in public worship, and to have their heads covered. This was accordingly the practice not of the priests only, but of the people also; and the latter practice remains so to this day. Thus on the divine appearance to Moses in the bush, it is said, he hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God, Exod. iii. 6.; and on the extraordinary manifestation of the divine presence to Elijah, he wrapped his face in his mantle. On the same account perhaps the angels were represented in vision to Isaiah as covering their faces with their wings in the presence of Jehovah. Isaiah vi. 2.

The ancient Romans performed their sacred rites with a covering on their heads. Thus Virgil:

Spes est pacis, ait. Tum numina sancta precamur
Palladis armisonæ, quæ prima accepit ovantes :

Et capita ante aras Phrygio velamur amictu. Æn. iii. 543.

Our way we bend

To Pallas, and the sacred hill ascend:

There prostrate to the fierce virago pray,
Whose temple was the land-mark of our way.
Each with a Phrygian mantle veil'd his head.

The Grecians on the contrary performed their sacred rites bare headed. St. Paul therefore writing to the Corinthians, who were Greeks, says, every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonoureth his head. 1 Cor. xi. 4.

No. 893.-xix. 18. All the knees that have not bowed 'to Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him.] Bowing the knee was an act of worship, and so was kissing the idol. This was done two ways: either by applying their mouth immediately to the image, or kissing their hand before the image, and then stretching it out, and as it were, throwing the kiss to it. masius says, that such kisses were called labrata oscula,

Sal

and from hence came the phrases oscula jacere, and basia jactare, and manu venerari, and manu salutare. Pliny also says, in adorando dextram ad osculum referimus, totum corpus circumagimus. When we worship, we kiss our hand, and turn about our whole body.

No. 894.-xx. 12. As he was drinking, he and the kings, in the pavilions.] The pavilions here spoken of were nothing more than mere booths or common tents, notwithstanding Benhadad and the kings were drinking in them. That great and even royal persons occasionally refreshed or indulged themselves in this manner, is clear from the following paragraph in Dr. Chandler's Travels in the Lesser Asia, p. 149. "While we、 were employed on the theatre of Miletus, the aga of Suki, son-in-law by marriage to Elez Oglu, crossed the plain towards us, attended by a considerable train of domestics and officers, their vests and turbans of various and lively colours, mounted on long-tailed horses, with showy trappings, and glittering furniture. He returned, after hawking, to Miletus: and we went to visit him, with a present of coffee and sugar; but were told that two favourite birds had flown away, and that he was vexed and tired. A couch was prepared for him beneath a shed made against a cottage, and covered with green boughs to keep off the sun. He entered as we were standing by, and fell down on it to sleep, without taking any notice of us."

HARMER, vol. iii. p. 50.

Seals are of very ancient his seal with Tamer as a

No. 895. xxi. 8. Seal.] invention. Thus Judah left pledge. The ancient Hebrews wore their seals or signets in rings on their fingers, or in bracelets on their arms. Sealing rings, called annuli signatorii, sigillares, and chirographi, are said by profane authors to

have been invented by the Lacedæmonians, who not content to shut their chests, armouries, &c. with keys, added a seal also. Letters and contracts were sealed thus: first

they were tied up with thread or a string, then the wax was applied to the knot, and the seal impressed upon it. Rings seem to have been used as seals in almost every country. Pliny, however, observes that seals were scarcely used at the time of the Trojan war; the method of shutting up letters was by curious knots, which invention was particularly honoured, as in the instance of the Gordian knot. We are also informed by Pliny, that in his time no seals were used but in the Roman empire: but at Rome testaments were null without the testator's seal, and the seals of seven witnesses.

WILSON'S Archæal. Dict. art. Seal.

No. 896.-xxi. 27. And went softly.] Going softly seems to have been one of the many expressions of mourning commonly used among the eastern nations. That it was in use among the Jews appears from the case of Ahab; and by mistake it has been confounded with walking barefoot. It seems to have been a very slow, solemn manner of walking, well adapted to the state of mourners labouring under great sorrow and dejection of mind.

No. 897.-xxii. 43. The high places.] Many of old worshipped upon hills and on the tops of high mountains ; imagining that they thereby obtained a nearer communication with heaven. Strabo says that the Persians always performed their worship upon hills. Some nations, instead of an image, worshipped the hill as the deity. In Japan most of their temples are at this day upon eminences; and often upon the ascent of high mountains ; commanding fine views, with groves and rivulets of clear

water for they say that the gods are extremely delighted with such high and pleasant spots. (Kampfer's Japan, vol. ii. b. 5.) This practice in early time was almost universal; and every mountain was esteemed holy. The people who prosecuted this method of worship enjoyed a soothing infatuation, which flattered the gloom of superstition. The eminences to which they retired were lonely and silent; and seemed to be happily circumstanced for contemplation and prayer. They who frequented them were raised above the lower world; and fancied that they were brought into the vicinity of the powers of the air, and of the deity who resided in the higher regions. But the chief excellence for, which they were frequented was, that they were looked upon as the peculiar places were God delivered his oracles.

HOLWELL'S Mythological Dict. p. 225.

No. 898.-2 KINGS ii. 19.

And the ground barren.

MARG. Causing to miscarry. If the latter reading is allowed to be more just than the former, we must entertain a different idea of the situation of Jericho than the textual translation suggests. There are actually at this time cities where animal life of certain kinds pines and decays and dies; and where that posterity which should replace such loss is either not conceived; or, if conceived, is not brought to the birth; or if brought to the birth, is fatal in delivery to both mother and offspring. An instance of this kind occurs in Don Ulloa's Voyage to South America, vol. i. p. 93. He says of the climate of Porto Bello, that "it destroys the vigour of nature, and often untimely cuts the thread of life." And of Sennaar Mr. Bruce (Trav. vol. iv. p. 469.) says that "no horse, mule, ass, or any beast of burthen, will breed or even live at Sennaar, or many miles about it. Poultry does not live there; neither dog nor cat, sheep nor bullock, can be preserved a season there. They must go all, every half year to the sands. Though every possible care be taken of them, they die. in every place where the fat earth is about the town, during the first season of the rains." He farther mentions, that the situation is equally unfavourable to most trees.

No. 899.-iii. 15. But bring me now a minstrel.] The music of great men in civil life has been sometimes directed to persons of a sacred character, as an expression of respect, in the East: perhaps the playing of the minstrel before Elisha is to be understood, in part at least, in the same manner. When Dr. Chandler