THIS was, in all human probability, the most effectual (apparently the only) means of making his boufe Jure.

THIS Confideration takes David's polygamy intirely out of the light of luxury and licentioufnefs, and places it in that of prudence; and, as fome think, even of piety: but in this I cannot help differing from them. It may be the effect of a wife, but it must at the fame time be owned too worldly an intention, to bring the purposes and promises of GOD in his favour, to a full and timely accomplishment.

THE facred writer informs us, that he had fix fons born to him in Hebron, and eleven in Jerufalem. Now, befides the security to his house from fo numerous an iffue, it is poffible he might have proposed to himself many other advantages from it; among others, an emulation of merit among his children, to entitle them to a preference in the father's efteem, upon the fame principle, that Philip told Alexander, upon his complaining that his father had many fons by feveral women; Therefore, fince you have many rivals with you for the kingdom, take care to excel in virtue, and all valuable accomplishments, that you may not feem to have received the crown through my means, but your own

merit.

ONE objection indeed lies against him, upon this head; viz. his having married a strange woman, the daughter of Tolmai king of Gefhur, a practice prohibited to the Jews.

It is true, there was a general prohibition to that purpose; yet, fuch, however, as admitted many exceptions. A few might (under certain regulations) marry even a slave taken in war, (Deut. xxi.) and much more a profelyte to their religion; and David was juftified in this practice, by the example of Jofeph, Mofes, and even his own ancestors *; and why might it not please GOD to give him iffue by Maacah, as he Boaz iffue by Ruth?

gave

HAD Mr. Bayle confidered this, he had faved himself the trouble of a great deal of idle and ignorant cenfure upon this head; but then it must be owned, on the other hand, that he had loft a great deal of his darling pleasure of railing against David.

A Digreffion, containing a fhort Defcription and Account of Jerufalem.

AS Ferufalem became the metropolis of the

kingdom under David, who adorned and fortified it, built a confiderable part of it, and called it atter his own name; I conceive it not foreign to the defign of this hiftory, to lay fome account of it before the reader: previously informing him, that my purpofe is not to give a long history, and laboured description, of that

* Salmon and Boax, Ruth iv. 20, 21.

city, but barely to lay before him, as briefly, and as clearly, as I can, those particularities (little infifted upon by other writers) that distinguish it from all others; but at the fame time far from pretending, that I can inform the reader in the true state of it, as it stood in the days of David.

VILLALPANDUS, who hath made more learned and accurate inquiries, concerning the fitua→ tion, form, and buildings of old Jerufalem, than all the other writers I could ever fee or hear of, put together, describes the city of David to be of a circular form, built upon an hill, surrounded with a broad and deep trench, hewn whether by art or nature, out of the natural rock. The probability is, that the greater part of this trench was a natural hollow; and that the ftones, cut out for the buildings of the fortrefs, completed the trench; which was defended by a wall of great ftrength, erected upon its inner edge, and that alfo defended and adorned with ftrong and fquare towers at regular distances. These towers are described to us, as built of white marble, the lowest fixty cubits high*, and the highest one hundred and twenty, all exactly of one level on the top, although in themselves of very different heights, according to the declivity of the ground on which they stood.

ON the centre and fummit of this hill, (as the beft writers agree) ftood the king's palace, confifting (according to Villalpandus's defcription) of a large fquare court, defended by

*Tacitus fays, feet.

flankers,

flankers, from one of which was the defcent, by ftairs, into his garden; which was difpofed (as Villalpandus defigns it, and as the nature of the ground feems to imply) in fome form not far removed from that of a quadrant; a figure as fair, and as well fitted for all the purposes of a pleasure-garden, as any I know. To this was afterwards added another garden, withont the city of David, by another defcent, (Nehem. iii. 15.) which was probably the work of fome fucceeding king.

BENEATH, and around the city of David, lay the antient city of Jerufalem, which mount Sion protected as a citadel, and crowned as a regal diadem.

THERE seem to have been four buildings of diftinction in the city of David, befides the palace, and the royal fepulchres; and those were the tower of David, the tower of Furnaces, the houfe of the Mighty, and the high-prieft's palace.

THE tower of David is faid to have flood in one corner of the city; but, forasmuch as the city was circular, (a figure which admits of no angles) it was doubtlefs built (as William of Tyre describes it) upon an angle of the rock, which projected beyond the city walls: which exactly anfwers to the fituation affigned to his tower by the learned and claffic Mr. Sandys, who tells us, that it stood aloft on the utmost angle of mount Sion; and hath left us a draught of its ruins, then extant; and adds, that it was of wonderful strength, and admirable beauty. Nor indeed can the ftrength of it be well doubted, if it were built,

as

353 as William of Tyre tells us it was, of fquare ftones, indiffolubly cemented and knit together by lead and iron. And, if that was the cafe, I think we may fairly infer, that this tower was a kind of citadel to Sion, as Sion was to Jerufalem.

men.

THE beauty and fine proportion of this fabric, as well as its ufe, may, I think, be alfo fairly inferred from that celebrated comparison of Solomon's, in the 4th chap. of the Canticles, at the 4th verfe; Thy neck is like the tower of David, builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all fields of mighty And doubtlefs fome remains of this tower may be ftill extant, even confiftently with Jofephus's account of the demolition of all the fortifications of that city except three towers. Nobody pretends that this was left undemolished, although probably not rafed from the founda tion; for, as the ftrength of the city then lay round the temple, it is probable, that the total demolition which Jofephus fpeaks of, refers only to the temple, and the fortifications on that fide.

JOHN PHOCAS VENETUS speaks of a tower at Ferufalem in his time, which he ftyles a most mighty one (Πύργος παμμεγαθραίος) called by the inhabitants the tower of David, and conjectured by him to have been built upon the foundation of it. And Rawolf tells us, there is ftill, within the Turkish fort there, a strong high tower built up with great free-ftone, which is quite black through age; wherefore (adds he) VOL. I.

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