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THE PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID.

THE PILLAR OF FIRE.

Uniform in size and style. Price $1.50.

ROBERTS BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,

Boston.

THE

THRONE OF DAVID;

Jh om tfje (Consecration of tjjc Sljcpljcitj of Bctjkjjnn

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM.

BEING AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE SPLENDOR, POWER, AND DOMINION
OF THE REIGN OF THE

SHEPHERD, POET, WARRIOR, KING, AND PROPHET,
ANCESTOR AND TYPE OF JESUS ;

Xn n jScrfrs of SLcttcrs

ADDRESSED BY AN ASSYRIAN AMBASSADOR, RESIDENT AT THE
COURT OF SAUL AND DAYID,

TO HIS

LORD AND KING ON THE THRONE OF NINEVEH;

WHEREIN THE GLORY OF ASSYRIA, AS WELL AS THE MAGNIFICENCE OF
JUDEA, IS PRESENTED TO THE READER AS BY

AN EYE-WITNESS.
IiY

THE REV.. J. P. TNGRAHAM, LL.D.,

AUTHOR OF &quot;THE PRINCE OF TH:S HCUOE OF p/jvip.&quot; AND &quot;THE PILLAR OF FIRE.&quot;

BOSTON:

ROBERTS BROTHERS,

3 SOMERSET STREET.
1887.

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1860,

BY G. G. EVANS,

In the Clerk s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.

THE AUTHOR 7

M ^ ! &amp;lt;

THE PILLAR OF FIRE,&quot; AND OF

&quot;THE PRINCE OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID,&quot;

INSCRIBES

TO THE AMERICAN HEBREWS

fje present Book;

ILLUSTRATING THE PERIOD OF HEBRAIC HISTORY
WHEN THE ROYAL LINE OF DAVID

FIRST RECEIVED FROM THE HAND OF GOD ITS CONSECRATED CROWN,
UNITED IN AFTER AGES,

23g tJje East prince of Uje $&amp;gt;ouse of QabtB,

FOREVER WITH THE CROWN
OF

THE SON OF GOD.

THE OUTLINE.

THE author s plan, in illustration of the history of the
Hebrew people, embraces three books. The first in or
der of time, though it was second in the order of publica
tion, is &quot; The Pillar of Fire, or Israel in Bondage.&quot;
The central figure of this book is Moses. It takes up
the Hebraic history at the time of the sale of Joseph into
Egypt, and closes it with the promulgation of the Two
Tables of the Divine Law from Sinai. The present work,
&quot; The Throne of David,&quot; is an attempt to illustrate, after
the same plan, the grandeur of Hebraic history, when
the &quot;People of God&quot; had attained, under the reigns of
David and Solomon, the height of their power and glory
as a nation. The central figure of this work is David,
Prophet, Priest, and King, and type of HIM, who as the
last Prince of His house, transferred the Throne of David
from earth to heaven from Jerusalem below to Jeru
salem above ! It presents David as a shepherd, and
a poet ; in his friendship with Jonathan ; in his victory
over the Philistine; in the solendor of his kingly magnib -

THE OUTLINE.

cencc ; in his flight from Prince Absalom ; and in all the
scenes of his later life. Absalom in his rebellion, and
Solomon in his kingly glory, are leading features of the
work. The aim of the writer is to invest with popular
interest one of the most interesting periods of Hebrew
history distinguished by the cotemporaneous existence
of four of the most wonderful men of any age; viz.,
David, Saul, Samuel the Prophet, and Solomon the
greatest and wisest of men.

His aim in these books is to draw the attention of
those who seldom open the Bible, to that sacred volume,
by unfolding to them the beauty, riches, eloquence, and
grandeur of the Holy Scriptures. He is told that the two
preceding works have contributed, hitherto, largely to this
result, and numerous letters in his possession from grate
ful writers bear testimony to the good which those books
have done in directing attention to the Bible, the inex
haustible FOUNTAIN from which they were drawn.

The Bible is a legitimate field for human research.
Like the globe, its mines of gold and silver are by man
lawfully penetrated and worked for their treasures!
Every sermon gathers its wealth of thought from its
sacred placers; every commentator finds in the golden
sarnie of its rivers of Life, his riches of illustration. The
pious Art-painter portrays with his pencil its holy inci
dents ; and the religious sculptor chisels in marble his
devout and elevated conceptions of the forms and features

THE OUTLINE. 9

of its prophets, priests, kings, and martyrs ; even the
ideal human form of the Divine Son of Mary, without re
buke and without impiety. ART, devoutly and reverently,
commands the marLle to reveal, so far as the lofty con
ceptions of consecrated genius can reach, the unknown
and heavenly lineaments ! Destroy all pictures and
statues which illustrate sacred characters and scenes,
and Art would be destroyed with them ; for upon the
incidents of the Old and New Testaments nearly all pure
ART has hitherto been nourished ; and to illustrations of
their holy scenes it is indebted for nearly all of its
glory and splendor.

A writer, therefore, whose high office it is to make
known the Scriptures, who with becoming reverence
and with right motives approaches them to illustrate
with his Pen, scenes and characters therefrom, labors
in a lawful field of duty. The PEN is but another in
strument wherewith consecrated Art may delineate the
characters of Holy Writ ; and, equally with the CHISEL
and the Pencil, be permitted to present them to the
imagination of the devout reader. These present books
come, therefore, within the legitimate province of sacied
illustration. They are delineations of historical por
tions of the Bible, presented in the form of &quot; Letters
in order to secure more familiar and vivid expression.

The Third Book of the Series, (but which was the first
in order of publication,) &quot; The Prince of the House of

10 THE OUTLINE.

David,&quot; illustrates the decadence of Hebraic power, as
&quot;The Pillar of Fire&quot; unfolds its beginning ; while its final
culmination is presented in &quot; The Throne of David.&quot;
The central figure of &quot; The Prince of the House of
David,&quot; is JESUS the &quot; Son of David,&quot; our most blessed
Lord and Saviour. The time of that work embraces a
period of about four years from the appearing of John
the Baptist to the ascension of our Lord.

Thus the three books cover the whole field of Hebraic
history, from the Bondage in Egypt to the reign of Solo
mon, and thence to the crucifixion of Jesus. There is
no necessary connection between the books. They may
be read in chronological order, (which is best,) or sepa
rately, or the last named, first.

We now commit this work to the readers of &quot; The
Prince of the House of David&quot; and of &quot; The Pillar of
Fire,&quot; with the prayer that it may inspire them with a de
sire &quot; to search the Scriptures&quot; for the treasures of wisdom
they contain; and above all for the knowledge of &quot;the
way of Life,&quot; revealed in their sacred pages, which
ever lead the devout reader to the CROSS as the only
solution of the mystery of this present life, and the true
key to that of the world to come.

CHRIST CHURCH RECTORY, )

Holly Springs, Mississippi, January 26, 1860. )

AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

THE READER.

THE twin-valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris received the
first families of the human race after the flood. Nimrod, the
great-grandson of Noah, whom sacred history and tradition
term &quot;a mighty hunter,&quot; or &quot;warrior/ and whom profane his
tory calls the first &quot;king of men,&quot; is regarded as the founder
of Babylon, the oldest kingdom of the world.

Ninus, a prince of Babylon, invading the beautiful valley of
the Tigris, founded, not long after the dispersion at Babel, the
city of Nineveh upon the banks of that river. These two cities
became the centres of two monarchies which long rivaled each
other in splendor and power. Nineveh ultimately gained the
ascendency, and, extending her sceptre over the plains of the
Euphrates, placed one of her own princes upon its throne as
tributary to her crown.

In the progress of centuries Babylon recovered her indepen
dence, and advanced to a position of wealth and grandeur that
subsequently rendered her the second city of the earth, Nineveh
still retaining her imperial supremacy as mistress of the East !
Her kings were warriors and conquerors who made the science
of arms the noblest study of man, and regarded war his highest
happiness. In times of peace they devoted their leisure to
adorning their capital with superb palaces, gardens, terraces,
lakes, and monuments of unrivaled magnificence.

(11)

12 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

The obscurity wh.ch veils the history of those early ages of
oriental dominion and splendor, has concealed from us, in a
great degree, tda true condition of that venerable empire for
i Ouvly a thousand years of its most ancient progress. Profane
history, borrowing her light from the dim torch of tradition,
casts but here and there an uncertain illumination into the deep
twilight of those dawning ages of the world. Now it re
veals a Ninus the Great, extending his dominions to Ethiopia
and the Mediterranean ; and now a queen Seniiraniis, represen
ted as enterprising and magnanimous, martial and powerful, who
completed the conquest of all the East ! Then a brilliant and
luxuriant monarch Ninyas appears, who adorns his empire and
prefers pleasure to the hardy enterprises of military glory.

A long line of princes more or less indolent and effeminate
follow in a succession of luxurious reigns, covering several cen
turies when, under the reign of Teutames the IV, one of these
kings, we hear of the re-conquest of Babylon and Media, and
also of an embassy from a Pharaoh of Egypt to his court.
This was the king Moeris, successor to the Pharaoh who was
destroyed with his armies in the Red sea.

Here, then, the obscurity of mere tradition, which hitherto
had presented us but dim representations of the past of Nineveh,
is removed by the full light of positive history bearing upon it.
Egypt and Assyria, of which Nineveh was the capital, are hereby
placed cotemporaneously on the same historic page ; and hence
forth belong, equally, to the legitimate domain of profane his
tory.*

But allusion to Nineveh does not appear in the sacred tradi
tionary records of the Jews until abcut two hundred years after
the conquest of the Promised Land ; nor in the sacred Scrip
tures until several centuries later ; that is, under that name.

Yet the splendor, power, and wide dominion of the Assyrian
Empire was not unknown to the Jews. The neighboring
kingdom of Tyre had received ambassadors from Nineveh long
before the time of Saul ; and the Jews were always on terms

* The cuneic inscriptions revealed by recent investigations at Nineveh, as
far as translated, promise a. complete history of Assyria up to a period much
earlier than the era of the call of Abraiu from Chaldea.

TO THE READER, 13

of friendship with Phoenicia ; but until the time of Saul the
Fsraelites and Assyrians were not brought into relations of polity
and ordinary national intercourse.

The time and the occasion on which the Assyrians may be
supposed first to have held official communication with the
people of God are, so far as is known, revealed in the following
pages.

SAMUEL was then the Prophet, Priest, and Lord of the
Twelve Tribes ; for his rule as a Judge of Israel had not only
become absolute, but in the exercise of power he was supreme
Dictator. Vice-gerent of God, controller of the Priesthood,
and Judge by the voice of the people, he governed without op
position by the dictates of his single will. Under his long and
able administration of affairs he consolidated the government
of the Jewish tribes, and having shown himself also a soldier in
their wars with the Philistines, they were inspired with the
idea of making him their king! Noble in presence, grave
with wisdom, venerable with years, he commanded even the
admiration of the enemies of his nation ; and his fame as a
&quot;Seer&quot; extended to the kingdoms of the heathen around him,
while his name was spoken even with reverence at the haughty
and luxurious court of Belus the king of Assyria.

At this time the city of Nineveh, where Belus reigned mon
arch of all the East including Babylon, was at the height of its
magnificence and power. Its population was more than a half
a million. It was a four days march to compass its lofty,
tower-embattled walls. Every house was enclosed by gardens,
and the top of the walls was for miles ornamented with trees
and beds of flowers. Its palaces and temples, shrines, altars,
and statues were without number; its terraces, lakes, walks,
and colonnades forming an endless labyrinth amid the most
charming artificial scenery.

Enthroned in his palace in the centre of his mighty me
tropolis, the youthful Belus, not yet twenty-five years old, and
recently come to the inheritance of the sceptre of Assyria from
his mother Arphaxa, administered the government of his vast
kingdom with wisdom and prudence beyond his years. Instead
of giving himself up to indolence and luxury after the example

14 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

of many of his ancestors, he sought to enlarge his dominions
eastward to the Ind, and southward to the &quot; Sea of the Sun,&quot;
westward, and northward, and also to form alliances of friend
ship and commerce with powerful nations such as Phoenicia
and Egypt.

His mother, who was an Egyptian princess, the daughter of
a royal ambassador to the court of Nineveh from that of
Thebes and Memphis, on the day before her death, calling him
to the side of her couch, said to him:

&quot; My son, I am about to depart this life to enter into the
world of the gods ! To you I entrust the sceptre of my realms.
I know you will wield it with mercy and judgment ; for I have,
from your childhood, trained you to this great end ! One pro
mise before I die I ask of you !&quot;

&quot; It is granted, royal and beloved mother, ere the words are
formed on your lips,&quot; answered the prince, kneeling by her
pillow and bending over her with glittering eye-lids, and in
deep emotion.

&quot; I wish you to strengthen your empire by an alliance,
stronger than that of a treaty, with my native country. The
haughty Pharaoh now on the throne, is a prince of a new dy
nasty, unknown to my father s royal House. Send an embassy
to him congratulating him on his accession to the double crown
of Thebes and Memphis, and ask in marriage his daughter as
your queen. I have heard she is fair and gentle. He will
consent ! And thus the two most powerful nations that dividg
the globe will dwell in peace ; for without such an alliance
war would be the natural attitude of two great empires, each
ambitious to rule supreme on the earth !&quot;

&quot; I would rather conquer Egypt and subdue her proud Pharaoh
to my sceptre, than wed his daughter were she fairer, dear
mother, than the evening star,&quot; answered Belus with a smile.

&quot; Nay ; let there be peace ! Secure your crown by this al
liance. Promise me you will ask the hand of the Egyptian
princess, and so be at one with the powerful Pharaohs.&quot;

The prince bowed his head upon the jeweled fingers of hij
still lovely mother, and answered :

&quot; I obey, dear mother &quot;

TO THE READER. 15

&quot; May Assarac, the powerful and wise god of your race,
bless you/ she answered, laying her hands upon his youthful
brow.

One year after the death of the queen, and the new king had
placed the affairs of his kingdom on a firm basis, he recalled
the promise he had made to his mother ; and sending for one
of the young nobles of his court he spoke to him :

&quot; Arbaces, companion of my childhood, friend of my man
hood, faithful and true in all things, I have sent for thee to
confide to thy trust a sacred mission, by command of the queen,
my mother, now blessed with the divine gods. Thou knowest
my mother was a princess of Masr, a niece of Pharaoh, daugh
ter of his brother Thothmis, who came to my grandfather s
court on an embassy of friendship, asking him to unite with
him in a war to crush the twelve warlike Republics of the
Chaldean Israelites, and divide their country by the great Sea
between us that our borders might unite ! My royal grandfa
ther Nabopolassar refused, preferring in his sagacity that these
Jews should continue to hold their country as a safe separator
between Egypt and Assyria, not caring to have the powerful
monarch of the Nile too near a neighbor. But in order to
soften his denial and prevent hostilities arising out of his po
litic refusal, he proposed a union between his son (my royal
father Arphaxad) and the prince-ambassador s fair daughter
who was with him. The marriage secured and sealed a peace !
My mother, who took the name of her husband, and who has
ruled so well and powerfully since my father s death, when
near her own, commanded me to send to Egypt for a wife, also
from thence. I obey her. I have confidence, dear Arbaces,
in your judgment, wisdom, discretion, and ability. I have se
lected you, young as you are, for this delicate mission. I wish
you to be ready to depart within thirty days. It is a long
jouiney and requires unusual preparation. You will take with
you a befitting retinue not large enough to alarm the lesser
nations whose territories you traverse, yet numerous enough
for protection against insult and to give dignity as you enter
Egypt to your embassy. You will take with you full royal
equipage, with a large train of household officers and servants

1(5 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

as becomes the representative of a powerful Assyrian king,
a.nd your own rank as a Prince of the Blood ; for are we not
cousins but twice removed, my dear Arba ces ? The tent of
cloth of gold which was my mother s you will also take with
you to be the abode, as you return, of my future bride. If she
be but half as fair as my mother, I shall be happy, my friend ;
but if she prove as plain and dark as an Ethiop maid, I will be
content ; for will she not be my mother s elect ?

A slight smile played in the young and handsome king s
eyes as he spoke these words, and soon afterwards the tall and
comely young prince Arbaces left the presence.

Thirty days elapsed, and the military escort of the ambassador,
consisting of eight hundred horsemen in burnished armor with
helmets of gold, and two hundred chariots, was drawn up before
the lofty gate of the magnificent &quot; House of Nimrod,&quot; the
hereditary palace of the Ninevite Kings In the ornamented
square in front, guarded by two gigantic lions stood the statue
of the &quot; King of men,&quot; a colossal monolith, towering seventy
feet into the air, holding aloft above his head a spear, the golden
point of which first caught the blazing rays of the morning
sun.

The horsemen and chariots were drawn up in a crescent open
towards the palace. In a private audience room within it,
stood the young king in the act of taking leave of Arbaces :

&quot; Farewell, my cousin ! The God of Ninus and the Con
troller of the stars attend you. Do not delay. I shall expect
your return within four months. Convey the jewels, I have
entrusted to you, to the maiden with your own hands, present
ing her therewith my heart s lowest homage.

&quot;I have directed you to take the route through the land of
the Jewish people, in order that you may have audience with
their mighty Seer and Friend of the gods, Isamel, and secure
with him a friendly alliance, so that he may not be won to the
interest of Egypt, (if this nuptial embassy fail,) but be bound
to Assyria forever ! A people, even though it have no king.
that can bring into the field one hundred thousand fighting
men, as the Caravan chiefs from thence report, is not to be
demised as an enemy or as a friend. See this Prophet of the

TO THE READER. 17

gods, therefore, whose fame is so wide, and make the alliance
sure to us. Learn, while there, something of their policy and
mode of government, and unravel to me how they can have au
thority or laws without a monarch.&quot;

&quot; I will not fail, my noble prince,&quot; answered Arbaces, &quot; to
record everything of interest I meet with, and from time to
time will send you by caravans my letters, or bring the tablets
with the records of my journey to you in person on my re
turn.&quot;

&quot; Present the Chaldaic- Jewish Prophet Isamel this jewel,
and ask him to consult the gods to know if my reign will be
long and prosperous ; and you will also ascertain their real feel
ings towards Egypt.&quot;

&quot; AVithout a doubt, they still partake of the ancient hostility.
A people once in bondage to a kingdom, will never love it
well,&quot; answered Arbaces.

&quot; True ; no real amity can exist. It was from one of their
sacred books in the temple of Assarac I had interpreted to me
by a priest, then my tutor, the account of their wonderful de
liverance by a mighty warrior who divided the sea with the
eword of his god, and turning the fiery blade towards Egypt
destroyed, at a blow, the whole host of the pursuing king. I
have felt a desire to learn more of their wonderful history ; and
if, when in their land, thou shouldst find other books that con
tinue it, purchase and bring them to me. Reme.ses, Prince of
Damascus, whose letters to the King of Phoenicia were given by
a Syrian ambassador, four hundred years ago, to one of my an
cestors, wrote that he left them in the wilderness seeking some
country which their gods commanded them to conquer and
settle in.&quot;

&quot; I have also seen those ancient letters of the Syrian Prince
Kemeses to King Sesostris his father, written ?nore than four
hundred and fifty years ago. I remember his description of
that mighty nation of the Hebrews and the power of their
gods,&quot; answered Arbaces.

&quot; If thou canst hear of farther writings of that people s pro
gress and conquest of the land wherein for four hundred years
they have now dwelt without a king, see that a cop}&quot; of the

18 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

N)oks be obtained; and what thou seest, my Arbaces, in thy
^ravels write me, in order, (as llemeses wrote liis father and
king,) the events as they transpire, and I will on thy return
have them inscribed on vellum and bound in a casket of gold,
and placed with the other royal books in the archives of the
Palace of .Minus.&quot;

&quot; It will be too great an honor, most august king/ answered
Arbaces modestly ; &quot; but I will do what lies within my poor
ability to preserve for your perusal a clear history of the events
which are before me in the strange countries which I am about
to visit.&quot;

After some more words of friendship, which became rather
the parting of brothers than of a king with a subject, the mon
arch embraced his ambassador and took leave of him at the
door of the audience chamber.

The Prince Arbaces, preceded by a stately chamberlain, clad
in a purple tunic embroidered with stars and flowers, and wear
ing upon his head a tiara of velvet with the crest of a brilliant
serpent s head, and covered with a net of woven threads of
gold, passed through a stately hall open above to the clear azure
sky, and decorated with the most elegant figures painted in
vivid colors upon cedar-wood panels. Above the noble entrance
to this magnificent hall was placed the emblematical winged
circle of the god Assarac, dazzling with the radiance of pre
cious stones.

Leaving this hall, he traversed a corridor, the columns of
which were richly gilded, and the cornices carved and covered with
plated gold, while the architrave consisted of the rarest woods
worked with surpassing skill. Compartments or shields, on the
plinth of the columns, were surrounded by elegant mouldinga
with borders of polished acacia-wood inlaid with ivory and sil
ver ; while the spaces between the pilasters were divided into
oval and square depressed panels, painted with flowers and the
beautiful forms of ideal animals.

Another apartment which he traversed was lined with sculp
tured figures, standing in noble attitudes. Kings, warriors, and
priests were represented in processions amid the sacred groves
He walked upon alabaster slabs which recorded in letters of

TO THE READER. 19

gold the achievinents of the monarch who had built that portion
of the palace.

lie now crossed a court of fountains, and came to a majestic
doorway guarded by gigantic winged lions with human faces of
the most benign and kingly aspects. At this entrance stood a
number of the palace guard, who saluted the prince ambassador
with military homage as he passed through the portal. At
the extremity of another court, he walked through a gateway
guarded by colossal winged bulls of white alabaster, while above
the gate were sculptured the most elaborate and elegant designs
of a mingled sacred and warlike character.

He now reached the vestibule of this vast palace of the Assyrian
Kings, to the magnificence and grandeur of which a hundred inon-
archs had contributed, until it covered a half a league square with
its kingly edifices. This lofty room was painted and decorated
with gold and azure, ivory and cedar, in every part. Along the
sides were represented winged priests crowning kings, proces
sions of chariots and horsemen, and the august ceremonies of
religion all sculptured in pure alabaster and colored with the
most brilliant tints of the artist s pencil. Over the gateway
was represented as a colossal figure in colors the first Sardana-
palus in an attitude of adoration before the starry heavens,
holding a golden cup in his hand filled with offerings.

This gorgeous gate led to the outer portal of the palace ; and
Arbaces, passing through the lines of guards in brazen armor,
came where his horse was held by two Indian slaves, and mount
ing him, he rode to join his legion. Placing himself with hi?
chief officers, all glittering in gold and steel, at its head, it
wheeled into column and dashed onward through the super))
avenue which led from the front of the &quot; palace of the kings&quot;
to the western gate of the city.

This avenue was broad enough for the two hundred chariots to
drive along it abreast. It was lined with palaces, before the pillars
of the gates of which reposed majestic winged bulls; or alabaster
lions of colossal size, having faces of men ; or stood statues and
winged animals of the most ideal yet elegant forms. Statues, in
fitone, of serpents in vast coils crouched at the doors of temples;
gardens, lakes, terraces, and fountains adorned the fronts of these

20 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

palaces, which extended in uninterrupted splendor and beauty
four miles along the avenue, before they terminated in a vast
ruadrangular castle which defended the gigantic gateway of the
city.

Passing through this portal the Prince Arbaces was followed
by his brilliant escort until crossing the Tigris, which is made
to environ the whole city as a means of warlike defence, by a
bridge supported by one hundred piers, each a colossus, they
came in sight of the royal caravan in waiting a mile from the
gate, by the fountain of Ninus.

This caravan consisted of two hundred camels, bearing tents,
and provisions, and other equipage for the long journey into
Egypt ; of three hundred led horses, four hundred mules, and
wagons four-score. It was an equipment such as was provided
for a warlike expedition to a remote province, only the whole
was more costly and superb in its character, as became a nuptial
embassy from the king of so great a realm as that of Assyria to
a haughty Pharaoh of Egypt.

At a given signal the caravan moved onward ; and as each
division had its captain or chief, with a royal supervisor over all
who took the whole responsibility of the conduct of this vast
retinue, the young ambassador had only to ride at the head of
bis legion and leisurely pursue his march westward.

After the third day they had left the beautiful valley of the
Tigris with its pleasant and familiar scenes ; and, taking a
southwest course, the seventh evening Arbaces riding forward
came in sight of the Euphrates winding through its charming
valley far distant, and shining in the setting sun like a tortuous
rierpent with scales of burnished gold, lying along the undula
ting horizon. Upon its banks glittered a bronze roofed temple,
and along its shores shone the palaces of the priests ; for this
was a sacred city of the ancient empire of Babylon. One hun
dred miles below stood Babylon in glory and magnificence only
second to Nineveh, and governed by a prince appointed by the
Assyrian monarch ; for the two dominions were now united
under one sceptre.

&quot; I would gladly,&quot; said Arbaces to his chief-captain who sat
upon his horse near him, &quot; have taken our course more south-

TO THE READER. 21

warelly and passed Babylon in sight, if not through it ; but 1
will do that on my return from Egypt ; for I would fain behold
the southern capital of our vast united empire !&quot;

&quot; It were better, my lord prince,&quot; said the gray-bearded
chief-captain with deference, &quot; not to trust the fair princess or
even yourself with so small a retinue with Belesis of Babylon.
It has been rumored of late that he is ambitious to make him
self king ; and that he already conspires to win the army in
Babylon over to his interests. Your presence there might
bring the matter to a head by the temptation which it would
present to him to seize upon you as a hostage, or you and the
princess on your return ! As your highness is the king s
cousin, he might feel that he could dictate terms to Belus with
your person in his power. No, my prince, let us not trust the
wily governor of Babylon. We are now in his Euphratian
realms and near enough to his metropolis.&quot;

&quot; Say you so ?&quot; answered Arbaces : &quot; then ought the king
presently to know that he can not confide power to that ambi
tious Babylonian prince !&quot;

&quot; His majesty suspects the purposes of his viceroy ; when
they are confirmed, the sun is not far off, which, rising on
Belesis with his vice-regal crown on his head catching and re
flecting its beams, will set upon him shorter by crown and
head ;&quot; answered the old noble with stern decision.

Encamping upon the broad, flower-enameled plains of the stately
Euphrates, the next morning they crossed it near the temple
of Bactris by a bridge, adorned with statues of sacred figures ;
while at the extremity, in a grove before the temple, was placed
us a guard a symbolic statue compounded of a man, a lion, an
ox, and an eagle. Past it was the &quot; sacred way&quot; by which
none but the priests could enter the holy place.

The caravan wound slowly around the consecrated grove and
Arbaces stopped by the side of an altar where stood seven priests,
the chief with wings, as a part of his costume, of the most
brilliant plumage of oriental birds extending from his shoulders
to his feet, giving him an aspect of singular majesty and glory.
His white beard flowed to his girdle.

He was reverently saluted by the young Assyrian ambassador,

22 AUTHOR S INTRODUCTORY EPISTLE

who asked for his blessing and prayers. The High Priest, who
was about to offer up the usual morning sacrifice, received him
with benignity, and having learned the object of his expedition,
said,

&quot; If thou passest through the land where dwelleth the mighty
Hebrew Prophet Isamel, convey to him the homage of Do-
danah the chief priest of Bacchus ; for we have heard of his
wonderful power and favor with the gods of his land, and that he
calleth lightning from the skies with a wave of his wand !
We honor the prophets of all gods ! for, though the deities are
as numerous as the stars, their power is derived from one and
the same Supreme Spirit of the Universe. But this is a mys
tery of our religion, prince, and revealed only to the pious,
which I believe thou art, being cousin to the great king, and
taught in all that concerns the great and good to know. But
the ignorant see the Supreme only in marble and in symbols.
But we perceive Him through the mind and thought, and need
no material form in order to worship Him !&quot;

The High Priest having thus affably conversed with Arbaces,
as to a person of wisdom and prudence, directed the morning
worship to proceed, as the sun at that moment lifted the edge
of his shield above the horizon.

The six priests immediately struck each a cymbal held in his
hand, lifting their voices in a sonorous chant, while the venerable
High Priest, taking sacred fire from a censer, kindled a fagot
of fragrant wood laid upon the altar.

In a moment it blazed high in the air, when an eighth priest
advancing placed a serpent of bronze upon the altar and a
beautiful youth swung incense before it, offering it worship.

The priests chanted as they beat their cymbals ;

&quot;Hail wisdom and light!

&quot;These are the powers of the Universe 1

&quot; These create all things !&quot;

&quot;There is nothing greater than light;
&quot; There is nothing superior to wisdom,&quot;

answered the High Priest holding the serpent up to the morning
sun now in full splendor above the horizon.

TO THE READER. 23

&quot; The essence of all things is light ;&quot; chanted the youth who
swung the censer, upon whose breast hung a winged circle of
gold.

&quot; Light is hidden under all that shines !

&quot; Evil and light can never dwell together !

&quot; The spirit of darkness flies before light I

&quot; Sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire, these

&quot;Rule the Universe these are the essence of God !**

Thus chanted responsive the priest and his assistants in slow
and solemn measure, while Arbaces and his officers in reverent
attitudes of worship stood by.

When the whole ceremony of the morning rites was over,
the High Priest invited Arbaces to enter his palace and refresh
himself for a few hours after the fatigues of his journey. But
the young soldier urging haste in his mission declined ; and re
ceiving the blessing of this chief of the Magi rejoined the still
advancing caravan.

Their course now was due south for two days and then for
four days directly west. On the fourteenth day after leaving
Nineveh the} r came in sight of a range of high, dark mountains
from the summit of which, the chief of the caravan informed
Arbaces, was visible the valley of the river of Anirnuu or
Jordan.

The prince was overjoyed at the sight of this vast gigantic
mountain wall ; for its level summit, unbroken for leagues by
any indenture, gave it the aspect of a wall upreared, as tradi-
dition declared, by the antediluvian giants, to keep out the
great flood from their abodes. He knew that the Jordan
flowed through the land of the Hebrews, and that he should be
half way in his journey to Egypt on crossing it.

Galloping forward with a hundred of his body guard as a
protection against any attack from the parties of wild horsemen
which, armed with long lances, for two days had been hovering
on the wings of the caravan, he in three hours reached the
mountain, and in another had wound his way upwards to the
top.

Wide and beautiful exceedingly was the prospect which burst
upon his eyes. From the western foot of the mountains

24 AUTHOR S INTRODUDTORY EPISTLE

stretched a fair green valley, dotted with villages, small fenced
cities and castles, and waving with fields of golden corn, rich
with vineyards, and verdant with secluded vales studded with
flocks and herds.

&quot; This is a land of plenty as well as of loveliness. It truly
flows with niilk and honey. This must be that country of the
Hebrews the rich and glorious land promise.d to them four
hundred years ago by their leader Musis, as is written in the
rolls of Remeses of Damascus. And can there be such a peacj 1
and prosperity among a people without a king to rule over
them V exclaimed Arbaces with animation.

&quot; It is rumored, my lord, prince,&quot; said Ninus, his armor bearer
a tall youth of humble birth, and fair countenance with the cour
ageous looks of a lion, &quot; that they have a god for their king who
dwells in a tent of gold and silken curtains, in the form of a star
of pure fire, on which no man but their chief magician can look
and live.&quot;

&quot; Where heardest thou this tale, Ninus ?&quot; asked the prince.

&quot; My mother s brother, my lord, was a merchant of pearls
and precious dyes ; and once a year made a journey with others
to the city of Damascus, the fairest town for beauty of site and
riches on earth. Once he extended his journey into Egypt,
passing through the Hebrew country. He said it was a brave
people, but chiefly tillers of the soil and shepherds ; that they
had no king over them as other nations, but professed that
their god was their only king ; and they showed my uncle from
a distance the gorgeous tent, which they called a tabernacle,
wherein their great king-god dwelt. They had, however, a
sort of governors called Judges, men and even women, whom
for great exploits in war or some extraordinary favor done the
nation, they elected for life to rule over them ; but that they
could do nothing save by the authority of the king-god.&quot;

&quot; This is a very strange government,&quot; answered the prince ;
&quot; and I am glad you remember so clearly what your merchant
uncle used to relate to you thereof. But we will soon see for
ourselves. What a fair land ! Behold the river between us
and that hill-country, how, like a silver thread running through
a green mantle, it meanders along the emerald valley ; now

TO THE READER. 25

flashing in the sun as it hurries on its swift course; now hidder
oy cliffs ; now glimmering amid the trees !&quot;

As they rode along the mountain ridge, they saw walled
cities, which hitherto had been concealed, reveal themselves
beyond the river, with numerous castles perched upon high
rocks, while all the valleys teemed with population. Soon a
bright sea, farther to the south, became visible and seemed
to receive the river, though its mouth was not in sight.

It was night before the whole caravan and armed retinue had
crossed the dark mountain by an easy pass which, at a distance,
was not apparent, but that led them into the valley not far from
the river.

Here the Assyrian company pitched their camp, while the
shepherds and villagers, alarmed by the descent into their
peaceful vales of so large a party of strangers, like a small army
fled to their cities and strongholds. The alarm was sounded
from hill to hill by the peal of trumpets which, caught up by
the mountain echoes, were repeated again and again amid the
narrow dells.

Prince Arbaces thought it best to remain quiet in his tent
until morning, and then ride to the gate of the nearest citadel
and explain his object in coming into their country.

All that star-lit night, while the ambassador s camp was still,
save the dull tread of the mailed soldiers that paced about it
to keep military watch upon its weary travelers in their deep
sleep, came from across the valley the metallic ring of blows on
iron and brass; the sounds of a surprised people preparing their
armor and weapons of war in order to meet the events of the
coming day.

Having now, in this epistle, laid broadly and plainly the
foundation of our book, we shall here close it, leaving the pen
of the youthful Assyrian ambassador to record the events and
scenes which subsequently transpired in the progress of the
important mission entrusted to him by his king.

January 26th, 1860.

CONTENTS.

LETTER I.

Commencement of journey Reach the Valley of Jericho
Surprise and fear of the inhabitants Their armed
opposition Conference with their leader The He
brews, dissatisfied with the government of Judges, are
now under the rule of a King Saul of Benjamin
Cross the Jordan Deputation from Jericho Visit to
the city and banquet Parchments of Prince Ramcses
Extract from his letters Continuation of the Narra
tive Wanderings of the Israelites for forty years in the
desert Incidents in their journey The Pillar of CJoud
and Fire Death of Moses the Lawgiver Description of
the event by Caleb the Good 37

LETTER II.

Honorary escort sent by King Saul Description of its
commander Prince Jonathan His entertainment by
Arbaces Home sickness Resumption of the Narrative
Joshua succeeds Moses Advance to the Jordan
Security of the Monarch of Jericho Miraculous pas
sage of the Jordan Wonderful account of it from the
records of Caleb Failure of the Manna Appearance
to Joshua of the Captain of the Lord s hosts Six days
circuit of Jericho by the Hebrew army Attack on the
seventh day Fall of the walls, and total destruction of
the city Death of all the inhabitants, save Rahab the

innkeeper 59

(27)

28 CONTENTS.

LETTER III.

PAGB

The Caravan in motion westward Joab the warrior
Conversation with Prince Jonathan The Hebrew Ar
chitect and his slaves Interesting account of the
Gibeonites Reign of the Judges from Othniel to
Samuel Reign of King Saul, at first happy and glo
rious Incident of a murderer flying to one of the
Cities of Refuge Account of that remarkable institu
tion An instance of Prince Jonathan s brave deeds
Beauty of the Hebrew women Homage and regard
paid to them Meet the caravan from Sheba to Syria
News of an invasion by the Philistines Strange dis
closure by Jonathan Account of the Philistines
Arrival at Ramah, the abode of Samuel the Seer 86

LETTER IV.

Visit to the venerable Samuel His appearance and occu
pation His conference with Jonathan Introduction
of Prince Arbaces The School of the Prophets Their
Teachers Their prayers and praise The young shep
herd of Bethlehem His performance on the harp
Afiection of David and Jonathan The Book of Ruth
Pillar of the Temple of Bel Samson the Judge De
borah, Barak, and Jael Jeptha and his daughter
Phigenia Sacrificed by her father to fulfil a rash vow
Sea, of the West Magnificent scenery Adieu to
Samuel, Nathan, and David City of Solima Plain of
Mamre 115

LETTER V.

City of Hebron Advance of the Philistines Absence of
arms in the Hebrew camp, in consequence of having
been disarmed by the Philistines The sons of Anak
Interview with the Hebrew Monarch His palace and
guards The throne room Personal description of Saul
The dark spirit is upon him Impudent challenge of
the King of Gath Conversations with Saul and Jona-

CONTEXTS. 29

PAOB

than The Great Mission of the Hebrew nation Moab
and the Moabites Rejection of Saul from being King,
and why Death of the High Priest Aaron described... 14(3

LETTER VI.

Destructive sand-storm Jonathan recounts how and where
he first met with David Combat with a bear and a lion
David s hymn of victory lie presents a gazelle to
the Princess Michal Mental illness of Saul Advice
of an aged foreigner to try the soothing effects of music
Assent of the king lie sends for David and his
harj) How David was anointed king by Samuel How
the news affected Jonathan Their next interview
David plays before the king and expels the dark spirit
of evil The cure not permanent The sons of Jesse
Volunteers in the war 175

LETTER VII.

March of the Hebrew army into the Vale of Mamre
Their accoutrements and appearance Saul in full armor
Adora and Isrilid The royal parentage of Adora
Jonathan in armor The Philistine encampment Saul s
entrenched camp in the Valley of Elah Leopard hunt
Exciting consequences Rescued by Saul in person
The evil spirit revisits the king Terrible appearance
of Goliath and his body-guard of Anakim His defiant
challenge Abner the General The last taunt of the
Lord of Gath Depression of Jonathan Saul s offer
of reward for victory Indications of the approach of
the Champion of God 205

LETTER VIII.

Response to the Champion David sent by his father to
the camp Hears the challenge Joab s explanation to
David His brothers scorn He is sent for by Saul
His resolution Preparation for the Combat The

30 CONTENTS.

PAGI

Battle Death of the Griant, and defeat of the Philis
tines Joy of Saul and Jonathan Return of the army
of Saul Their reception Chant of the Virgins Dis
pleasure of the king He attempts to assassinate David
Plain of Mamre and Cave of Machpelah The tombs
therein Jebusalern Salem Melchisedek 237

LETTER IX.

The &quot; Well of the Oath&quot; The March Conversation with
Jonathan Interview with Merab, Michal, and Adora
A mad king Journey towards Egypt Interesting
events recorded there Pharaoh and the Princess Zaila
Arbaces content Letter from Prince Jonathan
Exploits of David Valiantly wins a second time Michal
for his wife Slaughter of his brother and robbery of
his father s flocks by the Philistines Recovery of the
captives and spoils by David Letter of Heleph the
armor-bearer Saul s continued enmity to David Re
solves to slay him Jonathan s intercession effectual
David again defeats the Philistines Saul again at
tempts to take his life His escape, through Michal s
intervention, to Ramah Saul s indignation and pursuit
He prophesies and falls in a trance, during which.
David escapes Reflections Affairs in Egypt Zaila s
love Imprisonment of Arbaces Belus defeats the in
surgent Viceroy of Babylon, and beheads him 271

LETTER X.

Resumption of the letters of Arbaces Noble covenant of
friendship between Jonathan and David Continued
enmity and persecution of Saul Jonathan s bold inter
position His warning and David s consequent exile
Holy City of Nob Description of the Tabernacle Its
contents, priests, sacrifices, and services The Aaronic
priesthood The Levites Great Day of Expiation
Holy Place, and Holy of Holies Ark of the Covenant

CONTENTS. 31

PAQ

The Mercy-seat and Cherubim The High Priest s
entrance within the Vail Symbolical offering of the
two goats Its profound and Divine signification 309

LETTER XI.

The perpetual, typical Holocaust of the lamb David s
interview with the daughters of Aminiel Meeting with
his friends, Ahithophel, Uriah, and Hushai Arrival
at Nob David seeks sanctuary from Ahimelech Re-
ceives from him the Sacred Loaves Docg, the treach
erous Edomite David is presented with the sword of
Goliath He makes his escape into the land of the
Philistines They murmur at his reception His severe
illness Re-enters Judah, and abides in the Cave of
Adullam Secures an asylum for his aged father and
mother, from the King of Moab Adhesion to his party
of Gad the Prophet Ineffectual pursuit of Saul
Slaughter, at Saul s instance, of Ahimelech, the priests,
and other inhabitants of Nob, by Doeg Noble conduct
of Abner Abiathar escapes to David His sorrow at
the news Defeats the Philistines and relieves Keilah
Meets with Jonathan, Joab, and Abishai The
Ziphites offer to betray him Retreats to the Caves of
En-geddi Mercifully spares Saul, who returns to He
bron Death of Samuel Saul s grief and consternation
at the event Interesting incidents in Samuel s life
Eli and his wicked sons The Lord speaks to Samuel,
and denounces evil on the House of Eli The Urim
and Thummim Over confident attack of the Hebrews
on the Philistines, and defeat Take the Ark with
them in a second attack, which is captured, the sons of
Eli slain, army routed Death of Eli The Philistines,
smitten with disease, restore the Ark Samuel smites
the Philistines His long and wise rule as Judge 341

32 CONTENTS.

LETTER XII.

PAOl

Melancholy of Saul He annuls MichaTs marriage to
David, and gives her to Phalti David again spares the
life of Saul, who repents and retreats David passes
over to Gath Episode of Nabal David marries his
widow Abigail Abides in Ziklag and serves King
Achish Achish invades Judea Saul, unable to get
answers from the Lord, consults the Witch of Endor
Apparition of Samuel Saul s fearful doom foretold
His depression, but subsequent reaction His martial
spirit returns The Battle of Gilboa Defeat and death
of Saul, his three sons, and Doeg Escape of Abner and
Ishbosheth Achish takes possession of the kingdom
Affixes the bodies of Saul and his sons to the gate and
walls of Bethshan Their removal and burial by the
brave inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 386

LETTER XIII.

Departure of Isrilid and his daughter to Tadmor in the Desert
Ziklag taken and burnt by the Amalekites David,
by the direction of God, pursues and routs them He
receives the news of Saul s overthrow and death Slays
the lying messenger of evil tidings His lamentation
for Saul and Jonathan Goes up to Hebron His re
flections in the deserted palace of Saul Crowned King
of Judah Abner s reception of the news He pro
claims Ishbosheth King of Israel David, on hearing
it, manifests no anger Sends Joab, with terms of honor,
to Abner Combat of twelve Extraordinary result
Flight of Abner He slays Asahel Arbaces the
guest of King David Meets with Isrilid and Adora
Daril proposes that Arbaces shall represent Assyria
at his court as ambassador Accepted under the in
fluence of Adora, who consents to become his partner
for life Seven years of civil war between Judah and
Israel 418

CONTENTS. 33

LETTER XIV.

PAQS

Pharaoh demands tribute of David, but, menaced by
Assyria, withdraws his insolent demand Happy home
of Adora and Arbaces He becomes a proselyte to the
Jewish faith Abner continues to support the throne
of Ishbosheth His quarrel with the luxurious monarch
Opens negotiations with David David demands and
receives his wife Michal His interview with Abner
Joab s displeasure thereat Contrast between the two
generals Assassination of Abner by Joab David s in
dignation and mortification His hymn for the dead
Murder of King Ishbosheth, and punishment of the
murderers David crowned King of Israel Besieges
and captures the Fort of Zion Abiathar explains and
defends this act David s prosperous reign Establishes
his court, with great pomp, at Jerusalem His officers
Defeats finally the Philistines Determines to remove
the Ark to Jerusalem 450

LETTER XV.

Removal of the Ark Divine judgment upon Uzzah
The Ark left in the house of Obededom, who is wonder
fully blessed Second removal of the Ark with appro
priate ceremonies and purifications Order of Worship
appointed Opening Psalm David shows kindness to
the son of Jonathan League of commerce with the
King of Tyre Determines to build a Temple Ap
proval of the Prophet Nathan, but the Lord disapproves
Religious acquiescence of the king Disgrace of
Queen Michal Ziba brings to court Prince Mephibo-
fiheth His appearance and character His kind recep
tion by David Increasing commerce of the kingdom... 485

LETTER XVI.

Conquest of the Philistines Death of the Anakim De
feat of the King of Zobah Also of the King of Syria
Adora and Arbaces established on the throne of

34 CONTENTS.

PAOB

Tadmor of Zobah Extent of David s kingdom Second
overthrow of the Syrians David s great power and
prosperity causes him to lose sight of his dependence
on God His voluptuous excesses Arrival at his court
ofHadad Isrilid, Prince of Tadmor.. 510

LETTER XVII.

^notions of Hadad in his progress through Judea His
cordial reception by David The king s appearance de
scribed Description of his son Absalom, and the officers
of the court Splendor of the palace Hadad prepares
to enter the military school 521

LETTER XVIII.

The Citadel of David Review of his army Hadad s visit
to Uriah and Bathsheba Festival of the Jubilee The
Sabbatical Year Death of the Princess Michal War
with the Ammonites David s temptation and fall
Endeavor to conceal one wrong by the commission of
another Followed by a still greater wrong, the murder
of the unsuspecting Uriah David marries Bathsheba
Is severely rebuked by the Prophet Nathan His
solemn act of public contrition His penitential Psalm
War with Ammon David crowned King in Rabbah
Painful record of sensuality and blood Flight and
return of Absalom He conspires against his father
Adhesion to his party of Ahithophel Treachery of
Mephibosheth Absalom alienates the hearts of Israel
from the king He leaves Jerusalem for Hebron, and
is there crowned King of Israel Flight of David
Hushai joins him, but is sent back to keep watch in
Jerusalsm Ziba meets David with presents, and is re
warded Shimei curses him Ahithophel s wily coun
sel to Absalom, counteracted by the advice of Hushai
Ahithophel hangs himself David collects an army
and takes his stand at Mahanaim The battle Total
defeat of Absalom, whom Joab slays Tidings sent to

CONTENTS.

PAOH

David His great grief for the death of his son Re
proved therefor by Joab Returns to his capital His
reception of Mephibosheth Rebellion of Sheba Amasa
sent against him Joab slays Amasa, takes command of
the army, and suppresses the rebellion Death of Sheba
Solomon, son of Bathsheba, designated successor to
his father David, and destined, by God s appointment,
to build the Temple 530

CONCLUSION 588

APPENDIX 507

THE THRONE OF DAVID;

OR, THE

REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM.

LETTER I.*

ARBACES THE AMBASSADOR

To BELUS, KING OF ASSYRIA.

CITY OF JERICHO, NEAR THE JORDAH.

SIRE:

IN obedience to your Majesty s commands, I have
availed myself of my first leisure to record in the leaves
of iny tablets the scenery and incidents &quot;which have
struck me as worthy of observation, during my journey
from the banks of the Tigris to those of this remote
river. Descriptions of the interesting countries through
which I have passed, with allusions to the manners and
customs of the people, I will not here repeat, as I have
made a careful history of them for your Majesty s perusal
when I shall return from my embassy.

After a journey of fifteen days I reached the valley of
Jordan, and, crossing the river the following morning,

* About 1050, B. c.

38 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

pitched my tent outside of the gates of this city. Here
we have been reposing for several clays, in order to re
cruit the weary and restore the energies of aP after our
fatiguing march, much of which lay over arid plains.

Our first sudden appearance in this lovely valley cre
ated both surprise and fear ; and the inhabitants took up
arms to attack us and drive us back to the dark moun
tains from which we had emerged. Not less than seven
thousand men were collected for this purpose in one night
and were discovered marshaled upon the plain before us
in hostile array at dawn.

Not wishing to appear like an enemy where I wished
to be at peace, I gave orders that not one of my legion
should leave the tents ; and advancing with only my
armor-bearer, Ninus, and my venerable chief-captain,
Nacherib, I walked towards one who seemed to be their
leader.

As I drew near I could see that but few of the host car
ried proper weapons of war, or wore steel armor, there
being visible but here and there a helm and nodding plume
in the whole fore-front of the array. The greater number
were armed with shepherd s crooks, hunting-knives, bills,
wolf-spears, and instruments of labor ; yet they bore
themselves with a bold face, and were ranged in compa
nies and battalions with the regularity and precision of
a well-drilled army. A few ensigns fluttered above their
heuds, the pennons flashing in the morning sun.

I was struck with the noble bearing of the leader, who
seemed a mere youth, though he towered above the ordi
nary height of men. He wore a helmet and cuirass, and
held a sword in his hand.

Seeing me advance in a peaceful manner some paces

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 39

before my two officers, he also came forward, and saluting
me with a courteous wave of his sword, said, in a Chal-
daic dialect, not unlike our own speech, so that I plainly
understood his words :

&quot;Who art thou, my lord! and whence comest thou
with an armed legion and so great a retinue? Is thy
mission one of peace or of war?&quot;

&quot; Peace, my lord captain,&quot; I answered. &quot; I serve the
King of Assyria, and am going on an embassy into the
land of Egypt ; hut have a message to deliver by the
way to the great Seer and Judge of thy country, Isamel,
the friend of the gods ! Thou didst last night behold
an armed legion enter this valley with me. It is but my
body-guard given me by my master, the King of Nineveh,
to protect me against the wandering bands of the wilder
ness ; but, as thou perceivest, not numerous enough to
make war. If thou hast authority in this land, I crave
permission to cross the Jordan, and go on my way to
the palace of your governor, Isamel.&quot;

When I had done speaking, the youthful warrior came
near to me, and again saluting me, said :

&quot; We welcome thee, Assyrian, to our land ! The
aged prophet, Samuel, whom thou callest Isamel, is at his
abode in Ramah, at least two days march for thy caravan,
westward. He is a man of God, virtuous as judge,
undaunted in duty, gentle in heart, yet with a lion s
courage against evil. But thou errest, my lord, in sup
posing he is now the Judge of Israel. We have now a
king like the nations around us !&quot;

&quot; This news had not reached our ears in Assyria,&quot; I
answered. &quot;Is the Prophet Isamel no more?&quot;

&quot;The Seer of God s people,&quot; here answered a grave

40 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

and elderly personage, with the scars of battles on hia
brow, who with others of the Hebrews drew near, &quot; still
lives, my lord of Ashur. He is yet, as ever, loved and
honored for his great age, profound wisdom, and celes
tial virtues. But becoming too aged to rule the land,
disturbed by a long war with our hereditary foes, the mar
tial nation of the Philistines, although often delivering
us from them by a divine courage, he yielded the autho
rity to his two sons ! But these men inherited not their
father s ability and wisdom, nor the friendship of God,
and all the land rose up under their weak rule and de
manded of the Prophet to elect and anoint over us a
king in their place. The Prophet would have dissuaded
us from having a king, saying : i He will take away
your possessions and make your sons the servants of his
palace, drivers of his chariot, his horsemen and guards
of his body, and your daughters slaves to do the labors
of his household ! All of you will be at the service of
your king, and without power to follow your own way,
but only be made the obedient servitors of his power.
Then you will repent and wish again for the liberty to
elect your own Judges, as you have done for four hun
dred years, even since the days of Joshua and the elders
of his day. But, my lord of Ashur, the multitude did
not hearken to the words of the Seer, and were so cla
morous for a king that he anointed a young man by the
name of Saul of Benjamin, son of Kish, a mighty man
of valor whom God pointed out to him.&quot;

&quot; And is Saul now your king ?&quot; I asked of the grave
Hebrew who had spoken.

&quot; He is, most noble lord, and has been for some
time. He is a notable warrior, and has fought for us,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 41

and won great victories against tlie Philistines at the
head of our armies. As a soldier he has no superior ;
but he is of a gloomy, sad, melancholy, wayward temper
of late, and the whole land sighs for the mild and firm
dominion of the wise and good Prophet.&quot;

&quot;Thou speakest boldly of thy king?&quot; I said, sur
prised at this freedom of speech, where each word might
be reported to his monarch, and his imprudence cost him
his head.

&quot; So do all men, my lord, who are men;&quot; he answered.
&quot; God has given a king to us in his anger, as was said, and
we now feel it. Even the great Prophet has of late de
parted from him in displeasure to see him no more, on
account of his impieties and cruelties ! Nay, God seems
to have deserted him.&quot;

&quot; Happy the day,&quot; said the young chief, &quot;when his
brave and wise son, the Prince Jonathan, shall be king
in his father s place.&quot;

I was amazed, your majesty, at the audacity and bold
ness of speech of these Hebrews ! They are a fearless
race, saturnine in complexion, with brilliant black eyes,
raven hair, and faces full of intelligence and genius. 1
like them much. I learned from them why they were
not armed any better. It seems that their conquerors,
the Philistines, have once overrun the country and dis
armed the whole land, city by city, leaving them only
implements of toil ! Under their king they hoped in
some measure to retrieve these disgraces, but he had
achieved no permanent good to his kingdom by his vic
tories, the Philistines still holding part of the land, and
constantly offering battle.

After some further conversation, the chiefs, satisfied

42 THE THRONE OF DAVID, OK,

of the peaceful character of my retinue, retired from the
field, and reported to the council or senate in the princi
pal city of the valley, four miles distant.

In a few hours a messenger came to me with an invi
tation to go to the city, and permission for my caravan
to encamp near the gates, by a certain sacred fountain.

With pleasure I accepted this courtesy of the Hebrew
people, and resuming our march we crossed the Jordan
at a ford kindly indicated by the young chief, who having
first come over, guided us to the western shore, the water
having been no deeper than our saddle girths. Thus
we all safely passed the swift stream, and in an hour
afterwards had reached the pleasant field, shaded by a
grove ; where we were to encamp. How shall I describe
to your majesty the beauty of the scenery, on all sides
presenting a singular mingling of the wildest rocks, with
the most lovely vales ! Fields of corn shining as if a
snow of golden flakes had descended upon them, charm
ing vales, pleasant pastures, gardens, vineyards, villas,
castles, and fortified cliffs ; with the ever present flowing
river, and the dark mountains beyond, with the bright
deep blue sky above, all combined, afford to the eye the
most delightful entertainment.

The populousness, too, of this land is wonderful to be
hold. The people fill the fields, the roads, the avenues,
travel to and fro among the hills, crowd the gates of the
towns, throng the paths to the spring and to the river ; and
are in gardens, vineyards, shops, bazaars, and market
places innumerable. In Assyria, all our population is cen
tered in the city, save a few shepherds and rude tillers of
the soil. Here the country has the life of a city ; and the
inhabitants are not peasants nor rude serfs, but intelli-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 43

gent and active, self-possessed men, free from all the
awkwardness and ignorance that is supposed to charac
terize the rustic. The very ploughmen have the bearing
of metropolitans and civilians near a court, and walk and
speak with a striking air of independence. All can read
their sacred books, (which are the most wonderful in the
world,) and have the ability to copy them. Descended
from tho same Chaldaic ancestry, twelve tribes born of
twelve brothers, they are equal in rank, bear a striking
natural likeness to each other, and have one language.
In speech as w r ell as in blood they are allied to Assyria,
through Abram their chief. Though I have been here
but nine days, I have already learned much of their
manners, customs, religion, and polity. The elders,
venerable and dignified men, chosen in every city for
their wisdom and years of experience, have been cour
teous to me beyond expression.

On the first day of my arrival, I had hardly got my
tent pitched, ere a deputation waited upon me from Jeri
cho, the chief city in this valley. I was about to dine.
They were pleased with, and greatly admired the elegance
of my silken tent, the beauty of the plate upon my table,
and the exquisite shape of the furniture. I seemed to
them as a great king, from the magnificence of my ap
pointments, and they treated me with but little less dis
tinction than they would have shown your majesty in
person. I invited them to dine with me, but they ex
cused themselves, saying they had prepared a banquet;
of which they came to invite me to partake, inasmuch as
they desired to show their regard for the high and mighty
Prince, my master, by their attention to his ambassador,
who had honored their country by passing through it

44 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Attended only by Ninus and the brave Nacherib, I ac
coinpanied them to the gates of the city. Upon my way
I perceived that the army which had been collected so
suddenly from both sides of the river to oppose my march
had as suddenly dissolved, all the persons who had as
sembled at the war cry, hastening again to the occupa
tions from which the alarm trumpet had called them.
There seems to be among them no standing army, save
a body guard of two thousand men for the king s per
son, and a thousand for his son, the popular young
Prince Jonathan ; but all the males are trained soldiers,
except a tribe of priests, and are ready for war and the
battle field at the summons of the moment.

Upon passing into the great gate of the city several
noble looking men, most of them with flowing white or
gray beards, rose up from seats placed in the corridor
each side of the entrance, and saluted me with graceful
dignity. A large throng of people stood around observ
ing me with curiosity. One of these elders then ad
dressed to me a few words of kind welcome to the city,
and expressed the desire of his fellow-citizens to render
my brief sojourn pleasant among them.

I replied in a suitable manner, and was then invited
to a seat by his side upon a sort of dais ; for I perceived
that this principal gate was made use of as an ordinary
hall of council for the senators of the town, being the
most public place within the walls. Here they were ac
customed to receive the visits of their friends, the hom
age of the citizens, and honor from all, young and old.
No one passed them without an obeisance of respect ; and
I observed, while I sat there, that sometimes they would

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 45

gently detain a passing young man, and give him some
words of advice or of mild reproof.

After a conference of some length, during which it
gave me satisfaction to reply to many inquiries which
they made&quot; about Assyria and your majesty and it
pleased me to hear their remarks and expressions of sur
prise at many of the things which I communicated to
them after an hour passed thus agreeably in their
benign society, came the steward of the chief elder and
informed him that the banquet was prepared. I accom
panied him, followed by the other elders and some of the
chief citizens, with the two military chiefs, the younger
of whom I learned was called Joab, a young soldier of
great promise as well as prowess. But I pass over the
incidents of this feast, as it presented no particulars suffi
ciently interesting to detain your majesty. It was chiefly
characterized by simplicity and temperance.

By the close of the second day I had become acquainted
with many of this remarkable people, and held many
conversations with their Rabbis or men of learning, who
readily gave me access to their sacred books, and cheer
fully recounted to me such events in the history of their
nation as my curiosity led me to make inquiries about.

From these books, and from their remarkably clear
traditions, as well as from a personal record which I have
had the privilege of perusing and copying, I am able to
furnish your majesty with an interesting account of the
history of this nation from the time when Remeses the
Prince of Damascus terminated his letters to King Sesos-
tris, to the coronation of their first king, the warrior
Saul, now upon the throne.

As your majesty possesses a copy of the roll of parch-

4H THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

ment on which the ancient epistles of Prince_ Reuieses
(written now four hundred and ninety years since) are
inscribed, on reference to them to refresh your recollec
tion, you will learn that he parted from the leader Musis,
or Moses, as his countrymen term him, in the desert of
Arabia about two months after the departure from Egypt.
It was the intention of the Prince of Damascus to have
accompanied the Hebrews in their march to the conquest
o f the land their God had promised them ; but having
offended their Deity by worshiping the golden calf, Apis,
a god of Egypt, in the justice of His divine anger He
decreed that they should be withheld from the possession
of their promised country until forty years had passed.

Prince Remeses alludes to this in the following pas
sage in his parchments, which, as nearly as I recollect,
reads as follows :

&quot; Moses informs me, my dear father, that in punish
ment of this sin of the Hebrews, their God will cause
them to wander blindly many years in the wilderness
ere He bring them to the land promised to their fathers,
and will subject them to be harassed by enemies on all
sides ; some of whom have already attacked them in their
march, but were discomfited by the courage of a Hebrew
youth, called Joshua, who promises to become a mighty
warrior and leader of Israel, and whom Moses loves as
an own son.&quot;

&quot; In view, therefore,&quot; continues the letter of Remeses,
&quot; of this long abode in the desert of the Hebrews, I shall
to-morrow join a caravan which will then pass northward
on its way into Syria from Egypt. It will be with pro
found regret that I shall bid adieu to Moses, to Aaron,
to Miriam, their venerable sister, and all the friends I

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 47

have found among tin s wonderful people. Will not the
world, which has beheld the wonders worked for their
release from Egypt, watch from afar the further pro
gress of this army of God?&quot;*

Thus writes Remeses at the close of his series of Let
ters to his father, King Sesostris ; and from that time
we, in Assyria, have learned nothing more of the his
tory of this people, save that at this moment they are
inhabiting this beautiful land, twelve powerful nations
united under one king, a realm of warriors, priests, and
wise men, simple and pastoral in their habits, patriarchal
in their customs, and eminently favored of the gods.

As every thing relating to such a people whose past
history is constantly intermingled with that of the divine
gods is of deep interest, and as your majesty enjoined
me to make myself acquainted with whatever concerned
their polity and customs, their religion and government, I
shall briefly avail myself of the narratives of their sacred
books, of their private records and written traditions,
and of the conversation of their learned men, to which
I have given all my time during the past eight days,
(being delayed by the illness of some of my people,) to
present to your majesty a clear outline of their history,
taking it up where it was dropped by the Prince of Da
mascus.

The interval of four hundred and ninety years up to
the present day could not be otherwise than abundant in
events of the deepest interest. While I shall consult
brevity, I shall at the same time endeavor to give a dis
tinct outline of their extraordinary career.

When the warrior prophet, Moses, had descended from
* Vide &quot; Pillar of Fire,&quot; pp. 594, 595.

48 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the mountain of Heaven with the tables of alabaster on
which his God had inscribed with his finger the laws He
desired the Hebrews to observe, say the sacred books,
and beheld the people worshiping the golden god of the
Egyptians, he, in his great grief and anger, cast the
tablets upon the earth and shivered them into fragments.
Destroying the idol, he slew three thousand of its wor
shipers ! and for their sin, the intentions of their mighty
God were so changed towards them that He plagued them
in their passage through the wilderness in such a man
ner that they lost their way continually for the space of
forty years, even until all who were over twenty years
of age when they left Egypt had died, and were buried
in the sands or amid the rocks of the desert, save two
great and good men, Joshua and Caleb. These, alone,
were saved for their faithfulness, virtues, and courage.

Moses having atoned to his God for the idolatry of the
people, by the blood of the offenders, went again up into
the mountain at His command, and received a second
time tables of the law from Heaven. These laws are
still piously preserved and obeyed by this people ; are
inscribed in letters of gold upon the walls of their civic
temples, or synagogues, and proclaimed once in seven
days aloud in the entrances of the cities. They are ten
in number, and embrace all human duty to the gods and
to man.

They command the worship of one God; forbid the
adoration of material idols ; the profanation of the sacred
names ; command the observance of every seventh day
as holy ; obedience to parents ; forbid murder, impurity,
theft, false testimony, and avarice ! Such pandects,
methinks, are worthy to be received by all people.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 49

Their God also directed them to erect a moveable tem
ple in the form of a vast royal tent, in which to preserve
the sacred vessels and to perform worship to Him. Their
holy books give a minute description of this tabernacle.
It was gorgeous beyond expression. In Nineveh I know
of nothing, luxurious as all is there, which can surpass it
in magnificence. It was divided into courts and com
partments from the outer to the most inner and sacred,
and contained altars for sacrifice and incense, and an in
terior secret throne for their God, whose symbol was
like a burning Eye, dreadful to behold, and blinding for
mortal to gaze upon.

This tabernacle still exists in this land, and when I have
seen it I will more particularly write of it to your majesty.

For forty years the nation wandered through the ter
rible deserts which lie beneath the blazing centre of the
sun. Their sacred books record forty-two encampments,
or one fixed rest a year, continuing sometimes only weeks,
sometimes many months. In their march they constantly
traversed and re-traversed their former track, now going
north, now bending their painful course west, and again
eastwardly, only, after many weary days, to change
jgain the direction of their labyrinthine track towards
the south ! Thus, like a blind man groping in a field to
find an outlet, this great nation of three millions of people,
of which six hundred thousand were fighting men, groped
up and down and across the mighty deserts of Afric,
seeking vainly, mourning sadly, for the land promised to
their fathers and to them, and which they had come
forth from Egypt with great power and glory of deeds
to find and conquer. How terrible the judgments of
their God ! How fearful his displeasure !

50 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

Whithersoever they went, they bore the tabernacle with
its holy altars and sacred Ark, where dwelt the divine
light of the glorified presence of their God. Morning
and evening sacrifices of animals burned upon the high
altar, and the priests and people ceased not to propitiate
the righteous anger of their offended Deity.

As this mighty nation was descended from twelvei
chiefs, brothers and sons of one man, grandson of the
Assyrian Abram, so the descendants preserved, even when
they numbered tens of thousands of souls in each line,
their lineage distinct. They were not so much one
nation as twelve nations governed by one law, under one
leader, worshiping one God ! Of these twelve clans, or
tribes, one was set apart as sacred to the priestly office.
The men thereof were not to bear arms, but reserve
themselves for the holy duties of their temple or taber
nacle.

On the march, these twelve tribes formed as many
armies, each under its own standard and chiefs. Seventy
Elders assisted the leader Moses in council and judgment
of cases. During their whole sojourn in the wilderness
they were miraculously fed by a sort of supernatural or
celestial food of the gods, which was secretly conveyed
to the earth by night, and found by the people in the
morning ! Also flocks of birds followed them as by an
irresistible spell upon them ! and along their path in
their marches, however arid, hot, and sandy the desert
was under their feet, there flowed with refreshing cool
ness a stream of pure water clear as crystal, and which
never deserted them for the forty years of their remark
able wandering ; thus in punishing this people, their
powerful God remembered mercy, and preserved their

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 51

lives, when He might have permitted them to perish.
This wonderful stream of living water had originally
been created by their leader Moses, by opening with a
stroke of his rod a rock in the desert about three months
after they had come out of Egypt, when they complained
for want of water and charged him with bringing them
into the wilderness to die of thirst. From that foun
tain, which so marvelously gushed forth out of the dry
rock, the stream flowed ceaselessly, and wound about
across the desert after them, &quot;as if,&quot; says the personal
record I have before alluded to, &quot; it possessed intelli
gence and benevolence ; as if it were not so much a
rivulet of water as a bright and liquid serpent with a
divine and living spirit inhabiting it, and directing its
course by love and pity in order to refresh and save the
weary and the wandering.&quot;

In addition to this wonderful phenomenon, the sacred
books of this people state that the garments, which they
wore when they departed out of Egypt, remained all the
while unimpaired by time and exposure ; while their
sandals continued for forty years unbroken and as fit
for service as the day they first bound them upon their
feet ! If this be all true, which I can not at all doubt,
what a God of wonders and power must be this Deity of
the Hebrews ! How extraordinary his acts ! Command
ing them in punishment for transgression to wander forty
years in a desert, yet providing, with a Father s care and
love, for their meat and drink and apparel, where other
wise they could never have obtained them, and without
which they would speedily have perished ! How different
his character from that which priestly traditions give to
our gods Assarac, Ninus, and Ophic, who are represented

52 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

as utterly destroying and mercilessly exterminating their
foes ! All things done by the God of the Hebrews,
show not only his resistless power, but reveal surpassing
Goodness, wondrous Patience, and perfect Love.

That a nation so powerful in numbers and warlike with
armed men should create alarm in the countries along
the borders of which their march extended, your majesty
will readily conjecture. Some of these nations met them
with all their military forces, and gave them battle in
order to prevent their advance through their country.
Rumor of their numbers and the mighty miracles of their
Deity had gone before them ; and all the kings, whose
dominions lay near their line of progress, hearing that
they were seeking the conquest of some country in order
to supplant the inhabitants and dwell therein themselves,
trembled for their own dominions ; and uniting together
attacked them with overwhelming armies. In some of
these engagements the Hebrews were victorious ; and
routed and pursued their enemies with terrible slaughter ;
in others they suffered most disastrous defeats, and were
driven back from their line of march and the sight of
green vales and fair cities, again into the depths of the
wilderness ; and thus between their hopeless wanderings
and their relentless foes they seemed ready to despair,
and sighed for a return to the bondage they had borne
in Egypt as a happy relief to their present miseries !
Was ever a nation, for whom the gods had done such
mighty works, so afflicted by the gods ? Their pitiable
condition recalls the tradition of Sephaxad, that lesser
god of ancient Assyria, who would scale the superior
heaven by climbing the edge of the rising sun ! in pun
ishment of whose ambition the supreme god Assarac

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 53

caused the sun to turn on its axis with him, so that
Sephaxad continues climbing to this day this ever
turning shield of light, but never in the least progress
ing.

At length, the gods of the Hebrews, or, for me to speak
more accurately, rather Crod&amp;lt; (for they recognize and
adore but one Deity,) appeased by this forty years patient
endurance of his anger against their sin, which, as I
have written, was withdrawing their worship from Him
self, and fixing it upon a molten image of an Egyptian
god, mercifully put a period to their aimless marches,
and elevating before their hosts the fiery standard of his
glorious power, bade them follow and it should bring
thorn to the land of their hopes and prayers !

This standard was a wonderful column of light, which,
by night, shone with the brilliancy of a thousand moons,
and lighted up the whole camp for miles around the
sacred tabernacle over which it suspended itself in the
air. It had preceded their march during all their move
ments in the forty years of their desert wanderings. It
h-:d indicated when and where they should encamp, by
advancing and becoming stationary over the appointed
place ; and when to move onward again by going for
ward. Ey day, it had the appearance of a bright cloud
let down from the heavens, and borne gently onward by
the wind a few hundred feet above the earth. Yet its
motion was not produced by the wind, says the private
journal of &quot; Caleb the Good,&quot; who has left on record
a most interesting narrative of what befel his people
in their journeying, and which record, now before me,
is preserved in the archives of the Levites in this
city. In the sand storms of the desert the column of

54 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

cloud remained as immoveable as if it were an aerial pil
lar of alabastron ; and when the atmosphere was breath-
lods, it moved forward with a motion within itself, &quot; as
if the Spirit of the Lord dwelt in it,&quot; adds the record
from which I transcribe.

Hence this people did not so much lose their way in
the desert as were led out of it by their God ! How must
the hearts of this mighty nation of wanderers have
bounded when at length, near the close of a long and
painful day s march, Moses stretching forth his rod to
wards the land they were to take possession of, suddenly
cried in a loud voice, &quot;Behold yonder lofty ridge of moun
tains northward, ye men of Israel ! Lo ! from their
highest peak is visible, to the eyes of him who standeth
thereon, the land of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,
the land flowing with milk and honey, which the Lord
hath promised to you for an inheritance, and of which
He is now about to place you in possession ! Let Israel
go forward ! Behold the Pillar of Cloud advances !&quot;

How these stirring words, [taken from the brief record
of them made by the warrior and holy man, Caleb,] must
have thrilled through every bosom ! How changed now,
alas ! was the material of this mighty host ! It still
numbered more than three million of souls ; but they
were not the men who crossed the Red Sea and com
menced, forty years before, their solemn march. There
were still six hundred thousand fighting men, but they
were not the men who had fought the first battles of
Israel near Mount Sinai ! The mighty legions, now
moving in twelve armies to the conquest of the land
of promise, are composed of men under forty years
of age; not one has ever seen Egypt! They were born,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 55

not slaves of Pharaoh, but freemen of God in the free
desert. Their erring fathers have laid their bones in its
Bands for their sins ; and these come in to take the pro
mised inheritance with clean hands and hearts.

The elders and rulers of the people are none of them
above sixty years of age ; and these are of those who
were yet beardless when their fathers came out of Egypt.
Not a beard that left the shores of the Red Sea, (save
those two men Joshua and Caleb,) stood by the waters
of the Jordan. Even Moses, their august and venerable
leader, when he at length carne near the mountain called
Pisgah, (the lofty summit of which, on the other side of
Jordan, I have seen to-day from the top of this city s
highest tower,) made known to the people he had so long
led, that his God would not permit him to tread upon
the soil of the pleasant land he had for forty years
yearned to enter. This prohibition, he told them, was
on account of his own sins of infirmity in not bearing
patiently with the murmurings of the people ; and, in his
despair, almost questioning, himself, the wisdom and good
ness of his God.

What a lesson must this stern justice in their Deity s
divine character have taught this people ! How careful
must they have been to keep his laws and avoid all trans
gression against him ! He who could entomb in the wil
derness a whole nation, and mark with his displeasure
its faithful and venerable chief for a few acts of im
patience, how surely they felt, will He visit them with
the dispensation of his retributions !

When the great and wise Moses had taught the people
at great length a code of moral laws, full of wisdom and
truth, for their government as a nation, carefully laid

56 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

down the policy they ought to pursue after establishing
themselves in the promised land, and had given them a
plan for the division of the country by tribes, and
strengthened them with the wisest counsel, he eloquently
pointed out to them the rewards, which virtue, and the
punishments which vice would bring to them. He then
assembled his elders and captains, and solemnly informed
them that his God had made known to him that he should
be graciously permitted to behold from the top of the
mountain over against Jericho, the glory of the land
to be possessed by the people of Israel; but that he
should only see it ! for after seeing it, God had said &quot; in
that very mount thou shalt die and be gathered to thy
fathers.&quot;

How painfully touching must such an announcement
have been from the lips of Moses to his people ! To most
of them he had been as a father from their infancy. He
doubtless knew every face, and was loved and honored
by all. And now how sorrowful must it be to them and
to him, to be separated from them at the moment of the
achievement of the great end for which he led them forth
from Egypt, and in sight of the long-wished-for country,
which, alas ! by the fiat of his God, he was forbidden to
enter at the head of his conquering hosts !

But we hear no murmur from this mighty man ! At
the age of one hundred and twenty years he submits like
a gentle child to the will of his mighty God. Taking
leave of his friends at the foot of the mountain, and leav
ing a nation in tears, he ascends, attended by a few
favored elders, whom he instructs in wisdom as he goes
up the side of the mountain. Though his locks flow white
upon his shoulders, and mingle with his snowy beard upon

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 57

his breast, his eye is not dimmed nor his natural force
abated. Near the summit he embraces tenderly his
friends, blesses his noble general (Joshua) to whom he
formally surrenders his place, authority, and power;
while the aged Caleb kneels at his feet and bathes them
in tears.

The voice of God from the summit calls him from
their embraces ! He hears the familiar sound, and
spreading his hands over them, and over the kneeling
nation in the plain below, he blesses them in silence, and
then with moistened eyes turns away, and soon stands
upon the mountain top.

Says the record of Caleb, &quot; His majestic form seemed
to expand and tower in stately beauty as we beheld him
gaze off across the valley of Jordan, and let his piercing
glance wander over the broad fertile country which lay,
like Eden, between the two glittering seas ! When he
had surveyed it on all sides from his elevation, a bright
cloud descended above him, which transfigured, but did
not conceal him ; and we heard a voice from above the
cloud, as the voice of God, which said:

&quot; This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy
aced! Behold, this land of Canaan I give unto the
children of Israel for a possession forever ! Lo, I have
caused thee to see it with thine eyes ; but tliou slialt not
go over thither !

&quot; When the voice had ceased speaking,&quot; continues the
testimony of Caleb, &quot;the face of Moses became like the
sun! All his form and flowing robes were resplendent
with light ineffable ; and the cloud slowly enfolding him, he
was borne as if supported by invisible beings from the place

58 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

where lie stood on the top of the mountain, and disap
peared forever from our eyes.

&quot; In awe we waited until we took courage to approach
the holy place he had left, when we found all solitude.
Nothing was visible around us but the rocky peak de
scending sheer into the dark mountain ravines ! Silence
like the eternal stillness of the upper sky reigned su
preme ! &amp;gt;

&quot; God had taken him from us, and buried him in
mystery and holy secrecy from the eyes of all men ! His
sepulchre no man knoweth ; but there are many that be
lieve he was translated like Enoch to heaven, in the
bright cloud which enshrouded his majestic and venera
ble form, and which many Seers who looked assert took
the form of a mighty angel, even of Michael the Prince
of Heaven!&quot;

Thus reads the parchment of Caleb the good.

Farewell, my beloved cousin and king! I will soon
take up my pen to address you another letter.

Your faithful

ARBACES

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 59

LETTER II.

ARBACES TO THE KING.

AMBASSADOR S CAMP, BEFORE JERICHO.

Mr DEAR COUSIN AND KlNG I

WE still linger in this romantic valley, not from choice
but from compulsion, as our invalids are but now suffi
ciently restored to health to move forward. This is
the twelfth day since we encamped here ; and yesterday
I would have resumed our journey, but a messenger whom
I had sent, by the advice of the elders of the senate, to
the king to ask permission to pass through his territories,
has but a few hours since returned with the royal consent.
As his majesty was neither at Gibeah nor Gilgal, his
usual abodes, but at the city of Hebron, farther south,
where he is building a palace, my messenger was longer
on his mission.

The king, with that grace and courtesy which singu
larly characterizes this refined people, not only accorded
me the liberty to traverse his dominions, but has sent
hither his son, the eldest Prince of his House, with an
honorary escort of two hundred of his body-guard, to ac
company me to Hebron. I was walking in front of my
tent, enjoying the soft air of this delicious clime, and
watching the groups of dark-eyed, laughing maidens
gathered, with their pitchers upon their heads, about the

60 THE THRONE OF DAVID: OR,

fountain which gushes forth near by in a grove of the
tall palms that stand so grandly all about this city, when
I heard the clear ring of a trumpet sounding from a nar
row dale between the vine-clad hills that rise west of
Jericho.

I looked and beheld emerge from the pass three or
four mounted men in armor, one of whom was richly
attired and seemed to be their chief, followed by a body
of foot soldiers, whose shining steel casques reflected the
sunbeams. They were marching into the valley, cheer
fully sounding their trumpets before them. My chief
captain, Nacherib, at once fastened on his helmet, and
seizing his sword, marshaled my body-guard into battle
array, suspecting a surprise. The warders from the gate
of the city at this moment responded to the bugles of
the advancing party, which again replied with a stirring
flourish of a score of martial instruments, among which
were heard drums, cymbals, and cornets.

&quot; That is not a warlike challenge, my noble captain,
I said, hearing this stirring music, &quot; but rather a salute
of honor.&quot;

&quot; True, my lord prince,&quot; answered the prudent old
warrior, &quot; but one must always believe armed bodies of
strangers hostile until we prove them to be friends.&quot;

At this moment, I perceived my messenger, ( who was
Ninus my armor bearer,) whom I had sent to the Hebrew
monarch, detach himself from the van of the advancing
troop and gallop across the valley towards me. In a few
moments he alighted at my feet, and saluting me said :

&quot; Fear no treachery, my lord prince. This company,
which you see advancing, is a guard of honor commanded
by the youthful Prince Jonathan, and sent by King

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 61

Saul to conduct your highness to his presence. The
monarch, whom I had to seek in three cities and found
iii Hebron, received your message gladly, and expressed
his desire to see in person the ambassador of the great
king of the east; and as a proof of his sincerity he en
tertained me with the most distinguished courtesy, and
has sent his son, the prince royal, to attend you to his
capital!&quot;

Upon hearing these welcome words, I immediately
mounted my horse, and at the head of one hundred of
the most splendidly-attired of my body-guard, rode
slowly to meet the Hebrew prince. When I had come
within three bow-shots of his party I halted, and leaping to
the ground advanced on foot towards him. The Israelitish
prince followed my example, and we met mid-way, saluting
each other with military courtesy. I was at once most
agreeably impressed with his appearance. He was a
mere youth, with the down scarcely shading his lip, and
in height not above the ordinary stature of young men.
But there was a noble frankness in his clear, open eyes
which revealed within a soul ingenuous and pure ! His
brown hair fell in shining waves upon his shoulders, and
was parted above his fair forehead which seemed to be
the very throne of truth. Without being regularly
handsome, his face was singularly attractive, and espe
cially when lighted up by the fine, warm smile of sincere
good-will with which he greeted me, as, coming quickly
nearer, he extended his open hand to clasp mine ! It
seemed from that moment we were friends and to be
friends forever! Your majesty must not charge me with
enthusiasm. There are very few men to whom my heart
goes out, or to whose hand-clasp my own fully responds,

62 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

When he spoke, his voicej rich and musical in its plea
sant cadences, completed his conquest over me !

&quot; My noble lord of Nineveh,&quot; he said, &quot;the king my
father welcomes you, by me, to the land of the Hebrew
people ! He is not ignorant of the glory and power of
Assyria. He desires you will accept my escort and
visit him at Hebron. His court is usually at Gibeah,
but he now sojourns at the former place which he intends
to make the capital of his kingdom!&quot;

&quot; I accept with pleasure, noble prince,&quot; I replied, &quot; the
invitation of your royal father. I can, however, pass
but a brief time at his court, as my mission is to that of
Egypt!&quot;

&quot; So I have learned from your messenger,&quot; answered
the prince.

I then invited him to my tent towards which we
walked side by side ; while I entrusted the reception of
his body-guard to the military courtesy of my chief-
captain. The dark-clad Hebrew troop, escorted to the
camp of my one hundred brilliant guards, took up a
position near them, and soon the Assyrians and Israelites
were seen intermingling, curiously examining-one another s
arms and armor, and conversing together like old com
rades and men of the same blood. And are not these
Hebrews of the race of Chaldean Assyrians ? Their
language is still so similar to ours that we converse to
gether with facility. The magnificence of my retinue,
the superb helmets, corslets, and coats of mail of my
chosen company of one hundred Ninevite young nobles
whom your majesty gave to guard my person and tent,
the beauty of their swords, golden helmets, and falchions,
the richness of the saddles and trappings of the horses.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 63

and the elegance of the animals themselves, for the
Hebrews have but few horsemen, were all subjects of ad
miration and remark.

In the meanwhile I sat in my tent with the amiable
Hebrew prince placed opposite to me. I entertained him
with the richly preserved fruits of India and the soft,
golden wines of Media.

&quot; You live in great splendor in the Orient, my lord
prince,&quot; he said, glancing around upon the silken hangings
of my traveling pavilion and at the costly appointments
of every thing within.

U 0ur king is the most opulent of all princes on the
earth,&quot; I truly answered him. &quot; Nineveh is a city of palaces
and of luxury. The empire of Assyria is unbounded in
extent eastward and to the south. It embraces numerous
lesser kingdoms, provinces, and governments; and the
once mighty Babylon is subject to its sceptre.&quot;

As he manifested deep interest in our affairs, and asked
many questions about your majesty, I gave him a history
of the power and splendor of your dominions ; spoke of
the vastness of your army, of the exhaustless wealth of
your treasure-houses, of the magnificence of your court ;
but more than all, I described to him, king, your
majesty in person, the wisdom and prudence of your
reign, and how you were loved and honored by your sub
jects.

When I had done speaking, the noble Hebrew modestly
remarked :

&quot; The glory of a kingdom, my lord, lies not in the
gold and silver in its coffers, in the grandeur of its pa
laces, nor in the splendor of its court, but in the virtue,
wisdom, and justice of its monarch !&quot; From this a ami-

64 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

rable sentiment which he finely expressed, his features
being animated with all its spirit, your majesty will per
ceive something of the excellency of his disposition and
the dignity of his thoughts.

When I had answered all his inquiries about Assyria,
which he warmly expressed a desire one day to visit,
I put many questions to him, in my turn, about his own
country and people. When, from my observations, he
perceived that I had some knowledge of the history of
his nation up to the period of the eve of their conquest
and the death of Moses, he appeared to be much pleased,
and said that it would afford him great pleasure to com
municate to me any further information I desired to ob
tain, while we should be journeying leisurely towards his
father s court.

We were now interrupted in our pleasant intercourse
by a delegation from the city composed of its chief men,
who, having come as far as the outer guard of the camp,
sent in to ask permission to pay their homage to their
prince.

With the heightened color of modest diffidence the
young Hebrew arose, and was excusing himself to me,
saying, he would go forth to them, when I expressed a
desire that he would receive the deputation where he
was ; but he said that he would prefer to meet them
without and accompany them to the city. I then arose
and went with him to where they awaited his coming,
and was gratified to behold the affectionate reverence
with which he was received by the white-bearded elders,
and the unaffected simplicity and kindness of his tone
and manner in addressing them. Happy will this peo
ple be, king, when this ingenuous prince shall come

THE REBELLION OF PKINCE ABSALOM. 65

to rule over them ! Wisdom and mercy, justice and truth,
will be the ornaments of his throne.

To-morrow we resume our journey, as all my retinue
are refreshed and vigorous for the march, with their long
and pleasant repose in this lovely vale of the Jordan.
In the leisure which this delay &amp;gt;Jias given me, I have been
studying the sacred books in the Hall of Scrolls at Jeri
cho, and especially the records of &quot; Caleb the wise,&quot;
which I have four scribes engaged in copying for me, as
I may not take it away, and greatly desire to have the
narrative in my possession.

I now write in my tent by the light of the swinging
lamp of chased gold, my mother s gift, which used to be
suspended in my chamber in my palace at Nineveh. The
sight of it recalls vividly the familiar room ; and I hardly
realize that I am many hundred miles distant from the
apartment it used once so cheerfully to light up. But 1
Tear this is a feeling of home-sickness, my royal cousin,
which, I am told by travelers in far lands, seizes upon
the heart of the exile instead of the body ! I will not
yield to it. I will write still. The prince is to-day a
guest in the city ! My soldiers are amusing themselves,
some with songs and musical instruments, others dancing
in the moonlight, others listening to the romantic legends
of a traveling story-teller from Arabia, who has wan
dered into the camp. From a distance, borne on the
soft breeze to my ear, I hear the trumpets of the ward
ers upon the walls of the city as they sound the signal
for changing the guard, and proclaim the hour of the
night.

I will here resume my narrative, your majesty, of the
wonderful events which followed the death of the great
5

66 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Hebrew leader, Moses, upon the mountain of Pisgah, in
sight of that land, to the very portals of which, after forty
years painful wanderings, he had at last led his people !

To his chief captain, a man renowned for his valor
and wisdom, he resigned his authority. This warrior s
name, according to Caleb, was Oshea, which signifies a
Saviour. In the sacred writings he is called Joshua.
Upon him Moses had solemnly laid his hands, and com
municated to him a portion of his spirit and divine glory
that the people might unquestionably obey him. Already
his prowess in their battles with their many foes had
commanded their respect, while his piety equaled his
bravery.

After the departure of Moses to the dwelling places
of the gods, this chief took command of the countless
hosts of the Hebrews, and advanced at their head to
make conquest of the land that God had given them ;
not, however, bestowed as a free gift, but to be won by
their arms, Jehovah himself fighting for them.

Having marched until they came in sight of the Jor
dan, approaching it from the deserts of the south, Joshua,
their general, encamped, and despatched spies across the
river to see and report to him the appearance of this
country, and the character of the inhabitants. Their glow
ing accounts of its abundance and beauty filled the Hebrews
with joy, and they became impatient to be led across the
river to enter upon its possession. But it was then the time
of the harvest in the land, in the middle of April, when this
river overflows its banks, and is very deep and broad, spread
ing sometimes three thousand cubits wide over the valley,
at which time its current is so strong and swift that nothing
can cross it. Small boats that attempt it are carried

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 67

down the stream with resistless velocity, reaching with
difficulty the shore far below. Caravans arriving at this
period are compelled sometimes to encamp many days on
the shore, until it subsides and sinks within its proper
bounds and becomes fordable. Such was its condition
two weeks ago when I crossed its shallow ford with my
retinue, guided by the young Hebrew soldier Joab.

The ancient Canaanites who dwelt this side of the
river were not ignorant of the presence, a few miles on
on the other shore, of the vast multitudes of the Israel
ites, for the Hebrew spies had been discovered in Jericho,
and pursued to the river. The King of Jericho suppos
ing the Hebrew hosts would pass on towards Chaldea,
the land of their great ancestor Abrani, which rumor had
noised was their real destination, and not suspecting they
would enter his territories any more than those of the
kings along whose borders they had hitherto marched,
contented himself merely with watching their vast camp
from the top of his palace. He felt the more secure, in
asmuch as the swollen river, then nearly a mile in width,
with a current swift as the flight of arrows, presented a
secure barrier between his dominions and the Hebrews,
to the passage of any body of men. After the visit of
the spies, he commanded all boats to be brought to the
western side and secured, and dismissed any apprehen
sions of danger which he might have entertained.

