Jews were required to be exact in their weights and measures, that the poor might not be defrauded. Hesychius remarks upon this point, as a reason for such great care, that what the possession of a field or a house is to a wealthy man, that the measure of corn, or wine, or the weight of bread is to the poor, who have daily need of such things for the support of life. "The Jewish doctors assert, that it was a constitution of their wise men, for the preventing of all frauds in these matters, that no weights, balances, or measures, should be made of any metal, as of iron, lead, tin, (which were liable to rust, or might be bent or easily impaired,) but of marble, stone, or glass, which were less subject to be abused: and therefore the scripture speaking of the justice of God's judgments, observes, (according to the Vulgate) that they are weighed with all the stones in the bag." LEWIS's Origines Hebrææ, vol. iii. p. 403. No. 199.-xvi. 14. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death.] When the enemies of a great man have gained influence enough over the prince to procure a warrant for his death, a capidgi, or executioner, is sent to him, and "shews him the order he has to carry back his head. The other takes the grand signior's order, kisses it, puts it upon his head in sign of respect, and then having performed his ablution, and said his prayers, freely gives up his head. Thus they blindly obey the grand signior's order, the servants never offering to hinder the capidgi, though he often comes with few or no attendants." (Thevenot, cap. 46.) Much the same method was used by the Jewish princes. Benaiah was the capidgi sent by Solomon to put Adonijah to death. (1 Kings 2-25.) A capidgi in like manner beheaded John the Baptist in prison. (Matt. xiv. 10.) Great energy will then be allowed to the term messengers of death, if we understand the words, of the capidgi of the Jewish princes. HARMER, vol. iv. p. 207.

No. 200.-xvii. 19. He that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.] The Arabs are accustomed to ride into the houses of those they design to harrass. To prevent this Thevenot tells us (Travels, part i. p. 181.) that the door of the house in which the French merchants lived at Rama was not three feet high, and that all the doors of that town are equally low. Agreeable to this account the Abbe Mariti, speaking of his admission into a monastery near Jerusalem, says, "the passage is so low that it will scarcely admit a horse; and it is shut by a gate of iron, strongly secured in the inside. As soon as we entered, it was again made fast with various bolts and bars of iron: a precaution extremely necessary in a desert place, exposed to the incursions and insolent attacks of the Arabs." (Travels through Palestine, vol. iii. p. 37.) To exalt the gate would consequently be to court destruction.

No. 201.-xix. 24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.] The Arabs in eating their milk use no spoons. They dip their hands into the milk, which is placed in a wooden bowl before them, and sup it out of the palms of their hands (Le Bruyn, vol. i. p. 586.) Is it not reasonable to suppose the same usage obtained among the Jews, and that Solomon refers to it, when he says, a slothful man hideth his hand in the dish, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. Our translators render it the bosom, but the word every where signifies HARMER, vol. i. p. 289.

a pot or dish.

No. 202.-xxi. 8. The way of man is froward and strange.] This passage, according to the common interpretation is very obscure. The original Hebrew words are used to signify a man laden with guilt and

crimes, and that his way is (not froward and strange, as in our translation,) but unsteady or continually varying; in which expression there is a most beautiful allusion to a beast which is so overburthened that he cannot keep in the straight road, but is continually tottering and staggering, first to the right hand, and then to the left.

PARKHURST'S Heb. Lex. p. 187, 3d. edit.

No. 203.—xxi. 9. It is better to dwell in a corner of the house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.] During the summer season it was usual to sleep on the tops of the houses, which were flat, and properly guarded by a parapet wall; for this purpose they were accommodated with little arbours and wicker work closets, which, however agreeable in the dry part of the year, would prove much otherwise when it rained, as it would expose them to a continual dropping.. To be limited to such a place, and to have no other apartment to live in, must be very inconvenient. To such circumstances it is, probably, that Solomon alludes, when he says, It is better to dwell in a corner of the house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. The allusion is rendered more perfect and striking by connecting with this passage the continual dropping mentioned, Prov. xix. 13. and xxvii. 15. HARMER, vol. i. p. 172.

No. 204.-xxi. 17. He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.] Pococke, in describing his journey to Jerusalem, after his landing at Joppa, tells us, he was conveyed to an encampment of Arabs, who entertained him as well as they could, making him cakes, and bringing him fine oil of olives, in which they usually dip their bread. (Travels, vol. i. p. 5.) This Mr. Harmer (vol. i. p. 238.) considers not as their constant course, but as practised upon particular occasions, as the generality

were constrained to be more frugal. This of course disCovers the propriety of the words of Solomon, when he says, he that loveth wine and OIL shall not be rich.

No. 205-xxiii. 6. An evil eye.] Whether the same ideas are to be attached to this expression as used by Solomon, and as understood by the Egyptians, may not be easily ascertained, though perhaps worthy of consideration. PocoCKE (Travels, vol. i. p. 181.) says of the Egyptians, that "they have a great notion of the magic art, have books about it, and think there is much virtue in talismans and charms: but particularly are strongly possessed with an opinion of the evil eye. When a child is commended, except you give it some blessing, if they are not very well assured of your good will, they use charms against the evil eye; and particularly when they think any ill success attends them on account of an evil eye, they throw salt into the fire.”

No. 206. xxiii. 20. Be not among wine-bibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.] The Arabs are described. by Shaw p. 169.) as very abstemious. They rarely diminish their flocks by using them for food, but live chiefly upon bread, milk, butter, dates, or what they receive in exchange for their wool. Their frugality is in many instances the effect of narrow circumstances; and shews with what propriety Solomon describes an expensive way of living by their frequent eating of flesh.

No. 207.-xxiv. 26. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.] The rescripts of authority used to be kissed whether they were believed to be just or not; and the letters of people of figure were treated in this manner; but it is possible these words may refer to another custom, which D'Arvieux gives an account of in his description of the Arabs of mount Carmel, who, when

they present any petition to their emir for a favour, offer their billets to him with their right hands, after having first kissed the papers. Voy. dans la Pal. p. 155.) The Hebrew manner of expression is short; every lip shall kiss, one maketh to return a right answer, that is, every one shall be ready to present the state of his case, kissing it as he delivers it, when there is a judge whose decisions are celebrated for being equitable.

HARMER, vol. ii. p. 52.

No. 208.-xxv. 13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest.] As the mixing of snow with wine in the sultry time of harvest is pleasing and refreshing, so a successful messenger revives the spirit of his master who sent him, and who was ready to faint from an apprehension of his failure. The custom of cooling wines with snow was usual among the eastern nations. It was derived

from the Asiatics and Greeks to the Romans. Plutarch describes the manner in which they preserved it (Sympos. lib. vi. 2, 6.) by covering it with straw, and coarse cloths unshorn. Xenophon says, it was necessary to procure snow to cool the wines in summer, which otherwise could not be drank with any pleasure. The Orientals more early used it for this purpose, and Athenæus mentions it as an ancient custom, and that they used oak branches for the same purpose. Various instances among the eastern nations of this custom of cooling their wines may be produced, and particularly among the Jews. In some hot countries it was often difficult to obtain it, and they were obliged to search into the hollow cliffs to collect it. Mount Hebron, which was always covered with snow, plentifully supplied the inhabitants of that country, from whence it was often carried to Tyre. (BARRY's Observations on the Wines of the Ancients, p. 169.)