thou not, that it will be bitterness in the latter end? &c. These questions carried conviction with them; Joab felt it, and immediately defifted, and called back his forces; upbraiding Abner at the fame time, that, if it had not been for his rafh challenge, the armies had parted in peace, and without any act of hoftility, in the morning (which plainly fhews that Joab's inAtructions were not to begin hoftilities).

For

so some (and, I think, rightly) understand those words-As the Lord liveth, unless thou hadst Spoken, furely then in the morning the people bad gone up every one from following his brother tho' others understand them very differently, in the fenfe mentioned in the next para graph.

WHOEVER attends to this parly, as it is laid down in the Bible, will, I believe, find something in it, not unlike that between Hector and Ajax, in the 7th book of the Iliad. Hector had given the challenge; and when night came on, and the heralds thought it time to give over the combat, Ajax infifts that Hector should first make the motion. The challenge here comes from Abner, and he begins the parly of ceffation; and Joab (for fo fome understand the text) fwears folemnly, that, if he had not done fo, he would haye pursued him the whole night, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, furely then in the morning the people had gone away every one from following his brother. So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people stood still, and pursued after Ifrael no more.

V

THEY

THEY now took their different routes. Joab marched all night until he came to Hebron ; as Abner, on the other hand, made the best of his way to Jordan; croffed it, and refted no-where, until he reached Mahanaim, Joab in all probability haftening home, not only to give an account of his conduct to David, but alfo to do the laft offices to the remains of his brother; and Abner to get out of the reach of David's forces.

CHA P. III.

Children born to DAVID in Hebron. ABNER revolts to him, and is flain by Jo AB.

THE battle of Gibeon is the only one we hear of, throughout the course of this war between David and Ifbbofheth, which lafted about five years: during which time, the text tells us, David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul weaker and weaker.

One circumflance that added ftrength to David's caufe, was the number of children born to him, in this interval; viz. Six fons. Children are the natural ftrength of all families, but more efpecially thofe of kings. Sons (faith Euripides) are the pillars of regal houfes and Tacitus tells us, they are firmer fences of empire, than fleets and legions: but David, in a nobler ftrain than

either of them, agreeably to the fuperiority of his genius, expreffeth the fame fentiment, (but without any limitation) with furprising dignity: Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant, even fo are the young children.

ISH BOSHETH ftood fingle; but David's right would remain with his pofterity and adherents naturally multiply with the fupports of right.

BUT here I muft beg leave to obferve, (little to the honour of polygamy) that David had but fix fons by fix wives, during the space of seven years.

THEIR names, their number, and their mothers, are to be found 2 Sam. iii. One of these wives feems indeed to have been taken out of policy; Maacah the daughter of Talmai, king of Gefbur. For it appears, both from the book of Deuteronomy and Jofhuat, that Gehur bordered upon the half-tribe of Manaffeh, beyond Fordan; and the alliance of a prince fo fituated must have been of great confequence to David in his contests with Ishbosheth, whofe chief ftrength feems to have lain in that tribe.

THE Jews give another account of this matter: They say, that David took Maacah captive, when he invaded the Gefburites (1 Sam. xxvii. 8.) but they forget what follows in the fame chapter; that he took no prifoner throughout the whole courfe of those wars; but put all to the fword, both men and women, that came

* Chap. iii. 14.

+ Chap. xiii. 13.

in his way; the better to conceal his measures from Achifh. But to proceed:

THE text tells us, that, during the continuance of thefe contefts, Abner made himself strong for the boufe of Saul and then immediately follows an account of Ishbofheth's charging him with having gone in to his father's concubine. Both thefe circumftances, put together, will, I think, ground a juft fufpicion, that Abner meant to fet up for himself, when he was ftrong enough to throw off the mask, and lay Ifobofbeth afide; it being clearly enough to be collected from the courfe of this history, that an attempt upon the king's concubine was then understood as an attempt upon the crown.

HOWEVER this might be, Abner was enraged at the charge; broke out into bitter refentment and ended with an oath, that he would fulfil the promise of GoD to David, to tranflate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to fet up the throne of David over Ifrael, and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. And accordingly he fet himself to do fo, from that moment; taking the most effectual measures to fulfil his menace.

Am I a dog's head, &c. that thou chargeft me to-day with fault concerning this woman!

Some commentators have fuggefted, I think, with more ingenuity than truth, as if Abner refented his being charged with brutal luft in that affair; and put upon the level with a dog in that point; an animal that was fhut out of fome of the heathen temples, upon that account as a lewd woman feems to be put upon a level with that fpecies of brutes, in that prohibition, Deut. xxiii. 18. Thou fhalt not bring the hire of an harlot, or the price of a dog, into the houfe of the Lord thy God for any vow.

He immediately fent meffengers to David, with offers of fubmiffion and allegiance, upon certain conditions, with an affurance alfo, of bringing about all Ifrael likewise to pay him allegiance. These conditions were readily agreed to by David; who stipulated no condition on his part, but that of having his wife Michal reftored to him.

THIS Mr. Bayle confiders as a great cruelty in David; to ravifh her from an husband, who loved her fo well: that is, Mr. Bayle thinks it a great cruelty in David to diffurb Phaltiel in an adultery that was agreeable to him; and to redeem Michal from one, in, all appearance, deteftable to her, to restore her to her only hufband; the husband of her affection, and her choice; for whom she had fo much tenderness, as to fave his life, at the hazard of her own. Were it poffible to examine Mr. Bayle's heart, I dare fay, he was full as angry with Menelaus for disturbing Paris, and with Agamemnon for disturbing gifthus, in their amours. And it is certain, that Helen and Clytemnestra were much more to be pitied in the violence done to them; for theirs were adulteries of their own choice, but Michal's was forced upon her; and, for the reft, they had full as much right to dif pose of themselves to their gallants, as Saul had to give Michal to Phaltiel. Surely then, David could not be cruel in doing what it had been highly inhuman and iniquitous not to do: he therefore ftipulated to have his wife, who was cruelly ravished from him, restored to him.

And