But what are the devices of kings or of men against
celestial powers ? The fate of his kingdom was sealed !
Forty years had those mighty hosts there encamped in
twelve armies, with their thousand banners glancing in the
sun, been seeking his kingdom and those adjacent to him
of his fellow monarchs, and like hungry eagles who have

68 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

discovered their long-scented prey, they were not now to
be turned aside, they nor their GOD ! from their determi
nate purpose ! This land for forty years had been the
theme of their talk by day seated in their tents; and in
the weary tramp through burning sands ! In their troubled
sleep beneath the stars of the desert they had dreamed
of it, and fancied that they cooled their arid lips with its
rich clusters of grapes, and bathed their brows in its foun
tains of cool waters ! They were not now to turn aside !
Not all the waters of the Great Middle Sea would have
stayed their advance ! Their God, who had divided the
watery plain of the Red Sea before their fathers, could
open a high-way across the Jordan for his people !

Secure at least in the protection of his now great river,
the king, and his courtiers, and his army, enjoyed them
selves in banqueting and in their pleasures. In his cups
that day the monarch of Jericho defied the hosts of Israel,
and waving his goblet of wine towards their camp from
his palace window, mocked them and their God !

Then it was that Joshua was commanded by the voice
of his God to rise up and marshal his armies, and put in
array all the people in the usual battle ranks in which
they marched when led by Moses, saying unto him,

&quot; As I was with my servant Moses, so will I be with
thee ; and this day I will magnify thee in the sight of
this people, that they may know that I have made thee
leader of them in his stead. Before thee lies the land
promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Enter in this
day and possess it.&quot;

But Joshua answered, saith the record of Caleb, &quot; I
have seen the river which lieth between. It is risen high
above its banks and no man may pass over, for the cur-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. b9

rent is both broad and deep.&quot; He was answered after
this manner :

&quot;Thou shalt see the waters of Jordan cut off as at
the sea of Egypt. Command the priests, the Levites,
that they take up the Ark of the covenant and bear it
towards the river. Let the hosts of Israel follow by their
armies, but be careful to leave two thousand cubits space
between them and the Ark of God.&quot;

When the God of the Hebrews had further spoken to
the Hebrew general, and given him some other directions,
Joshua left the celestial presence, and instructed the
elders, Levites, and people according to the command he
had received. Then the captain and chief officers of the
host passed in and out among all the companies repeating
the orders of their general, that the people should follow
the ark at a reverential distance, and prepare to go over
Jordan.

The sight alone of the swift and perilous river filled
with consternation the timid, and the women and the
children, who, not having seen the dividing of the waters
of the Red Sea before their fathers, did not realize that
the Jordan could be divided so that it might be crossed
dry-shod.

The twelve priests of Israel took up the sacred Ark of
their God, and moved slowly forward until they came to
the brink of the stream when, at the voice of Joshua,
they stood still. The van of the marching hosts of
Israel also halted two thousand cubits distant, while, as
far as the eye could see, the prolonged column of the
Hebrews stretched eastward to the mountains till their re
motest companies could not be distinguished as men, but
seemed to be rather the shadows of clouds slowly passing

70 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

along the earth at their base. The king and his court
and his people from the towers and walls of Jericho, of
Ai, and other cities, beheld this amazing spectacle with
mingled awe and mocking.

In the midst of his derision at the idea of their at
tempting the passage, an old courtier whispered in his
ear, &quot;Beware, king! Their God, forty years ago,
opened a passage for this mighty multitude whom you
deride and scorn, through a great sea, so that they w r ent
over on dry ground. Observe their compact movements !
They have some scheme in view by the confident manner
they approach the banks and take their stand!&quot;

&quot;Is not that the shrine of their god, those twelve
white robed men bear?&quot; asked the king, beginning to
feel ill at ease, and drinking a deep draught from his
wine cup.

The question was not answered ; for a great shout from
all the towers and walls which were lined with people
caused the startled king to look again towards the river

But I will transcribe the scene which followed, from
the parchments of Caleb the Good :

&quot;When,&quot; says this record, &quot;the twelve Levites had
reached the brim of the river, they stood still until the
ceaselessly advancing columns of the Hebrew legions,
one after another, deployed out into the plain facing the
Jordan. For five hours they thus came, rolling on, wave
after wave, battalion after battalion, host following host,
each with its standard and ensign of its tribe and family
displayed, until their front stretched along the river and
parallel with it six thousand cubits, or more than a mile
and a half in line; while its depth in the rear towards
the south-east was two leagues, including the neces-

THE REBELLION OP PRTXCE ABSALOM. 71

sary spaces between the tribes and companies for the bag
gage, cattle, camp-furniture, and, besides, for the women
and children. The whole plain was covered with their
dark masses to the bases of the black mountain of
Nebo.

&quot;At length, the Hebrew general elevated the sacred rod
of Moses which he held in his hand, and commanded
the priests to enter the water, carrying the Ark. There
was a brief instant of hesitation on the part of the
bearers, and many of them glanced at the face of Joshua
to see if their leader were in earnest ; for it seemed to
them certain destruction to attempt to take ten steps into
the foaming and roaring waters before them. He replied
to their hesitating regards by a quiet but firm wave of
the hand, signifying his w r ish for them to advance.

&quot;The priests, which had borne the Ark to the water s
edge, then obediently raised it from the ground upon
their shoulders; and the two foremost, side by side, en
tered the river. As the soles of their sandals were
dipped into the water, the waves retreated from before
them in a remarkable manner. The twelve priests
amazed, steadily moved forward, and began to chant a
sublime hymn, commencing,

&quot; The waters saw thee, God, and fled !
The Jordan is driven back at thy coming/

&quot; Continuing still to advance, the twelve bearers of the
Ark entered the revealed bed of the river, a short dis
tance, their feet scarcely wetted by the retreating stream.
Here by the command of Joshua they halted !

&quot;Now a sublime and awful spectacle exhibited itself
before our eyes ! All the broad river above the Ark was
suddenly arrested in its course, and began to pile itself

72 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

up into a wall of roaring waters, each moment heaping
its waves higher and higher, as if struggling with stupen
dous energy to turn back on itself rather than pass the
Ark of God ! That portion of the river below the Ark
being deprived of its natural supply by the sudden
stopping of that which was above it, shoaled rapidly
in its bed, each moment becoming shallower with the
fleetness of its downward flight ; so that where the
priests feet stood, and thence, quite across to the
western bank, the stones, gravel, and sand, soon became
visible !

&quot;In this manner the waters above the Ark being stayed
by the power of God so that they could not pass the
terrible place where It rested, and the waters below it
flying away as if with terror from its Presence, there
widened every instant a broad road in the bed of the
river opposite the front of the Israelitish line. It was a
wonderful sight to behold one half of Jordan fleeing
away, until, far as the eye could see, its waters continued
no longer visible, leaving, for two miles, its bed dry from
shore to shore, while the northern half stood fixed, foam
ing and rising in heaps, a wild precipice of boiling waters,
seeking to rush downward, but held back, as it were, with
bit and bridle, by an invisible Hand!&quot;

How amazing is all this, your majesty ! How awful
the power of this God of the Hebrews ! Here is recorded
a miracle as wonderful as that which is written of the
dividing of the Red Sea ! But I continue my narrative
from the parchments before me.

&quot;When the children of Israel,&quot; says the writer of
the record, &quot; beheld this manifestation of the presence
and greatness of Jehovah, the waters standing upon a

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 73

heap on one side and flying wholly away on the other,
they set up a great shout of joy and of wonder, w T hich
must have made the walls of Jericho shake.

&quot; The king from his terrace had also witnessed the sight
of his river rent in twain, one part leaving his dominions,
and the other rushing back on its course overwhelming
trees, villages, cliffs, with its reverse torrents. He
trembled with fear, and stood gazing in mute horror upon
the sublime and appalling scene before him.

&quot; The priests who bore the Ark were now commanded
by Joshua to lift it upon their shoulders and march on
until they came to the middle of the bed of Jordan and
there stop. Then came after them, walking into the
river bed, dry shod, the Levites, four hundred in num
ber, bearing the rich curtains and pillars of brass, hang
ings of purple and broidered work, and other parts of the
tabernacle and its furniture, with all the sacred vessels
appertaining to the sacrifices therein. In the midst of
the river, the priests stayed the Ark. Then those who
bore the tabernacle kept on past them and reached the
other shore ! The van of the main body was now com
manded by Joshua, who stood on the land, to move for
ward; and magnificent was the sight! In column, with
not less than a mile and a half of front, the bannered
hosts marched towards the river. There was no sound
of trumpet; no voice heard, only the deep tread of the
tens and hundreds of thousands of men ! Entering the

bed of Jordan, the van occupied up and down its length
a space as far as a man could be distinguished by the
eye from the end of one wing to the end of the other
wing. Their onward march now ceased not ! Hour after
hour the mighty current of the human river flowed

74 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

athwart the dry bed of the suspended Jordan, until at
length the vast multitude overflowed the valley on the
other side, and filled the whole plain with their terrible
hosts.

u When the last company had reached the banks, the
Ark, which until now had stood immoveable in the middle
of the river-bed, was lifted up again by its consecrated
bearers, and borne landward. No sooner had the last
priest s sandals touched the grassy bank, than Joshua,
who came over last of all, turning to the Jordan, extended
towards it the rod of God in his hand, when lo ! the ac
cumulated wall of waters gave way! and, as a fierce
courser, long held in by the curb, plunges madly for
ward when released from restraint, so the mighty Jordan,
unbound, leaped into the abyss ; and with the roar of
rolling thunders, and in the shape of a gigantic cataract,
it poured its imprisoned waters once more along its de
serted channel! All Israel stood, and beheld, amazed,
the sublime sight !

&quot;From his palace the king, who had watched with
consternation the crossing of the countless hosts of the
Lord, also beheld the return of the river to its bounds,
and saw the unloosed, dark flood rush wildly towards the
sea. That which had been a barrier, as he believed, be
tween him and his foe, he now saw was to become the
bounds of a prison-house for himself and his people ;
shutting within the land his dreaded foes. Already
he had assembled his army about him within the
gates, confident in the strength of his lofty walls !
He now beheld the vast multitude pitch their camp in
the green plain (first setting up twelve stones, brought

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM., 75

by them from the bed of Jordan, as a memorial,) by
tribes and by companies, with the tabernacle erected in
the midst arid the dread Ark of their God near it ! As
the day closed, the smoke of burning sacrifices rose from
the altar of the Hebrews, and the voices of the priests
were heard chanting a conquering hymn to their God.
Night at length veiled the scene ; and silence, unbroken
save by the calls of alert sentinels on the walls of Jeri
cho, and the rushing of the wild waters of the river,
reigned over city and encampment, over town and tent.&quot;

Here closes the second book of the record of Caleb,
the wise.

Thus, your majesty, did this wonderful people enter
the land promised them as a possession ! Was not such
a triumphant and glorious entrance a full reward for
their long years of wandering ? Was it not a just recom
pense for all their sufferings? How must this people
have adored their mighty God for His marvelous works
in their sight ! What a profound impression of his ma
jesty, power, and omnipotence must this miracle of the
Jordan have produced upon their minds ! Who among
them all would henceforth dare to disobey His com
mands or murmur against His divine will ! What a
manifestation to this barbaric King of Jericho, of the
greatness and strength of the God of the Hebrews !
How impotent must he have felt his own power before
such an exhibition of that of the Lord of the Israelites !
Like another Pharaoh, he must have trembled, even while
he defied !

The next day there was made a great national feast to
their God, of unleavened cakes. The morning after this,
to the great consternation and surprise of the Hebrews,

76 , THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

when they went early abroad from their tents, as afore
time, for forty years past, to gather the manna which fell
from the heavens for their sustenance, lo ! none was to be
seen upon the earth ! It had never failed them before !
When Joshua perceived this, and that they looked to
him for relief, he made known to them that now they
had come into their own proper inheritance, the land
of Abraham, a land of corn, wine, oil, and fruit, a land
flowing with milk and honey, they were to gather of the
abundance thereof and eat, as they were to have manna
no more ! All around them the wide plains were teem-
ing with golden corn ripe for the sickle ; and as God,
to whom belongs the whole earth and man upon it, saith
the chronicle of Caleb, had given the land and its pro
ductions to them as their rightful heritage, the people
gladly hastened to gather the corn and fruits, and pro
vide food for their families.

The King of Jericho, shut up in his strong city, had
observed all that was done in the camp ; and as he .be
held no battering rams or engines of war among them
for the assault of cities and castles, he said to his chief
officers :

&quot; They will soon waste the plains, these Egyptian
slaves, and march on like locusts ! They will not assail
me here, for they know they cannot enter my gates of
iron and brass, or make a breach ! We have our grana
ries well stored for a siege ; we will wait in quiet until
hunger drives them to other kings dominions.&quot;

In the meanwhile Joshua was troubled in mind to
know how he should get possession of the city, for it was
the key to the land. He walked first with his officers,
and then afterwards alone all around the great and

THE REBELLION OF PllIXCE ABSALOM. T

strong place which stood, in the pride of its citadels and
towers, the glory and strength of the plains. But his
chief captains united in saying that it was impregnable,
and that it could not be taken except by a long siege, by
which to reduce them to capitulation through hunger and
thirst.

In the evening of the third day, records the book of
Caleb, as the Hebrew general was slowly walking before
Jericho, and gazing musingly upon its lofty battlements
lined with archers, spearmen, bowmen, and mailed sol
diers, and saw the formidable slings between heavy
beams with which they could discharge huge rocks into
the plain, and was doubting if it could ever be taken,
when from between two palm trees there suddenly stepped
before him a tall young man with a drawn scimitar in
his hand ! Immediately the Hebrew warrior-chief drew
his sword, advanced upon him, and cried :

&quot;Art thou for us, or against us !&quot;

&quot;I am a captain in the hosts of the God of Israel,&quot;
answered the young man, whose face was like a god s for
beauty and courage, while his eyes beamed with celestial
splendor. &quot; I am against thine adversaries, and am
come to fight on thy part 1&quot;

When the Hebrew chief heard these words, he fell
prostrate to the earth and worshiped him. Then the
youthful and glorious captain of the Lord s hosts said to
him,

&quot; Loose thy sandals, for the place whereon thou standest
is holy !&quot;

When Joshua had obeyed, he looked up, and lo ! a celes
tial light shone from the person of the warrior of God,
and his robes were radiant as the glory of the morning.

78 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Then said the captain of the hosts of heaven, &quot; Thou
seest that this city, even Jericho, is straitly shut up be
cause of thee and thine armies ! None come out or go
in. But lo ! I have given it into thy hand, and the king
thereof, and all its mighty men of valor ! But thou must
first command that the priests who bear the ark, pre
ceded by seven more holy men of God, each with a trum
pet in his hand, shall compass the city seven days, once
each day, blowing with their trumpets continually.
With them thou shalt send a body of tried men-of-war to
guard them from assault ; and the Seventy Elders of the
people shall also go with them. On the seventh day thou
shalt assemble the whole army of Israel in all their com
panies, and march seven times around the city ; and the
seven priests shall sound the trumpets as they go before
the ark, ceasing not until they return whence they set
out. At the end of the seventh circuit of the city, all
the priests shall sound long and loud with their horns,
and the trumpets of the Hebrew hosts shall mingle their
voices in the peal, and all Israel shall shout with the
voice of God ! Then shall the Lord deliver the city into
your hand !&quot;

The celestial vision, for such it was, after some further
instructions, disappeared from the eyes of the Hebrew
leader, who joyfully returned to the camp, his confidence
in the help of his God confirmed anew.

Obedient to the command of the Divine man with the
sword in his hand, Joshua sent forth on the following
morning the priests with the Ark, seven more with trum
pets, the senate, and the guard of a thousand men-at-
arms. For six days they made a solemn circuit of the
city, while the king and his mighty men, his courtiers.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 79

and his concubines, at first wondering at the sight, after
the third and fourth day, laughed, and derided, and
mocked this strange procession, from their terraces and
battlements. They shot arrows and slung missiles of
war, in hopes to reach them, but Joshua had forbidden
the priests coming within bow-shot of their walls. On
the morning of the seventh day, said the merry kino; to
his courtiers,

&quot; Come, let us see if this unmeaning procession maketh
its appearance to-day also ! By the gods of Jericho ! it
is full time ! Nay, they will not march ! They are
weary looking at the outer Avails of my fair city to no
purpose ! What can have been their purpose in taking
the air for six days past around about our battlements ?
But their odd tramping has come to an end, I hope !&quot;

&quot;Nay, my lord king,&quot;- said one of his captains,
&quot; coming in with haste. The whole army of the He
brews, their whole people to a man, are in vast motion
like a sea, and are coming on in terrible grandeur, their
Ark in advance, and above it shining a strange and ter
rible light, like the angry fire of a human Eye !&quot;

The king and his courtiers hastened to the battlements !
The report of his captain-at-arms was indeed true. Like
a mighty river, heaving and dark with the swell of a
coming storm, the armed hosts of the Hebrew people
were to be seen flowing along the plain, and slowly drawing
near, each moment encompassing the city closer and
closer, as a huge serpent gradually coils about its victim.
They marched with banners on high and trumpets sound
ing, and the fall of their feet was as the sound of many
waters, and their tread upon the earth shook the plain,
and caused the red wine in the jeweled cup of the king,

80 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

which he had left standing on his table of porphyry, to
tremble with tiny waves ! This mighty multitude gradu
ally filled the vale, and rolled its swelling human waves
high up along the sides of the overhanging hills. The
king, pale and silent, looked on ! Ridicule and derision
ceased to have place upon his white lips. A cold terror
settled on all hearts ! Until now he had no conception
of their countless numbers ! What could mean this mys
terious march of seven days ! and this last one in battle
array, and so grand and terrible with its display of
power in numbers ! Onward they come ! they pass the
citadel ! and the great circuit is at length completed,
and they have not attacked. The king breathes easier !
But hark ! They come again ! The Ark enveloped in
i ts burning cloud, the priests, the elders, the men-of-war,
Joshua, and the twelve armies following, all resume their
awful advance, while their trumpets peal continually,
making now one unbroken roar during their whole com
pass of the walls. When a second time they have ter
minated the circle of the fated city without any show of
attacking it, the king faintly smiles with assurance, and
his courtiers attempt a jest, but with pale and uncertain
mirth. They recall the recent passage of the Jordan !
and they fear that such mysterious demonstrations as
these mean something ! The inscrutable character of
these encompassing marches awes and troubles them !
The courtiers, as becomes these royal sycophants, strive
to amuse the monarch with their faint wit upon these
strange evolutions. %

But the king looked grave, as a third time he heard
the advancing trumpets, and beheld the Ark re-appear

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 81

beyond the grove of palmtrees, the point where it always
first canie in sight.

When, however, for six times, the mighty host had com
passed the city without halt or purpose, the fears of the
king disappeared ; and he lightly joined in the jests of
his flatterers.

&quot;Without doubt, your majesty, these wandering He
brews are lunatics, and this is a sort of mad march round
and round they are doing in honor of the moon !&quot; said one.

&quot; Nay, but rather all blind ; and in trying to find
their way out of the valley, perform these endless circles
about Jericho,&quot; said another.

&quot; Then,&quot; said the king, with a smile and an oath ; &quot; I
will give the richest quarter part of my kingdom to the
nan with two eyes, who will show them the way safely
out of my dominions.&quot;

&quot; Peradventure,&quot; said a third courtier, &quot;the man with
two eyes would shortly be without a head to keep them
in, were he to venture thither.&quot;

&quot; One would imagine,&quot; said a soldier in gilt armor,
who was a captain of men-at-arms in the palace, &quot; that
they expected to see walls fall down to let them in, or at
least the gates fly open at their trumpet calls.&quot;

And so the king and his people jested, but only to
conceal their secret fears.

The seventh time that day the host of the Lord en
compassed Jericho, and then facing it, stood still, every
man with his sword in his right hand.

&quot; See ! Have they not come to a halt ?&quot; cried the
king, who, perceiving that nothing was done to the city,
had quite recovered his gayety, and was making great
mirth with his friends at this strange pastime of going

82 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

round and round his capital seemingly without end or
aim. But when he perceived that they had stopped and
turned every man his face towards the city, and in silence
seemed to await some event, his heart was troubled,
and the hearts of all his people with him. Ascending
quickly the highest tower of the citadel accompanied by
a few of his officers, he turned and looked around him.
The sight made his knees shake. He saw that the dark
host of the Hebrew armies completely enclosed his city
without a break in the fatal chain. It was a terrible spec
tacle to him, to behold that formidable wall of armed men
surrounding his wall of towers and battlements of stone.

At a distance, he discerned a party of horsemen gal
loping along the line. At their head, mounted upon a
noble charger white as snow, was a gray-haired warrior,
with a burnished helmet and a mailed form, and waving in
his hand a white rod. His sword was in its sheath. He
rode rapidly along the line of the close ranks of the He
brews, and at intervals reined up to address a few words
of command ; and then, followed by his escort of mounted
men-at-arms, he would gallop on again. The king knew
him to be the leader Joshua. He felt that now some
thing menacing the safety of his city was about to be
attempted. What, he could not divine ! But he was ill
at ease.

&quot;What can they do?&quot; he said to his chief captain,
looking for courage and confidence into his pallid face ;
&quot; Are we not shut in with gates of brass and bars of iron ?
Are not our walls too high to be scaled ? Besides they
have no ladders nor other engines of war ! Yet this
spectacle is terrible ! I feel like a man who awakes and
beholds across a chasm a lion crouching and bending his

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 83

piercing gaze upon him. The chasm is wide, yet the lion
may achieve the great bound and clasp him in the em
brace of death ! I know they cannot mount the walls ;
yet I do not feel secure ! This silent expectation is
fearful ! What a dark and menacing aspect they pre
sent !

At this instant the air was rent with the peal of a
thousand trumpets. The warlike sounds grew louder
and louder, longer and longer, until one fierce roar of
brazen horns appalled all ears within the city. The very
towers shook, and the citadel on which the king stood
with his officers vibrated beneath their feet. With a cry
of terror, the monarch called upon his officers to ily for
safety below, for the tower was falling. Suddenly the
trumpets ceased their clamor ! Silence like that of mid
night succeeded for a moment, and then, while the pale
King of Jericho still stood on the tower, hesitating and
petrified with fear as he knew not what judgment was about
to come upon him and his city, the voice of the Hebrew
general was heard through all the plain which was in
front of the king s gate, crying,

&quot; Shout aloud, Israel ! The sword of the captain
of the Lord s hosts shall fight for you this day ! Shout
with the voice of one man, for the Lord hath given you
the city !&quot;

The tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands qf
men in the army of Israel at once lifted up their voice !
It seemed as if the heavens would fall and the earth rend,
so loud, so dreadful, so like the thunder of the voice of
God, was this fearful war-shout of three millions of
people in one wild, fierce, menacing battle-cry ! The
king in nervous terror shrieked a frantic response, and

84 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

his courtiers answered it like men gone mad with affright !
For not only did the awful voice of the multitude appall
their hearts, but they beheld suddenly appear in the air
above the Ark a man with a sword in his right hand
whose stature overtopped the highest towers of the city !
They saw him, at the great shouting of the people,
shake his gleaming falchion in the air, stretch it forth
towards the city and strike ! Like a flash of lightning
it seemed to encircle the walls and cleave them close to
their foundations, so that towers, gates, battlements,
citadel and the walls fell over all about the city in the
same instant level with the ground ; leaving the interior
of Jericho, with its palaces, temples, streets, and dwell
ings, exposed to the eyes and approach of all Israel sur
rounding it. Only one little part of the wall with an
obscure inn thereon stood firm ! The sky was darkened
with the clouds of ascending dust which, reaching a
certain height, hung like a pall over the now wall-less
capital !

&quot; Advance and take the city and destroy all within, in
the name of the Lord of hosts,&quot; cried Joshua advancing
before them !

Then with a great shout of victory the Israelites moved,
each man straight forward from the place where he stood,
and entered the city sword in hand. It was soon taken,
All the inhabitants were put to death ! Joshua sough i
for the king, and found him in his palace lying dead r
with his sword, upon which, in his despair, he had thrown
himself, sheathed in his heart !

Here, your majesty, end, for the present, my transcripts
from the records.

The city having been plundered of its gold, silver,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 85

iron, and brass, was set on fire and burned to the ground.
Thus the first conquest of the Hebrews was achieved in
a manner altogether in keeping with their miraculous
history. &quot;Where human means are ineffectual, their
God lends them the aid of his mighty power ; but
first he bids them work for the end, as if they ex
pected to accomplish it solely by the means made use of,
alone !

Why they should have been commanded to compass
the city so many times, thirteen in all, or what virtue
there is in the number seven, my dear Belus, I do not
profess to know. The result, however, was, as I have
stated, that the lofty walls in which the King of Jericho
trusted fell instantaneously at the shouting, and exposed
the city to the mercy or vengeance of its foes. One only
house stood with the wall beneath it. This was the
abode of a poor woman, an innkeeper, who saved the
spies of Joshua when pursued, and hid them in her house
until they could go out in safety and secrecy. Her
house was singularly preserved amid the general over
throwing of the walls ; and Joshua generously saved her
and all her kindred from the universal slaughter which
followed the miraculous taking of the city.

I will now close this very long epistle, your majesty,
describing scenes enacted here nearly five hundred years
ago. To-morrow, escorted by Prince Jonathan, I take
up my line of march for the court of Saul.

Farewell,

Tour faithful

ARBACES,

86 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

LETTER III.

ARBACES, THE AMBASSADOR

To KING BELUS.

CITY OP RAMAH, IN THE LAND OF JFDEA.
MY DEAR COUSIN AND KlNG :

YOUR majesty in this letter will learn what events
befel me in my journey from Jericho to this place, and
what transpired in my interview with the Seer of the
Hebrews, at whose palace I have been for the past two
days a guest.

The young Israelitish Prince, Jonathan, who had
been sent by his royal father to escort me from the pro
vince of the Jordan, was ready with his body-guard of
two hundred Hebrew men-at-arms, early in the morning
after my last letter was written. The sun had not yet
risen, when his trumpets rung musically through the val
ley, the wild notes coming back in melodious echoes from
the surrounding cliffs. I was soon in the saddle, and
rode forth to meet him, my own legion being already in
order of march, .marshaled before my tent, under the
command of the brave Nacherib; who, with his silvery
locks flowing beneath his steel, gold-inlaid helmet, his
burnished cuirass, and mounted on his noble war-horse
shining with polished scales of mail, looked the personi
fication of Belassar the god of war :

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 87

The caravan was already alert and in motion westward
under its chief. I lingered to receive a courteous fare
well from the elders of the city, who expressed, in part
ing with me, their respect for Assyria and for your
majesty, and a desire that friendship might be cemented
between the two kingdoms forever. I warmly recipro
cated this sentiment ; for I assure your majesty that if
we can maintain terms of amity with this warlike peo
ple, they will afford the best safeguard and frontier west
ward for your kingdom in reference to Egypt, and its
ambitious Pharaohs.

The signal was now given to march, and the princs
and I, side by side, rode forward, when there approached
us from the gate of the city the tall young warrior, Joab,
who had assembled the seven thousand men to confront
me, when at the head of my retinue I descended into the
valley the other side of the river ! The young man was
on foot, but armed as when I first beheld him. He was
of large frame for his youth, and wore his armor awk
wardly, as if more of a herdsman, which he really was,
than a warrior. But in his large expressive eyes
burned that resolution and courage of soul which, in the
moment of danger, had given him the undisputed leader
ship of the hastily-gathered army which had met me be
yond the Jordan.

Upon coming near he said to the prince, &quot; My lord
Jonathan, permit me to go up to Hebron in your com
pany. I wish to become by profession a soldier, and to
serve the king with my sword !&quot;

&quot; That thou slialt, if it please thy humor, good Joab ;&quot;
answered the prince, with the smile and tone of one who
had knowledge of him : &quot; My father needs brave, hearty,

THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

and strong arms about him ! You shall go with me, and
I will take you into my own body-guard, until the king
shall call for your service. These barbaric Philistines
will soon give us all enough to do ! They menace us
again in the west !&quot;

&quot;I will gladly serve in your body-guard, my lord
prince,&quot; answered the strong-armed and stout young sol
dier ; &quot;for I know that, young as thou art, thou art a
master in war, and that thy legion is a training school
at-arms!&quot;

&quot;You do me too much honor, my brave Joab,&quot; an
swered the ingenuous prince, modestly. &quot; Thou shouldst
be near my warlike father to learn the art of doing bat
tle against one s foes !&quot;

&quot; Think est thou, my prince, that all men in Israel do
not know thy prowess and skill at the weapons of war?
No man has forgotten thy victory over the Philistine hosts
single-handed, save that thy armor-bearer was with thee !&quot;

&quot; Not worth thy or their remembering,&quot; answered the
prince smiling, and riding forward, adding, &quot; Thou hast
no horse, Joab ?&quot;

&quot; No, my lord ! I have always been a-foot !&quot; he an
swered.

&quot; Then thou shalt henceforth ride, young man,&quot; I said
to him, and ordered one of the led horses to be brought
up which I forced him to accept ; and mounting him he
roie near us.

The Hebrews, as I have said, have not many horses.
Their armies are chiefly foot-soldiers, and their chief
captains fight on foot. It is only a few of the most dis
tinguished commanders and officers of the royal guards
who ride on horses. The king has a battalion of cha-

THE REBELLION&quot; OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 89

riots of war ; but in this hill-country armies of infantry
arc more easily marched from point to point, and ma-
noenvred with more facility in battle. With us, being a
nation of horsemen, a captain on foot would be a degrad
ing position for him ; but here even their greatest lead
ers have led their hosts dismounted. Horses are, how
ever, coming more into use, arid the king is to organize
a legion of six thousand mounted men !

As we crossed the beautiful and fertile plain towards
the hills, I turned to take a last view of the vale of Je
richo and its surrounding scenery. The beams of the
rising sun were just lighting up its loftiest towers. The
river flowed peacefully past far distant amid gardens and
vineyards, and above the dark mountains of Nebo with
the loftier shoulder of Pisgah, where Moses died, floated
a group of purple clouds, their summits gilded by the
sun s rays into a blaze of glory. How peaceful and fair
to look upon was all the scene ! The valley waved with
corn, like an emerald sea, while in all parts of it amid
groups of palms, and fig, and pomegranate trees, were
visible the walls of the pretty white villas and cottages
of the dwellers in this vale of repose. Even the hill-sides
and rocks and cliffs were verdant with grape-vines and
hanging with gardens! Every foot of ground was cul
tivated, and plenty and peace, security and happiness
seemed to make their abode here. Amid all, like a noble
diadem crowning the whole landscape, rose the battle
ments and towers of the city, a fair and imposing finish
to the captivating picture.

&quot;How charming all this view!&quot; I said to the prince,
who had regarded my admiration of it with natural pride
and pleasure.

90 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot;Yes, my lord,&quot; he answered, &quot;it is a fair land the
God of our fathers gave us for a possession. You will find
innumerable lovely scenes as you journey through it.&quot;

His words recalled to my thoughts the passage of the
Jordan and the fall of the walls of Jericho nearly five
hundred years before ; and I said :

&quot; Who that gazes on this fearful scene could imagine
the river, so placidly flowing in its bed, piled on heaps
there by yonder village of Adame, and roaring backward
on its northward course like a cataract !&quot;

&quot; Or,&quot; said he, taking up my thought, &quot;who can con
ceive the spectacle this valley about Jericho presented,
when the armies of the Lord, led by Joshua and mar
shaled by the shining captain of the hosts of heaven,
marched along it in their mighty circuits of its walls !&quot;

&quot; What a sight all that must have been !&quot; I exclaimed.
&quot; How the sound of the priests trumpets and the shout
ing must have awakened the echoes of these now silent
hills ! How little the present seems to reveal the past !&quot;

&quot; It would seem that the echoes still should linger of
those three million voices,&quot; he said. &quot; But all is changed !
The Jericho of to-day is another city altogether ! The
first was utterly destroyed by our fathers with fire.&quot;

&quot; So I have read,&quot; I answered, &quot; in your sacred books,
and also in the chronicles of Caleb the Good.&quot;

&quot; You have then an interest in knowing something
of our history, my lord prince,&quot; he remarked.

&quot; I am deeply interested. I have with me copies of
your sacred books and other parchments which I shall
carefully peruse. One feature in your history I cannot
understand. How is it,&quot; I asked, &quot;that your nation,
since the death of the venerable chief, Joshua, under

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 91

whom it nearly completed the entire conquest of this land,
has had no other great captain or leader ? I am told that
your royal father is its first king, and yet it is more than
four hundred years since the death of the conqueror !&quot;

We had by this time entered a defile, the sides of
which hid the city and Jordan with its valley from our
sight. The royal Hebrew body-guard now marched in
the van with two hundred of my own guard, the caravan
moved along in the centre, and my main legion came
last directly in our rear. We had, therefore, only
quietly to keep the road, and had leisure to converse,
Joab and our armor-bearers being the only listeners.

The prince was about to reply to my inquiry, when a
richly dressed Hebrew, mounted on a large fine mule,
with a retinue of seven or eight foreign looking servants,
drew near by a road leading from a handsome stone
villa, and craved permission to join our company as he
was traveling to Hebron. It was granted to him, and
the prince, who knew him, presented him to me as one
of the chief architects of the kingdom going to assist the
king in planning his palace.

&quot; Of what nation are those slaves ?&quot; I asked, struck
with the dark saturnine countenance, glittering black eyes
and small stature of the architect s servants ; for Hebrews
they could not be.

&quot;These swarthy men,&quot; answered Prince Jonathan,
&quot; are descended from the ancient inhabitants of the
land!&quot;

&quot; I supposed they were all exterminated,&quot; I answered,
again regarding the eight servitors, being much struck
with the looks of cunning and duplicity which seemed
to be a marked characteristic of the faces of all of them ;

92 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

looking like persons not to be fully trusted and to be
kept in subjection alone by fear.

&quot; They are a singular exception,&quot; answered the prince.
&quot; Their history is a remarkable .one. They are Gibeon-
ites ! Their fathers dwelt in a small kingdom not far
west from where Joshua crossed the Jordan. Hearing
of the fall of Jericho and the successive conquests of the
Hebrews, this wily people, with others whom they pre
vailed upon to unite with them, hit upon a stratagem to
save their lives, if not their territories. They selected
ambassadors whom they clothed in tattered garments
and worn out sandals, and gave old sacks for their pro
visions, and disguised them altogether as travelers, who
have been many weeks on a weary march from a dis
tant land !

&quot;Presenting themselves before Joshua, they told him
how they came from a far country, having heard of the
power and glory of his people, and desired on the part
of their king to make a treaty of friendship with him.
They, moreover, said that their clothes and sandals were
new when they started from home, and otherwise so de
ceived him, that believing they were a people dwelling
far beyond the land which he was commanded by his God
to take possession of, he entered into covenant with them
of peace and friendship. Having succeeded in their de
ceitful mission, these ambassadors (who dwelt not two full
days march from the Jordan) returned home. When at
length Joshua, extending his conquest and destroying all
the people of the land with the sword as he went, came
to their country and recognized the men, and knew that
they were Canaanites of the land whom it was his duty
to destroy, he was justly very angry at the deception

THE REBELL ON OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 98

they had practiced upon him ; but having entered into a
solemn league of friendship with them, he felt he could
not now exterminate them. They humbly plead, that,
in order to save their lives they had been compelled to
adopt the wily course which they had done.

&quot; Thereupon Joshua, calling the chief men of the
Gibeonitcs together, said to them all,

tk i I have sworn and will truly keep my oath, to be
at peace with you so far as not to take your lives ! But
from this day your whole people shall become hewers of
wood and drawers of water to the Hebrews !

&quot; Thus were they condemned to perpetual servitude,&quot;
added the prince, &quot; and here you behold after four hun
dred years their descendants, servants among us !&quot;

I regarded these slaves with no little interest, your
majesty, after hearing their history; and I can not but ex
press my wonder at seeing how they have inherited looks
of duplicity, a trait which is evidently still their birthright,
judging from their treacherous-looking countenances.

Seeking now, as W T C rode on, further information from
the intelligent young prince about the past of his people,
he said,

&quot;You desire to know how we were governed after our
great chieftain, Joshua, died ! First by a Supreme Senate
of seventy elders with whom he left his authority; but
after about fifty years of this rule, the armies, dissatisfied
with the pacific government of the elders, elected their
own chief, and gave him absolute authority to rule and
judge them. These Judges were often military dicta
tors, and their power at length became as absolute as that
of crowned princes. There was even a heroic female
Deborah in the line of our Judges. From Othniel the

94 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

first Judge twelve Judges have reigned, with intervals of
disaster and of submission often to our foes, down to the
present generation. The last Judge was the prophet
Samuel now living at Ramah, an aged Seer and servant
of God !&quot;

&quot; Will you explain to me, my prince,&quot; I said, &quot;how a
Judge of Israel with absolute power, and a king can both
exist in the land at the same time ?&quot;

&quot; Samuel the Seer continued to govern our nation with
almost imperial authority,&quot; he kindly answered ; &quot; as a
prophet, he held over the people undisputed sway and
commanding influence. His talents, virtues, wisdom,
piety, and firmness, as well as his great experience in
governing, gave them unlimited confidence in him. But,
at length, through the weight of years, he transferred
his powers to his tw r o sons, dividing his authority between
them. These men were deficient in the great qualities
of their father; and, unable to bear longer their in
efficient rule, which was felt more keenly inasmuch as
we were at war with the Philistines, and required an
energetic head, they waited on the prophet in a great
body, and demanded a king to be placed over them !
The prophet at first refused to hear them, ( for he was
still the actual statesman and counselor of the nation,
guiding his weak sons in their office by his experience
and wisdom,) but at length yielded to their importunities,
and by the command of God anointed my father, then a
young man, king. He was, at the time this high honor
befel him, dwelling among the mountains of his nativity,
and wholly unsuspecting the distinction to be conferred
upon him. The people, when they saw him, confirmed
by acclamation his choice ; for he was of lofty stature,.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. H5

with a singularly commanding person, and of undoubted
courage, having shown proofs of his daring and warlike
spirit in minor conflicts with parties of the enemy in the
passes of his native hills. Not long after this, the King
of Ammon beyond Jordan invaded our land, and the new
king, promptly putting himself at the head of the Hebrew
soldiers, routed the enemy with great slaughter. My
father was then crowned with great rejoicings, and pre
pared to consolidate his throne. But the Philistines, u
warlike and fierce people of the west, whose country lies
on the borders of the Great Sea, and who have not ceased
since the days of Joshua to dispute our possession of
this land of our fathers, declared war against the newly-
crowned monarch. The Hebrews, proud of having a
king like other nations to lead them forth to battle, ral
lied in great numbers and full of hope around the royal
standard. These wars continued for many years, with
occasional intervals of truce ; and in these my father
strove to strengthen his kingdom, adorn its cities, im
prove his army, and elevate the people. His reign was
for many years happy and glorious, and his prosperous
wars added distinction to his name. Moderation and
clemency marked his treatment to his enemies, and
resentment and revenge were then strangers to his
bosom.&quot;

Here the prince sighed and looked sad and thoughtful,
Perceiving that something painful was upon his mind, I
rode on in silence ; for I recollected what had been told
me at Jericho of the gloom which had settled upon the
mind of King Saul ; and that from being a wise and
magnanimous prince, he had become cruel, unjust, and
revengeful, and sonant even the lives of his best friends,

O 7 C5

96 THE TIIHONE OF DAVID; OR,

The royal youth would no doubt have resumed the
subject in a few moments, so abruptly broken off, but at
this instant a man came bounding with the speed of
a wolf down a narrow defile between two hills, past
which our road wound. He came in sight of us so sud
denly, that he could not check the impetus with which he
was running soon enough to escape our observation, as
he quickly tried to do. No sooner, as he turned to fly,
did the eyes of Joab fasten upon him than he rode to
wards him, and seizing him by the hair, took him cap
tive.

&quot; Who art thou, with blood upon thy hand ?&quot; demanded
the prince, before whom his captor led him.

&quot; I am a herdsman, and have just slain a wolf which
attacked my flock,&quot; answered the man, pale as death.

&quot; Why then fly as if thou hadst murdered a man?&quot; de
manded Joab, still holding him by the collar of his tunic.

The man looked at a loss to reply, and held down his
head.

&quot;My prince,&quot; said the rich Hebrew architect, &quot;he is
evidently a murderer flying to one of the cities of refuge
for shelter from vengeance ! See there come pursuers
down the dell in full cry after him !&quot;

At this the man made a sudden dive beneath the horse
on which Joab was mounted, and so successfully as to
leave his rent tunic in his hand, and darting across the
road he disappeared in a dark forest of oaks ere his
flight could be arrested. When his pursuers came up,
they stated that he had, three hours before, in a village
twelve miles to the south, slain a shepherd, his fellow and
brother of the speaker, and now was seeking refuge pro
bably at Sichem, a chosen city farther north.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 97

When these angry men had gone forward again on
their path of vengeance, and we had resumed our pro
gress thus momentarily interrupted, I inquired of the
prince the meaning of a city of refuge for murderers !

&quot;I will gladly answer your inquiry,&quot; he replied cour
teously. &quot; In the division of this land by Joshua to our
fathers he appointed, by the command of the merciful
God, several places as cities of refuge, so that if any
man slew another by accident he might fly thither from
vengeance. This privilege was not to shield the mur
derer, but to protect the innocent ; for a man who un
wittingly slew his fellow, not intending it, might be killed
therefor by the by-standers who knew not the true facts,
and so unjustly perish. Therefore, said Joshua,
whosoever killeth any person unwittingly, or unawares,
may fly thither for refuge from the avenger of blood !
For instance, my lord prince, this man, who is now
bounding across the country on his way to a city of re
fuge, may have slain his victim unwittingly ; but the
dead man s friends pursue with vengeance, as you have
seen, to slay him, not giving him opportunity, if they
should overtake him, to show his innocence of evil inten
tion. Now, if he reaches the gate of the city of Sichem,
and can but lay his hand upon the gate-post, he is safe ;
nay, the city extends its protection, for a bow-shot beyond
its gates all around, to the flying man-slayer ! Stand
ing in the gate he asks shelter and protection from the
avenger of blood. The elders of the city are called by
the chief captain, and in their ears the fugitive makes
known the circumstances of the crime for which he flies,
declaring the deed to have been accidental. The elders
then appoint a certain officer of the city to receive him,
7

98 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

who conducts him to a safe abode in the heart of the
city, where he is to dwell until the death of the High
Priest of the land ! If the pursuers come to the gate
and demand him, they ask in vain. If they can prove,
however, before the Senate and Judges that the slaying
was malicious, then the murderer is given up to the exe
cutioner of the land and stoned to death.&quot;

&quot; Why is the unwitting slayer released on the death
of the great High Priest?&quot; I asked.

&quot; So reads the law,&quot; he answered, &quot;that in such an
event the slayer shall peaceably return to his own city
and home ; and whosoever then slays him shall be put
to death ! There is a tradition that the death of the
High Priest is the type of the death of a divine High
Priest, Prince and Son of God, who is to come out from
heaven in the future ages, and die for all who have done
evil, in order to release them from their guilt ! and that
this pardoning of murderers in the cities of refuge at the
death of the High Priest is to keep before the minds
of the nation the divine Priest to be sacrificed, and die
for the whole people ! for, says the tradition, * we are all
guilty before the holy Lord God. All this is obscure,
my lord of Assur ; but if you converse with the Seer,
Samuel, at Ramah, he may be able to make it clearer to
you ; for it is his privilege and office to know the myste
ries of God and reveal the future ! We can pass through
Ramah to his abode by deviating somewhat from our
direct route to Hebron, and if you wish to see the vener
able prophet and friend of God, while your caravan pro
ceeds direct to Hebron, I will go on with you with my
body-guard. Near Ramah is Bethel, where my royal
mother now resides, whom I would gladly pay my respect
ful duty to, as I have not seen her for many weeks, having

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 99

been in the interval with my father at Gibeah, at Miz-
pah, and at Hebron, at all of which places he has either
winter or summer abodes which he is adorning and en
larging ; for our land has hitherto been without kingly
residences. Hebron, however, will ultimately become
the king s capital, as my father regards it with more
favor than any other of the cities of his habitation.&quot;

In such conversation, your majesty, we beguiled our
way, which gradually wound in among lofty precipices,
and led over bold hills, most of which were crowned
with walled villages or castles ; while the prospect from
their summits was full of interest to one coming from a
land so little diversified as Assyria, about Nineveh.
Hills, rocks, dells, valleys, in romantic confusion, all
teeming with life, and rich with culture, met the view.
The names of several places were made known to me by
the Hebrew architect ; whom I found a person of intelli
gence.

At one of the castles which we came to, the captain
thereof appeared at the gate and offered us hospitality ; but
we declined the courtesy, prefering to dine in our own tent
on the road. He, however, detained the prince two hours
on some affairs, while I rode slowly forward, attended
by Joab the young soldier of the Jordan. This young
man I found had an imperious will, and was as rude in
speech as brave in heart. He seemed to regard me,
.however, with partiality, and to be ready to communi
cate any information in his gift. As we rode on he said,

&quot; I see that thoti thinkest highly of the king s son,
Prince Jonathan ! Thou mayest, lord of Asshur. Young
and fair as he appears, he has a lion s heart. His eyes,
which seem as soft as a woman s, can blaze with the light

100 THE THKOXE OF DAVID; OR,

of battle ! To see him in his blue-broidered tunic and
golden armor, with the plume in his silken bonnet, one
would fancy he were only a fair-day prince, who loved
rather to hear the voices of singing women than the
trumpet-cry of war !&quot;

&quot; What has he achieved in arms, my friend ?&quot; I asked,
seeing that he wished to talk about his prince.

&quot; I will give thee, my lord, one instance of our royal
prince s brave deeds. When the last foray of the Phil
istines was made into our land, the king went out to
meet them, and laid siege to a garrison where they were
fortified. They could not, however, be dislodged for
want of proper war engines and arms. Weary of the
delay, the young prince called his armor-bearer, the
bearded man whom you see riding there by that man-
at-arms, behind us, and said, Come, let us go and see
these Philistines ! Peradventure we may find a weak
point where they may be attacked ! So going secretly
out of the camp at the close of the day, they descended
through a defile, and came before the garrison ! Finding
that there was no way by which the army of the king,
his father, could get up to it, but only here and there
a place where one man could put his foot, he called out
aloud to the Philistines and said,

&quot; Come forth and let us fight our battles in open field!
In the name of the Lord we will destroy your hosts !&quot;

Then the Philistine captain, coming to the top of the
rock, called to Prince Jonathan to come up and take the
garrison, as he seemed so bold !

&quot; Such a challenge to the son of the king shall not be
refused while I have a sword, and a hand to wield it,&quot;
cried the prince, in a sort of divine fury ; and calling to

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 101

his armor-bearer to follow him, ho COTi-mei;-ced climbing
the rocky sides of the garrison. In a few moments the
daring young soldier, closely followed by his arnioi-
bearer, drew himself over the verge, and leaped, sword
in hand, into the very midst of his foes ! He came so
suddenly upon them, and his aspect was so terrible, and
he threw himself upon them with such vengeance, the
while uttering his battle-cry, that those who resisted
were cut down, and others, flying, alarmed the garrison,
and created a panic throughout the whole Philistine
hosts ; for it was believed from the noise of fighting and
the ringing blows of steel on iron armor, that the whole
of the king s army had scaled the cliff and were attack
ing them ! The prince alone slew twenty men in the
space of a few yards before him, while his armor-bearer
keeping close to him, warded off the blows of those who
had courage to oppose him. It being dark, the enemy
could not distinguish friend from foe, and, in the con
fusion, parties attacked each other. Thus the dismay
each instant grew, until the whole army in and beyond
the garrison commenced to fly along the passes of the
mountains, pursued by the prince and his armor-bearer,
slaying as they went, and uttering their fierce battle
shouts. The noise of the conflict reached the ears of the
king, his father, in his tent ; and it was told him the Phil
istines were attacked, by whom they knew not ! He
soon ascertained that Jonathan and his armor-bearer
were missing from the camp. He then rose up, he and
his army, and followed in pursuit, and the flight and chase
lasted till the close of the next day, when weary with
slaughter and with pursuing, the king and his army halted
and encamped for the night, laden with spoils ! This

102 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR

daring exploit of the- prince, as well as his piety and vir
tue, . li-.if- :-i.;lnrvil !::m, my lord, to all the people, as
you may well believe.&quot;

While Joab was speaking, Prince. Jonathan came riding
up and rejoined me. I regarded him now with deeper
interest. What courage and noble qualities lay hidden
under that calm, pleasant countenance, which was almost
effeminate in its fairness, added to the soft, shining
tresses which fell in waves upon his shoulders !

We now rode on, but at our ease, to keep within the
slow traveling pace of the caravan. At night we en
camped in a vale by a well, and the next day continued
our advance amid agreeable scenes, while on all sides the
density of the population and the great number of villages
surprised me. For miles, the valleys are like a continu
ous village ; while on the rocks and among cliffs, almost
inaccessible, are perched habitations, gardens, and vine
yards ; kids, goats and sheep seem to cover every pro
jection of the hills in great numbers, and herds of fat
cattle roam the green and secluded glens.

I have not spoken of the beauty of the females of this
favored land. They are seen everywhere moving about
without restraint, sharing, with affectionate interest, in
all that concerns the welfare of the community ; kind,
affable, cheerful, and intelligent, they are worthy to be
the daughters and wives of a manly and truly domestic
race like the Hebrews. Concubinage or duality of wives
is unknown among this virtuous people. The females,
therefore, retain a certain dignity of aspect and a feeling
of self-respect which is not observable in the bearing of
the ladies of Assyria. Here woman is the companion
of man : as his wife, often his judicious counselor ID

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 103

difficult and doubtful cases, and the sympathizer of his
sorrows ; his tender nurse in sickness, his truest, best,
most unselfish, and most faithful friend always.

In personal appearance they are not tall, but their
forms are the impersonation of grace, both of outline
and motion. They have raven black hair, very abund
ant, and long, and beautifully glossy, in which they take
great pride as woman s most lovely adornment and her
&quot;crown of glory,&quot; as one of our poets has it, braiding
it in shining bands, and adorning it with precious gems
and dust of gold. Large and brilliantly brown eyes they
have, warmed by feeling and ardent with animation, their
dangerous fire tempered by long, sable eyelashes which,
when they drop the eyelids, rest in a curved fringe upon
the cheek. Their power of expression surpasses all that
I ever beheld in woman s eyes ; and a sure captive will
the unwary youth become who suffers himself long to
gaze into their fascinating depths.

The personal beauty of the Hebrew women is universal
in their years of maidenhood and early wifehood. What,
with their massy and richly-bound tresses, their eyes of
fire, their lips more brilliant than the hue of the pome
granate, the soft, olive tone of their complexions, the ga
zelle-like grace of their movements, the exquisite shape
of their heads, and delicate smallness of their hands and
high-arched feet, the singularly attractive melody of
their voices when they speak in the low, musical tones
peculiar to them ; all these present a charming combina
tion of attractions that will convince your majesty that I
at least have a full appreciation of the extraordinary
loveliness of the gentler Hebrews. Add to this their
cheerful dispositions, their kind and obliging manners,

104 THE TTLKOXE OF DAVID; OR,

and the intelligence with which they are gifted, and one
cannot withhold from them that praise and commendation
which is so deservedly their merit.

In the national history of the Hebrews, there stand out
prominently several of the sex who have reflected honor
upon the whole people by deeds of heroism performed
for their country, or else by the loveliest exhibitions of
faithfulness and truth, or by sacred devotion to the will
of parents, or of obedience to the gods. Of these are
Deborah, the prophetess, and warrior, and Judge, all in
her own person ; Ruth, a foreigner by birth indeed, but
adopted into the Hebrew nation, and of whom their poets
^ove to sing the gentle praises ; and a young and beautiful
daughter of a great warrior, Jeptha, who sacrificed her,
herself consenting, to the gods, (or rather to his God, as
I shall say when writing of these people,) in fufillment of
a vow on the occasion of a great victory ; and lael or
Jael, allied by blood to the priestly line of Israel, who
slew with her own hand Sisera, the powerful and cruel
general of her nation s foe, and thereby delivered her
country from servitude.

These noble women are all subjects for the poet s harp,
and are household names in the land. It is a peculiar
feature of the Hebrew character that the men honor the
female sex even above their own ; concede to it the highest
places and the first acts of courtesy in mixed assemblies.
This consideration in itself elevates woman, and renders
her worthy of the homage and regard paid to her.

How different all this from woman in the East, your
majesty, where the sex is regarded as but so many beau
tiful toys created for our luxury and pride, and far be
neath in intellect a husband and a father ! Only hero

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 105

and there, as in the noble exceptions of Semiramis, Sar-
danapala, and Arsephaxa, all powerful and virtuous
queens of Assyria, does woman in the East assert her
true rank by nature, which, doubtless, is to be the com
panion and friend and prudent counselor of man, both
as kings and subjects.

I see your majesty smile at my eulogy of the sex, and
at my admiration of the Hebrew females. If Egypt s
fair daughter, to whom I am sent to ask her hand for
your majesty, be half as fair as Adora, the beautiful
daughter of the chief senator of Jericho, your majesty
will have a bright jewel to wear in your coronet. If I
had not hastened from the splendor of her eyes I should
have been consumed by them to ashes.

But to resume the narrative of my journey hither.
At the close of the second day s travel we came to where
two roads met. One of these took a direction south
wardly, but the other led westward towards Ramah, the
abode of the Seer, and so on, to the shores of the Great
Sea, which the prince informed me was visible from a
mountain not far from the place where the prophet dwelt.

As it was my desire to see this holy and venerable
person, and present to him your message and signet-ring,
I gave the caravan orders to continue on the way south
ward, under the charge of my captain, Nacherib, and,
encamping before Hebron, await my coming. Retaining
only my personal guard of one hundred nobles, the prince
having also kept one hundred of his men-at-arms, sending
the residue under Joab with my caravan as an escort
through the country, we were about to go forward towards
Ramah, when Nacherib, who had just put the caravan in
motion on its road, came riding up as if with a message.

106 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot;Your highness,&quot; he said, &quot; I had best halt the whole
body ! I see a large force winding its way in this direc
tion through the valley below us, and if we proceed we
shall meet them !&quot;

The prince and I immediately turned our horses heads,
and rode one side to a slight elevation from which the
southern road was visible for a league. Half that dis
tance off I saw advancing a long train of camels and
laden mules preceded by a party of horsemen carrying
slender lances.

&quot; It is a caravan, doubtless that from the country of
Sheba, which is expected yearly about this time on its
way to Syrian Damascus,&quot; said the prince, after a mo
ment s scrutiny. &quot; But let us spur forward and ascer
tain !&quot;

Followed by a portion of my hundred horsemen, as a
protection in case of surprise, I rode rapidly forward
with the prince, and we soon came so near that the armed
troop in its van stopped and drew up in line of battle.
I then halted my guard and Prince Jonathan rode for
ward alone. No sooner was he perceived by the strangers,
than their chief, a dark warrior of gigantic stature clad
in chain-mail, detached himself from the main body of
his command and came galloping into the open space on
a coal-black charger of magnificent size, superbly capari
soned. He rode as if man and horse were but one ani
mal, moved by one will and one power. It was a superb
display of barbaric horsemanship, and as he rode he held
his long lance in rest, but not leveled in an attitude of
hostility, but pointing skyward above his head. He was
followed at a little distance by one who bore his shield
and sword.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 107

I at once rode to the side of the prince, who said to
me :

&quot; I am rio lit. It is the annual southern caravan from

the kingdom of Sheba, which lies by the south sea, and
destined for Syria. I know well their faces and style
of armor, and have before seen this chief about two
years ago !&quot;

&quot;Peace and amity,&quot; cried the prince, as he came up
within a few paces of the warrior.

&quot; Even so ! We are for peace and amity, this being a
caravan of merchants, my lord,&quot; answered the chief.

&quot; You are welcome to pass through our land, sir cap
tain ; for we also profit by your merchandize. Didst
thou stop before Hebron?&quot;

&quot; But one day, my lord, for rumor came suddenly that
the Philistines had moved with a great army from their
fastnesses, and were to march upon Hebron. So we hur
ried on to be out of reach of foes, which make no distinc
tion, and plunder where there are treasures. Thou seest
I have but four hundred armed men with me, enough
for security against the bands of the men of Esau in the
deserts, but not to withstand battles with hosts harnessed
for war !&quot;

&quot; Thou hast done well to hasten thy march, &quot;said the
prince. &quot;Pass on thy way in peace!&quot; &quot;This is indeed
news,&quot; he continued, turning to me! &quot;So this armament
so long threatened by our foes is come to a head, and
Hebron is menaced by our implacable scourge ! For
your sake I am grieved, as I fear the enemy will possess
themselves of the passes south, and delay your march to
wards Egypt.&quot;

&quot;In that case,&quot; I answered, &quot; I will not remain idly

108 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

waiting a passage to be opened by your arms, or their
pleasure, but join in the war with you with my thousand
trained Assyrians, and so bring it to an end the sooner,
that I may peaceably proceed on my mission !&quot;

&quot; These tidings,&quot; continued the prince thoughtfully,
&quot; should take me at once to Hebron. But the king in
person is enough there ! I will assemble our armies in
this quarter, and send them to my father. I still will
go on to Ramah ! There are several garrisons on the
way, and also there, the soldiers of which I must despatch
to the south. Besides I would, in this new peril, ask of
the man of God what will befal in this war ! My poor
father used to consult him ! But now there is no inter
course between them ! My father offended him by sac
rificing, without waiting for the prophet whose sacred
right it was alone, and I fear displeased God, also ; for
he seems, alas ! to have been,since then, under a dark cloud
of divine judgment ! as painful as it is for a son. to say
this, I can not withhold the truth from you. My father
was on the eve of an engagement, and wished to offer the
usual sacrifices to propitiate the God of battles, and win
a blessing upon his arms ! He waited until the time of
the evening oblation, and not seeing the prophet appear,
seized the sacrificial knife in his impatience, and with
his own hand slew the victim ! He lost the battle ! Thus
heaven frowned upon him for the act, and the prophet
in displeasure denounced his unlawful proceeding as high
impiety, and declared to him in the most solemn lan
guage, that henceforth he should not prosper in his reign,
and that the day was at hand when his crown and scep
tre should be taken from him and given to another,
chosen of God ! Since then the prophet, who once loved

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 109

and honored my father, and who privately consecrated
him at his election, himself, as King of Israel, and again
consecrated him at his coronation before all the people,
has turned his face from him, nor spoken with him either
words of anger or of kindness. This displeasure has had
its natural effect upon my father, and filled his soul with
that gloom and depression, which, most noble prince
Arbaces, you will not fail to observe when you come into
his presence !&quot;

During this revelation of the king s infirmities, we
were slowly riding back again to the place where the two
roads met, the caravan of the strangers from the south
being once more in motion, and coming after us. I could
not but feel and express my sympathy with the amiable
and sorrowful prince, who evidently loved and honored,
with the profoundest respect and affection, his unhappy
father. After a few moments he added,

&quot;It is my wish to see the prophet, to entreat his in
terposition with the God of our fathers, to pardon my
father s act of usurpation of the priestly office, and give
him prosperity in this war, and in all his reign. Not
that I desire this prosperity on my own account, noble
sir, for it does not grieve me to be deprived of the suc
cession to my father s crown ; but alone for his peace
and honor do I desire it.&quot;

&quot; How, my prince, are you to be deprived of your
kingdom at the king, your father s, departure from this
life?&quot; I asked with surprise at his words. He an
swered,

&quot; The prophet has pronounced, and his word is the fiat
of God, by whose inspiration and knowledge he speaks,
that the kingdom shall be given to another at his death !

110 THE THRONE OP DAVID, OR,

Not to me ! Another is to rule Israel, not of my blood
or of my name !&quot; he continued with earnest feeling.
&quot; But he who is to wear my coronet is worthy ! Heaven
has consecrated him beforehand ! His anointed and
youthful brow but waits for the crown of my father !&quot;

He rode quickly onward, as if to give some orders to
Joab, without saying more, leaving niy mind in a state
of suspense, and with increased interest in this noble and
good prince, whose life, evidently, is also shaded by the
cloud which overhangs the path of his royal and doomed
father. *

The stranger caravan, interesting to the eye from the
varied costumes of the foreign people who composed it,
now came creeping on up the winding ascent in a long
picturesque line ; while my Assyrian retinue of nine hun
dred men were drawn up at a distance on a hill, their
burnished armor gleaming in the radiance of the sun,
awaiting the passage of the merchants and their guard
of four hundred men, led by their gigantic and warlike
chief.

The whole company having passed on, the spices which
the camels bore filling the whole atmosphere with fra
grance around us, my caravan, which had drawn aside
to give room to the strangers, once more advanced with
its head towards the south. The prince gave Joab and
Nacherib warning to be on their guard against any bodies
of the Philistines who might be secretly penetrating the
country; which precautions I carefully enjoined ujcn rny
chief captain, also, to observe. &quot;We remained watching
the two caravans, which got out of sight, going in their
opposite directions, about the same time : and then, spur
ring forward, we made all haste to reach Ramah by noon.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. Ill

Onward we dashed up the rocky defiles, my body-guard
of a hundred Ninevite horsemen and that of the prince,
divided into fifties, preceding and following. There were,
besides these, but four of us in the party, the prince,
myself, and our respective armor-bearers; the Hebrew
architect having gone on with the caravan.

Our road was at one time amid romantic defiles, the
sides of which were hung with vines, and to which the
cottages of the vine-dressers almost seemed to cling for
support; at another over rocky ridges fortified with
castles and guarded by garrisons ; now we traversed lovely
vales, and now threaded our way through a long village
of white stone houses with flat roofs on which we saw the
inhabitants either walking for air, reading parchments,
or copying them, the women pulling flax, weaving, card
ing, or engaged in needle-work; while many were at
their meals upon the roof which was protected by fan
cifully colored awnings with fringed curtains, looking
precisely like a tent pitched upon the house-top. These
awnings were tasteful in shape, and rich and gay in
material and in colors according to the wealth of the
householder ; and so were the occupations of the family
beneath them, either humble or leisurely elegant, ac
cording to their condition. It was a lively and happy
sccTie. Want seemed to be a word unknown. How soon,
I thought, could all this fair picture be changed by the
invasion of a wild band of those armed Philistines, who
seem to have been for generations the terror of the land,
and its implacable foes! I felt a curiosity to know
something of these dreaded adversaries. The prince
kindly answered my inquiries; and from him I learned
that they are a warlike remnant of that conquering

112 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

family &quot;of ancient Phoenicia, called Palestines, a race of
Shepherd warriors, who invaded Egypt, (before the time
the fathers of the Hebrews went thither,) and with their
well-trained armies conquered Lower Egypt and set up a
foreign dynasty at Memphis. After reigning for six
generations, being driven out of Egypt by a Theban
conqueror, they retired into Palestine with only a rem
nant of their former numbers ; but since then they are
much increased in power and warlike arts ; for their
glory and happiness is in war ! When the Hebrew
people conquered the adjoining kingdoms, fearing for
their own, they became their most vindictive enemies.
The Hebrews have not so much sought to conquer their
country as to defend their own from their invasions. To
this day they continue to be a scourge to this people of
God ; and what is singular their incursions always follow
the commission by the people of Israel of some national
sin ! It is moreover openly said by their Seer that God
permits these foes to exist as a living instrument for the
chastisement of the nation !

How wonderful the God of this people ! How con
stant his watch over them now for five hundred years !
With what numberless displays of his divine majesty does
he aid them in danger ! With what ceaseless severity
does he visit them when prosperity leads them to forget
their dependence upon him ! Is He not the most power
ful of all gods, as well as the most terrible in his mani
festations of Himself? Who of the gods of Assyria,
Assur, Ninus, Assarac, Belessar, which of them have ever
pretended to any such power and glory ? If the God uf
the Hebrews, your majesty, did not limit his care and
providence to this people alone, but manifested himself

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 113

to all nations as their divine Protector, I should regard
Him as the Lord of the whole earth and the Arbiter of
the fate of all kings and dominions, even as of this !
But as he limits his care to the Hebrews he is evidently
their national Deity as Assarac is ours ! yet how much
more powerful is the Hebrew God ! Nay, his power it
would seem to me, could fill the world^ and that if He
chose He could lord it over all lords, and rule in heaven
and on earth God of gods and King of kings ! The more
I learn of His ways and dealings, the more I revere and
honor his mighty name ! But fear not, your majesty,
thata I shall be drawn into infidelity and become a
Hebrew! The gods of Assyria are the true gods for an
Assyrian, until a mightier Deity like this of Israel re
moves them from their celestial thrones, and reigns over
us in their place.

We at length came in siMit of the brown battlements

O O

of llaraah elevated upon a steep, which, on all points,
was capped with turrets, giving it a warlike and corn
manding aspect. Winding our way through pleasant and
populous suburbs, the vine-dressers and laborers in the
fields pausing to regard with wonder the splendid ap
pearance of my body-guard in their foreign armor and
plumed crests, we came before the eastern gate of the
city. Here we were challenged; but the Prince Jonathan
being instantly recognized by the chief-keeper of the
gate we were permitted to enter, my guards following,
riding two and two. The streets were narrow and closely
built, and the roofs and lattices were thronged with people
to gaze upon us ; for at first the alarm had been bruited
about that we were a party of Philistines who were ap
proaching the city ; but on learning that we were friendly
8 &quot;

114 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Assyrians from the far east, their curiosity to see us was
unbounded.

After going through half the place which is not very
large, we came to a house not very ancient in appearance,
and with a look of superior dignity to the others. This,
I was informed, was the palace of Naioth, the abode of
the late Judge of Israel, Isamel the Seer. Here we^
alighted, and the prince sent in his armor-bearer to ask
audience of the man of God for himself and an ambassa
dor from the court of Nineveh.

But, your majesty, I will defer my account of the in
terview to a subsequent letter. Meanwhile, witlfr my
prayers to the gods of our country long to preserve you
in health to sit upon the throne of your long line of
heroic and pious ancestors, I subscribe myself,

Your cousin and faithful subject

AUBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 115

LETTER IV.

ARBACES TO HIS KING.

CAMP NEAR HEBROX, CITY OF THE KING.
MY BELOVED MONARCH AND COUSIN :

I WILL now proceed to relate to your majesty the
Interesting circumstances connected with my visit to the
venerable Seer of Israel. While the armor-bearer of
the Hebrew prince was in the palace, the people, in great
numbers, gathered about us and hailed with glad voices
of loud acclamation their king s son, whom many recog
nizing had pointed out to all others.

What with his distinguished presence among them,
and the curiosity excited by my Assyrian guard of young
nobles in their cuirasses of gold, silver saddle bows, and
rich scarlet cloth-housings, and, above all, their beautiful
Persian horses, the scene around me was exciting and novel.

&quot; Long live our prince !&quot; cried one.

&quot; May he soon be our king !&quot; said another, boldly.

&quot;Nay, this is treason, my friends !&quot; exclaimed Jonathan,
looking round sternly and rebuking them with flashing
eyes, &quot; you speak like traitors to your king who use such
language. You mean well, but I cannot hear it!&quot; he
added, more gently, as he perceived that they were
abashed and humbled.

At this moment the gate of the court opened, and the

116

prince s armor-bearer, Heleph, reappeared, accompanied
by the steward of the palace, an aged man attired in a
loose gray robe, and with snow-white hair and a flowing
beard. He approached Jonathan with courtesy, and
said, at the same time saluting me in a marked manner :

&quot; The prophet, my master, desires me to conduct you,
my lords, to his presence.&quot;

We followed him into the court-yard, which was en
closed by corridors, and with a fountain in its centre,
while tall palms grew from the midst of the court, the
broad tops of which effectually shaded its pavement from
the sun. The columns were crumbling with age, and
covered with moss or half concealed by neglected vines.
The house had for three hundred years been the abode
of the Judges; and when Samuel gave up his authority
from the weight of years and infirmities, after he had
passed threescore and ten, he still retained it as his
abode, but resigned two others belonging to the Judges,
at Gilgal and Mizpeh, to the king. Here had dwelt for
a time Samson, the mighty destroyer of the Philistines :
here Deborah, and here nearly all the stern, old warriors
and famous Judges of the land.

Crossing the paved inner court, and ascending a flight
of stone stairs, the steward preceded us along a gallery
to a spacious chamber that was placed immediately over
the gateway through which we had entered. The door
was ajar. The steward knocked softly, and a voice
within bade us enter. We obeyed, and stood in the pre
sence of the man of God !

I beheld before me, seated by the window which threw
its light upon a table beneath it covered with parchments,
a man of august and venerable aspect. Large and ma-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 117

jestic in person, stooping a little with great age, he pre
sented the ideal of the father of gods as I have often
conceived his appearance in imagination. He was ele
vated a little above the floor upon a sort of carved throne,
or chair of state, of ancient workmanship, once the tri
bunal of the old Judges, robed in a rich garment of
woolen, dyed a dark crimson, over which was the ephod
or sacred mantle of the Hebrews. About his waist was
a girdle of linen, and he wore a full white tunic, fringed,
and similar to what I have seen upon the chief of the
Levitcs ! Upon his head was a small blue cap, worn to
supply the loss of his snow-white hair, a few thin locks
of which curled down about his neck like shining threads
of silver. His majestic face was one on which heaven
had impressed the seal of the highest expression of hu
manity. Upon his lofty forehead authority sat enthroned
as upon her native seat. His awful eye-brows, stiff and
black as night, not a single hair turned gray thereon,
hung like a crag above his imperious eyes, lending to
them a depth and power inconceivably grand and impres
sive ! Their fire was not dimmed, nor their piercing
regards dulled by his great age ; but rather his soul
seemed to be concentrated in their light with star-like
brightness. His high, arched nose indicated a strong
and resolute character, firm and bold; while the proud and
commanding air of his closed mouth bore testimony to a
life of rule and absolute power over men, leaving its re
cord there as if chiseled in marble.

Withal, I fancied I could discover a certain elevated,
chastened, and divine expression on his features, caught
from frequent communion as the oracle of his people,
face to face with his God! TJrne, while it had softened.

118 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

had not wholly removed from his noble features a certain
sternness and awful severity which sufficiently betrayed
the former absolute dictator, powerful Judge, haughty
prophet, and imperious priest. He looked, perhaps, like
all he had been, only tempered by the veil of repose,
with which Old Age ever invests her children.

At his feet, seated upon cushions before low tables,
were two scribes in blue cassocks and white linen robes
which came down to the sandal. They were engaged, as
we entered, with pens of reed in taking down from his lips
words dictated by him to them. Now the two youths were
suspending their labor and were gazing upon us ; for our
entrance had interrupted the prophet in his work. I saw
freshly written &quot;Shopeteim,&quot; or &quot;Judges,&quot; at the head
of one of the parchments before them. All around the
room, which I subsequently learned had once been the hall
of Judgment, were many seats arranged, and tablets on
stands placed before them ; but they were all unoccupied.
There was no sort of ornament 09. the walls, no decora
tion of any kind ; on the contrary, an air of desolation
and decay reigned over all. The very palace itself
seemed to sympathize in the decadence, in the person of
their present aged and reverend occupant, of the long
and brilliant succession of warrior-Judges !

The Seer, upon beholding the son of Saul enter, smiled
with that benignity which so becomes old age, and extend
ing his hand to him, said,

&quot; Welcome, Jonathan, my son ! I am too infirm to
rise&quot;

&quot; Not to me, holy father, not to a youth like me,&quot; in
terrupted the prince, kneeling reverently and kissing
the hand of the Seer with the profoundest respect and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 119

affection. &quot; I rejoice you are so well, and that our God
has so long spared your excellency to us !&quot;

&quot; But my days,&quot; he answered gently, &quot; will soon coine
to a close, my child ! But God will take care of his
people Israel, and accomplish the work for which he has
raised them up and made them a great nation.&quot;

&quot; I would, my lord, that the king and thyself were
friends. My father truly grieves at the past ! It is
breaking his great heart ! He mourns until his mind is
fearfully dark, and his words and acts strange. Entreat
the Lord our God for him, father !&quot;

&quot;Nay,&quot; answered the Seer, his brows bending sternly,
and a light of displeasure kindling in the deeper dark
ness beneath them. &quot; He must bear the judgment of
God as all men must who transgress his laws. I am
grieved to hear of thy father s sad condition. I have no
power to help him, my son ! The will of God will be
done on earth, and no man can hinder the work of His
hand or oppose the decrees of His word gone forth.
None shall let or hinder Him ! Thou, my child, art inno
cent, and I know good and pious at heart. But it is the
unchangeable law of sin that the innocent offspring shall
suffer for the guilt of their fathers.&quot;

&quot; I bow in submission to the law of my God,&quot; answered
Jonathan humbly, his voice tremulous and low. still
kneeling before the Seer.

&quot; Thou hast forgotten, my son, the stranger who came
in with thee 1&quot; said Isarnel, regarding me with fixed ob
servation.

&quot; Pardon me, my venerable father, I thought only of
my unhappy parent;&quot; he said, rising. &quot;This is the
inost noble Arbaces, a Prince of the court of Assyria,

120 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

and cousin to its great King Belus, who is on his way as
an ambassador to the court of Pharaoh ; but, passing
through Judea, seeks your presence to make known to
you the respect his monarch entertains for your excel
lency, and to ask of you from him certain questions.&quot;

I advanced, as Jonathan thus formally presented me,
and bent my knee before the august and awful Seer,
whose looks and manner deeply impressed me, saying,

&quot; May your mighty God, who reveals himself in glo
rious majesty, bless and honor your highness above all
wise men on earth, and preserve you in peace and health
many years to come ! I consider myself happy, venera
ble Seer, to have the honor of seeing, face to face, the
mighty prophet of the Hebrews, whose fame has long
since reached the court of Nineveh. Permit me to pre
sent the congratulations of my king, and his kind wishes
for the prosperity and glory of your nation.&quot;

&quot; I thank thee and thy great king, young prince, and
in return wish him health and peace, and the wisdom of
the knowledge of the true God, who is Jehovah, King of
kings, and Lord of the whole earth, and Maker of all
men, whose aged servant I am permitted to be.&quot; Then
regarding me attentively, he inquired, u How long hast
thou been in this land ?&quot;

&quot; It is not quite one month, your highness, since I left
the banks of the Tigris,&quot; I replied, rising from my knee.
u I have been nearly half that time in your beautiful and
abundant land, every step in which I have been in
terested.&quot;

&quot;I trust you will find your visit in Judea agreeable,&quot;
he courteously answered.

The venerable Seer then invited me to sojourn with

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 121

him a few clays, saying, pleasantly, he could not give me
princely entertainment, but that if 1 would fare as he
did and the school of the prophets under his roof, I
should be a welcome guest.

After some further interesting conversation with the
august Hebrew, whose presence more and more impressed
me with awe and respect, the steward conducted me to
a chamber along the corridor. As I proceeded thither,
I perceived in a second or interior court, which also con
tained a garden, several youths and young men in dark
tunics and caps, variously engaged. Some were walking
up and down the terrace reading from leaves of parch
ment, others conversing, others engaged in exercise ; and
three or four in copying with a stylus, beneath a tama
rind tree.

&quot;Who are these, and what is their pursuit ?&quot; I asked
of the steward, having left the prince conversing still
about the king his father, and the menacing invasion of
the Philistines.

&quot; This is the &amp;lt; School of the Prophets, my lord,&quot; an
swered the old man. &quot; Has not the fame thereof reached
thy land ?&quot;

To avoid making a reply, which might wound the kind
old servitor s national pride, I inquired the number of
the young men.

&quot; Seventy, your highness. That is the sacred num
ber, neither more nor less. When one leaves, another
enters. This school was founded forty years ago by
Samuel, (in that the sons of Eli proved so evil,) that the
prophets of the people might be piously instructed in
their holy duties.&quot;

After I had found my chamber, and seen and talked

122 THE THRONE OF DAVID, OB,

with Ninus my armor-bearer, who informed me that my
body-guard were well cared for, I walked along the corri
dor to observe the young candidates for the high office of
prophets of God. They all seemed to be happy, and by
their appearance to come from among the best families
of the land ; though here and there was one with less re
finement than his companions, and evidently from a more
rustic district. There was one youth of singular grace
and beauty of person, who was reading by the fountain,
and wholly absorbed in what he studied, whose appear
ance greatly pleased me.

While I was observing him, a trumpet sounded a few
brisk notes, and all the young men left their pursuits, and
crossing the court entered a door beneath the portico
and disappeared. The handsome young student, not
hearing the signal at first, was the last to go in. Prince
Jonathan at this moment stood by my side. He had
just left the presence of the Seer. His face wore a
profound aspect of sadness that was very touching.
But seeing my look of sympathy, he gently smiled and
said,

&quot; Do not let my sorrows render you sad, my lord. I
had hoped that I could appeal successfully for a blessing
on my father, and prosperity to his arms in the war !
But it is the will of Jehovah that he shall not prosper !
What am I to oppose God ? I do not blame at all the
holy prophet. He has but uttered what God com
manded. He sincerely mourns for my father, and pities
him, even while he is firm in his purpose to see him no
more ! But we will not speak on this subject. How
grand the prospect from this terrace ! I perceive you
were admiring it. From yonder height of Mount Eph-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 123

raim you can see, in certain conditions of the atmosphere,
the Great Middle Sea, beyond the illimitable horizon of
which all is a mystery and marvel to mankind!&quot;

&quot;This prospect is varied and beautiful,&quot; I answered;
&quot;but my attention was fixed upon the court below, which
a moment since was filled with young men, who have just
entered beneath the portico by that palm tree.&quot;

&quot; You have seen the disciples of the prophet,&quot; he said,
&quot; This is the School of Seers for the nation ! It is a
high privilege to be admitted into it. Here they are
taught by seven of the wisest Rabbiis of the nation, each
gifted with the spirit of prophecy, knowledge of the law,
and ^f all religious duties and holy rites ; and they also
know the mystery of communing with God, the highest
privilege of man ! This school is supported by the gifts
of the people. The youths have now gone in to their
noon-day meal. The place is free to all. Will you ac
company me ?&quot;

I gladly accepted his companionship ; and, descending
the terrace into the garden, he first pointed out to me the
rooms occupied by the young men. They were per
fectly plain, with a lion or leopard s skin laid upon the
tiled floor for a bed, a bench, and pitcher for water, and
an iron lamp : this was all their furniture. Entering the
hall I saw the whole company standing around a long,
narrow r table, upon which were set earthen vessels of
bread, cups of water, and lentils, with dried fruit in
abundance. This was their frugal fare, but they partook
of it with evident satisfaction. At the head of the table
was another one much shorter, by which also stood the
seven noble-looking Teachers of the School of Prophets.
I looked for the young man whose fine appearance had

124 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

so struck me when in the court, but could not discover
him. After they had ended their humble meal, a signal
was given and one of the Rabbiis commenced to chant.
The young men responded all in one voice till the roof
rung again. The second Rabbi recited a part, and the
seventy youths answered antiphonally as before ; and
thus seven verses were nobly hymned to their God in
fine manly voices, and with the most wonderful melody.

They now, at another signal, formed in line and marched
at a slow movement along the hall, mounted a broad
flight of stairs and entered a large upper apartment
around which they arranged themselves in attitudes of
reverence. At the upper end, upon a platform covered
with blue cloth, the seven prophet-teachers took their
seats. Then a door opened and the venerable Seer came
in from his chamber. All rose, crossing their hands
upon their breasts, and bowed with affectionate respect.
He took his seat just above the seven sub-prophets, and
opening a roll of parchment which he held, he proceeded
to read from it, to his attentive audience, a treatise upon
the moral obligations of all men to love one another as
children of the same common Father. He closed with
enforcing the virtues of purity, truth, temperance, and
industry, and reminding them of the omnipresence of
their God, who judged men by their hearts.

When he had concluded this beautiful essay, seven
young men came forward and took their stand by a sort
of choir-desk, where stood a, harp and several smaller
musical instruments, such as the sackbut, psaltery,
crumpet, cornet, and ten stringed lute.

The young man who had so attracted my attention I
now saw leave one of the seats where he had been out

THE KEBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 125

of view, and go to the harp, over which he ran his fingers
as a prelude to one of the most sublime and torching
pieces I ever listened to. The prince no sooner fastened
his eves upon him than, with an exclamation of surprise
and pleasure, he made a half spring forward as if to ad
dress him ! but this impulse he instantly checked, say
ing*

&quot; It is the young shepherd of Bethlehem !&quot;
He stood up and eagerly regarded him with the most
friendly interest, like one who suddenly discovers a very
dear friend. I could not ask him any questions, I was
BO rapt with the performance of this beautiful youth upon
the harp, and with the rich and harmonious tones of his
voice ; for he played but a few passages before he began
to sing a hymn addressed to his God !

Praise ye the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary ;

Praise him in the firmament of his power ;

Praise him for his mighty acts ;

Praise him according to his excellent greatness ;

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet ;

Praise him with the psaltery and harp ;

Praise him with the timbrel and dances ;

Praise him with stringed instruments and organs ;

Praise him upon the loud cymbals ;

Praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.

How breathless all listened to the magnificent anthem !
How noble and graceful his attitude ! how grandly he
strikes the harp strings ! How calm and holy his coun
tenance ! How full of adoration his aspect ! What a

126 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

light of devotion burns, like altar fires, in his upturned
eyes!

When he had ended, the other players played upon
their instruments their parts ; and then the seventy
pupils chanted sublimely theirs ; and the Seer, raising his
hands solemnly to heaven, spoke a sublime recitative to
his God; when all, harp, cymbals, trumpet, and voices,
united in one mighty swell of praise.

I was overpowered by my sensations ! My heart was
dissolved within me already by the sweet melody of the
youthful harper. Tears came into my eyes ! Harmony
of sounds had never before impressed me so and moved
my soul !

The Seer now spread out his hands and blessed them ;
and shortly afterwards the students retired, not in pro
cession, but leisurely, conversing with each other and
their teachers. Several approached the Prince Jona
than, and with great demonstrations of affectionate re
spect saluted him.

&quot;Who,&quot; I asked him, &quot;is the youth who played BO
wonderfully upon the harp?&quot;

&quot;I am now going to embrace him!&quot; he answered.
&quot; Will you come with me, my lord Arbaces ? See, he
advances !&quot;

&quot;David!&quot;

w My friend and prince !&quot;

These mutual exclamations were followed by a warm
meeting between the harpist and the son of King Saul ;
the last speaking with ardent and delighted feeling, the
former with modest diffidence, yet with evident strong
attachment to his prince.

&quot; How long hast thou been in the School of the Pro*

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 127

phots ?&quot; asked the king s son, releasing him from his
embrace. &quot;I believed thou wert still at Bethlehem!&quot;

&quot;I have been here but a few weeks, noble prince,&quot;
answered the humble youth, with looks full of friendship,
if not of love, for this amiable and warm-hearted young
man of high rank. &quot; The holy prophet, Samuel, sent
for me to come hither to study, and I have obeyed him.
I estimate deeply this privilege of knowing books, and
being versed in the wisdom of this far-famed seat of
sacred learning.&quot;

&quot; I rejoice at it, my dear David ! Here you should be !
You know, as well as do I, your high destiny, God-elected !
It becomes you to be here to prepare yourself therefor !&quot;

This was said in a tone that was unconsciously sad.
The youth pressed his hand, and without a word, (for
both their hearts seemed full from the presence of a com
mon thought,) they walked away together hand clasped
in hand ! I followed them witli deep interest with my
eyes, and a desire to learn more of the noble and beau
tiful boy, for scarcely was he twenty years of age, who
seemed to be so loved by the kind prince.

The Hall of Praise and of Prayer was now deserted by
all, save the Seer, towards whom I advanced, as he
seemed to await me.

&quot; Come with me into my chamber, my lord of Nine
veh,&quot; he said, with an air of venerable courtesy. &quot; Since
the prince and the youthful shepherd, David, are gone
away together, you will be left alone for a time. I will
now give thee audience, and hear thee in behalf of the
request made by your prince.&quot;

I passed an hour with the man of God. The awe I
at first experienced in his presence was not lessened.

128 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

while a profound feeling of filial affection became min
gled with it. He won my heart while he continued to
command its deepest and most reverential homage. I
will, when I return to Nineveh, your majesty, reveal to
you his answer to your inquiries. We spoke of the He
brew king. This led to an allusion by me, not without
hesitation lest I should be venturing on forbidden ground,
to his malady. He said, gravely :

&quot; You will find Saul, prince, an unhappy monarch !
The spirit of God has departed from him for his impiety
and disobedience. He is a man to be pitied. His scep
tre will soon be taken from him, and be given to him
whom God has anointed.&quot;

Here the Seer paused, and turning to the table took
up a parchment-roll closely written. As he saw me look
with curiosity at several other scrolls, and glance at those
upon the desks where the two scribes had been writing,
he said :

&quot; I perceive you possess a mind which takes pleasure
in investigation. These parchments contain in progress
the history of the three hundred and ninety years of the
rule of the Judges from Joshua to myself, the last of
the Judges of Israel ! In the roll upon the shelf above
the table is the book of Joshua, written by himself
up to within a few days of his death, and completed
by me. The five large scrolls with purple covers, in the
niche by the window, comprise the Five Books written by
our great law-giver, Moses. They are our sacred Re
cords, and the seal of God to them bears testinHpny to
their truth as the voice and word of Jehovah ! That
small scroll in a silver case is a history written by the
young man who performed upon the harp with such skill.

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 129

It is called the &quot; Story of Ruth,&quot; who was the mother
of his grandfather ! It was written by him in his nine
teenth year at Bethlehem, at my request, in order to
preserve the genealogy of his family. It is a poem of
great beauty, for the youth is, by nature as well as by
divine inspiration, a true poet !&quot;

&quot; I am already interested in the young harpist, my
lord,&quot; I answered, &quot; and, with your permission, I will read
his book.&quot;

The Seer kindly gave me the permission. There en
tered at this moment one of the seven prophets or teach
ers of the school, whom I had noticed while in the &quot; Hall
of Praise,&quot; from the remarkable intelligence of his face,
and a certain air of independence and courage by no
means unbefitting one who was to be a censor of evil
men, as all prophets must be. He acknowledged my
presence with a slight but respectful bow, and was going
to the shelves for a book when the Seer said to him,

&quot; Nathan, my son, place in the hands of the Prince of
Assyria the Book of Iluth : and if you have time tran
scribe a copy for him. He desires to know all he can
of our polity, religion, and literature, during his short
sojourn in our land ! As you are familiar with these
subjects, I desire you to attend him for a time, and af
ford the prince whatever information he may require.&quot;

I thanked the venerable prophet for this favor ; and
the young teacher, after giving me the book, said with a
pleasant smile, &quot; It will gratify me to be of service to
your highness.&quot;

The Seer then retired to an inner closet or oratory,
where he was accustomed to pray, and closing the door

left us in the Judgment hall. I passed two hours exam-
9

130 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

ining the manuscripts therein, some of which were richly
illuminated with brilliantly colored headings to the chap
ters. The polite teacher then led me along the terrace
to a room, which contained copies of nearly all the books
ever written in the known world: Egyptian, Assyrian,
Phoenician, Indie, Arabian, Babylonian, and parchments
from the land of Tarshish, in the farthest east, and from
the Isles of Grecia in the farthest west, which, in his life
of nearly ninety years, the learned Seer had gathered
by means of merchants and travelers, often offering to
chiefs of caravans large sums in gold for books from
strange countries !

&quot; And is there in your seminary of the prophets any
one so learned as to be able to read these parchments in
their own languages ?&quot; I asked, holding in my hand a
massive volume bound between rolled-out plates of silver,
and written in beautiful but strange characters.

