famous festival of Solomon.

No. 882.-x. 16. Targets.] The middle part of the target projected in a sharpish point, as some of the shields afterwards used by the Greeks and Romans did: and we are informed by the writers on their military affairs, that this pointed protuberance was of great service to them, not only in repelling or glancing off missive weapons, but in bearing down their enemies: whence Martial has this allusion:

In turbam incideriş, cunctos umbone repellet.

In crouds his pointed boss will all repell.

VOL. II.

L

No. 883.-x. 20. There was not the like made in any kingdom.] In after ages we read of thrones very glorious and majestic. Athenæus says, that the throne of the Parthian kings was of gold, encompassed with four golden pillars, beset with precious stones. The Persian kings sat in judgment under a golden vine, (and other trees of gold) the bunches of whose grapes were made of several sorts of precious stones.

To this article may be very properly annexed the following account of the famous peacock throne of the great mogul. "The great mogul has seven thrones, some set all over with diamonds; others with rubies, emeralds, and pearls. But the largest throne is erected. in the hall of the first court of the palace; it is, in form, like one of our field-beds, six feet long and four broad. I counted about a hundred and eight pale rubies in collets about that throne, the least whereof weighed a hundred carats; but there are some that weigh two hundred. Emeralds I counted about a hundred and forty, that weighed some threescore, some thirty carats.

The under part of the canopy is intirely embroidered with pearls and diamonds, with a fringe of pearls round the edge. Upon the top of the canopy, which is made like an arch with four panes, stands a peacock, with his tail spread, consisting entirely of sapphires and other proper coloured stones: the body is of beaten gold, enchased with numerous jewels; and a great ruby adorns his breast, to which hangs a pearl that weighs fifty carats. On each side of the peacock stand two nosegays, as high as the bird, consisting of various sorts of flowers, all of beaten gold enamelled. When the king seats himself upon the throne, there is a transparent jewel, with a diamond appendant, of eighty or ninety carats weight, encompassed with rubies and emeralds, so suspended that it is always in his eye. The twelve pillars also that uphold the canopy are set round with rows of

fair pearl and of an excellent water, that weigh from six to ten carats a piece. At the distance of four feet, upon each side of the throne, are placed two umbrellas, the handles of which are about eight feet high, covered with diamonds; the umbrellas themselves being of crimson velvet, embroidered and fringed with pearl. This is the famous throne which Timur began and Shah Johan finished, and is really reported to have cost a hundred and sixty millions and five hundred thousand livres of our money."

TAVERNIER'S, Indian Travels, tom. iii. p. 331. edit. 1713.

No. 884.-x. 21. And all king Solomon's drinkingvessels were of gold.] The magnificence of Solomon, particularly with respect to his drinking-vessels, has not been exceeded by modern Eastern princes. The gold plate of the kings of Persia has been much celebrated and is taken notice of by Chardin. He observes, that the plate of the king of Persia is of gold, and that very fine, exceeding the standard of ducats, and equal to those of Venice, which are of the purest gold. Shah Abas caused seven thousand two hundred marks of gold to be melted for this purpose. Now the two hundred targets of gold which Solomon made weighed but little less than the drinking-vessels which Shah Abas made. 1 Kings x. 16. We may therefore believe that his royal drinking-vessels were of equal, if not greater weight. HARMER, Vol. i. p. 284.

No. 885.-xi. 3. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses; and three hundred concubines.] It ap pears to have been the manner of eastern princes, to have a great number of wives, merely for pomp and state. Father la Compte tells us in his History of China. (pt. i. p. 62.) that there the emperor hath a great

number of wives, chosen out of the prime beauties of the country. It is also said, that the great mogul has as many wives as make up a thousand.

PATRICK, in loc.

No. 886.-xiii. 26. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, it is the

an of God, that was disobedient to the word of the Lord.] Disobedience in special cases, has commonly been punished by those in authority. The Athenians put their ambassadors to death, whom they had sent into Arcadia, though they had faithfully performed their business, because they came another way, than that which had been prescribed to them.

ELIAN. Var. Hist. lib. vi. cap. 5.

No. 887.-xv. 2. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Maachah.] It has been conjectured by Mr. Baruh, that the phrase, “and his mother's name was," &c. when expressed on a king's accession to the throne, at the beginning of his history, does not always refer to his natural mother, but that it is a title of honour and dignity, enjoyed by one of the royal family, denoting her to be the first in rank. This idea appears well founded from the following extracts. "The oloo kani is not governess of the Crimea. This title, the literal translation of which is, great queen, simply denotes a dignity in the haram, which the khan usually confers on one of his sisters; or if he has none, on one of his daughters, or relations. To this dignity are attached the revenues arising from several villages, and other rights." Baron Du Tott, vol. ii. p. 64. "On this occasion the king crowned his mother Malacotawit, conferring upon her the dignity and title of iteghe, i. e. as king's mother, regent and governess of the king when under age." Bruce's Trav. vol. ii. p. 531.