*tween me and them,) they have even "defiled my holy name by their abominations "that they have committed."

I do not know why elfe that part of their refpective facred edifices fhould be felected from the rest, and the threshold be particularly mentioned by Ezekiel.

It is certain the modern Perfians make the threshold, in particular, the place where their devotees pay their reverence to their entombed faints, whom they fometimes treat, remote as these Perfians are from idolatry, with a most improper and extravagant veneration. So immediately after the 6th diftich, infcribed on the front of the famous and highly honoured facred tomb at Com, follows this, "Happy and glorious is the believer, who

through reverence fhall proftrate himself with his head on the threshold of this gate, "in doing which he will imitate the fun and "the moon '."

In a chapel adjoining to that in which the faint lies, in which adjoining chapel one of the late kings of that country has a superb tomb, and is fuppofed to lie interred, are feven facred fongs, written in large letters of gold, on a blue ground, in fo` many distinct panels, written in honour of Haly, Mohammed's fon-in-law, and the great faint of the Perfians, as alfo the ancestor of that female faint that lies entombed here. Among other

VOL. III.

1

Chardin, tome 1, p. 203.

A a

extravagant

extravagant expreffions of praise, there is this diftich in the fourth hymn, "The angelic "meffenger of the truth, Gabriel, kiffes every

day the threshold of thy gate, because it is "the only way to arrive at the throne of "Mohammed

Some of the living Eaftern princes have been honoured in much the fame manner, according to d'Herbelot*.

But this will not explain why posts are mentioned: 66 Setting of their threshold by my

thresholds; and their posts by my pofts.' Nor have I met with any account in writers that I have confulted, why thefe are distinctly mentioned. I would only remark, that it appears by what is said of Eli3, that the highpriest of God, when placed in a fituation of honour in the tabernacle, was placed on a feat by one of it's pofts: confequently I have fometimes thought, that as setting their thresholds by the thresholds of God mean, the making chapels or fanctuaries for their idols, where they were folemnly worshipped, within the precincts of the temple itfelf; fo setting up the posts of idols by thofe of God may mean, the appearance of the high-priests of fuch idols in fome part of the temple of Jehovah himself, with marks of dignity and authority.

• P. 209.

2

Voy. Biblioth. Orient. art. Mostadem, ou Mostazem Billah.

3 1 Sam. 1. 9.

I will only add, that as the Jewish princes were in like manner placed near a pillar, when they appeared in the temple with regal pomp, according to 2 Kings xi. 14; and near the pofts, or one of the pofts of one of it's gates, as appears by a paffage of the prophet Ezekiel, the expreffion may be understood to refer to fuch royal feats. But these are so far from being alledged as decifive proofs, that they are only mentioned as giving fome faint appearance of probability to such an explanation. And if admitted, it may fignify the fetting up a royal feat in these idolatrous fanctuaries; as there was a feat for the prince, when attending the worship of Jehovah.

But I should rather prefer the first of these interpretations, and fuppofe the posts complained of, referred to the pomp with which the high-priests of their idols appeared in the temple of Jehovah himself, whofe high-priest alone fhould have had that honour.

OBSERVATION XCVII.

The Jewish high-priest describes the sword of Goliath, which had been laid up in the tabernacle of God, a confecrated memorial of the remarkable victory gained over that vain-glorious idolater, as wrapped up in fome covering: but when our tranflators render it a

cloth', (which feems to convey the idea of an ordinary common piece of linen or woollen cloth,) they have furely determined what ought to have been left indeterminate, at least ; I fhould even think it most probable, that whatever is meant by the covering, it was fomething stately and magnificent, according to the modes of that country, and that age.

The covering of the fword may mean it's fcabbard; but most likely is to be underftood of fomething in which both sword and fcabbard were wrapped up.

Fine wrought handkerchiefs are now frequently given to perfons as tokens of refpect", and are fometimes thrown over other things fent for prefents in the Eaft to the great. May we not fuppofe fomething of this kind was the wrapper in which this fword was placed, prefented by a youth of generosity and devotion, who had a right to claim the king's daughter in marriage, for the fervice he had done his country by killing the champion of the Philiftines', and who perhaps did not prefent this monument of his victory, 'till he was in circumftances to enable him to do it with the requifite magnificence, if the other part of the spoils of Goliath had nothing fit

1 Sam. 21. 9.

Lady M. W. Montague's Lett. vol. 2, p. 91; again p. 159.

3 And thus their facred books are wont to be wrapped up in a rich cafe of brocaded filk, or fome fuch rich materials, Arab. Nights, vol. 2, No 64, &c.

for

for that purpose? If any part of his dress was fufficiently magnificent, it might have appeared, we may believe, to this young Jewish hero, the most proper thing to wrap up the fword in '.

It is certain that embroidery and curious needlework were not unknown to that age and that country: and that fuch ornamental pieces of work were repofited in the tabernacle'; that the ephod itself was of fomething of the fame kind'; and that fuch things were given to thofe that bore a diftinguished part in gaining a victory *. It is by no means then improbable, that the covering of the fword, in which it was wrapped, was fome beautiful piece of embroidered work.

If the word meant merely the fcabbard, which is not fo probable, as there were particular words to exprefs that, though there is reafon to believe the fword was in fome fheath, fince otherwife David could not fo conveniently have carried it with him; I fay, if it meant merely the fcabbard in which it was inclosed, it might notwithstanding have been of embroidered work.

So a piece of the coat of James IVth of Scotland, flain at Flodden-field, appeared, to Catharine of Spain, the nobleft banner her husband (Henry the VIIIth) could difplay in his armies when in France. Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, vol. 3, Rec. N° 2, p. 6. 2 Exod. 26. 36, 37, ch. 38. 18. 3 Ch. 39. 1, 2,

3, 5.

Judges 5. 30.