&quot; No one but the prophet our president,&quot; he answered;
44 He has the knowledge of all the tongues within them !
That book you hold in your hand is an Arabic book,
treating upon the stars, from the land of Idumea, the
chief city of which is wonderfully cut out of the side of
a mountain. You perceive, graven upon the silver cover,
a picture of that city !&quot;

From this &quot;Chamber of Wisdom,&quot; as it is called, we
walked along the corridor, as he intended to show me
the view of the Great Sea westward, which I had ex
pressed a curiosity to behold. We passed a column in
crossing the garden which seemed to be a monument to
the dead. Seeing me observe it and admire its carved
plinth, and the symmetry of its form, he said,

&quot; That is the only remaining pillar of a great temple

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 131

to the dragon god Bel, which once stood where tnis old
palace of the Judges is placed. It was destroyed by our
fathers, all but this column, which Joshua commanded
to be left as a memorial of the gigantic architecture of
the powerful nation of idol worshipers he had conquered.
It is now still more famous as the toinb of the might y
Samson, once a Judge and prophet in Israel, as well as
a warrior !&quot;

&quot;I have already, to-day, read,&quot; I answered, &quot;in the
parchments of the Seer, a narrative of this Hebrew hero,
who perished, I believe, about seventy or eighty years
ago by pulling down a vast theatre upon the heads of his
enemies, destroying them all with himself!&quot;

&quot; Yes ! He was the strongest, though not the largest
of all men, and nobly died avenging himself upon the
foes who had put his eyes out in sport. His body was
subsequently recovered from the ruins, and buried by
the side of this column, which has now become his monu
ment. When he was a Judge of the people, he dwelt
here two years of the time ; and one morning, after a
slight shock of an earthquake during the preceding
night, he saw that this column leaned over so that it
threatened each moment to fall and crush beneath it
that wing of the palace. In the presence of the Seventy
Elders, his council, and the governor of the city, and
many others, he came down, and placing his hand against
it, with one effort of his mighty strength, he restored it
to its level, upright as you behold it now! When,
therefore, he perished between the columns of the house
of the Philistines, it was deemed fitting that he should
rest here ; and now it is called no longer Dagon s Pil
lar, but the Pillar of Samson. &quot;

132 THE THRONE OP DAVID J OR,

We now passed a series of rooms which the young
prophet informed me were the apartments of the women
of the families of the former Judges. &quot; There,&quot; he said,
pointing to a spacious room now tenantless and ruinous,
&quot; the courageous prophetess Deborah had her lodgings.
In that door she stood when she made known to the He
brew Judge and general, Barak, God s command for him
to attack the barbaric Canaanites, who held a portion of
our nation in bondage. When he refused to go for feai
of their great army, she indignantly cried,&quot;

&quot; Wilt thou have me to go with you?&quot;

&quot; Is not God with thee?&quot; he answered. &quot;Come with
my army and I will meet Sisera and all his hosts ; but
if thou remainest behind, I will not stir horse or foot
from mount Tabor where my army lies.&quot; The prophet
ess put her ephod upon her shoulders, and taking only
her sacred wand, marched forth with him. Sisera, a
brave and experienced, though youthful general, was
defeated and losing his chariot in the battle, fled on foot,
and was taken and slain by a woman called Jael, to whose
tent he came for shelter.

&quot;I have also read that narration,&quot; I answered, &quot;in
the writings of your Seer.&quot;

&quot; You will then recollect that she cut off his head with
her own hand. It was sent hither to the prophetess
Deborah, and laid by the messenger upon this stone by the
door ; but she humanely commanded it to be sent back
and buried with his body, which, at her request, Barak
had conveyed to his mother who, from her lattice, was
waiting his return as a conqueror, when she beheld ap
proaching his headless body brought back upon a bier
of boughs.&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 133

&quot;When did this heroine live?&quot; I asked of the intelli
gent and interesting young prophet.

&quot;About two hundred and fifty years ago. Here is an
apartment,&quot; he continued, &quot;which is invested with pleas
ing yet most painfully touching associations. About
one hundred years since, there was a noble and brave
general, whose name was Jeptha. He had a fair daugh
ter, called Phigenia. Her beauty and gentle character
made her universally beloved. Her warlike father idol,
ized her, while she returned his fond affection with till
the tender ardor of a daughter s love. It was a pleasing
sight to see them both together, and witness his prideful
regard as he gazed upon her lovely face, and met the
soft eyes of filial trust and confidence with which she
looked up to him. When he came from the wars she
would be the first to descry, from the tower of his castle,
his tall form and waving crest; and the first, when he
entered the gate of the city where he dwelt, to welcome
him with cries of joy and gratitude at his safe return;
while he would bend over from the saddle and lift her
slender form to his mailed bosom, and kiss her cheeks
witli tear-sparkling eyes and words of parental love.
When he reached the palace, she would, with her delicate
finders, untie the fastenings of his brazen helmet, arrange

O 5 O C

his gray locks, and attend to his comfort in the thousand
ways known only to pure and unselfish filial love.

&quot;At length the King of Animon, who reigned on the
east of Jordan, invaded the land. Jeptha was called
upon by the people to become their leader in the war,
and they invested him with authority as a prince arid a
Judge over them : the highest office in the nation. His
daughter was at this time sojourning in Mizpeh at his

134 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

house with her friends. But when he became Judge of
Israel, he forthwith sent her to Ramah with his sister to
make ready this palace, as he intended after the war to
dwell here. For eighteen years, the Philistines had op
pressed our nation and conquered us in every battle, so
that we were in a measure subject to them, and for that
period had no Judge in Israel. The election of so dis
tinguished a soldier as Jeptha caused great joy ; and all
the people sent offerings to Ramah, and also to Gibeah to
repair the houses of the Judges which had been suffered
to fall into desolation.

&quot; The people of Ramah rejoiced that their Judge was
about to make his habitation among them, and gave their
money freely to restore it ; and his fair daughter had
soon the palace ready for the reception of her father
when he should return from the field.

&quot; In the meanwhile Jeptha, on the east of Jordan, had
been making preparations to give battle to his adversa
ries. On the eve of attacking them, he stood before his
captains, and raising his right hand to God made a
solemn vow, which he sealed by the oath of God, that if
the Lord would give him victory over the army of
Ammon and deliver their adversaries into his hand, on
his return to Mizpeh, whatever came forth out of the
gate of the city to meet him, he would offer it as a burnt-
offering unto the Lord his God ! Little did the warlike
father suspect who would meet him. Phigenia, his daugh
ter, having got this palace all in readiness, and anxious
to hear news from her father, and obtaining none after
three days suspense, said she would go as far as Miz
peh, as she could sooner there get tidings from the
land of Ammon whether there had been a battle and her

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 135

father were safe. So she returned with her maidens and
friends to Mizpeh. Hardly had she entered within the
walls of that city, ere a messenger came into the town,
running and saying &quot;that a great battle had been fought,
and Jeptha victorious ! The next day, from the bat
tlements, the conqueror, with a small war-worn retinue
attending him, was discerned galloping across the valley
towards the gates. The whole city went out to hail
their deliverer ; and as they drew near him, falling back
a little, they let Phigenia advance first to meet him, at
the head of a company of the maidens of Mizpeh with
timbrels and dances.

&quot;When he looked up and saw her, he uttered a great
cry of agony, and leaping off his horse to the ground,
rent his mantle, and covering his face, refused to embrace
her, saying,

&quot; Alas, my daughter ! alas ! How earnest thou hither
to meet me and to break my heart ? And she said,
(while all stood amazed at his grief,)

&quot; &amp;lt; What grieveth thee, my father ? Art thou not
covered with glory ? Has not God blessed thy sword
with victory? I have come forth to meet thee, like a
loving and fond daughter, to hail thee conqueror of
Ammon, when thou hidest thy face and turnest from
me in sorrow ! Art thou wounded, my father, and in
pain ?

&quot; Wherefore should I not hide my face and weep ?
he answered, gazing upon her with a haggard visage.
Listen, my child! I vowed a vow to God before the
battle that, if he would deliver Amrnon into my hand, I
would sacrifice as a burnt offering to Him, the first ob
ject that met me on my return liome I Lo ! Thou art

136 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

come, alas, alas, to make thyself the victim ! Would
God I had fallen on the field by the sword of Ammon, or
lost the battle with infamy, ere my eyes beheld thee
here! But I have sworn to God ihy death, and thou
must die !

&quot; Then all the people with the maidens lifted up their
voices and wept sore at these dread words ; but the
lovely Phigenia, with a firm voice though with a marble
face, said,

&quot; My father, if thou hast sworn, thou canst not forswear
thine oath ! Do with me according to thy vow ! Hath
not -the Lord given thee victory over thine enemies, thus
accepting thine oath ? And wilt thou withhold the sacri
fice, or shall I the victim ? No, my noble father ! I am
ready to die to have purchased thereby this victory of
my country and the glory of thine arms!

&quot; Ah, dearly purchased by thy sweet death, my child !
he answered, falling upon her neck and holding her
lovely and slender form long in silence against his
mailed heart. At length he stood up and said, with
husky words,

&quot; Thou shalt not die! Heaven will spare my child!

&quot; Then what price wilt thou pay back to God, my
father, for the victory? I am no longer tliine, but con
secrated by thy vow to heaven ! Better I should meet
my death on the altar of fire than thou shouldst be false
to thine oath on the field of victory.

&quot; Yes there is no hope none no alas ! thou must
be slain ! he said sorrowfully. Then suddenly added
firmly,

&quot; Prepare thyself for the sacrifice, my daughter!

&quot; Not now oh, not here, my father! she thrillingty

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 137

cried as he drew his sword and made a sign to her to
kneel! &amp;lt; Thine oath named not the hour! I will not
shrink oh no, I will not shrink from the death ! But
spare me two months, my father, to prepare myself
for the altar of sacrifice !

&quot;Gladly the poor father caught at this respite and
bade her go, and with her maidens make ready to be
offered up, at the end of that time, a burnt-offering to
God!&quot;

Here the youthful prophet Nathan paused. I had
listened with the deepest and most painful interest to hia
narrative.

&quot;Was this beautiful virgin sacrificed by her father ?&quot; 1
asked.

&quot;Alas, yes!&quot; he answered sadly. &quot;She at once came
hither to stay until the expiration of the two months,
during which time she lodged here in this place with her
friends; save that every day she would go into the groves
of the hills, which you behold near the city, where a holy
prophetess dwelt, and lament in touching songs her fate,
to be doomed to die so young! for life was naturally
dear to her. She also prayed much there, and sought to
consecrate herself with the aid of the prophetess by
prayer and fasting for the sacrifice. At length the day
came for the fulfillment of the dreadful vow made by her
father ! He had passed the intervening time in his house
at Mizpeh clothed in sackcloth, and spoke to no man
for nearly three-score days. Then came he hither and
in the little vale which you behold from this angle of the
\vall he erected an altar with his own hands. In this room
before you the hapless virgin was attired for the sacri
fice in robes of pure white, wearing on her head a crown

138 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

of white roses. She went firmly forth at the hour of
evening sacrifice, descending with her train of weeping
maidens through the gate of the court below, and so across
the hill which you now see covered with olive-trees, and
thence entered into the vale. By the altar stood the
dark and stern father, his drawn sword in his hand !
He appeared like a marble statue rather than a living
man. Thousands looked on in religious awe from the
walls and hillsides.

&quot; The sweet victim, embracing her young friends, re
leased herself from their clinging arms, and approaching
her father, would have knelt before him for his blessing ;
but he forbade her with a gesture, and said, i Let me
kneel and ask thy forgiveness, dear lamb, for my rash
vow, and for the deed my hand must do in its fulfillment
this day !

&quot;He knelt down before her, all the while keeping his
eyes turned away that he might not look on her face,
and she placed gently and lovingly her folded hands
upon his head, and said,

&quot; &amp;lt;I have nothing to forgive my father ! I die for my
country s victory, and for thy honor before God and the
people of Israel! Now, farewell !

&quot;For a moment she rested in his arms, then kissed his
forehead, and gently disengaging herself, with a firm
step ascended the altar. He rose and followed her tot
tered to her side like a man overcome of wine and as she
kneeled in an attitude of prayer upon the wood laid for
the burnt-offering, he sheathed his glittering sword in her
snow-white bosom; then kindling the fagots with his
torch, he fell to the earth insensible, and lay there as one
dead.&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM.

&quot; It is a sad, sad tale,&quot; I said, perceiving that the
prophet was silent. &quot;Did the father live?&quot;

&quot; lie never smiled again ! He lived a few melancholy
years, weary of existence, and unfit for war or rule, and
died the sixth year after his fatal victory, at Gilead, where
he was buried, for he never entered this house of Naioth
in Ramah after her death. His head reposes upon an
urn containing the ashes of liis lovely victim!&quot;

I thanked my intelligent guide for this touching narra
tive, and surveyed with renewed and tender interest the
room consecrated by the last presence on earth of the
hapless, yet amiable, courageous, and pious Phigenia.

We then continued our way out of the city to the hill-
tower, from the lofty top of which I beheld for the first
time the mighty Sea of the West. My emotions deprived
me of speech ! I could only gaze with wonder and- awe !
How shall I describe the spectacle, to give your majesty
an idea of its sublimity and illimitable grandeur ! It ap
peared to my eye as if I could see off the earth into
boundless space ; for the sea and sky were both of the
same azure tint, and the meeting line of water and air
was not perceptible. There was in fact no visible hori
zon! The far distant strand of Palestina, full twelve
leagues west of us, but more by the roads, seemed the
jagged edge of the world! I never experienced before
Buch ideas of vastness and remoteness. The atmosphere
was pure as crystal. As the sun declined, the narrow
belt of sea became silvered with its light, and looked like
a brilliant river without a farther shore flowing around
the verge of the world! Your majesty must pardon a
little enthusiasm in one who beholds, such a sight, for tho
first time !

140 THE THRONE OP DAVID; OK,

My guide, whose grace of manners, gentleness of
speech, and intelligent conversation, attracted me more
and more towards him, and who seemed to have a pro
found acquaintance with his country s history, and to
know how to instruct without ostentation, now directed
my attention to the surrounding scenes. In one direc
tion he pointed to where Joppa lay, a famous seaport,
but not in sight ; gave me the names of the mountains
which we stood upon, those all about us, and indicated
with his hand the direction of Hebron, south. The
valley of the Jordan, the dark mountains of Nebo beyond,
and, also, the Sea of Sodoma lay to the east.

On our return from the summit, we crossed the little
valley of the sacrifice of Phigenia, called the &quot; the Yale
of the Oath.&quot; It was a gloomy spot, overhung with rocks
on one side, and deserted even by. flocks and herds ; and
since that day, one hundred years ago, no man has tilled
or sown thereon ! I stopped near a pile of stones, half
buried and covered with wild vines and moss. It was
the remains of the altar of Jeptha ! left as a lasting monu
ment of his rash vow ! On our walk we had just passed
a beautiful garden, when we came to a large mausoleum
all in ruins, and apparently of great age. Perceiving
that I regarded it with interest, the prophet said,

&quot; This is called the tomb of Joshua ! But there is
another sepulchre in the rocky sides of the mount of
Bethel, which is also claimed by the Benjaminites as hig
burial-place. There is no doubt that this was erected
as a sepulchre for one of the ancient Canaanitish kings,
and his coffin removed by the conquerors ; doubtless the
body of Joshua was placed here ! At least tradition,
which is history to us, gives its testimony to this effect.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 141

While I was meditating upon the spot, and recalling the
glorious career of the Hebrew conqueror, and the ingra
titude of his nation in permitting his sepulchre to perish,
or to be in doubt as to the place of his burial, the He
brew prince and the young harpist of the School of the
Prophets appeared walking in the path, side by side. The
prince at once joined me, excusing himself for neglecting
me. I replied, I had been in good hands, and had de
rived much information from my companion.

&quot;In that case,&quot; said the prince, smiling, &quot; lAvill not take
any blame to myself. My lord Arbaces, this is my friend
David of Bethlehem, of the School of the Prophets !&quot;

The youth, who had just asked of Nathan some question,
met my salutation with modest frankness, blushing like a
maiden; evidence of a right and noble disposition, and of an
ingenuous nature uncorruptcd by the world. I could not
but regard with admiration his extraordinary beauty, of
which I have bcfore^poken ! lie seemed a superior being,
especially when I recalled his wonderful performance on
the harp, and his voice so rich with melody and pathos.
Here a fourth person joined us, a young man in the dress
of the School. His name was Asaph, and he brought a
message to the prince from the Seer. We all went to
wards the palace together, when I parted with the intel
ligent prophet, expressing warmly my obligations to his
courtesy, for he had given me full four hours of his time.
The handsome Bethlehemite also left us at the foot of the
terrace, the prince taking his hand, on separating, with the
aifectionate manner of a twin-brother.

It was my privilege to occupy the same apartment
with the royal prince. When I seated myself to recover
from the fatigue of my walk, I related to him what I

142 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

had seen and heard. We discussed the conduct of Jael
in slaying Sisera: the prince giving it as his opinion that
&quot;she was justifiable as he was an enemy of God; as in
permitting him to go in safety she would have been con
demned as an enemy to her people: she had no alter
native but to do as she did.&quot; On the contrary, I con
tended, your majesty, that the rights of hospitality are
always sacred; and the enemy who seeks protection
under its shield cannot be harmed by the host without
crime.

Of the fatal vow of Jeptha we also spoke. I said that
&quot;a rash vow is a great wrong ; but if it involve a greater
wrong, the least of the evils should be chosen. He had
better have been perjured, than for his oath s sake com
mit a crime which has no parallel.

&quot;Your God, my noble prince,&quot; I added, &quot;would
rather have forgiven the vow than received the unnatural
sacrifice.&quot;

&quot; As Jeptha alone was guilty, &quot; said tfc prince, &quot; he alone
should have been the sufferer. He ought to have sacri
ficed himself rather than the innocent Phigenia ! Sui
cide is a crime, and so is murder ! He could have chosen
between the two ! But she has left to the world a noble
and touching memory, and a sublime example of filial
obedience and piety. Her sacrifice has made her im
mortal.&quot;

After two days passed as guest of the venerable Seer&amp;gt;
at whose feet I also sat with his School of youthful pro
phets to listen to the words of wisdom that fell from his
lips, I at length bade him farewell arid received, kneel
ing, his blessing. He desired me to convey to your ma
jesty his remembrances, and to ask you to rea;l a copy

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 143

of the sacred books of his people which he has presented
to me for your acceptance. lie says your reign will be
happy and prosperous if you continue just and virtuous,
but that sins and oppression in kings (evils happily un
known in your majesty s rule) are more severely punished
by the God of the heaven and earth than the transgres
sions of other men ! That &quot; kings are vicegerents of
the supreme King on high, and should rule with equity
and judgment.&quot; He showed me how all the wars in
which his nation have been involved were actual scourges
of their God sent upon them for national transgressions.

Having taken a kind leave, at the foot of the stairs, of
my intelligent friend Nathan, who promises to become a
leading man among his countrymen, young David came
forward to me and grasping my hand said, in a manly
way and with graceful dignity:

&quot;I am sorry, my lord prince, you have come to find
our country troubled by the hordes of the Philistines,
whose presence wilf perhaps prevent you from going, at
present, farther south than Solima or Hebron. News
are come within an hour that they even menace this
place.&quot;

The prince had already heard the tidings, and ridden
to the gate to learn their origin. There I found him
not long returned from a visit of filial duty to his mother
at Bethel, surrounded by the captains and officers of the
garrison. I learned that an army of four thousand men
was within ten leagues of Ramah, having already occupied
several towns on their route. The prince promptly sent a
force of eight hundred men to defend a pass in the moun
tains of Ephraim, made some valuable suggestions to the
general who commanded in those parts, and at length,

144 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

rode forward with me on the way to Hebron, his own
and my body-guard escorting us.

On our way we passed the rocky heights of Solima
with a bold castle crowning the southern eminence, still
held by a pagan garrison of Jebusites ; the place having
withstood since the days of Joshua the assaults of the
Hebrews. There it towered in strength and pride, an
inaccessible fortress of the ancient masters of the land
in the very heart of the kingdom. Your majesty may
suppose that I gazed upward towards its frowning bat
tlements with deep interest, from the narrow valley
which it overhangs and through which we traveled.
Upon my expressing my surprise to the prince that so
small a castle should have held out for more than four
hundred years, he said that it was formerly the citadel
of the chief city of the land, Solima, once the capital of
the kingdom of a wise and virtuous Syrian prince, Mel-
chisedek, and that Joshua conquered the city itself, but
left the citadel to be subsequently and at leisure reduced ;
but other places demanding his attention, it remained
unattacked up to the time of his death ; and since then,
though often assailed, it has never been conquered. The
garrison is however peaceful, and seldom molests our
people.

The same day we passed across a portion of the plain
of Mamre before Hebron, where the three great Kings,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lay buried in the cave of
Machpelah; which interesting spot I have visited since I
arrived here. In it also reposes the embalmed body of
the eminent and virtuous Prince Joseph, once governor
of Egypt, who, at his dying, commanded the Hebrews to
bring it with them from the land of the Phara )bs and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 145

here bury it ; thus singularly prophesying not only their
departure from. Egypt, but their conquest of this land.

In the plain of Mamre I found encamped my caravan,
and retinue of Assyrian soldiers. The next morning I
entered the city, and was conducted by the Hebrew
prince into the presence of King Saul.

Your faithful

ARBACES.

146 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

LETTER Y.
ABBACES, THE AMBASSADOR

To BELTJS, KING OF ASSYRIA.

AMBASSADOR S CAMP, PLAIN OP MAMRE, BEFORE HEBRON-
MY DEAR COUSIN AND KlNG :

THE city before which I am encamped, your majesty,
is one of the oldest in this part of the earth, even older
than ancient Tanis, once the capital of the northern
Egyptian realm. It is said to have been founded by a
giant named Habro, or Hebra, of the race of the old
kings of Palestina. When Joshua conquered the land,
it was the stronghold of a Canaanitish king, who himself
was of gigantic stature, of the family of Anakim.

It is built upon a bold and rocky hill, and looks with
its lofty battlements, immense walls, and strongly founded
towers, to be impregnable. Hence the king has recently
selected it to become the capital of his kingdom, when
he shall have completed his palace, and strengthened and
enlarged its fortifications. It is partially encircled by
the vale of Machpelah, a portion of the valley of Mamre,
of which with its gardens, and white flat-roofed villages,
and groves of palm trees, and enclosures of fig, pome
granate, and apricot trees, it commands a noble view.
Around this vale stand precipitous hills, which are sepa
rated by deep passes, that approach close to the walls in

THE REBELLION? OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 147

one direction; but a small number of soldiers can prevent
an enemy from penetrating through them to the city.
Without doubt it will be made by the monarch the
strongest city in this extraordinary kingdom of walled
and battlemented towns and garrisons.

I regret to have to inform your majesty that the ap
prehensions of the prince are realized. The Philistines
have actually thrown out their advanced troops so far as
to cover the road towards Egypt, and intercept all travel
in that direction. They have a two-fold motive, per
haps, both to plunder caravans and cut off supplies from
King Saul in Hebron. I shall, therefore, be under tho
necessity of remaining here until a battle is fought, and

*/ O O

the way opened; which I trust will be in a very few
days.

The king is diligently assembling his army, and the
prince is active in lending his efficient aid. In case of
an attack upon these troublesome foes, I shall not with
hold my services and those of my battalion of Assyrians
A spy reports that the force south of Hebron numbers
ten thousand men, which evidently intend some important
movement. The king is strengthening the city at every
point, and troops are pouring in from all parts of the
kingdom, brave looking men, but poorly armed : for this
nation has not yet recovered from the loss of all its arms
in the early days of Samuel, when the Philistines, mas
tering the country, took away from it every sword, spear,
battle-axe, and weapon of war. The little intercourse
of the Hebrews with other countries, and the total ab
sence of commerce among them, has been an obstacle
to their replacement. Almost the first inquiry made of
me by King Saul, after I was presented to him, was, &quot; if

148 THE TURONE OF DAVID; OR,

arms in abundance were in Assyria, and if your majesty
would permit your merchants to sell one hundred thou
sand weapons of all arms to the Hebrews ?&quot;

Courage and zeal will not effect much in war without
serviceable weapons. The profound policy of the Philis
tines in disarming their conquered foes is now clearly ap
parent. An hour since a thousand Hebrews marched
past towards the town. Not half of them were armed
in a soldierly manner; and these not uniformly; while
the rest either carried sharpened bits of iron or steel
secured to the ends of staves, or shouldered reaping
hooks ; and, indeed, many of the swords I saw had been
rudely shaped out of sickles and scythes. An army,
thus imperfectly armed, however brave the material, can
not have confidence in itself on the field. The Philis
tines, on the contrary, are well harnessed for battle; are
mailed in iron, and defended by helm and cuirass. Be
sides, they have battalions of chariots of iron with broad,
i curved knives secured to the ends of the axles, while their

I horsemen are numbered by thousands, all clad in panoply
of steel, and wielding formidable lances. Moreover,
they have, as I am told by the Hebrews, a body-guard of
one hundred giants, sons of Anak, who attend their king
,who is also a gigantic warrior, six cubits or more in
height or nearly ten feet ! He is with the main army
west of this, so report the spies, encamped in a large
plain which is darkened by his countless hosts. The di
vision south of us I have seen ; for, doubting the accu
racy of the observations of the men of Beersheba, who
brought the report that they held the southern high-road,
and resolved, if the way should appear to be at all open,
to strike my camp and advance, without ail hour s delay,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 149

rapidly towards Egypt before it should be wholly closed
against me, I took fifty men with me immediately, and
started off in that direction. After four hours riding I
reached an elevation over which the road wound, and be
neath me saw a sight which confirmed the report, and de
pressed my hopes of being able, for some time at least,
to continue my journey in the direction of the Nile. In a
narrow plain, across the green bosom of which wound the
yellow, dusty high-way towards Egypt, stretched the long,
white line of the camp of the thousands of the Philistines.
Their number had been exaggerated, as I perceived there
could not be, in all, more than five thousand men. As
my eyes fell upon them, they were going through military
evolutions. Chariots in long lines were wheeling across
the plain ; bodies of cavalry charged hither and thither ;
men-at-arms in columns were marched and counter
marched; bowmen were discharging flights of arrows,
and spearmen throwing their long weapons at im
aginary adversaries. Banners fluttered, plumes tossed,
swords flashed, helmets gleamed, lance-points glittered
in the sun. and the noise of the chariot wheels, the loud
thump of hoofs, the tramp of many running feet, the
wild shouts of the chiefs, and wilder answering cries of the
soldiers filled the air ; while over the strange and warlike
scene rolled clouds of dust reflecting a hue of gold from
the beams of the setting sun !

I turned away satisfied that, if this were the high-way
down to Egypt, I must be content for a short time to
remain encamped in the beautiful vale of Mamre.

I have since learned that by retracing my way to the
Jordan and rccrossing that river, I can gain the wilder
ness of Moab and Edorn, and by a longer route of great

150 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

hardship, through a country of dangerous and fierce peo
ple, whose hand is against all men, ultimately reach
Egypt. I would, far rather than risk this route with ita
increased distance, cut my way, king, with my thou
sand brave guard through the camp of the Philistines.
I shall remain here a few days and see what will be the
issue. We have already been detained nearly one week,
and are all impatient at this delay, which I trust will soon
terminate.

I will now recount to your majesty the particulars of
my interview with the Hebrew monarch. The day fol
lowing my arrival at my camp, the prince, who had left
me the evening previous to hasten to the presence of his
royal father, came out to my tent and said that King
Saul desired then to see me. Passing on foot through
the massive portals of the city which was crowded with
troops, I accompanied the prince along a street narrow
and steep, which seemed to be lined alone with stone bar
racks for the accommodation of the garrison. Beyond
these we entered a fine square surrounded by various
castellated edifices, with towers intermingled, and all an
cient and imposing in appearance. This square was
filled with illy-armed Hebrew soldiers, who were being
drilled by their captains, while on every side from the
inner courts was heard the sound of forging-hammers
beating iron into weapons of war. Crossing this ani
mated place we traversed a short street which led into
a noble court-yard, on two sides of which were fair gar
dens ; the third was open to the plain of Mamre with
its verdant valleys and cliif-like mountains, while the
fourth was occupied by a half-erected palace on which
numerous workmen were employed. Near it stood the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 151

Hebrew architect, whom five days before I had parted
with at the cross-ways where we fell in with the caravan
from the far-south land of Sheba. The palace-builder
recognizing me, saluted me with dignity, and desired us
to admire his noble building, which, being in good taste
and admirably proportioned, I praised as it deserved,
when he remarked &quot; that after it should be completed it
would surpass all other palaces in the world.&quot; I could
not but smile, your majesty, at this little exhibition of
vanity when I recalled the one hundred and seventy
superb palaces within the walls of Nineveh, the least of
which is more noble and beautiful than any edifice I have
seen in this land, and especially when I thought upon the
magnificence of the &quot;Palace of the Kings,&quot; half a league
square, and your royal mother s alabaster palace, its
roof of beaten gold, and its columns of silver, marble,
and cedar-wood, inlaid with ivory and pearl!

Thence we proceeded towards a singular tower very
large and square at the base, and rounded at the top
with an iron gate leading into it.

&quot; That is the house of shelter for men-slayers when
they fly red-handed to this place from the avenger of
blood,&quot; said the prince; &quot;for Hebron is one of the cities
of refuge. This is their abode at night, made secure to
protect them from secret assassination should their ad
versary steal into the city to slay them. In the day
they go about their occupations like others. Thou sefist
at the grated window one of the fugitives whose pale face
shows he is too ill to-day to be abroad.&quot;

At length the prince stopped before the portal of a
low wall which, from the appearance of the foliage rising
above it, enclosed a garden. A sentry in a coat of

152 THE THROVE OF DAVID; OR,

mail and iron head-piece, and armed with a battle-axe,
paced to and fro in front of it, while two other Hebrew
soldiers similarly accoutred, stood within the entrance
also on guard. Upon beholding the prince, the sentinel
saluted ; and we passed into a spacious area paved wi th
stone, and containing a fountain, shaded by a single palm
tree. Opposite to the entrance I saw a large stone
edifice, which seemed like most of the public edifices in
this land, to have been once a temple or palace of the
ancient Canaanites. Between a double row of trees,
chiefly the oleander and myrtle, with here and there a
ilowering acacia, we approached this mansion.

In the massive and carved old door- way stood two men-
at-arms, tall, strong, mountaineer-looking fellows, armed
with short swords. They wore helmets with a low crest,
bright red tunics, corslets of steel, or cuirasses of polished
iron, or of thick leather, gilt and embossed ; with greaves
of brass: altogether a singular armor! These soldiers
were of the tribe of Gad, and a part of the king s body
guard; bold, fighting looking men, and would evidently
do their work thoroughly on the field of battle. They
did homage to the presence of my princely companion, who
conducted me to a broad stair-case, so shallow that I was
not surprised subsequently to hear that the king, in one
of the fits of madness that sometimes come upon him, had
once spurred up them on horseback.

At the top of the stairs we came upon a wide corridor,
at the end of which was a door, where also stood a sen
tinel. Many persons were walking up and down this
entry, or ante-chamber, waiting for audience. Some
were chief captains in full armor; others, elders of the
city in flowing beards and long robes; others, citizens )f

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 153

distinction, richly attired; others, persons who came to sue
for mercy or for justice, or to present petitions. To all
of these the prince, in returning their respectful salutes,
spoke a word, now of promise, now of hope, now of sym
pathy, now of confidence. Among them whom should I
discover but the governor of Jericho, who had just arrived
in obedience to a summons from the king? lie recog
nized, and met me with great cordiality, and when I asked
after his fair daughter Adora, the greatest heiress and
most beautiful virgin in Israel, of whom I have before
written to your majesty, lie answered that he had brought
her with him, and that she was at the house of his
brother, the captain of the city. Upon hearing this news,
I must confess to your majesty that I was not a little
gratified ; for the presence of so charming a person
would serve greatly to relieve the tedium of my compul
sory stay at Hebron ; for at Jericho I saw her often at
the house of the chief governor and elder, her father, and
learned to esteem them both as valued friends.

&quot;Does the king know thou art in waiting?&quot; asked
Jonathan of him.

&quot; I have sent in word by the chief chamberlain, your
highness, about an hour ago,&quot; he replied.

&quot; I will recall you to his mind. Is thy business press-
Ing, my lord?&quot; he continued, addressing the noble look
ing governor.

&quot; It may be to his majesty. He desires to hire sixty
talents of gold for this war ! I am here to say that I
and my friends can oblige him with it all !&quot;

&quot; I rejoice to hear it, my good governor ! I know my
father needs money to pay his army. With your kind
aid all will go favorably ! I will let him know you wait.&quot;

154 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Here I overheard a low voice say to some one, &quot; Ho
will see no one to-day, I fear. The dark spirit is upon
him.&quot;

&quot; Will my lord of Assur do me the honor to dine to
morrow with me and my daughter at my brother s ?&quot; asked
the governor of me, as we were passing on.

&quot; I will gladly accept your excellency s invitation,&quot; I
replied ; &quot;for all my time hangs on my hands. I only
fear you will see me too often !&quot;

&quot; Do not fear that, my lord Arbaces,&quot; answered the
stately and handsome Hebrew ruler, smiling.

We passed by the sentinel, and entering, I found myself
in a large and beautiful apartment adorned with sculpture.
Gilded panels, enriched by painted flowers, were set
between ranges of columns of polished marble, inlaid with
ivory and colored woods, and burnished to the hardness
of porphyry. At the lower end were hangings of various
colors richly variegated with needle-work ; and the ceiling
was decorated to represent the azure vault of heaven
studded with stars of gold. The opposite extremity of this
noble room was filled by a throne elevated three steps above
the floor, and overhung by a splendid canopy of cloth
of gold. Behind the throne, which was a magnificent
chair of ivory, inlaid with devices in silver, and covered
by Tyrian velvet of a dark purple hue, enriched by nee
dle-work, was a great window through which came blow
ing the cool breezes from the mountains of Adoniram,
which were visible not far off with their rugged shoul
ders and dark brown sides, dotted with flocks and herds.

The throne was vacant. On each side of it stood a
tall, bearded man in steel armor, leaning upon a long
two-edged sword that shone like silver. In front, kneel*

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 155

ing upon an embroidered cushion, was an Ethiopian page,
richly attired, who seemed patiently to await orders to go
and come. By a column, on which was fastened a leaf
of brass as a writing-table, stood a long-haired secretary
without a beard, his reed in his hand, and his silver ink-
horn hanging at his girdle that bound, by a gold buckle,
the long blue gown which he wore beneath a short, green
tunic. He was not writing, but engaged in conversation
with a gorgeously clothed and pompous-looking chamber
lain, who, with his green wand in his hand, was awaiting
the commands of the monarch.

Walking at great strides up and down the long hall,
his eyes fixed upon the floor, his arms folded across his
herculean chest, and his large, noble features overcast
with troubled thought, I beheld the king himself. It
could be none other ! It was not necessary for the young
prince to look at me and say in a low tone touched in
sorrow :

&quot;There is my father!&quot;

His majesty took no notice of us, but walked by to
the foot of the throne, and then returned to the lower
end of the room, thrice, before he seemed to be aware of
our presence in his audience chamber. I had therefore
an opportunity of observing him. He was the most
magnificent looking man I ever beheld! Tall, with
almost the proportions of a splendid giant; yet, from the
perfect symmetry of his limbs, carrying himself with a
firm, graceful, and noble air ! His head was grand !
and covered with short masses of curling locks, which
were black as night ! His ample forehead reminded me
of the godlike brow of the statue of Sardanapalus in
front of your majesty s palace. He seemed to be about

156 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

fifty-six or eight years of age, a few silver threads woven
into his heavy beard, which covered only his upper lip
and cheeks, betraying that he had passed the goal of
fifty. He was royally attired in a suit which was half-
armor, half-citizen s costume; his majestic breast being
protected by a corslet curiously woven of silver chains,
while a silver helmet with a white plume flowing around
the golden crest covered his head. Over his broad,
kingly shoulders was thrown a short crimson mantle
ciasped by a pair of steel lion s claws. A short dagger
was stuck, unsheathed, in a broad belt of leopard s skin,
which confined his coat to his waist. There was an air,
partly of barbaric splendor and partly of courtly ease, in
his appearance and bearing. Without question, he was a
man of decided intellectual character and strong passions,
with undoubted power over men, and whom it would be
madness willfully to enrage or disobey.

As he paced up and down, his great noble eyes wore
a sorrowful and heavy look : they seemed to hold no light-
in them; but, like mist-hidden stars, to be under the
veil of the cloud resting on his soul s horizon! His
proud, fixed lips, the bent brow, the awful expression of
settled gloom betrayed the strength of the terrible emo
tions which tore and lashed his haughty spirit, chafed by
the anger of his God and the displeasure of the powerful
prophet ! It was painful to gaze upon this wreck of the
once proud, ambitious, and generous-hearted king, of the
lion heart and eagle eye, who had been chosen, above all
his fellows, to be anointed the first KING of his ancient
race ! I thought I could see the storm rolling across
the darkening sky of his soul, as fiery thought after fiery
thought flashed like forked lightnings from his sur-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 157

charged brain at the reflection that he was the mark of
his God s wrath, the abandoned of his Spirit, the victim
of his vengeance ! He seemed at one moment to cower
under this pressure, and dropped his head lower and
lower ; but the next, as 1 watched his face, I thought I
could see a look of defiant despair developing itself amid
the gloom. I was not mistaken ! He stopped near us,
raised his majestic head with an air of fierce anger, and
shaking his open palms towards heaven with eyes kind
ling he cried, with fearful emphasis and in appalling
passionate tones,

&quot; I defy the God of Israel ! Sacrifice? So I did ! Who
should let me? Was I not priest as well as king? Twas
not to Baal, nor to Ashtaroth, nor to the gods of the ac
cursed Philistines, I slew the victim, but to the

What ! art thou come, my son ?&quot; he suddenly spoke in
a natural and even tone, as at this moment his eyes
rested upon us ! The transition, from his sublime and
terrible appeal to heaven to this pleasant tone of voice,
was like magic most wonderful. &quot; I did not notice thee !
I 1 &quot; here he passed his hand slowly across his fore
head as if collecting his thoughts ; and the cloud slowly
passed away, and with a benign and noble, yet touching
voice, as if the waves of emotion still trembled a little
even after the dark simoom of passion had passed by, he
continued.,

&quot; I hope you have not waited ! This youthful stranger
is, I doubt not, the Prince Arbaces of Assyria ! I wel
come you to my poor court, noble ambassador. My son
has spoken of you so favorably that I already regard
you as a friend. I rejoice that you came into Judea !
It is my desire to hold relations of the strongest friend-

158 THE TIIROXE OF DAVID; OR,

ship with your monarch ! At present we are a young
kingdom, and it will require time to give us position and
name among the kingdoms of the earth ! I trust your
royal master, Belus, is well and at peace in all his
realm.

&quot; He is well, your majesty,&quot; I answered, and would
have sent a personal message to you by me ; but so in
frequent is the intercourse between my country and the
west, and Belus has been so short a time on the throne,
that he had not heard that your people had changed its
government to that of a monarchy; although I have
learned that you have been many years king !&quot;

&quot;Many years !&quot; he repeated slightly frowning, and
then smiled; &quot;yes. But if not long enough to have
made my name known on the Tigris, I have reigned I
fear to little purpose ; for I have not even expelled the
Philistines from my borders ! But, young prince of
Assyria,&quot; he added, stamping his foot with sudden fury,
&quot; how can a king reign and conquer and bless his king
dom, with Heaven armed against him, Hell leagued to
destroy him, and earth s most powerful Seer hurling
prophecies of evil upon his poor head ?&quot;

&quot;My dear father,&quot; said Jonathan, touching his arm
and speaking as tenderly as he would to a child, &quot; the
holy prophet holdeth no anger ! He is but the mouth
of God! He pities you, and &quot;

&quot;Pities! Samuel of Eamah pity Saul the king?
The haughty prophet may beware ! By the head of my
father, if he pities me, I will slay him did he cling for
safety to the very wings of the cherubim !&quot;

This was spoken with insane violence. His eyes shot
forth fire. His face flushed with his burning blood!

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 15

His whole mighty form was dilate with strong wrath !
He foamed at the mouth ; he shook his clenched hands
towards Ramah as if he saw visibly the prophet: he
laughed aloud ! He stood before us a madman !

Suddenly a rapid and troubled gesture, made by the
prince to a distant part of the hall, was answered by a
strain of music upon a stringed instrument, evidently from
unpractised or trembling hands. The irate monarch,
whose whole pride of character had been suddenly and
sharply wounded at the idea that he whom he regarded as
his enemy pitied him, paused at the sound, turned slowly
towards it, and fixing his terrible eyes, blazing with
supernatural splendor, upon a gallery where two players
dressed in white stood performing, he seemed for a moment
to be listening ; but a false note being struck, he uttered
a shout of vengeance and scorn, and drawing the dagger
at his belt, he sprung forward with death to the unhappy
players in his eyes.

Mockest thou me ! Darest thou?&quot; he called to the
unhappy musicians. In a moment I stood before him
It was an act wholly impulsive !

&quot;Oh, king, most wise and good! Thou art too just
to harm the innocent, or stain the purity of thy sceptre
by a deed of blood on those poor harpists, thy slaves!&quot;
I said with a firmness and force, which I am since sur
prised at, as well as at the result. For an instant, as I
stood in his path, the glittering steel which he held waved
in his hand, irresolute above my heart ! I held his blaz
ing eyes steadily with mine. Jonathan would have come
to rescue me from what he believed certain death, (for
my sword was undrawn.) when with a sudden change of
purpose he sheathed again the bloodless steel, his face

160 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

relaxed its stern and violent expression, his eyes parted
with their fierce fire, and with a look of amity and re
gard he laid his hand upon my arm, and said :

&quot; Thou art right, prince ! Saul the man is not so mad
that Saul the king forgets justice and mercy ! I see
tliou dost not think I am mad, like this Samuel and the
rest of the Hebrews ! Thou seest in me only an un
happy king. Thy voice, I perceive, has neither pity nor
reproach ! I am now calm ! The dark spirit that at
times possesses my soul has flown ! He cannot bear
words of kindness ! Prince, pardon my discourtesy to
thee!&quot;

How my heart bled for him ! Deeply did I sympathize
with this poor monarch, who seems to be cast down
with a consciousness of his madness, and keenly morti
fied by its exhibitions ; alternately depressed by the idea
of the displeasure of his God, and grieved at his sins
by which he has incurred it ; now melancholy with de
spair of reconciliation, now maddened by the certainty
that his kingdom is to be taken from him, and his
sceptre given into the grasp of a stranger ! I am sure
that your majesty will feel deeply for the unhappy Hebrew
king, and that you will wish that his great punishment
might terminate after a due time, and, the heavenly
powers, propitiated, secure to him and his posterity bis
kingdom.

He was now thoroughly composed. What had first
excited him was explained to us. An hour before we
came in, he had received an impudent and haughty chal
lenge from the Philistine king, written with the blood
of one of his spies, (who had been taken and slain,)
upon a piece of sacred parchment of the holy law. It

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 161

had been shot into the window fastened to an arrow, and
fell at the side of the throne as the king sat thereon
giving audience.

One should know, in order to comprehend the full in
sult of the challenge, with what superstitious reverence
the Hebrews regard their sacred parchments. If a man
sec a fragment on the ground he dare not pass it lest
one of the names of their God be upon it, and it be
trodden under foot ! It is a great crime in any way
to desecrate it ; but ONE of his mysterious names no man
ever wrote or dares to write ! The Scribes express it by
a blank space ! But others may lawfully be written.
The Philistine knew this. Moreover, blood is deemed
sacred by the Hebrews ! To make use of it, as was
done by the Philistine, was therefore a two-fold insult;
not to speak of the slaughter of the poor spy whose life
supplied the stream in which the reed was dipped. The
boldness of the bowman, who could approach so near
the walls, unseen, as to send through the window a shaft
with the challenge secured to its feathered end, increased
the wrath of King Saul. In vain the bearer of the bold
challenge was sought for ! The king, in the meanwhile,
commanded his scribe to read it.

&quot; To Saul of Kish, King of slaves, Goliath of Gath
sendeth greeting : By this writing he challengeth him to
single combat for his crown ! In the valley of Mount
Gebo, before Socho, he awaiteth Saul the Hebrew,
King of slaves ! Why should thy army all perish ?
Come forth out of the city and let us two men-of-war
decide our quarrel. He that conquers shall have both
kingdoms and wear both crowns. Send me speedily thine
answer, thou dog of a Hebrew, son of tvish the herd.&quot;
11

162 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

There is little to marvel at that King Saul, with his
morbid and irate temper, should have been thrown into
a great rage by this missile ! The arrow, with the chal
lenge, I saw lying upon the floor as we entered, but had
then no idea of their signification.

Having conducted me to a seat by his throne, the
dignified king now quietly conversed with me about As
syria, the number of the chariots, horsemen, and foot-men
in your majesty s armies, inquired as to your age and
personal appearance, was amazed when I described to him
the vastness of your dominions, and the magnificence of
Nineveh with its million of souls. He inquired about
your forges of armor, your mines of iron, of gold,
silver, and copper ; your pearl fisheries on the South Sea,
and your fleets trading to remote Tarshish* in the east,
and to Ezion-geber on the Red Sea of Ethiopia. He
said he would gladly purchase arms in Assyria for his
people, and desired me to ask your majesty to dispose
of as many as would fully arm his hosts, which I pro
mised to do ; and he has resolved to send a caravan to
Assyria with me on my return from Egypt, in order to
bring them hither. We conversed an hour. The prince
seeing the placable mood his father was in, secretly re
moved the arrow and its message from the hall, and dis
appeared ; and as he passed through the ante-room, he
benevolently, though reluctantly, granted in the king s
name the prayers of all who waited, and sent them
away joyful ; and forbidding any one to intrude into
the king s presence that day, he went to aid the generals
to organize the army.

Poor young prince ! How heavily his father s calamity
* Now the Island of Ceylon.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 163

weighs upon him ! His position, too, is singularly anoma
lous ! I have just said he granted the petitions of those
poor p?ople who sought the king s clemency or favor, but
granted them reluctantly. He felt that in doing it he
\vas usurping a right which was not justly his, for though
he was the king s son, he knew he was not to succeed
him in the kingdom ; and therefore had no authority
to act in the kingdom, as one who was by and by to
reign, might perhaps, lawfully do ! I have already stated
to your majesty that the sceptre was to be taken from
Saul by the God who conferred it upon him in his earlier
years, and given to another; that the prince not only
knows this, but is well aware who the person is, who is
to supplant himself in the royal succession.

This evening, while I was seated in my tent, reflecting
upon the extraordinary scene which occurred to-day dur
ing my visit to the king, the curtain of my tent was
raised and the prince entered. I received him with more
than my usual friendly warmth, and he took a seat by
me. After a moment s silence he said,

&quot; My dear Arbaces, you have now seen my father, and
can understand his calamity. I am sure you sympathize
with me, and feel deeply for him with your generous nature.
Once how heroic, noble, majestic a king was he, until that
unhappy day when he usurped the sacred office of Sacrificer
to God ! It has cost him his peace, his mind, his reason, the
loss of the Spirit of God, and, ultimately, will cost him the
loss of his throne ! But I will not intrude our griefs upon
you. I have come to say that my father has decided to march
against the Philistines without delay. There are twenty
thousand Hebrew soldiers in, and within an hour s march
of, Hebron. We move the first division at sunrise to-

104 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

morrow. I have come to ask you if you would like to
accompany me, as I go with it ! Do not think I am so
liciting your aid, I only desire your company ; and have
thought you might wish to see a battle ; for unless the
enemy prove too great in numbers we shall offer him
battle within three days. He is encamped about thirty
miles to the north-west, in a broad plain enclosed by
mountains. His hosts are reported by our spies to be
very great. We shall advance with the army we have
with us, and leave orders for any fresh bodies of troops
to follow.&quot;

&quot; I will not only go with you as a friend, my dear
prince,&quot; I said; &quot;but I will take with me six hundred
of my body-guard, leaving the residue to guard my en
campment. I now offer you and the king the assistance
of my brave Assyrians ! Be sure they will do good
service.&quot;

The prince warmly thanked me and then said, &quot; I wiL
make known your kind offer to the king ; but I fear his
pride will lead him to decline it ; for if the victory is
won, he would desire the whole glory should be with his
own army ; and if he is defeated, he would be mortified
to involve in the disgrace the soldiers of an ambassador
who is merely passing through his kingdom on a mission
of peace to a foreign potentate.&quot;

&quot; I see, my dear prince, you speak your own senti
ments as well as those you think will be your royal fa
ther s,&quot; I answered with a smile. &quot;At all events, I
will accompany you with my guards; and if there prove
to be no need of their service, they shall remain neu
tral.&quot;

At this moment the prince glanced his eyes upon the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 105

little roll of parchment called the &quot; Story of Ruth,&quot; which
I had been reading by the light of my tent-lamp when he
entered.

&quot;I sec you interest yourself, noble Arbaces. greatly in
our writings,&quot; he said.

&quot; They are deeply interesting to me as well as wholly
new,&quot; I replied. &quot; Your whole history is wonderful ! Be
ginning with the calling of Abraham out of Assyrian
Chaldea by a voice from the heavens, and coming down
to his obedience, and his inarch from the Euphrates to the
Jordan guided by a dove (which at night shone like a
star, as one of your ancient books records) ; to his wars
here, and to his kingly dominion in this very land, Hebron,
his chief seat of authority, while this plain was his bib
rial place ; to the romantic incident of Isaac his son
sending to Chaldea for his wife, and her being brought
to him veiled ; to the wonderful career of Jacob ; the
selling of Joseph ; the famine which drove them into
Egypt ; the sudden elevation of the youthful Joseph to
power ; his revelation of himself to his brethren ; first
their amazement, and then their terror lest he should
avenge himself on them, and their joy at his forgiveness ;
their presentation before Pharaoh ; the death of Joseph,
and his dying injunction that his descendants should take
his bones to this very plain where his ancestors had been
buried ; and the extraordinary fact that one hundred
and eighty years afterwards the descendants of himself
and brethren did actually leave Egypt and come to this
land and bury the bones of Joseph with his fathers in
this cave of Machpelah, which I can by day behold in
full view from here, my tent door ; the power of your
God exhibited in the dividing of the Red Sea, and of the

I &amp;lt;)6 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR.

Jordan, and in many other mighty deeds ! all these
events and incidents are parts of a wonderful history,
such as mere human invention could never approach in
interest or in marvels. From the beginning to the end,
it possesses a singular harmony of proportions and
dependencies, one event leading to another, and the
whole wrought out from foreseen and foreshaped cir
cumstances by a wisdom and power which must have
perceived the end from the beginning. Before its nar
ration, all the legends of our Persian poets are insignifi
cant and weak. What will be the ultimate end, who
can foresee ? But without doubt there is a Future before
you commensurate with the past, and which has been in
part foreshadowed by the Past.&quot;

When I had ceased, the prince regarded me a moment
steadfastly and said :

&quot; You understand our nation. Without doubt, we are
working out some mighty problem in which God is inter
ested, and of which we are but the blind instruments.
Our prophets plainly teach us that whatever we do, we
but prefigure something yet to come that all our na
tional events and our religious rites are but types of some
great thing to be developed in the ages yet future ; that
our tabernacle, our sacred Ark, our altar of incense, our
lamb sacrificed morning and evening, our seven candle
sticks, our shew-bread, our holy of holies, our High
Priest, the breast-plate and ephod, the urim and thuui-
mim with its dazzling light, the scape goat, the jubilee,
the offering of atonement and expiation; all are not
what they seem, but foreshadow a mighty reality yet to
come forth out of the splendor of a glorious future ! They
teach that all we are as a nation, in all we are and do.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 167

we hold but the place of the scaffolding by which a fair
temple is upreared, which, when the holy edifice is com
pleted in all its symmetry and fair proportions, is re
moved and cast aside as of no further value, now that the
end for which it was made use of is achieved ! We are
a mystery to ourselves.&quot;

&quot; I should gladly hear all that your priests can reveal
of your religious rites and usages,&quot; I answered.

&quot; I will give you the opportunity at an early day,&quot;
answered the prince. &quot; We were speaking of the Book
of Ruth. It was written by the youthful David my friend
whom we saw at Ramah. It is a noble and sweet poem,
though not rhythmical ; but taste and feeling, and to
know the art to touch the finer chords of the soul with
the pen make the poet ! What a lovely character is his !
how courageous yet how diffident ! how ingenuous his dis
position ! how true are his instincts to the purest emotions
of our nature ! I love him, Arbaces, passing the love
of maidens and he not only returns my full affection, but
I believe that my friendship is necessary to his ex
istence. In each other s presence we are perfectly
at peace !&quot;

&quot; I am interested to learn more of him,&quot; I answered ;
u for he made upon me a deep impression not only from
the extraordinary beauty of his face and the manly grace
of his bearing, but especially from his marvelous skill
on the harp, and his harmonious voice, which is full of
sweetness and power !&quot;

&quot;You shall hear all that I think will interest you, my
dear prince,&quot; said the royal Hebrew youth as he replaced
the flexible parchments of the Book of Ruth in their
chased silver casket &quot; My friend is the son of the

Ib8 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Hebrew Elder, Jesse, and was born at Bethlehem, the
rocky castellated hill we passed an hour after leaving the
fortress of the ancient and unconquered Jebusites, on
the right hand. His father is a man of mark and of
substance, and also a shepherd following the honorable
pursuit of our patriarchal forefathers. This worthy citi
zen is, moreover, the grandson of Ruth the wife of Boaz,
the owner of the wheat field where she gleaned after
his reapers. Thus Jesse is not of our pure Hebrew
lineage, for the beautiful Ruth was from the land of
Moab!&quot;

&quot;Who was Moab?&quot; I asked; &quot;and where is his
country?&quot;

&quot; On the east of the sea of Sodoma,&quot; kindly answered
the prince. &quot; Moab was one of the sons of Lot the nephew
of Abraham, born to his eldest daughter after the de
struction of the cities of the plain. This unnatural
child became the head of a powerful nation. He was
born about the same time with Isaac our great ances
tor!&quot;

&quot; If then,&quot; I replied in my desire to obtain full in
formation of this people, &quot; the Moabites are descended
from a nephew of Abraham, Ruth being of his race
traces her ascent equally with you Hebrews to the
grandfather of Abraham, in whom both you and the
Moabites meet ! She can, therefore, hardly be called a
foreigner! This rich shepherd Jesse therefore, her
grandson, has the same blood that Abraham had in his
veins !&quot;

&quot; True,&quot; courteously answered the prince ; &quot; but by the
command of God all collateral kindred to Abraham were
cut off, and only the immediate descendants of the kingly

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 169

patriarch recognized as the people of God s peculiar
care. He has never called himself the God of Lot or of
Moah, but only of &quot;Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;&quot; this
is hia name to us in the Past, Present, and forevermore !
Moreover the descendants of Lot s daughter through her
son Moab have run in a diverging line from ours for nearly
nine hundred years !&quot;

&quot;Pardon me, my dear prince, for this interruption,&quot; I
said. &quot;Be so kind as to proceed.&quot;

&quot;When my father had displeased the Almighty by his
usurpation of the priestly office, and sparing where he
should destroy, as well as by two or three acts of impatient
and reluctant obedience to His divine authority, He com
manded His Prophet Samuel to go and anoint another
king over Israel, saying, &quot; I have rejected Saul from
being king !&quot;

&quot; Who was Saul thy royal father, prince, in his
youth?&quot; I inquired. &quot;Was he distinguished by any
remarkable lineage? descended from Moses or Joshua or
any of the warrior Judges, that he was chosen in the be
ginning as the first king of the Hebrews?&quot;

&quot;No,&quot; he answered; &quot;my father was of the smallest
tribe the younger brother Benjamin s tribe of the
people. His father was a man wise in council, brave in
battle, and eminent for his great strength and valiant
deeds. He was a tiller of the land ; and herdsmen, with
u few men and maid servants, and his sons also, served
him in the care of his herds. With our God, my Prince
Arbaces, human distinctions are wholly disregarded.
As once he chose Abraham, the son of a carver of idols,
out of Chaldea to be the father of our nation, and Moses,
of humble parentage, to lead them out of Egypt, and

170

Joshua, the son of a poor man, to conquer the promised
land for us, none of them being of kingly lineage, so
chose he out Saul the son of Kish the herdsman, from
the valley of Mount Ephraim, to reign over his people,
when they demanded a king. In stature, dignity,
courage, and generous qualities, my father was worthy
of this high distinction, from what I learn of those old
men who knew him in that day!&quot;

&quot; I should suppose so,&quot; I answered, &quot; from the majesty
of his form now, and his striking appearance, although
it is plain I behold only the splendid wreck of the former
grace and dignity which he possessed.&quot;

&quot; No more than the wreck, no more, my prince !&quot; an
swered Jonathan with a pensive look, shadowing his fine
face. &quot; Samuel anointed him king in the presence of
many of the lords and high captains, and chief estates
of the land, and eventually crowned him with full regal
authority. The early years of my father s reign were
prosperous and happy. He strengthened himself in hia
kingdom, he expelled our enemies from all our borders,
which in the time of the rule of Samuel s sons they had
invaded, and he carried his victorious arms beyond oui
country into Syria, and in all his battles was conqueror.
But one of the nations (called the sons of Amalek) which
treacherously did our fathers great mischief when they
were wandering in the wilderness, Samuel the Seer had
commanded him to destroy utterly, by the express direc
tion of God. My father conquered the Amalekites, but
saved the King Agag and a portion of the spoil, against
this command. This, also, caused God s anger to be
kindled against my father, and was another reason of
his rejection as king ! Yet with the people he was hon-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 171

ored and admired as a successful warrior, as a wise ruler !
But who cau stand against the anger of the Almighty !&quot;

&quot;Thy God is terrible in power, and glorious in ma
jesty,&quot; I answered with awe; &quot;who can offend him and
escape punishment ? Aaron his great High Priest, for his
rebellion at the waters of Meribah, and for not prevent
ing the people in the wilderness from worshiping the
golden calf, was forbidden to see the promised land !
There is something singularly impressive and touching
in the departure of this aged and magnificent prelate to
ascend the mountain of Ilor to die for his sin ! There is
something awful and inexorable in the fiat of his God,
which commands him to go up in the sight of the whole
congregation, as if he would show them that the best and
gentlest of men must expiate their errors and sins
against him ! The spectacle seemed to convey to them
the lesson, If thus I cut off my consecrated High Priest
Aaron, (and forty years after his sin and yours is com
mitted,) how shall I spare you, when you sin and break
my laws?

I can imagine, your majesty, the noble chief priest
of this people in his pontifical robes, his flowing beard
and silvery locks, his form bent with one hundred and
twenty years, slowly ascending the elevated plain of
Mosera, and crossing it painfully, commence the steep
ascent of the peak of Hor. I see the vast multitude of
people follow him with their sorrowful gaze ! As the
way wearies him, he leans upon the arm of his tall, strong
Bon Eleazer; while his patriarchal brother the equally
venerable Moses (soon afterwards to ascend Mount Pis-
gah, farther north, and die alone, with the angels of God
to bury him) walks by his side, discoursing with him of

172 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

the sublime and mighty truths of that other life, in which
the Hebrews believe. When the three reach the moun
tain top, with the blue skies bending over them, and the
broad plains of Mosera and the valleys beyond, dark with
the hosts of Israel, watching them from afar, I see the
aged Pontiff begin slowly, and with trembling hands to
divest himself of the magnificent robes and gorgeous in
signia of his priestly office ! First he removes from hig
patriarchal head his mitre, with its veil of lace of blue
and fine linen, arranged in numerous ample circular folds
confined by a broad plate of pure gold, on which is in
scribed,

&quot;HOLINESS TO THE LORD.&quot;

He places it meekly upon the brow of his son and successor,
who kneels at his feet. Then he takes off his breastplate
dazzling with the light of its twelve precious stones. He
removes the splendid ephod of fine linen entwined and
embroidered with gold, blue, scarlet, and purple threads,
and adorned with plates of wrought gold; but his aged
fingers can not undo the clasps of the beautiful girdle of
the ephod, and his venerable brother aids him, but with
difficulty, as his eyes are blinded with tears ! This holy
ephod he places in the hands of Moses to retain, until he
is wholly disrobed of his priestly apparel. Then from hia
shoulders one by one he removes the brilliant onyx stones
enclosed in ouches of gold, which had held the chain of
gold that fastened the breastplate, and attaches them
upon the knobs of the ephod, held in his brother s hands -
Now the long white linen robe, which distinguishes the
High Priest s rank, and is an emblem of his purity, still
fragrant with incense and the rich perfume of the holy
anointing oil, he divests himself, of and solemnly invests

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM,. 173

the stately form of his son therewith. Over it he puts
the cphod, and also places the glittering onyx stones
on his two shoulders. Upon it he fastens the breast
plate with its twelve stones, in four rows : the first con
taining a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle, very precious
tetones ; the second row contained an emerald, a sapphire,
and a diamond ; the third row a ligure, an agate, and an
amethyst ; and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a
jasper ; all set in ouches of gold with wrought gold bor
ders. Each stone was a signet, bearing engraved thereon
one of the names of the children of Israel.

Thus did the august and aged pontiff divest himself
of his insignia and marks of power as vicegerent of God
on earth, and transfer them, on the mountain-top, in the
sight of all the people and in the sight of heaven above,
to Eleazar his son to be the High Priest in his stead !
This sublime abdication of the Hebrew pontificate by the
command of his Lord being accomplished, behold the
majestic man of God kneel towards the people and bless
them ! then folding his hands upon his breast, with one
look of faith, resignation, and meekness upwards, bow
his august forehead to the ground, and give up the
ghost.

&quot;In the whole hi story of the departure of great men from
earth,&quot; i said, addressing Prince Jonathan, &quot;no account
equals the sublime spectacle of the death of the High
Priest, Aaron ! That of Moses not long afterwards was
indeed impressive, but it wanted the details of transfer
of authority which rendered the abdication and death
of his brother so dignified and touching.&quot;

&quot;My dear Arbaces,&quot; said the prince, &quot;I am pleased
to find you so skilled in our history ! Hitherto I have

174 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

regarded the death of Moses, followed by the mystery
of his sepulchre, the more interesting of the two inci
dents. You are right in giving preference in Sublimity
and tenderness to that of the High Priest ! But what
led us to this subject? Were we not discoursing of
David?&quot;

&quot; I had alluded to the awful severity of your God in
punishing sin, with immediate reference to your royal
father s sad rejection,&quot; I answered.

&quot;True, Arbaces,&quot; he replied: &quot;Our God is a con
suming fire to those who disobey him ; but of long-
suffering, pity, and great kindness to those who walk in
the way of his divine laws. His power is infinite to
punish or to bless. But I will now resume my narra
tive of my young friend David, the son of Jesse.&quot;

But, your majesty, I will defer this interesting history
to another letter. I feel assured that nothing concern
ing this wonderful people, whose God ever walks among
them, invisibly seeing all they do, powerful to pro
tect, and terrible to avenge, will be uninteresting to
you.

Farewell, and may the gods of Assyria be evermore
your majesty s friends, and the foes of your adversaries.

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 175

LETTER VI.

ARBACES TO THE KING.

CAMP BEFORE HEBRON.

YOUR MAJESTY:

A SAND-STORM from the south deserts swept over
the kind s city and the plain of Mamre this morninc; &quot;with

fearful power. It darkened all the air so that the sun
gave no more light than the stars at midnight. Our
encampment was thrown into the wildest confusion.
Half our tents were blown down and swept away, and
for a time destruction and consternation prevailed. The
winds roared with ungovernable fury. Trees were up-
torn and whisked across the valley like autumnal leaves ;
and even the towers of Hebron shook, and one of them
fell with a great crash into the moat beneath ! The
atmosphere was surcharged with yellow sand so that it
could not be directly breathed without danger of suffo
cation to all life. It lasted an hour, and did the work
of days of devastation in that brief time. The armies
of Saul, which had been marshaled by the chief captains
and high lords and generals to march forth to the war,
were thrown into disorder, and fled for shelter, or cast
themselves in terror upon the earth.

This destructive visitation has of course delayed the
advance of the army of the king for a day or two, as it

176 THE THRONE OF DA VII); OK,

will take some time to reorganize and marshal all the
dispersed forces. My own tent withstood the storm, at
least so far as not to be blown over ; but it was damaged
and disordered. It is now near sunset, and we have al
most wholly restored everything to its former condition.
Quiet and order prevail immediately about me. I will,
therefore, resume my pen, and give you a transcript of
the residue of my conversation with the prince, within
the door of my tent last night.

&quot;I will inform you,&quot; said Jonathan, &quot;how and where
I first met with David. I had been hunting the gazelle
with Prince Ishbosheth, my younger brother, who had
promised his sister Michal to capture a fawn and bring
it alive to her, when we came to a small valley west of
Bethlehem, up which a wild brown coney had bounded,
and after which the Egyptian hunting dog of my brother
took at full speed. At the same moment I caught
sight of a graceful gazelle perched upon a point of rocks
not far up the glen, and fitting my arrow to the bow-string,
hastened with my brother in the direction taken by
the dog. The ravine brought us into a narrow defile
closed in by nearly precipitous rocks. Up the sides,
leaping from projection to projection, the terrified rabbit
ascended, while the gazelle, still visible on the topmost
spur, seemed to be too intently and curiously watching
some object beyond us to see us. Ishbosheth, light and
swift of foot, was soon half way up the crags, leaving his
dog baying below. I quickly followed him, and upon
reaching the summit was about to draw my arrow to its
head upon the gazelle when Ishbosheth, who was a little
in advance of me, cried, Come, quickly ! Look in the
vale below!

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 177

&quot; A.t first, I could only sec a flock of sheep flying ID
terror from some object, invisible to me. But drawing
nearer the verge, I beheld, nearly ninety feet below me,
and not three bow-shots off, a sight that paralyzed me
In the bosom of the deeply shaded dell, a mere youth
was combating for his life with a large and powerful
bear. At his feet lay a bleeding lamb, over which he
stood as if to protect it. In one paw the bear hugged
closely its bleating dam, while with the other it struck
like a map at the brave young shepherd, for such his
dress bctiayed him to be, who, heedless of death, with
his shepherd s knife, inflicted rapidly wound after wound
in the breast of the monster, until the paw relaxed its
hold upon the now dead sheep, and the enormous brute
fell over upon the earth a corpse. Scarcely had this
gallant victory been achieved, and as he stopped to pick
up the wounded lamb at his feet, a loud roar shook the
cliffs and resounded along the dell like deep thunder.
It was followed by the appearance of a young lion, who
bounded forward and suddenly crouched within twenty
feet of the young shepherd. Seeing his peril, I sent the
shaft I had intended for the gazelle, full-aimed at the
lion s body. It fell short and pierced the sward forty
feet this side of him. Ishbosheth followed it by another
equally unsuccessful, at the same time uttering a loud
cry to warn the youth of his danger, and to frighten the
lion. To reach him in order to succor him, (which was
our first impulse,) was impossible, as the face of the cliff
from which we looked down into the dell, was an
unbroken perpendicular wall for several hundred yards
on each side of us. The youth, hearing our shouts,
looked up. His face was pale, but full of the light of a
12

178 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

fearless heart. He smiled confidently as lie awaited the
bound of the lion, grasping in his right hand his blood-
dyed knife, and closer sheltering in his bosom the wounded
little lamb. For a moment the lion and the youth looked
into each other s eyes with the steadiness of the sun
shining in its strength. Neither blenched ! The young
man slowly retired, step by step, with his eyes full
upon the great beast s eyes, which glittered with a
steely-blue light, when in two bounds the lion was at his
side and only at his side! for as he leaped towards
him, intending to light with both paws upon his breast,
the cool and nerved youth lightly, at the very moment
of mortal peril, stepped aside. The lion sprung past
him, and as he did so the long herdsman s knife flashed
on high for an instant, and was buried to the hilt in his
heart. The animal plunged forward and fell headlong
across the dead body of the bear. The victorious com
batant then ran, and drawing his knife forth from the
heart of the lion, he raised his arm heavenward, with
the point of the weapon downward, and with the look
of a priest who has just slain the sacrifice, he offered up
thanks to God for his victory and his safety.

&quot; Such courage, presence of mind, humanity, and piety
in one so young, for he was scarcely eighteen,&quot; continued
the prince, &quot; at once awakened in my bosom the deepest
interest in a youthful hero, who single-handed had thus
slain a lion and a bear, and rescued so humanely his lit
tle lamb from its foes. My brother and I expressed our
admiration and joy at the issue with shouts of triumph !
and, hastening along the ridge of the precipice, after a
quarter of an hour we found a steep pathway leading to
the valley below. We soon found ourselves upon the

THE* REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 179

level, and at length reached the spot where lay the dead
lion and the bear ! But it was a solitude ! We looked
around in vain to discover the youthful hero of the well-
fought field. AVe approached the two slain animals, and
saw that they were both of the largest size ! The bear
had not less than eight deep wounds in his body, while
blood upon one of the claws showed that the victor had
not got oiF without harm. I resolved to ascertain whither
the young shepherd had gone, and a remark of my brother
that possibly he was lying down somewhere bleeding from
his wounds, made me more determined to hunt him up,
and know what had become of him.

&quot; \Ve left the little dell, and going round a high rock at
its entrance came to a gentle eminence on the top of
which a large Hock of sheep stood trembling. AVe drew
near, when I heard the sound of a shepherd s lyre, and
a clear triumphant voice singing a song like a pjrim of
victory. Advancing further we came to a group of
rocks around which the sheep were collected, where
stood the victor holding a rude triangular harp, having
strings of unequal length, upon which lie was playing,
while he chanted these words, evidently composed as he
sang them :

1 I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress 1
My God, in him will I trust.
He sliall cover me with his feathers,
And under his wings will I rest.
A thousand shall fall at the side,
And ten thousand at the right hand,
Of him, who makes the Lord his refuge,
And the Most High his habitation.
He shall tread upon the lion and the bear,
The young lion and the dragon shall he trample under feet 1

I (SO THE THRONE OF DAVID: OR,

For he that dwelleth in the fear of the Lord,

Shall abide under the shadow of the Most High Grod.

Blessed be the Lord foreverinore.

Amen and Amen !

&quot; The flock, under the influence of his melodious voice,
seemed to dismiss their terror and peaceably to listen.

&quot; When this hymn of confidence and victory was ended,
he looked and beheld me standing near, regarding
his seraphic countenance, pale yet beautiful, with deep
interest. He laid the lyre upon the rock, and ad
vanced towards us, his left hand wrapped in the fold of
his shepherd s mantle, against which he had held the
rustic harp.

a&amp;lt; You are strangers, he at first said. Have you
lost your way? He then added: I think I see here
the king s sons !

&quot; You are right; we are the sons of Saul, I an
swered, supposing he had, as proved to be the truth,
seen us in the city of Mizpeh where we then dwelt, and
which most Hebrews visit once or twice in a year. I
have not lost my way, young shepherd ; but we witnessed
your brave combat with the bear and the lion ! We
could not reach you in time to save you, the unequal
combat was so soon ended to your glory. I have has
tened hither to take you, brave Hebrew youth, by the
hand, and tell you how I admire your courage and that
you and Jonathan, son of Saul, must from this hour be
friends ! I see by your face that I shall love you by-aiid-
by for your virtues, as now I honor you for your bra
very. No man-at-arms, no warrior among our chief
captains, no lord of ten thousand men could have won
a more brilliant victory. What is thy name? It will

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 181

yet be spoken in the land, if thou livest, by the side of
those of the greatest and best.

u You praise me, prince, beyond my deserts, he
answered, blushing. &amp;lt; I have only done my duty : as a
faithful shepherd is bound to protect his lambs from
their foes ! It was God who gave me the victory, and
not my own arm, and to Him be the praise ! I am
called David, the son of Jesse, and I am a shepherd !

k And also a skillful player on the harp, and an heroic
poet, I said, smiling, if that hymn was yours.

u 1 was but giving God grateful praise for my victory
and my life, he answered. Besides I find my music
soothes my poor flock when terrified. It is the voice of
peace and security in their ears !

&quot;You appear to suffer, I said, and are wounded/
I saw that the claws of the bear were stained with blood.

&quot; Yes! The flesh of my arm is torn a little, he said
lightly ; but it will soon be well. We mountain shep
herds do not heed slight scratches from wild beasts if we
come in contact with them in defence of our flocks.

&quot; The more I heard him discourse, Prince Arbaces,
the more my heart went out to him. I forgot gazelles
und all else in his company. At eventide I accompanied
him as he drove his flock across the valley to their fold,
near the abode of his father Jesse. It was late when
my brother and I left him, and returned to the town of
Bethlehem, whence we had come out on our hunting ex
pedition.

* Our fair sister, who, as well as my brother and myself,
was then on a visit to the warlike Abner, my father s
uncle, and general of his armies, was not at all pleased
that we had forgotten her gazelle for a lion -fighting

182 THE THRONE OF D^VLD; OR,

young shepherd, and said she cared not how handsome
or brave he was, for she liked him not to cause her so
great a disappointment. The next day I made to her a
promise to hunt a gazelle the following morning, when,
as I was speaking to her, the youthful shepherd pre
sented himself at the gate of the court yard, carrying a
beautiful fawn upon his shoulder. I at once sprang joy
fully to meet him.

&quot; He said modestly, I heard your brother, prince,
say yesterday, how disappointed his sister, the princess
Michal, would feel that he did not capture a gazelle to
bring to her. Here is one I have this morning taken,
and have brought it hither, hoping to be permitted to
present it to the king s daughter !
&quot;Upon this my sister looked perplexed, and her generous
blushes told how sorry she felt for having spoken such
severe words about the youthful shepherd, whose beau
tiful countenance, and dark, expressive, yet bashful eyes
made her cast down her own. Instead of suffering me
to reward him, she seemed resolved to make amends ;
for rising, she went to him, thanked him in the hand
somest manner for his kindness, graciously accepted the
gift he had brought, and presented him with a ring of
gold from her own hand. His youthful diffidence would
have led him to refuse the jewel ; but I insisted he should
retain it. As my sister wished to take the gazelle home
with her to Mizpeh the following week, the young shep
herd gave her some directions as to its care and nourish
ment, for which she expressed herself very grateful.

&amp;lt;; I then took him over the stately house of my uncle,
and showed him the gardens and whatever was interest
ing ; and ^ lien he left to return to his flock, I accom-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 183

panied &quot;him some distance beyond the city-gates, and took
leave of him by embracing him. We there pledged to
each other firm and abiding friendship ; for our hearts
had grown together, his to mine and mine to his, every
hour of our pleasant intercourse. He was so refined and
so courteous ; so ingenuous and modest ; so intelligent and
amiable ; and withal so brave and humane, that not to
have loved him, would have been not to love any of those
qualities which seemed, in him, to have their natural
home.&quot;

Here, your majesty, the Hebrew prince, who in him
self seems to combine all the noble virtues he had just
enumerated, paused in his narrative ; for at the very in
stant the loud clangor of a brazen bugle rang from the
battlements of the city, was answered from the citadel,
and then responded to from the camp, while the cliffs
and hills gave back in reverberating echoes the warlike
notes.

&quot; It is the signal for changing the guard on the walls,
and to announce that all is well, in city and camp,&quot; he
said, after a moment s attention to the sounds.

At the first blast I feared that it was an alarum of
danger, and that the enemy were near. But as our out
posts penetrate nearly to the camp of the Philistines, we
should have had early intelligence of a hostile move
ment.

u I will now resume niy narrative,&quot; said the Prince
Jonathan, turning towards me. &quot; For several months
the youthful David and I met only to increase our mutual
regard. At length my father s spirits became so pro
foundly depressed by the consciousness of the anger of
God, tho departure of his Divine Spirit from him, and

184 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the threatened loss of his crown, that a gloomy, appre
hensive melancholy seized fixedly upon his soul. Resort
to the most skillful of the court physicians for remedies
for his diseased mind, was naturally unsuccessful. They
could not minister to a disease that was seated beyond
the reach of human art. He passed his days in stern
silence, and with a fixed look of despair impressed upon
his noble features. He refused to recognize his wife or
children ; and at times became so violent in the paroxysms
which came upon him, that no man dared approach him.

&quot;In hopes of aid I sought the Seer Samuel who was
then at Gibeah, not far distant. The prophet answered
me that God had spoken and his word must be accom
plished, that he had taken the Spirit of the Lord from
Saul my father, and given him over to an evil spirit be
cause he had not obeyed the Spirit of God. God is not
a man that he should repent or lie; what he hath ordained
must surely come to pass.

&quot;Such was the reply I received from the sympathizing
prophet. I then returned to my father in great sorrow
of heart. As I drew near the house an aged, dark-browed
man whom I had never before seen, clad in a foreign at
tire, met me and said,

&quot; i Art thou the king s son ?

&quot;I answered him, Yes. He then said, Thou and
the Elders and the chief physicians seek to find a cure
for the malady that is upon my lord the king. I am a
stranger who has visited far-distant lands. Many years
ago I was at the court of Sheba, the kingdom whence
come the rich pearls of the merchants. The king
thereof, whose chief city is called Meroe, had a son, the
sole heir tc his throne, who was afflicted with gloom and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 185

melancholy not unlike what hangs upon the soul of thy
royal father. He would refuse all food, and stand for
hours, yea, whole days and nights, in the far corner of
his chamber, and gnaw his finger nails and rivet his
glazed* and burning eyes upon the floor without ever
moving the eyelids. He became emaciated to the bone,
and his visage w T as terrible with the impress of despair.

&quot; i By what was this caused ? I asked of the old man.

&quot; It was caused by his love for a maiden who was torn
in pieces by lions as she was traveling in her palanquin
to her father s palace near the sea-side ! he answered
me. At length one of the physicians, an Egyptian
magician, finding all incantations failed, thus spoke to the
King of Sheba his father, and said,

&quot; &quot; If my lord, the mighty king of the south, will see his
son restored to health and the evil spirit depart from
him, let him order the sweetest minstrelsy to be per
formed within his hearing. Let the king command the
most skillful musicians in his kingdom to play melodious
airs and the most pleasing within their art, and the prince
will be restored to himself. For, my lord the king, the
fiercest hearts have been tamed by music ; and there was
a princess of Persia, who, being lost in a forest, was met
by a wild beast which began to crouch in order to spring
upon her, when she commenced chanting her death-song,
according to the faith of her fathers ; for she was a
Sabean ! Her voice was so sweet and thrilling, that the
monster remained transfixed, listening to the wonderful
music I his fiery eyes lost their burning glare and became
as soft and gentle as a fawn s ; and his whole attitude
showed that he was fascinated by the melody of her
Bong. This perceiving, she drew near to the lion, still

186 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

softly singing, laid her hand upon his shaggy mane and
led him by her side until she came to the gate of her
father s palace ; when the sentinels seeing the strange
sight shot at him with their cross bows and slew him ;
but he died licking with his tongue her delicate white
hand!&quot;

&quot; When the King of Sheba heard this, continued
the aged stranger, and was further informed that the
loss of reason in man often allied him in ferocity to the
wild beast of the desert, he commanded the most cun
ning players to play before the prince. The result was
he was wholly cured, and to this day sits upon the
throne of Sheba a wise and powerful prince. Now, my
lord, continued the venerable stranger to Jonathan,
Met some one who plays cunningly on the harp and
sings with wonderful melody, be sent for to play before
the king your father. Without doubt he will be restored
thereby to health ; for music hath a charm to soothe the
ferocity of a mind where despair hath taken the reins.

&quot;Such,&quot; said Jonathan to me, &quot; was the counsel of
the venerable stranger in the foreign attire, who, having
finished speaking, courteously left me, and I saw him no
more. I at once sought the chief physician and grand-
chamberlain, and high-steward, with all the lords and
men of estate at court, and made known to them w^hat
I had heard. They were all in favor of trying the tran-
quilizing effects of music, and, at my request, two of them
went into the presence of my father, (for he could not
bear to see me, and was always most violent when I came
aear,) to propose it to him.&quot;

&quot; Perhaps,&quot; I ventured to say to Jonathan, &quot;the con
sciousness that he had wronged you by causing the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 187

rurning away of the inheritance from you embittered
his mind.&quot;

&quot;Without doubt it was this, my dear Arbaces,&quot; he
sadly replied ; &quot; but I do not feel that my father has
wronged me ! I have no desire to reign, if it be God s
will to deprive me of the succession to the crown. Da
vid, as a shepherd, is happy ; and a life of lowly duties
is the safest if not the happiest. The crown of a king
is lined with a bonnet of nettles, and his sceptre of gold
is often like lead in his grasp ! When the physicians and
wise men came into the presence of the king, he was
seated upon the ground with a fixed gaze upon vacancy
and his visage all marred by suffering. As they entered,
he sprang to his feet, and cried furiously :

&quot;Who dare intrude? I am king still, and by the
Ark of God ! I will let no man scorn me ! They say I
am mad ! No, no ! and his tone here fell to a touching pa
thos. I am only heart-broken heart-broken that
that is all ! I have sinned, I have repented, I lie in the
dust, I cry for mercy, but the great brassy skies are
turned into one vast throne of justice ! The prophet
hath said my repentance is not sincere, and therefore
God will not accept it ! That it is only remorse ! Is
this remorse? Look ye! See my haggard eyes and
hollow cheeks ! Behold my thin hands and my wasted
form ! Can remorse do this ? No, no ! I have repented
in the dust, I grovel in the earth, I lay my face where
the worm crawls, I prostrate myself under the very
ground in my humble contrition ! But all is vain ! The
haughty prophet says it is not repentance, only remorse,
and God hears not remorse ! I only ask for my king
dom for my son, though I perish ! What come ye for ?*

188 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

he abruptly demanded, as if noticing them now for the
first time !

&quot; My lord, said the chief physician, for unseen I heard
all,&quot; continued Jonathan, &quot; without doubt an evil spirit
is permitted by the Lord to be upon thee, and troubleth
thee, in this manner ! Let my lord the king now com
mand thy servants to seek out a man who is a cunning
player on an harp, and, peradventure, when the evil spi
rit is upon thee he shall play upon the harp, and the
cheerful and animating sounds thereof will soothe thy
troubled spirit !

&quot;My father no sooner heard them than he cried with
eagerness : Haste ! provide a man that can play well
arid bring him before me ! Thy medicines, physician,
touch not the sore ! We will see what virtue lieth in
this prescription of music !

&quot; Then, previously instructed by me, the grand-cham
berlain said : There is a young man, son of Jesse of
Bethlehem, who is a cunning player on the harp, a youth
of valor and warlike deeds, modest in demeanor, pru
dent in conduct, and wonderfully comely in person, and
the Lord is with, him !

&quot; Who knoweth where this Jesse, the lad s father,
dwelleth? cried the king.

&quot; We can presently find him, king, answered the
chief physician.

The light of hope at once brightened my father s
countenance. He bade the messengers depart with haste,
and under his own signature sent a message to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, reading thus :

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 189

&quot;SAUL, THE KING, J

To JESSE, THE EPHUATHITE, TRIBE OF JCDAH : Greeting. \

&quot; I hear thou hast a son, called David, a shepherd,
\vho is skilled on the harp. If rumor hath told the
truth of him, send him hither to me, I have need of
him. It shall fare well with him, and he shall be sent
back to thee in safety.&quot;

&quot; The message was at once placed in my hands by the
chief physician,&quot; continued the prince, &quot;and I gladly
hastened to the valley where David kept his flock. As
I drew near I beheld the stately-looking Jesse, and his
seven tall sons at work in the field preparing a threshing-
floor for the coming harvest. As I came to them I asked
if David were not in the valley with the sheep? Jesse
smiled and said :

&quot; Noble prince, I fear thy frequent notice of the lad
will make him vain ! I marvel that such a friendship
should spring up between the son of a king and the son
of a shepherd?

&quot; Were not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers,
shepherds ? I answered pleasantly. But I have a
message for thee from King Saul ! I then placed the
missive in his hand. He read it with a respectful air,
and then replied,

&quot; The king does us too much honor !

&quot; What is it? asked the black-bearded Eliab, the
eldest son, in a haughty way peculiar to him.

&quot; The king has sent for David/ answered Jesse, with
a look of paternal pride.

&quot; The boy will next fancy his cross-headed crook a

100 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

sceptre, and weave him a crown out of the hedge thorn/
responded Eliab bitterly ; and he will ere long strut about
us as Joseph of old, and bid us make obeisance to him,
and say, u Hail, David, King of Israel !&quot;

&quot; Silence, my son ! If thy brother is honored by the
king and Prince Jonathan, is it not also thine own honor?
There is surely something yet to show itself in the
youth ! Hast thou forgotten the visit of the Seer two
years ago, and his anointing him ?

&quot; And what has come of it ? cried Abinadab, the next
to the eldest, with a sneer in his narrow and envious
eyes. Hasn t he still kept to his sheep ?

&quot; We expected to see somewhat come of so much cack
ling as was made when the Seer mocked us seven breth
ren to empty his horn of oil on this pretty boy s head ;
growled the third brother in a hoarse voice ; i but the
prophet hath not been here since ; and the boy s pride is
left, like his sheep s wool, to dangle upon the hedges.

&quot; Hist, men! said Jesse. The lad had no pride.
He sought not the honor, whatsoever may come of it.
Go and find my son David, he continued, addressing
me, and take him with thee to the king/

&quot; I departed from them, and at length beheld David afar
off with his flock, leading them to a well to water them.
When he saw me he stood still, and awaited my coming.&quot;

&quot;When Samuel anointed the son of Jesse,&quot; I now in
quired of the prince, your majesty, &quot; did he inform him
for what purpose it was done ? Did Jesse and his brothers
certainly know?&quot;

&quot;I will anticipate my narrative, and tell thee, Arba-
ces, about that,&quot; answered the prince. &quot;When the Lord
had caused the King Agag, the haughty and vain Ama-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 191

lekite, whom my father had spared, to be slain, and tho
booty he had possessed destroyed, he called Samuel to
Him, and said, I have rejected Saul from being king.
Fill thine horn of anointing with holy oil, and go to
Bethlehem, and to Jesse the Ephrathite there, for I have
chosen me a king among his sons. But the prophet
hesitated, saying, If Saul heareth this, he will slay me.*
But the Lord said, Go to Bethlehem, and there sacrifice
unto me a heifer. Call Jesse and his sons to partake of
the sacrifice, and thou shalt anoint the young man I shall
name unto thee. So the prophet came into Bethlehem,
and his presence there filled the city with alarm ; for the
Seer Samuel was regarded as the dispenser of the judg
ments of God ; and the people of Bethlehem trembled for
fear he was to visit them with some retribution. Comest
thou peaceably ? they inquired of him. He answered,
Peaceably. Let the elders of the city sanctify them
selves, and come and sacrifice with me before the Lord.
Let Jesse and his sons be also called ! When the pro
phet looked upon Eliab, who was of lofty stature, and
bold countenance, * Surely, said Samuel, this is the
Lord s anointed, who is to reign instead of Saul. But
the Lord said, Look not on the countenance nor the
form ; for I have refused him ! I, the Lord, look upon
the heart ! Then Samuel said to Jesse privately, 1 1
have a great honor from the Lord, for one of thy sons.
What is the name of the second young man ? Then
Jesse answered, His name is Abinadab ; and he bade
him rise and walk before the prophet. But the Seer,
instructed inwardly by the voice of God, said to Jesse,
Neither hath the Lord chosen him! Then, one after
another, Jesse made the seven of his sons present tu pass

192 THE THROVE OF DAVID; OR,

before Samuel, when the prophet said to their father,
The Lord hath not chosen either of these ! Are here
all thy children ?

&quot;And Jesse answered with an air of disappointment,
4 There remaineth David the youngest, a mere lad, who
is with the sheep !

61 i Then, said the prophet, re-assured, send and fetch
him ; for we will not sit down to the feast until he come.

&quot; Then Jesse sent his servant with haste into the field
after his youngest son, who found him with the flock,
and peacefully amusing himself by playing upon his rustic
harp, which, with his clear, sweet voice, they heard borne
to their ears on the breeze even before they discovered him.

&quot; Haste ; thy father sendeth for thee ! said the mes
senger. I will remain with the sheep till thou re-
turnest. Make all diligence, for the mighty prophet of
God of Ramah is there, and he has killed the sacrifice,
and they only wait for thee to sit down ! All thy broth
ers are there !

&quot; Then the youth hastened to obey his father, wondering
why he should be sent for. When he entered their pres
ence, the eyes of Samuel rested upon his ruddy and
beautiful countenance, softly shaded by exposure to the
sun and winds of the desert, and the Lord said, * Arise
and anoint him, for this is he !

