if the perfon loft not his life actually, but only ran a great rifque of doing so. The fecond, that a thing is frequently spoken of as if it were blood, on the account of it's being of the colour of blood, or having fome other refemblance of it.

The 2 Sam. xxiii. 16, 17, is a proof of the firft pofition, as Joel ii. 31, is of the fecond. In Samuel we read, "that the three mighty "men brake through the hoft of the Phi"listines, and drew water out of the well of "Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took "it, and brought it to David: nevertheless "he would not drink thereof, but poured it "out unto the Lord. And he said, Be it "far from me, O Lord, that I fhould "do this is not this the blood of the men "that went in jeopardy of their lives? There"fore he would not drink it."-As to Joel, he faith, "The fun fhall be turned into "darkness, and the moon into blood," (into) the colour of blood, as it is often feen when

darkened in an eclipfe,) "before the great "and terrible day of the Lord come.'

After these preliminaries, if we only fuppofe the general of Ifrael was wont to wear red fhoes, and a girdle of that colour, it was natural for an eastern imagination to speak of them as tinged with blood; especially when those habiliments were obtained, or continued to be a man's proper drefs, by the means of Shedding of blood.

Shoes of red leather, I think, are reprefented

by

by the prophet Ezekiel, as worn by a female richly arrayed'; and fkins dyed of that colour were known and in ufe in the time of Mofes: it is then by no means an improbable fuppofition that fuch red fhoes might be worn by Joab, if it was only as a rich part of dress. It might be more, and exprefs his being one of the higher officers of David's army. But if not, if red fhoes were only a piece of magnificence common to great people of that time, the red fhoes of Joab were continued to him through his shedding the blood of Abner and Amafa; if either of them had lived, he would have been difmiffed from his generalfhip, and the habit of affliction, perhaps

Ezek. 16. 10.

These

2 Exod. 25. 5, ch. 26. 14, ch. 35. 7, &c. two, ram-fkins dyed red and badgers-fkins, feem to be fpoken of as the most precious kinds of leather then ufed, or commonly known at leaft. Probably both dyed of the fame colour; but if not, if fhoes were made of the one for fplendor, they might equally of the other. A very learned and ingenious gentleman has made a remark on a paffage of a preceding volume, (Obf. vol. 1, ch. 2, obf. 30,) which has fome relation to what I am now mentioning, and therefore may here be taken notice of; and that is, that if the dying the tails and the hair of the foreheads of buffaloes red be thought to be ornamental, yet how could the black goats-hair curtains of the tabernacle, under the red ram-fkins, improve the appearance, when no longer feen at all? I would answer, certainly they could not, if not feen at all, but according to their notions they might, if a border of black appeared under the red, in the fame manner as white under the black in funeral palls.

of poverty, would have fucceeded the pomp of red fhoes, and a crimson girdle.

I do not know that people were forbidden in the days of David to wear red fhoes, that fuppofition is by no means neceffary, but it is certain that all the fubjects of the modern Turkish empire may not wear just what coloured fhoes they please; and the Baron de Tott tells us, that Sultan Mustapha made regulations of this kind the firft object of the exertions of his authority, punishing with great violence. and barbarity thofe Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, who were found clothed in the colours. forbidden those three nations. He adds, "An "unfortunate Chriftian mendicant, who wore

an old pair of yellow flippers, juft given "him by à Turk in charity, was stopt by "the Grand Seignior; and this excufe could "not fave his life. Every day produced "fome new horror '. It feems, according to a note on this paffage by the Baron, that the Turks only are allowed to wear flippers of yellow leather.

But though the Turks in civil life wear yellow flippers, their janiffaries, the principal order of their foldiers, are obliged to wear red fhoes, which with great blue breeches, and a peculiar kind of bonnet, are the distinguishing parts of their drefs, according to the fame traveller 2. Their clothes are of what colour they please.

Tome 1, p. 125, 126.

* See the note at the bottom of page 117.

After

After this we may perhaps more clearly comprehend the meaning of David, when we read those words of inftruction he gave to Solomon, whofe reign was to be peaceful, and confequently could little want the military talents of Joab: "Thou knowest also, "what foab the fon of Zeruiah did to me, "and what he did to the two captains of the "hofts of Ifrael, unto Abner the fon of Ner, "and unto Amafa the fon of Jether, whom " he flew, and fhed the blood of war in

66 peace, and put the blood of war upon

his

girdle that was about his loins, and upon "his fhoes that were on his feet," 1 Kings ii. 5. I fay upon rather than in, and would remark, that it is precifely the fame particle as is joined with the word girdle in the Hebrew, and which our tranflators themselves render there upon.

OBSERVATION LXXXVI.

It is extremely difficult, if not impoffible, precifely to determine the meaning of thofe three words in Dan. iii. 21, which are tranflated in our verfion, coats, hofen, and hats; but those words feem to me, in general, to point out thofe badges of honour that were upon these three Jewish heroes, not any parts of their common drefs; and if fo understood, greater life will be thrown into that part of the ftory, than will otherwise appear there.

The

The words certainly may as well be understood to mean they were thrown with fuch things about them into the fire, as well as with their common garments; as that they were caft into that terrible fiery furnace, with this part of their common drefs, that other, a third thing, and, in one word, all their garments. Why this enumeration of particulars, according to this latter fuppofition? Would it not have been as well, in that case, to have faid at once, they were thrown into the fire with their clothes on?

The old English term hofen, which is used to tranflate the fecond of these words, was defigned by our tranflators, there is reafon to believe, to express drawers, trowsers, or breeches, not stockings, for that was the common meaning of the word in the time in which that verfion was made, and the word has been fo understood by other tranflators'; not to remark, that the Eaftern people, in common, appear not to have used stockings. But is it not strange, that it should be remarked by the historian that they were committed to the flames with their breeches on? Would it not have been extremely strange if it had been otherwife? If they had been divested of their upper garments before they had been thrown into the furnace, certainly fuch a part of their drefs as this would have been left upon them. Decency required it.

! Particularly by Arias Montanus.