&quot;Then the man of God arose, and commanding the
embarrassed and blushing boy to kneel before him, he
poured upon his head the holy oil of consecration from
the same horn of anointing with which he had anointed
Saul, my father, King, many years before. No sooner
had this sacred rite been performed, than the Spirit of
inspiration from God departed from Saul as he sat in

THE REBELLION OF PEINCE ABSALOM. 19b

his own house, and at the same instant descended upon
David. Under its influence, the consecrated youth seized
his harp and struck it to a sublime symphony which
seemed to be caught from the harps of angels. All
were amazed at the rapturous adoration of his counten
ance, the holy light in his eyes, the celestial brightness
of his form ! This lasted only for a moment ; and he
then retired modestly as if seeking to withdraw himself
from notice. Samuel went forth after him and said to
him privately :

&quot; David, son of Jesse, thou art now the chosen and
anointed of the Lord to rule his people Israel. Keep
in thy heart the secret until the day thou shalt be called
to do God s work. Be true and faithful to thyself and
to thy God, and all will be well with thee ; but depart from
the precepts of the Lord, and his Holy Spirit, given thee
this day, will be taken away from thee. God chose thee
for the beauty of thy piety, not of thy form, for he sees
the heart; for thy righteousness, truth, fortitude, and
obedience to thy parents, and for the purity of thy soul.
Keep thyself pure, and thy reign, when thou shalt be
called to the throne, will be famed throughout the earth
for its splendor, power, and glory. Thy arms shall be
victorious against all thy country s enemies, thy life shall
be long and thy fame great, and thou shalt leave a name
to posterity higher than that of any of the kings and
potentates of the world. But if thou in thy prosperity
foreettest God, He will bring upon thee evils instead of
blessings, and thy gray hairs shall go down with sorrow
and humiliation to the grave.

&quot; When the prophet had thus solemnly addressed him,

he left him and returned to E^-mah, and David
13

194 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

between joy and fear, hardly realizing what had passed,
returned to his flock in the desert and gave himself up
to meditation and prayer, humbly and devoutly looking
to God for guidance and strength to do all that should
be required of him.&quot;

&quot;Then,&quot; remarked I to Prince Jonathan, &quot;the real
purpose of the anointing was not known to Jesse or
his sons.&quot;

&quot;No,&quot; answered the prince. &quot; They believed it was
to select him as a prophet ; and as the Seer has since
taken him to Ramah and placed him in the School of the
Prophets, this opinion is recently fully confirmed in their
minds. Jesse, the father, has regarded his son from that
time with reverent curiosity and expectation ; but the
brothers, whom Samuel one by one passed by, to send
for David from the sheep-fold, have envied him and en
treated him unfilially ; so that it is alone my friendship
which sustains his noble heart in its solitude.&quot;

&quot;And you, my generous prince, you,&quot; I said, admiring
the unselfish character he had exhibited, &quot;knowing all
this, have taken him to your bosom as your dearest friend.
How wonderful is this ! How opposed to what are the
impulses of our nature ! Was it before this anointing and
supplanting you in the throne that you first saw him in his
encounter with the lion and the bear?&quot;

&quot; Yes ; it was after that encounter, Arbaces, he was
visited and consecrated by Samuel. Our friendship had
long before this anointing been sealed by mutual attach
ment !&quot; he answered.

&quot;And when you heard that your friend had become
your rival in the succession, did it not shake your friend
ship ?&quot; I asked.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 195

&quot; No ; but rather confirmed it, my Arbaces,&quot; was the
frank and beautiful reply. &quot; I felt then that God loved
him whom I loved, and that he ought to be still dearer
to me than before. I had already heard from the pro
phet, and also from words which fell from my father s
lips that another was to be chosen to wield his sceptre,
and that my claim as hereditary prince royal would be
set aside by God. As I have before told you, this news
pained me at first, but all ended in humble submission
to the will of Jehovah in my heart. When at length I
learned that the prophet of God had been to Bethlehem
and consecrated my beloved David, my bosom friend, to be
Prince of Israel in my stead, I can truly say I rejoiced
at the tidings, Arbaces, for I had long ceased to
expect to receive the throne. I rejoiced, therefore,
and blessed God that his choice had fallen on one so
worthy.&quot;

&quot; You have a noble and godlike nature, my dear
prince,&quot; I cried, with enthusiasm, grasping his hand,
and warmly pressing it to my heart. &quot; In such a trial
a man will either act above or below his instincts ; show
the God within him or the evil spirit of the earth ! You
have acted above humanity ! How did you meet after
this news? How did the young shepherd, conscious of
what his new position was, deport himself in your pre-

n 5 j

sence :

&quot; I first heard of the consecration,&quot; answered Jonathan,
from one who was at the sacrificial feast in Bethlehem.
He was a Levite of rank and my friend. He well knew
that the consecration was not priestly but royal, and that
the youth on whose head the sacred ointment was poured
was ordained to become a king, not a priest! Upon

196 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

hearing this intelligence, I requested him to keep it a
secret in his own breast that it might riot reach my
father s ears, (for though he knew that God would choose
another, he knew not whom it would be,) and then I has
tened to find this shepherd prince to congratulate him
on this honor from God. I found him amid his flock.
Upon beholding me approach, he turned aside his face,
and pressed his hands together upon his breast in an
attitude of sorrow and distress. I understood what was
in his heart by this troubled gesture, and hastened to
relieve him from his painful situation by flying to his
side, putting my arm about his neck and embracing him
with the tenderest affection !&quot;

&quot; How good, how noble, how great you were, Jona
than, most virtuous of princes!&quot; I exclaimed, unable to
repress my admiration of the sublimity of his exalted
character.

In all the histories given by our poets of our august
and divine heroes not one, your majesty, comes near in
conception to the character of this Hebrew prince. I
had already seen, but a few days past at Ramah, full
proof of his love and affection for his &quot;rival,&quot; if this
word I can make use of, where rivalry there is none !

The prince, taking no notice of my admiring language,
continued his narration :

&quot; My dear David, instead of returning my caresses,
burst into a profusion of tears, and walked from me pro
foundly agitated, saying, If thou knewest all, my lord,
thou wouldst despise thy David instead of embracing
him thus !

&quot; &amp;lt; All ! I replied ; &amp;lt; what hast thou done ?

&quot; l Ruined thee, my dearest friend ! Robbed thee of

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 197

thy birthright ! I have been to thee, Jonathan, more
cruel than was Jacob to Esau ! But, he cried, sud
denly turning towards me and clasping his hands im
ploringly, forgive me ! I will tell thee all ! I knew
it not ! I would have refused the consecration if I had
known to what I was dedicated ! But I will conceal
nothing from thee, even though it cost me thy friendship,
as it ought and will do ! Nay, it ought to make thee
spurn me! Listen!

&quot; Cease to afflict thyself, dear David, I replied, moved
by his emotion even to tears. I know all ! Thou hast
been highly honored of God ! The prophet of the
Highest has anointed thee with oil above thy brethren,
and thou art set apart to reign over Israel at my father s
doath ! I have heard all, you see ! Let it not distress
thee ! Whom God hath chosen was before, and shall be
still, the chosen of my heart!

&quot; Who told thee? he asked, regarding me with doubt
and looks of wonder.

&quot; Eli, the Levite who was present, I replied, with
an encouraging smile in my eyes. The celestial fra
grance of the holy oil is even yet about thy princely head,
my David!

&quot;And thou despisest me not? he exclaimed.

&quot; No, but love thee doubly since now thou art so be
loved of God !

&quot; Dost thou forgive me? he asked, still hesitatingly.

&quot; I have nothing to forgive, my David ! Thou hast
no blame !

&quot; Yet I would have refused

&quot; Say not so! I cried, alarmed, or thou wilt dis
please the Almighty who has chosen thee to reign over

198 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

his people ! If not thyself, some other one would have
been anointed to this end ; for the decree is written in
the records of Heaven, that the kingdom shall depart
from my father and his house ! It is the will of the un
changeable God ! Let us both meet His will by holy
submission ! Let us bear our sorrows patiently ! for I
know thy grief is sincere and deeper than mine, in that
thou shouldst thus seem to show thyself an enemy to
thy friend !

&quot; Then thou forgivest me ! he asked with a look of
happiness.

&quot; With all my heart ! I answered, opening my arms.
4 1 will reign in thy heart, and thou on my throne, and
we shall both be king !&quot;

&quot; He bounded into them, and I folded him to my
bosom, kissed his beautiful brow, and sealed at that mo
ment our friendship beyond any event of time to mar or
break !&quot;

&quot; Worthy of each other, noble brothers in love and
friendship !&quot; I exclaimed, deeply touched, your majesty,
by this exhibition of attachment so divested of all self,
so superior to human nature ! The prince after a brief
silence now said,

&quot;I think I have brought up sufficiently prominent
and clear the past, in reference to these subjects, my
dear Arbaces, and you will now be able to follow me in my
resumed narrative of later events with less embarrassment,
and with far greater intelligence of the facts I shall com
municate. I was about describing to thee, before this de
viation, to make the past plain to thee, Arbaces, not yet
wholly familiar with our national history, my visit to David
when, two years after this consecration, I bore to him my

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 199

poor father s message to come to him with his harp. If
not too late in the night, I will finish my narrative. As
I said, I found him leading his flock to the well, at which,
Abraham, Canaan the son of Ham, and even Noah, the
father of our race, had drank. He awaited my coming.
We embraced, and I made known tc him my unhappy
father s commands.

&quot; I will obey them if my father bids me go, he re
plied ; * for thou knowest it becomes me to do all I can
to render the king happy. But, my brother and friend,
he said modestly, I am but a mountaineer, and an in
different player ! The sheep love to hear my voice, and
listen to my music, but I am not skilled to play my harp
before kings !

&quot; Hast thou not resting upon thee the Spirit of the
Lord ? I replied. &amp;lt; Is not music the gift of God to
man ? Come with me and bring thy harp !

&quot; I prevailed over his diffidence, and brought him to
his father Jesse, who not only commanded him to obey
the king, but sent by his hand bountiful presents to Saul,
of bread, wine, and venison. When I returned to my
father with David, I entered his chamber, and found him
seated at his table in his right mind, and about to refresh
himself with food. I did not hesitate, therefore, to ap
pear before him. Upon seeing me he spoke very gently,
and called me his son, and desired me to sit at the
board with him, saying, Would I had a bit of good
yenison and new wine to set before thee, my son !

&quot; At this moment, so singularly favorable, I called to
David, and presented him to the king, saying, This is
the son of Jesse, for whom my father sent ! He hag

200 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

obeyed the king s commands ; and brings with him a gift
from his father, the Ephrathite.

Hereupon David, who was not free from embarrass
ment, bowed himself before the king with graceful dig
nity, and presented the presents, saying, &amp;lt;My father
prays for the king s health, and humbly asks him to
accept these little gifts by the hand of his son !

&quot; The king regarded the face of the young shepherd
steadily for an instant, seemed to be struck with its
beauty and noble expression, and said with a look of
benignity and pleasure,

&quot; Welcome, young man ! I accept thy gifts, and com
mand thee to thank thy father for me ! What is thy
name ?

&quot; i David, my lord, he answered.

&quot; I am marvelously pleased with thy appearance.
How wouldst thou like to become my armor-bearer ?
Hast thou borne arms ?

&quot; Once against a party of the Philistines with my
father, and brothers, and neighbors, three years ago !
he quietly replied. But my vocation is that of a shep
herd, king !

&quot; Thou art famously skilled with the harp, I hear ?
said the king.

&quot; i I but amuse my hours in the desert with a poor IIK
strument, your majesty, he answered.

&quot; My father then commanded a harp to be brought,
and David standing by it, played upon it before him with
such masterly power, and accompanied it with his voice
so tenderly, that when he had ended, the king expressed
his pleasure in the warmest words ; and taking a bracelet

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 201

from his arm, he placed it upon that of the harpist,
saying in a most kindly tone,

&quot; Thou shalt stay with me ! Thou shalt be my armor-
bearer, and chief singer, and stand in my presence, and
ever go in and out before my face.

&quot; Thus was the destined heir to my father s throne
brought to his presence, and taken into his service.
The following day the dark spirit of evil settled upon the
king s soul. David seized his harp and commenced play
ing a battle-piece, which drew quickly the warlike mon
arch s attention. He then changed it to a plaintive air,
and followed this by one full of animation and sprightli-
ness. The king heard and was refreshed in his heart, and
the dark spirit of evil left him, and he presently wholly
returned to himself and his former cheerfulness. From
that time David was necessary to his health and happiness ;
and his playing on the harp never failed to dissipate the
clouds of melancholy which enveloped his soul. At
length the king, my father, seemed wholly restored to
his right mind, and David besought him for permission
to return to his father s house, and to the care of his
flocks ; for, as he said to me, he felt ill at ease in the
presence of the man whom God had mysteriously or
dained that he should succeed in the kingdom !

&quot;For a long time he dwelt at Bethlehem, returning to
his former simple habits of life, and forgetting the cares
and splendor of the court. He had however strengthened
my love for him, and also carried away the heart of my
beautiful sister Michal, to whom he had some time before
presented the gazelle. I was not aware,&quot; continued
Jonathan, &quot; that he had been summoned by the Seer to
the Prophet s School at Ramah until I unexpectedly met

202 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

him there a few days since, in your presence. But the
prophet wisely seeks to prepare him for the high position
for which God has destined him.&quot;

Here the Prince Jonathan ceased his long and, to me,
interesting narrative. The midnight moon had already
gone down beyond the hills west of Hebron, and Arctu-
rus shone in the north like a great diamond of trembling
light ; the sweet influences of the Pleiades were shed upon
the earth from the upper skies ; and near them marched
the mystic Aldebaran in his triangular field of stars ; while
the sacred serpent wound its colossal length across the
arch of heaven. It was a still and thoughtful hour. We
were seated in the door of my tent, and for some minutes
gazed musingly upon the stellated splendor of the illim
itable dome above us. I could not but thank Prince
Jonathan in the sincerest manner for the pleasure he had
conferred upon me by his conversation ; and I assured
him I should henceforth take the deepest interest in the
life and fortunes of the youthful David.

&quot; I regret,&quot; he said, &quot; that the cure of the king s
malady, though for a long time relieved by David s art,
was not permanent. It has within a few days come upon
him again, since this new war has been declared by the
Philistines against him. You had, however, an exhibi
tion, when you were presented to him, of the painful form
his melancholy takes when the evil spirit is upon him.
You saw me make a sign to the choristers, hoping their
music would soothe him ; but they being unskillful, the
king, whose storm-tossed soul had been charmed into
perfect peace by the superb performances of David,
evinced his contempt for them as you beheld. If he
continues in this gloom of soul, I shall send a messengei

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 203

for my friend to hasten hither from Ramah and once
more try the power of his skill.&quot;

The prince now rose to return into the city; and, as I
could not prevail upon him to remain until morning, he
was about to take his departure accompanied by his
armor-bearer, when three tall men in plain iron armor
passed in sight full in the glare that shone out of my
tent, and were about to be challenged by my sentry,
when the prince stopped, and said:

&quot; What, sons of Jesse ! Do I find you here all armed
for the wars ?&quot;

&quot;Yes, my lord,&quot; they answered. &quot;We are Eliab,
Abinadab, and Shammah, and are come up from our
father s house in Bethlehem thus far on our way to
Hebron, to offer our services to the king against the
Philistines.&quot;

&quot;Come then with me,&quot; said the prince, &quot;I go into the
city. My father, the king, will gladly accept the ser
vices of three such stout men-at-arms as ye are.&quot;

&quot;Yes, we are not armed with harps and dulcimers and
such woman s trumpery, but carry stout swords and battle-
axes, and know how to cleave helm and cuirass when
need serves.&quot;

This was said by one of them with a tone and allusion,
your majesty, which I plainly interpreted as a sneer aimed
against their honored younger brother; for these were
the three elder brothers of David, still, it seemed, burn
ing with jealousy, and envy against him. Yet how
little did they suspect that the anointing they had wit
nessed was to give him authority as King in Saul s seat!
How little Saul himself had suspected that the hand
which struck the harp so boldly and sweetly in his halls,

ii04 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

was the one which was destined one day to wield hia
sceptre !

The three men, following the prince across the plain,
were with him soon lost to view in the veil of night.

Your faithful

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 205

LETTER VII.

ARBACES, THE AMBASSADOR

To BELTJS, KING OF ASSYRIA.

CAMP OF SAUL, VALE OF ELAH.
MY ROYAL COUSIN AND KING I

IT is with no little satisfaction that I commence this
letter, knowing that you will so soon receive it, as well
as those which I have hitherto written, and that I shall
not be compelled to retain it, as I feared I should be,
until my return from Egypt. The day after to-morrow
a courier, who came to the Hebrew court from the king
of Damascus to propose to king Saul a sale of arms
from his far-famed armories, returns into Syria, and will
be the bearer of my packages of letters to its capital.
Thence, after three weeks, a caravan for the Euphrates
will take its departure, and this Syrian courier promises
to place my parcel in the hands of the commander
thereof. From Babylon it will reach you by the regu
lar post by which you receive letters from your viceroy,
Belesis.

It will gratify your majesty to know that I am in ex
cellent health, and that my caravan is encamped, during
our detention, in the salubrious vale of Mamre, where
there is both water and much grass for the horses.

You will perceive that this letter does not bear date

THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

at the place from which I wrote my last. In order to
explain to your majesty where I now am and wherefore
I am here, it will be necessary for me to take up my
pen at the point where I laid it down at the close of
my last epistle.

Your majesty therein learned that King Saul was ac
tively engaged marshaling all his armies to go forth and
offer battle to the haughty Philistine chief, who had sent
to him an insulting message to come forth and fight with
him in single combat, and in this way settle the war be
tween them.

Three days after the destructive sand-storm, which I
spake of in my last letter, the Hebrew army poured forth
from the city into the plain of Mamre, and took up their
position in marching columns. Although illy-armed, and
by no means presenting a brilliant and warlike appear
ance, they were a formidable host, darkening half the
valley with their numbers.

To the eyes of one accustomed to behold your majesty s
magnificent armies ready for battle : the splendor of the
arms ; the gorgeous variety of shining costumes ; the blazing
of ten thousand helmets ; the waving of a sea of snow-white
crests; the glitter of wide fields of spears; the richly
caparisoned Euphratean horse, ranged in squadrons a
thousand deep; the terrible lines of elephants with their
lofty towers bristling with armed men ; the hosts of bar
barian archers, javelin-men, Tigrian spear-men and bow
men ; the iron phalanxes of Babylonian battle-axe men-at-
arms; the superb battalions of chariots of ivory and gold;
the vast armament of engines of war for sieges, with the
ten thousand gay banners of every color flaming above
the war-burdened plain to eyes familiar with scenes like

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 207

tlicse! the unpretending display of the Hebrew army
afforded but slight interest.

There were but few horse, while the foot-soldiers were
of all arms and accoutred with but little regard to uni
formity of costume. Not an elephant was in the whole
field. The king s body-guard of two thousand men and
that of the prince were an exception to the general soni
bre aspect of the armed hosts. These guards were mag
nificently helmed, cuirassed, and mounted, each man,
tall and comely, and wearing a helmet of burnished brass,
a silver corslet, and over his breast a gorgeous sash of
fine crimson cloth, fringed with gold, which as he gal
loped at full speed flew out behind him, giving to the
whole corps a strikingly picturesque appearance.

At length, when all were marshaled in the plain, the
king, accompanied by the prince and his lords and chief
captains and generals of his staff, rode out of the city
gates and entered the field. His majesty drew near my
tent, where I sat in my saddle at the head of five hun
dred of my Assyrian body-guard, which I intended to
offer to the king ! He reined up his magnificent charger
near me, saluted me with dignity and kingly grace, and
said :

&quot; My lord of Assyria, I regret to leave a guest I de
sire to honor for his own and his royal master s sake ;
but thou knowest the borders of my kingdom are invaded
by a large army that must be met and conquered. I
hope soon to drive them back to their sea-shore, and also
thereby open the road for you to Egypt !&quot;

&quot; It is my purpose, with your royal permission, to at
tend you, king,&quot; I said ; &quot; I offer you my services, and
those of ruy body-guard !&quot;

v^&quot;

&quot;08 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR.

The eyes of King Saul slowly traversed the warlike
front of my splendid Assyrians, with the light of sol
dierly admiration, each instant, kindling in them brighter
and brighter.

He was a noble object as he sat there in his war-sad
dle fully armed ! He wore a coat of scale-mail, which
fitted his noble form so flexibly and elastic, as to display
not only the shape of the royal wearer, but even the con
tour of his superb limbs, and the development of the
muscles. Greaves of polished plates of steel, bent round
to the shape of the knee, covered his legs, which were
encased in mid-leg boots of brass, the toes bent in a
graceful curve upward, and fastened to the ancle by a
massive chain of gold, which also held his brazen spurs.
At his thigh hung the royal scabbard of lion s hide,
covered with plates of silver, and studded with bronze
bosses, while around it coiled a brazen serpent, in many a
carved fold. The heavy sword, four feet in length, was
shut within the sheath, but its massy ivory handle was
adorned with two lion s heads, where the hilt was united
with the blade. Chains of bronze held the sword and
scabbard to a broad belt, or cincture of leopard s skin,
embossed and set with studs of gold and precious stones.
Over his majestic shoulders hung open on the breast,
a short mantle of purple silk, worked with threads of
blue, red, and gold, in rich devices of scarlet pomegran
ates, and other fruits, entwined with vines. The border
was of fur. About his neck was clasped a collar, or
namented with brilliant pearls. His royal helmet of
polished brass imparted, by its height and graceful form,
dignity to the wearer, being encircled by a band of gold,
on which were inscribed sacred words. A cloud of eagles

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 209

plumage danced from the superb crest. The visor was
raised, and revealed his majestic countenance, which,
though pale and sad, was that of a warrior-king ! At
his saddle-bow hung a ponderous battle-axe, and by a
leather thong swung a heavy mace, with a carved wolf s
head. His mounted armor-bearer carried his large em
bossed shield, javelin, and spear, with his royal quiver
of arrows at his back. The noble animal on which the
stately king sat, wore housings of mail, and plumes, while
colored tassels with silver bells adorned his crested head,
and shook with constant ringing as impatient he champed
his golden bit, and curved his arching neck as if con
scious of the dignity of his majestic rider.

&quot; Thou hast a brilliant body-guard, Prince Arbaces,&quot;
said the monarch with looks of pleasure, as he com
pleted his inspection. &quot; I may not need thy aid and
that of these thy valiant men ! But I invite thee to at
tend me to the field. My son holds thee as a friend,
and will thank me therefor !&quot;

The prince smiled, and warmly thanked his royal
father. We then rode on across the plain ; and the king,
soon reaching the head of his army, gave orders to the
columns to march forward. Our line of progress brought
us near an angle of the city, where a large number of
the citizens with the priests, and the wives and daugh
ters of the officers, stood to wave farewell to the depart
ing warriors. By my side rode the handsome and lordly-
looking Governor of Jericho, Isrilid, mounted upon a
superbly caparisoned horse, the richly embroidered head
piece and tassels of which, he proudly told me, were the
skillful work of his fair daughter. As we passed the
place where these spectators of our march stood, I be-

210 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

held tlie beautiful Adora advance towards the king at
tended by two maidens. She carried a wreath, while
they bore baskets of flowers, which they strewed before
the path of the monarch. Gracefully laying her hand
upon the gilded bridle of his charger, she arrested him
for an instant, and placed the wreath upon the arched
helmet of the horse s head.

&quot;Nay, fair maid,&quot; said the king, &quot;crowns are be
stowed after victory, methought.&quot;

&quot; Upon the brows of warriors ! but before victory upon
the head of the noble steed who is to carry the kingly
soldier into battle,&quot; she answered smiling.

The king bent his head in acquiescence, but without
answering her, yet evidently not displeased, and rode on ;
while her father reining up, spoke and said, &quot; Since thou
hast come hither, daughter, to see our march, and do the
king this honor, I will kiss thee good bye again !&quot;

&quot;Wilt thou return within the three days, sir?&quot; she
asked earnestly ; regarding her father with affectionate
solicitude.

&quot; Yes, my daughter, as soon as I have well seen how
the Philistine army is posted !&quot; he answered.

&quot; Go into no danger !&quot; she said affectionately. &quot; I
shall charge the Prince Arbaces,&quot; she added with a
bright smile, &quot; that he keep you under his wing, my dear
father!&quot;

&quot; In that case I shall have to be in the fight, child,&quot;
he said pleasantly ; &quot;for be sure the Prince of Assur will
not keep his sword sheathed while there is a battle going
on, if I judge him aright.&quot;

&quot; This is not the prince s quarrel, dear father,&quot; an
swered the captivating maiden, glancing upon me with

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 211

her brilliant eyes. &quot; He is on a peaceful mission to
bring back a fair bride to his king, and he dare not run
any risks of war which might prevent the object he has
in view. I have a great curiosity, Prince Arbaces,&quot; she
added in a playful tone, &quot; to see the beautiful Egyptian
princess on your return.&quot;

&quot; One need not go so far as Egypt to see beautiful
virgins,&quot; I answered, unintentionally, in so marked a
manner that she colored with enhanced loveliness, and
looked so conscious and embarrassed that I feared, your
majesty, I had unwittingly paid her too pointed a com
pliment ; and flattery, as your majesty is aware, I am
by no means given to ; on the contrary, the sight of a
beautiful female has always made me timid rather than
bold, and I do not think I ever had the courage to com*
pliinent one before.

By this time the van of the army drew so near, that
Adora had only time to receive her father s farewell, and
return to the side of the way where the crowd of tearful
females and citizens stood, when the leading column of
the army came up !

&quot; A sweet, dear daughter, my lord!&quot; said the proud
father, as his eyes followed the superb figure of his
child as it receded from him among the groups of peo
ple. &quot; She is my heart s treasure ! So pure, so intel
ligent, so gentle, and yet so high-spirited ! She well
inherits the noble qualities of her princely ancestors !&quot;

&quot; What, my dear governor,&quot; I said, &quot; are there princes
in Judea besides the house of Saul?&quot;

&quot;No! I allude to her mother s royal line,&quot; he an
swered, &quot;Adora is not a Jewess by maternal descent.
Her mother was a princess of Tadinor in Syria of the

212 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Plains ! Her grandfather was king of that superb City
of Palms ! The blood of an heroic race of kings rung
in her veins ! She is but two removes from the crown
of Tadmor. Thou knowest of that realm, prince !
The chief city is ten miles in circumference, though of
late years it has lost much of its grandeur.&quot;

&quot;I know that the land of Tadmor,&quot; I answered, as
we rode on side by side through a defile which the head
of the army was just entering, &quot; is a province of Assyria,
and that its king is tributary to Belus, king of Nineveh ;
that it is one day s caravan journey from the Euphrates,
and remarkable for the splendor of its temples, the mag
nificence of its palaces, and the beauty of its gardens,
though situated upon an oasis in the Orient- Syrian de
sert ! Hast thou been there, Isrilid?&quot; I inquired:
deeply interested in this unexpected intelligence, that
the splendid Adora Isrilid is a daughter of the race of
the Euphratean kings who built Tadmor, the third city
in the world. Your majesty will conceive that I expert
enced a freshly awakened interest in her.

&quot;When I was a young man,&quot; answered Isrilid, &quot;I
was led by the spirit of adventure, being rich, to visit
distant lands. I found myself in Damascus, and hear
ing of the glories of the East, I joined myself to a cara
van going thence across Arabia-Deserta to Tadmor.
There, after many adventures, I was made secretary to
the king, having, thanks to my father s care, no mean
scholarship, and by-and-by finding me faithful I was
raised from step to step until I became his viceroy ; for
his majesty had become attached to me and given me his
confidence. At length I married the youngest of his
two daughters, a maiden of beauty as resplendent as

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 213

that of Adora who is her daughter ! The king at length
died, and his son, jealous of my influence, imprisoned me.
By the aid of my devoted wife I escaped. Disguised,
we joined a caravan going to Tyre, and after many years
absence and great vicissitudes, I returned again to my
native land. Adora was then a lovely child seven years
old. I found that my father and two uncles had died, leav
ing me the sole heir to three noble estates, for they were
as princes in wealth. I was appointed by King Saul,
the senate of Seventy confirming, governor or lord of
Jericho and its province twelve years ago. Such is the
brief story of thy friend Isrilid ! and thus it is, prince,
that Adora is a princess in her own right !&quot;

When the governor had ended his narrative, I expressed
my pleasure at hearing it, and at his present prosperity.
I rode on some time musingly, when the Prince Jona
than came to my side and joined our company. He was
in cheerful spirits, not only at the prospect of soon meet
ing the enemy, but at the quiet state his royal father s
mind was in. I had not beheld the princely young He
brew in his armor before. Instead of the gorgeous
housing, burnished plate-mail, and brilliant decorations
that covered the royal charger which carried his father
with such stately pace, his horse, slender and graceful
as an antelope, was unprotected save by a plain breast
plate of brass and a brazen head-piece. Neither crest
nor mail was placed upon him, but his limbs were free &amp;lt;
to move as with light and dainty step he bore along the
youthful prince who rode with a grace and ease of horse
manship that would have captivated the eye of a wild
Parthian horseman. He, himself, was clad in a dark-
green suit of armor, plain, without boss or precious

214 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

stone, but becoming and elegant, which set to his grace
ful form like woven silk, although it was knitted of links
of iron. A dark-green scarf crossed his chest, and by
his side hung his straight narrow sword without a scab
bard, fastened to his black girdle by a silver chain. He
wore a close, pointed helmet, bronzed and visored, but
without crest or plume. At his saddle-bow hung a quiver
of steel-headed arrows and a polished cross-bow of cedar-
wood. He had neither stirrups nor bridle, but guided
his beautiful courser by the tones of his voice. In his
hand he held a long lance, the point of which glittered
like fire in the sun s rays. His fine, frank, generous
features were alight with pleasure at the sight of the
proud hosts around him moving to battle ! I said to
him :

&quot; My dear prince, your armor is, pardon me, plainer
than becomes your rank. Permit me to present to your
highness for this war, a suit of Assyrian armor which I
have in my pavilion. I can send for it by my armor-
bearer, Ninus ! Indeed, I laid it all out for the purpose
of some time offering it to you.&quot;

The prince smiled quietly, and said, &quot;I thank you
kindly, Arbaces, but I cannot wear royal armor. It
becomes me to appear harnessed for war plainly, as you
see me. Such splendid armaments as you speak of, are
fitter for the true prince of Israel, my friend David, than
for an humble citizen like me. Should my father fall in
battle to-morrow, I should be no longer a prince ! Nay,
no roof in the land of Israel, however lowly, could call
me its lord. I should be a mere wanderer ; for all my
father has are his crown and sword.&quot;

I painfully felt the force of his words. We rode on

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 215

in silence until we emerged into a noble plain, when Saul
and his body-guard marched ahead, and the mighty army
followed, column rolling along after column, across the
broad green valley. The head of the leading battalions
was penetrating the gorge of distant hills ere the rear
squadrons had disengaged themselves from the defiles on
the east of the valley.

That night, Saul encamped partly in a vale, partly on
the hill sides, and within but a day s march of the plain
on which we knew the Philistine army to be reposing in
battle order. During the night, our camp presented a
grand spectacle with its numerous tent-lights and blazing
fires like stars for multitude. The hum of the people
was borne over the vast plain like the roar of the Tigris,
when swollen, heard afar off. Before moving there were
several alarms, and two or three conflicts on the wings of
the camp with roving bodies of the enemy seeking plun
der or maneuvering to throw the new troops into disorder
At early dawn the bugles sounded the advance, and once
more we moved forward ; and now in imposing battle
array, our flanks protected by clouds of archers and by
the few horse which appertained to the army, against
the wild, barbaric riders of the desert, some thousands
of which were enlisted and fighting against Saul in alli
ance with the Philistines. All day, as we moved along
the road towards Joppa, we saw small bodies of these
fierce warriors hovering upon the ridges and embracing
every opportunity of cutting off any lingering parties of
our army.

Towards evening we left on the right flank the rocky
heights of Bethlehem, and crossing a wild and bold
series of mountain ridges, pitched our camp in the deep

216 THE THROVE OF DAVID ; OR,

valleys among them. We had now approached near the
main army of the enemy, according to the reports of our
spies. The most vigilant watch was -kept up all night
throughout the camp. The army slept, sword in hand,
ready for the battle-cry should the Philistines attack
our position. But the night-watches all passed quietly.

I occupied a pavilion near the king s ; Jonathan and
Isrilid sharing my hospitality. As the morning star
was fading into the amber-tinted sky of dawn, the early
rising king stood at my door and said :

&quot; Come with me, Prince Arbaces, and let us behold the
Philistine encampment.&quot;

We ascended an eminence west of our camp, and as
the sun rose in cloudless splendor, we saw before us a
vast plain from which the thin white haze was slowly
dissipating itself into the clear atmosphere. A range
of low blue mountains lined the distant horizon. Along
their sides was visible a white, league-long line of tents
of war. The base of the hills betrayed a dark shadow
varied by lights and color, and in front of it gleamed a
stream of silvery, broken, waving light, like a narrow
river glittering with ten thousand shining and dazzling
waves in motion.

&quot;Behold!&quot; said the king, &quot;the camp of the Philis
tines ! That dark shadow varied and broken on the hill
side, this side of the tents, is that portion of the hosts of
Goliath who have been in arms all night, and now. re
lieved and unarmed, are reposing upon the ground.
That long shining stream of moving waves of light, pro
ceeds from their front of battle, composed of their tens
of thousands of armed men ! the bright tremulous motion
is the reflection of the sun upon the myriads of spears.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 217

helms, crests, swords, javelins, from shield, corslet, and
head-piece !&quot;

&quot; It is a sublime spectacle,&quot; I said. &quot; Their numbers
seem to be immense !&quot;

&quot; It is not by numbers Israel is to be conquered or to
conquer,&quot; answered the king, with a shade of the former
gloom of his spirit passing across his face. &quot; The host
conquers, be it large or small, on the side of which the
Lord GocToTIIosts and of Israel fights ! No power of arms
or strength in numbers of men can avail us, if He hides
his face from us, or them, if He turns it upon them in
wrath !&quot;

The centre of the vast plain was unoccupied, save that
here and there a war-horse, which had escaped from its
owner, was either quietly feeding upon the rich grass,
or dashing up and down in wild freedom. A single lion
was seen cantering along farther north, driven from his
lair in the cliff, by the approach of our troops ; for by
this time the army of the Hebrews was in full march
across the hills, on which we were standing, and descend
ing into the valley at their base.

From the elevation upon which we were, not only the
dark brown walls of Bethlehem, three miles to the west
ward, were visible, but eight miles distant northward, the
castellated square tower of the Jebusite fortress, overlook
ing Solima its city, was discernible. To the west, the
remote walled towns of Azekah and Socho could be
dimly seen, between which stretched the line of the Phil
istines, their centre resting on a strong fortress upon the
side of the mountain in their rear.

King Saul now led his army down into the valley of
Elah, and leaving one-third of the men to pitch the

218 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

camp on the hill-side, he marshaled the residue of his
fighting men in order of battle on the plain, and rode
along their whole line reviewing them, and giving earnest
orders to his lords, generals, and high captains, as to the
disposition of their several commands.

This done, he directed ten thousand of his men to
commence fortifying his position, by digging a deep
trench in front of it, and throwing up a parapet with the
earth on the side towards his camp. This was done in
order to prevent a surprise in the night, and in case of
an attack to stop the chariots and horsemen of the
enemy. As this fortification, which, with so many men
employed, was thrown up before night, joined the moun
tain on one side, and on the other side, it completely en
closed the army of King Saul.

As the Philistine hosts were so much greater in num
bers than the king s, he resolved to await in this position
the arrival of his whole army ; for there were seventy
thousand men of Israel yet to march to his standard from
beyond the Jordan. Therefore, not feeling himself
strong enough to meet the enemy with his present force,
he resolved to defer offering the Philistine battle until
he could equal him in numbers ; for the unhappy king
had no confidence that the help of his offended God
would supply the lack of numbers, as in the former days
of his regal glory ere he disobeyed his laws !

Thus encamped and entrenched, King Saul impatiently
awaited his expected reinforcements. The second day,
Isrilid, Governor of Jericho, hastened back to his pro
vince to forward the talents of gold which he had loaned
to the king. The tedium of the delay was sometimes
varied by the chase of the leopard or the lion, which

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 219

were from time to time started from their lairs, when
they fled terrified across the plain, pursued by the
younger and lighter Hebrew soldiers, with bow and jave
lin.

On the fourth day as the prince and I were slowly
riding along the foot of the mountain beyond the parapet,
now watching for the appearance of wild beasts, now
surveying the inactive lino of the Philistine foe, a leo
pard, frightened by the shouts of a foraging party of
Saul s men, bounded from a defile immediately before us.
The prince has a great passion for the excitement and
perils of the chase ; and he at once pursued. I was in a
moment by his side. The beautiful and savage beast ran
in a direct line across the plain. We were soon far from
our own camp, and approaching that of the Philistines,
which in our eagerness of pursuit we took no heed of,
when we heard far in our rear a faintly sounding trumpet
calling the retreat. It was from the king s camp, where
our rashness in advancing so far into the plain, had been
perceived. We turned, and for the first time realized
our great distance from the encampment. Wo were
also close upon the leopard, which already carried an
arrow in its side from the prince s bow.

&quot;A few moments more, and if we do not slay the
leopard,&quot; said the prince, &quot;we will obey the call and
ride back to camp !&quot;

As he spoke he launched his javelin, with such pre
cision that it struck the animal behind the shoulder and
hurled him over upon the earth. At the instant of its
fall I heard a tramp of horses hoofs, and looking up
beheld a body of Philistine cavalry and dromedaries
sweeping in a curve across the plain towards us, the

220 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

riders, with lance in rest and flying over the ground with
the fleetness of the wind. The prince who had already
alighted, and was disengaging his javelin from the body
of the expiring animal, at my warning looked up and
beheld his danger. He leaped into his saddle and
cried,

&quot; Let us fly, Arbaces ! It is my folly that has brought
you into this imminent peril !&quot;

&quot;Do not concern yourself, my prince, about me,&quot; I
said. &quot; I have enjoyed the chase as keenly as you have
done. They are too numerous for us to attempt to offer
them battle ! We must trust to the speed of our horses !

&quot; To the camp then for our lives, Arbaces !&quot; he cried.
&quot; There are full three score of them, and Idumean riders
too, whose steeds are as fleet as eagles !&quot;

There was not a moment to dally in hesitation. We
shouted to our brave chargers and gave them the rein
for the camp ! Fortunately we were both admirably
mounted. It became now a reversed chase ! the hunters
of the brute were now in turn hunted by men ! No
sooner had we wheeled to make our escape than the pur
suers shouted their wild and terrific battle-cry, and
clashing their swords and spears against their shields
came thundering on, each moment the advanced horsemen
gaining upon us little by little. We now saw that there
was commotion in our camp. Armed men leaped upon
their horses and the draw-bridge over the moat fell, and
a score of mounted Hebrews dashed across followed by
the king, who soon took the lead of all ! This was a
gallant show of aid for us, but our foes had but one
quarter of the distance to traverse that our friends had
to reach us. Every moment I expected we should fall

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 21

into the hands of our pursuers, four of whom, Amalekites
mounted on dromedaries, were now within bow shot of
us, and their long slender arrows already flew past us !

Suddenly I wheeled upon the foe, receiving upon my
shield a lance which fell at my feet shivered by the
blow, and hewed down with my sword the barbarian who
was about to transfix me, and also checked the advance
of his fellow, who however launched his glittering javelin
at the prince, as he turned to combat with a splendid,
gaily-appareled warrior who pressed him closely. My
brave friend, engaged sword in hand with his antagonist,
was heedless of the flight of the javelin which pierced
the flesh of his right arm. I was by his side in a moment
to cover him from the battle-axe of his antagonist who
fell cloven through the helmet. The next moment we
would have been overpowered and slain by the rapid ap
proach of others of the foe, but for the presence of Saul
himself! Colossal in size and mounted upon his gigantic
white charger, his eyes blazing with war-fire and his
visage terrible with rage, while his voice roared like that
of the lion in his fury, he charged alone upon our foes,
swept them aside like stubble with his great sword wielded
in his left hand and his bronze-headed mace held in his
right !

The rest of the Philistines, beholding with consterna
tion this warlike champion thus coming upon them like
the powerful and wrathful god of war, checked their ad
vance and suddenly wheeling about galloped away to a
safe distance, leaving seven of their number, horse and
rider, in the dust of the plain. The followers of the king
now coming up continued on and charged them with
confidence in a speedy victory, while the king bending

222 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

from his saddle drew the javelin from his son s arm, mildly
reproving him for his rash boldness.

&quot;Forgive me, my lear father,&quot; he said. &quot;I know now
I was wrong, since I have imperiled your life as well as
that of Prince Arbaoes ; but in the heat of the chase I
did no A know we were so near the Philistine camp !&quot;

&quot;It is well it is no worse, my brave child,&quot; he re
plied. &quot; Prince Arbaces, I saw the aid you gave my
son. It was opportune and skillfully effected. We will
now ride back to camp ; for the Philistine army is not to
be conquered by a stripling like thyself, my brave boy!&quot;
This was spoken to Jonathan who appeared not to heed
the anguish of his wound.

&quot; I did not in my own person, my dear father and king,
expect to fight their army,&quot; answered Jonathan, return
ing the smile so rare on his gloomy sire s face. &quot;But
you need not look so anxious, sir ! My wound is but
trifling. See! our men are chased !&quot;

This was true. The overbold Hebrew horsemen had not
counted the cost of their charge, and were received by the
rallied Philistines so warmly that after a brief conflict they
turned and fled, pursued by their shouting adversaries
to the place where we were. Saul, drawing himself up
to his full stature and swinging his formidable sword,
charged and stopped the pursuit ! The foiled riders
contented themselves with sending a flight of lances at
the person of the king which, caught on his shield, helmet,
breast-plate, and head-piece of his war-horse, were
shivered like crystals.

We at length regained our entrenchments, and the
prince s severe wound was medicated and bound up by
my own skillful Indraic physician.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 223

The noble kin or had well calculated the result that

C 1

would follow his entrenching himself where he was. His
object in doing it was to draw the Philistine general out
of his strong position which he had taken up along the
hill-side, expecting Saul to attack him there. But when
the strategic barbarian monarch perceived that the He
brew chief had taken up a permanent position partly on
the hill and partly on the plain, and appeared to expect
his attack, he reluctantly abandoned his original plan
of tactics, and moved with his whole army further north
ward and nearer to us, so that only a narrow valley in
stead of a wide plain as before separated us, A rocky
eminence also protected the rear of the Philistines main
body. This change of position was made the morning
after the prince received his wound. The sight of the
foe marching nearer, and pitching their camp opposite
to us, gave King Saul the highest satisfaction. He felt
that the next move would be to assail him in his en
trenchments, when he intended to pour from the hills
and defiles the chief weight of his army upon him. To
have crossed the plain, to attack a foe provided with
horses and chariots armed with scythes, would be to ex
pose himself to be surrounded and cut to pieces. So
King Saul quietly and prudently waited in his encamp
ment, until the Philistines should weary of the delay and
march out to give him battle.

Mid-way the valley flowed a sparkling brook at which
the pitcher-bearers of both armies went to draw water,
who, being all unarmed, peacefully talked with each other
from bank to bank, leaving the active work of war to those
who wore helm and sword. This pebbly brook, which
a deer could bound across, was therefore neutral ground.

224 TEE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

The morning after the armies of the Philistines had
settled themselves in their new position, covering the
opposite hill and half the valley which is called Pas-dam-
mim with their glittering numbers, Saul shut himself up
in his tent, and it was whispered that &quot;the dark cloud was
upon his soul !&quot; This news was brought to my pavilion
by Heleph, the armor-bearer of the Prince Jonathan,
who lay upon a couch suffering from the pain of his
severe wound.

&quot;Do not let it be noised in the camp,&quot; he cried, with
earnestness, &quot; or the whole army will be paralyzed.
Who of the people knows it?&quot;

&quot; The Prince Ishbosheth told me,&quot; answered Heleph.

&quot;Go, dear Arbaces,&quot; implored Jonathan, &quot;and see
if it be so ! My father will admit you into his presence.
If possible, have it kept secret. It may pass off in a
day i How disastrous !&quot;

I immediately sought the king s tent. His high-stew
ard met me at the door.

&quot;Is the king ill?&quot; I asked.

The old servitor shook his head sorrowfully.

&quot;The evil spirit is with the king,&quot; was his sad and
troubled answer. &quot; It came upon him in the night !
He sprung out of sleep and seizing his sword seemed to
meet an invisible enemy ! Then he cast the weapon
away, crying, Shall I fight against a foul spirit with a
Bword of iron? He then sunk upon the side of his
couch, and has not moved since, his face all the while
buried in his hands, at times groaning, not as in pain,
but as a man mourns for the dead !&quot;

I went softly in ! The king took no notice of me,
I ventured to lay my hand upon his, gently. He moved

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 225

not ! I spoke words of kindness and sympathy ! He
remained silent. I appealed to his warlike name, to his
kingly pride, and to his army waiting their leader ! He
moved not, but great sighs betrayed the profoundness of
his emotion. At length he removed his hands and looked
up into my face ! Gods of clemency and pity, your
majesty! I never beheld such a countenance! It will
haunt me to my dying hour ! It was a dead man s face,
but stamped with a living, unutterable woe ! The hol
low, black eyes seemed profound wells of tears, deep,
deep beyond the plumb of human sympathy to fathom.
They seemed to look out at me from the infinite shades
of everlasting torment ! The awful forehead was fur
rowed with great lines of grief, as if the ploughshare
of despair had passed over it ! His haggard cheeks
were valleys of grief, and the expression of his mouth
was that of one from the prayers of which mercy has
turned her ears forevermore ! It was the countenance of
a fallen god mourning his lost throne, conscious it can be
regained no more no more ! in whom hope is dead while
impotent remorse remains !

I could not speak ! My heart was full of tears ! I
slowly and silently replaced his two hands over his face,
as if it were a deed of mercy to leave him to his woe
which no man should dare meddle with !

It was in vain to keep the secret from the army ! Days
and nights he sat under the cloud of the dark spirit
which had so mysteriously usurped the throne of his
soul. From the royal pavilion the shadow passed over
the whole camp, and each countenance reflected the
gloom of the king s. The army was dispirited ! Evil
was predicted ! Men deserted by night in companies,
15

226 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

feeling that their God would be against them in battle !
Jonathan, with fever burning in his veins and unspeak
able sorrow in his heart, rode through the army and
addressed the men, urging them to remain loyal and not
increase their evil condition by yielding to superstitious
fears. He encouraged them to believe that the king
would soon recover, and that God would fight for
them.

His personal popularity prevailed in a degree. It was
a touching spectacle to see the pale young prince, who
was so weak that he had to be lifted to his saddle, show
such a courageous and noble spirit in those dark hours.
But he returned to my tent and fainted away.

Early the third morning, after the evil spirit, for such
it seemed, had again possessed the king, I was standing
upon a clift watching the Philistines, who, during the
night, had changed their front and advanced to within
half a mile of our entrenchments with two-thirds of their
army, leaving the remainder encamped on a hill which
they had fortified and held in case of a retreat. This
near approach looked like an intention on the part of
their general ere long to attack us.

While I was observing their long, mailed front, their
archers, chariots, cavalry, men-at-arms, spear-men, and
mounted Idumean troops, and a battalion of hired Amale-
kites eight hundred dromedaries strong, each under its own
chief and standard, and showy with varied armor and
costumes; I was attracted by a body of about seventy
men of gigantic size, clad in coats of steel, and wearing
brazen helmets and greaves of brass, marching out from
the line. Their leader was in height a colossus ! Tall and
enormous as they were, he towered a head and shoulder
above them. He could have stood by your majesty s

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 227

royal elephant and laid his arm across her back, as an
ordinary man stands by a horse of large size and rests
his hand upon his neck. Ninus, my armor-bearer, on
beholding him, uttered a shout of terror and amazement.
Prince Ishbosheth, a fair youth and younger brother of
Jonathan, came near, and seeing them, said to me :

&quot; Those are the far-famed sons of Anak ! They are
of the race of giants whom Joshua drove out from the land
of Anakim !&quot;

The sight was soon beheld from other parts of the
camp and created great excitement. &quot; The sons of
Anak ! The terrible Anakim !&quot; cried many of the
most timid; and all was confusion.

I watched them with deep interest ! They moved
across the valley in solid phalanx. The very earth
seemed to shake with their combined tread. The clang
and ring of their coats of mail, and chains, and huge
swords as they stepped, were terrific. Their shields were
like great round tables of bronze. Their weapons of
war were in proportion to their stature and enormous
strength. I had heard rumors before, your majesty, of
this family of Anakim which have a city of their own
in Palestina, where all of them, male and female, are
giants ; but now I beheld their chief men human mon
sters six cubits, or nine feet, high who formed the body
guard of their mighty king.

When they had advanced, three cubits * at a stride, near
the inter vei ing brook, they came to a halt; and their
chief, leaving them, advanced alone to within a bow-shot
of the brook, (from the banks of which the water-carriers
of both armies fled away in terror towards their camps,)
and standing, he lifted up his voice and cried unto the

* A Secular Hebrew Cubit wuh eighteen inches iu length.

228 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

armies of Israel. In height with helm and crest he was
nearly eleven feet. He wore a brazen helmet upon his
head, and was clad in a coat of mail woven of scales of
brass, each scale the size of a man s palm, and riveted
one to the other. Upon his legs were greaves of brass,
and a target of brass between his shoulders. A cuirass
of steel covered his ponderous chest, and at his thigh hung
a great two-handed sword, a weight for a man to lift.
The staff of his spear was like a weaver s beam, and the
spear s head would have weighed six hundred shekels of
iron. He was full seventy years of age, and his black,
massive beard and thick locks were mingled with gray.
Before him marched a strong man, with difficulty bearing
his enormous shield bossed with spikes of iron and bound
with bands of brass. His voice was like the male tiger s,
when pouring forth his deep-toned rage against his foes.

&quot; Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? Am
I not a Philistine a freeman and ye servants of Saul 1
Choose ye a man of war on your side and let him come
forth to meet me ! If he be able to fight with me and
to kill me, then will we be your servants and the servants
of Saul; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then
shall ye be my servants and serve the Philistines !&quot;

When he had thus proclaimed his challenge in a voice
that was heard even by King Saul in his tent, he cast from
his hand his huge iron gauntlet, so that it fell far across
the brook upon the earth in sight of the Israelites. With
the act he cried aloud, &quot;I defy the armies of Israel this day !
Send forth thy champion that he may fight with me!&quot;

This bold defiance from so terrible a warrior, whom no
Bingle Israelite could hope to cope with, was heard by
the whole army with dismay. I have already informed
your majesty, of the gloom which the condition of the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 229

king s mind had cast over the camp, and that, as one
expressed it to me, &quot; The whole heart had gone out of
the men !&quot; This challenge of the Philistine caused their
spirits wholly to fail and their souls to sink within them.
They knew that their enemies had heard of the king s
condition, and hence took this way of defiance and show
ing contempt for Saul. Who in their army could have
the courage to meet him save King Saul, whose lion-like
courage never had quailed before man? But to their
earnest and anxious questions of their captains and chief
lords as to what was to be done, the answer was given,
&quot; The king sits in his tent, and the evil spirit of God rests
upon his soul !&quot;

&quot; Has he heard the proud defiance of the champion of
his foes ?&quot; I asked of his chief steward.

&quot;Yes, my lord,&quot; he answered; &quot;but he moves not
from his seat. His brave general Abner, who has just
arrived in camp from the country beyond Mount Ephraim
with reinforcements from the land of Asher, of Manasseh,
and of Naphtali, has repeated to him the challenge word for
word, and said, &quot; king, if thou wilt permit thy servant
Abner, he will go forth and meet this dog of a Philistine !
If I perish, my blood will in part wipe off this dishonor
from our army !&quot;

&quot;Nay, Abner,&quot; answered the king without looking up
from the ground ; &quot; nay, thou art come hither not to be
slain but to stand in my place before my people ! Thou
wilt command them ! If thou art slain, they will take to
flight and each man seek his own home, and the Philis
tine will possess the land ! Let him defy us ! Words do
no harm ! We are strong within our entrenchments and
they fear to assail us ! Go and leave me, and put courage

230 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

into the hearts of the people. Peradventure God for
their sakes will yet give us victory !&quot;

I saw, for the first time, this warrior Abner, your
majesty, as, when he came out of the king s pavilion, he
entered my tent to visit the wounded prince. He is a
man of noble bearing, with a bold, martial front and a
proud, imperious air, with all the characteristics of the
Hebrew race in the blackness of his eyes, the eagle shape
of his nose, and full, resolute lips, He was in a rich
suit of armor, and wore a helmet inlaid with gold, and a
mail-shirt of golden chains with greaves of brass and a
corslet of bronze. I greatly liked his appearance, and
felt that the king had a strong arm to lean upon in his
presence in the camp. More than once ere his arrival I
had heard Saul sigh and say, &quot; Would Abner, my general,
were come! Would God Abner were come!&quot;

The Philistine, after giving his defiance, retired and
with his huge body-guard strode back to his camp. The
same evening, just as the priest, who attends the king in
his wars, was offering up the evening incense with the
prayers of the army to their Lord, the giant again made
his appearance in the plain and repeated his defiance as
before, his hoarse, barbarian voice almost drowning that of
the priest reciting the holy service. The next morning
and evening the challenge was repeated in the same terms
of boasting and scorn. My own blood boiled at the re
peated insult, and I felt tempted to go forth with my hundred
Assyrian nobles and attack him and also his men-at-arms !
But this, doubtless, would have been an act of rashness. No
mere charge of horse would avail, especially as the brook
lay between. It seemed necessary to assail the monster
only with stones from a catapult or other siege-artillery.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 231

In single comba^ no_ one could meet him and live! This
was so evident that even the brave Abner said, &quot; that
he would permit no man, if one could be found in the
army to offer, to go out to him ! He would be slain and
we should be mocked the louder. To attack him with a
strong body of horse would not only be a confession of
our own weakness which compels a resort to numbers to
subdue one enemy, but contrary to the rules of war,
wherein the person of a champion who presents himself
is sacred from surprise or treachery, and, if met at all,
must be met by but one of the other side ! Therefore
he must defy us until he is weary ! It is a bitter thing,&quot;
added Abner, &quot; to have to hear him bellowing out there
morning and evening ; but we must abide patiently the
end, and in the meanwhile strengthen our position, in
case of an attack.&quot;

The brave prince, as he lay on his couch, writhed when
the voice of the giant day after day came roaring across
the vale, like that of a wild Bashan bull when he paws
the earth and lashes himself for combat with a rival.

After forty days had elapsed, during which the giant
ceased not morning and evening, at the hours of sacrifice,
to present himself before the camp of Saul, he appeared
with new rage and fresh terms of defiance and hatred.
Up to this time the king had remained in his tent, and
the dark cloud hung upon him with but little change in
the intensity of its gloom. He ate but seldom, scarcely
slept, and spoke to no man. When the hour for the
Philistine to shout out his challenge came, the king
would be seen to lift his head and pause in his walk up
and down his tent, or if lying down to raise his head as

232 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

if to listen for it ; and when it came he would bury his
face in his mantle, and mutter :

&quot; I am accursed accursed of God ! This son of Anak
is sent to curse me by his gods, and I am impotent !
When will this burden of my life end ! Rather would
I perish by the sword of this Goliah of Gath than live !
But shall the king of Israel give himself up to die like
a dog that this giant may howl over his dead corpse and
mock my people ! No, I must live on live on and
bear as I may this Atlas of woe God has placed upon
my head !&quot;

On the fortieth morning the giant came out, and cried :

&quot; Saul of Kish ! Thou craven Benjaminite ! son
of a left-handed race ! Hast thou not a man to take
up my gauntlet which rusteth there, lying on the earth
these forty days ! Where art thou, circumcised Hebrew ?
Show thyself! If thy evil spirit lovest music I will play
thee a sweet melody with my sword against thy buckler !
Choose you a man of war and let him come down to me !
Dost thou not know me ? I am Goliah, the lord of Gath !
I slew Hophni and Phineas, sons of your High Priest.
I am he who carried off the Ark of the Lord, and set it
up in the temple of my gods ! Come and slay the man
that did it, and avenge thy God and his sacred taberna
cle which I defiled !&quot;

This taunt, your majesty, filled to the brim with the
last drop, the cup of his insults he had from day to day
made the ears of the Hebrews drink ! Saul sprung to
his feet, seized his sword, crying, as he marched forth
from his tent :

&quot; Is there not a man here whom God is with who will
rid me of this Philistine?&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 233

Jonathan, who was still lingering, (for his excitement
on account of his father and the Philistine retarded hig
convalescence,) rose and hastened to meet his father,
who was wholly vrithout mail, helm or shield, armed only
with his naked sword in his left hand. The king no
sooner saw him than he dropped his sword, fell upon the
prince s neck, and said, hoarsely and pitifully :

%; Lead me back to my tent ! I am accursed ! It is
not by my hand that the Lord is to avenge himself and
his honor ! No ! all my deeds are an abomination to Him !
Jonathan, lead me back ! I am not mad, but I am all
dead within! My lost soul is imprisoned within my
body by the Lord, instead of departing to join com
panionship with the dark souls of my fathers !&quot;

At length the prince, with traces of weeping in his
eyes, came into the pavilion faint and depressed, and
told me what had passed.

&quot; My poor father ! He is not violent, but his present
mood is heart-rending. I fear the Lord God has left us,
and will destroy this army by the hand of the Philistine.
If He send not help soon, not a Hebrew beard will wag
on these hills by noon to-morrow. The army is spirit
less, dismayed, and rebellious ! Already the generals
of the tribe of Naphtali and of Dan have told Abner
they will leave the camp and return to their own borders,
for God is surely against Israel ! Oh, my dear Prince
Arbaces, what can be done?&quot;

&quot;I know not, my prince,&quot; I answered, greatly dis
tressed at so strange a condition of things in so vast an
army ; for there were not less than one hundred and
forty thousand men encamped under the banners of the
different tribes on the hill and plain. &quot; Perhaps safety

234 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OK,

lies only in a bold attack on the carnp of the Philistines
with the whole army.&quot;

&quot; I have thought so ! The brave Abner, who is at his
wit s end between his allegiance to the king and his duty
to the people, spoke of it ! He called a council of all
the captains, lords, chiefs, and generals of the tribes,
and proposed a battle ! But superstition has fallen upon
them. They refuse to fight unless the king leads. But
alas ! he is not himself, and seems to be dead while he
lives, as he strongly and truly expressed it !&quot;

&quot; Why not send for David to try again the power of
his harp ?&quot; I asked.

&quot; I have thought of it often. But he is in the School
of the Prophets and under Samuel. If my father knew
that he came from the Seer he would not suffer him to
enter his presence*, for he will take no favor from the
Prophet,&quot; answered the prince sorrowfully.

&quot; It is two years or more since the king sent him back
to his father Jesse,&quot; I said. &quot; He was then a beardless
lad you told me. When we saw him at Raman two
months ago, he had a bearded lip and chin, and you re
marked, in my presence, to him how tall he had grown
since you first knew him at Bethlehem, and from a youth
had got the air and beard of manhood. If he is so much
changed, though indeed he looks still fair and comely of
countenance, the king may not recognize him. Let him
be sent for as a strange harpist.&quot;

&quot; It is possible the king might not know him, as he
observes and notices but little of what passes around
him;&quot; answered the prince, thoughtfully.

While he was speaking, Ninus came in and exclaimed,
&quot; The king is in his right mind and has on his armor T

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 235

and calls for his horse, and has given Abner command
to put the whole army in array, and offer battle to the
Philistines this day !&quot;

The news proved true ! Saul had suddenly awaked
from his deep gloom like a man shaking off the night
mare, and in his natural tone of voice and usual manner
was infusing a new spirit into all who approached him. It
was a joyous sight to the army to see its chief once more
in battle-harness, with the light of war illumining his face,
and his cheerful voice heard as of old giving his soldierly
commands. The Philistines, thus seeing the army of
Israel forming in battle-array, also marshaled their
hosts, and soon army was set against army. In this
attitude they remained all day, but Saul resolved not to
attack until night came on. But as evening drew near,
the gigantic Philistine s appearance nearer the camp than
ever, produced a panic along his line, and half his army
precipitately fled up the mountain. The next morning,
Saul set them again in battle-array, and the Philistines
stood opposite to them ready for battle. But before
Saul was ready to give the command to advance, the for
midable Philistine again appeared and challenged the
king. Then Saul, seeing his soldiers troubled, caused a
proclamation to be made that &quot; the man of Israel who
would slay the heathen champion should be made the
richest man in his kingdom ; should receive the Princess
Michal, his beautiful daughter, to wife ; and his father s
house should be made all princes in the land.&quot;

This offer of reward for victory over his foe, shows
strikingly, your majesty, how wholly the king s piety
towards his God had left him ; for, by the custom and
law of war among his people, it was the duty of a king,

236 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

or general about to give battle, to consult the Prophet of
God in the land, or else the High Priest, and also to have
sacrifice offered to his Lord in heaven, in order to gain the
divine favor and blessing upon his arms. Here the king
ignored the aid of heaven, and looked only to human
prowess. This extraordinary impiety was doubtless a
part of his retributive madness.

But while the monarch sought in vain along the waver
ing line of his trembling hosts for a man to slay the
Philistine, there was, unknown to him, approaching the
camp, one who was ready to accept the defiance of the
Philistine, lift his iron gauntlet, and do battle with him
in the name of his God !

But, your majesty, I will defer until my next letter,
which I shall shortly write, my narration of the events
that subsequently transpired.

Your faithful

ARBACES.

THE KEBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 237

LETTER VIII.

ARBACES TO THE KINQ.

GAMP OF SAUL.

YOUR MAJESTY:

IN my last I prepared you to hear that a champion
was found, who was about to meet the Philistine lord,
and avenge the insulted honor of his God and country.
It will not be in your power, king, to form the re
motest idea of the person, although his name is not un
familiar to you, having been often mentioned in my let
ters ; nay, he is one of the chief persons who have figured
therein.

You will remember that we left the youthful David at
the School of the Prophets in Ramah. But when he
heard that his three older brothers had gone to the wars,
and that a fourth was ill, having been severely torn by
a wolf, he requested of the Seer permission to go and see
how it fared with the old man his father, and if his ser
vices were needed by him. The prophet, pleased with
this filial feeling, granted his request, and dismissed him
with his blessing.

The young shepherd had been but a few days at home,
where he found his aid needed about many things, espe
cially in his familiar duty of tending his father s flocks,
which by neglect had been reduced to a very few, when

233 THE TiiRONE OF DAVID; OR,

one morning the venerable Eplirathite called his son to
him and said :

&quot; I desire to hear from thy brethren in the camp of
Saul ! Lade thee a small sheaf wagon with provisions
for them, and gifts for Joab the brave young captain of
their thousand, and take with thee my Canaanite servant
to drive it, and go to the king s camp in the valley of
Elah, and see how thy brothers fare ; and take receipt for
what thou givest them ; but take no such pledge from
Joab ! Keep thyself from harm, my son ; and shouldst
thou find the battle waging, take no part in it ! for thou art
consecrated to God, and thy life is not in thine own hand.&quot;

Before day the following morning the young man left
for the camp of Israel. The distance was but twelve
miles westwardly over hills, through defiles, and across
plains. At length, as the sun rose, he caught the glit
ter of the arms and armor of the Hebrews encamped on
the hills above Elah. He hastened on pleased with this
warlike sight ! Ere long he emerged from a glen and
came full in view of the two armies. It was a grand
spectacle to his brave heart, and he stopped to gaze on
the martial scene. Lo ! as he looked, he saw both
armies move towards each other, heard the clangor of
shields, the clash of spears and swords against bucklers,
the bray of trumpets, and the preliminary shouts of bat
tle. But after a show of attack both armies retired to
their former positions, but still in array of battle.

The young shepherd continued to approach the camp
of the Hebrews, and as he came near the outer trench
in search of the entrance, he was directed by the sentry
to the part of the camp where his brethren stood in the
&quot;thousand&quot; of Joab. He found their phalanx, and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. JS9

came and saluted his brethren and made known to them
upon what errand he had come. They frowned at first on
him, but gladly accepted what he told them he had brought
in his carriage, and speedily sent out to have the provi
sions taken in ! While they were talking with him about
home and their father, he was surprised to hear a voice
like a man s, yet loud as a lion s roar, while at the same
time the Israelitish soldiers around him manifested a
disposition to fly ; but their fierce young captain, Joab,
w r ith his spear in his hand, swore by the Ark of the Lord
that he would slay the man that fled ; nevertheless, from
other battalions great numbers retreated sore afraid.
David looked round when he heard this strange and
terrific voice, and beheld the Philistine champion, Go
liath of Gath, come forth upon the plain out of his army
and stand as heretofore and defy the armies of the living
God, and calling upon Saul to send him a man to fight
him ! When the young shepherd had listened to these
words, he asked of those about him :

&quot;Who is this son of Anak? Doeth he thus defy the
king and all his hosts?&quot;

&quot; lie hath done this for forty days ! For forty days
he has defied Israel, the king, and the Lord of hosts.
No man can stand before him!&quot; they replied to him.

&quot;And the king hath made proclamation,&quot; said a man
of Judah, &quot; that the man who killeth him shall be en
riched with great riches, marry the king s daughter
Michal, and that all his family shall be free nobles and
princes in the land !&quot;

&quot; Sayeth the king so?&quot; exclaimed David. &quot;What
said he? That the man who slew him should have his
fair daughter in marriage?&quot;

240 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; So shall it be done by the king to the man that kill-
eth him,&quot; they answered, interested in seeing the comely
shepherd manifesting such a deep interest in what they
told him.

Joab now approached and thanked David for the pre
sent he had brought him, and said :

&quot; If thou goest back to Jesse, thy father, tell him not,
young man, that thou sawest the army of Israel put in
fear by one man, though a giant ! It is not that, but
there is a cloud from God upon all our hearts, and we
dare do nothing ! A strange fear hath fallen upon us
all from the Lord ! My courage oozes from my finger-
ends at the voice of this Goliath ! We are bound by a
spell ! We know heaven is against our king ! So we
are but an army of women, while this giant of Gath in
sults us ! The dark shadow of God s hand is upon us !&quot;

&quot; How fares the king s mind?&quot; asked David. &quot;Hath
he lost heart?&quot;

&quot; He has been for forty days under a cloud. Yester
day and this morning he was like himself! But he no
sooner gets the army in array for battle than he gives
the order, not to i advance, but to retire ! We know not
what to do ! The prophet aids us no more ! The High
Priest is not consulted ! No sacrifice burns on the altar !&quot;

&quot; And he who slays the Philistine shall be rewarded
with the hand of the king s daughter?&quot; interrogatively
repeated the graceful shepherd to the men about him, as
the champion filled the air with his voice, calling to the
combat.

&quot; What is that to thee, stripling, what the king will
reward with?&quot; cried angrily his eldest brother, Eliab,
his eyes kindling with scorn. &quot; Comest thou hither to

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 241

do him battle, boy ? With whom hast thou left those
few sheep in the wilderness ? I know the pride of thy
vain heart. Thou didst come only to see the battle, for
thou hast ever the conceit in thee to play the soldier !
Go back and fight the wolves and chase the conies of the
rocks ! What is it to thee, proud boy, what the king
offers?&quot;

&quot; Dost not thou tremble,&quot; spoke his brother Abina-
dab, with light laughter, &quot; to hear the voice of this
Anakim ? Go, lad ! Thou art fitter to look after sheep
than fight a giant ; yet, by the king s head, brothers,
the boy s words smack of a wish to try his hand to win
the king s daughter !&quot;

Here Eliab and his two brothers laughed loudly, and
openly scorned their younger brother, so that he turned
from them, and said to Joab,

&quot; If there be none to step before me to meet this
blasphemer of God and defier of Israel, I will go !&quot;

&quot; Thou ?&quot; exclaimed the captain of the thousand re
garding him ; while all around made themselves merry
at David s bold words ; seeing he was but a mere youth
without armor, dressed in his blue shepherd s tunic and
carrying only his cross-hafted crook in his hand. u I
fear Goliath would hardly notice thee, my brave youth !
If thy height were as tall as thy heart, thou hast courage
enough !&quot;

In the meantime some one went and told the king that
a young shepherd in the camp spoke boldly, and ex
pressed no fear of the Philistine, and seemed ready to
fight with him.

&quot; Haste and bring him before me,&quot; cried Saul.

The king walking up and down before his pavilion

242 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

was gloomily deliberating in his mind what to do in his
present great trials, when the son of Jesse was conducted
by Joab before him.

&quot;Is this youth he?&quot; he demanded with a glance of
derision. &quot; Why dost thou mock me to lead this stripling
hither?&quot;

&quot; Let no man s heart fail him, king, this day be
cause of the champion of the Philistines,&quot; said David,
who at once perceived that the king did not recollect
him as the beardless youth of two years before who had
soothed him with the harp. &quot; Thy servant will go and
fight this defier of the armies of Israel and of the
king!&quot;

&quot; Thy words are brave, young man ; but thou art not
able to go against this Philistine to fight with him,&quot; said
the king, regarding him with a kind expression and
speaking with gentle condescension in his tones as if
there were a mysterious influence over him exerted by
the voice and presence of the sweet harper who had
aforetime laid the evil spirit in his soul. &quot; Thou art but
a youth, and this Goliath of Gath a man of war from his
youth ! I love thee, child, for thy courage ; but thou
wouldst no sooner come near him, ere he would toss thee
in the air as a wild bull would toss an antelope that
crossed its path.&quot;

Then David answered firmly, but yet with modesty :

&quot; Thy servant kept his father s sheep, and there came
a lion and a bear, and the bear took a lamb out of the
flock, and I pursued and smote him and delivered the
lamb out of his mouth ; and when the lion rose against
me, I caught him by the beard and smote him and slew
him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear; and,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 243

king, this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one
of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living
God!&quot;

The king and his captains and all present looked with
surprise and a sort of awe upon the fearless and noble
countenance of the youth on which the loftiest courage
eat enthroned.

&quot; Young man, thou hast a lion s heart but thou
canst not slay the Philistine,&quot; said Saul.

David answered, &quot;The Lord who delivered me out of
the paw of the lion and out of the hand of the bear will
deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. Let the
king command me to go !&quot;

u (ro, and the Lord be with thee, for he hath departed
from me and all my people !&quot; said Saul with a sigh. The
king then led the young shepherd into his pavilion and
said to his armor-bearer,

&quot; Put on him my royal armor !&quot;

Joab, who loved him for his courage, hastened and
brought the king s helmet of brass and would have
placed it, all too large, upon his head ; and clasped about
him the king s coat of scale-mail ; and girded his own
Bword upon his thigh: but they proved so much too large
for him that they got a suit of Prince Jonathan s armor
which was hanging in the armory of the pavilion, and
put it on him with the helmet also ; and David girded
the sword upon his thigh ; but unaccustomed to be mailed
in full armor, which he now only suffered to be put upon
him by the order of the king, who stood by, and even
clasped his helmet for him, he could not move at ease,
and turning to King Saul, he said respectfully :

&quot; May it please my lord the king to let me put off

244 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

these as I have not been used to them. I will meet
Goliath with my own weapons.&quot;

The king consented to his request, and he took off all
his armor and laid aside the sword, and said, quietly,
&quot; With my lord the king s permission I will now go
forth!&quot;

By this time it was noised about that a mere youth, a
shepherd s lad, had presented himself before Saul and
offered to do battle with the giant. The news did not
reach my pavilion until after he had left the king s tent
and begun to descend the hill, when looking from the door,
and noticing a great movement of the people in camp, I
followed the direction of their gaze, and perceived the
young shepherd, staff in hand, crossing the outworks.
The prince, who had been sleeping to invigorate himself,
for he was not yet well, rose up and came to the tent
door to look at the youthful champion on whom all eyes
were fixed. After a second glance he caught my arm
and cried,

&quot; It is David ! It is my dear, dear friend ! What
madness has possessed him ? Let me fly to detain him !&quot;
he exclaimed, overwhelmed with grief and amazement,
as he saw the young Hebrew boldly advance into the
plain at a rapid step, as if impatient to meet his foe.
&quot;Fly!&quot; he called to his armor-bearer and others; &quot;go
and by force turn him back !&quot;

&quot; /will obey you,&quot; I answered, seeing no one moved,
while all eagerly watched the youthful hero.

&quot; Nay, hold, Arbaces !&quot; he cried, hesitatingly ; &quot;I
have not forgotten that he is consecrated and his person
is sacred ! The Philistine dare not harm the anointed of
God ! But see ! What does he ?&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 245

As he spoke, we saw the young champion stoop and
lift the iron gauntlet from the ground, and throw it
down derisively and walk over it. The Philistine who
had ceased his bellowing, and now stood watching the
approach of the unarmed stripling with curiosity, no
sooner saw this act than he advanced with a great cry
of rage.

David was by this time at the brook. &quot;VVe saw him
bend down and carefully select from the stones in its
bed several pebbles, which he placed in his shepherd s
bag at his girdle. He then crossed the brook, and taking
from the bag a shepherd s sling, he went forward swiftly.
The Anakim was all the while slowly and heavily advanc
ing, his armor-bearer going before him.

&quot;Wherefore comest thou, boy ?&quot; called Goliath in his
loudest tones deepened by rage. &quot; Doth Saul mock me
by sending some message by thee to me ! Go and
tell Saul the lord of Gath holds speech only with mailed
warriors !&quot;

&quot; I come to meet thee, not for Saul, but for my own
pleasure, thou vain boaster and defier of Israel !&quot; an
swered David.

&quot; By the gods of Ashtaroth, am I a clog that thou
comest against me with a shepherd s staff?&quot; called the
Philistine. &quot; May the curses of Dagon and Baal light
on thee ! I call for a man to fight with, and Saul sendcth
me one more fit to dance with women ! Cursed be thou
by my gods !&quot;

David, fearless and cool, continued to approach him,
when the giant, as if scorning any fear of him, sat down
upon a rock in the plain and said :

&quot; Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls

246 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

of the air and unto the beasts of the field ! In my hand
thou wilt be as a lamb in the grasp of the lion !&quot;

Then answered David in a clear voice, &quot; Thou comest
to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield ;
out I come to thee in the name of the LORD or HOSTS,
the GOD of the armies of ISRAEL whom thou hast de
fied ! This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand ;
and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee ; and
I will give the carcases of the hosts of the Philistines,
this day, unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts
of the earth, that all the earth may know there is a God
of the armies of Israel. And all these Philistines and
Israelites shall know that the Lord saveth not with the
sword and spear ; for the battle is the Lord s, and He will
give you into our hands !&quot;

These words so greatly enraged the Philistine that he
arose and strode forward to meet David. Then we all
trembled for the safety of the young shepherd ; and when
a thousand voices said, some, &quot;He will be slain,&quot; others,
&quot; He will fly,&quot; he hastened forward still faster towards
Goliath, and when within half bow-shot he stopped, put
his hand into his bag, and took thence one of the stones
of the brook and fitting it to his sling, slung it ! The
stone, as if heaven-directed, smote the giant in the fore
head and sunk deep into the skull. With a terrible
death-cry, heard in both armies, he fell over with his
face towards David flat upon the earth. At his fall
the very skies were rent with a shout from the whole
Hebrew army.

As there was no sword in David s possession, he ran
swiftly and stood upon the prostrate Philistine, and took
hold of the huge hilt and dre^ his sword out of the sheath

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 247

thereof, and seeing he was only stunned by the stone, he
drove it through a Joint of his coat of mail into his body,
killing him. He then cut off his head and held it up in
the sight of both armies. The armor-bearer, dropping
the monstrous shield, was the first to flee away, and then
the body-guard of giants stationed further back in the
plain, seeing their king and champion dead, turned and
fled towards the army, which, taking fright and struck
with consternation at the sudden fall of their king, broke
their line of battle and took to flight.

It would be impossible to convey to your majesty the
scene that now followed. The whole army of Hebrews
with the wildest shouts of joy and with fierce warlike
cries arose, and pouring like an inundating river from
their entrenchments pursued their foes across the plain,
armed with vengeance. Saul remained on the hill in
his tent giving the command of the pursuing army to his
generals. It was a wild and terrific spectacle. The
whole army, to a man, was engaged in the pursuit, so
that but for the king s body-guard, which never left him,
and my Assyrians, the camp would have been emptied.

In an hour both armies, the pursuing and the pursued,
were lost to view far beyond the hills upon which the
Philistine army had encamped ; only the dead strewn
over the plain, here singly, there in heaps, showed where
the flood of battle had rolled along its sanguine tide.

When David was advancing into the plain to meet the
Philistine, Saul was heard to inquire of his general, Ab-
ner, who the lad was, and whose son he was, so bold and
that seemed to have the Spirit of the Lord upon him?
Abner answered him :

&quot; As thy soul liveth, king, I cannot tell.&quot;

248 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; Enquire tliou whose son the stripling is,&quot; commanded
the king.

After the death of the Philistine, Abner found the
hero in my pavilion whither Jonathan, (forgetting his
wound,) and I with Joab and others had brought him,
having hastened to meet him as he was returning from
the plain with the head of Goliath in one hand and his
sword in the other. The prince embraced him on meet
ing, weeping with joy, and again and again drew him to
his heart ! Eliab and Abinadab, his now proud bro
thers, came with us and took up the head to carry after
David, and Shammah bore the giant s sword ! After the
great wave of battle had swept over the plain parting at
the giant s headless body, I despatched some of my men-
at-arms with Jonathan s to strip the dead champion of
his armor and bear it to the tent. It took four men to
carry his coat-of-mail, three his spear with its staff, and
two his helmet, while his target of brass and shield were
a heavy load for three men ! Such, your majesty, was
the monster slain by this fearless youth ! What a godlike
hero ! In Assyria he would be ranked with the warlike
gods ! Yet how modest after his victory ! He blushed
when I praised him.

The fall of the Philistine amazed the king.

&quot;Do my eyes deceive me?&quot; he called out. &quot;Is the
champion down?&quot;

&quot; Down, king, and the youth s feet upon his neck !&quot;
cried a hundred voices. &quot; See, he cuts off his head !&quot;

The king looked, and then overcome by the reaction
of his feelings, he would have fallen to the ground, if he
had not caught by the shoulder of his armor-bearer.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 249

&quot; God still fights for us,&quot; he murmured, u and I ain
not cast off forever !&quot;

Overcome by his emotions, he desired to be led to his
tent. When he came to himself he sent for Abner his
general, and bade him bring the young conqueror before
him. With the head of the Philistine in his hand, Da
vid entered his pavilion.

&quot; Whose son art thou, young man ?&quot; asked Saul, as Da
vid placed the gory head of Goliath at the feet of the king.

&quot; I am the son of thy servant, Jesse, the Bethlehemite,&quot;
modestly answered the young conqueror.

Then Saul, looking closely at his face, recognized his
skillful harpist, and extending his hand to him, David
reverently bent his knee, and kissing it, said:

&quot; Let the lord my king long live and prosper in his
kingdom, and let the spirit of wisdom and power rest
upon him forever, and let him triumph over all his ene
mies, as he hath over the Philistine this day.&quot;

&quot;What?&quot; cried the king, &quot;givest thou me the glory?
To thine hand alone is owed the glory of Israel this day.
Rise from thy knee ! All men shall do thee honor !&quot;

Prince Jonathan, as David rose to his feet, rushed
forward and folded him to his heart, and with expres
sions of the warmest affection called him &quot; his brother,&quot;
saying :

&quot; I love thee, David, I love thee even as my own soul.
Thou hast saved my father ! From this hour we will no
more be separated!&quot;

&quot;Nay, did he desire to return to his father s house,&quot;
said the pleased king, &quot; I would forbid it. From this
day, young man, thou shalt be to me as a son and dwell
with me !&quot;

250 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot;Promise the king to remain, David!&quot; cried the
prince, seeing he hesitated.

&quot;For thy sake, my beloved prince,&quot; he at length an
swered, &quot;I will dwell with the king.&quot;

&quot; Then from this moment we are one !&quot; exclaimed
Jonathan. &quot; Between us my father will make no dis
tinction, unless to love and honor thee more ! As a seal
of our covenant take thou this robe which I put upon
thee.&quot;

Here Jonathan, with my aid, divested himself of the
flowing broidered robe which his sister Michal had sent
him, and placed it upon the shoulders of the beautiful
youth ; called to his armor-bearer to fetch his Damascus
sword, his silver inlaid bow and his golden girdle, and
his undress helmet of scarlet silk wrought with needle
work of divers colors, (all prized gifts to him from friends
at court or fair maidens, companions of his sister,) all
of which he put upon his friend. The transformation
was singularly becoming to the young shepherd ! By
nature of a princely air and noble countenance, with a
graceful carriage of his body, he now looked a true
prince ! Jonathan gazed upon him with proud delight
and admiration. Saul cried, not witting how truly he
spoke :

&quot; The young Bethlehemite looks as if he were born to
a throne ! Young man, I here appoint thee head over
the royal guard which ever stand in my presence. Thou
ehalt be second only to Abner my general in my armies,
and Joab shall be next to thee and serve thee. Thy
father shall be a prince in Israel, and thy brethren lords
in the land ! and thou shalt have in treasure ten talents
of silver and five of gold for thy own and their mainte-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 251

aance, even as I said ! and thou shalt dwell with me in
my own palace and stand next to my throne !&quot;

HEBROX, AMBASSADOR S CAMP.

I had written thus far, your majesty, the evening of
the day on which the wonderful Hebrew, David of Beth
lehem, slew the champion of Palestina, when a portion
of the conquering army began to return across the plain,
sounding their victorious trumpets from afar. I left my
tent to hear the intelligence. These, however, were the
plunderers, laden with spoil, the main body of the fight
ing men having continued the pursuit, thinking only of
the slaughter and extermination of their enemies. It
was noon next day before the warlike battalions began
to reappear. All the latter part of the day the plain
was filled with their exulting companies, each man laden
with some trophy of victory. At their approach the
lynxes, wolves, and wild dogs of the desert, with the
carrion eagles and vultures which in clouds covered the
plain, devouring the carcasses of the dead, scarcely moved
aside, so absorbed were they by their voracity. Upon
the carcass of the Philistine giant I had seen wild beasts
and fierce, flesh-eating eagles, feeding all day, and their
savage howling over it as they fought with each other
reached the camp. How truly herein were the words
of the youthful Hebrew champion fulfilled !

On the third day the whole army of Saul returned
from the slaughter of their foes, having pursued them to
the gates of their sacred city, Ekron, and to Gath, and
their utmost borders, slaying great numbers by the way,
capturing all their tents, much treasure, and horses, and
chp riots, and prisoners, and great spoil. Saul received

252 THE TKRONE OF DAVID; OB,

them with great honor, and the following day prepared
to return to Hebron in triumphal march. It was a grand
spectacle, the sight of the warlike hosts winding among
the dark, w r ild mountains. They w r ere five hours passing
the height on which I stood to witness their passage.
From all the garrisons, walled towns, citadels, and cities,
there came forth the people to welcome the victorious
king and his army. Maidens with sounding timbrels
and graceful dances welcomed the conquerors, and pre
ceded them with songs of triumph.

As we approached the gates of Hebron, the prince and
David rode near Saul, by whose side I also had the honor
of riding. The king looked more noble and majestic
than I had ever seen him. His countenance had wholly
lost its sadness and wore a proud expression, while his
fine eyes were lighted up with pleasure. He enjoyed the
happiness of the people, and gave himself up to the ex
citement of this hour of glory for himself and for his
kingdom. David, with that becoming indifference to
public notice which characterizes him, rode by the side
of his friend, pleasantly conversing, and seemed to have
forgotten that he had performed any unusual feat of
valor. At times he would turn as his name with that of
the king caught his ear, and blush and smile as the en
thusiastic multitude, all of whom had heard of his
pro\yess, closely crowded the way to catch a look at the
youthful hero who had slain the champion. As we came
under the towers of Hebron, two bands of virgins from
the city issued from the portal, one led by Michal the
fair daughter of the king, and the other by Adora the
beautiful &quot; Princess of Tadmor,&quot; if I may so term her,
your majesty.

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 5

As they drew near, they played on tabrets, harps, and
cymbals, and other instruments of music ; and sang a
song of welcome to the conquerors. Saul s eyes flashed
with pleasure as he heard, while David looked at the
lovely sight with unusual interest. Before we came to
them, they had formed on each side of the way, while
other maidens strewed with fresh flowers the path along
which Saul rode.

&quot; Thou seest Miclial, my sister, dear David !&quot; said the
prince in my hearing. u She knoweth not yet that she
is thine, by thy valor won ! What, does the color mount
BO confusedly to thy cheek and brow ! Thou hast good
claim to her, and I w T ill be the first to join your hands
when we reach the palace ! Hark ! They chant !&quot;

We had now come up so near to the double line of
virgins, that we could distinguish their words. Thus
they sang, one company answering the other alternately

MICIIAL, AND HER VIRGINS.

Saul hath slain his thousands.

Honor to the king Israel s mighty lord I

ADORA, AND HER VIRGINS.

Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his tens of thousands :

Slain the lord of Gath,

Slain the foe of God.

Honor be to David, and honor to the king,

Saul hath slain his thousands,

David his tens of thousands.

MICHAL.

Hail to the Lord s anointed,
Israel s mighty king !

254 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Hail to Israel s champion,
David, loved of God.
Saul hath slain his thousands,
David slain his ten thousands.

ADORA.

Saul hath slain his thousands,
David his tens of thousands.

Here I perceived the king s brow blacken with a frown
dark as night. In a displeased and angry voice, and in
great wrath, he turned to Abner who rode close at hand,
and cried:

&quot; They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and
to me they have ascribed but thousands. What can he
have more but the kingdom ?&quot;

From that moment he rode in silence, paying no heed
to the salutations of the elders of the city and others
who came to meet him. The cloud gathered over his
soul ; and when he alighted at the palace, his last glance
on entering rested upon the youthful David with looks
of hatred and implacable jealousy. The arrow had en
tered into his soul, and his happiness at the overthrow
of the Philistines was destroyed by the sight of the hon
ored victor receiving the homage and praise due to his
courage.

That night the king slept not. He paced his chamber
gloomily, and refused to be spoken to. At sunrise, I
visited him at the earnest request of Jonathan, who said
all the elders and the council of the city with the priests
would soon be assembled to do him honor ; and he urged
me to prevail upon the king to receive them. The guard
at his door did not hesitate to admit me, but said, &quot; He

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 25ft

prophesleth, my lord prince.&quot; King Saul was address
ing himself (when I entered) to empty space, in a tone
of mingled anguish and wrath.

&quot; Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like my sor
row, which is done unto me ! Behold how the Lord
hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger :

&quot; He prevaileth against me !
lie hath spread a net for my feet !
He hath poured his vials on my head !
He hath bound me with the yoke of my transgressions.
He hath made my strength to fail :
He hath brought mine honor to the ground.
He hath shamed me in the sight of my people ;
He hath given mine honor to another !
All mine enemies have heard of my trouble ;
They are glad that thou hast done it !
I am the man that hath seen affliction !
By the rod of his wrath hath he smitten me !
He hath led me into darkness, and not into light.
He turns his hand against me all the day.
He hath hedged me about : I cannot move :
He hath put a chain upon me and bound me :
Also, when I cry he shutteth out my prayer !
He is as a bear and a lion lying in wait for me.
He hath set me as a mark for his arrow.
The arrows of his quiver have pierced my soul.
I am a derision to my people. They make their songs of ma :
My strength and my hope is perished.
I lift my hands unto the Lord, and say to my God
I have transgressed and rebelled and thou forgivest not;
Thou hast slain thou hast not pitied.
Thou hast covered thyself with anger,
Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud,
That uiy prayer should not pass through.
My warriors scorn me as for my soldiers,
1 am their music. All men hunt my steps,

256 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

I cannot go into the streets ! They talk of me :

The Lord has utterly rejected him let his name perish

Let his inheritance be turned to strangers

His house to aliens.&quot;

&quot; king, live forever !&quot; I cried, interrupting his pro
phesying, which was an appeal between a prayer and a
complaint to some invisible one.

He turned upon me

&quot;Is it thou, Prince of Assur? What wouldst thou?&quot;

&quot; To ask thee to meet the elders and council of this
and other cities, who desire to honor thee.&quot;

&quot;Where is the shepherd, Jesse s son?&quot; he asked,
fiercely.

&quot;With Jonathan!&quot;

1 Aye! aye!&quot; he responded, sneeringly, &quot;with the
prince ! No, no ! I give no audience to-day ! I am
ill ! Where is this harp player?&quot;

&quot;Dost thou mean the chief player of instruments?&quot;
I asked.

&quot;No, David; he who once played before me, when
they said I was mad !&quot;

&quot;I will send him to your majesty,&quot; I answered.

&quot; Do so thou wilt befriend me, Assyrian, if thou
wilt bid him come and bring his harp ! Hark ye, my
lord of Assur,&quot; and the king approached and whispered
in my ear, in a low, strange whisper, &quot;tell him not I
sent for him ! The lad is vain enough now, and mind
Jonathan come not with him ! Bid him bring his harp
and play before me !&quot;

I looked in King Saul s face attentively, his manner
and tone were so singular. But he suddenly veiled all
expression, so that his looks were divested of all mean

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 257

ing. It was the art of madness, so completely and sud
denly to empty the eyes of all intelligence. It seemed
as if he sougiit to hide a thought he feared I might read.
But I then suspected nothing. I may still do him injus
tice ; as what subsequently occurred, Belus, may not
have been premeditated, but only the impulse of the mo
ment ; but I fear it was premeditated. I obeyed the
king, and David soon appeared in the king s pre
sence. Neither he nor Jonathan had heard the king s
remark about the song of the virgins, and had no sus
picion he felt any malice or jealousy.

I went in with David, and so also did Jonathan ; and
while the youth stood near the wall on the west side of
the room playing a noble hymn, we remained not far
from the entrance. The king sat upon the lower step
of his throne, his face leaning upon his left hand. He
did not raise his eyes when David entered, who, striking
a few noble preluding notes, thus began :

&quot; sing unto the Lord a new song,
Sing unto the Lord all the whole earth.
Declare his glory among the heathen,
His wonders among all people.
Honor and majesty are before him,
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
O sing unto the Lord a new song,
For he hath done marvelous things ;
His right hand and his holy arm
Hath gotten him the victory.
Sing unto the Lord with the harp
With the harp and the voice of a song.&quot;

At this instant, while the last glorious words were yet
echoing through the hall in divinest melody, the kins; rose
to his feet and cast with all his force a javelin, hitherto

258 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

unseen in his hand, straight at the heart of the youthful
player ! The prince and I both uttered a cry of alarm, hut
David, whose eyes were upon the king, saw the act and
stepping aside avoided the hlow. The flying javelin,
whizzing through the air, struck the wall close hehind
him, and buried itself deep therein, vibrating like a leaf.

The prince rushed forward and caught his friend in
his arms, and burst into tears.

&quot; God has preserved you,&quot; he said. &quot;But forgive my
poor father.&quot;

&quot;It is nothing,&quot; answered the young man with a
smile.

We at once drew him forth from the king s presence.

From this time Saul took no pains to conceal his
jealousy and hatred of David. He saw that the Spirit
of the Lord, as said Abner to me, was upon him ; and
probably foresaw in him the future prince of the people.
The king, singularly, was sane from the moment he dis
charged the javelin ; and went forth and received the
deputations in his natural manner. The people, however,
could talk only of David ; and of the thousands who came
from all the cities of Judea to congratulate Saul, their
first inquiry was not for the king ; but for David who
slew the mighty Philistine of Gath! All this came to
Saul s ears, and increased his gloomy displeasure at
him. David behaved himself wisely and prudently.
Saul dismissed him from his high command, and made
him captain only of a thousand. He would, without
doubt, have sent him away from his court if he had not
feared the people, especially the army, who idolized their
young hero. David tried to turn all the adulation from
himself to the king, and in his whole conduct in a situation

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 259

so trying proved himself wise, discreet, and worthy of
all honor. But the more Saul saw of his wise and mo
dest behavior, and that he did not commit himself to any
imprudence or folly, the deeper his hostility became, and
his dread of him increased.

CAMP, SOUTH OF HEBRON.

Your majesty will be gratified to learn that the over
throw of the army of the Philistines has opened the way
to Egypt, and that I have already made one short march,
having yesterday broken up my long encampment in the
plain of Mamre, and passing round Hebron, pitched my
camp a league south of it. This I have done in order to
wait for a company of Jewish merchants who desire to
embrace this opportunity afforded by my strong force to
go down into Egypt to carry merchandize, and bring
from thence the productions of the land of the Nile.
King Saul has encouraged this traffic hitherto, but the
late wars have put an end to it for some years. There is
now, thanks to the valor of David, security of travel.
At the request of Prince Jonathan, I have consented to
permit the seventy Hebrew merchants to go and return
with me. To-inorrow they will all be ready ; and I know
your majesty will be pleased to have me to do all that
lies in my power to cultivate friendly relations with this
singular people.

As I have some leisure this evening in my tent, I will
devote it to an account of an interesting visit I paid, three
days ago, to the tombs of the four kingly Patriarchs, Abra
ham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, the founders and fathers
of the Hebrew nation. Prince Jonathan and David ac
companied me. or rather I went with them by the in vita-

260 THE THRONE OF DAVID: OR,

tion of the former. Mounted upon horses, we rode a
little while along the plain of Mamre until we came to
the face of a rocky eminence, broken and picturesque in
appearance, parts of it towering in gloomy grandeur.
In advance of this cliff was a lower rock, before which
was a massive house of stone many feet thick. It was
venerable with age, and seemed to have been erected
more for perpetuity than beauty of proportion. It
was stern, massive, and solemn. Before its stone gate
grew four majestic palm trees, each sacred to one of the
patriarchs. The path to the entrance was broad and
well trodden by the feet of the thousands who continually
go to the place ; for it is a reproach to a Hebrew to
have lived to his fortieth year without having visited the
tomb of the patriarchs of his race. There stood several
old men, youths, and maidens about the portal, who with
silent reverence gazed upon the gate ; for no one can
enter without permission of the king or High Priest.

We alighted, and leaving our horses in charge of the
prince s armor-bearer, we approached the entrance. An
old man, noble in aspect, opened the gate to the prince.
We took torches and a guide, who was a Levite, whose
office it was to show the sepulchres, as well as to keep
trimmed a lamp which burned night and day over each
of them.

The passage for the distance of a few cubits was artifi
cial, enclosed with walls of stone, but soon joined the
entrance of a cave, which was irregular and gently in
clined. The surface of the rock was blackened with the
smoke of the torches of pilgrims for nearly a thousand
years ; for Abraham has been buried there but little less
than nine hundred years, Isaac about one hundred years

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 261

later, and Jacob but thirty later. The bones of Joseph,
having been detained in Egypt and in the wilderness one
hundred and ninety years, were only placed here about;
four hundred and ninety years ago. Thus this cave is
what we in Assyria would call the &quot;House of the gods
of the land.&quot; As I moved along the echoing passage
under the everlasting rock, I felt the spirit of ages im
pressing my soul. Awe filled my mind at the idea of
approaching the last &quot;abodes of rest&quot; of the mighty
dead.

At length we came into a chamber of the rock. It was
wide and large. The torches faintly revealed its size
and form, At its extremity we saw a solitary lamp sus
pended by bronze chains from the irregular roof.

We removed our shoes from our feet as we trod oii
holy ground, and reverently drew near. The silence
which filled this cavern of the dead was profound.
Neither of us spoke. The guide reverently led us first
to a tomb on the left or west of the entrance, about
seven feet long, of dark porphyry, and by the side of it
another of smaller size ; the lamp above shed its calm,
soft light upon them.

&quot;Who sleeps here ?&quot; I asked of the prince, who had
often visited the sacred sepulchres.

&quot; This is the tomb of Isaac,&quot; he said solemnly. &quot;lie
died at the advanced age of one hundred and eighty (
years. You perceive his name graven upon the top in
ancient Chaldaic characters. The tomb next to it, north,
is that of the virtuous Rebecca, his wife. There they
have reposed nearly seven hundred and fifty years.
Their bodies are within stone coffins enclosed in these
outer tombs.&quot;

262 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

From thence we passed westward along the cave, and
through an opening in a thick wall, which led into a spa
cious and lofty chamber where two lamps faintly re
vealed a gigantic tomb beneath each of them. We drew
reverently near, and stopped before the first one, which
was of dark stone, five feet high and twelve in length
like the sepulchre of a giant. By the side of it was a
tomb of equal size.

&quot; This,&quot; said the prince, who courteously volunteered
all the information I required, &quot; is the mausoleum of the
mighty patriarch Abraham the monarch of our race !
Sarah his wife lies in the tomb next to him, and here for
nearly nine hundred years they have slept undisturbed !
And here, tradition says, he will sleep until a descendant
from his loins shall be king of the whole earth, and come
hither and bid him rise and walk forth ; when he will
hear his voice, and rise from his sleep of death, and re
ceive from this son the sceptre and crown of all the
kingdoms of the earth, and reign thereon forever.&quot;

&quot;And dost thou, prince,&quot; I asked, &quot;have confidence
in this prediction ?&quot;

&quot;I know not, Arbaces,&quot; he answered. &quot;I have al
ready told you we are a nation of mysteries, and that we
are but instruments working out some divine problem for
God s glory and the benefit of mankind.&quot;

Now I stood for a few moments in silent meditation
by the tomb of this potentate and father of a mighty
people ; and then followed our guide across the cave to
a part of it where two more tombs, both larger in size
than that of Abraham, and more elaborate in workman
ship, and constructed of marble, met our view.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 2G3

&quot; Here is buried Jacob, the patriarch of our people
and father of twelve nations,&quot; said the prince.

David gazed upon this sepulchre, as he had upon the
others, with reverent contemplation. His aspect seemed
elevated and ennobled by this vicinity with the mighty
dead of his race. He spoke but once or twice, hut his
words were striking, and expressed the depth of his emo
tions ; for this was the first time he had come to this
spot so honored by his countrymen.

&quot;And here is buried Leah?&quot; he asked of his friend,
pointing to the other vast tomb by its side.

&quot;No,&quot; he answered; &quot;here is buried Rachel, his best
beloved wife. Leah is also buried in the cave where you
see this lower tomb on the right of the patriarchs, and
farther removed from it than Rachel s. It is sunken
and out of repair ; for though more of our tribes de
scended from Leah, yet Rachel s memory is more cher
ished and honored by the nation ; perhaps, because she
was more honored by the patriarch.&quot;

&quot;Where,&quot; asked David, looking round, seeking to
penetrate the gloom of the vast subterranean chamber,
&quot;was the brave and noble Joseph buried?&quot;

&quot; This way,&quot; said the Levite ; and, turning to the left,
he conducted us through a narrow opening in the south
wall, partly rock, partly artificial, which was nine feet
in thickness ; and we found ourselves in a narrow apart-
ment hewn partly out of the rock, and with a cavernous
roof, lighted dimly by a single lamp of Egyptian form.

Here we beheld a tomb about eight feet long and four
wide, purely Egyptian in its style, even with the winged
sun sculptured upon its side, and the figure of Osiris on

264 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

one end. Upon the top was written in Hebrew and in
Egyptian characters :

&quot;JOSEPH THE VIRTUOUS:

THE WISe THE GREAT ;

FRIEND OF GOD, AND GUARDIAN or EGYPT.&quot;

&quot; This is the tomb of the patriarch who was lord of
Egypt,&quot; said the guide. &quot;Within this outer tomb is a
sarcophagus in which the embalmed body was brought
up from Egypt. There are times in the heat of sum
mer, when the cave is not so cool as now, when the sub
tle aroma of the spices with which he was embalmed fills
the whole place !&quot;

After lingering here some time and talking of Joseph,
we returned through the main chamber of the cavern,
visiting again each of the tombs of the immortal dead !

&quot;Are any of the twelve patriarchs buried here?&quot; I
asked of the prince.

&quot; None of them ! They all lie buried in the land of
Goshen in Egypt,&quot; he answered, &quot;unless the tradition
be true that Joseph sent the body of his brother, Benja
min, thither when he was in power for sepulchre. There
are five other tombs in another and remoter part of this
cave of Machpelah. One is said to be that of Benjamin,
and another that of Judah, sent here by Joseph. The
third is known to be that of Zobar, the father of Ephron,
of whom Abraham bought this cave for a burying-place ;
and the fourth that of Heth, the first king of Canaan, a
thousand years ago ; and the fifth where Ephron was
buried, he having reserved a burial place for himself here.
It is a branch of the main cave, walled off from it and
never visited in this day and generation.&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 265

Having at length emerged from these subterraneous
sepulchral abodes of the majestic men of the past, we
regained the chief outlet, and remounting our horses
rode towards Hebron, which is at this day called &quot; The
Castle of Avraam&quot; by the Canaanites. Here the patri
arch once dwelt and held his power as king after he had
conquered five heathen kings. In Salem, or Solima,
twenty -four miles north of this, at the time reigned Mel-
chisedek, a king whose name is spoken with veneration
by all the Hebrews as the friend and ally of Abraham.

And this reminds me, your majesty, that I have not
informed you of a visit I made to this ancient capital of
the land in the days of Abraham. I have already writ
ten of the remarkable castle of the Jebusites which covers
a rocky height south of the town of Solima, called,
usually, Jebusolem from the castle which commands it.
In this town of Salem there is an armory or temple of
war in which all trophies taken by the Hebrews are kept.
In Nineveh it would be called a temple of the &quot; god of
war.&quot; But the Hebrews recognize but one God, who
governs, controls, and performs all things, who thunders
in the skies, who sends forth lightning, who rides on the
storms that lash the seas, who fights their battles, who
ripens their harvests, who causes the sun and moon and
stars to rise and set, who created not only the mountains
but the pebbles in its brooks, who made even the lily of
the valley, and equally the eagle and the fly ! This one
idea of a supreme God, who condescends from the highest
to the lowest, pervades all their religion, and is its foun
dation. When I said to the prince, one day as we were
talking in my tent, that we Assyrians had higher ideas of
a supreme God than to attribute the creation of flowers

266

THE TIIKONE OF DAVID; OR,

and singing birds to so majestic a Power, he replied :
&quot;That to an infinite Being there was no sur.h thing as
great or small ! noble or mean ! That He himself was
the measure and standard of all .things existing.&quot; He
asked me who created the flowers according to our orien
tal faith, I replied, &quot; We believe there is a supreme
Cause of all ! that He was not created ! for if there were
a time when there was no God, there would never have
been a God ! and if there never had been a God there
would be now no God ! Therefore, if there is a God, He
has always existed ! We believe He created the hea
vens and the earth, and that his dwelling place is in the
sun, which we honor as the temple, and throne, and visi
ble presence of the Supreme. Hence our emblem of
God is fire. We believe that He created man, because we
are intelligent and reasoning beings as He must be him
self; but we deny that He stooped to create the soul
less brutes and meaner things ; that he formed the
mountains, but left the trees and plants thereon to lesser
divinities ; that He created the ocean, but not fountains :
hence we have a deity to every fountain and to each
lesser thing.&quot;

He heard me with great patience, and asked me if I
would read the books of the sacred mysteries of their
Uni-Deic faith. I have promised to do so, your majesty,
and if I am convinced that there is but one God alone, I
will not hesitate to change my faith. If there is but
one God, I cannot but perceive that He is the mighty
Deity who guides the destinies of the Hebrew people, as
they assert ; for two such mighty Powers could not ex
ist in the universe. I can conceive of none superior,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 267

and if there were an equal in power they would destroy
each other : that is, become One.

But to my visit to Salem. After David reached He
bron, he was reminded by Jonathan that the trophies he
had won should be conveyed to the temple of arms in
Jerusalem, as the prince terms the name of the town.
We, therefore, one morning rode thither, David bearing
the head and sword, (assisted by his three brethren,) and
others conveying the coat-of-mail, helmet of brass, greaves,
and trousers of iron chains, flexible as woven cloth. We
wound along the deep valley under the wall of the gar
rison of the Jebusites, who covered their battlements to
behold the trophies.

&quot; The day will come,&quot; said David, as we glanced at
these ancient foes of his race, yet unconquered, though
living at peace with the Hebrews, &quot; when some brave
king of Israel will drive these vultures from their rock,
and plant above the fortress the standard of God ! This
Salem, and not Hebron, ought to be the capital of the
kingdom !&quot;

He seemed to speak as by inspiration ! His eyes were
bright and flashing, and his voice rung like a trumpet !
We were all surprised ; it was so unlike his usual man
ner, which was retiring and quiet. If, your majesty,
the conquest be effected, I felt it would be by his arm
when he shall become king ! &quot; And ,&quot; I hear your ma
jesty say to yourself, &quot; and does my Arbaces believe in
all this vaticination ? Does he have faith in all that is
told -him of the future of this youth?&quot;

I have, your majesty, I answer. He is yet young.
Saul may live many years. But if you or I will watch
his career, we shall yet, if we live, see him or hear of

268 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

him as king of the Hebrews ! If so, he will no doubt
make Jerusalem the capital of his dominions. If he be
comes king, with his valor, wisdom, prudence, sagacity,
and friendship with his God, he will elevate this nation
to the first place among warlike and powerful kingdoms.

After going round the steep rock of Sion, held by the
Jebusites, we passed the base of a lofty hill, called Mo-
riah, or the * far-seen top, on which, and its adjacent region,
the chief part of the city is built, and where stands the
armory. We were admitted on the north side by a gate
strongly guarded, and received w r ith shouts of a thousand
troops which, under their captain, garrisoned the place to
hold it against Philistines and Jebusites. The armory
was a strongly built edifice of Canaanitish architecture,
having once been a temple of Baal, and then the palace
of the king whom Joshua slew when he took the city.
David s trophies were received by the keeper of the
citadel, the sword and head being delivered with his own
hand to the lord of the armory. He himself was treated
with the greatest distinction, and Eliab, and Abinadab,
and Shammah, took great pains to make known aloud
to the admiring soldiers and citizens that they were bro
thers to the hero !

Here we were shown the throne of Melchisedek, cut
in the face of a rock over which was erected a mausoleum
of stone. It bore no inscription. Of this king there
is a tradition that he descended from the clouds when an
infant, borne earthward by seven white doves, sustained
by their united wings ; that they laid him upon an altar
of white marble at which a priest of Baal was offering
incense; that the priest preserved and nourished him,
but he was fed by the doves with olives and grapes, and

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 269

so grew to manhood, when he taught the pagan priest
the knowledge of the true God, and converted the whole
people to the pure worship of heaven. He became king,
priest, and prophet of the kingdom, and after ruling in
wisdom and love for a long life, he drew near his end.

Then he comforted his subjects by promising to them
another king from heaven, who should, after a brief
reign, be slain by the evil powers of the earth, but revive,
and establish a kingdom which should extend from the
rising to the going down of the sun, of which Jerusalem
should be the capital forever. Thus speaking, and when
they expected to sec him expire, there came seven bright
angels to his couch, and lifting the majestic king upon
their wings, communicated to his form the glorious illum
ination of their own splendor, and bore him out of sight
into the heavens.

Therefore the empty stone-throne and the vacant ceno
taph in remembrance of his reign !

I have written, your majesty, a long letter ; but I
desire to give you all the information I myself possess
of this land and people, and I do not shrink from the
labor of writing whatsoever I think will contribute to
this end. I introduce into my letters no incidents merely
for the sake of their interest, but because they in some
way illustrate the past and the present of the Hebrews,,
and give you a knowledge of their manners, customs,
and peculiarities as a nation.

I shall to-morrow proceed on my march towards Egypt,
after three months detention in the land of Judea. I
hope to be in Egypt in twenty days easy travel. I am
on the road taken a thousand years ago by Abraham,
by Jacob and his sons during the famine, by Joseph

270 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

when he came up to bury his father Jacob, with a great
retinue of Egyptian lords and men-at-arms. It is there
fore a highway well known and full of interest.

I shall, early in the morning, after seeing my caravan
well in motion, ride into Hebron to take my leave of the
king, of the noble prince to whom I am greatly attached,
of the valorous and wonderful David whom I love scarcely
less, of the valiant Abner, Saul s general in chief, of the
ambitious and fierce young Joab, who seems fit only for
a man of war, and lastly not least, of the princess Michal,
and Adora the beautiful and captivating daughter of
Isrilid of Jericho.

I may write, your majesty, on the route, if a caravan
should meet us : otherwise I shall not send you another
letter until I reach Egypt. Once there, I trust I shall
so succeed with the important and agreeable mission your
confidence in me has intrusted to me, that I shall speedily
return with the lovely prize you are so anxious to pos
sess.

With the prayer, that the gods of your royal House may
have your majesty in their sacred keeping, I am, as ever,

Your faithful

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 271

LETTER IX.

ARBACES TO THE KING.

BEERSHEBA, BORDERS OF IDTTMEA.

YOUR MAJESTY:

I AM to-night encamped by the &quot; Well of the Oath,&quot;
in a palm grove opposite the gate of this southern bor
der-city of Judea. By this well, a thousand years ago,
Abimelec, a king of Gerar, and Abraham, the father of
the Hebrews, made a covenant of amity. Here at this
fountain the ancient Chaldee used to lead tc water his
thousands of camels and tens of thousands of sheep. It
is regarded as a sacred place by the Hebrews, who, with
fine feeling, honor every place made historical by asso
ciation with their &quot;three great patriarchs.&quot;

The dark-walled town of Beersheba frowns down upon
my encampment, and from within it I hear the voices of
singing women, and the sound of the nebal and the harp,
as if there were rejoicing going on in some happy home.

This place is twenty miles south of Hebron, and we
have been since sunrise coming from a league this side
of that city, where my last letter left me encamped.
Therein I informed your majesty that I should march
the following morning. At dawn, therefore, our tents
were struck, and at sunrise the chief captain of the cara-

THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

van had the whole body in motion. The seventy He
brew merchants, mounted on mules and horses, joined
in good time, and I soon had the satisfaction of seeing
my people move southward. First went four hundred
horsemen of my legion, then followed the two hundred
camels laden with the bridal gifts with their drivers, and
after them the three hundred led Assyrian horses, save
twenty of the handsomest I had presented to the king,
two to the prince, and two to David. Behind these was
the long train of four hundred mules laden with provi
sions and tent equipage, and the eighty wagons of armor
as presents to the king. These were protected by two
hundred armed horsemen who rode behind them. Npw
followed the two hundred chariots of war, with their cha
rioteers, swordsmen, and beautifully caparisoned steeds
two and three abreast, and behind them came three hun
dred horsemen of my legion as a rear guard. My
guard of nobles had no particular place in the long
procession, but kept near my person, as I sometimes
would ride in the van, sometimes in the rear, and at
other times in the centre, or to the right or left over the
plain I The seventy Hebrew merchants, with a motley
company of others who attached themselves to the cara
van for protection, took places in the column as suited
their convenience. The whole line of march extended
half a mile, and, seen from an elevation, had, with its gay
colors and its shining steel, an imposing and brilliant, if
not warlike appearance.

When I had seen it fairly on the highway, I galloped
at the head of my nobles back to Hebron to take leave
of the king. I was received at .the entrance of the house
where he dwelt, while his palace was being finished, by

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 273

the prince whose face as he saluted me appeared so sad
that I could not withhold saying :

&quot;I fear, my lord prince, the king is again ill?&quot;

&quot;Far worse, Arbaces,&quot; he answered, with trembling
accents. &quot; He has again attempted the life of David !
This morning he sent for him to play before him. He
fearlessly and benevolently, for he is all goodness and
love, obeyed. While he played, the king a second time
launched a javelin at his head, his face being turned from
him. It was not steadily thrown in the passion of the
act, but passed close to his cheek fanning it with its
wind. David at once came to me, and said :

.&quot; It is necessary that I should leave the king s pre
sence forever ! The sight of me increases his malady.
It is no longer within the power of music to soothe him,
as it was two years ago !

&quot;I could not, Arbaces, gainsay his words. We
embraced, and he was about to depart when the king,
my father, suddenly stood before us ! He extended his
hand with one of those fine smiles which in his best days
so often won the hearts of his people, and said :

&quot; Nay, go not away, son of Jesse ! I meant not to
slay thee ! I will no more test thy courage with making
thee a mark for my javelin. The mood is gone ! How
is it thou hast not asked my daughter yet ? The order
for the talents of gold and silver, at thy request, when
thou refusedst them, I sent to thy venerable father !
Wilt thou have my elder daughter, Merab, to wife, young
man, even as I promised the victor over Goliath of Gath ?
I will give her to thee to wife according to my kingly
oath on the plain of Elah !

&quot; Nay, your majesty, I am but a shepherd, replied

274 THE TIIROXE OF DAVID; OR,

David, modestly ; who am I that I should be son-in-law
to the king?

&quot; Then said I to my father, Arbaces, &amp;lt; My eldest sis
ter is betrothed to Adriel of Meholath. If thou givest
one of my sisters to David, let it be Michal !

&quot; * &quot;What ! doth he refuse Merab? demanded the king,
fiercely, striking his hand upon his sword. Let him take
her and I will give him five thousand men, and he shall
go forth and fight my battles !

* Here Doeg, his armor-bearer, spoke aside to the
king, and said, so that I could hear,

&quot; The youth loveth the younger and fairer one, my
lord king.

&quot; Sayest thou ? answered my father. So much the
better ! He shall have her ! This news pleaseth me
vastly, Doeg ! I will give her to him, and she will
snare him, and I will play him into the hands of the Phi
listines. Let not mine hand be upon the youth, but let
the Philistines slay him !

&quot; Thus answered the king in the ear of his wily armor-
bearer,&quot; continued Jonathan, in relating the conversations
and events ; &quot; and turned to David, who had not over
heard their private discourse, and said,

&quot; If thou preferrest Michal, I will give thee her. Thou
shalt this day be my son-in-law in one of the twain. 1
desire no dowry ! All I ask on thy part is to bring me
the heads of one hundred Philistines.

&quot;At these words, David, who would risk Ms life a
hundred times for love of Michal,&quot; added Prince Jona
than, &quot; answered the king, with his eyes bright, with
mingled love and valiancy,

&quot; The words of the lord, my king, please his servant

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 275

well. I will, king, receive thy fair daughter on these
conditions thou hast named !

&quot; I at once saw, Arbaces, (for I conceal nothing
from thec.)&quot; said Prince Jonathan, &quot;that my father
hoped to cause David to fall by the swords of the Phi
listines. Therefore I said to him, * king, my friend
David hath already won Michal by the death of Goliath.
Wherefore demand a second trial ?

&quot; What ! cried my father ; art thou leagued against
me, young man ? Thou nourishest in thy bosom a ewe
that will by and by show the teeth of a young wolf, and
tear out thy heart.

&quot; Thus saying, my father strode away, leaning on
Doeg, the crafty Edornite, and looking back with bitter
envy upon David. You ask me, Prince Arbaces, why
I sorrow ? My father seeks relentlessly his life. The
brave young man has already departed, and taken with him
one hundred men to invade the Philistine country. My
tears and entreaties could not prevail. I have just seen
from the walls his company disappear in the gorges of
the hills over against the gate to Gath. What will be
come of my father? What will become of the kingdom?
How will all this miserable condition of things end?&quot; he
added in a paroxysm of mingled grief and shame.

Your majesty may perhaps regard it as singular that the
prince should speak with me so freely about his father s
conduct. But the condition of the king is the common
talk of the land ; a-nd every new outbreak is fresh news
for the curiosity of the people. Besides, the intimacy
between Jonathan and myself, by our frequent inter
course, is become very close and confidential ; and he
speaks with me as freely as if I were a brother. I, there-

276 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

fore, expressed my deepest sympathy for him, and as
sured him that the young shepherd would ere many days
return with the trophies of victory which were to win him
his lovely bride.

I accompanied the prince into the house where his sis
ter Merab, a tall, dark, stern looking princess, was seated
at a distaff surrounded by her maidens. She silently
received my courteous homage to her presence ; while
Michal, gentle and beautiful, though now pale and anx
ious at David s departure on so dangerous an expedition,
met me with friendly cordiality. She expressed her re
gret that I was to leave for Egypt, and said that she
hoped that I should return this way with the fair daughter
of its king, saying she had heard the loveliness of the
maidens of the land of the Nile greatly commended.

While she was speaking, Adora, the superb daughter
of Isrilid, and at present guest of the king s daughters,
appeared. She took my hand with great kindness, and
expressed her sorrow that I was about to go away. For
a moment I made no reply, I was so struck with her ap
pearance. She was dressed most gorgeously in attire
that wonderfully became her style of form and face.
She wore a scarlet cap broidered with gold, confining her
raven tresses. The shape and fashion of it was graceful
and elegant beyond description. Her veil was thrown
partly off from her face, revealing features of the most
perfect outline, and eyes, before the splendor and glory of
which, I dropped my own. A luxuriance of beauty, if
1 may so express myself, enveloped her. Every motion
was a grace every look a dangerous charm. I felt too
that those noble eyes looked kindly upon nie, and that

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 277

my departure lent the sadness to the smile with which
she greeted me.

After lingering half an hour in the society of these
charming Hebrews, I took leave of them, I fear not
readily to forget one of the two, my dear Belus.

Having taken leave of the brave and warlike young
Joab, the splendid general Abner, and others, I sought
the king to pay to his majesty my parting respects. I
found him at his new palace superintending the con
struction of the throne room. Seated upon the jusl
completed throne-chair of ivory inlaid with silver, he re
ceived me with stately courtesy, expressed the satisfaction
he had received by my visit to his dominions, wished me
a pleasant journey, and desired me, if I returned through
his kingdom, to pay my respects to him and give him
the news from the court of Egypt ; which I promised to
do. With dignified hospitality, he accompanied me to
the door of the palace, and I there took a second leave
of this extraordinary man, kissing his hand and wishing
him a long and happy reign. He replied only by a cold,
strangely sounding laugh and turned away, his iron-
heel ringing as he crossed the paved hall, while I heard
him repeating with muttered, fierce, mocking tones my
last words : &quot; Long and happy reign.&quot;

Alas, a mad king ! Oh, what a calamity to a people,
your majesty ! With what greater chastisement could
the gods afflict a nation ? Prince Jonathan accompanied
me half a league beyond the city gate, and embracing, we
parted, my heart bleeding with the profoundest pity for
the noble young prince, doomed to such a life of woe
to end with disinheritance from his rights as prince royal
of Israel. His fine frank countenance has of late lost

278 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

its cheerfulness, and a fixed sorrow seems to have im
pressed itself upon his princely features. What will the
end be ?

I overtook, after two hours galloping, nay caravan as
they were resting for a space by a brook which crossed
the highway. At the close of the day we reached thi?
well of Abraham before the ancient walls of Beersheba
As I shall to-morrow, your majesty, enter the land of Idu-
mea which lies south of Judea, I shall have little leisure
for using my pen ; as it is a dangerous land for strangers
to traverse, even all the way to Egypt ; and I shall have
to be on the alert against foes, and keep up a strict war
discipline in my camp. At this time, especially, the de
feat of the great Philistine army has disengaged hordes
of Idumean cavalry, which are prowling along all the
borders, and hovering over the roads to plunder caravans.
My next letter, or the continuation of the present, may
be written you from the land of the pyramids. Until
then, your majesty,

Farewell.
ARBACES.

THE events connected with the embassy of Prince Arbaces
to the court of the Pharaohs will herewith be narrated until
he again resumes his pen to write, in person, to the King of
Assyria.

After a journey of eighteen days, varied by occasional attacks
from the bands of desert-warriors, who sought booty rather
than battle, Arbaces reached the capital of Egypt. The impos
ing character of his retinue, the long procession of camels and
wagons laden with treasure, the splendid appearance of his
Assyrian body-guard, and the nature of the mission which had
brought him so far, created no little interest in the Egyptian court

He was received by Pharaoh with great honor, and for seve&amp;lt;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 279

ral days, banquets and fetes were given in his lionor, attended
by all the princes, lords, viceroys, governors of Nonies, and
generals of armies, while the most brilliant and beautiful ladies
of the court graced the festal scenes with their presence. Above
all her sex, superior in loveliness as well as in rank, was the
charming princess, Zaila, the only daughter of the king.

At length Prince Arbaces in due courtly form presented the
royal letter of King Belus to Pharaoh, asking the hand of his
fair daughter. The king required seven days to consider the
matter, and lay the business before his supreme council. The
princess, in the meanwhile, was permitted to see Arbaces, and
ask him a thousand and one questions about the young king
who had sought her hand in marriage. She was so pleased
with the answers of the handsome ambassador and he plead so
eloquently for his royal master, that, unwittingly, he inspired
the beautiful Egyptian with such love for himself that when
the king, her father, came to her on the evening of the seventh
day to say that by and with the advice of his ministers he had
consented to the matrimonial alliance with Assyria through her
marriage with its king, she answered him that she was very
willing to marry the ambassador whom she had seen, but never
the king she had not seen !

Now the princess was an only child, and her royal father
loved her as the apple of his own eyes. He had never denied
her the indulgence of a wish ; nay, studied daily to anticipate
her least possible desires, and had even proclaimed only a few
days before the arrival of Arbaces, that he would confer a gold
ring, a robe of state, and a post of honor on whomsoever would
discover in the princess a want which his love and pride had not
already provided for ! A beggar, at length, who had sat for
years by the pedestal of the statue of Osiris, before his palace
gate, came and said :

&quot; Live forever, king ! brother of the sun and lord of the
whole earth. Thou hast made proclamation that whosoever
shall discover any thing the Princess Zaila yet needeth which
thou hast not thought of for her, thou wilt place a ring of gold
upon his finger, invest him with a robe of state, and elevate
him to a place of honor ! I, son of Osiris, have come hum-

280 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

bly to claim these three honors. The Princess Zaila is in want
of a husband, which thou hast not provided for her !&quot;

Upon this, the king, greatly pleased at the wit of the beggar,
acknowledged that he was in the right, and rewarded him with
the three honors according to his royal promise.

When the princess heard of the affair, she blushed, and said,
laughingly, to her maidens : &quot; The beggar has more wisdom than
Pharaoh, the king !&quot;

This speech was taken to the ears of her father, who pre
sently swore by the head of Osiris, that he would marry her to
the first prince that came into his dominions ; for, by the laws
of Egypt, she could not marry a subject of the crown !

Now only a week elapsed after this when arrived our Assy
rian ambassador with his proposition from the king of Nineveh
for the hand of the lovely princess ! Her father was so long,
however, in making up his mind among his venerable counsel
ors, that he gave the lady in the interval an opportunity, as
we have seen, of losing her heart irrevocably to Arbaces.
When, therefore, she answered her royal father that she would
marry the prince ambassador, he looked greatly perplexed.

&quot; Nay,&quot; said she, &quot; didst thou not swear by Osiris, dear
father, that you would marry me to the first prince who came
into thy dominions !&quot;

&quot; But he came as a messenger from his powerful king,&quot; an
swered Pharaoh. &quot; When the royal master asks thy hand, wilt
thou prefer the servant?&quot;

&quot; He is a prince in his own land ! said not the King Belus
in his letter so, and he calleth him his cousin !&quot; answered the
maiden. &quot; I cannot think of marrying a person I never saw !
He may be jealous, blind, ugly, and of a wicked disposition !
No, dear father, I will marry the noble-looking Arbaces ! He
is the handsomest prince in the world ! Then he is so good
of heart ! He plead so warmly for his king ! While he thought
he was gradually winning me for his master, I was only think
ing of the ambassador. Surely/ I said, one who can love
and defend the cause of his king so well, must make a loving
and faithful husband/ I will marry him instead of his king
were Belus as splendid as Horus and beautiful as Isis !&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 281

Pharaoh represented to his willful daughter the advantages
of an alliance with Assyria, that eventually, perhaps, Egypt
might govern both nations, as Babylon and Nineveh by inter
marriages had come under one crown, but all in vain. The
maiden s heart had gone out to Arbaces, and at length the king
yielded to this argument advanced by her,

&quot; Let nay hand, my father, be given to Prince Arbaces !
You have no son ! At your death, if you will previously adopt
him, he will succeed you, and we shall reign king and queen
of Egypt! This will be a great deal pleasanter than being
queen of Assyria with Belus its king ! Thus, dear father,
you can keep me at home, (and you know it would break your
heart for me to go to the ends of the earth into Assyria, and
perhaps never see me any more,) and I shall be happy, and you
will have a son-in-law to succed you instead of your cruel and
envious nephew, Menesis, who is only waiting for your crown ;
and, dearest of fathers,&quot; she continued, seeing he was fast yield
ing, &quot; this horrid King Belus only wishes me to be his wife,
hoping when you are no more to claim the crown of Egypt in
right of his wife ; for he must know how the deformed and cruel
Menesis is feared and hated of the Egyptians, and how gladly
would they exchange his yoke for that of the husband of their
princess.&quot;

Pharaoh resisted no longer. The princess had conquered.
She threw her white arms about his neck, and thanked him in
the most affectionate and charming manner, so that when he
left her he was ready to take the head off of Arbaces if he
should refuse to marry his daughter !

The young ambassador was not immediately informed of the
honor which was in store for him. For two months the princess
almost daily gave him audience, or invited him to escort her
abroad, and sought by every art and device of maiden archery
to pierce his heart. To the last she saw with mingled grief
and angry pride that he plead only for his king, that all her
looks, and attentions, and smiles of pleasure and of love he unsel
fishly interpreted in favor of his master. How little the faith
ful and ingenuous young ambassador suspected that the warmth
and glow of feeling his words and presence ever enkindled

282 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

were wholly on bis own account, may be seen from the follow
ing extract of a letter to King Belus, written two months and
a half after his arrival in Egypt :

COURT OP PHARAOH, CITY OF MEMPHIS.

This unlooked-for and unusual delay, your majesty,
in accepting thy royal nuptial gifts, and in giving me a
final answer, I am at a loss to comprehend, as I am satis
fied by daily audience with this charming princess that
she is deeply interested in you. All my ardent descrip
tions of your person, and eulogiums upon your heart and
character, have captivated her imagination ; and I never
discourse of you that her eyes do not beam with the
splendors of the torch of love, while her sighs and vir
gin emotion betray the impassioned ardor of her attach
ment to your majesty. What a prize shall I have the
honor of presenting to you, Belus ! Such personal
beauty as she possesses is seldom met with ! Besides,
she is endowed with the most delicate wit, mirth, intelli
gence, and wonderful grace of speech and manner. No
woman I have seen, save, with your majesty s permission,
Adora of Isrilid, can compare with her in that nameless
fascination which so often captivates and bewilders the
strongest masculine minds.

So far as the grace of courtly forms w T ill permit, I
have urged the king to name the day w T hen, as your ma
jesty s proxy, I shall have the honor to receive the fair
Zaila s hand ; but Pharaoh hitherto has always referred
me, with a smile, to the princess ! I have not been rude
or bold enough yet to press her, in so delicate a matter,
for her answer, but unless in a few days I receive some
definite response to your majesty s suit, I shall firmly
require a decision on the part of the king. The four

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 283

months I intended to be absent from Assyria are rapidly
expiring in my delay here. In the meanwhile, I have
been royally entertained. Pharaoh every day distin
guishes me by some new honor ! He has had chariot-
races, manoeuvres of his Nile fleet, processions and feasts,
reviews of his armies, and gorgeous entertainments for
me ; and no court in the world can exceed in magnificence
these exhibitions. Your majesty, in person, could not
be received and entertained with more kingly attentions
than your humble ambassador. Every thing, therefore,
promises a favorable issue, if not a speedy one, to my
important mission !

I will, in the interim, here give, your majesty, an ex
tract from a letter which reached me yesterday, by a
caravan from Syria which passed through Judea on its
way hither. It is written by the amiable and excellent
Prince Jonathan, who, after expressing a doubt whether
his epistle will find me in Egypt, and wishing the hap
piest success to my embassy, goes on to say as follows :

&quot; Your absence, dear Arbaces, has been deeply felt by
me, and by all your friends. Y^ou remained with us long
enough to show me how necessary your society and friend
ship are to my happiness. My sister, Michal, has you in
kindly remembrance, and the elegant Adora, now returned
to her father s house in Jericho, I am sure, will not soon
forget you. My dear unhappy father has spoken of you
but once. Shall I, dear friend, without being thought
to be unfilial, tell you in what manner? But to sho^v
you how his mind still is, I will repeat his words. He
said :

&quot; * He has gone to Pharaoh. He will tell the proud
Egyptian what a mad, God-accursed king he has left in

284 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Judea, with a war upon his hand, and a shepherd strip
ling putting him to open shame and public disgrace by his
deeds of valor. He will hint to Pharaoh that my king
dom will now fall an easy prey to the Egyptian armies !
By the gods of Moab ! had I thought of all this, the
Assyrian should not have left my borders, hoof nor
sandal !

&quot; Thus you see, dear Arbaces, my father s malady
changes not ! Since the death of Goliath he is more
gloomy in his mind, more dangerous to others than ever !
The evil spirit, if such it be, has settled upon his soul
forever. There is now no gleam of sunshine, no kind
word, no pleasant look, though it were but for a passing
moment ! Do I speak of him too plainly ? But it is
that I feel the need of, and know that I shall have, your
kind sympathy !

&quot; You will be interested to hear of the result of my
beloved and brave David s foray into the fastnesses of
the Philistine country. On the evening of the second
day he drew near the gates of Ekron, having concealed
his one hundred men-at-arms in a wood, and being chal
lenged from the walls, he answered that he came after
one hundred heads of the Philistines ! By the captain
of the guard stood Malic, the armor-bearer of Goliath,
who at once knew David, and hastened to the lord of the
city, and told him, &amp;lt; David, the slinger and champion who
slew my master, standeth over against the gate and chal-
lengeth all the garrison !

&quot; When the governor looked from his battlements,
and saw only a young man in armor standing alone, he
said with contempt,

&quot; l Is it by such a stripling the lord of Gath was over*

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 285

thrown ? I will go down and take his pretty head and
hang it above my gate.

&quot; The tall Philistine, lord then issued from his portal,
and advanced sword in hand to slay David, when he dis
charged a spear, and transfixed his heart, so that he fell
dead. Thereupon David ran and smote off his head,
and lifting it up as a signal, his one hundred men ap
peared, and followed him sword in hand into the gate
which the Philistine lord had left wide open, with the
portcullis up, and the drawbridge down. Taken by
surprise at the death of their chief captain, and at the
sudden rushing in of the Hebrews, the soldiers which
kept the gate fled. David and his hundred men pursued
them from street to street, slaying and beheading all
who opposed them ; until each man in his company held
two Philistine heads in his hand. Not until then did
David give the word to stop the battle, when he left the
city without a wound either on his own body, or on those
of his followers. The next evening he re-appeared with
his trophies before Hebron, and entering the port of the
city, the gory band presented itself before Saul with
David at their head ; and as each man laid his double
burden at the king s door, the son of Jesse said,

&quot; * Behold, king, twice the tale of the price of thy
daughter s hand ! I now claim the maiden as my wife !

&quot; The brow of my father grew black ! Alas, I fear he
had hoped the Philistines would that day have had the
ycung hero s head spiked above their highest gate ! He
heard, too, the murmurs of applause from the people.
He felt all this was against him. But he had too much
kingly honor, with all his hatred of David, to deny his
given word ! for with all my father s strange conduct,

286 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

he has never lost a certain native nobility of soul, which
in earlier years made him worthy to be the king of a
brave and free people. He said to David, Follow me!

&quot;Leading him into the house, and calling for Michal,
who had just heard of David s success, and was flying
half-timidly, half-joy fully, to hide herself in her own
chamber, he took her by the hand, and said to David
as he placed it in his,

&quot; i She is thy wife ! Thou hast valiantly won her !
Let not men say Saul hath denied his oath !

&quot;A few days afterwards the nuptials were celebrated,
not with any festivities, but quietly. The new palace
had been the day before taken possession of by the king
and his whole household, and David was given apart
ments therein ; and the next day receiving from my
father a command of two thousand men, became a resi
dent of Hebron, and daily we were happy in each other s
society.

&quot; The week following the marriage of David, the Philis
tines grew brave enough to invade the land with a force
of four thousand men, and even menaced Bethlehem.
They were emboldened to this because they were aware
our Hebrew laws enjoin that a newly married man be
not sent to the wars for one year after his marriage.
The prowess of David alone had, without question, hith
erto kept them back. The twentieth day after his nup
tials, news came that a company of the Philistines had
carried off the flock of Jesse his father, and slain one of
his brothers.

&quot; Hearest thou this war news? cried the king in a
tone, I fear, of exultation, entering David s room, where
he sat singing a sweet hymn of his own composition, to

THE REBELLION&quot; OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 237

bis young wife and myself: * But what is it to tliee, that
art tied to thy wife s distaff for a twelvemonth ? Why
should I talk to a bridegroom of arms and war ? Play
thy harp, hoy, and let the men of Ekron in revenge,
burn thy father s house, slay thy brother, and bear off
his flocks as spoil !

&quot;What is it thou sayest, king? cried David, let
ting his harp fall, and starting to his feet.

&quot; What I have said! answered my father with a cold
tone of voice ; but it concerns not thee ! Go on with
thy harping and psaltering, and stay at home and please
thy young wife !

&quot;That very hour David tore himself from the arms of
his bride, and at the head of his two thousand men pur
sued the Philistines, who were leisurely retiring with
their booty. He came up with them, and attacked them
with terrible vengeance, slew nearly every man of the
four thousand men, recovered his flocks, and retook all
their captives and spoil, with which, on the third day, he
returned to Bethlehem, the inhabitants of which received
him with open arms and unbounded joy. All this, my
dear Arbaces, went against my poor father, arid since
the news of the victory, and these fresh laurels won by
the young bridegroom, he has shut himself in his inner
chamber, and allows no one but Doeg his Edomite
armor-bearer, a wily and unprincipled sycophant to all
the king s humors, to come into his presence.

&quot; Thus affairs remain, my dear Arbaces. If I have
been too open and undisguised in my expressions about
my royal father, attribute it not to want of veneration
for him who gave me being, and who is the anointed of
God, but to perfect confidence in your sympathy, and i&amp;gt;

288 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

a feeling of relief in being able to speak of my sorrows
to one who can appreciate my position, administer to me
wise counsel, and strengthen my heart with his consola
tions.

&quot; By a caravan from Damascus, that is to-night en
camped in the plain of Mamre, and leaves in a few days,
I shall send this epistle. Michal, my sister, desires to
be remembered to Prince Arbaces, whom she greatly
esteems as the friend of David and Jonathan, as well as
for his own virtues. I will not seal up this letter until
the day the caravan leaves, as I may desire to add a few
lines more, should anything of sufficient interest to nar
rate to you, transpire.&quot;

Thus far, Belus, continued Arbaces, the letter
of the Hebrew prince, when another leaf of parchment
folded within it drew my attention. It was closely
written over in a bold, handsome script, which I re
cognized instantly to be the writing of Heleph, the brave
and intelligent armor-bearer of the prince. I copy here,
your majesty, what was recorded therein by his ready
pen ; for being the son of a Levite mother, he had, be
fore taking up the profession of arms, assisted his mater
nal uncle in transcribing the sacred records of his peo
ple. This Heleph I have before spoken of, in my ac
count of the bold attack on the Philistine garrison. He
is much older than his young lord, and holds, as it were,
a paternal protection over him, being in battle his de
fender, in peace his friend, and at all times his sagacious
counselor. His parchment begins thus :

&quot; To my lord, Arbaces, Prince of Nineveh, Heleph
the armor-bearer :

&quot; My lord will pardon his servant for his boldness in

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 259

presuming to take up his pen to write to my lord ; but
my dear master Jonathan, after having written the
foregoing epistle, and before he could seal it up, was
suddenly called from Hebron. As he left, he gave into
my hands his letter to you, saying that I might add in it
that he had not time to seal it with his own signet, and
affix his superscription, and commanded me to bind it
up and put his seal thereto, and give it in charge to the
chief captain of the Syrian caravan for you. My lord
will therefore understand why the prince, my master s
name is wanting over the seal, albeit thou didst behold
it at the commencement of the epistle. Will my lord
now pardon me, if his servant makes known to him the
events which, since the Prince Jonathan terminated his
letter, have taken place, and which have caused him to
leave the city so suddenly ? for I know how deep is the
interest felt by my lord of Ashur in all that concerns my
dear master and his friend, the valiant David, son-in-law
to the king.

&quot; Three days ago, on the day my master ended his
letter, the king sent for him to appear presently before
him. For several days my lord, the king, had kept his
apartment, and by the windows which looked towards
the sepulchres of Machpelah, he would stand for hours
gloomily gazing upon the tombs, and speaking to no
man but the vile Doeg, his armor-bearer ; who, by ma
liciously bearing every idle and wicked tale to his ears,
greatly increases his malady, and arms him more and
more bitterly against those about him. It was Doeg who
told him what Jonathan and all others would have had
kept from him, that is, the honors that were paid David
a,t Bethlehem. When my noble young master entered
1!)

290 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the king s presence, modestly and humbly, the king, hia
father, said to him, while I stood by, for I was afraid to
trust my lord in the presence of his father alone, know
ing how he felt so sorely displeased at him because he
loved David,

&quot; Who is this with thee ? For my sight of late sorely
faileth me !

&quot; It is Heleph, my faithful armor-bearer, answered
my master.

&quot; Faithful! repeated the king angrily, striking the
javelin he held in his hand against the stone floor ; for
when he received us, he was walking to and fro in the
paved corridor that opens from his private chamber into
his gardens. Doeg the Edomite was set down not far
off upon a bench, burnishing his helmet, as indifferently
as if he were not in the presence of his king. Who is
faithful? Even a man s own children are traitors who
shall call a servant faithful? I trust no man, but and
here he glanced towards the gigantic Edomite Doeg !
He would do my bidding were I to command him to drag
the High Priest Ahimelech from the horns of the high
altar, and slay him at its base ! Wouldst not, man ?

&quot; 4 Thou hast only to try me, by giving the command,
king, answered the armor-bearer with a dark smile;
not even looking up from his pastime.

&quot; Where is thy bosom friend and brother-in-law?
now demanded the king of Jonathan. 4 He putteth airs
on himself in receiving honors in my own dominions. I
dare to say these base lords of Bethlehem sang the old
song to him : &quot; Saul has slain his thousands, and David
his tens of thousands.&quot; This young shepherd, who has
come into alliance with my royal house, will next step

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 291

into my throne. This son of Jesse is a traitor ! lie
shall die ! I have sworn it by the oath of God ! I have
sent for thec to seize him and slay him for me ! Thy
obedience will prove whether thou lovest him or me the
more ! Take thy armor-bearer and go forth and slay
him, though he were in his bed asleep by the side of his
bride, my daughter !

&quot; The prince at first made no reply. He looked into
his father s fierce eyes, and plainly saw that they meant
certain death to his friend. At length he said :

&quot; Let the king remember justice and clemency, and
not meditate this great sin against David who hath not
sinned against thee ; but whose works have ever been for
the king s good, and the glory of his kingdom.

&quot; Plead, not for him ! answered Saul in a voice of
rage. Doeg my armor-bearer will obey me; but I have
sworn thy hand shall kill thy friend as proof thou lovest
me more than him. By one or the other he dieth ere
to-morrow s sun.

&quot; The prince sorrowfully departed from the king s pre
sence and hastened to his friend, whom he found dis
coursing with Abiathar the son of the acting High Priest
of Nob, Ahimelech, who had come to be present at the
feast of the New Moon, and offer sacrifice for the king
and royal household before the feast. By the advice
of Jonathan, David immediately went out of the city,
and remained concealed in the house of a friend until he
should hear from the prince, who resolved not to cease
pleading for the life of David with his father. The zeal,
courage, and eloquence of his appeals for his friend
softened the king, and before Jonathan left him, Saul
revoked the order which he had given to Doeg and others

292 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

to find and slay David, and made an oath to the prince
in these solemn words : As the Lord liveth he shall not
be slain !

&quot; The prince with great joy hastened first to his sister,
David s young bride, and made known to her his unex
pected success, filling her heart with joy, and then went
forth to where his friend waited to hear from him, and
brought him back to the city, and openly before Doeg
and others conducted him into the presence of the king,
who received him with words of favor and bade him, as
heretofore, go in and out before him without fear.

&quot; The morning after this happy reconciliation, rumor
came to the gates that three thousand Philistines had
marched out of their country, and were laying siege
to the king s granaries at Gedor. David, desirous of
manifesting his gratitude to the king, at once marched
out to war with the two thousand men over which he was
captain ; and this morning, news has reached us that he
has overthrown them, and is driving them back to their
own land with great slaughter.

&quot; Jonathan accompanied David in this expedition, my
lord Arbaces, and it was at his departure he entrusted
to me his letter to seal and send to your highness.&quot;

&quot; SlX DAYS AFTER THE ABOVE WRITING.

&quot;My lord Arbaces is hereby informed that the sickness
of the captain of the caravan has detained it a week
longer, and I have, therefore, time to add that the con
quering son of Jesse returned four days ago from the war
against his foes ; but, in order not to awaken the king s
jealousy, he came privately into the city and sought his
house. The same night Saul sent for him to play a

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 293

hymn of victory before him. The instant, my lord, I
entered, for I followed him, I perceived by the peculiar
expression in the king s eyes that the evil spirit from
the Lord was upon him. David accompanied himself
upon the harp, and thus sang before him :

* give thanks unto the God of gods :

For his mercy endureth forever:
give thanks unto the Lord of lords :

For his mercy endureth forever :
To him who smote great kings :

For his mercy endureth forever:
To him who slayeth our enemies :

For his mercy endureth forever/

&quot; * Then let the mercy of the God of gods save thee,
thou thorn in my side shadow upon my path ! shouted
the king ; and, with the rapidity of lightning, he launched
a spear from his hand. It shivered in the wall, and
David fled the presence, followed by the indignant Jona
than. In a moment, the voice of the kin was roarin^

o o

through the palace, calling on his guards to pursue and
slay David.

&quot;A dart sent after him by Doeg was caught upon my
shield, and I covered the escape of the noble young man not
without great difficulty. The king despatched swift mes
sengers to the city gates to detain him, and forbade any
one harboring him in all the city on pain of death. Jona
than was familiar with the avenues of the new palace, and
by crossing the terrace and descending to the garden, he
succeeded in gaining a secret place for David, where we
remained hidden until the king had searched his house :
after which we secretly went thither and left him in tem
porary safety. Thence the prince went and prepared

294 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

fleet horses outside of the walls, and that night Michal
let David through the window upon the wall to the moat
beneath. There Jonathan met, and silently embracing
him, they rode together across the plain of Mamre,
when the two friends parting, one proceeded on to his
venerable teacher and friend, Samuel the Seer, for pro
tection and counsel, while the other hastened back to the
city before he should be missed by the king : who, find
ing that he could not accomplish David s death by craft,
hath thrown off all dissimulation and openly and publicly
commands his son and his whole court to destroy him as
a traitor to his throne ; substituting for the veil of pri
vate murder the cloak of a public execution. Whether
he swore deceitfully, my lord Arbaces, when he made oath
not to slay David, or whether in his madness he held no
responsibility for his words and acts, is not clear. The
more services the noble youth did his country, so much
the more did King Saul s envy and hatred increase against
him.

&quot; I had remained in the city to assist my master to re
turn into the palace by the window from which his friend
had been let down. It was now midnight ! Jonathan,
after gently comforting his weeping sister, and assuring
her that God would protect her husband, and that Sa
muel, the prophet, would gladly give him shelter, took
his departure from her chamber. We had not been many
minutes gone away, when Saul, who believed David to be
in the city, and concealed by his wife, suddenly sent an
officer with a guard to surround the wing of&quot; the palace
where she abode in order to surprise him. Michal, to
gain time for her husband s flight, did not deny but that
he was there. Before admitting the king s captain she

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 295

placed on the couch David s cuirass, and shirt-of-mail,
and apparel arrayed like the image of a person, placed
a pillow to elevate it at the head, and spread over the
the whole a coverlid, so that it had the appearance of a
man asleep in bed, with his head and face covered.

&quot; See, said she, is he not sick ? Let him die quietly in
his Led ! Tell this to the king and see if he will do more !

&quot; But the king, on hearing it, cried in a rage :

&quot; He feigns sickness! But ill or well, were I sure, if
left alono, he would die before sunrise, I would not spare
my vengeance ! Go bring him to me, bed and all, that
I may slay him with my javelin !

&quot; I)oeg hastened with the captain and men-at-arms to
obey the king, and when they had reached the chamber
Michal had hid herself; but Doeg carefully approached the
couch, his sword held in hand, (for he feared the valiant
youth although sick and in bed,) and with a cry of savage
joy threw back the coverlid ! Lo, instead of beholding
the brave son of Jesse, they were mocked by the sight
of the image with which the king s daughter had deceived
them. Without doubt the young and devoted wife would
have been slain by the wrathful Edomite on the spot, had
she been exposed to his fury. When he made this dis
covery, Saul was not long kept ignorant of the decep
tion. Kindling with anger he hastened to her room, and
when he beheld the cheat which her love had conceived
to aid her husband s escape, he said to her :

&quot; woman, subtle daughter of a rebellious wife !
Thou hast all thy mother s craft and guile in thy heart !
Why hast thou deceived me thus! I had hoped the wife
would have forgotten herself in the daughter when hei
husband proves mine enemy !

296 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; He is not thine enemy, king, she answered, firmly.
1 He never offended thee ! He has always studied to
please thee ! Thou didst once applaud him ! Thou didst
honor him greatly when he slew Goliath and delivered
thereby thy whole realm out of the hand of thine enemies !

&quot; At this moment my lord, Jonathan, who had heard
what was taking place, came in and said :

&quot; ; My sister speaks truly, my father ! What un
just action canst thou charge against David, son of Jesse,
that thou thus pursuest him to the death like a hunted
deer a man who hath delivered our nation from the de
rision and reproach which, for forty days, they endured
from the champion of Gath, and who alone had courage
enough to meet and destroy him ? And after that, in
order to receive my sister in marriage, although justly
his reward for his valor, at thy command he brought
twice one hundred heads of the Philistines and laid them
at thy feet ! a man who has ever been courteous, hum
ble, and prudent before thee, and ever ready to go forth
to meet the enemy which he never has once failed to
overthrow ! Wilt thou make a widow of this thy daugh
ter, just made a bride by thine own gift of her hand to
the noble hero of God whom thou wouldst now slay ?
Do not mischief to one who has done us the greatest
kindness. Show, king, a more considerate, generous,
and merciful disposition towards him. Thinkest thou
his brave but yet tender heart does not feel thy displea
sure? What has he not done for thee, my father?
When the spirit of evil and malicious demons have seized
upon thee, his wonderful skill in music drove them from
thee, and restored peace and repose to thy torn and
stormy soul !

THE REBELLION OE PRINCE ABSALOM. 297

&quot; Saul listened unmoved by this address, which, or
similar ones, had aforetime moved him to swear David
should not be slain. But now he gave no ear to his son.
He answered him not by look or word, but turning to his
daughter said :

&quot; Thou art my enemy, woman ! I believed when I
gave thee to him thou wouldst have been a snare to him !

&quot; I deceived thee, therefore, to give him time to fly
far from danger, she answered. I knew and told him
if the sun when it rises should find him in Hebron, it
will be the last time he would see it rise ; for, said I,
if my father find thee here, thou art a dead man ! So
I aided his escape, as became a wife, and then prayed
God to lengthen the night for his sake !

&quot; Thou deservest also to die ! said the king.

&quot; Nay, forgive me, my father ! she cried, with touch
ing earnestness. I cannot believe thou wouldst rather
have thy once dearly loved daughter, hardly a month
married, widowed, than that thy son-in-law should escape
death !

&quot; Go! Thou hast thy life, he gloomily answered,
and left her to return to his own chamber.

&quot;By sunrise the morning after his escape, the persecuted
yet innocent fugitive was safe in Ramah, the ancient abode
of the Judges, where Samuel dwelt. The prophet, being
early walking by the walls, met him near the gate of
the city, and received him with such warmth of affection
and pride, that David felt he had still a powerful friend
in the Friend of God, and he was thereby strengthened
in heart and spirit. &quot;Without reserve he told Samuel all
that Saul had done, the snares he had craftily laid for
his destruction, and his frequent attempts in person to

298 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

slay him, while he was unarmed playing before him upon
the harp.

&quot; When the venerable Seer had heard his touching
narrative, he embraced his young disciple, and assured him
of his protection. Samuel then rose up, entered the
gate of the city, and went with him to the old palace of
Naioth which is in Ramah, the place in which the pro
phet dwelt, and where he oversees the School of the Pro
phets. From thence David, by one of the youthful
prophets, Nathan, sent secretly to Michal news of his
safety. The king also heard the same evening that his
son-in-law had escaped to Ramah, and that Samuel had
sheltered him in his palace.

&quot; This information filled the king with indignation and
fierce resentment against Samuel.

&quot; Dare Samuel of Ramah beard me thus? he cried.
* Hath he not wronged me already, till I am mad with
my grief and troubles? Let an armed company go to
Ramah and seize David, though the Seer himself hold
him back by his girdle !

&quot; When they came into Ramah and stood before the
gate of the House Naioth, they were admitted into the
Hall of Praise, where they beheld Samuel with David by
his side, and the seventy young prophets with their seven
teachers, all with harps, and nebals, and cymbals, and
dulcimers, and with voices engaged in singing and play
ing before the Lord ; Samuel himself sublimely prophesy
ing, and the singers answering with their voices. When
the king s messengers saw this, they were seized with a
sudden inspiration, and throwing down their swords and
spears they caught up sackbut and viol, and joined in the
loud chants of divine praise. These men at length re*

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 299

turned to the king and said : That the Spirit of God
had come upon them, and they had no power to take
David, but on the contrary they could not but join him
in his hymns to God, and leave him at peace. The
king sent other messengers, who were similarly affected
and returned to him. A third time, yesterday, he sent
others, led by Doeg, all fierce and cruel men, and when
these came in the presence of the Seer and of David, in
stead of arresting him, they commenced dancing to a
sweet melody which he at the time was playing upon the
harp, striking their swords against their bucklers and
making the Hall of Praise ring with the fall of their
iron-shod feet. At his will the young psalmist moved
them by his skill ; now they would move slowly at his
slow measure ; now he would strike his harp with quick
strokes, and compel them, unable to resist the power he
mysteriously had over them, to fly along in dizzy circles
around him, wildly and violently agitated and foaming
at the mouth, and shouting as if demoniacally possessed.
At length, when they were utterly exhausted, he released
them from this spell by ceasing to play, when they reeled
from the hall like men drunken with wine, and made
their way to Hebron to report to Saul how the harp of
David had made them mad, and compelled them to pro
phesy like demoniacs. When Saul heard this he turned
pale with anger, and said : I myself will go to Ramah
and take him ! Saul shall not be found among the pro
phets, let the proverb say what it may !

&quot; The same day he left Hebron with five hundred
mounted men of his body-guard at his back, and hastened
to Ramah. He rode all night, and at daybreak came to
the well of Sechu bv the twelve oaks, and there heard

300 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

that Samuel and David had gone from Ramah. But
while he was trying to learn the truth of the report,
there came to the well a water-carrier, who said, Lo !
Samuel and David are still at Naioth in Ramah !

&quot; Then the king rode swiftly to the city, which he en
tered in haste, lest David should escape him. Ere he
drew near the house of Naioth, or ever Samuel beheld
him he dismounted, and all at once began to act like a
man suddenly become demoniac. In a loud voice, he
called upon Dagon and Baal, the gods of the Philistines,
after their manner, and Denied all at once to have be
come a pagan priest before his own people ! His madness
had never taken this form before, and filled them with
horror. Upon reaching the house of Samuel, he beheld
the Seer standing on the balcony with the youthful David
by his side. The venerable prophet did not speak to
him, but his brow was stern with displeasure mingled
with pity. Saul fiercely called out to David by the gods
of the Philistines to come down and deliver himself into
his hand. But David, at a sign from the prophet, struck
his harp. Immediately the insane monarch began a
heathenish dance before the house, to the shame of all
Israel ! As he danced, he prophesied like the prophets
of Baal, not like the prophets of God. As David played
on, the wild impulses of his limbs and the extravagant
ecstacies of his manner increased, so that it seemed as if
the evil demon, who possesses him since he was foisaken
of God, and w r hich the divine harp of David once drove
from him, had now by the same harp been summoned to
enter into him ; and not only to punish him for his in
tentions against his innocent son-in-law, but to expose
him to the derision of all who saw him or heard of his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 301

shameless performances ; for he had not danced long ere
in his phrenzy he flung down his helmet, divested him
self of his cuirass and greaves, then stripped off his tunic,
rent his royal robe, and cast it to the ground, and tram
pled upon it ; and so continued to deprive himself of all
his clothing, until there alone remained his woolen
under-o;arments. In this indecent undress he continued
to dance and prophesy to the gods, until exhausted he
sunk to the ground, and lay there wallowing and foam-
in or like a wild beast of the desert. It was a fearful
o

spectacle, Prince Arbaccs ! All men saw in it the
judgments of God; for His real prophets, when under
inspiration, were never torn by such contortions and
wild agitations of the body; but calmly and with dignity
pronounced their sublime vaticinations to the people.
Thus all men perceived that he was inspired by a demon
iacal spirit, such as possessed the false prophets of Baal
and Ashtaroth ; and they turned from him with horror
and fear ; all save Docg the Edomite, who remained by
him and kept w r atch over him all that night ; for the de
graded and lost king lay there on the ground the whole
day and night in a trance, and no man approached him,
but all stood aloof awaiting the issue with awe and shame.
It is said that when Saul had thrown off his kingly robe
to the ground, Samuel commanded David to go down and
take it out of the dust ; and that he did so, throwing it
across his arm as he bore it to the prophet. This is said
by our wise men to foreshadow the reign of David on the
throne of Israel ; for there is a tradition that if a king
let fall his royal robe, whosoever taketh it up will, by
and by, lawfully wear it. All eyes are therefore turned
towards David with new interest.

302 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; While the king lay thus in the deep trance which
followed his violence, David secretly left the palace of
Naioth, and escaping from Ramah, accompanied by his
friend Nathan the prophet, he came to Gibeah where he
met Jonathan, who was on his way with his whole body
guard of one thousand men to protect him, having not
heard of his father s secret and sudden departure by
night from Hebron until he had waked the following
morning. When Jonathan beheld him approaching alone
and safe, he leaped from his foaming charger to the
ground and ran forward and embraced him long and
tenderly, weeping upon his neck for joy at his escape.
Then dismissing his body-guard to go back to Hebron,
he escorted him privately to Bethlehem, his father s house,
and left him there until he should learn whether the king
would cease his persecution and permit him to return to
Michal and his home.

&quot; Such, my lord Arbaces,&quot; concludes this epistle of
Heleph, the prince s armor-bearer, &quot; is now the present
state of affairs. Saul is on his return with his five hun
dred horsemen, looking, say those who have come faster
than he, like a corpse riding, his face rigid, his eyes
stony, his mouth sealed like a sepulchre. All his men
are afraid of him. He left Ramah this morning, with
out speaking to the Seer, or beholding him more.
Without a word he had resumed his disordered and torn
apparel, asked not for his royal robe, and like a warrior
defeated and smitten in sore warfare, he slowly rode
along the streets, and out of the gates of Ramah towards
his capital.

&quot; As I close this letter, my lord, I hear some one,
passing, say, The king s escort is in sight beyond

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 303

Mamre ! Pardon this long epistle, noble Prince of
Asshur ; but the continued delay of the caravan by the
lingering illness, and at last death of its captain, has
tempted me to keep the letter open, to add to it the his
tory of the progress of events as they have been day by
day developed. The person who is to take it to Egypt,
assures me that a new captain has been chosen, and that
the caravan will leave at sunrise without fail ! Written,
Arbaces, by

&quot; Your humble servant,
&quot; HELEPH,

&quot; The armor-bearer. 1

Here, your majesty, (resumed Arbaces to KingBelus,)
here ends the twofold letter of Prince Jonathan and of
his military servant Ileleph. It reached me in eleven
days, for the Damascus caravan was composed wholly of
camels, and came on swiftly ; thus the events transpiring
in Judea, are brought up to a period, six or seven weeks
after niy departure, there having been now almost nine
weeks since I left Hebron. In that period what extra
ordinary scenes have been enacted ! How persistent the
vengeance of Saul ! How wonderful David s numerous
escapes from death ! How remarkable all that transpired
at Ramah ! There was surely a divine power which in
terposed for David, and brought upon the king such a
strange malady. Truly the God of the Hebrews yet
lives, and is powerful to defend his chosen ones ! David
is evidently under his care, and heaven-defended in all
his paths. Only a madman would continue to combat
against one so plainly sheltered under the wings of his
God.

804 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

But let me not forget my mission here in Egypt, yonr
majesty, while giving so much attention to what passes
in Judea. As I stated at the commencement of this long
letter, (or letters within letters,) I have been delayed
here more than two months in a state of uncertainty,
waiting for a formal answer to my proposal on behalf of
your majesty for the hand of the beautiful princess
Zaila. Without doubt she has already made up her
own mind to the marriage ; for she never wearies hearing
me discourse of you and Nineveh ; and for your sake she
confers upon me the greatest attention ; while Pharaoh
is courteous and friendly, and seems never weary in
venting some new entertainment. I have resolved that
on the third day from the present, which will close one
of their high festivals to Apis, I will ask of the king a
final reply to your majesty s suit.

Your faithful and affectionate

ARBACES.

THE third day after writing the preceding letter to his king,
the Assyrian ambassador sought an audience with Pharaoh,
and formally asked the king for his final answer.

The monarch, with great amenity of manner and tone, as
sured the ambassador that the princess had already made up
her mind, and that if he would wait upon her she would com
municate to him her determination.

The beautiful Zaila received the prince in her pavilion on
the Nile, amid her garden of flowers. She was seated in a
chair of ivory, inlaid with gold, and covered with velvet, woven
with the richest pictures. An exquisite odor of perfumes was
diffused throughout the atmosphere around her. Her dark
cloud of hair was elegantly decorated with bands of pearls, and
her graceful neck was resplendent with a collet of gems. Her
beautiful shoulders were covered with a transparent net of silk,
spotted with silver, and edged with a border of gold. Her soft

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 305

eyes beamed with the gentle fire of the startled antelope s, and
her mouth was like a cloven pomegranate for sweetness and
orilliancy of color. Pendent tresses, black as the wing of the
raven, flowed down her neck, which looked &quot; like a tower of
lilies&quot; to the oriental imagination of the handsome young As
syrian. Bracelets of wrought gold clasped her perfectly
moulded wrists, and upon her small fingers sparkled rings and
signets set with topazes and emeralds. She was arrayed in a
graceful robe of virgin white, light as a zephyr, floating around
her, over which, not concealing it, was a scarlet bodice, clasped
across her dove-like breast with ouches of diamonds ; and her
gracefully shaped ivory feet glittered in exquisite sandals of
sweet-scented wood. Arbaces thought her the most elegant of
women ! A captivating smile, bewildering and fascinating, j r et
half veiled in maidenly coyness, greeted his entrance. She was
alone, and the charming retreat in which she had chosen to re
ceive him, was perfectly secluded from the curiosity of ear or
eye.

&quot; Be seated, my lord Arbaces !&quot; said this lovely woman,
whose looks betrayed that certain consciousness of power,
which is the- birthright of personal beauty. He drew near
with downcast eyes, and kneeling before the Egyptian princess,
touched her hand with a respectful salute.

&quot; I have come, noble lady,&quot; he said, rising, &quot;to ask of you,
to whom the king your father has referred me, the fate of my
beloved master. It is in your hands, lovely princess. Shall I
return to him bearing the fair prize he pants to clasp to his
heart, or sadly go back to him, and convey to bin? a message
of denial of his royal suit ?&quot;

Her bosom palpitated ! Her color came and went ! Her
eyes beamed with the ardent splendors of love. She laid her
hand on the wrist of the handsome young ambassador, and said
with emotion,

&quot; Thou needest not return at all to thy king, prince ! I
can not become his wife ! From the first I have not cared for
him only for tJiee ! Plead for thyself, Arbaces! How dull
hast thou appeared to me not to know that I have all along
loved thee, thought of thee, listened to thee alone ! While thou
29

306 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

didst foolishly believe thou wert winning my heart for thy
king, thou wert winning it for thyself! My hand is thine only !
I can love only thee ! Here, as my wedded lord, thou shalt
one day rule over Egypt, and wield the sceptre of the Pha
raohs. My father is with me in this ! Remain thou in Egypt !
Send back his gifts to the King of Assyria. Accept my hand,
which I freely offer thee, and &quot;

Arbaces could listen to no more ! His whole countenance
evinced amazement, grief, and horror! With a pale cheek,
and bright fires in his indignant eyes, he cried,

&quot; Dost thou, princess, tempt me to turn traitor to my
king ? Not all thy beauty, and thou art the most beautiful
among women, not the throne of Egypt, nor the sceptre of all
the Pharaohs, can tempt me to betray my trust !&quot;

&quot; It is no betrayal ! I positively refuse ever to wed King
Belus !&quot; she answered. &quot; How then canst thou regard thyself
a traitor, when thou weddest one who can never become his ?&quot;

&quot; No ! no ! Oh, fair and wise princess, do not refuse the
love of Belus !&quot; he exclaimed.

&quot; How can he love me, whom he has seen not ?&quot; she an
swered. &quot; Thee I love ! Thee I will wed, Arbaces !&quot;

&quot; Never !&quot; he cried in a loud tone. &quot; Never, lady ! By all
the gods of Egypt, and by the throne of Nineveh I swear, I
will never prove so false to my master as to wed thee I I should
deserve to perish basely.&quot;

&quot; Dost thou despise the hand of Egypt s daughter?&quot; she de
manded, with flashing eyes.

&quot; I despise thee not, princess,&quot; he answered, sorrowfully ;
&quot; but I love my master s honor more V

&quot; Go ! &quot; she said, imperatively.

He left her presence. He felt that his mission was defeated,
and by himself, yet innocently ! With a heavy heart he sought
his apartments. Without delay he sent Ninus, his armor-bearer,
to bid Nacherib, the chief captain, to come before him.

&quot; My mission has failed,&quot; he said. &quot; We must leave Egypt
to-morrow. Hasten thy preparations !&quot;

He then made known to his officers the condition of affairs.
A.fter a little reflection Nacherib said

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 307

&quot; Since the princess dotli refuse my lord the king, and offers
thyself the throne of Egypt, Prince Arbaces, there can be
no betrayal of thy trust in taking her thyself to wife !&quot;

&quot; Talk not thus to me,&quot; answered Arbaces, &quot;I know my duty.
Belus would believe to the last I had sued for myself rather
than for him ! To his dying hour he would regard me as a
traitor ! No, let us leave Egypt on the morrow !&quot;

On the morrow Arbaces found himself a prisoner ! The
love of the princess developed into resentment, and the proud
Pharaoh lent his power to her revenge, and placed the ambas
sador in the Castle of On !

Nacherib, after waiting many months, trying to obtain his
release, sold his camels and horses, and all the royal gifts of the
King of Assyria, and hired a ship of Phrenicia that wavS in the
Nile, and sent forward to Tyre all the servants and men of the
caravan, whence by land they gained the valley of the Tigris,
under the escort of a Syrian company of merchants. Nache
rib and the nine hundred men of the body-guard of Arbaces,
with the chariots, sorrowfully then left Egypt by the desert to
seek again their far distant country. Ninus, the faithful armor-
bearer of the prince, with his personal guard of one hundred
nobles, remained in Egypt, resolved never to leave it without
their leader. Pharaoh did not molest them, but allowed Ninus
and his band to occupy a small garrison near the Nile. He did
not wish, by taking the life of a single Assyrian, to bring on a
war with the powerful Belus of Nineveh. Weak in purpose,
and irresolute and timid, the King of Egypt had no desire need
lessly to oifeud him. His own wish would have been the union
of the two empires in friendship by the proposed marriage.
But his daughter s will controlled his own. For her own plea
sure she held the prince two years and a half in prison ! Dur
ing this interval the fair tyrant frequently had him before her,
and offered him liberty at the price of her hand ! But the
faithful and stern Arbaces refused her terms, and preferred im
prisonment to suspicion of treachery !

When, at length, the King of Assyria heard by the returned
persons, who had formed a portion of the caravan, that his am
bassador had failed in his mission, and was in prison, he re-

308 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

solved to declare war against Egypt, and advance to the rescue
of his ambassador and friend. At length, the indignant Na-
cherib also arrived at Nineveh with his legion, and made known
to the monarch all the particulars. When Belus heard all, and
understood how the noble and trusty Arbaces had sacrificed
himself to the revenge of the disappointed princess, he began
to assemble his armies, and soon marched to invade Egypt.
Belesis, viceroy of Babylon, taking advantage of his departure
from the kingdom, instantly raised the standard of revolution,
declared Babylon the sole capital of the united empires, and
proclaimed himself king. Intelligence of these events were
brought to Belus in the desert, as at the head of three hun
dred thousand men he was crossing it between the Euphrates
and the Jordan. He did not hesitate to turn back in the very
hour to recover his dominions. A war of two years continuance
absorbed all his attention, employed his armies, and prevented
the conquest of Egypt. At length, when he had reduced Ba
bylon, taken and beheaded the traitor, Belesis, and restored the
peace and integrity of his vast dominions, he was about to take
up his Egyptian quarrel, (for he had not ceased to think of his
beloved Arbaces a prisoner to a revengeful woman on the banks
of the Nile,) when the courier of the semi-annual Damascus
caravan brought him a letter. The superscription was in the
well-known hand-writing of his beloved and long lost ambassa
dor ! With a countenance radiant with joy, he cut the bands
and tore the seals of the envelope, and began eagerly to read it.
It was dated, to his great surprise as well as unfeigned plea
sure, not from a prison in Egypt, but at Bethlehem in Judea !
The letter, which is given on the opposite page, will, doubtless,
be perused by the reader with an interest little less than that
experienced by the king.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 309

LETTER X.
ARBACES TO KING EELUS.

BETHLEHEM, KINGDOM OF JUDKA.
MY BELOVED AND HONORED KlNG :

OXCE more, Belus, your Arbaces resumes his long
silent pen, and addresses your majesty from the country
of the Hebrews. Of my long imprisonment in Egypt
you have heard by Nacherib, as I know by your kind
letter which was conveyed to me in my prison by your
faithful courier. I will not here enter into the causes
which led to the failure of my mission ; but when I visit
Assyria, which I shall do ere many months, I will go
into a full explanation of the circumstances, and take
the due share of blame which falls upon me. Your de
claration in your kind letter that I was free from all
censure, and worthy of the highest honor, filled my heart
with profound joy, and lightened the weight of my long
bondage.

How can I condemn in strong words the woman whom
love prompted to treat me so cruelly ! It was only at the
death of the princess, three months ago, that my prison
doors were opened by Pharaoh, who, in giving me my
liberty, desired to exculpate himself from all responsibil
ity ; assuring me &quot; that he entertained the warmest

310 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

admiration for your majesty and myself, and trusted that
the trifling love-passage between me and the deceased
princess would not lead to warlike issues. I promised
the king I would represent all the facts to your majesty;
and so, with an escort of honor to his eastern borders
given me, and with my guard of nobles, reduced to
ninety-two men, I left his kingdom.

At the end of five weeks, often resting by the way to
gather strength, for my health had suffered by the con
finement and climate of Egypt, I reached Hebron, after
an absence of nearly three years. In that city I remained
a few days, and then, by the advice of the skillful Arabian
physician who accompanied me from Egypt, and by in
vitation of former friends, I came hither to the city of
Bethlehem, famed for the salubrity of its air.

I am a guest in the house of Joab, the Captain, who is
married to a fair maiden of Jericho, and is become one
of the chief warriors among the Hebrews.

What extraordinary changes have taken place since 1
was last in Judea ! How different the state of affairs !
As I have been deeply interested in hearing relations of
all the principal occurrences which have transpired since
I received the letters written to me by Prince Jonathan,
and by his armor-bearer, Heleph, and as I know your
majesty will also take an interest in their recital, I will
employ a portion of my slow convalescence in making you
acquainted with these affairs.

If your majesty will refer to the letter of Heleph, the
armor-bearer, a copy of which I sent you from Egypt
nearly three years ago, and but a few days before my
imprisonment, you will find that he closed his narrative
as King Saul was approaching Hebron, after his morti-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 31]

fjing and unsuccessful attempt to seize David in Ramah
while protected by the Seer- You will there learn how
David, taking advantage of the trance into which the
king was thrown by the power of Samuel and by David s
harp, fled from Ramah, and met Jonathan with a thou
sand men coming to his relief, and that by him he was
secretly escorted to his father s house at Bethlehem.

After Saul returned to his palace, David privately
came to his own house by night, and sent Michal for her
brother. From him he learned that the king had in no de
gree changed his mind against him ; but, on the contrary,
was more bitter than before in his denunciations of him.

But Michal, his wife, went and entreated her father
so earnestly, and with such a flood of tears, to forego his
vengeance against her husband, that he relented ; and,
in her joy, she told him David was with her.

&quot; Let him remain, and go in and out before me as here
tofore !&quot; he said.

But David did not feel secure; though he remained
several days in the palace, and sought to please the king
in every way, and three times a day sitting at meat be
fore him. At length, he said to Jonathan:

&quot; A feeling of insecurity is ever present with me !
A look the king cast upon me to-day troubles me ! If
thou knowest the king s mind towards me, hide it not
from me ! I am sure in his heart he seeks my life ! I
dare not appear in his presence again until I know his
feelings towards me ! I fear he will kill me !&quot;

&quot; God forbid ! Thou shalt not die, my beloved Da
vid,&quot; answered the prince. &quot; Do not think my father
again evil-disposed towards thee ! I should know it.
He hides nothing from me !&quot;

812 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; But the king knoweth that I have been so honored
as to find such grace in thine eyes as to be chosen by
thee thy bosom friend, and will he not say, i What I do
I will withhold from my son, lest he betray it to David?

Then said Jonathan, seeing his friend was feeling
deeply, and living daily in such a state of suspense :

&quot; What shall I do for thee, my friend and brother ?
Whatsoever is in thine heart I will do !&quot;

&quot;Behold,&quot; said David, &quot; to-morrow is the new moon and
the three days feast beginneth. I will absent myself from
the table of the king to be present at the sacrifice which
my family at Bethlehem always makes at this season, and
to which my brother, Eliab, hath sent me pressing word
to be present. With your permission I will go. If thy
father at all miss me, then say I obtained thy consent to
be at Bethlehem with my family. If the king say, It
is well ! and makes no further remark, I shall have peace
for the future ; but if he shows great wrath at my ab
sence be sure he has not changed his disposition towards
me, and only waiteth the hour to do me evil ! Pardon
me, Jonathan ! But my heart is heavy. If I have
done evil to the king, I am ready to die at the hand of
the king s son ! Slay me here ! But if I am innocent,
by the sacred covenant of friendship, and love between
us so long, let me know if thy father determines evil
against me !&quot;

As David spoke, tears filled his expressive and earnest
eyes, and brushing them away he continued :

&quot; It is not fear ! I do not fear death ! but it is hard
for my king, the father of my wife, and of my best
friend on earth, to hate me so bitterly and seek my
life ! I would prefer meeting in open battle a thousand

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 313

Philistines than remain in this jeopardy of momentary
murder !&quot;

&quot;Nay, dear David,&quot; said the prince, &quot;if I knew cer
tainly that evil were determined by my father to come
upon thee, would I not tell it thee ? Canst thou doubt
it, friend of my soul? I see that thou fearest I would
hide my father s wickedness, loth to tell it any man for
his and my sake ! But painful as it would be to me to
expose my father s sin, I would not fail thee !&quot;

Here the prince raised his right hand to heaven, and
swore before the Lord that he would certainly ascertain
his father s mind and make it known to David !

&quot; The Lord bless thee, my friend,&quot; answered the per
secuted young man. &quot; I will no more mistrust thee !
Forgive me ! But I know as a son thou honorest thy
father and lovest him, and would naturally seek to hide
what in him mortifies and pains thee ! Forgive me if I
feared thou wouldst think more of thy father s honor
than of my life ! I have wronged thee ! Thou art placed
by thy friendship for me in a painful position !&quot;

&quot; If it please my father to do thee evil,&quot; answered the
prince, &quot;then will I shew it thee, and we will separate, thou
going in peace where thou canst find safety, I remaining
with him, which I will do to the last ! I stand or fall,
David, with my father s fortunes ! The Lord be with
thee, if thou goest away to escape his hand, as he was
with my father in the former years when God and the
Seer were his friends, and all men honored him for his
virtues and admired him for his valor. And, David,
with whom will be the power of this realm, by our cove
nant of friendship, forget me not when thou art in my
father s throne, if then I am alive ! Cut not off thy

314 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

kindness from my father s house when thou art in glory
and they in humility ! Remember all my kindred for
our friendship s sake, and may the Lord cut off all thine
enemies from the face of the earth !&quot;

This touching language deeply moved David ! &quot;What a
sublime, moral spectacle, your majesty ! A young prince,
his father still on the throne, tenderly suing with words
of trusting faith the youthful shepherd, (a fugitive from
his house, his life sought by his own royal father,) for
the protection of his sceptre, when he should by-and-by
be king in his father s place ! What a beautiful scene !
What noble attributes of character the young prince dis
plays ! How touching his ready and unquestioning sub
mission to the destiny of disinheritance which he knows
has been pronounced against him ! David, with emotion,
made the promise, and clasping the hand of his prince
he raised his right arm to heaven and confirmed it by a
solemn oath : &quot; If I fail thee or thine in this, let the Lord
requite it upon me, and let the enemies of Saul become
David s adversaries !&quot;

The young men then renewed their noble covenant of
love and friendship, and their souls were knitted closer
together from that moment !

David immediately left for Bethlehem, but previously
arranged how Jonathan should give him information
without visiting him, and thus exciting Saul s suspicions ;
for next to his hatred against David was aroused his
indignation at the firm and unshaken friendship which
existed between his son and his foe. He felt that Jona
than did him a great injury by not making the quarrel
also his own, and he had, the very morning on which the
conversation I have just given, (as it has been reported

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 315

to me,) charged him with being &quot; Saul s enemy, because
he was David s friend.&quot; The prince, therefore, held this
interview with his friend with the greatest secrecy.

The day of the holy feast came, and David s place
was empty. The king was observed to look steadily at
the vacant seat, but he made no remark. This was a
favorable omen : and Jonathan s heart felt lighter. On
the morrow, also, David s seat was empty at the king s
table. Abner, his general, sat on his right hand, and
Jonathan on his left. Ishbosheth and his two brothers
sat opposite to him. At one end was Joab, at the other,
was the vacant seat of the absent son-in-law. At a
lower table sat Arnioni and Mephibosheth, two sons of
Saul, by the proud and beautiful Ilizpah his favorite,
and also the husband of Merab his eldest daughter. The
women held the feast in their own apartments. Thus,
all the royal family being present, the absence of David,
to whom every one believed his father-in-law was fully
reconciled, was the more marked ! It certainly was
likely to prove a sound test of the sincerity of the king s
goodwill towards him.

u Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat,
neither yesterday nor to-day ?&quot; demanded Saul in a loud
tone, which made all present start !

The guests looked at one another, and then at Jona
than in silence ! The attendants appeared alarmed.
The dark-browed Prince Ishbosheth, who disliked his
brother-in-law, wliuse manly piety rebuked his vices and
excesses, said with a sneer, &quot; Doubtless, his friend Jona
than, who seems to keep advised of all his movements,
can answer !&quot;

&quot; David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethle

316 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

hem,&quot; answered the prince; &quot;for his family have a sac
rifice there to-day, and his elder brother commanded him
to be present there. I gave him the permission he
sought. Therefore his place is empty at the king s
table !&quot;

Upon hearing this, the monarch sprang to his feet,
and seizing his javelin, which he never went without, he
shook it fiercely across the board at the prince, and cried
with kindling anger :

&quot; Thou son of a perverse mother ! A rebellious wife
was she to me, and a rebellious son hath she borne to
me ! Thou hast chosen this son of Jesse to thy own con
fusion and the shame of thy father ! For as long as this
son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be
held in honor, nor thy kingdom established ! Thou
warmest a viper in thy bosom that shall sting thee !
Thou protectest a base hind, who will one day step on
thy neck to climb up into thy throne ! Go ! Send, and
fetch him unto me, for by the throne I sit upon, he shall
surely die the death!&quot;

&quot; Wherefore, my father, should the innocent person
be slain? What hath he done worthy of death?&quot; in
terceded Jonathan.

&quot; Thou art even like unto him !&quot; answered the king,
his eyes burning like coals of fire ; and without hesita
tion he cast at the prince, his son, the javelm from his
hand, intending to slay him. It flew past his shoulder,
and flying through a distant casement, was heard to
strike and shiver into fragments against a column of
porphyry in the lawn, which had been erected to the
memory of Ezel, a youth who, twenty years before, had
saved Saul s life in battle.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 317

Thus Jonathan s bold friendship for David had brought
his own life into jeopardy. The prince in great and just
anger rose from the table, grieved more for David than
for himself, for he now plainly saw that his friend s death
was determined upon ! Without doubt, your majesty,
Kin&quot; Saul had received some intimation that it was

David to whom his offended God was to give his forfeited
throne, and hence his persistent and relentless purpose
to slay him ! But in vain will man attempt to overthrow
the decrees of the heavenly Powers ! Death can not
touch the life of one whom the gods determine shall ac
complish a foreordained destiny ! Spear and sword,
javelin and dagger, subtile poisons, and crafty devices,
all fail against him ! Neither fire can burn, water drown,
earth entomb, or pestilence in the air harm such a child
of destiny ! King Saul might as well have cast his jave
lin against the rocky sides of Mount Hor, hoping to
overturn it, as aim at the life of the God-shielded youth,
to whom the fiat of heaven had given his throne.

Upon leaving the king s presence, the offended prince
sought his sister, David s young wife, for sympathy ; and
together they discussed the danger of David. While she
said that he must no more come to Hebron, she expressed
herself ready to go to him, arid accompany him in all his
wanderings. But Jonathan dissuaded her from this
step, saying that she would at present be rather a burden
to him, as he had no where to lay his head, though heir
to the kingdom of Israel ; for it was no secret to Michal
now, that God had promised to set her exiled husband
on the throne of Jacob ! Yet how mysterious to them
were these trials and dangers through which he was to
reach it! How strange that the &quot;chosen of Heaven

318 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

should be permitted to suffer such humiliation before his
exaltation ! It is singularly analogous with the trials of
the Israelites as a nation under the hatred of Pharaoh,
and their wanderings in the wilderness ! The dealings
of their God seem to be always the same ! If it be an
honor to be chosen by Him for any great end, that
honor, lest it should lead to pride of heart, is compen
sated by corresponding humiliations. It would appear
to be his Divine policy, that those whom he will distin
guish above others, must first descend lower than others ;
first suffer ere they possess the glory and honor in store
for them ! and that this great, wise, and holy, and
dreadful God, Belus, is the God of all gods, and the
Supreme Deity of the world, I am almost prepared to
believe !

The next morning, while the king slept, Jonathan left
the palace, and, by a private gate in the city wall, en
tered the garden beyond it accompanied by his page.
David was concealed in this suburban garden behind the
stone pillar of Ezel, as had been previously arranged
between them. The prince carried in his hand a bow
and a quiver of arrows as if he were to practice archery.
The place was full in sight from the windows of the
palace. When he came within hearing of David, he
cried to the lad, &quot;Run, find out now the arrows which I
shoot !&quot;

As the page ran forward, he shot three arrows far
beyond him.

It had previously been agreed upon by Jonathan with
David, that if he heard him call out to the page, &quot; The
arrows are on this side of thee !&quot; he would understand
that it was peace between his father and him, and he

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 319

might return into his house without fear ; but if he said,
&quot; The arrows are beyond thec !&quot; he must in haste make
his escape ; and if he did so go away, he must not forget
his vow to be a friend to his kindred for the sake of the
love between them.

When, therefore, the page hastened after the arrows,
the prince cried, &quot; Is not the arrow beyond thce ?&quot; he
then added for the ears of David, still addressing the
lad, &quot;Make speed haste stay not !&quot; The page made
haste to gather up the arrows, not suspecting the twofold
signification of the words spoken to him. David heard
and understood that they were for his own warning, and
knew, thereby, that his life was certainly sought by the
king. When the youth had brought again the arrows
to his master, he said to him, &quot; Go take the bow and
quiver within the gates, and await my coming.&quot;

As soon as the page had disappeared, Jonathan, now
that he had turned aside suspicion by his archery pastime,
went forward, and David met him at a place where they
were sheltered from the palace by a group of oleander
trees.

&quot;My lord,&quot; said David, with looks of deep sadness,
&quot; I am then to be an exile ! But my heart is full of
gratitude to thce for this kind warning.&quot; As he spoke,
feeling his own loneliness and humiliation as an outcast,
he bowed himself thrice towards the earth, as was the
custom of petitioners to the prince or the king, and said,
&quot; Say farewell to my beloved bride ! Comfort her,
my lord prince, and let her not come to evil from the
anger of the king.&quot;

&quot; Thou shouldst not so bow lown thyself to me,
David ! Let not thy sorrow break thine heart ! Forget

320 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

not that thou art a true prince, a son of the King of
kings, crowned of God ! This humiliation prompted by
thy great woes becomes not thee ! Be courageous ! I
&quot;will defend thy wife Michal from all evil ! I will send
thee news of her from time to time. Alas ! alas ! that my
father should seek thy life, and make both thee and me
BO unhappy ! But thou art no longer safe in Hebron,
nor anywhere from his power, for he will seek thee as
the tireless hunting leopard pursues the antelope. Your
only shelter, since Samuel could not protect thee, is to
fly to the altar of God!&quot;

&quot; Thither I will fly,&quot; sorrowfully answered David,
44 till this calamity be overpast. Ahimelech, the priest,
will receive me, and, in the sacred shadow of the holy
tabernacle, not the sceptred sword of Saul can reach
me !&quot;

&quot; Oh, that I could retain and defend thee here !&quot; said
Jonathan. &quot; But God will be with thee ! Blessed are
they that dwell in His house, and sit under the shadow
of his footstool!&quot;

&quot;I am weary of flying from this death,&quot; said David,
with deep feeling. &quot; My heart and flesh fail me, and my
soul, like a dove pursued by the falcon, now longeth for
the courts of the Lord, even the sheltering and peaceful
altars of my king and my God ! There I shall be at
rest! There even the spariows find shelter from the
stormy winds, and there will I abide.&quot;

Jonathan s heart swelled as he listened to this touching
and tender language ; and he gazed tearfully on the pale
and suffering visage of the persecuted yet innocent young
man, whom he loved as his own soul ; and, with a sudden
outburst of grief, he threw himnolf upon his shoulder.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 321

For a few moments, the two friends stood, locked in each
other s embrace, weeping, for their sorrows were one.
At length Jonathan kissed his friend on both cheeks
with the love of a brother for a sister. This lovely ex
pression of affection and tenderness unmanned the heroic
conqueror of Goliath. He fell upon his friend s breast,
overcome with the depth and tenderness of his feelings,
as he thought of his double separation, both from his
young wife and the brother of his soul, and recalled the
deadly enmity of him who caused all his grief, to whom
he had only done good. Jonathan felt the weight of
David s form suddenly become heavy as he rested upon
his breast, and looking with alarm in his face, he saw
that he had fainted away.

With a cry of anguish, and bitter thoughts rising
against his father, he gently let the lifeless form of his
beloved David down upon the green grass. The suspen
sion of life was but momentary. The young heart, too
full of its woes, was not crushed, only bruised. The
earnest, kind, entreating voice of his friend, recalled him
to consciousness. He rose to his feet stronger, and said,

&quot; Forgive me ! I am greatly afflicted. The sorrows
of death have compassed me ! My soul cleaveth even to
the dust, and hath melted for very heaviness. But it
is past now ! I can put my trust in my God ! It is bet
ter to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
The king hath thrust at me sore that I might perish ;
but the Lord will help me ! I will hasten to pay my
vows to the Lord in his tabernacle, and humble myself
before his footstool ! The Spirit of the Lord is upon mo
to help me, and he hath seen my tears, and will give me
rest and peace ! Farewell ! I go forth weeping, bearing
21

322 THE THROVE OF DAVID; OR,

precious seed, but doubtless I shall come again with re
joicing, bringing my sheaves with me !&quot;

&quot;Truly,&quot; answered the prince, &quot;the Highest will per
fect that which concerneth thee ! I know the Lord will
preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this
time forevermore ! And when thou art in power, forget
not to befriend my father s house ! Go in peace, my
brother ! May thy house and my house forever be ever
as Jonathan and David !&quot;

&quot; May my name be cast out as evil, may I become as
Moab, and base as Ammon, ere I forget my vow to
thee, about thee and thine,&quot; answered the houseless
wanderer, receiving and granting prayers, as if he were
already seated upon the throne of the kingdom, and
Jonathan stood a suppliant at his footstool.

A few more words of tender est affection, and the two
friends folded each other in a final embrace ; and, silently
disengaging themselves, they separated; David going
away by the path which led to the hills, and the prince,
(after following him with longing looks of love, as the
wanderer often glanced affectionately back to him,)
slowly, and with a heavy heart, re-entered the city.

Such, your majesty, was the last interview and part
ing of these two noble friends ! In all the history of
the past such a pure and unselfish friendship is un
known ! On the part of each, it was surpassing the love
of women ! How tender, how delicate, how full of sweet
and holy dignity was their attachment ! If one is to be
preferred before the other, perhaps the prince deserves
the highest admiration ; for he loved him, who, he knew,
was to deprive him of his throne ! loved him whom his
father hated ! loved him homeless, wandering, outcast !

THE REBELLION OF P1UXCE ABSALOM. 823

trusted in him in his humiliation as his future monarch,
and with a beautiful faith, plead for his kindly care over,
and lasting protection of his mother, his brothers,
and sisters, and all near and dear to them and to him
self ! What august trust, what deathless love, what sub
lime hope, what god-like humility ! Worthy was such a
prince to rule in his father s stead ! but the inexorable
law of the God of the Hebrews, written on the sacred
tablets of Moses, kept in their holy Ark, reads, &quot; The
sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.&quot;
This virtuous prince is therefore sacrificed for the guilt
of his father ; and even his children s children may feel
the evil consecjuences of the fierce and impious king s
folly, sacrilege, and pride of heart ! Already has the
first blow been struck, as your majesty will by and by
learn as you proceed in the perusal of my narrative.

But the trials of this prince of God, David the son of
Jesse, on account of Saul, were not yet over ; for when
he had reached the strong place called Nob, over against
Jerusalem on the north, to which place the tabernacle,
or high temple of the Hebrews, had recently been re
moved by Saul, and which hence became the centre of
the national worship, Ahimelech feared to receive him for
dread of the king s anger.

This temple had been constructed by Moses when in
the wilderness, and after a pattern sent down from hea
ven, taken from a celestial house, in which dwelt from
eternity God himself ! This temple was erected to be the
palace for the visible presence of their God, as their
KING, and also as the place for the people to worship
before Him ! I have already alluded to it in a previous

324 THE TilllONE OF DAVID; OR,

letter to your majesty. Its magnificence was, and is,
(for it still exists, though every seven years its hangings
are renewed with undiminished splendor,) of the most
novel and elaborate description. It was constructed in
all its particulars with the greatest care, as every part
answered, said Moses, to something in heaven. The
costliness of it was incalculable, and defrayed by the vol
untary gifts of the Israelites, who brought out of Egypt
spoils in jewels of gold, and jewels of silver, and precious
stones, of untold wealth, given them by their Lord, who
surrendered to them the riches of the people of Egypt.
The architects were divinely inspired. I will describe
to your majesty this wonderful movable temple which I
saw when I was here a few years ago. Nob is but twelve
miles from this place, Bethlehem, where I now sojourn.
I copy from a description which I wrote at the time for
your majesty, and now have by me: It is pitched like a
pavilion within the castle of Nob, upon a broad area, en
closed by the dwellings of the priests ; the chief of which
is the Palace of Ahimelech, now occupied by his son
Abiathar, who hospitably received me, and suffered me to
see as much of the sacred structure as was permitted to a
stranger. A space one hundred and fifty feet in length,
and seventy-five feet in breadth, is enclosed on the four
sides by beautiful brazen pillars, eight feet in height, ten
at the ends, and twenty at the sides, sixty in all, richly
filleted with silver. From pillar to pillar extend rods,
from which hang fine twined linen curtains to the ground.
This parallelogram, thus curtained, stands east and west.
The entrance is on the east, from the rising sun, and on
this end the curtains are of blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and pure white linen. Crossing the soft verdure of the
plain, which is kept spotlessly clean, and is as a carpet

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 325

of velvet to the tread of the sandal, I was conducted by a
youthful Levite of the family of Abiathar, to this eastern
entrance, beyond and over which, in the interior, ap
peared the Divine Tabernacle, or Temple. Leaving my
eandals with a Levite at the entrance, another drew up
with silken cords the brilliant curtains for our admission
into the court, enclosed by the sixty pillars. Here I
stood, and contemplated with religious awe the spectacle
before me !

Immediately in front of the entrance, and near the
centre of the vast area, stood the brazen altar of burnt-
offering. It was between six and seven feet in length,
and four and a half feet high, overlaid with massive
plates of brass, with brazen-plated horns affixed one at
each corner. The perpetual fire which had been kindled
five hundred years before, by a torch lighted for Moses
for this purpose by the angel Gabriel, at the altar of
heaven when the Jewish lawgiver was in the mount of
God at Horeb, burned thereupon, fed night and day with
fragrant wood by attending priests. As I looked, a lamb
just slain was placed upon the sacred fire, and the dark
red smoke of the burnt-offering rolled high above the
heads of the priests, and was borne away by the wind
over the top of the outer wall of the curtained taberna
cle, to mingle with the sombre cloud which almost con
stantly hung about the towers of Nob, rendering the
&quot; city of sacrifice&quot; distinguishable all the country round
as the &quot;pavilion of God.&quot;

I was permitted to go near and examine the altar.
It was hollow, so that the ashes of the wood that burned
on the iron bars upon which the lamb or bullock was
laid, foil through the grate into a huge pan beneath.

326 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

leaving the roasted sacrifice upon the top. Every morn
ing and evening the attending Levites in linen tunics,
who are the servants of the priests and of the altar,
and taken from a tribe set apart by Moses for these holy
duties, draw out this pan of ashes and empty it on the out
side of the tabernacle. For the service there were placed
by the altar shovels of brass, and tongs, and brazen
hooks to turn the victim on the fire, and vessels to re
ceive the blood as it poured from the wound in the victim
made by the sacrificial knife of the officiating priest, who
is of necessity to be a descendant of the High Priest
Aaron. The eldest son of this consecrated family, in
succession through the ages, takes this lofty rank by right
of birth ! All the other priests are descended from
Aaron also, but by younger sons. The Levites are men
who are sprung from Levi, and of the same tribe with
Aaron, kindred of the priests, but inferior to them in
rank, being forbidden to sacrifice or offer incense, but
only to serve the priests and tabernacle. The priests
are in number many hundreds, and serve by companies
or courses morning and evening, while the Levites are
numbered by thousands. [The High Priest, at the time
of my visit, was Abiathar, also called Ben-Ahimelech,
being the son of Ahimelech, who was priest when I was
last in Judea, and whose tragic death I have yet to
record.]

Upon this high altar a holocaust of sacrifices bleed con
tinually, nor ceases the flow of innocent blood for the
sins of men from morning until evening. As with us,
a part of the victim is sacred to God, a part given to the
priest, and the rest of the flesh distributed among the
families of the priests by His command. Upon the altar

T1IE REBELLION OF PKINCB ABSALOM. 327

four kinds of sacrifices are offered, termed burnt-offer
ings, sin-offerings, trespass-offerings, and peace-offerings.*
The first three are expiatory : that is, make atonement
for the transgressions of those who bring the victims
The poured-forth blood of these sacrifices is solemnly
consecrated to the Lord of heaven to be an expiation
for the soul, to which end He has pledged himself to re
ceive it. The peace-offering is a thankful sacrifice to
God for benefits. There are free-will or voluntary
offerings that depend on the heart and piety of the giver ;
and obligatory offerings, such as, the presentation of the
first sheaf, the first lamb, the first fruit of any increase,
with the natural tithes and sin-offerings. No one can
avoid these last two without guilt and punishment.
Wine, oil, bread, salt, and many things are offered to the
Lord by this religious people ; and, as every thing offered
must be laid upon the altar by the priest, the concourse
of worshipers to the tabernacle is every day very great,
and the immense numbers of priests on duty hardly suf
fice to serve them. This is emphatically a worshiping
nation ! Their whole life and polity revolve around the
altar ! Sacrifice is the centre of their system.

Their most extraordinary sacrifice is that of the Great
Day of Expiation. The High Priest, on this occasion,
oathes with unusual attention to purity of person, invests
himself in a plain robe of white linen as a &quot;penitent,&quot;
laying aside his purple robe and ephod of office ; as first
he is to expiate his own sins as a man, before he can offer
as High Priest the Great Expiation for the nation. With
solemnity he now approaches the high altar, and a bullock
and a ram being brought before him, he lays his hands
* Vide first seven chapters of Leviticus.

328 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

upon the heads of the victims, at the sanle time confess
ing his sins and those of his priestly house, by which act
it is supposed that his sins and those of the priests, by
virtue of a fore-gone covenant between their God and
them, are transferred to the heads of the brutes about to
be slain ! He then slays with the sacrificial sword these
sin-laden victims, whose blood poured out unto the Lord
is to expiate the sins of the order of the priesthood.

The High Priest is now regarded holy, his sins all
washed away by the blood of the victim, and he is now
ready, without sin, to offer sacrifice acceptable to God
for the people. Two of the most venerable elders of the
nation hereupon bring him two goats, which are to be
victims in behalf of the whole nation. Both of them,
however, are not to bleed. Lots are cast by the priests
to ascertain which of the two is to be slain.

But, before I proceed to describe to your majesty one
of the most remarkable features of this sacrificial expia
tion, I will narrate what I further beheld within the four
linen walls of the tabernacle. Passing reverently the
altar of burnt-offering, I came to a gigantic Laver of
elaborate workmanship standing upon brazen feet of
lions. Its sides were of brass, so brightly polished that
they served the priests for mirrors wherein to see to re
arrange their disordered costume when they came there
to wash after sacrificing. Here several priests were en
gaged performing their ablutions preparatory to sacri
ficing, who regarded me with no surprise, as I was attired
like the Levites, and hence attracted no particular atten
tion in the vast concourse which moved in and out and
through the court of the tabernacle.

After passing the magnificent Laver, I saw before me,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 329

about fifty feet distant, the front of the inner or true
Tabernacle of God ; for where I now stood was but the
enclosure or court of sacrifice, enclosed to veil by the
range of curtains the priests and their offices from the
common eye. But the real TEMPLE was within this great
court and before me ! It was about ten cubits or eigh
teen feet broad in front, and as many high, extending
back thirty cubits to the west curtain of the court of the
tabernacle. It had the appearance of a long and narrow
pavilion, with five pillars in front overlaid with plates of
gold, and fixed in sockets of silver. Across these five
costly pillars was partly drawn aside a magnificently em
broidered curtain of the richest colors, 2;ivin, between the

O O 7

columns, a glimpse at the dark and mysterious interior.
Nearer to it than where I then stood I was not permitted
to advance, as its sacred vicinity is forbidden to every
foot except that of a certain class of priests. It is called
the Sanctuary, the peculiar abode of the Hebrew s God
on earth, and where he makes his Presence visible by a
bright flame which floats mid air above the inmost altar
of its most secret chamber. Once in a year only does
a human tread awake its solemn echoes, when the High
Priest on the Day of Expiation enters it alone !

Unlike the outer curtained wall of the tabernacle, this
lesser temple within it is enclosed by four curtains hang
ing over side walls of fragrant wood closely ceiled, save
at the entrance, where, for these closed sides, stand the
five columns with open spaces between. &quot; Of these four
curtains,&quot; said my guide, describing the forbidden temple
to me, &quot;the first and inner one is composed of fine linen,
richly embroidered by the cunning art of needle-work
with figures of Cherubim, (that is, your majesty, winged

330 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

gods,) in exquisitely arranged shades of blue, purple,
and scarlet. This magnificent curtain not only hangs
along the two sides and western end, but it extends over
head, forming the expanded ceiling as well as the walls,
and &quot;a gorgeous and glorious inner roof does this exten
sion make with its tasteful borders and the beautiful
central figures. This inner covering of the sacred tent
is all covered by a curtain of closely woven goats hair to
exclude from it dust and damp, by a third of carefully
dressed leather of rams skins dyed red, and by a fourth
of skins skillfully prepared to shed rain, also colored in
the richest manner, and lending to this singular temple
an aspect of novel magnificence. The front before which
I stood had separate curtains of the most beautiful em
broidery, which could be raised for admission or lowered
so as to rest upon the ground.

The interior of this celestial pavilion is divided into
two apartments, by means of four pillars of precious
wood, overlaid with plates of gold, and standing in
sockets of silver. Upon these pillars is hung a heavy
and ample veil of blue, purple, ^and scarlet fine-twined
linen. The outer apartment of the pavilion occupies
two-thirds of the interior area, and is called the &quot; Holy
Place;&quot; while the remaining lesser space is named, (ever
spoken by Hebrews with awe,) the &quot;HOLY of HOLIES.&quot;
This sacred interior chamber ever remains in myste
rious darkness, save the soft illumination which perpetually
glows within, beaming from a visible Glory resting above
the altar, whereby their God manifests his awful presence.
This holy Light is said, by some, to appear like a lam
bent flame; by others, like a serene star; by others, like
a fiery blaze ; but no man has ever beheld it save the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 331

High Priest, whose lips are forever sealed as to what he
beholds in that dreadful and glorious sanctuary the
visible terrestrial throne of God. Thus much, however,
is known that the splendor or obscurity of this presence
of fire within the Holy of Holies, is affected by the
holiness or wickedness of the nation ; hence, at times it
may blaze like angry lightning, or shine suhdued and
soft like the evening star. This glorious visible mani
festation is said, by Abiathar, to be the continuation of
the divine presence of the Pillar of Fire ; which once, a
column of splendor rising above the Ark of the Covenant,
lighted up the whole camp of Israel in the wilderness,
now, with lesser star-like glory, limited to the inner sanc
tuary of this Most Holy Place, is still shining above
the same ARK of the Covenant.

Are not these wonderful mysteries, your majesty ?
How sublime, how awe-inspiring the idea that this lamp
of God has continued to burn since it took the form of
the fiery Pillar until now in the luminous Shechinah ! and
will shine on from generation to generation as a token
of their God s presence with them, &quot;unless,* as the High
Priest sorrowfully said to me, &quot; the nation forgets God
and commits gross iniquity, when the divine light will
suddenly go out and leave the inner temple in darkness
forever.&quot;

There is, your majesty, believed to be a prophecy
which pronounces that such extinction will take place at
the close of a period of seven hundred years from the
first king that reigns over Israel. That after more than
three hundred years of darkness and humiliation, there
shall descend an angel from the upper heaven, bearing a
star, with which he will alight upon one of the hills of

332 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

Bethlehem, when the last Prince of the House of Israel
shall then be an infant in its cradle, who will rise, and
by inspiration, seize it from the hand of the angel, and
suddenly entering the temple, once more light up there
with the glory of the inner House, and illuminate the
whole earth with the dazzling splendor of the rekindled
Shechinah.

There being no window, and strictly no door but the
raised curtain on the east front in the tabernacle, and as
in the outer apartment there are services performed at
the Altar of Incense therein by the priests, it is neces
sary to have lights. Moses, therefore, directed to be
made a Candlestick of pure gold with seven branches,
one in the centre, five feet in height, and three on each
side, of similar proportions, with equal spaces between.
They are represented by Abiathar as very elegant in
form, each one adorned with golden flowers, and lilies of
raised work, and with apple-shaped knops, and almonds
of wrought gold. Instead of cups for candles, upon the
end of each branch is a gold lamp. These lamps are fed
with pure olive oil, and lighted every evening at sunset,
and all but the west one extinguished at sunrise by the
priests on duty.

This golden, seven-branched lamp, stands on the left
of one entering the Holy Place, while on the right of the
entrance, is an elegantly shaped table, called the Table
of Shew Bread. Between these two objects, and in front
of the curtained entrance, stands the Altar of Incense !
The seven-branched candlestick is so placed as to throw
its light upon the Altar of Incense, and upon the golden
table of Shew Bread at the right of the entrance. This
beautiful table, which is about three feet and a half long.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 333

and two feet and a half high, is overlaid with plates of
pure gold of Ophir, and a border or crown of gold a
hand breadth high surrounds the top ; and at each cor
ner are four rings of gold, to contain the bars of sacred
wood by which the priests bear it from place to place :
upon it are vessels, and dishes, and spoons of gold.
Upon this table, every seventh day, the Priest places
twelve loaves of unleavened bread, covered with leaves
of gold, the number representing the twelve tribes of
the Hebrew nation, in whose behalf this extraordinary
perpetual offering is made to their Lord. Wine is also
placed as an offering upon the same table, also salt and
incense at certain times. These loaves are separated by
dishes of gold, so that air may come to the bread, and
mould be prevented. Every Sabbath four priests go first
into the Holy Place, and take away the twelve loaves
which have remained there seven days, presented, or
shetvn before the Lord, and other four follow and replace
them instantly with twelve others, hot from the oven :
thus the table is never without bread before the Lord.
The cakes of bread are placed six in a pile near each
end of the table, and between is a richly chased vase
with a golden cover, and containing sweet incense. The
bread removed becomes a portion of the daily bread of
the officiating priest, by whom alone it is lawful to be
eaten. The purpose of keeping this bread in the pres
ence of. and always &quot;shewn to, the Lord,&quot; was in
grateful remembrance of his care in ripening their har
vest : in a word, it may be called a continual thank-
offering, that famine hath not fallen upon the land ; and
is a beautiful and appropriate recognition of the good
providence of their God. Abiathar termed the loaves

334 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; the presence Bread,&quot; because it was always present
before the &quot;Lord of the Harvest.&quot;

The Altar of Incense, which is also called the Golden
Altar, stands farther in from the entrance than the
golden candlestick, and golden table, between which two
the Priest passes to approach the Altar of Incense,
which is very small, being but eighteen inches* square,
and three feet high. It is overlaid with gold, golden
horns project from the corner, connected by an open
work border of gold, the whole very rich and elegant.
Golden rings are also attached to its sides, to hold the
rods by which it is carried by the priests ; for the taber
nacle, temple, altars, tables, and all the furniture apper
taining thereto are portable, and so constructed as to be
taken to pieces and put together again ; and in this man
ner have changed places from city to city several times
since they were first placed at Gilgal, after the crossing
of the Jordan. It was exposed thereby to capture, and
its Ark was, a generation ago, actually seized and carried
off by the Philistines, who, terrified by the judgments it
brought upon them, were glad to send it back. It is in
intention to remove the whole tabernacle once for all to
Jerusalem, when the Jebusites shall be driven out of its
southern castle, which ere long will be effected by him
who now wields the sceptre of this kingdom !

Upon the golden Altar of Incense, the most fragrant
incense is burned morning and evening perpetually.
Neither burnt-offering, meat-offering, nor drink-offering,
is permitted on this Altar, which is never stained with
blood, save but one day in the year, when the High
Priest makes atonement on the great Day of Expiation ;
to whicli subject I shall now soon return, delaying only

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 335

to add a few words about the inner sanctuary, the HOLY
&amp;lt;JF HOLIES, which is ever hidden from mortal eyes, save
on that one Day of Expiation, when the Chief Priest, in
the execution of this, the most solemn and awful duty
of his high office, removes the terrible vail and disap
pears within, and stands alone with God ! What does he
behold therein ?

&quot;With reverence,&quot; says the younger brother of Abm-
thar, who was part of the time my guide, &quot; these holy
things may be spoken of!&quot; From him I learned as fol
lows : In this Most Holy Place are the Ark of the Cove
nant, the Mercy-Seat, and the Cherubim. That won
derful Ark ! That consecrated Coffer, which, borne on
the shoulders of twelve priests, stayed and held back
Jordan &quot;upon an heap,&quot; is preserved behind that myste
rious curtain ! It is a sacred chest three feet and three
quarters in length, and two feet and a quarter in width
and height. It was made in the wilderness under the
eye of Moses, covered with plates of gold, and rimmed
with gold. The lid is a plate of purest gold, seven times
purified, and is termed the MERCY-SEAT, and is the
holiest point on earth I At each end of this golden lid
and upon it, are two figures of glorious heavenly crea
tures called Cherubim, with golden wings, which, as they
face each other inwardly, looking down upon the Ark,
are curved forward, and meet above the Mercy-Seat,
forming a throne, where, in rays of divine splendor ap
pears the mysterious symbol of the Presence of God,
shining in glory unspeakable; illumining the Mercy-Seat
and guarding Cherubim, and filling the secret cham
ber of the Holv cf Holies with light ineffable, before

336 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

which the High Priest veils his eyes, and prostrates him
self with fear and trembling.

Your majesty will pardon me for entering so fully
into this description ; but in order to understand this
people, it is necessary to understand their religion. How
wonderful is their worship ! How sublime, how glo
rious, how dreadful is their God !

Within this Ark are placed a golden vase, in which
is preserved some of the manna or heavenly bread which
sustained their fathers in the wilderness; the divine rod
of their first High Priest, Aaron, which miraculously
budded and blossomed at once, and the two tables of the
Law or Covenant, written with the finger of their God
in the Mount of Horeb ; and hence the appellation of the
sacred chest.

Your majesty will be surprised that a powerful and
opulent people should, for nearly five hundred years, be
contented to worship and sacrifice in a temple of this
frail description ; which, while they were wanderers in
the desert, was appropriate to their circumstances ; but
which, now that they are established in their kingdom,
seems to be illy-adapted to their permanent condition.
But their adherence to it, because the pattern of it was
given them by their God, and it was erected by Moses,
is a beautiful illustration of their piety and reverence
for the old paths in which their fathers walked.

I will now, your majesty, proceed to the completion
of my account of the scenes and acts of the great Day
of Expiation, all of which will now be intelligible to
you,.

When the High Priest, by lot, has ascertained which
of the two goats brought to him is to be sacrificed, he

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 337

receives a censer from an attendant, puts therein burn
ing coals of sacred fire from the Altar of burnt-oifering,
and taking sweet incense in his hand, he solemnly moves
towards the Holy Place alone, while all the priests and
people stand in attitudes of silent reverence.

He enters with awe the outer chamber of the sacred
pavilion of his God, and passing between the golden
Candlestick and table of shew-bread, leaves the Altar of
Incense behind him with its ever-smoking censer thereon,
filling the place with fragrance, and stands before the
mysterious Vail, which, for three hundred and sixty-four
days, no mortal hand has lifted. He pauses, perhaps
turns pale with holy dread, as he slowly raises the cur
tain of God s Holy Abode. He hesitates enters
dares to enter because he is commanded to enter.

If the nation, of which he is High Priest, has been,
the year past obedient and virtuous, he beholds the mys
terious Glory of the Shechinah, enthroned above the
Mercy-Seat, resplendent and serene ; but if the people
have greatly sinned, it shines with a pale light. lie
hastens immediately to cast the incense from his hand
upon the coals of fire in the censer, the smoke of which
at once ascends and covers the Mercy-Seat, and veils
the glory of God above it, or he would die with the
sight. Having thus by the offering of incense filled the
holy sanctuary with the sacred and sweet fragrance ac-
.ceptable to his God, he slowly retires and re-appears,
his face and garments all resplendent, before the great
Altar of burnt-offering, on which he had sacrificed the
bullock. With a sacred vessel appertaining to the altar,
he takes up a portion of its blood and returns again to

the Sanctuary, and, going within the Tail, sprinkles it,

338 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

with his finger dipped in the blood, before the Mercy*
Seat, seven times. He now returns a second time to
the Great Altar, and taking the one of the two goats
which is to be slain, he sacrifices it thereon. When this
is done, all the priests leave the tabernacle, he alone re
maining. The blood of the goat he now puts in a sacred
vessel, and bears it into the inner Sanctuary, and sprinkles
it seven times, also before the Ark and the Mercy-Soat,
and before the Lord of Glory. Thence he returns to the
court of the Tabernacle, sprinkling the sides of it as he
comes, in order to purify it with the blood of the goat.
Then advancing to the High Altar, he wets the four
golden horns thereof with the blood of the young bul
lock and of the goat, and sprinkles it seven times there
with.

The Sanctuary, the Court, and the Altar of burnt-
offering being thus purified, the priests, who are not per
mitted to remain during these ceremonies of purification,
are re-admitted ; and, at his command, the other goat is now
brought to him. In the most impressive manner he puts
his hand on its head, and aloud confesses his own sins
and the sins of the people thereon, thereby solemnly af
fixing to the victim their personal guilt. The goat, thus
accursed with bearing the transgressions of a whole
nation, is handed over to a base person, who is angrily
driven forth with it to the desert, where he is to let it
escape. The High Priest, in the meanwhile, puts off
his penitential garments, bathes again at the Laver of
the Tabernacle, and resuming his robe of purple, hia
ephod, and other insignia of his rank, sacrifices two
rams, and offers them smoking to heaven, one as a burnt-
offering for himself, and the other for the nation. Thus

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 3C9

terminates, your majesty, the chief ceremonies of the
great Day of Expiation which is also held as a day of
rest and of rigid fast by all the people.

&quot;There is a profound and divine signification to all
these extraordinary rites,&quot; says Abiathar. &quot;They teach
symbolically that, in the coming ages, a wonderful man
with two natures, (symbolized by the two goats,) divine
and human, shall appear in Israel to deliver the nation
from a great bondage into which it will fall. In his
human nature he will consent to die for the guilt of the
people, to reconcile them to God, and will be slain by the
High Priest as the goat was ; but in his divine nature he
will live, receive upon his head the sins of the world, and
carry them forever away in his own person, so that they
shall no more be found to appear against men !

&quot; His blood as man, he will sprinkle before the Mercy-
Seat in the Upper Heaven, to make atonement to God
there in the celestial Holy of Holies for his people; and
in his divine nature he will ever stand before the Ark of
the Covenant in Heaven, to make prayers, offer incense,
and intercede for the whole earth ! For his reward he
will be crowned King of all kings, inspired above all
Prophets, and invested with the High Priesthood of the
Great Temple of God in Heaven, of which the Tabernacle
and its Sanctuary here below are but the faint type and

image !&quot;

Such, your majesty, is a brief outline of the record I
made three years ago, and which I have here carefully
copied for you, of the chief religious ceremonies of this re
markable people, where all is done, not so much for itself, as
to typify something yet in the future far more glorious !

I will, in my next letter, your majesty, return to tho

340 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OB,

fortunes of the fugitive young shepherd David, who,
flying from the persecution of King Saul, bent his steps
towards the sacred city of the Tabernacle, to seek shelter
at its altar, and protection from its High Priest, the
venerable Ahimelech ; for in all lands there is a sacred
right associated with the Sanctuary, that human power,
however lawless, has never ceased to recognize and re
spect.

Your faithful friend and cousin,

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 3-il

LETTER XI.

ARBACES TO THE KING OF ASSYRIA.

BETHLEHEM, PALACE OF JOAB.

YOUR MAJESTY:

.THE brief visit alluded to in my last letter, which
three years since I paid to the Holy City of Nob, gave
me a deeper insight into the Hebrew people, than I
have derived from all my former experiences and ob
servations. As I left the house of Abiathar to return
to Bethlehem, the perpetual holocaust of the lamb sacri
ficed every morning, (and a lamb also every evening,) was
just slain and laid upon the altar, slowly to consume by
a low-kept fire all day, that the smoke of the burnt-
offering might continually ascend to appease the Powers
of heaven. The officiating priest had poured the cup of
wine on the victim, emptied his vase of pure oil upon its
head, and sprinkled its body with the finest flour, when
Abiathar came forth from the Tabernacle and joined me,
saying he would walk with me a few furlongs on my
way. Were I to record, your majesty, his interesting
conversation, I should give you a history of all the rites
and ceremonies of the Hebrews ; but as I intend only to
narrate what will afford you such information as will
enable you to have an intelligent appreciation of this
people, I shall not repeat any of his words. I will.

342 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

therefore, return to the friend of Prince Jonathan, in
whose varied fortunes I know you take a deep interest.

David had proceeded but a few miles on his way to
wards Nob, which is thirty miles north of Hebron, when
he came to a grove of palms, under which was a well.
Here, seeing only maidens with their pitchers, he ap
proached, and sat down to rest a little ways off in the
shade. Two of the virgins, who dwelt in a village close
at hand, who came to the well for water, after observing
him a little while, spoke together, and then blushingly
drew near him, one who was about sixteen, carrying her
pitcher, and the other, a lovely child of fourteen, holding
in her hand a basket of dates and figs, which she had
just gathered not far off to take to her home. The
youngest and most beautiful of the two, smiling with a
kind benevolent expression in her soft eye, said,

&quot; Young stranger, you look tired, and I dare say have
traveled far ! Will you eat some of these very nice dates
and figs?&quot;

The older girl, all confusion and less self-possessed
than the other, then let down her pitcher of water from
her head, and said, with charming embarrassment, in which
kindness struggled sweetly with maiden bashfulness :

&quot; You have no pitcher. Will you drink from mine,
Bir?&quot;

The young wanderer and exile flying for his life, and
feeling sad and desolate, was touched by this unlooked-
for kindness in these beautiful strangers, and answered,
with a vain effort to keep back his tears :

u The Lord hath sent you as he sent of old his angels
to our father Jacob. I accept the dates, for I am hun
gry, and will drink the water, for I am thirsty!&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 343

When he had refreshed himself, he asked their names.

&quot;I,&quot; said the taller and older maiden, &quot;am called
Abigail, and dwell in this village.&quot;

&quot;But,&quot; said the other, archly, &quot;she will not long
dwell there, for she is betrothed to rich young Nabal of
Judah, and is soon to be married and go to Mount Car-
mel to dwell.&quot;

&quot;Nay, but thou art forward to give thy informa
tion, Bathsheba,&quot; said the comely young woman with
crimson cheeks; and covering her face with her veil
she hid her confusion from the eyes of the handsome
shepherd.

&quot;Thy name is Bathsheba, then?&quot; he asked of the
smiling little maid.

&quot; Yes, daughter of Ammiel, sir !&quot; she answered. &quot;What
is thy name?&quot;

&quot; David !&quot; he replied ; and seeing horsemen approach
ing he rose to go, thanking the two young maidens, and
promising he should always recollect their kindness.

He walked rapidly on, thinking of the pleasant inter
view, until he came to an eminence whence, looking back,
he saw that the three men who had stopped awhile at
the well w r ere galloping towards him. He hastened to
the rocks for concealment, when he recognized in the
leading rider one of his own body-guard, who waved his
hand to him. The fugitive stopped until three young
men of his acquaintance came up to him, and, all alight
ing, each one saluted him with friendly warmth and re
spect. The eldest was a graceful and intelligent young
man, called Ahithophel, famous for his wit and scholar
ship, as well as for his attachment to David ; the next, a
brave soldier and captain of horse, named Uriah of Heth,

344 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

a dark, handsome young man, with Canaanitish blood in
his veins, but a Hebrew from choice, who had fought
thrice against the Philistines under David in his late
battles, and admired him with true military devotion.
The third was a kind-hearted, devoted, and courageous
Hebrew youth, Hushai, who greatly esteemed David for
his bravery and virtues, though he was not a soldier him
self, only a rich, young citizen of Hebron, son of the
chief lord of the king s treasury.

All three knew of Saul s persecution of David, and
were indignant, and felt for him ; and when they heard
from Prince Jonathan that he had fled from the king,
they consulted together and agreed to follow him and
join their fortunes to his. When David learned that
they had come after him for this kind purpose, he would
have sent them back, but they would not be prevailed
upon to leave him ; and as one of them, Uriah, had,
thoughtfully, brought along with him David s own horse,
one of the two presented to him by me, the young exile
mounted the noble animal, and, gratefully acknowledging
their kindness, thankfully accepted their company and
protection, which, as they were all three well armed, was
not to be despised.

The four mounted men now rode rapidly forward.
Said Uriah, as he galloped along by his friend David s
side:

u It was by the information of two little maidens at
the well we knew that you were in advance of us, noble
captain. Upon my inquiring if such a person as thyself
had been seen, the younger replied that a young stranger
had been there, and asked if the person we sought waa
named David? I replied that it was his name. She

THE REBELLION OF PKLXCE ABSALOM. 345

then said, If you are his friends, I will tell you which
way he went ; but if his enemies, I will not open my lips,
for he is so good and looked so brave, and yet so sad,
too, and he is so handsome! I assured the beautiful
little girl that we were your friends, and had brought
the fine horse which I led for you to ride. She then
told me the way you had taken. I was so pleased with
the lovely and vivacious maid that I asked her name,
and when she told me she was the daughter of Ammiel,
I claimed her as my remote kinswoman, as Ammiel is
my mother s second cousin. The little virgin would
have stolen my heart had she been three years older,&quot;
added the blunt, manly young soldier, with a smile ; &quot; as
it was, I gave her a piece of my silver chain, and told her,
smilingly, not to forget the man-at-arms, Uriah, the Ilit-
tite, who would one day come from the wars and woo
her!&quot;

Thus the party rode on, each one trying by conversa
tion to cheer up the spirits of their beloved captain and
honored friend, until they had passed Bethlehem, and
got into the deep valley under the castle of the Jebusites.
Here they were about to be met by a party of the king s
troops, to escape the notice of which, they turned back
and remained in the hills of Bethlehem all night. The
next morning, they found that the whole country was
full of armed parties searching for David by the command
of Saul. The four friends, therefore, prudently resolved
to remain among the mountains and keep concealed
during the day. The following night, they made secretly
a circuit around Jerusalem on the cast side, and remained
in Mount Ephraim that day. The next night, by the
light of the moon, they came under the walls of the holy

346 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

city of Nob. Here they were compelled to remain until
the sunrise-trumpet sounded for opening the gateSj when,
weary, hungry, and thirsty, having been for two days
and two nights without food, they entered the city. As
they were riding towards the house of Ahimelech, the
Chief Priest, Ahithophel suddenly cried, &quot; Do I not be
hold Doeg, the Edomite, the king s armor-bearer ?&quot;

David, looking up, saw the man named, crossing the
square of the Tabernacle with two men by his side. Their
backs were to him ; but he at once feared that Saul had
sent him to take him even there ; and, bidding his com
panions follow him, he galloped on quickly to the front
of the Tabernacle, leaped from his horse, and entered the
curtained door of the House of God, leaving his friends,
who had nothing to apprehend, without to wait for him.
At the moment, there were present within the Taberna
cle, only the two priests which kept the fire alive upon
the grate underneath the lamb laid upon the Altar of
burnt- offering. David drew near, and taking firm hold
of one of the horns of the altar, lifted up his voice in a
divinely inspired hymn :

&quot; He that dwelleth in the secret place
Of the Most High,
Shall abide under the shadow
Of the Almighty.
The Lord is my refuge
And my fortress ;

He will cover me with his feathers,
And under his wings will I trust.&quot;

&quot;Who art thou, and whence comest thou ?&quot; demanded
one of the priests ; &quot; and from whom dpst thou seek sanc
tuary?&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 847

At this moment, David, perceiving the venerable High
Priest standing by the door of the inner Tabernacle, and
recognizing him by his robes and ephod, hastened to him
and said, kneeling down before him :

&quot; Holy Father, I have sought shelter in the House of
God, and at His altar, from the anger of a foe who seeks
my life.&quot;

&quot; Thou shalt have it ! Who art thou, my son ?&quot; asked
AJhimelech, regarding the prostrate youth with interest,
as he raised him from the ground.
&quot; David, the son of Jesse !&quot;

&quot; The Champion of Israel !&quot; he exclaimed. &quot; Rise to
thy feet ! I have heard much of thee, young man ! Why
art thou here alone ? Art thou not a chief captain of
thousands in the king s army? Why, and from whom
shouldst thou flee in this* way? Hast thou fallen out
with the king ? I have heard that he loves thee not ! I
trust it is not from him thou tliest hither !&quot;

David perceived by this that the High Priest feared
Saul, and that it would not be prudent to let him know
the truth. He, therefore, evaded the question, and said
quickly, &quot; I am hungry, I and three of my men at the
gate ; for I am not alone. Wilt thou give me to eat ?
What food hast thou here ? Give me four or five loaves,
or what thou hast, for me and mine.&quot;

u I have no common bread that thou mayest eat, save
only the twelve loaves of shew-bread just taken away from
the golden table and replaced by the hot loaves. I was
about to bear them to distribute to the House of the
Priests. It is only lawful for the priests and their houses
to eat of them ; but as thou and those that are with thee
are hungered, and thou lookest famished and wearv, I

348 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OH,

will give of them to thee if thou art not this day, nor foi
the past three days, legally defiled.&quot;

He then commanded his son Abiathar to give to the
fugitive of the stale shew-bread, which was not now al
together as holy as when it stood upon the table of the
Lord, being ordained to be eaten by the priests, and even
their wives and children. David at once hastened to
give the bread to his three friends before breaking it for
himself. Outside of the entrance of the court of the Ta
bernacle, as he stood therein to call to his companions,
he beheld, to his dismay, the dark and ill-visaged Doeg
standing talking with Uriah, whom he well knew. The
Edomite, who was a &quot; proselyte of justice&quot; to the Hebrew
faith, had come to the Tabernacle four days before, not
only to dispose of bullocks and lambs for the temple ;
being chief lord of Saul s herds, but to perform a vow,
and knew not of the flight of David ; nor did he suspect
but that the three young men were there also to fulfill
some vow ; nor did they undeceive him. When, there
fore, he turned and saw David, laden with the sacred
loaves, call to them, he looked amazed and began to sus
pect something wrong. He was too profound a dissem
bler, however, to betray his suspicions, and saluting Da
vid with his usual cold dislike, he entered the Taberna
cle. There he learned that David had sought sanctuary.
The same hour, news of his flight, brought by messengers
of the king, reached him.

David was greatly troubled at seeing Saul s potent
servant there ; and after satisfying his hunger, he re
turned into the Tabernacle and said to Ahimelech,

&quot; Is there not in thy possession spear or sword ? for
I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 349

me, for I came from Hebron in haste. I will go forward
on my way !

&quot; Here is the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom
thou slewest in the valley of Elah ; behold it was sent
hither from Jerusalem last week by command of the
king, with other weapons of the foe. It is here wrapped
in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that,
take it ; for there is no other save that here !&quot;

&quot; There is none like that ; give it me !&quot; answered
David gladly; for he feared Doeg s evil eye, and resolved
to arm himself against his treachery. He knew, also,
that Saul s men-at-arms had reached Nob in pursuit of
him ; but Ahimelech was yet ignorant of it.

As soon as he received the sword he went out, and
feeling that he might compromise before Saul the timid
High Priest by remaining in sanctuary with him, he re
joined his friends, and the four left the city at full speed,
and just in time to escape being shut in by the closing
gates ; for Doeg had been busy with the captain of the
place, and persuaded him to hasten to detain David that
he might be taken ; for the fierce Edomite, David well
knew, would not have hesitated to have taken him from
the very horns of the Altar of the Sanctuary.

When they had ridden hard two leagues westward,
they came into the passes of Mount Ephraim, and wind
ing up the hills, they at length reached a summit, from
which was visible the country of the Philistines.

&quot;My own land is unsafe for me,&quot; said David as he
regarded it; &quot;this land of the Philistines cannot be more
so!&quot;

&quot;My chief,&quot; said Uriah the Hittite, &quot;thou knowest
I am bv descent from the ancient Canaanites allied to

350 THE THROVE OF DAVID; OR,

these Philistines. I have friends in their land. Trust
yourself rather to strangers than to your countrymen,
whose hands are armed for your life ! Let my lord
David go hence into the Philistine country. The King
of Gath is Achish, who is a very generous person, and
brave, and knoweth how to receive and extend hospital
ity to a brave adversary who seeks his court, especially
to a man flying from Saul, who is his dreaded enemy!&quot;
David, after a little reflection, resolved to take shelter ir
the land of his hereditary foes ; and the party descend-
ing the mountain rode south-westwardly in the direction
of Gath.

Behold, your majesty, this young hero, who had done
only good to his king and country, thus compelled to
fly from it, because the very good he had done had
aroused the fears and jealousy of its chief recipient,
Saul. What a sad spectacle to see virtuous and noble
acts of good men bring them into sorrow, as if they had
been foes instead of benefactors to mankind ! Truly did
Samuel the Seer say in my long interview with him at
Ramah :

&quot; Such, Prince Arbaces, is the ingratitude of man,
that if the God of the Universe should leave his throne
and take the human form, and go about on earth bless
ing and healing, and even proving his Godhead by rais
ing the dead, the envy and hatred of man would com
pass his death, if so divine a person could come under
the laws of death !&quot;

Alas ! without question the Hebrew prophet s words
would be verified, were it possible to have their truth
tested.

When David reached the gates of Gath, where Goliath

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. S51

dwelt, he was received by the magnificent barbarian king
with frankness and hospitality ; for the Philistine re
joiced to have so powerful a warrior taken from Saul,
and added to himself. These people, being a nation of
warriors, respect valor as the greatest of virtues ; and
although David had slain their champion, the king ad
mired so greatly his courage, that he preferred rather to
pay him honor than avenge the death of Goliath and
others upon him. He therefore offered him the com
mand of a thousand men, and felt proud of having so
brave a soldier in his service.

A few days afterwards, as David rode by the side of
the King of Gath, who displayed his armies before him,
some of the captains and lords of the Philistines mur
mured, and said, in his hearing :

&quot; Is not this the warrior chief of the Hebrews ? Is
he not a mightier king in Israel than Saul? Is not this
he of whom they sang one to another when he had slain
our champion, and bore his head to their temple to
offer it to his God, as if it were a bullock s head, say
ing, Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten
thousands ! What doth he here, riding by the king s
side?&quot;

These words troubled David and his friends. They
saw, after a few days more, that they produced an evil
effect upon the king, who grew less cordial to him, and
regarded him with less honor than before, and even set
spies upon him ! At length, the constant excitement
and anxiety to which he was a prey, combined with his
forced exile from his country and from his father s house,
from his beloved and beautiful young wife, and from hia
friend Jonathan, with the weight of the undeserved an-

352 THE THHONE OF DAVID; OR,

ger of King Saul all these causes operating upon a
body fatigued by his wandering, and upon a mind singu
larly sensitive and of the finest organization, threw him
suddenly into a wild fever. The king, yet ignorant of
his sickness, and led to believe he had come to Gath as a
spy from Saul, under pretence of having been driven
away by him, sent the captain of his guard to bring him
before him as a prisoner, as he resolved to put him to
death. The officer found the young Hebrew raving with
delirium, and the foam of his mouth sprinkling his beard,
while to the demand of the captain he would madly write
upon the gate with his finger, and laugh unmeaningly.
They led him before Achish, who no sooner beheld him
in this pitiable condition, than he cried :

&quot; Lo, ye see the man is mad ! Wherefore then have
ye brought him to me ? Have I need of madmen that
ye have brought this Hebrew to play the madman in my
presence, and into my palace? Take him hence !&quot;

The next day, at evening, the fever left him, and his
three friends, fearing for his safety before the king when
he should recover, fled out of Gath with him that night.
Holding him upon his horse between them they rode
swiftly until they recrossed the border of Judah, and
came to a wood in which was the cave of Adullam wherein
Joshua slew its defeated king. To this cave the three
young men conveyed David, it being very secluded, and
also, from its elevated position in the rocks, easily de
fended, and its approaches readily commanded by the
eye. Here they made him a bed of skins, and, while
Uriah kept guard at the mouth of the cave, Ahithophel
remained by his side, and Hushai sought food from the
villages or by hunting. Here they remained until he

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 353

became perfectly well and strong, and fresh in heart and
spirits. His brothers and others of his household were
secretly informed of his abode, and came well-armed to
him, besides several of his friends, and the friends of
Uriah and Hushai, so that in six weeks after he had fled
from Gath, he found himself at the head of seventy men,
five of them his brothers, all well-armed, and ready to
defend him against Saul. In the meanwhile, the king
ceased not to hunt for him throughout all the realm, and
his wrath was greatly increased against him when he
heard that he had fled to the court and protection of his
enemy, Achish ; and it is said, that the real cause of the
coolness of the Philistine monarch was produced by Doeg,
the Edomite, who had been sent to Gath to whisper that
David was artfully there as Saul s spy upon its strong
holds. When, therefore, Saul heard that his victim had
escaped death from Achish, and had been seen in Judea
again, he offered large rewards for his capture.

This vengeance of the Hebrew king against an inno
cent person created a strong feeling of sympathy for
David, and when it became known that he was fortified
at the rock of Adullam, not far from Hebron, numbers
nocked to him, not only of his friends who had fought
in Saul s service with him, but men of all classes ! In a
few days he was captain of four hundred men, among
them certain debtors and dissolute persons, who fled to
him, supposing he would protect them from their credi
tors for their service to him in his adversity. But he sent
them away, indignantly answering, &quot; he was not become
an adversary to the laws of the realm, though persecuted
by its king, nor had his misfortunes made him of neces
sity a companion of the base. I arn not at war with

354 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

my people,&quot; he said to them, &quot;nor do I intend to take
cities from the king that such persons should corns to
gather yourselves unto me !&quot;

Word was now brought David secretly from Jonathan,
that Saul, despairing of capturing him, had resolved tc
seize upon the persons of his aged parents at Bethlehem,
and hold them as hostages until he should come and de
liver himself up.

&quot;Place them in security, my friend,&quot; were the con
cluding words of Jonathan s message, brought by the lad
who had gathered the prince s arrows, &quot; and with all
diligence, for to-morrow night I fear it will be too late.
Providentially my father does nothing without informing
me of his intentions, and hence I am able to do thee and
thine this service, yet without injuring him. May the
Lord bless you and guard you from all peril, and in his
good time give you peace and safety. My heart is with
you, I weep for and with you, but I am powerless be
tween my affection for you, and my duty to my king and
father. Miclial mourns in silence your absence, and
trembles when a messenger approaches the palace, lest
he bring tidings that evil hath befallen you ! I enclose
from her hand an epistle for you, wetted more bounti
fully with tears than with ink.&quot;

The same hour David rose up, and taking three hun
dred men with him, leaving Uriah with one hundred to
guard their fortified cave, he went to his father s house,
and taking his invalid father and aged mother thence,
he fled with them from Saul across the Jordan to Mizpeh,
a city of the King of Moab. Presenting himself before
the king, he said :

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 8o5

*! pray tbee, king, let my father and my mother
be with you, till I know what God will do for me !&quot;

&quot;Bring hither thy father and mother, David,&quot; an
swered the King of Moab ; &quot; and I will let them dwell
with me ! Was not the warlike Jesse, thy father, known
to my father the king ? Was not his grandmother a
Moabitcss, whom we hold in great honor ? Art thou not
but four removes from us ? Let us be at peace !&quot;

David gladly presented his venerable parents to the
king, who gave them a house near his own palace, and
entreated them for David s sake, as well as their own,
with great favor. At the court of the King of Moab,
was a friend of David, one of the seven prophet Teachers
of Ramah, whom I have already spoken of to your
majesty. His name was Gad, and he was in great favor
with the king, being allied to him by kindred, for the
King of Moab had married a Hebrew woman, and was
friendly to the nation ; but Saul had offended him, and
hence his friendly reception of David. The prophet
Gad rejoiced to see David, but being inspired to reveal
the future, he warned him that his safety and prosperity
depended on his returning into the land of Judah. u If
thou desirest it,&quot; he added, &quot;I will go with thee and
abide by thee, and aid thee with my friendship and by
mine office.&quot;

David joyfully accepted this powerful ally ; for a pro
phet is as a prince in rank in this religious land, and
usually attends only kings ; and the presence of this man
he felt would give great weight to his cause; for &quot;cause&quot;
his affair had now become, he having been forced by
Saul to head a faction for his own preservation. This
filial duty performed, he now returned to the cave of

356 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Adullam, in the plain of Judah, and gathering his whole
band, increased bj three hundred of the fighting men of
the tribe of Gad, from beyond Jordan, and a score
of brave Moabite warriors, he removed farther south, to
the dark forest of Hareth below Hebron, to escape the
attack of Saul, whom he did not desire to meet in arms ;
for the king with his whole army was marching upon him.
But when Saul reached the cave of Adullam, and found
it empty, he inquired of a herdsman who was friendly to
David, the way David had taken, who purposely said,
&quot; To the north, towards Jerusalem ; with a thousand men
at his back.&quot;

The king believing he had marched thither to capture
his armory, hastened to defend the place. Upon reach
ing it, he could hear nothing of him, and so continued
his march upon Gibeah ; and thence to Ramah, believing
he had marched thither to hold counsel of Samuel the Seer.
At Ramah he got no intelligence of him, and learned
that Samuel himself was not in the city. He was now
assured that the prophet was with his adversary, and
stopping by a palm tree which stands by the well of
Gibeah, over against the gate of Ramah, he said, as he
leaned with a disappointed look upon his spear, address
ing his lords, chief captains, and men-at-arms, who stood
waiting silently around him, until he should decide in
what direction to continue his march,

&quot;Hear now, ye Benjamites ! Will the son of Jesse
give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make
you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds,
that all of you have conspired against me ? Ye know
where he lurketh, yet no man will tell me ! Am I become
so abased in your eyes, that ye mock me with your

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 357

silencs, when I would know where my enemy lieth hid?
So my son, also, hath made a league with the son of
Jesse against me, and is for him ! Yet there is none of
you that is sorry for me ! I can trust none of you who
eat my bread and receive the king s wages ! AVhy is it
that ye will not speak?&quot;

&quot; My lord the king will not be angry with his servant.&quot;
here spoke Doeg, his armor-bearer, and lord of his herds,
&quot;because thy servant hath kept silence until now; but
thy servant knew that first it was expedient the king
should give himself wholly to the destruction of his foe ;
but now that he hath eluded my lord the king, and
brought the king into these parts opposite Nob, his ser
vant would let my lord know that when thy servant was
performing his vow in the holy city, two months ago,
thy servant beheld the son of Jesse come to the taberna
cle, and claim sanctuary at the hand of Ahimelech, the
son of Aliitub. The High Priest received the son of
Jesse, inquired of the Lord for him, gave him to eat,
and those that were with him, of the sacred bread, and
also placed in his hands at his departure the sword of
Goliath!&quot;

Before the malicious and artful Edomite had ended
his words, the anger of the king kindled, and brandishing
his spear in the air, he swore by the Ark of God ! that
Ahimelech and his whole company of priests should die !,

Without delay he marched against Nob with his four
thousand men, nearly all Benjamites of his own tribe,
to whom alone he now trusted, brave and fierce men who
always fought with the left hand, and held their buck
lers on the right arm. As he approached the city of
God, the smoke of the perpetual sacrifice was rolling io

358 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

dark clouds skyward, and as they drew near the walls,
it hung above their heads and obscured the sun. Com
ing before the gate, Saul sent in a messenger to com
mand the High Priest to come out to him, and bring all
his father s house and all the priests who served the
tabernacle.

The High Priest, with a heavy heart, summoned his
holy family and all the priests, save those who were
serving at the altars. Arrayed in mitre, ephod, pectoral,
and breast-plate, and wearing his purple robe, and all the
priests clad in their sacred vestments and linen ephods,
Ahimelech led them in long procession forth to the im
patient and angry king s pavilion. Saul came forth clad
in full battle-armor, his spear in his hand, and his face
dark with wrath. Fixing his fierce eyes on the vener
able countenance of the Chief Priest, he cried :

&quot; Hear now, thou son of Ahitub ! Art thou here at
last?&quot;

&quot; Here I am, my lord,&quot; he answered with dignity,
though pale with fear.

&quot; Why have ye conspired against me,&quot; demanded Saul,
sternly, &quot; thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast
given him bread and a sword, and hast inquired of God
for him, that he should now rise against me, and lie in
wait for me, as at this day? Thou hast favored the
king s foe, and been at friends with him, and didst let
him depart with thy blessing to take up the sword against
me!&quot;

The High Priest, though naturally timid and gentle,
seemed to be inspired by his God with courage, for he
replied firmly and fearlessly :

&quot; And who, king, is so faithful among all thy ser-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 859

vants as David, which is the king s son-in-law, who ever
did thy bidding, and was as honorable in thy house for
his virtues and wisdom, as on the field by his valor and
skill in defending thy crown and kingdom ? If such be
his high character, king, if I received him with honor,
was it not my duty, even as I would the king s son had
he come to me? But I did not consult the divine oracles
for him, nor did he ask me to do so, king, for only on
public and national occasions do I inquire of God, and
never privately for private persons ! Had I done so for
David, the king might impute blame to his servant. If
one inquired of God for him, thy servant knew not of
this, less or more ! Evil hath been spoken of thy ser
vant about this thing.&quot;

&quot; Thy words avail not,&quot; answered Saul. &quot; Thou shalt
surely die, Ahimelech, thoti and all thy father s house !&quot;

The king, with a countenance black with the profound-
est displeasure, then turned to his body-guard of two
thousand men, who were standing in armor, sword in
hand about him :

&quot; Abner, turn and slay this hoary priest, and all his
house, and all the priests here before me, with the sword !
They belong to the son of Jesse, because they sheltered
him when he fled, and did not shew it to me. Let them
die the death, and their Gibeonite slaves with them !&quot;

The brave and noble general of the king made no
movement to obey this sanguinary order. His iron-clad
men-at-arms stood immoveable in their ranks. The kino;

glared at them, and, almost speechless with passion,

demanded of them whether they were going to obey him ?

My lord, the king,&quot; said Abner, &quot;will pardon thy

360 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

servant, but he cannot put forth his hand, nor will his
men do so, to fall upon the priests of the Lord.&quot;

&quot;Rebel! Art thou against me?&quot; shouted the king.
&quot; By the head of Dagon there is one man here I can
trust to ! Where is thy sword, Doeg ? Thou and thy
bearded men of war turn to, and fall upon these
priests !&quot;

No sooner had the word gone out of the king s mouth,
than the Edomite s eyes blazed with the hue of blood,
and, drawing his sword, he called to two hundred des
perate men, of all nations, who served him, ever ready
to do his bidding, to commence the slaughter.

What pen, your majesty, can portray the scene that
ensued ! Already anticipating their fate, most of the
priests had begun to fly. Doeg struck the first blow at
the High Priest, cleaving his head to the brow, and lay
ing him dead at the feet of the king. For a quarter of
an hour the work of death went on, the murderers pur
suing, in every direction, those who fled ; though the greater
portion who were slain received their death, fallen on their
knees, with their hands folded upon their linen ephods, and
their faces cast down to the earth, in profound submission
to their irrevocable fate. At length Doeg recalled his mon
sters of blood, who slew, in all, four score and five priests
wearing the sacred linen ephod.

&quot;Now,&quot; said the king, &quot;go and enter the city of the
priests which has received the fugitives, and take it, and
put to the sword all within.&quot;

This sanguinary order was executed. The sacred
city was taken by Doeg, and not only were three hun
dred more persons slain in the city, but all the wives,
daughters, and sons of the Levites, and all the remnant
of the Gibeonites therein, and all the infants were

THE REBELLION or PRINCE ABSALOM. 861

put to the sword by the vengeance of Saul against David.
But one person escaped, Abiathar, the eldest son of Ahi-
melech, who, having remained behind in the Tabernacle
to burn incense in the Sanctuary, secreted himself until
the massacre was over, when he secretly fled from the
ruins of the city of God, and reaching the camp of David
in the forests of Hareth, made known to him what Saul
had done.

Upon hearing these dreadful tidings, David was deeply
moved, and, embracing Abiathar, with tears, he said in -a
tone of self-reproach :

&quot; I knew it that day when Doeg, the Edomite, was
there, whose tongue deviseth mischief, and who loves
evil more than good. I knew that he would surely tell
Saul. Alas ! I have occasioned the death of all the per
sons of thy father s house!&quot; He then said, &quot;Abide thou
with me, Abiathar ; for thou shalt be very dear to me
henceforward. Fear not Saul I He that seeketh my
life, he it is that seeketh thy life ; but with me thou
shalt be safe. God will be our safeguard !&quot;

I come now, your majesty, to a series of incidents in
David s wonderful career, which show the excellency and
dignity of his character, his patriotism, justice, and cle
mency.

The Philistines, taking advantage of Saul s pursuit of
David, invaded lower Judea and robbed the granaries of the
Hebrews. David, without delay, assembled six hundred
followers, marched against them, and smote them with
great slaughter ; and, relieving the Hebrew city of Keilah
which the Philistines had laid siege to, he entered it, and
garrisoned it with his own men. &quot;When Saul heard this,
instead of giving David praise for driving his foe from

362 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

the land, and, therefore, seeing in him a faithful subject,
he cried with exultation :

&quot; God hath delivered him into mine hand ; for he is
shut in hy entering into a town which hath gates and
bars !&quot;

Thus the wickedness of this heaven-forsaken monarch
waxed greater and greater every day ; confirming the
saying, &quot; that evil produceth more evil continually, until
cometh the end of evil, w r hich is dishonor and death.&quot;

David being warned by the divine oracle through Abi-
athar, who was with him, and now the real High Priest
of the nation, that Saul would come against him, and the
citizens of Keilah, for dread of Saul s vengeance, would
deliver him into the king s hand, marched forth from the
city by night, and sought the fastnesses of the wilderness
of Ziph, east of Hebron ; for in it were numerous caves and
lurking places, where Saul s army could not easily pene
trate. Here David strengthened his retreat in a military
manner, and remained on the watch against Saul, who
dared not attack him in the depths of this wilderness of
trees and rocks.

One evening, as David w r as walking in the forest, going
from outpost to outpost, attended only by Uriah, his
armor-bearer, in order to see that all were vigilant, for
Saul was in the neighborhood, three men suddenly ap
peared in the path. The moon shone broadly down
upon them, and, with a cry of joy, Da.vid ran forward
and fell on the neck of the foremost of the two, exclaim
ing :

&quot; The Lord hath blessed me indeed in letting me,
Jonathan, behold thy face once more !&quot;

&quot; And me also, David, in permitting me to come

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 363

safely to thee,&quot; answered the prince, embracing his friend
again and again, and holding him off to look into his
face to see what change had taken place therein. &quot; Thou
art older and darker, and more stern in look, dearest
David! Hadst thou not spoken, I would hardly have
known it was thee. I have come to thy fastnesses to
comfort thee, and tell thee that I sympathize with thee
in all thy troubles. Here also is the brave Joab, who
was thy chief captain, and his younger and equally brave
brother Abishai, who have come with me to see thee!&quot;

&quot;And to stay with thee, my lord, if thou wilt take
me into thy service,&quot; answered Joab. &quot;I can not serve
the king any longer while thou needest my sword!&quot;

David s heart was gladdened by the presence of these
friends ; and he told Joab he should be the chief com
mander of his men. Uriah, Joab, and the youthful
Abishai, now followed the prince and his friend, as they
two walked together towards the camp discoursing.

&quot;Thou art so good to come to see me,&quot; said David
tenderly. &quot;I feared I had displeased thee by taking up
arms and gathering an army!&quot;

&quot;No, David,&quot; answered the prince. &quot;I rejoice to
know that thereby thou wert making it more and more
difficult for my father to do thee harm ! Fear me not,
my David! I am as true to thy soul as ever! Shame
for my father s hatred of thee tinges my cheek. He
shall not find thee to come to thee ! God will strengthen
thy hand ! Thou shalt yet be king over Israel, and I
shall be next to thee ; is it not so ? and that also Saul
iny father knoweth!&quot;

Before day David accompanied his friend to the verge
of the forest, and there renewing their oath of perpetual

364 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

friendship, they parted, Jonathan taking a memorial
from the young husband to his bride in Hebron. This
visit of his friend strengthened the heart of David, as
did the coming to him of Joab, his hand.

Not far from the forest was the city of the Ziphites,
who, fearing Saul, sent to him to offer to betray David
into his hand.

&quot;If ye know where his haunt is,&quot; said Saul, &quot;go and
find him if ye can, for I am told he is very subtle, and
may not easily be taken unaware. Go and take know
ledge of all his lurking places where he hideth himself,
and then come to me, and I will go with you ; for if he
be in the land, I will search him out throughout all the
thousands of Judah.&quot;*

These men returned from the king to their forests,
and would have betrayed David, but being warned by
the prophet Gad, and by the oracle of Abiathar, of dan
ger, the heaven-guarded wanderer changed his camp to
the wilderness of Maon, farther south. Here his young
men did good service in protecting from robberies the
flocks of Nabal, who had already married the comely
maiden Abigail David saw at the well, and dwelt at
Maon. Saul pursued David to this place, when a mes
senger came bringing intelligence that an army of the
Philistines taking advantage of his war against David,
had invaded his kingdom. The king hesitated for
awhile, whether to continue his pursuit of David, or turn
back and march against the enemy of his country. Re
venge and patriotism struggled for the mastery in his
stormy bosom, but the latter prevailed, and he went
against the Philistines, while David leisurely fortified
*1 Saml. Chap, xxiii. 22, 23, &e.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 865

himself in a stronghold, near the Sea of Sodoma, called
En-geddi, a land of vineyards and of plenty, of wild rocks
where the goats browse, and of fertile vales.

The warlike Saul having defeated and punished his
enemies the Philistines, returned with three thousand
men, and followed David among the very cliffs and
caves of En-geddi. In these caves David and all his
men were concealed. Saul, not supposing he was near
them, driven to seek shelter from the sun, left his atten
dants without arid entered a cave, in the dark recesses
of which David and fifty of his men lay hidden. David
saw the king enter, his tall, martial form clearly re
lieved against the sky of the opening. He recognized
him immediately, and made a sign for his followers to
remain quiet. Saul walked in for a few yards, and after
looking wearily about him, lay down to rest, covering
himself and his feet with his camp cloak, for the cave
was cool. He soon fell into a deep sleep. Uriah then
came near and said to David, &quot;Behold the Lord hath
delivered thine enemy into thine hand, to do to him as
it shall seem good unto thee!&quot;

&quot;Nay,&quot; said David: &quot;I am not his foe! Is he not my
father-in-law, and the father of Jonathan my friend ? Is
he not also my king, and the anointed of God? I will
not harm him, for I seek not his life. It is he who seeks
mine. But I will show him he has been in my power!&quot;

David then advanced to where lay the stern king
whose jealous hatred had so embittered his life, and with
his knife he severed the border of his robe; and taking
the piece in his hand he returned to his men who were
grieved and angry that he had not slain him. But their
prudent and upright young captain said,

THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; Nay, but I have done wrong even to sever his robe.
My heart smites me to have put this indignity upon an
anointed king ! I am ashamed to have put forth mine
hand to touch the anointed of the Lord. Touch ye him
not ! He is our master and lord !&quot;

At length, Saul awoke and rose up and left the cave,
followed by David, who from the outlet thereof called
after him,

&quot;My lord the king!&quot;

Saul turned and beheld David, who bowed with his
face to the earth before him, and said aloud,

&quot;0 king, live forever! Believe no more what men tell
thee, that David seeketh thy hurt! I found thee asleep
in this cave. Thou seest, therefore, how the Lord delivered
thee into mine hand. My followers saw thee, and bade
me kill thee. But I spared thee, remembering thou art
my master and the Lord s anointed. Moreover, my
father, behold this skirt of thy robe in my hand ! for in
that I cut off this from thy robe and killed thee not,
know then I seek not to harm thee, my lord ! yet thou
huntest my life to take it ! The Lord judge between me
and thee ; the Lord avenge me, not mine own hand, for
as the Lord liveth, mine hand shall not be put forth
against thee ! Wickedness doth wickedly. Judge me.
If I were evil I should have done thee evil.&quot;

What a noble and generous speech, your majesty!
What godlike forbearance and forgiveness ! What piety
and reverence are here exhibited by this ingenuous and
unselfish young man ! How worthy in every way to
succeed in the throne his relentless persecutor ! What
divine qualities display themselves in his character !
Every trial serves to elevate him higher and higher in

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 3t&amp;gt;7

all that makes a man great, wise, and good. Now mark,
your majesty, the effect of this sublime treatment upon
King Saul.

At first he did not know David by his features, his
face had so changed by exposure and hardships ; but he
recognized the noble voice which had so often soothed
his melancholy, and when David had ended, he cried with
emotion,

&quot; Is this tliy voice, my son David ? I have heard thy
words ! They break my heart. I can not speak to thee
for my tears ! I perceive thou art more righteous than
I ; for thou hast returned me good for evil, since, when
the Lord delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me
not : for if a man find his enemy, will he let him go safely
away ? The Lord reward thee for the good done me at
thy hand this day. I now know the Lord is with thee,
and that thou shalt surely be King of Israel, and that
the kingdom shall be forever established in thine hand.
Swear now, therefore, unto me that when thou comest to
be king in my place, thou wilt not put my children to
death, nor destroy my name out of my father s house !&quot;

David lifted his hand to the Lord, and took the oath
Saul required of him; himself exacting of the king no
oath, as he might well have done, that he would cease
his persecution of him, and leave him in peace.

Saul, without drawing any nearer to David, turned and
gathered his army, and left the caves and strongholds
of En-geddi, and the same day turned to go back to
Hebron. But David too well knew the king s incon
stancy, and that his reconciliation was the result of a
momentary emotion of gratitude, and admiration of noble
qualities he onco possessed himself, and could still appre-

8(58 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

ciate even in his enemy; and remembering the saying,
&quot; Trust not with too credulous a heart an enemy recon
ciled, for though he humble himself, yet take good heed
and beware of him,&quot; he durst not stay in such an exposed
and well-known position, and immediately removed from
the caves to the strongholds of the highest hills.

&quot;When Saul reached his palace at Hebron, the intelli
gence met him that the mighty Prophet of God, the man
whom he feared above all other men, was no more ! that
he had died at his house in Ramah two days before, fall
ing asleep in death with a calm serenity, which was in
correspondence with the piety, dignity, and purity of his
character.

&quot; Samuel dead !&quot; repeated the king thrice, looking the
messenger in the face incredulously.

&quot;Dead, my lord !&quot;

&quot; Come with me, young man,&quot; he said to the youthful
prophet, Asaph, who brought the news which, as he de
livered it on his route to Hebron, filled all the land with
mourning. The king took him aside, and placing his
hands upon his two shoulders, and piercing his eyes with
his own, said in a whisper :

&quot;Who was with him when he died?&quot;

&quot; The Teachers and the disciples of the School of the
Prophets alone stood about him,&quot; answered the young
man.

&quot; Wert thou there?&quot; continued Saul.

&quot;Yes, my lord!&quot; he replied.

&quot; What said he ?&quot; demanded the monarch. &quot; Breathed
he no message for the king? Spoke his lips nought to
be told me? Sent he from his dying bed no word to
Saul?&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 809

&quot; None, your majesty,&quot; was responded by the surprised
young man.

&quot;Not one word?&quot; hoarsely asked Saul.

&quot;Not one, my lord !&quot;

&quot; No sign? no attempt to say aught for me, but therein
stopped by death coming upon him and preventing?&quot;

&quot;No, your majesty!&quot; he replied.

Saul released his grasp upon the alarmed messenger,
walked to and fro awhile greatly excited, murmuring :

&quot; Samuel dead ! The light of Israel extinguished !
The glory of Judea gone down to the shades of the de
parted, where the mighty, and powerful, and great, and
wise of earth have gone before him ! Dead ! my coun
selor, my friend ! Yes, these he was to me when I de
served his friendship. Now he is gone, I feel the mighti
ness of all his greatness and worth ! Never shall a prophet
again rise like him ! This day Judah is shorn of her
splendor, and the sun gone down in Israel ! I, I am left
in darkness alone ! How shall Saul live, Samuel dead !
for though he spoke no more with me, the sense of his
presence was to me a power in the land, and I was
strengthened by it ! Now, like a solitary column, its
companion riven by the lightnings, I stand unsupported
and ready to fall ! The death of Samuel is the omen
of my own speedy downfall! Young man,&quot; he said,
suddenly turning towards the messenger, &quot; what ailed the
man of God? Was he sick long?&quot;

&quot; Nay, my lord ! He had no ailing. He had just

closed the evening prayer, and joined in the chant, a ray

of golden sunshine resting upon his majestic brow, like

a crown of resplendent glory. We all noticed the unu-

370 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

sually clear tones of his voice, as he praised the Lord in
the ancient hymn of the school :-

&quot; My soul waiteth for the Lord,
My soul doth wait for God,

My Saviour.

My soul waiteth for the Lord,
More than they that watch

For the morning,
More than they that watch
For the day.&quot;

&quot;While the last words were upon his lips, he slowly
sunk back into the &quot;Judges throne:&quot; the paleness of
death succeeded the bright sunlight upon his forehead.
He gathered the folds of his prophetic mantle about his
majestic form, clasped together his aged hands upon his
breast, and committing his soul to God, murmuring :
&quot;It is day!&quot; he closed his eyes, and peacefully de
parted.

Saul listened with profound agitation, and when he
had concluded, burst into tears and wept like a child !
His unrestrained grief was heard by his attendants in
the corridor and halls without, and all marveled when
they learned how that Saul wept aloud for Samuel.

Ah, your majesty, what a noble, great wreck of a
heart was in that kingly man s bosom ! How fearful
the power of evil in the soul to mar and destroy such a
godlike nature as his ! Even in its darkest and most
fearful condition, it responded instinctively to the best
and highest aspirations of humanity ! In the smoulder
ing ashes still lingered the divine spark of sacred fire,
which, too faint to be kindled into an altar-flame for
God s sacrifice, yet could be fanned by the breath of

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 371

penitence into life enough to burn grains of sweet in
cense, sprinkled thereupon by the gentle hand of piety
and love.

In the death of this illustrious prophet, your majesty,
the whole nation lost one who, for forty years, had been
their wisest and best citizen, distinguished for his mira
cles, for holiness of life, zeal for God and his country,
inviolable attachment to truth. He was a pattern to all
judges in integrity and wisdom. His private character
was without reproach. As a military leader he evinced
courage and warlike skill of the first class. In the lan
guage of David to me, who wrote a noble eulogium upon
his death: &quot;He was a man of irreproachable integrity,
undaunted fortitude, unblemished and unaffected piety,
sincere as a friend, gentle as a man, virtuous as a Judge,
and holy as a Prophet.&quot; His death threw the whole na
tion into profound grief, and by command of King Saul
extraordinary honors were paid to his memory. He was
buried with great pomp, at Raman, in tjje garden of the
Palace of the Prophets.

There is an interesting narrative connected with his early
life. He was a gift from God, in answer to her prayers,
to his mother long childless ; and in return she named
him Samuel, &quot; asked of God,&quot; and consecrated him from
his birth to the service of the Sanctuary. Eli, at that time,
was High Priest, and, I believe, the seventh in succession
from Aaron, the great Hebrew Pontiff, and founder of the
sacerdotal line. This chief Priest was a man of irresolute
character, who failed to restrain his two sons, who were
priests, in certain acts of impiety and sacrilege of which
they were guilty. Instead of punishing them, he only
gently reproved them, being a man of a mild temper.

0?2 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

This parental indulgence in persons of public character,
and in the sacred office, appears to be more culpable than
in others. His God, therefore, showed his divine dis
pleasure against the High Priest, by sending a strange
prophet to him, who stood before the aged man and
said :

&quot; Behold, the days are come that there shall not be
an old man in thine house forever ! All the increase of
thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And
this shall be a sign unto thee : thy two sons Hophni
and Phineas shall die, both of them in one day ; and I
will raise me up a faithful priest who shall do my will !&quot;

Eli bowed his head in humble submission to this judg
ment of his God.

Not long after this denunciatory visitation, Eli, whose
eyes were now dim with age, was in the Holy Place lying
down upon a couch where he kept watch by the Altar
of Incense. Samuel, who was a mere child, and served
in the temple, and waited on the High Priest, was asleep
not far off upon a mat laid on the floor of the Sanctuary.
There burned but a single lamp in the central branch of
the golden candlestick, w T hich was nearest to the Most
Holy Place, the others being filled so as to burn only
until dawn, having gone out ; for it was near day.
The central lamp, being left perpetually burning, was
casting a soft twilight throughout the Sanctuary !
While the lad slept, a voice, calling him by name, awaked
him. He answered, u Here am I !&quot; and rose up, and
ran to the couch of the venerable Eli, and said, &quot;I am
here, for thou calledst me.&quot;

&quot;I called not, my child; lie down again,&quot; answered
the aged Priest.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 373

A second time the youthful Samuel was awaked by a
still, small voice uttering his name.

The faithful and dutiful boy immediately ran to the
side of the couch of the old man, and said, &quot; Here am I,
for thou didst call me !&quot;

&quot; Nay ; I called not, my son, lie down again,&quot; answered
the High Priest. The lad went away and laid down
again, and was, ere long, awaked a third time by a voice
which called him by name.

He did not hesitate to rise and go to Eli as before,
thinking that the aged man had some service for him to
perform ; but, by great age and loss of memory, had for
gotten, as soon as he had called, that he needed him.
This prompt obedience and patient, cheerful attendance
of the amiable child, are beautiful, and show the rich
seeds of the noble character which were ultimately devel
oped into golden fruit.

The High Priest now partly rose from his recumbent
position. The threefold repetition of the voice he began
to think could not be in the imagination of the boy ;
knowing that he did not call him, and that in that Holy
Place no other human beings were, he perceived that it
could be no other than the voice of God calling to the
child from between the Cherubim behind the Vail. He
therefore said unto the child :

&quot; Go, my son, go and lie down again; and if thou near
est the voice call thee again by thy name, answer it and
say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.

The boy returned to his little bed, and lay down in
his place. All was once more still. No sound pervaded
the solemn silence of the Sanctuary. He slept the pro
found sleep of innocence.

374 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

u Samuel ! Samuel !&quot; was again heard from the voice
BO mysterious. The lad awaked and answered, &quot;Speak,
Lord, for thy servant heareth.&quot; Then the voice of God
said to him,

&quot; Samuel, behold I will perform against Eli all things
which I have spoken concerning his house : when I begin, I
will make an end : for I have told him that I will judge his
house forever, because his sons made themselves vile, and
he restrained them not ! And, therefore, I have sworn
unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli s house
shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever /&quot;

The voice of the Lord ceased with this dread sentence
pronounced against the High Priest and his family, and
Samuel slept no more, but lay until the dawn broke,
when he rose and lifted the curtains to open the entrance
to the Sanctuary. Then Eli called him and said, &quot; Sa
muel, what is the thing the Lord said unto thee ? I
pray thee, child, hide it not from me.&quot;

And the lad repeated all the words of the Lord,
hiding nothing from him. Then the venerable Priest
bowed his hoary head with humble submission to the
earth, and said,

&quot;It is the Lord! Let Him do what seemeth him
good!&quot;

From that day Eli knew that Samuel was ordained to
be a mighty Prophet and holy friend of God ; and all
Israel soon heard that the Lord had spoken with the
child in visions of the night. From that time Samuel
had other revelations from the divine Oracle of the Inner
Sanctuary at Sliiloh, and increased in wisdom and favor
both with God and all the people.

This, your majesty, was tho beginning of the sacred

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 375

life of the great Seer. He is the first prophet that God
60 eminently distinguished as to converse with him in an
audible voice, since the day of Moses.

Before I close this letter, your majesty, I must record
the remarkable fulfillment of the denunciations of God
against the house of the offending High Priest, showing
that this great and terrible God regards neither sanctity
of office, nor dignity of rank, but prophets, priests, and
kings, alike with the basest (and more severely), are visited
with punishment if they sin against Him. To punish
sin it seems, in His holy anger against it, He would de
stroy a world ! nay, hurl from His highest heaven angelic
gods guilty of transgression ; nay, be willing, if it could
be thereby, and in no other way, banished from His
universe, to give up His own Son, were He a Father, as
a sacrifice in atonement for sin, if the blood of the lambs
that now perpetually bleed on his altar can not suffice
to wash it away ! To drive sin from the dominion of His
creation, beginning with it in man, seems to be the mo
tive of all His works and wonders, of all the displays of
His terrible power and glorious majesty, of his ceaseless
mercy to the true penitent, and inexorable justice against
the offender.

Until the advent of Samuel as a prophet, there haa
been a long period of suspended revelations to the He
brews from their God, and heaven had set, they believed
forever, its seal of silence upon their ORACLE, and upon the
URIM and TIIUMMIM by which the High Priests used to
ascertain the mind of God ! The Urim and Thummim
are, if I am rightly informed, two sardonyx stones of ex
traordinary size and beauty, which are set in ouches of
gold, and worn upon each shoulder of the High Priest

376 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

These stones represent Light and Truth. When Cod is
present at the sacrifices, the stone borne on the right
shoulder shines with increased splendor, so that the rays
of the illimitable glory darting from it are seen afar off;
yet this stone is not naturally luminous. The stone
omitted, also, a celestial brilliancy when the High Priest,
entering within the Vail, stood before the Ark and sought
of the Lord answers to inquiries, made relative to impor
tant, public, and national events in the future, such as
whether the general of the armies should give battle, and
if so if he will be victorious. But of late revelation from
God thereby had ceased, for the people had become care
less and irreligious, and walked not in the laws.

The ORACLE, also, had long been silent. This was
the voice of the Lord audibly answering the High Priest,
when, entering within the Holy of Holies, robed in his
most gorgeous apparel and wearing his brilliant Breast
plate, he enquired of Him ! Standing before the Mercy-
seat he looked towards the place where, between the wings
of the Cherubim, dwells the Divine Presence in the form
of the &quot; Light of Glory,&quot; and proposed what he desired to
be informed about. If God answered favorably, He
spoke audibly from between the Cherubim, and the twelve
stones upon the Breast-plate shone forth with a splendor
which lighted up the inner Sanctuary with dazzling
radiance ; each jewel, like a star, flashing forth its re
splendent light ! And when he went forth to the people,
the glory of the Lord still lingered on the Breast-plate,
so that they were all sensible of their God s presence in
what they &quot;ft ere about to undertake, whether it were to
make war or defend their borders !

All these celestial manifestations and divine revela-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 877

fcions had, for many years, on account of the irreligion
of the people, been suspended ! The Breast-plate of&quot; Eli
ever came forth from the Sanctuary as dim as when he
bore it before the Lord; and until the voice of God
spake audibly to the holy child Samuel, it had not been
heard in the Tabernacle during that generation.

When, therefore, it was known that the Oracle of
God s House was vocal once more, and that God had
spoken audibly in the Sanctuary in the morning watch to
the child Samuel, the liveliest anticipations were awakened
in the bosoms of the desponding and humbled Hebrews.
The news spread quickly throughout the whole land ; and
new heart was given to the nation. The Philistines at
that time were masters of the country, and neither Judge
nor warrior raised his head in the land.

&quot; God is with us ! The Lord hath spoken ! Let Israel
rejoice! Let Judah lift up her head! The anger of
Jehovah hath ended ! Lift up the standard of the people !
Let us destroy our enemies ! In the name of the Lord,
let us redeem our country.&quot;

Such was the cry which rang from one end of Judea
to the other. The whole nation flew to arms ! They at
tacked the Philistines, so long their masters, expecting
without opposition to drive them from the land! But
they were signally defeated, and four thousand of these
confident Hebrews were left dead on the field !

Disappointed and perplexed at this discomfiture,
when they counted upon certain victory, some of the
lords and high captains cried, &quot;It is because we asked
not the Lord s presence with us ! We trusted to our own
arms to bring us liberty.&quot;

Thereupon a deputation waited upon Eli, and asked

378 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

for the Ark of the Covenant to be delivered to them,
with the Mercy-seat and Cherubim, between which
dwelt the visible glory of the Divine Presence. The
High Priest, prevailed upon against his own wishes by
his two sons, surrendered the sacred Coffer to these
warriors and captains. They bore it away, attended by
his sons, Hophni and Phineas, as its keepers, with great
rejoicings, and accompanied by tens of thousands of
jubilant people praising the Lord, and rejoicing in his
Presence. The House of the Oracle was brought to
their camp, and placed in the centre of the army. In
spired with confidence in victory, the Hebrews now
recklessly gave battle to their enemies. The result
proved far more disastrous than before! The Philistine
armies were conquerors in all parts of the plain, defeat
ing the Hebrews with immense slaughter, overthrowing
all their hosts, and putting to death on the field thirty
thousand of those who bore arms against them. The
new and young king of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath,
the giant, who was slain many years afterwards by
David in the vale of Elah, attacked the guardians of the
Ark itself, with his own hands slew Hophni and Phineas,
who, dissolute and unworthy priests as they were, as men
showed the greatest courage, and died valiantly defend
ing the Ark of that God, w4iose holy laws they had dis
honored by their impious and sacrilegious lives.

The Ark now became the rallying point of the men
of Israel, and the elevated wings of the Cherubim became
the standards to call them to die for their faith! A
thousand devoted men fought to the last, and were slain
around it, piling with their dead bodies a hecatomb to
their God, around the Sanctuary of His Presence. But

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 379

all in vain these pious and sublime sacrifices! The Ark
was taken by their foes, and borne in barbaric triumph
from the field to the Philistine camp !

Eli the High Priest had gone out of the Tabernacle
in Shiloh, to watch for news from the battle-field, for his
heart trembled for the Ark of God. Weary with ninety-
eight years upon his shoulders, he came to a seat by the
side of the road, and which stood near to the gate of the
city, and sat down. Suddenly he heard a great outcry
in the direction of the gate, but his eyes being dim, he
could not see what produced it. But there had just
entered it a man, running from the army, with his clothes
rent, and earth upon his head, and with all the signs of
woe in his fnce, like one who bore evil tidings. As soon
as he could get his breath, he cried to those about him :

&quot;The Ark of God is taken! The Ark of God is
taken ! The people of Isra.el are overthrown in all their
armies, and the Ark of God has fallen into the hands of
the King of Gath and his Philistines.&quot;

These tidings spread like wild-fire throughout Shiloh,
and the whole city cried out with despair.

&quot;What meaneth the noise of this tumult?&quot; asked the
old man with tremulous accents.

The bearer of the tidings came near the blind High
Priest and answered, &quot;I am a bearer of news from the
army, my lord ! I left it to-day, and have ran all the
way hither!&quot;

&quot;What has been done? Have they fought, my son?&quot;
he asked.

&quot;They have had a battle, and our people have fled
before the Philistines,&quot; answered the man; &quot;and there
has been very great slaughter of our people, and thy two

380 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead, and the ARK OF
GOD is taken!&quot;

The old man heard of the death of his sons unmoved,
but at the last words, he fell over backward from his
seat by the gate, and died! His daughter-in-law, the
wife of Phineas, no sooner heard the man s tidings, than
she cried, &quot;The glory is departed from Israel; for the
Ark of God is taken,&quot; and immediately expired from
grief and shame.

Thus in one day, your majesty, was fulfilled in the
most wonderful manner the prophecy of the Oracle to
the child Samuel!

The Philistines, believing that the Hebrew God was
the two Cherubim, idols like their own, felt great exul
tation in robbing them of their deities; and believing
that all the wonders the Ark had done for Israel, it
would do for them, conveyed the Oracle with great pomp
in sacred procession to their chief temple, dedicated to
Dagon.

No sooner was the Divine Ark placed therein, than
the image of their god bowed to the earth, and fell pros
trate before it. Attributing this remarkable obeisance
to accident, they replaced it upon its pedestal. The fol
lowing morning, when the priests of the god entered the
temple, they were amazed to behold their idol again
prostrate before the Ark, and his head and hands broken
off by the fall, and lying on the threshold. The same
day the whole city, beginning at the priests, was smitten
with unknown fearful diseases!* The dreadful ark was
sent away therefore by them to another city, which was
similarly afflicted by dire pestilences and calamities,

* 1 Samuel, Chap. v.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 881

which followed the Ark whithersoever they carried it,
until at length by the counsel of their diviners, they re
solved to restore it to its rightful owners, the Hebrews,
which was done with great ceremony, and with trespass-
offerings of gold and jewels to God for their sin in taking
it, and that He would heal their diseases. The Israel
ites received their holy Ark with national rejoicing.

At length, Samuel came to manhood, and became the
Judge and leader of Israel, and under his holy influences
the whole nation publicly repented and confessed its long-
continued sins to God, returning to Him after those years
of disobedience by fasting, humiliation, sacrifice, and
prayer. The Philistines, hearing of the vast, unarmed
religious assembly of the men of Israel under Samuel,
resolved to attack them, hoping for an easy victory.
The sight of the mail-clad armies of their implacable
and dreaded foes filled them with consternation, and they
began to accuse Samuel, as of old their like fathers did
Moses, of bringing them into their great peril. But
Samuel sacrificed a victim upon the altar, and as the
smoke of the burnt-offering ascended towards heaven, he
called upon his God! At the prophet s voice, the skies
grew black with clouds above the hosts of the Philistines,
thunders rolled in fearful voices along the heavens, from
which darted forked lightnings down upon the foes of
God, and of his people. Filled with dismay, the Philis
tines fled, pursued by the Hebrews, and utterly over
thrown, were smitten with great slaughter. From that
day of power this eminent Hebrew ruled Israel as Judge
and general of its armies. For forty years, during his wise,
and prudent, and powerful government, the Philistines
remained within their own borders, fearing his power

382 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

and respecting his courage. At length, when he became
advanced in years, he divided the rule with his two sons,
who, though not, like those of Eli, wicked and sacrile
gious, yet governed the people without prudence or wis
dom. Hence arose that universal spirit of disaffection
which led the Israelites to wait on the aged Seer and
Judge, now three-score and ten years of age, and ask him
to withdraw his authority from his sons, and anoint over
the nation a king, that they might have hereditary rulers,
and be like the nations around them !

Your majesty will recollect that in my earlier epistles
I narrated the result of this petition, which was the elec
tion and anointing of Saul ! Samuel, who had been forty
years sole Judge of Israel, lived more than a score of
years during Saul s reign, dying at the advanced age of
ninety, sublimely ending a life of honor and usefulness,
and leaving to the future ages a name that will never
die.

Parewell, my dear Belus,

King, and kinsman, of his faithful

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM.

LETTER XII.
ARBACES TO THE KING.

BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDEA.

YOUR MAJESTY:

SINCE I last wrote to you, my health has been stea
dily improving. I sit by an open window, from which
I have a pleasant view of the olive hills, near Jerusalem,
and a pleasant vale between filled with gardens and vine
yards, and white-walled homes of the vine-dressers and
olive-keepers. In the court of Joab s house are nume
rous orange trees, the golden fruits of which shed de
lightful odor on the air, while the odorous oleander and
the pomegranate tree, with its scarlet-scolloped cups, and
flowers of every gorgeous hue, enrich the prospect before
me. Zephyrs blow softly in at my window, and the voices
of singing birds, unknown in Assyria, charm my ear.

All this is very grateful to an invalid, and I do not
know how better to dispose of my invigorated health and
cheerful spirits than to write to you, Belus, and con
tinue the narrative of the events which transpired during
my detention in Egypt, and which have paved the way
of David, the shepherd, the hero, the poet, and great
captain, to the Throne of Israel.

At the closing part of my last letter, I gave you more
in detail the history of the Seer Samuel than hitherto.

384 THE THRONE OF DAVID; UK,

inasmuch, as it afforded a key to the understanding of
one of the most important periods of the history of this
people. Your majesty can now, with me, intelligently
trace the progress of the Hebrews through the centuries
which have elapsed since the crossing of the Jordan to
the death of Samuel ; while the letters of Sesostris *
in your archives have given you a full history of the
wonderful events connected with this nation, from the
calling of Abram out of Assyrian Chaldea, to become the
father of this mighty confederacy of twelve Principali
ties, to their forty years march through the wilderness
towards this land now occupied by them.

The reign of Saul is the foundation of the prophetic
Throne of David ; and no future events of David s life can
hardly prove more extraordinary than those of his youth,
from the time of his anointing as KING and successor to the
Throne (which from that day was virtually his own) of
Saul, and to the sceptre of Israel.

Your majesty will, perhaps, believe that the Hebrew
monarch, after his reconciliation with David at the cave
of Engeddi, and open acknowledgment of his right to
the succession on his throne, suffered the youthful, God-
appointed heir to his kingdom to remain in peace. Doubt
less he was sincere at the time in what he said and did.
and meant to keep his vow.

But you have learned enough of the fickleness of his
temper, Belus, to lead you to suspect that the first im
pulse of feeling rising against David from any cause,
his persecuting wrath would re-awake. Such wus the
fact.

He had returned to Hebron after paying royal honors
* Vide &quot; Pillar of Fire, or Israel in Bondage.&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 385

to the sacred ashes of the consecrated Prophet, and,
shutting himself in his palace, he became profoundly me
lancholy ; a condition of his mind, which, like dark
clouds rolling up the sky, and casting their shadow over
earth s sunshine, foreboded a tempest. Fearing to hasten
tbs outburst of the simoom across the fiery desert of his
soul, his attendants came not near him. Since the mas
sacre of the priests he had seldom slept ; if so, only
where fatigue chanced to arrest him ; and then his dreams
were fearful, and would rouse him with groans of despair
to equally terrible consciousness. His dark visions were
as unendurable as his waking reflections ; hence he stu
diously kept away from his couch, and compelled his
Servants to keep him from sleeping by music, and con
stant watchfulness. &quot; Strike the gray beard, Doeg ! let
not one be left alive !&quot; he would cry in his sleep, seated
upright in his chair, or leaning against the side of his
throne, or by the window.

How remarkably, your majesty, the massacre of thesn
priests, all of whom were descendants or kindred of Eli,
fulfilled the prophetic denunciations of the Oracle in the
Sanctuary, when God spake to the child Samuel ! Se
venty years had elapsed, and their God, to whom a year
is a moment, makes the fierce and cruel Doeg, the exe
cutioner of his judgments ; but with no less guilt to
Doeg, the sword, and Saul the hand which did the deed.
Wicked men may carry out God s purposes, when they
think they are only following the dictates of their own
sanguinary nature. He can make even the fury of his
creatures redound to the glory of his own power and
will

His daughter, the Princess Michal, at length ap-
25

H86 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

preached her father when he was in one of these gloomy
conditions of mind. She found his face hollow and hag
gard, his eyes blood-shotten, his massive jaws hanging
with helpless woe, and his whole frame drooping and
spiritless.

&quot; Father,&quot; she said ; &quot; I have come to ask thee to send
me to David, my husband, since thou art reconciled to
him.&quot;

&quot; Thou ! what dost thou ask ? A husband ! By the
brazen gods of Ekron, thou shalt have one !&quot; he cried,
with looks so terrible that she shrank from the blaze of
his eyes. &quot; Call hither Phalti, the Danite lord, son of
Laish !&quot; he commanded his servants.

When the man appeared before him, the king said to
him, &quot; I have heard thou didst love my daughter Michal ere
the son of Jesse beheld her ! She has no husband ! I
divorce her by the king s oath ! Take her ! She shall
be thy wife !&quot;

In vain Michal plead for mercy. Phalti was a man
twice her age, and of stern countenance ; but virtuous
and upright. He had done his king service in guiding
him to Engeddi, having possessions in the forest. He
would have opposed the king s command, but feared to
do so. The marriage was performed the same hour, and
Phalti bore his wife to his home, saying to his mother,
&quot; This is my sister, and keep her with thee, that David
may, one day, have her.&quot;

When David heard the news, he was justly indignant, and
had a good cause now for quarrel with the king. But he
bore the insult and wrong with forbearance. Saul now fol
lowed up this outrage. He felt that he had thereby wronged
id so that he would certainly, in his anger, come out

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 387

from his fortresses and give him battle ; when he hoped to
slay him on the field. He, therefore, went forth again
at the head of his army, and approached the place in the
wilderness of Ziph, where his spies told him David was
fortified. Here, upon a plain partly covered with wood,
the king pitched his camp and slightly entrenched it,
hoping David would attack him on the morrow. From
the top of the rock, David beheld the tents of Saul, his
banners flying, and his whole army in battle-array.

&quot; I will seek Saul s pavilion to-night,&quot; he said, turning
to Abishai, the brave younger brother of his chief cap
tain Joab, and others about him. &quot;Who will go down
with me thither secretly after dark?&quot;

&quot;I will go down with thee,&quot; answered Abishai.
Under cover of the night, though aided by a new moon,
David, who by daylight carefully marked with his eye
the direction and path, approached the out-posts of the
king s camp. Without being discovered, he entered
within the lines, and came to Saul s pavilion. His
guards slept, and David advanced beyond them, arid
stood by the side of the king, who lay fast asleep in his
unharnessed chariot, before the door of his tent, the
light of the young moon distinctly revealing his worn,
yet still majestic features. His javelin was stuck in the
ground at his head. The young warrior stood, and con
templated his face with profound emotions and sad re
collections. &quot;How changed!&quot; he said, unconsciously
speaking with himself; &quot;how deeply passion has drawn
its ploughshare across his kingly brow ! How stern the
visage! He starts and mutters! It is the name Samuel
he pronounces. His dreams trouble him ! Alas! I pity
thee, king!&quot; &quot;My captain,&quot; said Abishai, &quot;the Lord

388 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand!&quot; Now
therefore let me smite him with his own spear, even to
the earth at once! One blow and no more, I ask.

&quot; Destroy not the anointed of God!&quot; said David
&quot;Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord s
anointed and be guiltless? Leave him to the justice of
God. His day will come! Let him fall in battle, but
not by my hand!&quot; He then turned and looked for
awhile at the sleeping king s face, who started, feverish
itnd ill at ease, and uttered his name in his disturbed
sleep, but with harsh and bitter tones. Abner his gene
ral also slept, his head on his buckler, and his sword in
his hand, not far from the chariot. &quot;Take the spear
at the king s head, and the cruse of water by his side,
and let us depart,&quot; said David to his companion. &quot;He
shall thereby know, and Abner also, that he has been in
iny hand!&quot;

Reluctantly Abishai refrained from slaying the king,
and taking the spear and the cruse of water, with which
the feverish king quenched his burning thirst, he followed
David. They repassed the sleeping sentries, no man being
disturbed in the deep sleep that was fallen upon them.
Opposite the camp of Saul was a high hill of rock, about
five bow-shots distant, to the top of which David as
cended, and turning round he called,

&quot;Abner! Hear thou, Abner, chief captain of
King Saul! Answer est thou not, Abner son of Ner?&quot;

His loud call aroused the Hebrew general from his
sleep, and springing to his feet, he cried, looking all
about him,

&quot;Who, and where art thou, that criest to the king?&quot;

* Art thou not a valiant man?&quot; continued David

THE REBELLION OP PRINCE ABSALOM. 389

from the hill; &quot;and who is like to thee, general, in
Israel? Wherefore hast thou not better kept ward over
thy lord the king? There but now came one near to
destroy thv lord. Is this the way to keep watch and
ward over your master, and the Lord s anointed? As
the Lord liveth, ye are worthy of death! Who am I?
Find thou fiust where the king s spear is, and the cruse
of water that was at his head as he slept!&quot;

Saul also awakened, and recognizing his well-known
voice, and missing his spear, and the cruse of water, and
perceiving that the man he had wronged had been by his
side as he slept, and refrained from taking his life, with
that impulsive emotion characteristic of him, he was
touched to the heart, and called out, in tones of kind
ness :

&quot;Is this thy voice, my son David?&quot;

&quot;It is my voice, kinir,&quot; answered the noble young
man. &quot;While thou and thine slept, I stood by thy head,
and with thine own spear could have slain thee ! I bore
it away, not to insult thee, my father, but to show
thee that the Lord gave thee into my hand. If the
Lord hath now sent thee against me for my sins, then
will I offer him a sin-offering, and humble myself before
his footstool for my transgression; but if the wickedness
of men hath stirred thee against me, let the Lord de
stroy them for driving me into the wilderness, and holes,
and caves of the earth, and even to seek shelter among
the heathen, and under their gods! Wherefore does the
King of Israel hunt me thus, as a wild bird, or a coney
of the rocks, giving me no rest ! Moreover thou hast
taken from me my wife, and given her to another! Yet
for all this I slew thee not this night!&quot;

390 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Then Saul answered and said, &quot;I have sinned, my
son, my son David! Return to Hebron or go where
thou wilt. I will do thee no harm, because my life was
precious in thine eyes. I have been a fool, and a mad
man before thee, and have grievously wronged thee and
thine, David!&quot;

David did not make any answer to these confessions
and promises, for he knew better than to put any confi
dence in a prince so wayward and inconstant, and who
still hated him bitterly.

&quot; Behold the king s spear !&quot; he called to Abner. &quot; Let
one of the young men come over and fetch it.&quot;

Saul sent a lad for his spear and cruse of water, and
said :

&quot; Blessed be thou, my son David ! The Lord is
with thee ! Thou shalt do mighty works and deeds of
valor, and over all thine enemies have the victory and
prevail.&quot;

David, delivering the spear to the youth who timidly
came for it, turned and left the top of the mount, accom
panied by Abishai, and ere midnight regained his own
camp in the hill-forest.

That the king dissembled when he spoke to him so
softly David well knew, for he was not ignorant of the
wickedness and weakness of Saul s character. He was
sure that he would never forgive him for having taken
away his spear, to lose which is a warrior s greatest dis
grace. A few days afterwards, the faithful Jonathan
sent him word that the king, finding he did not return
to Hebron, had called together all his armies, resolved to
destroy him, and all with him, if to be found within the
land of Judea. David, therefore, called a council of his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 391

friends and captains. There were present the valiant
rind fierce Joab, his general ; Uriah, his second in com
mand ; Abishai, the brother of Joab, who was now his
armor-bearer instead of Uriah ; Hushai and Ahithophel,
both of whom bore arms with David, though war was
not their usual pursuit ; also, Abiathar, the priest, in his
sacred robes and ephod.

At length, the counsel of Uriah prevailed, who said :
&quot; That Achish, King of Gath, having certainly learned
that David had, in good faith, and not artfully by stra
tagem, before sought his protection and service, had sent
word to Uriah that if his master desired again to leave
Judea, to escape from King Saul, he would gladly re
ceive him and his followers in his own dominions, and
entreat them with all honor, giving him a high command
in his armies, and places according to their rank and
ability for his men.

&quot; Therefore,&quot; continued Uriah, &quot; if my lord David re
fuses to meet the Lord s anointed in battle, ere Saul sur
rounds us with his hosts to take us in a snare, let my lord
pass over with all his force unto Achish, king of Gath.&quot;

David, determining to follow this counsel, a few days
afterwards marched from his fastnesses, and crossing the
country of Judea, came to the court of the King of the
Philistines, who received him gladly, and gave him a
palace near his own to dwell in, and places for his fol
lowers.

Before David left his camp in the forest of Ziph, to
pass over to Philistia, an interesting incident occurred
which led to his marriage, Michal having been taken
from him by her father. I have already alluded, your
majesty, to Xabal betrothed to the lovely village maiden,

392 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Abigail, who gave David water when, the year befor3. a
fugitive he sat thirsty and weary by the well under tho
palm trees. The bridegroom, who was much her senior,
and whom she had married by compulsion on the part
of her parents for his great wealth in flocks, herds, and
lands, proved an avaricious and churlish man, and treated
her rather as his slave than his wife. While David and
his followers were encamped between Maon and Carmel
where Nabal dwelt with his young wife, he would have
lost a portion of his flocks by the incursion of a band
of desert robbers, but for the assistance of David s men,
who drove them away, and gave protection to the herds
men.

Some weeks afterwards, David being greatly in want
of provisions for his garrison, and recalling the service
his people had done the rich Nabal, he sent to Nabal ten
men to bring whatsoever he could spare, bidding his mes
sengers say to him : &quot; Peace be both to thee, and peace
be to thine house, and peace be unto all thou hast !
Whatsoever cometh to thine hand give unto the servants
of thy son David.&quot;

When the men came to Nabal, and delivered their
captain s gracious words, he roughly answered them :

&quot; Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse ye speak
of? There be many servants now-a-days that break
away from their masters ! Shall I take bread, and flesh,
and water, and give it unto men whom I know not whence
they be?&quot;

When the young men returned to David, and reported
his words to him, his indignation was justly kindled at
this treatment by Nabal of one who had done him ser
vice.

THE REBELLION OF PKINCE ABSALOM. 393

&quot; Gird ye on every man his sword !&quot; he cried, buckling
on his own sword; and at the head of four hundred of his
men of war, he hastened to punish Nabal for his inhos
pitable conduct. News of his march came to the ears
of his young and beautiful wife, and when she knew all,
(for she had not seen David s messengers, who had met
Nabal in the field,) in great alarm she secretly made
haste, and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins
of wine, five dressed sheep, five measures of parched
corn, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred
cakes of figs, and lading several beasts with them, she
went forward with her servants to meet David. When
she came near she alighted, and bowed herself to the
ground, and when he raised her up, he, with surprise
arid pleasure, recognized the fair face of the maiden he
had seen at the well. Eloquently she entreated him to
forego his vengeance, and accept the peace-oifering she
had brought. The young captain received of her hand her
gifts, and said : &quot; Go in peace to thine house. Thou hast
prevailed, and for thy sake I spare thy offending lord !&quot;

When Nabal, on her return, was informed by her how
David in fierce wrath was coming upon him, with four
hundred armed men, to destroy him, and how she had
averted the danger, his heart sunk within him, and struck
as with lightning, he fell back paralyzed. Ten days
afterwards he died.

When David heard of the death of Nabal, and the
days of her mourning were passed, he sent to her and
asked her to become his wife ; and not long before the
departure of David to pass over to the court of Achish,
he married the beautiful widow of Nabal, and took her
with him into the land of the Philistines.

394 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

At the court of Acliish David remained nearly a year
and a half, serving him as a captain in his wars, and in
creasing his own fame as a warrior. The King of Gath
gave him and his followers a city in the south to dwell
in, called Ziklag. Saul, in the meanwhile, no longer
able to pursue David, disbanded his army, and remained
in his palace, ill in spirit and body, and Prince Jonathan
his son never left him, but, with noble, filial devotion,
anticipated all his wants, and gave him his tenderest
sympathy in all the darkness and bitterness under which
his soul dwelt. Since the death of Samuel, and the
flight of David, the Hebrew king had ceased to take an
interest in any thing. Few of his people saw him, and
he gave audience to no one save through his son, who
strove with beautiful charity to conceal his father s fail
ing, and to keep the kingdom together with some show
of government. There was no High Priest no Prophet
in the land for the miserable monarch to resort to ; for
Abiathar, the lawful pontiff, was with David in Philistia.
Without God, without prophet, without priest, and it
might, be said, without king, the land of Israel was in a
desolate estate, and no man had heart or hope, but only
a prevailing apprehension of coming evil !

Achish, King of Gath, who seems to have been a saga
cious and warlike prince, with deadly hatred of Saul,
and an ambition to subdue Judea to his sceptre, took
advantage of this state of affairs to prepare a vast army
for the invasion of his kingdom. Marching northwardly,
he intended to strike the Jordan, east of Mount Tabor,
and so descend the valley of the river, take Jericho, and
thus hold the key of the land of Israel. He desired,
also, to separate the Hebrews on the west of the river

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 395

from those on the east, and so place Saul between the
Philistines on the Jordan, and the Philistines in their own
country westward.

But Prince Jonathan, whose counsel Saul sought in all
things distrustful of himself, advised the king to hasten
his march to check the Philistines in the pass between
Mount Gilboa on the south, and Mount Hermon on the
north. When King Saul, Jonathan, and his two bro
thers, at the head of the army of Israel, reached the
foot of Mount Gilboa, Achish hnd already pitched his
camp in the valley before it, Gilboa being on one side to
the south, and Tabor also in sight, but far to the north.
The two armies, the largest the hostile nations had
brought into the field since the days of Eli, were en
camped within sight of Saul, who pitched his camp on
the sides of Gilboa, opposite the valley of Shunem, where
Achish lay. Saul and Jonathan ascended the mountain
behind their camp, and surveyed the vast hosts of the
enemy covering all the plain. Jonathan s heart failed
him, because he had heard that David was in the camp
of Achish in high command, and lie feared to fight, op
posed to him ! The great numbers of his adversaries,
however, filled the king s soul with dismay. He trem
bled as he leaned upon his spear, and gazed down upon
the thousands of the army of Achish.

&quot;Is there not one of the race of Ithamar, not a priest
of the house of Eli or Ahimelech, in the army that I can
inquire of God?&quot; he asked of his armor-bearer, Doeg,
the Edomite, who stood behind him.

u Not one, my lord, save Zadoc, whom thou hast
made priest,&quot; answered Doeg. &quot;I finished niy work
that day at Nob faithfully.&quot;

396 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot;Where is Abiathar, son of Ahimelech?&quot; demanded
Saul. &quot;Doth he yet live?&quot;

&quot;He is with David,&quot; replied Jonathan.

&quot;Would I had Abiathar here to enquire of God for
me; him will he hear,&quot; said Saul. &quot;Zadoc to whom I
have given the High Priesthood, hath no answers from
God. And David, too, is in yonder camp! It is well
he hideth from my arm, under the plume of Achish and
his gods!&quot;

&quot;Nay, my lord,&quot; said Ishbosheth his son, coming up
the hill, in company with his brother Melchisua, draw
ing near the king; &quot;David I hear is not with Achish.
The King of Gath made him and his six hundred men
come a part of the way with him ; but his lords and chief
captains took alarm, and told the king that he ought not
to trust him, saying he would be sure in this battle to go
over to his countrymen, and turn his sword against them.
Achish could not prevail that he might keep David, and
sent the son of Jesse back to Ziklag, his town in the
land of the Philistines.&quot; This Ishbosheth was the young
est son of the king, and a young man who loved rich
apparel, and indulged more in pleasure than in arms;
an elegant and vain youth.

This intelligence was gratifying to the prince, who
felt he should go into battle now with a brave heart.

&quot;Doeg,&quot; said Saul, leaning on the shoulder of his
armor-bearer, as he descended the mountain, first com
manding his sons to go on before him, and speaking
softly in his ear, &quot;knowest thou of a woman that hath
a familiar spirit? It is in vain for me to enquire of
God as to the issue of the coming battle by dreams, or
by prophet, by priest, or by Urim ! The heavens are

THE REBELLION OF PllIXCE ABSALOM. 397

brass! Sleep comes not! Samuel is dead! The High
Priest with the Urim and Thummim is with the son of
Jesse ! Seek ye, therefore, a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that 1 may go to her and enquire of her.&quot;

Then answered the Edomite, &quot;There is a woman, my
lord, that hath a familiar spirit, who dwclleth beyond
Shiuiem, over the hill of Hermon, in the little village of
Endor, which lieth south of Mount Tabor.&quot;

&quot;Is it far hence, Doeg?&quot; inquired Saul.

&quot;Ten miles in a direct route, but twelve or more to
go about among the hills,&quot; answered Doeg.

That night, after the camp guard of the first watch
had been posted, and the stars alone gave light upon the
hostile hosts, Saul, disguised in the coarse attire of a
man-at-arms, and with no sign of royalty about his per
son, save his kingly bearing which could hardly be con
cealed, stole from his camp. He was attended by two
men, Doeg and Amasa, the armor-bearer of Abner, a
young man, son of David s sister, but who held firmly to
Saul s side in the war he made against his heroic kins
man.

The masked king, led by Doeg, kept near the foot of
Gilboa, until they had got far enough eastwardly to
avoid the out-posts of the enemy, which were extended
along the plain, and then boldly struck across the open
valley to the foot of Hermon. Under its dark shadows
they followed the herdsmen s paths, until they came to
the other side of the low mountain; when, far in the
north, the black form of Mount Tabor, indistinctly re
lieved against the sky, and hiding many of its stars, be
came their guide. In an hour more they left the village
of Nain on the left, in silent repose under the hills, and

398 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

entered the obscure hamlet of Endor. Doeg led the
king to a base looking habitation, and said,

&quot;This is the place!&quot;

The king, wearied with his long night tramp over
hill and plain, through glen and mountain gorge, re
joiced at its termination. The woman timidly unbarred
her gate: for Saul, after the death of Ahimelech, hearing
that the people, being without oracle or priesthood,
sought wizards and diviners, and familiar spirits to in
quire of them, forbade, on pain of death, such enquiries
to be made ; thereby showing that he still retained some
thing of the grace of his former piety. He commanded
by an edict all who had familiar spirits, necromancers,
and fortune-tellers, were they men or women, to be slain
or driven out of his kingdom !

It must have been, therefore, with the most abject
sense of debasement that he now stood in the door of
this mean habitation, whither he had come degradingly
disguised, to consult the sorceress of Endor, who had hid
herself in this obscure place of his kingdom from his
sanginuary edict against her profession.

&quot; Open, woman ! Dost thou not hear me? I bring in
my hand for thee a purse of gold!&quot; called out Doeg,
who carried with him a camp lantern, whereby he had
been able to light the king s steps through the dark de
files of Hermon.

&quot; I fear me also a sword in thine other !&quot; she an-
Bwered.

&quot;Nay ; we be three soldiers of the camp of Saul, who
come hither to learn of thee how the battle, we are soon
to fight, will go !&quot;

The door being carefully opened, after she had looked

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 399

from within fixedly at the three men, Doeg &quot;went in,
followed by the king, while the other stood on watch
without. The rude apartment, revealed by the rays of
the lantern, was scarcely a fit abode for any one. In
one corner reposed a white calf, and on a shelf above it
sat a raven gray with age. The woman lighted an old
Tyrian soldier s lamp, which she had doubtless found on
some battle-field. Saul gazed with deep earnestness
upon the tall, aged dame, whose silvery hair, bound by
a fillet smoothly about her lofty forehead, with her grave
and modest costume, gave her an air of dignity he was not
prepared for. Her dark face, once superbly beautiful,
was still distinguished by large, splendid eyes, a noble and
regular profile, and a firm mouth with finely shaped lips.
Her face had the refined, oval contour which is characteris
tic of the Phoenician women, for she was a native of Tyre,
as her speech and aspect proved to the king. In age,
she was not more than fifty. With a sort of queenly
air, native to her notwithstanding all her poverty, she
said, looking at Saul, and distinguishing him at once as
the superior of the two men,

&quot;For what dost tliou visit me?&quot;

For a moment the king of Israel made no reply. lie
hesitated to strike the last blow to sever the golden
chain which bound him to his God ; for the act he now
contemplated had no equal in impiety. It was a volun
tary and deliberate renunciation of the Oracles of God
for the accursed vaticinations of an evil spirit. Alas !
how had the august, and once glorious, king fallen !
How had his proud spirit become abased to the dust !
How far had he sunk into infidelity, and the absence of
all moral feeling ! How deliberately was ke approach-

400 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

ing the verge of the precipice, over which he was to
plunge into everlasting night !

What a painful, pitiable spectacle to humanity, to an
gels, to God, is he, as he stands there in that low hut, his
sandals soiled with his long night-walk, his coarse mantle
torn by thorns, his gray locks wet with the dews of the
hills, his whole appearance desolate and care-worn, and
in his heart a keen sense of degradation ; the light of
shame kindling his cheek, that even his familiar Doeg
should behold him thus humbled and superstitious. He
hesitates for another moment, ere his soul cuts itself off
from God, and answers her :

&quot; I pray thee, Tyrian, divine unto me, by thy fa
miliar spirit, and bring him up to me whom I shall name
unto thee !&quot;

&quot; I am here a lonely widow, sir ! I am poor, and
have but this one calf in the world. I subsist by my dis
taff, and try to live humbly in peace, as becometh a
stranger in the land. Wherefore comest thou to me to
get me into trouble with the king thereof? Behold, thou
knowest what Saul hath done ; how he hath cut off those
that have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the
land : wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life to
cause me to die?&quot;

The king s conscience as well as his pride felt keenly
the rebuke implied by her words ; but he answered her
with this solemn oath :

&quot;As the Lord liveth, woman, there shall no punish
ment happen to thee for this thing.&quot;

Re-assured, the woman said, fixing her mysterious eyes
upon him,

&quot; Whom shall I bring up before thee from the shades ?&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 401

&quot;Bring me up Samuel!&quot; answered Saul, in a voice
low and tremulous ; at this hour of his greatest trial,
having no other trust but in him who had once guided
him by his counsels, and also by his reproofs. Samuel
dead, was to him wiser than Saul living Saul in his
hopeless despair!

The woman, with singular solemnity, then proceeded
with a wand which she took in her hand, to separate her
self from the king and his companion by inscribing an
imaginary ring about herself. She chanted in low voice
a verse of mystic words, and then cast upon a censer of
fire some strange fragrance ; retiring from the circle, her
whole form dilating and majestic, and her dark eyes
flashing with a sort of terrible and wicked splendor, she
cried aloud in Syriac, &quot;Appear !&quot;

The floor of the hut, within the circle, seemed in
stantly to disappear, and, in its place, yawned a cavern
ous gulf, from the dark abyss of which majestically as
cended a venerable form like a god in aspect, enveloped
in a halo of misty light. Saul saw not the awful shape,
but, feeling its presence, had covered his face with his
mantle.

&quot;Why hast thou deceived me?&quot; cried the divineress,
with a loud voice of mingled terror and anger, as if the
shape had uttered to her the name of the king , &quot;for thou
art Saul!&quot;

&quot; Fear net for thyself,&quot; said Saul. What dost thou
see?&quot;

&quot;I see a god ascending out of the earth,&quot; she an
swered, with a voice of alarm.

&quot;What form is he of?&quot; demanded Saul.
26

402 THE THRONE OF DAVID J OR,

&quot; An aged man cometh up, and he is covered with a
mantle like a prophet of the Lord.&quot;

Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he prostrated
himself to the earth before him.

&quot; Wherefore, Saul,&quot; said the voice of the phantasma,
&quot; hast thou called me from the abodes of the happy dead,
where in hope and peace we await the end of time, and
the kingdom of God, at rest from the cares of this earth ?&quot;

Saul trembled at this solemn address, uttered in tones
that seemed like echoes from the depths of Hades. He
made no reply, and the shade of the Seer continued more
sternly :

&quot; Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?&quot;

Then the king answered, rising to his knees, but with
out lifting his eyes to the mighty apparition, his voice
touched with the profoundest sadness and helplessness :

&quot; I am sore distressed, Samuel ! for the Philistines
make war against me, and God is departed from me, and
answereth me no more neither by prophets nor by dreams ;
therefore, I have called thee, that thou mayest make
known unto me what I shall do !&quot;

Then the voice of the form within the dim cloud of
light answered, and said: &quot; Wherefore, then, dost thou
ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is
become thine enemy ? The Lord hath done to thee,
King, even as he spake by me to thee ; for he hath rent
the kingdom out of thine hand and is about to give it
to David ! Because thou obeyedst not the voice of thy
God in Gilgal, nor executedst his command against
Amalek, therefore hath the Lord ordained this thing
against thee, and taketh thy kingdom, and giveth it to
thy neighbor ! Thou hast come hither to know what

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 403

shall be thy fate in the battle to-morrow ! Lo, the Lord
will deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines, and
to-morrow shalt thou and thy three sons be with me, and
all the hosts of Israel shall the Lord deliver into the
hand of the Philistines !&quot;

When Saul heard these fatal words, he fell his whole
length forward on his face to the floor, and became in
sensible ! The majestic and mournful spectre, gazing
upon the prostrate king with eyes of sadness and divine
sorrow, slowly descended into the earth, and silence and
darkness succeeded !

The woman, who had stood transfixed with horror and
awe while the solemn colloquy went on, and who, by her
looks of amazement, had riot expected a spirit to appear
in answer to her harmless incantations, now pale as a
corpse sank upon the floor, and shuddered with terror
at what she had heard and seen ; while Doeg, the Edo-
mite, at the first appearance of the awful shape out of
the abyss, fled from the house in speechless horror ; even
the poor dumb brute, tied in the corner of the room,
trembled all over in the most extraordinary manner, the
perspiration pouring from its sides like rain.

When the woman, who really could have had no power
over the dead, and especially over good men, to disturb
their celestial rest, and bring them into this world when
she pleased, at the call of wicked men, and who only plied
her deceiving art for gain on the ignorant and supersti
tious when she was finally able to rise, she drew near to
Saul who lay as one dead. Her efforts, aided by his two
attendants whom she called in, at length restored the
king, and he stood tremblingly on his feet. But the ter
rible scene he had passed through, with the need of rest

4-04 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

and food, (for he had eaten nothing during all the day and
night,) and above all, the words of his sentence of death
sounding in his ears, so unmanned him that it became
necessary he should be supported by them to a bed.

&quot;Pardon thine handmaid, my lord,&quot; said the woman.
&quot;I but obeyed thy voice, and put my life in thy hand.
I knew not what terrible thing would be ! Let my lord
take courage and eat a morsel of bread, that thou mayest
have strength when thou goest away, for thou art sorely
tried!&quot; But sick at heart, depressed and wretched in
mind, and all hope buried forever, conscious of his guilt,
and trembling under the divine displeasure of his God,
who had numbered his days and finished his kingdom,
he refused to eat or to be comforted.

At length, exhausted, he fell asleep. In the mean
while the hospitable woman directed Doeg and Amasa,
the armor-bearer of Abner, to take her little calf, that
she petted and kept in her house like a child, and
kill it, and dress it for their feast ; while she took flour
and kneaded it, and baked bread, and diligently pre
pared a bountiful meal for the king when he should
awake. When all was ready, Doeg, now knowing it was
time, if they would unseen reach the camp before day
should break, to call the king who had slept two hours,
aroused him. To their surprise, he arose calm and col
lected, all trace of care and trouble gone; nay, his very
voice was stronger and more cheerful than his two ser
vants had heard it for a long time ! He gladly sat down
to the table which the foreign woman had so unselfishly
and kindly prepared, and ate heartily ; and when he
arose to go he thanked her for her hospitality, and would
have rewarded her with the purse of gold which Doeg

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 405

brought at his girdle. But she refused all gains from
the king, and so he departed from her house strong in
boiy and mind, to return to his camp.

Without doubt, your majesty, Saul s sudden calmness
and even cheerfulness, arose from that extraordinary at
tribute in our nature, which leads us to be more at ease
under a certainty, even though it be certain evil, than
in a state of uncertainty and doubt, and a restless fear
of evil to come; as, oftentimes, the wild terror of a
criminal at the fear of being sentenced to die, ceases
when that sentence is irrevocable. Thus King Saul,
long torn and tossed by unspeakable fears and terrors
anxieties and guilt, dying a thousand deaths in the
fear of death, enduring a thousand punishments in the
living apprehension of God s wrath, tortured more keenly
by the dread of losing his kingdom, than the actual loss
of a score of sceptres would have moved him, with the
consciousness that all was now determined upon him,
and that on the morrow he would certainly lose his king
dom and his life, and join Samuel in the abodes of the
dead thus, his tempest-lashed bosom was suddenly
calmed, as when a mighty tornado bursts upon the sea,
levels the billows which lesser winds have raised, and
leaves the dark ocean calm in the highest of the storm !

As the morning star above Hermon was fading into
the pale golden sky of the breaking day, Saul and his
companions re-entered the lines of the Hebrew camp; and
unrecognized, the king reached his pavilion, his guards,
and even Abner, still asleep around about it.

The monarch, as he softly entered, beheld Prince
Jonathan sleeping calmly on his war-couch, in the corner
of the tent, and his two brothers reposing one on each

406 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

side of him. He stood and gazed thoughtfully down
upon them! His eyes rested upon the princely and
handsome form of his eldest son ; then fell upon the face
of the next oldest, Melchisua, who,-from childhood an in
valid in the palace, seldom left his home, or went to the
wars ; but whom filial affection now brought to the field ;
for all the land instinctively knew that the coming bat
tle was to decide the fate of the kingdom, either for Saul
or against him !

His gaze rested longest on the proud and elegant fea
tures of Ishbosheth his youngest son. &quot;Alas, my poor
boys! my brave and beautiful sons! How calmly ye
sleep ! The prophet said three of my sons are to go with
me to-morrow, and be with him in the solemn shades !
He named not which of the four ! Is it thou, noble
Jonathan, son of my pride, worthy to wear a crown and
wield a sceptre for thy virtues, wisdom, and courage !
or, thou, my poor delicate boy, whose misfortunes should
have kept thee in thy mother s boudoir, rather than that
mine should have brought thee upon this battle plain,
where to-morrow DEATH, armed with ten thousand
scythes to his chariot wheels, shall mow Israel down as
the mower cuts the ripened harvest ! or is it thou, lordly
and beautiful prince, my brave and wayward Ishbosheth,
who art to join me, and two of thy three brothers, as to
morrow night I lead the long procession of my army of
the dead, down to the gloomy realms of Sheol? As for
thy father, he knoweth certainly that his doom is to
die ! God spare thee, Ishbosheth, with thy fair moth
er s smile, and dark shining tresses !

At this moment Abner entered! The king instantly
banished from his face all emotion. With the old look

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 40?

of the proud warrior in his eyes, and his voice as afore
time ringing like a trumpet, Saul called to his surprised
and overjoyed general and said,

&quot; To-morrow we give battle to our foes ! Let to-day
be spent in careful preparation. Let nothing be lacking
to bring our whole army into the battle in the best pos
sible condition for fighting. To-morrow, my Abner,
will be fought the greatest battle between kings that ever
shook the plains of Israel.&quot;

The next morning, Saul put his army in battle-array.
His martial spirit inspired his lords, captains, and all his
men-at-arms. Abner, his general, could hardly believe the
change he witnessed, and said to Jonathan,

&quot; We shall win the field, for the king has victory
blazing in his eyes. He will fight to-day as he used to
do battle in his glorious youth.&quot;

&quot; Thou art sure David is not in the ranks of Achish ?&quot;
asked Jonathan.

&quot; The king hath sent him back to keep his country till
his return, for all his lords refused to fight if he were
retained,&quot; answered the general.

At length, the two armies approached each other, led
by their kings : Achish standing up in his war-chariot,
drawn by four white horses abreast, his helmet of gold
and his splendid armor glittering like the sun. Saul
rode a large, coal-black, war horse, and looked the very
personation of Mars in the field, challenging to battle !
His tall and commanding stature, his martial air, his war
like and courageous aspect, with the light of battle
flashing from his eyes, kindled the pride of his own army
and filled even his foes with admiration. By his right
side rode Jonathan, clad in rich armor; and on his left

408 THE THRONE OF DAVID, OR,

hand, Prince Melchisua ; while, attended by Ishbosheth,
glittering like a star, and by Abinadab, another royal
prince who had just arrived on the field, Abner, in his
chariot, commanded in another part of the plain.

There is something august, if not sublime, in the moral
spectacle presented by King Saul at this moment. He
knew that on that day he was to die that his long reign,
the last portion of it so full of woe, and of transgression
against heaven, was to end before the sun, which then
was rising above the pleasant valley of the Jordan, should
set beyond the dark mountains of Megiddo ; yet (as doubt
less a king of inferior courage and dignity would have
done) he did not seek to avoid his fate; did not for a
moment shrink from his destiny ! The idea of flying
from his doom seems never to have entered this extraor
dinary man s thoughts. He felt ready, rather, to offer
his life a sacrifice to his offended God, who had demanded
it of him. He seemed to feel that his iniquities required
a victim, and that victim, himself. Some lingering traces
of his ancient piety, some fragments of the noble shrine
of honor, which once stood in the shattered temple of
his soul, remained, and he resolved to die like a peni
tent, courageous, and generous man, and with the com
posed dignity of a king who still wears the regal robe
and royal crown!

In this sublime temper he went into battle. A warrior
in a position like his feels immortal heeds neither sword
nor spear, arrow nor javelin, the charge of horsemen, nor
the rush of scythe-armed chariots. He carries a charmed
life! He has already conquered death in resolving to
die, and he fights like one of the immortal gods of old,
whose life no weapon from a human forge can touch

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 409

He, who knows lie will fall by an arrow from the bow
of God, is invulnerable in soul to those of human archers.
Such a sublime feeling should have borne along with
it the prestige of victory, and the splendor of his battle-
lit eyes should have lighted his armies on, conquering
and to conquer. But alas! it was the false fires burning
on an unholy and accursed altar which blazed so brightly.
The coal which kindled those warlike orbs never burned
on the sacred altar of God. Their false glory could only
lead the army, which trusted and followed, to ruin and
death.

At length, the two armies, who have been slowly ap
proaching each other, ar. if ambitious to outvie one another
in the splendor of their battle-array, were separated the
space of a long bow-shot. The archers in advance had
already begun to darken the air with clouds of arrows,
which filled the calm air of that sun-bright morning with
the sound of a thousand rushing wings.

Saul now turned, and, with emotions unutterable, em
braced his two sons, Jonathan and Melchisua, and bid
ding them fight for glory and for God, and be ready
to die for their country, he ordered his trumpeter to
sound to the onset. The clear musical bu^le, as it o-ave

O to

the key-note of conflict, was joined by all the trumpets
and cornets in Saul s host, breathing loud, defiant battle
cries, until the hills of Gilboa, on the south, echoed the
sounds, and Hermon, on the north, repeated them, until
three distinct armies seemed preparing to attack the Phi
listine hosts. Ere the warlike notes had died away
among the hills, the trumpeter of King Achish had an
swered the challenge of King Saul s, and all his brazen
bugles caught up the fierce response. The two armies

410 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OR,

in a few moments were mingled in deadly fight from one
end of the plain to the other. Long and sanguinary
was the contest. The superior numbers of the Philis
tines thrice compelled the Hebrews to retreat, and thrice
Saul, with his two sons by his side, recovered the field.
Where the battle waxed the fiercest, there his shining hel
met, with its glittering royal crest, towered as the rally
ing point for his bravest warriors.

All day the two armies contested the ground ; now
rolling towards Hermon, and breaking against its base,
to recede soon afterwards to dash against the cliffs of
Gilboa, with a human roar louder and fiercer than ten
thousand billows of the lashed ocean. Saul every where
rode amid the battle storm, and wheresoever his sword
waved, victory held the field ; but where he was not,
Achish conquered and drove Saul s army, pursuing them
with great slaughter. At length, as the sun was near
his going down, the plain was won by the King of Gath,
and on every side his foes had been overthrown, save
one part of the dead-strewn battle-ground, where not
more than three hundred Hebrews were valiantly and
desperately making a stand against thousands of Philis
tines. As the victorious Achish, mounted upon one of
his wounded chariot horses, (for no chariot could now
traverse the plain on account of the dead men and the
wreck of battle which covered it,) drew near this point,
he recognized the tall form of King Saul towering head
and shoulders above his sons and warriors, and, though
covered with wounds, fighting like a dying god rather
than a man, so sublime was he in this last conflict with
his death. As Achish drew near, Saul saw him, and,
sweeping with his mighty sword a space around, he urged

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 411

his horse towards the Philistine king. So terrible was
his aspect, as he disengaged his charger from the heaps
of dead his own hand had slain, so fierce his war-cry,
that Achish feared the encounter, (although he could
plainly see that Saul reeled in his saddle from great loss
of blood,) and ordered his guard of archers to destroy
him! As a majestic lion covered with wounds whom
the hunters dare not approach, is killed at a safe distance
with their lances and arrows, so did the relentless
archers of unpitying Achish discharge flights of arrows
against the King of the Hebrews, until the joints of his
mail were penetrated, and his war-horse fell to the earth
pierced with a javelin. The king standing above him,
still fought on, slaying all who came within the reach of
his sword, until he saw the brave Prince Jonathan, who
had fought by his father s side all day, fall bleeding
from a score of wounds, and die at his feet ! His son
Abinadab, valiant as the eagle the plumage of which
formed his crest, came tottering near to protect his
brother, but, pierced with arrows, fell upon the body of
Prince Jonathan, his sword broken to the hilt in his hand,
and expired also before his father s eyes. Melchisua,
seeing his brothers dead, lay down by Jonathan, and
without a wound breathed out his spirit, dying from ex
haustion and grief. Saul stood and, as if scorning his
foes, gazed upon his dead sons, and said, bitterly,

&quot; These then, God, are the two victims besides
Jonathan, heir to my throne, I have had to offer up to
thee for my iniquities, which sacrifice will be completed
with my own life ! Ishbosheth is then to live ! My bright,
beautiful boy will be safe!&quot;

The king then turned and beheld Abner his general

412 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

all red with blood, and looking like the Incarnation of a
battle field, coming up at the head of six hundred
mounted Benjamites, the king s own countrymen, to his
rescue. By his side rode Prince Ishbosheth, his golden
armor as bright as when the morning sun was reflected
from it, his gay, azure and white plume unsoiled, his
sword in his hand still polished as when drawn from its
scabbard in the morning ; for the mighty warrior had
kept the youth by his side and defended him, many a
wound himself receiving thereby, from all the dangers
of that dreadful field.

&quot;Save the king! To the rescue!&quot; shouted the warlike
commander, who could now collect only this devoted
remnant of his vast armies ! On he came like a whirlwind.
The Philistines, unprepared for this sudden onset, left
Saul and fled, Achish in vain attempting to restrain them.
As Abner rode past, Saul cried,

&quot; God is appeased ! Save Ishbosheth, Abner ! It is
in vain you fight any longer ! All is lost. Escape with
my only son from the field, I command you ! Farewell
farewell, Abner ! Protect the boy ! Be a father to him !
Farewell, my son ! I am going, I and thy three brothers,
to be with Samuel this night!&quot;

Abner heard these words, and seeing that the trumpets
of the King of Gath were calling for succors, he reined
up for an instant. Perceiving that Saul was dying,
he waved farewell to him, and took the bridle of the
prince s horse in his grasp to prevent him from joining
his dying father, caused his trumpeter to sound the re
treat, and galloping with his followers across the valley,
pursued by a squadron of mingled chariots and horsemen
of the foe, he reached a gorge in the mountains, and so

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 413

escaped into the valley of the Jordan, the same night
with four hundred men crossing the river safe from
pursuit.

Saul, after the flight of Achish and his Philistine
archers, was loft standing alone on the side of Mount
Gilboa where it touches the plain, gazing down mournfully
upon his sons. Far and wide around him lay the dead and
dying. He alone stood up, leaning upon his sword, and
contemplating sternly his dead ! As when a mighty
sirocco has swept the sea, strewing it with wrecks of
brave argosies, save one, the Admiral s bark, which, shat
tered by the storm and riven by lightnings, still floats
alone a majestic ruin, so stood Saul on that death-strewn
plain after the storm of war had subsided ! The impress
of kingly majesty still remained upon his martial visnge;
but he looked like the rebel god of whom write the He
brew books, who, rebelling against the supreme Power
in heaven, with his hosts of rebel angels had been over
thrown, and hurled down to earth with all his followers,
and now stands contemplating around him the splendid
wreck of his celestial armies, still a god !

&quot;Doeg,&quot; he said to his armor-bearer, who, having
fought like a wild beast all day, lay near upon the
ground, &quot; hast thou strength in thee to get to thy feet?&quot;

&quot;I will try, king,&quot; he answered, and raising him
self by his broken spear, he stood streaming with blood
from his wounds.

&quot; Come near, and with thy sword thrust me through,
that I may presently die, lest these uncircumcised Phi
listines return and take me alive, and abuse me, and put
out my eyes, and make sport with me before their gods,
as they did of old with Samson !&quot;

414 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; Nay, my lord, I cannot kill thee ! Wait patiently,
and thou wilt presently die of thy many wounds,&quot; an
swered the Edomite, &quot;for they are grievous.&quot;

Then the king looking about him, and seeing no one
but an Auialekite camp-follower, who was creeping along
to spoil the dead, he disdained to ask one so base to
slay him, and raising his sword towards heaven, he cried
with the countenance and air of some penitent High
Priest who is permitted once more to offer sacrifice for
sin to his God :

&quot; Accept, Lord, most mighty, this last and final offer
ing for my crimes, even my own body, which I now sacri
fice to Thee, and which Thy stern justice demandeth ! Let
this act of sacrifice atone for my sacrilege ! Let this
valley filled with my slain servants, let these my three
sons who lie here dead before Thee, let the loss of this
battle, let the loss of my kingdom, of my own life which
I now return to Thee, atone for all my guilt !&quot;

Thus speaking, he rested the hilt of his sword upon
the earth, and finding above his heart a crevice in his
coat of mail, he pressed against the sword s point, and
with all his weight, aided by his heavy armor, fell for
ward thereupon ! The sword pierced through and
through his mighty heart, and he fell dead upon the
bodies of his sons, his head resting in the bosom of
Prince Jonathan.

Such, your majesty, was the painful and touching end
of the wonderful career of this great king, valiant war
rior, and wise statesman ; for he had been all these, un
til in a moment of impiety he offended the Divine Powers,
and brought upon himself, and his children, and upon
all his house, the vengeance of his God ! But let his

THE REBELLION OF TRIXCE ABSALOM.

unhappy end, let the severity of his punishment, the
bitterness of his fate atone for all ! Let his devotion to
the will of his God, when that will sentenced him to die,
and his regard for the glory of his country and the honor
of his army, which he refused to desert, confer upon his
memory everlasting fame ! They serve to veil his errors
with a sort of sublime virtue ; and future ages, forget
ting them, will rank him with its heroes. As their first
king, the Hebrews will honor his name and reign, and
their bards will do justice to the noble qualities of the
man, the valor of the soldier, and the dignity of the
monarch. Under his rule, their land has taken a rank
among the nations unknown to it before, and won the
respect even of its foes.

When news was brought to Achish, who had returned
to his pavilion suffering from a wound which he had re
ceived from the javelin of Abner, that the King of the
Hebrews was dead with his three sons about him, he
sent the chief captain of his guard, on the morrow, to
bring him Saul s head, his crown, sword, and royal
breast-plate, and the heads and armor of the three prin
ces. But when the Philistines came to the side of
Mount Gilboa, w r here Saul lay, they found that his crown
was taken from his helmet by some sacrilegious spoiler,
leaving only a phylactery bound upon his brow, on which
were written the words :

{ Oh earth, cover not thou my blood !
Mine eye poureth out tears unto God !
Oh that Thou wouldst hide me in the grave,
That Thou wouldst keep me secret till
Thy wrath be past.&quot;

416 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

These phylacteries are bands of parchment, on which
are inscribed words out of their sacred books, either sen
tences from the law, or verses of prayer and praise, and
are worn by the pious, in obedience to a command of
God. How surprising to find this sacred frontlet crown
ing the brow of the king, beneath his helmet! Was it
piety, or was it superstition? Were they either, or were
they both, how painfully they express the feelings of hia
darkened soul! The first line of adjunction to earth,
was singularly fulfilled. The Philistine captain having
struck off the head of the dead monarch, bore it, with
those of his sons and their armor, to Achish, who after
severing with his sword a long gray lock of the king s
hair, and fastening the silvery trophy amid the plumage
of his royal helmet, ordered the four heads to be im
paled upon the gates of the town of Bethshan, which
stood near the plain, and directed the body of Saul and
his sons to be fastened to the city wall in sight of the
whole army encamped before it !

Achish then sent swift messengers into the land of
Philistia, to publish the news of the death of Saul, and
of his great victory over the Hebrews, in all the temples
of his kingdom, and to the people in the remotest bor
ders of the land. He also sent away Saul s armor to
be set up in the temple of Ashtaroth, along the walls of
which hang a thousand suits of mail, with helmet, sword,
spear, and battle-axe, taken from the foes of the Philis
tines, during the last three hundred years !

Achish followed up his victory by crossing the Jordan,
and occupying all the cities and towns east of that river.
In fact, his victory gave him possession of two-thirds of
the kingdom.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 417

East of the Jordan is a fortified town called Jabesh-
gilead, belonging to the warlike tribe of Manasseh, and
distinguished for the bravery of its citizens. King Saul
many years before had delivered this people from the
Amalekites. When these warriors heard of the indignity
put upon the bodies of the king and the three princes.
two hundred of the most valiant young men, grateful to
him for his deliverance when tire Amalekites were about
to put out all their eyes, sallied forth at night from their
gates, and by a forced march reached the town of Beth-
shan just after midnight. Without being seen by the
guards of the Philistine camp, they removed the bodies of
the king and of his sons from the gate, and bearing them
on litters over Jordan and along the hills to Jabesh,
erected an altar, and solemnly burned them thereon!
The citizens then gathered up the royal ashes, and the
bones of the three princes, and buried them in a tomb
under a sacred palm, which grew near the gate of their
city, and the whole city mourned sincerely for the king
seven days.

Thus, your majesty, closed the wonderful and interest
ing history of Saul, truly one of the most remarkable
men of the age. His end was strikingly in keeping with
his stormy life; but it is to be hoped he atoned by his
death for his errors, so far as man can do so to his God,
and is at rest with his sons with Samuel the Seer, in the
abodes of the blessed.

Your faithful

ARBACES.

418 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

LETTER XIII.
ARBACES TO KING BELUS.

BETHLEHEM nr JUDEA,

TOUR MAJESTY,

IT will afford you pleasure to know that your kind
epistle, dated at your palace in Nineveh four weeks since,
reached me three days ago. The intelligence of your
continued health and the prosperity of your kingdom is
very gratifying to me, as well as the reception of so large
and interesting a letter written with your majesty s own
hand.

The portion thereof which relates to the beautiful
daughter of Isrilid, I can not permit to pass without al
lusion to. My silence respecting her is not because
I have become less interested in her, but because she has
been absent from the kingdom for several months, having
been taken by her father to Tadmor in the Desert, the
queen of which, in failing health and leaving no heir to
the throne, having written him a letter desiring to see
him in order to confer upon his daughter as the next
heir, the crown and sceptre ! She had been gone three
months when I returned here from my imprisonment in
Egypt, and although I have been here nearly three
months the invalid guest of the hospitable soldier Joab,
(your majesty will remember my first meeting witb him

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 419

near Jericho.) I have had no tidings of her or her father.
Thus my silence respecting her, my dear Belus, is ac
counted for; and not owing to indifference to one who so
profoundly interested me, and whom I still regard as the
sinccrcst friend I have among her sex.

Your majesty is pleased to say that you trust, if 1
marry her, I shall not delay to present my beautiful He
brew bride to your court. If, Belus, I had harbored
sentiments of this nature for her, while I believed her to
be only the daughter of the lord of Jericho, I fear I shall
have to dismiss them from my bosom, when I am compelled
to contemplate her as the proud and powerful Queen of
Tadmor in the Desert. A prince, who like your Arbaces
has his chief fortune invested in his armor and camp
equipage, can hardly, if he is becominglv modest in his
aspirations, hope to find grace in the eyes of a coroneted
dame, who has beauty enough to tempt even Belus of
Assyria to lay his crown and sceptre at her feet !

Your majesty is very kind to thank me so graciously
for my long letters, which, you say, give you so clear
and connected a history of the interesting Hebrew people,
that you read them with the greatest pleasure. You de
sire me to continue to send them to you without abate
ment of details. I will endeavor to obey you, and now
proceed to answer your inquiries in reference -to the
wonderful Prince David, who at this moment sits on the
throne of Saul, though not yet recognized by the whole
nation as their king, Prince Ishbosheth, at the death of
his father, having, by the advice of Abner, boldly pro
claimed himself king in his father s stead !

Your majesty will remember that David, after being
dismissed from the camp of Achish in order to appease

420 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the jealous rivalry of his lords and captains, retired into
Philistia. He had not reached its borders ere news came
to him that Ziklag, the fortified town in the south which
the King of Gath had given him as a residence for him
self and his family and the families of his six hundred
warriors, had been taken by the Amalekites and burned,
and the women and children carried away captives. By
forced marches he reached his city on the third day, and
found its ruins smoking and desolate. The Hebrew
chief, with so small a force, hesitated before pursuing an
army of six thousand fierce robbers of the desert, all
mounted on fleet horses or fleeter dromedaries, men whose
life was war. In this extremity his piety came to the
aid of his valor. Abiathar the Priest was with him, and
he besought him, in virtue of his sacred office, formally
as High Priest to consult the divine Oracle ! The Ark
was at this time at a place called Baale of Judah, whither
it had been retaken after the destruction of Nob ; as
formerly it had been there many years. But Abiathar
wore the divining ephod, and held possession of the Urim
and Thummim; that is, retained, with the hereditary
authority, the chief insignia of the Hebrew Pontificate;
for Saul, in transferring the sacerdotal dignity, after the
sacrilegious massacre at Nob, to a priest called Zadoc of
the co-lateral princely family of Eleazer, could only con
fer upon him an empty title; for the priesthood really
was vested only in Abiathar, representing the pontifical
family of Ithamar, and the royal line of the priesthood
from Aaron.

That Abiathar might &quot;enquire of God&quot; in due form,
David erected in a few hours with four ranges of sixty
spears a temporary tabernacle, enclosing it with curtains;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 421

and also constructed an inner sanctuary supported by*
javelins, and covered with Tyrian tapestry and white
linen. Into this place, secret from all eyes, entered the
priest, clad in his stately robes of office and wearing the
ephod; and consulted the oracle. Very different was the
result from the consultation of Saul s High Priest, the
want of success with whom drove the wretched king to
the sorceress of Endor. No sooner had Abiathar asked
of his God the words, David, who stood reverently wait
ing in the outer tabernacle, put into his mouth to say,
than a glory filled the place from the sudden splendor
emitted by the Urim and Thummim, and the voice of
God answered the inquiry, &quot;Shall I pursue this troop?
Shall I overtake them?&quot; with this audible response:

u Pursue, for them shalt surely overtake them, and
recover all without fail !&quot;

In this condescension of God, David was not only
confirmed in his trust in God, but was assured that the
Oracle and the Priesthood, which had failed the king,
was with himself. Having refreshed his men, he pur
sued his spoilers, and on the third day came into tho
desert, but a great wind had obliterated the trace of the
retiring army. At this crisis David beheld a man lying
on the ground famished. He saw by his features and
costume that he was an Egyptian. When he had com
manded food and water to be given to him, and great
care to be taken of him, the man was at length able to
reply to David s inquiries, and to make known the direc
tion taken by his foes, their number, and all the circum
stances of the attack upon Ziklag. The man had been
left behind to perish by his companions, because he had
been taken ill ; and now their cruelty in deserting him

4:22 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

.was about to be punished by the very one who had been
its victim. If they had been humane persons, they
would have escaped safely with their spoil to their own
country, but one act of inhumanity caused their destruc
tion.

Pursuing them by the route pointed out, David came
up with them far to the south, encamped in a plain,
feasting and making merry, wholly abandoned to plea
sure, thinking they were safe beyond pursuit, knowing
Achish to be in the far north fighting with Saul. Like
a clap of thunder heard in the sky in a cloudless day,
fell the shouts of the six hundred Hebrews upon their
ears ! Ere they could seize their arms, and put on their
armor, David and his little band were upon them ! The
battle lasted the whole day, for the Amalekites were a
great host ; but by the time the sun went down, not a
man escaped, save four hundred young men that fled
from the field on dromedaries, and whom he could not
pursue. Every thing they had taken was recovered, with
the wives, and daughters, and little ones of the victors.
Abigail, David s beautiful wife, Nabal s widow, was re
stored to him, and also a second wife he had brought with
him to Ziklag ; for, though it is not the custom of the
Hebrews to have more than one wife, yet it is not re
garded as an infringement of the divine law. It is an
innovation where it occurs, and imitated from the cus
toms of the kings and people around them. Indeed, a
Hebrew informed me that the greater number of wives,
horses, (though the Hebrews are forbidden in the laws
of Moses to have a multitude of horses,) slaves, and ser
vants, a great man has, the higher is his dignity ; that
kings and lords ought to marry many wives, in order to

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 423

strengthen themselves by alliances with numerous power
ful families. It was, doubtless, this policy which led
David to take two wives, as the other belongs to one of
the most warlike and opulent families of the land !

The conquerors returned to Ziklag, and camped before
the ruinous walls, for there were but few dwellings for
the families to occupy they had recaptured; and prepared
to rebuild their stronghold.

David in the meanwhile was filled with anxiety to
learn the result of the battle on the plains about Mount
Gilboa, between Saul and the King of the Philistines.
On the third day, as he was standing on a part of the
wall looking northward for any tidings, for he knew that
a battle must ere then have been fought, he beheld a
man advancing with haste, yet wearily, his clothes rent,
and earth upon his head, like one who bears evil tidings.
When he came near David, he did obeisance before him,
as to a king.

&quot;From whence coinest thou?&quot; demanded David
anxiously, fearing the answer would convey some ill
news to him.

&quot; Out of the camp of Israel, my lord! I am escaped
only with my life!&quot;

&quot;How went the battle?&quot; demanded David quickly.
&quot;I pray thee, tell me.&quot;

&quot; The Philistine king hath overthrown King Saul and
his hosts. Many ten thousands have fallen in the fight,
and are dead! Saul and Jonathan his son are dead
also.&quot;

&quot;How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son
are dead?&quot; asked David, doubting, yet fearing the re
sponse.

424 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

And the young man answered,

&quot; As I happened, by chance, upon Mount Gilboa, be
hold I saw Saul lean upon his spear as if sore wounded ;
and the chariots and horsemen of King Achish pressed
hard upon him ; and looking about he saw me, and called
unto me, and I hastened to him, and answered, Here
am I, king!

&quot;And he said unto me, Who art thou?

&quot; An Amalekite is thy servant, I answered the king.

&quot; He then said, i Stand, I pray thee, upon me and slay
me : for I would not die by the hand of these Philis
tines!

&quot;&quot;So I stood upon King Saul, my lord, and slew him,
because I was sure that he could not live after that ho
was fallen : and I took the crown that was upon his head,
and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought
them hither unto my lord.&quot;

When David heard these words, and beheld the crown
and the bracelet, and recognized them to be King Saul s,
he knew that Saul was dead; and when he inquired
more closely, he was assured that his noble friend, the
brave and generous Prince Jonathan, was also fallen in
the fight. In his anguish he rent his clothes, in token
of his deep sorrow, and wept for his friend and for his
king, the manner of whose death greatly affected him ;
and when his followers heard the tidings, there was
manifested the greatest sorrow in all men s faces.

&quot;Whence art thou, young man?&quot; at length sternly de
manded David.

&quot; Thy servant, my lord, is the son of a stranger I
am an Amalekite.&quot;

&quot; How, thou son of a stranger ! wast thou not afraid to

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 425

stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord s anointed?
By the sword of Saul ! thou shalt die the death ! Corno
hither,&quot; he called to the captain of his body-guard;
&quot;draw thy sword and hew this Amalekite in pieces!
Thy blood be upon thine own head ; for thou hast testi
fied against thyself, saying, I have slain the Lord s
anointed! &quot;

Uriah, the captain of the guard, without hesitation,
lifted his sword, and smote the sacrilegious and boasting
Amalekite to the earth ; who, hoping to ingratiate him
self with David, whom he doubtless heard that rumor
had asserted would succeed Saul, had invented the lie
for which he was justly rewarded with death. This
young man, your majesty, was the same who stood near
Saul, and whom Saul would not ask to slay him ; but
who, after his death, and that of Doeg by his own hand,
robbed the king s helmet of the &quot;war crown,&quot; which was
secured thereon by a band or plate of gold. This Ama
lekite was even the son of Doeg, by- an Amalekite wife;
and had been told by his wily father, if the king fell, to
hasten with the crown to David in Ziklag, as he was to
be king.

Little did the unhappy Amalekite understand the true
character of David. Instead of beholding his face
brighten with joy at the news of Saul s death ; instead
of seeing him seize the golden crown, and vainly put it
upon his head; instead of being rewarded with a purse
of gold, a rich robe, and given a place of honor, lo!
weeping took the place of rejoicing, in the generous and
unselfish David ; the crown lay untouched at his feet ; and
he was rewarded with an ignominious death for touching
with his hand a consecrated king. How beautiful, your

426 THE TIIRONE OF DAVID; OR,

majesty, is this character so admirably developed by
David, at a moment which would test all men, and show
what was in them! Here were no ambitious hopes
awakened, no unfit joy manifested at the death of his
persecutor and enemy ! All the wrongs he had suffered
from the man, were buried in oblivion, as he thought
upon the humiliating end of the consecrated king! The
mighty Saul to be slain by a base Amalekite ! The noble
traits of Saul he recalled, and also his great sorrows, the
loss of Samuel s friendship, of the favor of God, the evil
spirit possessing him : all these recollections rushed upon
his mind, as apologies for all his conduct, and he wept
bitterly, that he was no more! But what pen can por
tray his heart s deep sorrow for the death of Jonathan!
He shed tears for Saul, and the grief passed away; but
he mourned long and sore for Jonathan.

&quot;What shall I do with these, my lord?&quot; asked the
ever richly attired Ahithophel, placing the crown and
bracelet of the king -before him, as he sat in his tent.

&quot; Take away the crown !&quot; said David, sorrowfully.
&quot; Give it to Abiathar to keep. Alas !&quot; he added, as he
took the silver bracelet in his hand, in which was framed
a band of inscribed parchment ; &quot; here is the poor
king s phylactery which, of late years, he has worn bound
upon his wrist.&quot;

&quot;Yes,&quot; said the cynical Ahithophel, with a slight
tone of bitter sarcasm ; &quot; the king, the deeper he sinned,
the broader made his phylacteries, and the ampler was
the blue ribband upon his fringes. He grew, like all
transgressors, superstitious in his late years, and what
piety was lacking in his life, he bound it in sacred verses
upon his brow as frontlets, and upon his hands as brace-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 427

lets. Doubtless, as he went into battle with this, he re
garded it as a potent charm or amulet, which would
make him invulnerable. Behold ! It was upon his left
hand That was the king s sword-hand, by virtue of his
being of the tribe of Benjamin. It was a bad omen.&quot;

&quot; This language is an offence unto me, Ahithophel,&quot;
said David. &quot; He who regards my favor will speak cour
teously and kindly of the fallen king.&quot;

The next day, David called a solemn fast for the death
of King Saul, and when the people were assembled to
gether, and had paid due honors to the king s memory,
he took his harp before them and struck it to the chords
of lamentation for Prince Jonathan in the following
hymn :

&quot; The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places;

How are the mighty fallen !

Tell it not in Gath,

Publish it not in the streets of Askelon ;
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph !

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew,

Neither let there be rain upon you,

Nor fields of offerings ;

For there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away
The shield of Saul, as though he were not anointed with oil.
The bow of Jonathan turned not back ;
The sword of Saul returned not empty !

How are the mighty fallen !

The beauty and glory of Israel departed !

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided :
They were swifter than eagles :
They were stronger than lions

428 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you with scarlet and many delights,

Who decked your apparel with ornaments of gold !

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!

Thou Jonathan wert slain in thine high places;

I am distressed for thee, Jonathan, my brother :

Very pleasant hast thou been to me ;

Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women I

How are the mighty fallen !

And the weapons of war perished !

This last refrain, taken up by the warriors and the wo
men, was heard like the waves of the sea lifting up their
voices to the wailing of the winds.

The days of lamentation for Saul and Jonathan being
ended, David, although he knew that it was ordained
that he should be king in Saul s stead, would take no
steps without humbly consulting the Oracle of his God ;
thus evincing that modesty, prudence, and piety which
are marked features in his noble nature. He, therefore,
waited upon the High Priest, Abiathar, and desired Mm
to enquire of the Lord what he should do, whether to go
into the land of Judah and to Hebron, therein, where
Saul had dwelt; or whither should he go ?

The answer of the Oracle was, with the usual brevity
of divine revelations,

&quot;Go up to Hebron !&quot;

David, therefore, prepared at once to go eastward into
the land of Israel, before the return of the conqueror Achish
should place any barrier to his departure. He took with
him all his followers with their families and his own, and
also many servants of the Amalekites and Ethiopians,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 420

which he had captured in the desert when he avenged the
burning of Ziklag.

What were his emotions, when after five days slow
march, during which he crossed the field where he had
slain Goliath, he came at the head of his long procession
in sight of the battlements of Hebron, from which, three
years before, he had fled by night from the fierce wrath
of King Saul ! As he looked up at the window of the
palace, from whence Michal, his young wife, had let him
down over the wall, he could not but recall all the scenes,
so varied and adventurous, through which he had passed
since that desolate night. Flying a fugitive without
where to lay his head, he was now returning a king with
the power and authority of Saul himself. His six hun
dred followers were increased by the thousands of the
men of Judah, who crowded along the way he came to
join him and hail him as their king, and when he entered
the gates of the city he had an army of twelve thousand
men, while all the valley of Mamre, before Hebron, was
thronged with multitudes who had gathered there to
behold and receive their young king, and escort him to
his throne.

When he reached the palace of King Saul, and was
tendered the keys of the grand chamberlain, pride and
power were not the emotions he felt at such a moment
of triumph over his enemy, but sadness ! The absence
of Saul, of Jonathan, of his other dead sons, of Michal,
left desolate vacancies in corridor and chamber, throne-
room and festal hall. Having thanked the chief men,
lords, and elders of Judah who had escorted him thither,
he desired to be left alone, and for a while gave himself
up to the painful and solemn reminiscences of the past.

4:30 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

The next day he gave audience to the principal per-
sons of the tribe of Judah, of which Hebron was the
chief city, who came formally to ask him to receive the
solemn rite of consecration as king, some of these old
men having been present when, a few years before, he
had been anointed in his father s house, at Bethlehem,
by Samuel. That that anointing was royal and pro
phetic of his reign after Saul s death, of late all Israel
had understood, and this knowledge at length afforded
the people the true key to Saul s jealousy against one
whom he feared and hated as the man who would sup
plant his family.

Alas ! Jonathan, the prince royal, was now where
earthly crowns were valueless ! Only the youth Ishbo-
sheth of all Saul s family remained, save his wife and
concubines and their sons. Thirty days after the en
trance of David into Hebron, the citizens of which had
received him with great joy, (for he had been well
known to them when he dwelt there with Saul,) he was
consecrated and crowned king of Judah, with ceremo
nies more august and imposing than ever had been wit
nessed in the land. The High Priest, in full sacerdo-
tals, after solemnly anointing his head with holy oil at
the foot of the throne in the presence of the seventy,
the seven elders of the city, the lords of the towns, the
high captains and officers of his army and of the palace,
led him up the steps of the throne, and seated him thereon.
Then receiving the state crown of Saul from the hands
of two priests, he placed it upon his head amid the accla
mations of the people, and the sound of trumpets, cornets,
dulcimers, and all kinds of instruments of music from a
choir placed in the gallery at the west end of the throne-

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 431

room. The one thousand brilliant guards without, in
homage lowered their standard of the &quot; Lion of the tribe
of Judah,&quot; and paid with depressed spears the martial sa
lute to their new-crowned king, and, crossing their swords,
in one voice they swore safely to guard his body &quot; by
watch and ward, by day and by night, with their hearts
and with their lives !&quot; The intelligence that the king
was crowned was communicated to the multitudes in the
streets, whose shouts gave information to the warders
upon the walls, who made it known to the thousands
who could not get within the city, and who filled the
valley. These, repeating the shouts of joy, conveyed the
glad tidings to the hills, and the hills to the populous
vales beyond these, to fortress, tower, and city, still far
ther off; until the tide of sound rolled like waves over
all Judah, died away in the mountains of Carmel in the
south, of Ephraim in the west, and of Tabor in the north,
and were echoed back by the dark hills of Moab beyond
Jordan.

Abner, Saul s brave general, was walking on the bat
tlements of the walled town of the ancient fortified camp
of Mahanaim, east of the river Jordan, whither he had
fled, attended by four hundred Benjamites, with Prince
Tsbosheth after the death of Saul. All at once he heard
shouts afar off: vine-dressers calling to the keepers in the
towers of the olive-fields, and these to the reapers of
barley under the Avails, and these again to the sentries
over the city-gate ; each man sending on the news which
had crossed Jordan on the wings of human voices fly-
ing through this populous land.

&quot;What call they?&quot; he asked of a foot-soldier, a man
of the tribe of Gad, who stood by.

432 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Before the man could reply, a warder, upon a turret
above the gate, catching clearly the words which were
shouted across the valley, cried aloud to Abner,

&quot;David is crowned! The son of Jesse is King of
Judah! Hosanna to the anointed of God !&quot;

These words caused Saul s general to start as if he
were suddenly wounded by an arrow, instead of by .a
voice. His great brow grew black as night. He com
manded the warden to keep silence, and without delay has
tened to the palace of the governor of the city. As he
entered the reception hall, he beheld the young Prince Ish-
bosheth seated there, attired with that exquisite taste which
characterized him, his flowing robes richly fringed with
gold thread, his phylacteries gorgeously worked with the
needle in floss of gold ; the blue silken bands of the
border, instead of being plain ribband according to the
law, were magnificently embroidered with scarlet pome
granates and vine leaves intermingled. His tunic was of
Tyrian purple, worn with a graceful air, and confined
at his slender waist by a cincture, sparkling with eme
ralds. A collar of pearls encircled his round, handsome
neck, and his wrists were decorated with bracelets, one
of which enclosed a verse of Holy Script, each letter
ornamented after the style of the Phoenicians, who love
to intertwine sentences among flowers, intermingled with
shells and fanciful scrolls. His hands glittered with jewel-
set rings, and the royal seal ring of King Saul, his
father, was worn, as is the custom, upon the thnmb of his
left hand. His dark hair, of which he was very proud,
flowed about his shoulders in shining masses ; and upon
his head he wore a sort of sparkling tiara. He was
seated upon a richlv lined chair, a slender Idumean

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 433

hunting dog crouching at his feet, one of his decorated,
sandaled feet resting upon his glossy hide. Upon his
wrist was perched a beautiful Arabian bulbul, which he
was teaching to imitate a warlike air he was whistling
to it.

Altogether it was a striking picture. Near him sat
the governor s daughter, a mere child, but with those
great radiant Hebrew eyes, at once so full of innocence
and intelligence. He was amusing her with his remarks

O D

upon the dullness of his plumaged pupil. On his hand
some olive-brown and heartless face, there was visible no
trace of grief for the fate of his father and brothers, who
scarcely two months before had fallen at Mount Gilboa.
Not far distant from him on the other side of the room
sat the Governor of Mahanaim, reading out of the book
of the criminal law, in reference to a case which he was
to decide that day.

Abner entered with a quick, heavy tread, like a man
in earnest, and who has something earnest to say; the
ring of his iron heel starting the prince, frightening the
bulbul from his wrist, and causing the dog to hide behind
his master.

&quot;What, my lord!&quot; he cried, &quot;art thou dallying there
when the times call for thee to buckle on thy sword and
do battle for thy father s crown? The son of Jesse was
this day (for the winds have quickly brought the evil
tidings) crowned King of Judah in Hebron! This must
not stand ! Sir governor, call the city together ! I will
proclaim the Prince Ishbosheth King of all Israel before
the sun go down ! and defend his right to the crown of
his royal sire with my good sword.&quot;

Abner faithfully fulfilled his purpose. The same hour
28

434 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

he rode through all the city at the prince s bridle, at
tended by a glittering array of men-at-arms, and pre
ceded by a royal trumpeter, who sounded the trumpet
before him, while Abner cried,

&quot; Bend the knee ! Ishbosheth, son of Saul, is this day
proclaimed King over Israel !&quot;

From Mahanaim the prince and his general rode to ,
the cities of Gilead, to the towns of the Ashurites, to
Jezreel, to the strongholds of Ephraim, and the lands of
the sons of Simeon, who wield their swords with the left
hand, and over all Israel east of the Jordan. These all
accepted and hailed the prince as their king ; and when the
ambassadors of David came among them a few days af
terwards to give in their allegiance to him, they im
prisoned or drove them from their cities, refusing allegiance
to any save to the son of Saul ; a devotion which had its
origin many years previous, when these people east of
Jordan being conquered by Ammonites, and Moabites, and
others, were promptly delivered from the hands of their
enemies by the prowess of King Saul. They now grate
fully returned the favor by adhering to his son.

Thus not three months after Saul s death, your
majesty, two kings were dividing his kingdom between
them : one chosen before of God ; the other, the creature
of the ambition and noble devotion to his royal master s
memory, of Abner the valiant warrior and accomplished
general. Losing his own rank and power at Saul s de
feat and death, this ambitious and proud soldier resolved
to secure their continuance by placing the king s son on
the throne. Perhaps he was ignorant of David s divine
claim to the crown, and regarded him as a daring
usurper, and his natural enemy. Without doubt this

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 435

stern old veteran, blunt and honest in purpose, despised
the effeminate Prince Ishbosheth in his heart; but he
knew that if he could secure his seat in the throne of his
father, that he, himself, Abner, would be, as his adviser,
the actual monarch ! In establishing Ishbosheth in his
fa tlior s kingdom, was, therefore, virtually to enthrone
himself !

Abner, therefore, proceeded to raise an army to main
tain the pretensions of the son of Saul to the throne.
This personage was perfectly passive in his hands, will
ing to be king, so that Abner would take all the burden
and trouble necessary to make him so, and leave him to
the indulgence of indolence and pleasure. Though effemi
nate, Ishbosheth was not a craven. He had inherited all
his father s courage, and he would not have fled from the
face of a lion ; but instead of his father s passion for war,
he loved the indulgence of the chase, of the festal hall, of
the scenes of pleasure and of luxury. If Abner had per
mitted it, he w r ould have joined his father on the fatal
field of Gilboa, and died fighting by his side, as fearless
of death as his brothers ! But he had no warlike ambi
tion. Honors he would not refuse, but they must be
purchased by the toil of others. Abner thoroughly un
derstood the prince s character; and with the personal
prize in view, personal to himself, he was willing to do
all the work !

When David heard that Saul s son had been proclaimed
King over Israel, he manifested no anger. His generous
temper at once pardoned an act founded upon the pro-
foundest impulses of our nature. The sole surviving
prince, was he not the lawful heir, in his own, and in
the world s eye, of his royal father s throne? Were not

436 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

his claims prior and superior to those of a stranger?
What were David s, which should acquit him of the
charge proclaimed against him from Beersheba in the
south, to Dan in the north, of usurping Saul s kingdom ?
The secret call of God ; followed by the secret anointing
of Samuel ; confirmed by the oracle at Ziklag, through
the High Priest commanding him to go and reign at
Hebron ! These were evidences to him of his right to
the throne ; but was it evidence to Abner, to Ishbosheth,
to Israel, to the world ? How could he prove to all these
his undisputed title to the sceptre and crown of Saul?
All that remained for him was to wait the farther reve
lations of heaven, that the world might know as well as
he himself, the justice of his claim, founded upon the
gift to him of the kingdom by Him who is King of kings,
and governs the nations of the earth by whom He will
David therefore did not hasten to commence hostilities
but waited to see how God would order affairs. Three
weeks elapsed when word came to him that Abner had
crossed the Jordan, and taken Gibeon, near Jerusalem
He now sent for Joab, his general, who, under such a
soldier and warrior as David had at length become, had
acquired a fierce and sanguinary character; or more
truly, numerous wars had developed a temper naturally
harsh and haughty, into a fierce, almost relentless dis
position.

&quot;Thou hast heard the news, my great captain,&quot; said
the king, as the tall warrior entered his presence, his
thick tangled locks, matted upon his square forehead,
and the lines of passion and care, deeply cut in his worn
visage, (for though, yet a young man, he looked already
like a veteran,) and the beard upon his lips, curved like

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 437

two sabres across either cheek. &quot; I have come to but half
of Saul s kingdom. Abner has not only set up Ishbosheth
against me beyond Jordan, and made him king of all the
east, as thou hast heard, but he has crossed the Jordan,
and is at this moment in the heart of my kingdom, hav
ing entered Gibeon, but nine miles from Jerusalem, two
days ago!&quot;

&quot;Then by the sword of Gideon, King David,&quot; cried
Joab in a voice that growled like a lion s, when he hears
the elephant trumpeting afar off, &quot;I will shorten him by
the head ere two days more are gone!&quot;

&quot;Nay, my brave son of Zeruiah,&quot; answered the king;
&quot;we must deal gently with them. They are in the right,
had not God set Saul aside for a stranger ! They must
by and by all come under my rule. Let me not do harm
to my own subjects. Go thou, Joab, and take with thee
seven hundred chosen men, the number he has with him.
When thou comest near Gibeon, send a messenger of
peace to Abner. Begin not any quarrel with him.
Meet thou and the son of Ner as of old, like friends and
courteous brethren in arms. Learn from him his pur
poses. Say to him that I have sworn I will not harm
the seed of Saul, nor fight against him and his people.
Offer to Abner son of Ner, from me, terms of honor, and
the command of my armies east of Jordan, if he will
submit to my sceptre ; and Ishbosheth his master, for his
brother Jonathan s sake shall dwell in my palace, and
be to me as a friend!&quot;

The next morning the general of King David departed,
and came and encamped before Gibeon, and sending in a
messenger of peace, Abner and twelve Benjamites, sons
of Simeon beyond Jordan, of great stature and valor,

438 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

came forth with him, his army being drawn up in battle
array before the gates. The meeting between these two
mighty men of war was by a fountain near the gate.
Abner heard all the words of the stern Joab, which
David sent to him, and answered graciously, saying &quot;he
would refer the matter to the King of Israel.&quot;

&quot;Who is the King of Israel?&quot; demanded Joab, with
high anger in his voice.

&quot;Ishbosheth, the son of Saul !&quot; answered Abner, with
his usual stately courtesy.

&quot;Now, as the Lord liveth,&quot; cried Joab, striking his
iron sword-handle till it rung again, his nostrils dilating
like those of a war-charger, &quot;I know no King of Israel,
but my lord David of Hebron ! I will do thee battle, son
of Ner, on this question thou and I here between our
armies!&quot;

&quot;Nay, Joab,&quot; answered Saul s general, his large,
brown eyes kindling with the steely gleam of battle, &quot;I
have here twelve men of war. They are more valiant than
thine. If thou hast any doubt, choose ye twelve of your
most valiant young men, let them meet on yonder grassy
space, and at a signal let them play the game of battle in
stead of thee and me, and let the conquering side decide
who shall be king, and who are the bravest warriors !&quot;

The fierce and confident Joab did not hesitate to stake
the kingdom on this issue of arms. When the twelve
adherents of Ishbosheth faced the twelve men of Judah,
the two armies looked on, and awaited the signal, which
Abner gave by waving his sword, and crying:

&quot; For Saul and his throne !&quot;

&quot;For God and the king !&quot; responded Joab.

The twofold cries were taken up by the opposing com-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 439

hatants, and the two parties, first casting forward their
javelins, rushed upon each other only with swords. The
twelve Benjamites attempted by their fearful left-handed
strokes to take the men of Judah unawares, but these twelve
men, selected by Joab, had been trained in the army of
David also to fight with the left hand, and parrying the
blows caught their adversaries by the beard and hair, and
run them through the body, the Benjamites at the same
time transfixing each man his antagonist. Thus the
twenty-four combatants fell dead together, every man s
sword sheathed in his fellow s body. At this extraordinary
result, as if the men by mutual understanding had agreed
to die together, leaving the question of valor and right
unsettled, Abncr and Joab, at the same instant, moved
by one impulse, shouted the battle-cry for their armies
to close in conflict. In a few minutes the two hosts
were fiercely battling together before Gibeon, and though
Abner fought with superhuman prowess, the dogged valor
and stern purpose of Joab overmastered him. He was
defeated, and all his army put to flight, so that he him
self had to flee away on foot towards the Jordan. Joab
and his victorious soldiers pursued, until Asahel, a young
brother of Joab, and of wonderful fleetness of foot, came
up with Abner, ambitious to take him prisoner. The old
warrior warned him not to come near him, but heedless
of his words he was about to lay hands upon his shoul
der, when Abner, by a back-stroke of his broken javelin,
slew him.

Abner, leaving three hundred and sixty of his men
dead on the field and in the flight, reached Jordan after
retreating all that night, and, crossing that river, regained
Mahanaim, where Ishbosheth remained behind amusing

440 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

himself. The loss of Joab was but nineteen men besides
Asahel, whose body he conveyed to Bethlehem, his birth
place, and there buried. Then, returning to Hebron, he
reported to the king the issue of the expedition, from
which David perceived that he could only obtain the
kingdom by an intestine war.

Thus, your majesty, I have brought the narrative of
these warlike events up to the moment at which I write ;
for it is yet but fourteen days since the events I have
last recorded transpired, and the return of Joab to He
bron. Three months ago, when I reached here from
Egypt, David had but recently been crowned, and the
subsequent events rapidly followed in the order in which I
have given them. From Bethlehem, where I am sojourn
ing, I saw the seven hundred men of Judah, under Joab,
when they marched by, in the valley, on their way to
meet Abner at the pool of Gibeon ; and, on their return,
bearing the body of the light-footed Asahel. Joab and
his brother Abishai stopped here one day to bury the
body in the sepulchre of his fathers. From him I
learned all the particulars of the meeting with Abner as
I have narrated it ; and also from King David, Joab, and
others, who were intimately connected with the events I
have recorded, have I received the chief details of the
histories which have filled my letters to your majesty.

My health is now so much improved by more than two
months sojourn in this salubrious region, that I shall,
to-morrow, leave the house of the stern, but hospitable
Joab, and proceed to Hebron, to pay a visit to the king,
in order to take leave of him before departing from his
kingdom. Ever since my return from Egypt, his majesty
has shown towards me the greatest kindness. Upon my

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 441

arrival by the caravan from the land of the Nile, and,
coming to Hebron, I found that Jonathan s friend held tho
sceptre ; being too ill to leave the camp outside of the walls,
I sent to King David a message of congratulation on
his accession to the throne. What was my surprise,
the next morning, your majesty, to behold the curtain
of my tent drawn aside, and to see the king enter ! He ten
derly embraced me, and insisted that I should be re
moved in a palanquin to his palace. He was greatly
changed in three years. His figure was large and manly,
and his air and bearing was that of a warlike chief; for
he had learned to endure the hardness of a soldier s dis
cipline in the severe school of his persecutor, Saul.
Yet, with his brown cheek, his bearded chin, his martial
voice, and military aspect, his eyes still sparkled with
the soft light of the gentle shepherd s spirit, and his
white forehead was expansive with the radiance of the
highest order of intellect. About his fine mouth played
the light of that divine inspiration which has revealed
itself in some of the most beautiful odes, hymns, and
psalters, which human genius has composed. These this
pious prince loves to sing at his window at the close of
day, when the hills are just fading behind the holy veil
of twilight, or seated upon his palace corridor in the
light of the full moon, accompanying his grand, rich
voice with his harp, producing the noblest harmony.

I remained several days a guest of this most devout and
ingenuous king, and after he had heard of me the history
of all my adventures in Egypt, he, from time to time,
for he often came to my chamber and remained as long
with me as he could withdraw from his varied and im
portant affairs,) related to me all the events which tran-

442 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

spired in Judea, during my nearly three years absence
at the court and in the prisons of Pharaoh.

When, at length, he found that the close confinement
and air of Hebron were uncongenial and unfavorable to
me. he recommended the hills of Bethlehem, his native
place ; and Joab, who has a house here, the pleasures
of which, however, he seldom enjoys, being so much
away on duty at the court or with the army, civilly and
very kindly offered me the use of it. I accepted the
kindness, and by the advice of my physician, came
hither.

Though I have occupied my time so much in writing
to your majesty, almost my only solace, yet I have grown
better daily ; and am now about to pay a visit to the
king. Through his attention, I have received, in my
convalescence, every luxury. One day, purple grapes
from the famous vineyards of Eshcol, in rich bunches
of a size that would more than fill a helmet, are sent
to me ; on another, caskets of ripe figs, both blue and
white, of wonderful excellence, such as no other land pro-
duceth ; yesterday, a basket of delicious pomegranates
came by a messenger from the aged Jesse, the father of
the king, who had no sooner been crowned, than he
sent for his venerable parents to return from the court
of the king of Moab to their own home ; and to-day,
raisins, apricots, and fruits with names unknown to me,
and of ravishing flavor, with fragrant olives from the
Mountain of Olives, not far distant, are bountifully
poured upon my table ; while the rich wines of Idumea,
of Egypt, and Damascus, tempt me to temperate indul
gence, and invite to strength and health.

This land of Judea and of Benjamin, of which Hebron

THE REBELLION OF PK1XCE ABSALOM. 443

and Bethlehem are the centres, is rich and fertile beyond
conception; beautiful and bold in scenery; abounding in
grains, fruit, and flowers; noble forest trees, and foun
tains; and groves, gardens, and thousands of pleasant
and foliage-shaded homes; with numerous snow white
sepulchres, gleaming amid dark groves.

HEBRON, COURT OF KING DAVID.

Your majesty will see by the change in the date of
my letter, that I fulfilled my intention to leave Bethlehem,
to visit the king. I was received by the young monarch
in the kindest manner. He expressed his great joy at
my restoration to health, and said that he trusted I
would now make a long visit at his court. &quot;With what
pleasure did I meet here on the day of my arrival, Isri-
lid, the stately gray-haired lord of Jericho! He was ac
companied by his fair daughter, and they are occupying
the palace in which Abner once dwelt. They insisted
that I should become their guest; and the king reluc
tantly gave me up ; but as his palace, in this crisis of his
reign, is filled with courtiers, ambassadors from the
various Hebrew tribes, lords of cities, senators of the
Sanhedrim, and war officers, all seeking position and
place, or offering services, or presenting letters of adhe
sion to his rule, and congratulations upon his accession,
it was far more agreeable for me to be in a private house :
1 therefore accepted the offer of the noble Isrilid, who
at once took me to his home which is not fai from the
palace.

On the way thither, he informed me that when he
reached Damascus with his fair daughter, he was delayed
some weeks for the caravan, and arrived at Tadmor in

444 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the Desert, after many delays, to learn that the queen
had been dead four months, and that her brother, a
young soldier of Parthian blood, had seized the crown.
&quot;I found him,&quot; said Isrilid, &quot;maintained in his usurpa
tion by a body of wild barbaric soldiers in steel helmets,
and armed with gigantic bows, that carry steel-headed
arrows five cubits long. It would have been madness to
have made known my errand. I remained at Tadmor
privately lodged a few weeks, during which time I learned
that the new dynasty was hateful to the people, and
that they would aid a leader with an army, to displace
the splendid savage whose yoke pressed heavily upon
them. I therefore, resolved to visit Nineveh, the kings
of which I knew had received for a hundred years tri-
annual tribute from the kings of Tadmor; not that I
hoped King Belus would overthrow the new dynasty at
my poor solicitation, or, that so long as the tribute was
regularly sent to him, he troubled himself as to who wore
the crown; but I expected, my lord Arbaces,&quot; continued
Isrilid, &quot;to find you at the Assyrian Court, long since
successfully returned from your embassy to Egypt. I
therefore waited for the next caravan, when a company
of merchants of Nineveh arrived, from the captain of
whom I learned that your mission had failed, and you
had been held a prisoner in Egypt by Pharaoh more than
two years. As I was informed from this veteran cap
tain, that he was the maternal uncle of your armor-
bearer Ninus, I gave credence to his story, and re
luctantly returned by the first opportunity to Damascus,
when three weeks ago we arrived in Judea to hear of
King Saul s death, and the wise and brave David, the
friend of God, on the throne. Here I learned, prince.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 445

with joy, how you had escaped from your Egyptian
prison, and were in Bethlehem, where, had you not so
opportunely come to Hebron, I proposed to visit you.
As I am no longer lord of Jericho, but a private citizen,
1 shall dwell here with my daughter, having taken the
palace of Abner, which Saul, to whom it belonged, though
permitting Abner to occupy it, gave me three years ago
in part security for the talents of gold I loaned to him,
to carry on the war against the Philistines, when Goliath
of Gath and his armies came against him!&quot;

By this time, your majesty, we had reached the gate
of Abner s palace, which stands not far distant from the
&quot; Tabernacle of Shelter,&quot; where the refugees who seek
this city from the avenger of blood are lodged for pro
tection.

Three years had changed the Princess Adora, not in tak
ing away from her beauty and grace, but developing and
finishing that which was not fully matured in mind and
person. Heretofore she was the opening rose which one
hesitated whether yet to call it a bud or a flower. But
the full-blown rose of Sharon, brilliant with the morning
dews, was not more beautiful than the fair daughter of

the house of Isrilid, as she now appeared when she ad
vanced to meet me ! She extended her hand, partly with
the freedom of an old friend, partly with the affection
of a sister for a brother, partly with a gentle look of
sympathy, (for she had heard of my sufferings in Egypt,)
partly with blushing consciousness that though she might
regard me as a brother, I was not her brother ! These
conflicting, embarrassing emotions made her look far
more lovely than my brightest recollections since our
last meeting had ever pictured her.

446 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

It took the hours of three moonlight evenings spent
upon the terrace-like roof of the palace, the soft breeze
from the mountains of Judah laden with the mingled
fragrance of fruit and flowers cooling the air the while,
to interchange our stories. It is wonderful how often
she desired me to describe the beauty of the Egyptian
princess ! At length, she said : &quot; I wonder, prince,
thou didst not marry her ! Thou hadst better have sat
on a throne than been chained to the floor of that dread
ful dungeon !&quot; There was a tremor in the tones of her
voice that plainly betrayed she did not mean all she said.

&quot; I had no heart, fair Adora, to give her,&quot; I answered
her.

But here, your majesty, I paused, for I dared not
venture on ground from which, if circumstances should
render it necessary, I might be unable to retire with be
coming self-possession and dignity. From what I leave
unsaid, your majesty will be so kind as not to imagine
there are passages of the interview I desire not to con
fess. What the future may reveal, I cannot say. What
ever it does develope shall not be withholden from thee,
Belus !

I am now a daily guest at the dinner table of the king.
One after another the Hebrew tribes on this side Jordan
are giving in their adhesion to his royal sceptre ; for, to
the people at large the title of David, the son of Jesse,
to reign over them is of the same value (in that it is from
the same high Source of all authority and power, their
God himself) of that by which Saul, the son of Kish,
became their king ! Both equally were called of God,
and both were anointed by Samuel ! But for the ambi
tion of Abner, still the firm friend of the dead king, his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 447

master, who claims an hereditary right to the throne on
the part of the king s son, the whole nation, both sides
of the now dividing river, would ere this have submitted
cheerfully to his sceptre. So long as Abner lives and
stands by this young and indolent prince, Ishbosheth, so
long will there exist in this nation of one blood a state
of internecine war, but aggressive only on the part of
the adherents to Ishbosheth.

As I was about to close this letter, your majesty, King
David sent for me. Upon presenting myself at the pa
lace, he said :

&quot; My dear prince, I trust our long and frequent inter
course has made us friends. I will, therefore, frankly
commune with you. You inform me that it is your pur
pose in a few days to return to Nineveh, contrary to the
advice of your own physicians and those of my court,
who say the heat and exposure of the oriental desert
will bring back your disease, and perhaps forbid a second
restoration to health. Before you incur so great a risk,
I pray you reflect whether you cannot be of more service
to your monarch and to his interests by remaining here,
and represent Assyria in the character of resident am
bassador at my court. It is true my kingdom is yet in
its first estate, and but a fragment of the empire God
will put into my hand. But it is my purpose to enlarge
its borders, and raise it to a rank among the powers of
the earth that the nations shall no more say with deri
sion, Your God, whom you call the Lord of the earth,
rules over but a little kingdom without seaports, com
merce by caravan or ship, without treaties, and without
the friendship of a single king of the earth ! Remain
here, Arbaces, and let me address a letter to your

448 THE THRONE OF D^VID; OK,

king, your account of whom has led me to hold him in
great esteem, asking him to consent to an interchange
of commerce and of royal courtesies. Such a message
I shall direct to Pharaoh of Egypt, to the King of Sheba,
to the Dukes of Idumea, to the Prince of Tadmor, to the
noble young King Hiram of Tyre, and even to the Lord
of Askelon. War is not prosperity, but peace is power !
I shall cultivate amity and friendship with all nations.
With an army of four hundred thousand men, which I
can bring into the field when I have consolidated my
power, I shall be able to command peace in my borders.
The friendship and alliance of the powerful King of
Nineveh will enable me to secure more readily that of
all the others. If you consent, Arbaces, to remain
at iny court, I will despatch a courier with a suitable
escort to your king to be the bearer of my letter, and
of any message you may desire to forward to him.&quot;

When King David had ended this candid revelation
of the policy which should govern him in his reign, I
thanked his majesty for his confidence and royal friend
ship, and desired three days to make up my mind.

In coming to the determination which I have done, I
was materially influenced, Belus, by two words spoken
by the Princess Adora. These words were in reply to a
question which after an hour s interview I addressed to
her ; a question founded upon good evidence which I be
lieved I had of her partiality for me. I said,

&quot; And will you, Adora, share the residue of my life
with me, if I consent to remain, by my royal master s
permission, resident ambassador at the court of your
king?&quot;

Without hesitation, but with trembling joy, the glorv

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 449

of love resplendent in her radiant gaze, and its sacred
cadences trembling musically on her tongue, she an
swered,

&quot;I will.&quot;

Therefore, Belus, do you receive this letter by the
caravan instead of Arbaces in person. Let not my lord
prince be offended. If your majesty will turn a favorable
ear to the request of King David for an alliance and
representation, and will confer upon your Arbaces the
position of ambassador, the king will send to you in re
turn, one of his lords, Ahithophel, a person of great
abilities, scholarship, wit, and knowledge of men, a
nobleman of wonderful sagacity of intellect and penetra
tion, and with that high personal character which will
command for him your majesty s esteem.

Be assured, my liege lord and prince, Belus, that I
do not in the least withdraw my allegiance from you,
my lawful king, even in taking the oath of homage (as I
shall do if your majesty accredits me to this court) to
the fair Queen of Tadmor, whose only empire I fear
be that which she will wield over the loyal heart of
Your loving and liegiant subject

ARBACES.

450 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

[There is an interval of seven years between the date of the
preceding letter and the present, during which, civil war raged
between Abner, the general for Ishbosheth, Saul s son, and
King David ; but without any notable battles being fought.
David, however, steadily gained power and strength, while
Saul s party became weaker and weaker, daily diminishing io
numbers and influence.]

LETTER XIV.

AKBACES, AMBASSADOR AT THE COURT OF JERUSALEM,

To BELUS, KING OF ASSYRIA.

COURT OP DAVID, JERUSALEM.

YOUR MAJESTY:

I ONCE more take up my pen to resume, after nearly
seven years intermission, my narrative of the events of
the reign of King David. My long silence in the inter
val is owing to the fact that nothing has transpired
worthy of transmitting to your majesty outside of the
regular routine of my official, diplomatic correspondence,
in which I have diligently kept you advised of what
concerns you as the ally of this realm to know. I re
joice at your majesty s approval of my whole course at
this court, during the seven years I have resided here ;
,ind especially do I feel complimented by your approval
of the position I took in promising your aid, when, last
year, Pharaoh King of Egypt insolently demanded tri-

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 451

bute of King David, on the ground that the Hebrews
had despoiled Egypt when, five hundred years ago, they
departed from it ; a charge so absurd at this time, that
King David said, &quot; This Egyptian seeks this cause of
quarrel in order to go to war with me, and subdue my
kingdom to his sceptre with his countless hosts.&quot;

But when I pledged to the Hebrew monarch the as
sistance of an Assyrian army, your majesty, if Egypt
invaded his borders, and sent to Pharaoh word that a
war with King David involved a war with the powerful
King Belus, the haughty Egyptian withdrew his inso
lent demand. I was sure your majesty would approve
of the responsibility I assumed at such a crisis. Since
then, King David has withholden nothing from me, but
consults me in all his affairs.

Your majesty has kindly offered to march an army
against Tadmor, and drive the Parthian king from its
throne, of which he is now seven years an usurper, and
hold it for the Princess Adora. I thank your majesty,
and so does Adora, my wife ; but since the death of the
ambitious Isrilid, her father, two years ago, she has dis
missed from her mind all aspirations after a throne
which can only be won by a conflict of armies, and main
tained at great expense of treasure and of blood. Nor,
your majesty, have I any desire to become king, by vir
tue of Adora s title, of the realm of Tadmor. I have
been so long in this pleasant land, I feel at home therein ;
and having been nearly seven years wedded to one of its
loveliest daughters, I have all the happiness my heart,
or my ambition, requires. We dwell in a charming
palace on the side of the Mountain of Olives, facin^ Je-

1 O

rusalem, with terraces and gardens, groves and fountains.

452 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

and all the luxuries which the vast wealth that Adora
inherited from her father, can command. I am respected
by the lords and elders of the Sanhedrim, and have the
confidence of the king. No, your majesty, I am per
fectly happy, and my wife confesses that she is. Let
the magnificent Talarac reign in barbaric splendor. 1
sleep sounder than he, for crowns are full of troubled
thoughts, which no opiates can put to rest. The life of
David is full of care ! My little kingdom of seven acres,
on the side of Olivet, with its little snow-white palace
for me and Adora, its king and queen ; our realm of
groves full of bulbuls, and other singing birds ; our pas
tures enameled with a thousand flowers ; our orchard
abounding in fig, pomegranate, apricot, apple, tamarind,
and date trees, in rich profusion ; our vineyard purple
and gold with clusters of grapes; our olive garden, called
of old Gethsemane, shining with its fragrant fruit, its
olive press half hidden among the ancient olive trees ;
all these constitute our kingdom. We also have servant
men and servant women, among them, two poor Gibcon-
ites who served Ahimelech at Nob, and escaped from the
slaughter of their people by Doeg ; a few lambs ; a dark
eyed gazelle that feeds out of Adora s hand ; a tame
coney, white as snow, and a few kine, besides half a dozen
beautiful Assyrian horses. Before our door, across the val
ley, tower the walls of Jerusalem, the battlements of the
fortress of David, late that of the Jebusites, and the war
like outline of the whole of the city where, of old, Melcln-
sedek, the descendant of the gods, reigned cotemporary
with Abraham. In a clear morning, from the roof of
my villa, I can also see the mountains of Ephraim in the
west, the city of Kirjath-jearim at their base, where the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 453

Ark and the Tabernacle have been since the death of
the priests at Nob ; the turrets of Ramah, farther north,
the city of the Seer and now his sepulchre ; and, south
wardly, the misty and azure heights of Bethlehem.
What more do I need, Belus, to render me happy ?
What lacketh in the dimensions of our kingdom, we find
in the boundless empire of one another s affection. The
realm over which love reigns hath no boundary but the
earth around and the heavens above.

Therefore, 0, Bclus, suffer Talarac to reign in Tadmor,
and Arbaces and Adora to reign on the side of the
Mount of Olives over their gardens, birds, gazelle, and
flowers.

It is true, your majesty, I respond in reply to your in
quiry, I have solemnly consecrated myself to the worship
of the one God of the Hebrews ; and by adoption, ere I
married Adora, I became a proselyte to their grand and
mysterious faith. But in departing, Belus, from the
worship of Assarac and Ninus, and the gods of Assyria, do
not suppose I have withdrawn my allegiance or devotion
from its lord. My heart still beats as loyal to thee as
ever, my beloved master and king; and I trust you will
yet bear testimony that I can be faithful to the God of
David, without failing in loyalty to Belus. I should
have been unworthy of Adora, if I could have refused to
acknowledge her God, and take her faith to my heart.

During the seven years past, your majesty, Abner,
with wonderful talent and influence over men, has held
the fragmentary kingdom of Ishbosheth together. For
the first two years this indolent and luxurious prince
maintained a royal court at Mahanaim, and kept up a
sort of kingly estate; but Abner could not prevail upon

454 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

him to lead his army against King David. He declined
to take the field, so that he could indulge, unmolested by
David, in inglorious ease in his palace, surrounded by
sycophants and flatterers. All the while, the most war
like of his adherents were calling upon him to march
against Hebron, and take from him the throne of his
father Saul. Disappointed by his indifference, many of
the best warriors in his camp went over to Joab, and
tendered him their allegiance and swords for King
David. At length the patience of the lion-like Abner
was wearied out; and after the prince had nominally
reigned two and a half years, the ambitious son of Ner
ceased longer to recognize him as king, or refer any mat
ters to him, but took the reins of government in his own
bold and sagacious hand. He raised a large army to in
vade Judah, when Ishbosheth, led on by rival warriors,
jealous of the power of Abner, forbade his march. Ab
ner, in anger, refused to obey his king; but his captains
and men-at-arms becoming dissatisfied at this dividing
of power, dissension arose, and the whole host dispersed,
save four thousand men. With these Abner laid waste
parts of the country which had submitted to David, but
Joab marching against him, caused him again to retire
beyond the river. In this desultory and resultless man
ner nearly five more years elapsed, when affairs were
suddenly brought to a crisis between the inefficient Prince
Ishbosheth and his discontented and long-enduring cap
tain.

One morning Abner presented himself in the chamber
of the prince, who, broken in constitution by luxurious
indulgence, and bloated with banqueting and wine, was
reclining on his embroidered couch, listening to the voice

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 455

of a beautiful Ishmaelite singing-girl, sent him by the
King of Ammon.

&quot;What now, Abner!&quot; he said, looking displeased at
the abrupt entrance of the veteran commander. &quot;Thou
treadest as heavily as an elephant, and comest before us
helmed and mailed as if thou wert entering thy battle
tent ! More ceremony, even if thou art my father s uncle,
old man, when thou comest into a king s presence ! What
now?&quot;

&quot; The King of Ammon s ambassador waits for thy re
ply,&quot; answered Abner, repressing his ire. &quot;Wilt thou
accept his offer of alliance, and the eighty thousand men
he offers us to go up against David, and stablish thee on
the throne of thy father at Hebron ?&quot;

&quot;Nay; I am content to reign this side Jordan,&quot; re
plied the prince. &quot;It is too much trouble to go to war!
Let the son of Jesse be content with his side ! I will not
quarrel with him for what he has ! Go Abner, thou hast
caused me to lose the sweetest trill, when at the most
critical note, I e er heard from human voice! Go on,
girl! Sing me that song again! These thick-headed
war-men have no ear but for a trumpet, or the neighing
of a charger.

The gray-haired, grand old warrior who had fought a
hundred battles with Saul, felt this insolence of his son,
but compressed his lips and left the room in silence. As he
passed along the hall he beheld a stately, beautiful woman
about forty-five years of age, who seemed awaiting his
return. She fixed upon the sorrowful and angry visage
of the commander her large, inquiring eyes. Abner
answered the look by shaking his head sadly, and then
said,

456 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot;Rizpa, wilt thou give me brief audience? *

&quot; Come in, Abner ; I will, if it will please thee, talk
over with thee this matter of the King of Ammon s al
liance, thou hast so greatly at heart ! What hast thou
to ask of me?&quot; she inquired as he took a seat by the
window of her room, while she sat upon a carved gilt
chair before it.

He then eloquently urged upon her the duty of ex
erting her influence with the prince, which, he said, he
felt was very great, to induce him to accept the aid of
Ammon. The woman promised to do so, and he was about
to leave her apartment when Ishbosheth entered. His
face was flushed with wine and jealousy ! Fixing his in
flamed eyes on his general, he cried,

&quot; How, son of Ner ! What doest thou here ? Dares t
thou insult the memory of Saul, my father, by seeking
to make his widowed concubine thine ? Thou wilt next
affect the kingdom ! Hast thou of late grown so great
that thou hast thought thou couldst even look to the
king s wives?&quot;

These words, embracing so grave a charge against him,
roused the soldier to great wrath.

&quot;Am I but the keeper of thy dogs, son of Saul,&quot; he
cried, &quot;that thou chargest me with this base thing? me
who have maintained thee on thy throne, and showed
kindness to all thy father s house, and made myself strong
for thee and thy crown, and have not delivered thee, as
I have had the power to do, into the hands of David?
What ! am I a dog, that thou chargest me with fault
concerning this woman ? Now is my cup full ! And may
God, who once swore to David to translate the kingdom
from the House of Saul, and to set up the throne of David

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 457

over all Israel, and over Judah, do unto me as he hath
done unto Saul and his three sons, if I do not henceforth
give my help to carry out this oath of God towards
David, and presently bring all Israel away from thee
unto him ! So help me the God of my fathers, hut that
I do it!&quot;

The terrible anger and fatal oath of Abner caused the
prince s face to change, from the crimson hue of wine, to
the whiteness of parchment. He essayed to reply, but
the words clove to the roof of his mouth, parched by
fear. Abncr without another word strode from the cham
ber, leaving his mantle in the grasp of Rizpa, who with
tearful eyes would have detained him to pacify his fierce
wrath, and get him to change his mind against the House
of Saul, which he had for seven years so faithfully served
with his sword and his voice.

The best of kings can not be sure of the permanent
devotion of their courtiers. Ishbosheth deserved to lose
this one, the defender and sole supporter of his preten
sions to the crown of his father.

The first intelligence King David had of the matter
was the sudden appearance of a courier from Abner be
fore the gate of Hebron, for Abner, having made the
breach irreparable between him and Ishbosheth, was too
prudent a diplomatist to delay the execution of his threat
for the prince with Abner s envious enemies might com
bine for his immediate destruction. Instead, however,
of going himself to David, he kept at home in his own
palace, well armed and watchful, while he sent to him a
messenger. When David heard that a courier, with the
banner of Saul s House on his spear, asked an audience,
he sent for him to appear before him.

458 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

&quot; Whence comest thou ?&quot; lie demanded of the fleet
footed Gadite runner.

&quot; From beyond Jordan, and from Abner the head of
the armies of Israel,&quot; answered the man ; and with the
word he delivered a sealed and tied roll into the hands
of King David s cup-bearer, who bore it to his royal
master upon his silver tray.

The king, quickly breaking the seal and cutting the
silken thread, unrolled the parchment, and read as fol
lows :

To DAVID, KING OP JUDAH AT HEBRON ; ABNER, SON OF NER, COUN
SELOR AND GENERAL OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL : Greeting.

&quot; That God hath sworn to thee to take the kingdom
from Saul, and set up the throne of David therein, thy
servant knoweth, and so doth all Israel. Wherefore
should man fight against God ? Whose is the land of
Israel but thine, the anointed of God s? Let thy ser
vant, therefore, make a league with thee, king, and
behold my hand shall be with thee henceforward, and
thy servant will bring over all Israel to thee, so thou
shalt reign over Israel and Judah, as God hath appointed
thee. Make a league, king, and secure to thy servant
and his, and to the House of Saul, and to all Israel,
safety and honor, and what thy servant hath covenanted
to do he will do.&quot;

The King of Judah was greatly rejoiced at this un
looked-for turn of affairs, as your majesty may well per
ceive. He at once replied, as follows :

&quot; DAVID, king by the grace and order of God, send-
eth these to Abner, son of Ner :

&quot; The king granteth the league. Come thou and all

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 459

Israel over to me, and bring me the keys of the rebel
city of Mahanaim in token of its submission. The son
of Saul may depart whither he listeth, or come and
dwell in Hebron with safety and honor, and Saul s wives
and their sons with him ; also Mephiboshcth, the little
lame son of Jonathan, whom for his sake I will adopt,
and he shall be even as a prince in my house. But hear,
Abner, thou nor thine nor none of these shall see my
face, except thou first bring Michal, Saul s daughter,
whom he gave me to wife ten years ago, when thou com
cst. Without her come not before my face.&quot;

In addition to this reply to Abner, King David sent
a courier with a letter to that prince, demanding his
wife, whom Saul in the first year of her marriage h.id
divorced from David and given to Phalti of Laish, the
just and virtuous man I have before named. This
Phalti, upon receiving her, had committed her to the
charge of his mother, as if she were his sister ; for being
a friend of David, he resolved at some future day to re
store her to him in purity and honor.

The letter to Ishboshcth, whom David well knew, hav
ing long dwelt in the palace of Saul with him, as well
as married his sister, ran thus :

KIXG DAVID TO PRINCE ISHBOSIIETH.

&quot; I write with my own hand this letter to thee, de
manding my wife, thy sister, Michal. Deliver her to
me without delay, for I hear she is in thine hand.&quot;

When Abner received David, the King of Judah s,
reply, he went to Ishboshcth with fair words, for the
prince, finding he had not departed from the city to Da
vid, following the sensible advice of Rizpa, made friends

460 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

with him, by acknowledging to him the injustice of his
angry suspicions; for if Abner remained his enemy, on
whom could he lean? Taking advantage of this truce,
Abner waited upon him, after he knew David s messen
ger had delivered his letter to him, without appearing to
know that such a courier or letter had come to Maha-
naim. As he expected, he found Ishbosheth in a tornado
of passion, cursing David by Urini and Thummim, by
Altar and Cherubim, and making oath that he would slay
his sister with his own hand rather than give her back
to the son of Jesse !

Abner waited until this storm had subsided, and then
urged him to obey the king by persuasions backed by
representations of David s power, and his certain ven
geance if this, his first and most beloved wife, should be
refused him. The irresolute prince yielded, and sent
to the house of Phalti the friend of God, as he was
called, and brought Michal from his mother s care to
Abner. The parting was a sorrowful one. The mo
ther of Phalti loved her as a daughter, for the amiable
and faithful princess had been as such to her ; while
Phalti loved her both as a sister and as a daughter, and
while he felt the justice of David s claim, he could not
but go with her a long ways, mourning with deep grief
her departure from his roof.

Ten years had ripened the beauty of the daughter of
Saul, now in her twenty-sixth year, who after so long
an absence, was about to be reunited to him. That
David should still retain the warmth of his youthful love,
after such scenes of war, and persecution of sorrow and
trials, lamenting her as dead, reflects upon him the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 461

highest honor, and is singularly creditable to the tender
ness and devotion of his heart !

Did her attachment, perhaps your majesty will inquire,
survive that long period of separation ? I can assure
your majesty that its fires were as bright as those which
warmed the bosom of the king. I was by chance present
at their meeting, when Abner, leaving his body-guard
of twenty men at the gate, brought her into the presence
of the king. With what a bound of joy and love, after a
moment s doubt as his strange aspect met her gaze, at
the sound of his voice, did she fly to his heart and rest
upon his shoulder ! But there is a sacredness in love which
can convert mere curiosity into a sort of sacrilege, and I
will not describe the beautiful and touching emotion,
each exhibited at their reunion ; for both were still young,
King David being but thirty, and his recovered wife five
years younger ! From that moment I loved him even
more than before I had esteemed him.

But how shall I describe to your majesty the inter
view of David with his ancient friend, Abner, who had
restored to him the wife of his youth ! For four hours
they sat together and talked over all the past. Espe
cially did David inquire about Saul and Jonathan s death,
and hung on each particular; and tears came into his
eyes, even seven years after he fell on the hard-foughten
field of Gilboa. David, a brave and skillful soldier him
self, respected Abner. He knew the honest purpose of
his heart, and the singleness of his character. Ho
honored him for his devotion to the House of Saul, for it
became him as a faithful servant of that unhappy monarch,
to stand up for his house and the glory of his name, and
the roval inheritance of his son. David loved him not

462 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

less, but rather honored him the more for his generous
devotion to Islbosheth and his fortunes ; both so unworthy
of him.

When King David had done discoursing with the
valiant warrior and statesman of Israel, he sent for his
score men-at-arms, and had them well cared for and
feasted ; and placed Abner at his own table, in the pre
sence of his lords, governors, captains, and chief officers,
giving him the place of honor next to his right hand, and
sending him a portion five times greater than to all
others. I was present, your majesty, at this feast. I
was struck with the modesty and good sense of the
simple-hearted and majestic old warrior. lie spoke out
his sentiments bluntly and to the point. He seemed to
fear no man ; yet there was a native, manly courtesy
about him which was very captivating. He was full
sixty years of age, if not older, with a grand heroic head,
massive and stern, his eyes dark hazel and piercing, yet
capable of a woman s tenderness of expression; his
heavily burdened and moustached lip and chin had a
lion-like aspect; while his voice had the deep energy of
the rumbling base notes of the king of beasts. If he had
been Saul s son instead of being his uncle, and so been
heir to the throne, King David would have sat, for the
last seven years, more in his war-saddle than on his
throne, slept oftener in his pavilion on the field than
upon his couch in the palace.

The following day Abner took leave of King David,
saying, &quot;I will now depart and go over Jordan and gather
all Israel, unto my lord the king, that the lords and
elders thereof may make with thce a league of submission,
that thou mayest reign over them and over all the king

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 4&amp;lt;J3

dom of Saul, according to thy heart s desire, and the oath
of God to thee.&quot;

King David dismissed Abner at his palace gate with
an embrace of friendship. It was remarked by the offi
cers of the court, that he had never shown such affection
ate regard for Joab his own general. The observation
of the courtiers was correct. Abner was by nature a
noble character, not only brave, but generous, manly,
gentle, and honest, possessing qualities of character
which even his enemies could respect. Of him once said
the King of Moab, where David s parents found shelter,
and who fought against Abner and Ishbosheth for
David s sake, &quot;I love the son of Ner above all men, and
though he be my enemy, I would give the revenue of
half my kingdom to have him my friend and commander
of my armies.&quot;

In Joab there was nothing to love, no trait of charac
ter to command admiration or win affection. He had
no heart but his sword, no sympathies, no loving-kind
nesses, no charities. He was only a man-of-war, iron
within, and iron without. A thorough soldier he was,
an invaluable commander of the armies of King David;
but there was no soul to be found underneath his corslet
and brazen cuirass. Abner s smile would have won the
most timid child to his knee; the frown of Joab would
have sent it in terror to its mother s side. Therefore
David embraced Abner his foe, but never embraced Joab
his friend ! and this was observed and commented upon.
Whether the busy tongue of malice poisoned Joab s ear
thereupon, I know not, leading him to the step which
followed ; but Abner had not been an hour departed with
a safe conduct from the king, on his return to the other

464 THE THRONE OF DAviD; OK,,

side Jordan, ^hen Joab and his younger brother Abishai
entered the gate from a successful onslaught against an
invading band of Idumeans from the south. He had no
sooner come within the city, than some of the busy cour
tiers told him that Abner of Ner, viceroy beyond Jordan,
had been three days with the king, feasting, and holding
audience, and had made terms of peace with him ; and
but an hour had left! Upon this Joab, his sword yet
red with slaughter, and his armor stained with the conflict,
stalked into the palace, and stood in the throne-room
before the king. His raven black hair hung in tangled
masses over his shoulders, his armor was indented with
Idumean battle-axe strokes, and his helm cloven with a
blow from the sword of a lord of the desert, whom he
slew. He looked like war in all its sanguinary terrors
embodied; while his red-shotten eyes, and thick voice,
husky w r ith shrieking his war cries, betrayed how great
his passion raged.

&quot;Abner the son of Ner,&quot; he shouted to the king, me
nacingly, and defiantly, &quot;hath been here, and thou hast
sent him away in peace.&quot;

&quot;He came in peace,&quot; answered David firmly.

&quot;Nay,&quot; cried Joab; &quot;thou knowest this son of Ner
came to deceive thee, and to be spy upon thee, and to
know thy going out and thy coming in, and all that thou
doest. Thou hast not done well to let him go from thee
in peace. Thou shouldst have put him to death, and
then the crown of all Israel would have been thine!&quot;

Before King David could reply to his irate general,
Joab went out of the presence. Without making known
to any man his purpose, he sought out his chief captain
and bade him send two swift runners after Abner in the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 465

name of the king, to bring him back. The messengers
overtook Abner at the well of Sirah, where ten years
before David had sat down and drank water from the
pitcher of the virgin Abigail, the betrothed of Nabal, and
now the king s wife, and ate figs from the little basket
of Bathsheba, now since become the wife of his great
captain Uriah. Abner, suspecting no treachery, returned
with the messengers. As he re-entered the gate of the
city of Hebron, Joab met him and said,

&quot;I knew not thou wert the king s guest, Abner, or
I would have hastened from the wars to show thee hos
pitality as becometh thy rank, and the errand on which
thou earnest ? Wilt thou remain and dine with me to
morrow ? We are old soldiers in one sense, and we will
talk our battles o er.&quot;

With this talk, Joab, who was closely followed by his
brother Abishai, had got him to a corner in the wall be
hind the gate, when, suddenly turning upon him, he drew
his dagger, and struck him between the corslet and the
belt to the heart at a single blow, crying,

&quot;That, for my brother Asahel, whom thou didst slay
between Gibeon and Jordan, with a back stroke of thy
spear-head, when he followed thee to overtake thee as
thou fleddest !&quot;

The brave warrior, without a word, so suddenly was
he smitten to the death, fell over upon his face and died,
a victim to the basest treachery, and a sacrifice also,
perhaps, to the jealous fears of the assassin ; for Joab
suspected that if David pardoned and took the noble
Abner into favor, he would, ere long, from his superior
age and experience in war and military rule, take the
highest place in the army of David, and displace himself

466 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Without doubt, the last was the chief and ruling motive
for his putting Abner to death ; for Asahel was fairly
Blain in pursuit of a retreating foe, and his death could
not call for such a deed of vengeance.

When King David heard the tidings, he was greatly
overcome, and, at length, said, in a voice trembling with
indignation and mortification,

&quot;As the Lord liveth, let all men hear and know that
I, and my house, and my kingdom are guiltless of the
blood of Abner. I sent him forth in peace. Let his
blood be upon Joab, the sole author of this great crime,
and on all his father s house. Let his sons be lepers,
and lame, and die by their own hand, or perish with
hunger, no man giving them, because he hath dealt trea
cherously, and slain him whom the king let go in peace
and with an oath of safety.&quot;

There were not wanting malicious men, your majesty,
who denounced the king as having openly sent him away
in order secretly to destroy him. The king, therefore,
in every manner, sought to clear himself of all such sus
picion. He publicly proclaimed his innocence. He de
nounced, and charged Joab with the crime. He invested
himself with the habiliments of grief, and put on sackcloth,
and clad his whole court in mourning. He buried
Abner from his palace with the most solemn and magni
ficent funeral obsequies. He caused all the governors
of cities, lords of towns, the Sanhedrim, or Senate of
Seventy, the municipal judges, the chief men, and civil
ians, and half his army, in battle order, to precede and
follow the body, which was placed in a richly decorated
coffin upon a war-chariot, drawn by four white horses ;
the bier, covered with an embroidered purple pall, and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 467

blazing with precious stones, while his sword and helmet
reposed upon it. The king, on foot, followed the bier,
and the thousands of Judah prolonged the weeping pro
cession, which, issuing from the northern gate, crossed
the valley and came to the place of sepulchres before
Machpelah, where the lords of Hebron lay buried. Here,
with great pomp and solemnity, the old warrior, thus
basely murdered by the hand of envy and hatred, was
entombed. Joab was compelled, by the king s stern
command, to be one of the chief pall-bearers, and assist
in laying his body in the tomb. Then the monarch,
with feeling and eloquence, pronounced a noble eulogiuin
upon the virtues of the deceased, boldly reviewing the
manner of his death, and feelingly denouncing the act
and the perpetrator thereof.

The people could no longer doubt. The innocence of
the king was apparent to all. Twenty thousand warriors
now marched in battle order around the tomb where the
dead soldier lay, chanting a funeral war-song in a mighty
voice, and accompanying the refrain by striking their
swords against their bucklers, till the echoes from the
hills were like sounds of armies fighting together upon
the plain.

King David then, standing by the tomb, with great
dignity recited the following hymn for the dead, seventy
white-robed priests answering him in alternate verses,
the whole sounding grandly and sublime, accompanied, as
it was at intervals, by fourscore players on martial in
struments of music, making the noblest and most solemn
harmony :

LOUD, tliou hast been our dwelling place
In all generations.

468 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Before the mountains were brought forth,

Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Thou turnest man to destruction ;

And sayest, lie turn, ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it

is past,

And as a watch in the night.
Thou earnest them away as with a flood ;
They are as a sleep.

In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
For we are consumed by thine anger,
And by thy wrath are we troubled.
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath :
We spend our years as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten ;
And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,
Yet is their strength labor and sorrow ;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knoweth the power of thine anger ?
Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

&quot;A prince, and a great man is fallen in Israel this
day,&quot; said the king to me as we were retiring to Hebron.
&quot;I am yet weak, and not firmly seated on the throne
for which I was anointed, and this fierce Joab and his
brothers and men-at-arms, these powerful sons of Zeruiah,
are too strong with the army for me to punish them for
the death of Abner. I am compelled to forbear ! But

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 469

as the Lord liveth, the doer of this wickedness shall be
rewarded according to his deed!&quot;

When the news reached the Prince Ishhosheth that
Abner had been slain in Hebron, and as rumor had it,
by the command of King David, his heart failed, and he
shut himself up in his palace, fearing each moment ho
should be assassinated, and trembling at every footstep.
Two men, animated by the same selfish motives which
governed the Amalekite who brought Saul s crown to
David, hastened to find the prince, in order to put him
to death, and be the first bearers of the tidings, that he
&quot;was no more,&quot; to King David. They found his palace
unguarded in the confusion, and reached his chamber
where he lay on his couch, too bloated and heavy to flee
far. His sword was in his hand, and his looks showed
that he knew their errand, and that he would not die
without defence. The conflict was brief. He fought his
assassins with courage worthy of his father on the field
of Gilboa ; but he fell back at length, pierced to the heart
by their swords, and died upon his couch. The two
desperate men, Rechab and Baanah, who were brothers,
then beheaded him, and hastened with the head concealed
under a cloak from the palace, and that night crossed
the Jordan. Keeping the valley southwardly, they
. traveled till they came at noon the next day to Hebron.
Being, at their desire, led into the presence of the king,
&quot;Rechab said, displaying his ghastly prize:

&quot;Behold, king, the head of Ishbosheth the son of
Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life. Lo ! the Lord
hath avenged my lord the king this day, of Saul and his
house!&quot;

Then the king rose up, his noble and beautiful coun-

470 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

tenance lighted up with a sort of divine anger, and
sternly said to them,

&quot;As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my life from
all adversity, when one told me, Saul is dead, think
ing to have brought good tidings, I hewed him in pieces
in Ziklag, who thought I would have given him a reward
for his tidings ! How much more when wicked men have
slain an unsuspecting person, more righteous than them
selves, in his own house upon his bed? Shall I not,
therefore, now require his blood of your hand, and cut you
off from the earth you dishonor by your deed ? As the
Lord liveth, ye shall both die the death!&quot;

At a sign from the king, his guards drew their swords
and put the two young men to death b efore him ; and,
severing their hands and feet, hanged them up on the
public gibbet by the pool of the city.

The king, having thus expressed his abhorrence of their
deed, ordered the head of the unfortunate prince to be
placed in an urn of porphyry, and conveyed by a company
of Levites and priests to the sepulchre of Abner near the
cave of Machpelah, where it was reverently placed by
them in a niche at the head of the warrior s coffin.
Thus, at last, together the ambitious soldier and his
faithless prince sleep, where the viol of pleasure and the
trumpet of war are alike unheard and unheeded.

King David, who had previously commended the in
habitants of Jabesh Gilead for the honor paid to the
bodies of Saul and Jonathan, with like reverence for the
last of Saul s sons, sent messengers to have the headless
body of Ishbosheth placed in a stone coffin at Mahanaim,
intending by and by to have all the bodies removed to
the ancestral sepulchre at Bethel.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 471

Thus this excellent young king, under every circum
stance in which he has been placed, has exhibited the
noblest evidences of being a great and good man, who
not only cheerfully pardons his enemies, and remembers
no more the wrongs they have done him, when death at
length casts over them the sacred shield of the tomb, but
honors their ashes by funereal pageants, and mourns rather
than rejoices at their sad end.

Nor did the generous regard for King Saul s memory,
and for his house, terminate with the tomb. David re
membered his oath to Jonathan that he would not only
do good to his father s family, when he should become
king, but that he himself and his seed after him should
be held dear to him. Your majesty will recollect this
oath which Jonathan caused David to take when they
parted under the walls of Hebron, at the time David fled
from Saul; for the prince, knowing that it was the custom
of new dynasties to put to death all the members of the
former royal family, feared that David, perhaps, in the
flush of power, and influenced by evil counselors, might
put to death all his father s house. In remembrance of
his oath, King David sent a messenger to Mahanaim, to
inquire if any were left of the family of Saul that &quot; he
might show them a kindness for Jonathan s sake,&quot; for
he had married the beautiful daughter of the lord of
Bethel, and David had heard that a son was born to
him ; and to know if this child were alive and where it
dwelt, he now sent away his servants.

It is a beautiful trait in his character, that, amid the
absorbing duties which now pressed upon him at this
crisis, he should have given a moment s thought to this

472 THE THllONE OF DAVID; OE,

little child. But he is a man who religiously performs
all duties, equally the least with the greatest.

In the meanwhile, the men of Israel from beyond
Jordan, and of all the remoter tribes, hastened to send in
their submission to him at Hebron, bringing him gifts of
gold, silver, jewels, fine linen, corn, wine, and oil, so that
David was soon thereby made very rich. On a fixed
day, surrounded by his guards, his lords, and captains,
the national senate and civic elders being present, with
the High Priest and a train of Levites, David, seated
upon the throne of Saul, received the ambassadors from
all the tribes, provinces, cities, towns, and citadels, and
accepted their allegiance, and took their oaths of sub
mission and loyalty in the presence of the High Priest
Abiathar. In his turn the king entered into a league
with them, to forget and pardon the past, to rule them
wisely and justly, to lead them to battle, to defend their
borders against their foes, and in all things regard their
peace and prosperity. This solemn league and covenant,
being duly inscribed on parchments, and signed by the
twelve ambassadors, one from each tribe, and also by
the king, was sealed with the royal seal. The roll was
then committed to the custody of the High Priest, to be
preserved in the tabernacle, with other public and sacred
parchments. No sooner did Abiathar take hold of them
than the sardonyx stone upon the ephod on his shoulder
emitted rays of resplendent glory, showing God was
present and approved.

Then, in the presence of the august and venerable as
sembly of the elders of Israel, the High Priest, attired in
his splendid pontifical robes, wearing the dazzling mitre,
and the ephod, and bearing in his hand a golden cup,

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 473

advanced towards the throne, upon the lowest step of
which the King of Judah stood. Kneeling before the
vicegerent of the Lord, David was solemnly anointed
by Him with holy oil poured from the golden cup upon
his head, the rich ointment flowing over his locks and
down his beard, and even dripping upon his robes, and
filling all the throne-room with its rich perfume. Thus
consecrated the third time king, he was crowned by the
High Priest, robed with a purple royal vesture by two
attendant priests, while a most venerable senator, the
chief of the Sanhedrim, presented to him his sceptre.
The highest lord of the Levites placed in his hand a
scroll of the laws, and another bound to his thigh the

sword of state.

He then ascended the throne and seated himself amid
the clangor of trumpets and cries of &quot; Hosanna ! hosanna !
Hail, David, the anointed king ! Long live the Lord s
anointed the King of Israel !&quot;

Thus, three several times had David been consecrated:
the first time, as the youthful shepherd of Bethlehem by
Samuel the Seer ; the second time, by the High Priest
as King of Judah, soon after Saul s death ; and now the
third time, as King of Judah and of Israel, sole monarch
of all the Hebrew people.

Absolute now in his dominions, King David prepared
to consolidate his throne, and firmly establish his author
ity. There was but one place w r ithin the whole kingdom
over which Saul had reigned, and which was now under
his own rule, that did not send a delegate to Hebron, to
do homage to him. This was the citadel of the Jebusites,
which, as I have already said to your majesty, was still
held in the midst of the land by the original inhabitants.

474 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

These people were of the race of Canaanites and sons of
Heth, of whose family Abraham bought the burial place
of Machpelah ; at the time of the purchase of which, he
entered into a covenant, sealed by an oath, with the child
ren of Heth, that the castle of Jebus, their chief strong
hold, should remain untouched by his posterity, not
only when they should come in to possess the land, but
forever. Joshua respected this oath of Abraham, and
left the castle unbesieged. The long line of warlike
Judges respected the oath, and even Saul left this
hereditary garrison in quiet possession of its formidable
stronghold, though the city around it was in his hand.

King David, however, resolved to be king over all
IsraeJ as God had appointed him. He, therefore, sent a
peaceable messenger to the lord of this fort of Zion, de
manding its surrender. The haughty Canaanite answered,
in the confidence of long possession and of the impregna
ble nature of the defences,

&quot; The lame have never scaled these rocks on which we
dwell, nor the blind found their way into our gates. So
shall thou and thine be, if thou comest to war against
us ; for thou canst not come in hither !&quot;

When the king s messenger brought back this insolent
answer to him, he forthwith called Joab, his general, and
commanded him to take Uriah, the captain of &quot; a thou
sand,&quot; and lay siege to the fortress of Jebus, and destroy
all within ; &quot; especially,&quot; he said, &quot; fling over the battle
ments their gods that see not and walk not, for as the
Lord liveth, the blind and lame of David shall destroy
the blind and lame gods, in whom these idolaters and
enemies of the true God trust.&quot;

When Joab reached the valley beneath the walls, he

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 475

eaw that the Canaanite lord had, in derision, placed the
lame and the blind persons of his garrison upon the bat
tlements, and now called to him, saying,

&quot;It is meet that the lame and blind should defend a
castle which the lame and blind come against.&quot;

When Joab heard this, he became greatly enraged,
and exerted himself all in his power to take the castle.
The third day came David the king to look on, and, see
ing how high the walls were, and how difficult of access,
he cried to all the army and said, &quot; Whosoever shall first
mount the walls shall be chief in command over all my
armies both of Israel and of Judah !&quot; Upon hearing
this, Joab, who was the general of his hosts as King of
Judah, divested himself of his heavy armor, and helmet,
and greaves, and back-piece, and tying his sword only about
his neck, grasped a sharp pointed javelin and began to as
cend the height, climbing by aid of the spear inserted into
the crevices of the rock. Other bold hearts, following his
example, climbed after him. In the meanwhile, King
David kept the garrison employed, and their attention
fixed upon himself and his soldiers, by making feint of an
attack at another part of the wall.

At length the valiant warrior gained the citadel, and
raised himself above the parapet by the aid of a line
which was let down to draw up water ; for those who
held it left and fled at the apparition of the Hebrew
chief. In a moment afterwards, he stood on the top of
the wall, and, waving his sword, called out to King David
far below,

&quot;I have reached the battlements, my lord! I claim
the chief command of the armies.&quot;

The boldness of the man, and his unexpected appear-

476 THE THRONE OF DAVID ; OK,

ance behind them, with the terror of his voice, which
they all knew, for they had often seen the terrible war
rior pass and repass with his armies, inspired them with
fear; and as he was soon joined by others, they were
filled with the greatest consternation. Confident that
their citadel was impregnable, they are unprepared to
defend it ! Joab and a score of his men rushed first to
the gates and threw them open to King David, who en
tered sword in hand, (for in the king he had not for
gotten the soldier,) and the Jebusites overpowered were
slain in great numbers, each man refusing to surrender.
Before the sun went down, the whole citadel was in the
hands of David, its gods cast over the battlements,
and upon them Joab affixed the royal standard of the
&quot;Lion of the Tribe of Judah.&quot; Thus fell the last hold
of the ancient inhabitants of the land ; held by them for
five hundred years, only out of the respect the Hebrews
had* to the oath of Abraham, given to the sons of Heth.
But, your majesty may ask why David, a man so just,
and virtuous, and prudent, should break the oath of
Abraham, so long held sacred, and which time had conse
crated? I ventured to put this inquiry to Abiathar, who
is my friend, and who has instructed me in many things
concerning the faith of this people. He answered me
as follows:

&quot; This act of David does not imply a want of rever
ence for Abraham and his oath. But among us one
period or dispensation is to succeed another; and each
is the divinely-ordained foundation of its successive one.
The call of Abraham led to his settlement here. This
was followed by his removal to Egypt ; that, by a bond
age; that, by a dispensation in the wilderness ; that, by

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 477

the rule of the elders, by that of the Judges, and by that
of the two kings. One form gives way to another. In
David commences a new era of things. In David ter
minates all that belongs to the first great Abrahamic
period of a thousand years. The traditions and power of
Abraham die in the inauguration of the Throne of David,
who is to be the founder of a new dynasty. David does
not destroy Abraham and the promises in him; but gives
them new directions through himself and his posterities.
He is to be to the FUTURE, what Abraham has been to the
PAST. As the Hebrews of to-day call themselves the
seed of Abraham, the true Israelites of the future shall
call themselves the sons of David ; and the title of their
king shall be the Prince of the House of David, ordained
such in the mystery of God before Abraham was ! King
David therefore has not broken the oath of Abraham; for
Abraham s power and the limit of his oath were only until
David should annul it. The royal Abraham saw David s
day, and bequeathed him, and his house, his sceptre.
The destruction, therefore, of the fort of Zion, was that
sort of destruction which takes place in the seed before
it germinates, a death out of which is developed a new
life. This stronghold of the Canaanites was the last
link that bound the present to the past ; and its destruc
tion has paved the way for the future glory of the House
of David, before the sword of which all idols on earth
shall be overturned, and all enemies of God utterly per
ish. By this act he foreshadowed the conquest of the
pagan earth, by the last Prophet and Prince of his house,
according to the prophecy of Moses! In all that we
Hebrews do, Arbaces, we do but make copies for the
future! Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, each of

478 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

these are founders of new things, beginnings of new crea
tions, heads of eras, each advance elevating our race,
and bringing us nearer and nearer to the splendid era
of Him, of whom the patriarchs all have spoken, as the
last wielder of the sceptre of David, and occupant of hia
throne ; the Shiloh whom Adam walked with in Eden ;
Abraham saw in his tent in Mamre ; Jacob wrestled with
for a blessing ; Moses spoke with in Horeb ; Joshua met
at the fountain before Jericho ; who was in the Pillar, and
in the Cloud, and whose visible glory dwells in the She-
chinah between the Cherubim ; Him the express image
of God, the out-going of His Presence, the Son of His
right hand, who in the fullness of time shall be born to
David s line; as to his nature, human, as to his person,
divine and immortal; an incarnation in the flesh and
blood of a virgin of the House of David, by the myste
rious union therewith of the invisible power and Godheaxl ;
a wonderful, glorious, divine man from hea^ en, invested
with godlike power, whose throne shall be set in Jerusa
lem, and whose dominion shall fill the whole earth!&quot;

Such, your majesty, is the sublime character of David,
according to the information of the High Priest, who ia
supposed to read the future by his near presence to the
ear and voice of the Oracle of God. Fragmentary pro
phecies of some mighty Being to descend upon earth are
not only scattered through all the Hebrew writings, but
glitter in their obscurest traditions. The whole national
mind seems to live in an expectation not so much dwell
ing peacefully upon the present as looking restlessly
to the future ; not like a nation who realize their high
hopes : a nation not so much possessing a positive good,
but expecting one to come ! That their kingdom is to

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 479

6e the first of all kingdoms, their kings the Kings of all
kings, the meanest Hebrew family believes. This coming
glory, they assort, will be achieved by a divine youth of
celestial beauty, whose nature is a union of that of angels
and of man ; but who is to be born of a Hebrew wo
man in the coming ages. So deeply is the national
faith impressed with this idea, that every wife in the land
for five hundred years, has hoped to become the mother
of the celestial child-prince ; but Abiathar asserts that
this honor will be limited to the House of David, and to
a virgin princess, most blessed among women, of that
royal line. Upon pressing Abiathar closely, he ex
pressed his opinion that, as a thousand years had elapsed
from Abraham to David, a similar period will elapse
from David to this celestial and powerful Prince of his
royal House.

Who, your majesty, would not wish to live upon the
earth at that day, when this glorious god, or angel, shall
take upon him our flesh, and, through infancy and child
hood, advance to manhood, veiling from the eyes of men
the splendor of his divinity under the carnate veil of his
humanity a diamond hidden in a casket of clay ! How,
when in the majesty of his heavenly dignity he shall be
crowned King of the earth by the hand of God out of
Heaven, will the astonished and happy nations bow down
before him, and all kings cast their crowns at his feet !
What honor will earthly monarchs feel it to be, to be
ruled by a heavenly Prince who yet, as man, can sym
pathize with their humanity ! Of all eras of time, I
would rather, your majesty, live in that day and behold
the glory of this divine and wonderful Prince. It will
be the realization of the fable that the supreme God

480 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

once came down to earth, and abode here as the King
of the world ; but was so indignant and grieved at the
sins of men, that he returned to the heavens, and com
manded men henceforth to be ruled by men. Will the
Prince of the House of David, when he cometh, find the
earth so wicked that he will re-ascend ; or will he re
form it by his power and wisdom, and make it worthy
of his throne ?

Pardon, your majesty, these reflections. It is difficult
not to have the mind full of subjects, which are the com
mon theme of those one discourses with. I will now re
turn to King David, who seems to understand that he is
chosen by Heaven for some mighty purpose, in carrying
out the mysterious history of his people.

Having subdued the citadel, he proceeded to enlarge
and improve it, and when he had made the noble edifico
on the Mount Zion a suitable royal residence, he publicly
proclaimed it as the seat and throne of his kingdom, and
gave to it the name of &quot; The City of David on Mount
Zion.&quot; In a few weeks afterwards he removed thither
from Hebron, and having also improved and beautified
the town north and west of it, he enclosed with w^alls and
towers a greater space, comprising three hills, and gave
it the name of Jerusalem, it having hitherto borne the
names, Jebusalem, Solyma, Salem, and the city of Moriah

From this time his reign began to prosper. The king-
dom, united, was at peace ; and the Hebrews everywhere
lifted up their happy faces, and walked with pride and
contentment, each man sitting under his vine and fig tree
without fear.

The lesser kings about him sent congratulations to a
monarch they perceived that God was with ; and a bril-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 481

liant embassy came to him from Hiram, King of Tyre,
proposing a league of friendship and commerce, and
bringing presents of cedar, and metals, and precious
stones, and purple cloth, and stones, and artificers cunning
in the making of all kinds of carved work. David re
ceived the presents, and entered into the league of
mutual assistance in war, and sent to the Tyrian king
word that he desired presently to build a royal palace,
and that he would gladly have him send to him skillful
builders and workmen, as the artificers of Tyre were
famed in all the world.

King David soon afterwards commenced in Jerusalem
a palace unrivaled for splendor, surrounded himself with
a magnificent court, increased his army, and put in de
fence all the cities and fortresses of his kingdom.

Everywhere prosperity and industry now prevails.
The land is blessed with abundant harvests, and peace
in all its borders. Jerusalem grows in grandeur and
beauty. The brave Joab is placed at the head of its
strong garrison, and lives in a superb palace, with a
military court about him like a prince.

Ahithophel is the sagacious minister and counselor of
the king; Hushai is the lord of his palace; Uriah is the
commander of the army in the field, but dwells in a
stately house not far from the new palace of the king.

Of this prosperity the Philistines became jealous, and
fearing the too great power of David, they secretly raised
an army, and marched against Jerusalem, intercepting
and destroying the trains of wagons laden with Tyrian
cedar from Joppa, on the way to the city. David, trust
ing only in heaven, never alone in his own courage and

numbers, would not attack them without God s permis-
31

482 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

sion, which he asked for through the ephod, and by the
High Priest. The response of the oracle was a command
to go out against them. These perpetual foes of Israel
were defeated, even before David s hosts under Joab
came up with them; for an army of angels in the air
swept above a forest of mulberry trees, in the rear of
the Philistines, with a noise like the swift advance
through the wood of a great army upon them, of chariots
and horses, footmen and archers! and struck with ter
ror, the enemies of the Hebrews fled, and were easily
destroyed. This final blow against this formidable
power has secured to King David peace in all his realm.

His palace is now completed, and the court of David
has become settled, and in all its appointments is finished
with a magnificence, equal to that of Tyre or of Syria.
His throne surpasses that in Egypt of the Pharaohs; his
body-guards are clad in steel armor inlaid with gold ; his
palace officers are numerous and richly attired; and all
the luxury and splendor of an ancient court appertains
to this of Jerusalem.

The site of this city is very commanding, being com
posed of several eminences of unequal height, which are
on nearly all sides precipitous. Deep ravines separate
them, or abruptly inclined valleys. On all sides the city
is enclosed by hills, save on the north, which seem to
shut it in like a wall.

By the courtesy of the king, I have free entrance to
his palace at all times. Yesterday his majesty sent for
me to come and see him. After I had been a few min
utes with him, and he had dismissed his cup-bearer,
there being left in his presence only a noble looking Le-
vite, whom he called Uzziah, he said to me:

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 483

&quot;0 Arbaces, who art become one of us in Israel, and
worshipest with us the one true God, I have deter
mined to establish the worship of the nation I govern
with a degree of magnificence in keeping with the dig
nity of my kingdom. My first step will be to transfer
the Ark of God to Jerusalem. I shall take thirty- six
thousand men with me to guard it in solemn procession
hither, three thousand from each tribe, and call all the
people of Judah and of Benjamin to be present to do it
honor. It is now reposing at Kirjath-jearim, where it
has been kept since the death of the priests at Nob.
Aside from the honor of God in this movement, the com
ing together on such an august occasion of all the tribes,
will enable the people to see their king, and cement the
great confederacy of which I am now the political head !
Uzziah,&quot; he added, turning to the Levite, u go back to
Kirjath-baal, and make ready all things for the removal
of the Ark of the Covenant hither, on the day I have
named, two months hence ! I leave the arrangement of
all the ceremonies to thee, to whom has been entrusted
the care and safety of the Ark since the day of Ahime-
lech!&quot;

The Levite shortly took his departure; and the king
then invited me to accompany him and his armies of Is
rael on the day he should march forth from Jerusalem,
to receive the Oracle of God, and escort it to his capital.

The foresight of the king in removing his court to this
naturally entrenched city, which can easily be rendered
impregnable, is in character with the profound sagacity
which governs all his actions. Not satisfied with making
it the political and military head, his camp and court,
he resolves to make it the religious centre of his

484 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

realm, the place of sacrifices, the site of the Tabernacle,
and the abode of the High Priests. Thus he will gather
about him the leading courtiers, warriors, priests, and
eminent men of his kingdom, and render it, if his reign
be prolonged, one of the most brilliant capitals upon the
earth.

But it is time, your majesty, that I bring this long
letter to a close. Adora never fails to desire to be com
mended to a king I so much esteem as a friend, and
honor as a monarch.

Your faithful

ARBACES.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 485

LETTER XV.

ARBACES TO KING BELUS.

CITY OP DATID.

YOUR MAJESTY,

A YEAR has passed since the accident by which I was
thrown from my horse, and it is with very great pleasure I
can resume again my pen and interrupted correspondence ;
albeit, my wife, as your majesty is pleased to say, proves
not &quot;by any means a poor scribe.&quot; I have no doubt,
indeed, that her letters, did they go beyond the mere
form of my diplomatic correspondence, would prove far
more agreeable to peruse than my own : for our sex do
not possess that talent for epistolary writing which
women so eminently display. If you find in my letters
any passages more brilliant and graceful than usual, your
majesty must refer them to the tasteful suggestions of
the daughter of Isrilid.

The proposed removal of the Ark to this city took
place on the day appointed. The whole ceremony was
conducted with great pomp and magnificence. It was
my privilege to accompany the king and his court.
When we arrived in the valley before the citadel of
Kirjath-jearim, which used to hold a magnificent temple
of Baal, the king advanced at the head of the lords,
governors, chief-captains, elders, and priests towards

486 THE THBONE OF DAVID; UK,

the gate. A splendid guard of thirty thousand men,
which he had assembled, were drawn up before it in
a hollow square opening towards the town. Every
soldier had a sprig of olive-leaf in his helmet, or wreathed
about his sword, and all the officers wore a scarf of fine-
twined white linen over their corslets, in token of the
sacerdotal character of their present service. The stand
ards of the captains of hundreds and of thousands were
decorated with blue fringes, the sacred color of the priest
hood. The day was cloudless. Heaven seemed to smile
on the scene. Thousands and tens of thousands of
people in their festival attire lined the walls of Kirjath-
baal, and extended along the valley up the highway to
Jerusalem in endless lines. The whole spectacle was
grand and imposing. It was a nation, headed by its king,
about to perform the highest honor to their God, by re
moving, in solemn procession, the House of his Holiness
from an obscure village to the capital of the kingdom of
his people. In this devout act, how eminent is the
proof of David s piety ! referring all his glory and power
to God, and resolving thus publicly to honor Him as the
Giver of all things which were in his possession.

The king advancing to the gate with the High Priest
at his side, was met therein by the noble-looking Levite
Uzziah, who, richly-attired, stood by the Ark, which
rested upon a car, whereon it had been brought, thus far,
from the Tabernacle in the town where it had been kept.
Behind it was a long train of four hundred Levitea
carrying the Tabernacle, in separate portions, the heaviest
part being permitted to be placed on wagons and drawn
by heifers.

To the surprise of King David, the Ark itself, which

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 487

ought to have been borne on the shoulders of twelve
Levites wearing their linen ephods, was elevated upon a
chariot drawn by oxen.

&quot;How is this, Uzziah?&quot; he cried with indignation;
&quot; where are the Levites, whose duty it is to bear the Ark
of God? Dost thou not know the Ark of the Lord shall
rest only on the shoulders of men f The Philistines, when
they sent it back to us, ignorantly placed it upon a cart ;
but those who received it, instead of putting it upon the
shoulders of Levites, according to the Law, rested it
upon the ground, touching it with sacrilegious hands;
and all Israel know how this departure from the law of
the Lord caused the death of severity of the elders of the
people!&quot;

&quot;My lord, the king,&quot; answered Uzziah, &quot;there are
no staves to carry the Ark with; and I found no Levites.
I therefore placed it reverently on this car, to take it to
the city of David.&quot;

The king appeared very greatly distressed at this
sacrilegious neglect on the part of the guardian of the
Divine Oracle; but, as no man dared (not even a king)
to lay his hands upon it, and as no consecrated rods could
now be had, he commanded that the Ark should go for-
wprd as it was.

Tt was received, as it passed the gate, with the waving
of a censer of incense by the High Priest, who went be
fore it, while seventy priests, holding trumpets of brass in
their hands, immediately escorted it, walking on each side
of it, and behind it. David, as it moved on, giving his
sword to his armor-bearer, took a golden harp from his
servant, and struck a noble hymn to his God, accompanied
by a choir of priests, who played merrily upon harps, psal-

488 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

teries, cymbals, cornets, dulcimers, timbrels, and all
manner of instruments of music. When the Ark had
reached the centre of the military square of thirty
thousand men, they faced, at the command of Joab, to
wards Jerusalem, and the priests sounding their seventy
brazen trumpets, which were responded to by all the war-
bugles, the host commenced their march as guardians
of the Oracle of God. The thousands of people who
followed it from the citadel and town of Baal, and the
countless numbers who lined the ways, caught up the
chorus of praise, and filled the air with hallelujas to the
Lord who dwelleth between the Cherubim.

At length, the Ark rested at a place called the floor
of Chidon, and when it was about to move forward again,
the car whereupon it was borne, meeting with some rough
places over which one of the oxen fell, was shaken so that
Uzziah, who, with his assistant, Ahio, walked close by it,
fearing the Ark would be shaken to the ground, put forth
his hand to steady it, touching the Ark itself. This aot
of sacrilege was instantly punished by the divine glory
which dwelt between the Cherubim, for he fell dead, as
if smitten by lightning ! This Divine judgment upon a
man whose act showed want of faith in God, as the pro
tector of His own tabernacle, filled the whole host with
consternation. David stood in silence, gazing upon the
dead man. The High Priest remained immoveable, and
all who were with him. The instruments of music ceased,
and a dread silence and awe prevailed ! Every eye rested
upon the king. His face looked dark and heavy. I
could read from his looks, that he regarded it as an evil
augury for such a thing to happen at the beginning of
his reign. It was a fearful interruption to the joy of

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 489

such a solemnity. He felt, also, that he had been to
blame for not personally attending to the proper carry
ing of the Ark ere it left Baal of Judah. The seventy
priests looked as if they expected instantly from heaven
still further judgments, as of old, upon themselves. I
saw the king remove his helm, and bow his head with
humble submission, as if prepared to receive also the
lightnings of the Lord, who had been so grievously
offended. But one victim appeased the celestial anger !
No second stroke of His displeasure fell !

The king was now at a loss what to do ! He feared
to move the Ark any farther ! No man dared approach
it ! All stood aloof gazing upon it with terror, equal to
that with which the infidel Philistines, fifty years before,
hud regarded it.

&quot; What shall be done, Abiathar?&quot; he asked of the
High Priest.

Opposite the place where they were, stood the house
of a poor but pious Hebrew, called Obededom. Into his
humble dwelling the High Priest advised the king to
have it taken. Removing the oxen, Abiathar, with so
lemn awe, protected by his sacred office, conducted it to
the gate, drawing the car in ! There it was left still in
the chariot, within a court-yard, under the shelter of a
pavilion which the priests erected above it, enclosing it
from all eyes. David then appointed a guard of Levitea
to keep watch over it night and day until he should know
from the Lord what he ought to do with this House of
His Majesty. With sad hearts the long procession re
turned to Jerusalem, the people sadly seeking their
homes, shaking their heads, and prophesying evil to the
king and to the nation.

490 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

This unhappy event greatly depressed David, and
humbled him before the Lord, so that for many days he
fasted and withdrew himself from all public affairs.

At length, at the end of three months, it was told him
that the poor man in whose habitation the Ark had been
sheltered was becoming greatly favored of the Lord :
his fields bore an hundred fold ; his flocks and herds
wonderfully increased, and all that he put his hand to
prospered ; so that it was said : &quot; Who prospereth and is
blessed like Obededom in all Israel !&quot;

&quot; Truly the blessing on this poor Gittite should be
upon Jerusalem and all Israel,&quot; said the king. &quot;I will
go and bring again the Ark of the Lord, but not, as be
fore, without holy preparation, but with sanctified hearts,
as becometh those who enter the presence of God !&quot;

The same day he made proclamation that all the Le
vites in the land should assemble themselves together on
a certain day at Jerusalem. He also commanded the
priests, and also the High Priest, to sanctify them
selves seven days before the Lord. When the twelve
thousand Levites and seven hundred priests came toge
ther, Abiathar offered up sacrifices in the most solemn
manner, making an expiatory offering for all, from the
monarch to the humblest Levite. The king then said
to Abiathar, &quot;Associate with you the pious Zadok, who
was Saul s High Priest, as second to yourself, and all
the sons of Aaron, and the chief priests, and all ye who
are the chief of the fathers of the Levites, and sanctify
yourselves, that ye may go and bring up the Ark of
the Lord God of Israel unto the Tabernacle I have pre
pared for it. For it was because ye were not sanctified
before, and I chose armed men to guard the Ark, and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 491

made a display of God s glory to please the people, and
show my own pomp and greatness, the Lord hath hum
bled me and you ! Let us now seek the holy God, after
the due order of our holy priesthood of old, for in these
last years we have greatly neglected the honor of God,
and been remiss in our sacred duties. See that staves
be provided, with Levites who are of the house of Ko-
hath, to bear them according as Moses commanded, and
let none come near or follow the Ark but the sons of
Aaron, and the Levites who are sanctified ! Let it be a
solemn and religious day for all Israel !&quot;

At the appointed time the sacred procession of priests
and Levites went forth from the gates of Jerusalem, and
approached with solemn tread the place beyond the hills
where the Ark of God rested. David and his court fol
lowed, with all his great officers, but no armed hosts
were with him.

A choir of sacred choristers, consisting only of sons
of Levi, who played on all manner of instruments, ac
companied David, also his own harp-bearer. The king
himself wore an ephod, and laid aside all his armor ; for
he wished it to appear altogether a religious and peace
ful ceremony, at which he was about to preside in honor
of God.

When David and the company of priests, with the
High Priest Abiathar, and the Chief Priest Zadok,
came before the house of Obededom, the singers and
players upon psalteries, cymbals of brass, harps, and
trumpets, at the command of David, played a solemn
hymn to God. Then the High Priest sacrificed seven
bullocks, and seven rams, before the Ark, ere he himself
or any man dared approach it. and sprinkled the blood

492 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

seven times before the Ark, and before the Mercy-seat
and Cherubim, where the name of God dwelt ! He then
sprinkled the twelve Levites of the sons of Kohath, who
were to bear the Ark, with the blood of the slain victims,
and consecrated Obededom, and his servant the keeper
of the Ark, also with blood. Now with his own gar
ments all red, and his vesture dipped in the blood of the
sacrifices, protected on all sides by the mysterious de
fence of blood, he drew near the dread Ark of God s
presence, which, without sacrificial shedding of blood, no
man could approach and live. Pale and trembling, the
twelve sons of Kohath raised the Ark by the staves
placed through its rings. As they advanced, Zadoc the
Chief Priest went before swinging the censer of incense,
and the High Priest followed him sprinkling the path of
the Ark with blood !

King David stood and earnestly beheld to see if the
men who bore it lived ! When he saw them march seven
steps, he commanded them to stop. The favor of heaven
was then supplicated, and the High Priest sacrificed a lamb
before the Ark ! At every seven steps a victim bled, and
the blood sprinkled the way, while the deprecatory in
cense continually aspended, and the low solemn chant of
humiliation of the singers filled the air. The Ark having
advanced seven times seven steps, the high sacred num
ber, and no signs of Divine displeasure apparent, and
seven victims having bled before its progress, the king
with looks of joy cried aloud,

&quot;The Lord is gracious and merciful, long suffering,
and of great kindness: he keepeth not his anger forever!
Let the people lift up their voices and shout for joy!
Blow ye the trumpets, ye priests, for the Lord hath re-

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 493

ceived our prayer ! Let all Israel praise him with cornet
and harp ! Let all the people shout, and praise the name
of the Lord !

The Ark now advanced, no longer regarded as a cen
tre of terror, but as the beloved and glorious presence
of their reconciled God.

It would be impossible, your majesty, to convey to
your mind a just conception of the profound happiness
which possessed the Hebrews of all ranks, at the favor
able progress of the House of their Divine Oracle, towards
Jerusalem. The king, wearing the sacred linen robe,
went before it on foot, attended in this humble manner
by his whole court. Seven times the Ark rested during
the day between the house of Obededom and the gate of
Jerusalem, and seven times sacrifices were offered unto
the Lord, with continual waving of incense before the
Ark, while the king and the singers, with their harps of
gold, chanted praises to God in solemn and joyful voices.

As the sacred procession drew near the city, the walls
were lined with the rejoicing citizens, and multitudes
stood on the hills, which stand round about Jerusalem,
gazing upon the sublime spectacle. The presence of the
Ark was indicated to the eyes of those who were the
most remote, by the bright, mysterious halo of glory,
which appeared between the Cherubim. The last and
seventh rest, and sacrifice, was made at a place outside
of the city, where the Levites rested the Ark, previous
to the march into the city of David. It was a hill north
of Mount Zion, and separated from it by a narrow valley.
Here, tradition says, Isaac was laid upon the altar, and
near here, if not on this spot, prophecy declares the
future throne of the last Prince of the Hebrews shall be

4:94 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

erected, upon a high altar consecrated by the blood of
the last High Priest of the people, whose great sins (be
yond the atonement of the blood of bulls and of goats)
will cry aloud for that of the High Priest himself!

When the Ark passed into the gate of the city of
David, a resplendent light illumined the Mercy-seat, and
to the songs of the priests there were heard angelic
voices in the heavens, as if the sons of God on high re
joiced with the sons of men below, in the presence of the
Lord, coming to dwell within the city of the king of his
people. They now came in sight of the palace, and also
of the Tabernacle on Mount Zion, which the king had
previously ordered to be put up according to the pattern
shown to Moses in the Mount of Horeb ; the inner Sanc
tuary being enclosed within the curtained walls of the
outer Tabernacle or Court of Sacrifice.

Here the High Priest changed the march into a reli
gious rite, moving with measured steps to the sound of
the most solemn music played upon harps, the king
himself leading, striking the chords of his golden psal
tery. In this religious dance, if so majestic a movement
may be termed such, and which one of the wives of Da
vid witnessed from the palace and ridiculed, the king
and the priests participated until they came before the
Tabernacle. Then the Ark was borne amid clouds of
preceding incense into the Tabernacle. Here, upon the
Altar of Burnt-offering, a fresh victim was slain, with the
blood of which the High Priest sprinkled the way to the
Sanctuary, in which Holy Place, after taking their san
dals from their feet, the bearers of the Ark entered and
Bet it down in the midst thereof; the golden Candle
stick being on one side, and the Table of Shew-bread on

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 495

the other ; while the Altar of Incense stood in its place
farther on. Here, first consecrating the way with in
cense, the two High Priests, Abiathar and Zadoc, taking
the Ark between them, bore it with silent awe into the
Holy of Holies, and placed it reverently behind the
Vail. As soon as they re-appeared, the king, who stood
in the court of the Tabernacle, struck his harp to a
sublime hymn of praise and thanksgiving at the happy
and prosperous termination of his pious duty.

The next day, the king proceeded to appoint the order
of worship, re-establishing the ancient rites arid ceremo
nies, and inaugurating them with increased splendor.
He appointed the High Priest over the priesthood, and
Zadoc his second in order ; and the courses of the Lc-
vites, and the companies of singers, and directed the
manner in which morning and evening worship should be
performed. To his chief singer he gave the following
Psalm, with which the sublime services of the Tabernacle
were formally opened ; one company answering another
company with psalteries, cymbals, harps, and cornets ;
while a choir of priests, with trumpets of silver, brass,
and ivory, swelled the pcean of praise.

DAVID, THE KINO, WITH THE HARP.
JSing unto the Lord all the earth ;
Shoio forth from day to day his salvation.

SINGERS AND TRUMPETS,
Declare his glory among the heathen,
His marvelous works among all nations :

KING.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
He also i.s to be feared abuve all gods :

496 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

CHOIR.

For all the gods of the people are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.

KING.

Sing unto the Lord all the earth ;
Show forth from day to day his salvation

CHOIR.

Glory and honor are in his presence,
Strength and gladness are in his palaces.

KING.

Give unto the Lord ye kindreds of the people,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

KING AND CHOIR.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.

KING.

Sing unto the Lord all the earth ;
Show forth from day to day his salvation.

CHOIR.

Bring an offering, and come before him ;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

KING.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,

And let men say among the nations, &quot;The Lord reigneth.&quot;

CHOIR AND TRUMPETS.
Let the sea roar and the fullness thereof;
Let the fields rejoice and all that is therein

KING.

Sing unto the Lord all the earth ;
Show forth from day to day his salvation.

CHOIR.

give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good-
For his mercy endure th forever.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 497

CHOIR AND TRUMPET.

Worship the Lord praise his holy name,

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

KING.

Sing unto the Lord all the earth ;

CHOIR.
And show forth from day to day his salvation.

KING, CHOIR, AND TRUMPETS

Give thanks give thanks unto his holy name.
Give glory give praise to his glorious name.

PRIESTS AND LEVITES.
Blessed be the LORD G od of Israel forever and ever.

ALL THE PEOPLE.

Amen.

This final Amen repeated, and again repeated, by
king, priests, Levites, and people, accompanied by all
the instruments of music, with the thunder of the choir
of trumpets, seemed to shake, with its sublime chorus,
Mount Zion to its foundations.

Sacrifices were again solemnly offered, and thus the
inauguration of the Ark of the Covenant in the Taber
nacle of David on Mount Zion was finished. The king
then dismissed all the people with presents and with food
to their homes. Now Jerusalem has become the seat
of empire, of religion, and of power, and also the cen
tre of arts and arms. The genius and intelligence of
the king, his taste in all the refinements of the age, his
wonderful love for music, poetry, and architecture, his
warlike education, his piety and amiability of character,

498 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

all combined, exert an influence over his court and em
pire such as few kings of the earth are able to command.
He has invited to his capital the wise men, and scholars,
and philosophers, as well as the poets, artificers, and sol
diers of all lands, and among his own people he rewards
genius and talent with the most distinguished honors,
wherever it develops itself.

Yet with all the magnificence and regal power with
which he loves to surround himself, (for all his ideas are
kingly and imperial, as if he were born to the throne,
and had been educated in a sumptuous court,) he forgets
not the gentler and holier duties which he owed to the
memory of his departed friend, Prince Jonathan ! He
had no sooner established, on a firm basis, the religious
observances of the Tabernacle, than he turned his heart
towards Jonathan to whom he remembered his solemn
oath to protect his house. He again set on foot inqui
ries to ascertain if any remained of the house of Saul,
or of Jonathan, and at length a man, an ancient servant
of Saul, named Ziba, said to the king s servants that
if they would bring him before the king he would tell
him who of Saul s house lived. When they had brought
him in before the king, he said to him :

&quot; If thou art Ziba, the servant of Saul and of Jona
than, canst thou tell me if there live yet any one of their
house that I may show kindness before God unto him?&quot;

&quot;Jonathan s son, Mephibosheth, yet livetli, king,&quot;
answered the man ; &quot;but will my lord the king make
oath before the Lord to his servant that he will do the lad
good and riot evil, if thy servant maketh known to my
lord the king where he dwelleth?&quot;

&quot; I have sworn to Jonathan, as the Lord liveth, I will

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 499

be as a father to his father s house and to his seed,&quot; an
swered the king. &quot; Where is the son of my friend?&quot;

&quot; Beyond Jordan, in Mount Gilead, where he hath
kept himself safely hidden this many years, lest he should
fall into the king s hand,&quot; answered Ziba, boldly. &quot; The
prince, king, is a young man of infirm health, being
lame in both feet from an accident which befel him when
five years of age, his nurse, terrified at hearing of the
death of Jonathan and Saul, letting him fall from her
hold to the ground.&quot;

&quot; Therefore docs he need more the kindness of his
king and father s friend,&quot; said the generous monarch,
with feeling. &quot; Go and tell him David desires to see
him, that he may show kindness to him for his noble
father s sake, and also for Saul his grandfather!&quot;

None but a truly noble and dignified nature, your ma
jesty, could have cherished and expressed such lasting
friendship as this.

The king having thus honorably and in a royal man
ner prepared to redeem his oath to Jonathan, when both
w r ere young men, and the former a fugitive shepherd with
out where to lay his head, he sent a special ambassador
to Hiram, King of Tyre, to make a league of commerce
with him, which provided that the Hebrews, who were an
agricultural people, should exchange their productions
with the Phoenicians, who were a commercial people.
The two kings interchanged treaties, and this has led to
a friendly intercourse between them, and to a regular
correspondence of personal friendship. The result of
this wise treaty is already being apparent in the increased
wealth of the nation, which finds a ready market for all
its productions, and in the increased magnificence and

500 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

comfort to be found, not only in Jerusalem, but in all
the cities, through the introduction of articles of use and
luxury from all parts of the world, with which opulent
Tyre pays for the corn, and wine, and oil, and fruits of
this land of boundless agricultural wealth.

&quot; One thing more remains for me to do, Arbaces,*
said this wise and great king to me a few days since.
&quot; I live in a royal palace of cedar, and sit upon a throne
of ivory, and there is no house for the Lord God to dwell
in, save the Tabernacle of curtains, the pattern of that
which our fathers had in the wilderness ! While we
were wanderers, and afterwards while we were yet at
war, and were compelled to change our capital from place
to place, it was appropriate to worship in a moveable
tabernacle. But now I have made Jerusalem the capi
tal forever of my kingdom, and here is established my
throne, and hither I have brought the Ark of Testimony
to give it a place herein in all ages. I cannot rest,
therefore, until I erect here, on Mount Moriah, opposite
my palace of Mount Zion, a temple to God, that, as He is
the God of gods, shall surpass in magnificence all the
temples of the gods of the heathen in the whole earth !&quot;

Thus did this devout man of God, your majesty, seek
to honor Him who had raised him from the humble con
dition of a shepherd to the dignity and power of a great
monarch. A truly religious prince, he prays to his God
three times a day, and passes hours in divine meditations,
in sacred compositions of hymns for the worship of the
Sanctuary, and in pious acts. Hence it was natural to
him to reflect painfully upon the meanness of the Taber
nacle of his Lord in comparison with the splendor of his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 501

own house of cedar and gold, crowning like a diadera of
beauty the head of Mount Zion.

This idea so occupied his thoughts that he at length
sent for the Prophet Nathan, whose name your majesty
will recall, who had succeeded the Seer Samuel over the
School of the Prophets at Eamali. When the man of
God appeared before the king, David met him with that
friendly regard he has ever had for him since he wag
with him in the School of the Prophets, where your ma
jesty will recollect Nathan was one of the teachers of
David, though not many years his senior.

&quot;What wouldst thou, my lord, of thy servant?&quot; asked
the dignified prophet.

&quot; I have sent for thee, Nathan, to ask of thee coun
sel, for the wisdom of the Lord is upon thee. Behold I
sit at peace, and in honor upon the throne of my king
dom, and God hath given me rest round about from all
mine enemies. See now, I dwell in an house of cedar,
but the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains. I desire
to build a house to the Lord, worthy of me and of my
prosperity and greatness, and that shall honor His great
Name, who is the one God over all, glorious in majesty
and infinite in power and holiness. Shall the gods of the
heathen dwell in temples of stone, and of brass, and of
costly woods, and the God of Israel dwell in tents?&quot;

&quot; Let my lord the king do that which is right in his
own eyes, for the Lord will assuredly accept thine offer
ing,&quot; answered the prophet, whose national pride and de
vout honor for the splendor of the national worship,
doubtless, led him to assent, without that reflection and
consultation with his God which became a prophet.

502 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

But the next day he hastened to reappear before the
king, and said :

&quot; Hear, king, and listen not to the voice of erring
man, but to the voice of God. Last night, in the vision
of the night, lo, the Lord appeared unto me, and said :

&quot; Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord,
Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in ? Whereas
I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought
up the children of Israel out of Egypt even to this day,
but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all
the places wherein I have walked with all the children of
Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel,
whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying,
Why build ye not me a house of cedar? Now, there
fore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus
saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep-cote,
from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people,
over Israel. And I was with thee whithersoever thou
wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy
sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the
name of the great men that are in the earth. More
over, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and
will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their
own, and move no more; neither shall the children of
wickedness afflict them any more, as before-time, and as
since the time that I commanded judges to be over my
people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine
enemies. Also, the Lord telleth thee, that he will make
thee a house.

&quot;And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep
with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which
shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 503

kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I
will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will
be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and
with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy
shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul,
whom I put away before thee. And thine house and
thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee :
thy throne shall be established forever.&quot;

&quot; The Lord is righteous in all that He commandeth,&quot;
answered David. &quot; The Lord also hath showed me the
past night that 1 have been from my youth a man of war
and of blood, and that it is meet 1 should be set aside
from building the house to the Lord, which I had in my
heart!&quot;

Soon after the departure of his friend, the prophet,
the king left his palace and went to the Tabernacle of
God, and kneeling humbly before the altar of incense in
the Holy Place with his face towards the Vail which hid
the glory of the Lord over the Ark of the Covenant,
prayed and said after this manner :

&quot;Who am I, Lord God? and what is my house,
that thou hast brought me to so great power hitherto?
and hast favorably spoken of the glory of my house yet
to come ? Wherefore thou art great, Lord God : for
there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides
thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears :
4 Lo, what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even
like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to
himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you
great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people,
which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the na-

504 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

tions and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thy
self thy people Israel, to be a people unto thee forever :
and thou, Lord, art become their God/ And now,
Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning
thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for
ever, and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be
magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God
over Israel : and let the house of thy servant David be
established before thee. For thou, Lord of hosts, God
of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will
build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant found in
his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now,
Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true,
and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant.
Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy
servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for
thou, Lord God, hast spoken it ; and with thy bless
ing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever.&quot;

This great and wise king having now acquitted him
self of the sacred duties which friendship and religion
claimed at his hand, and strong in the favor of his God
and the love of his people, resolved to secure the peace
of his realm by putting an end forever to the power of
his hereditary enemies, the Philistines, Amalekites, Moab-
ites, and other nations which had for five hundred years
warred against Israel. Recent excursions of predatory
bands upon his borders, which have rendered the abode
of the Hebrews along the limits of his kingdom at all
times unsafe, have led him to resolve to make this aggres
sive war ; for hitherto the Hebrews have been defenders
of their land, not aggressors. While I write, the notes
of warlike preparation are heard, not only in Jerusalem,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 505

but in all the kingdom. It is the intention of King Da
vid to take the field in person, and beard the Philistine
lion in his own den at Gath. As I shall accompany the
army, your majesty, I shall not again write to you until
the war is ended.

I regret here to inform thee, Belus, that the beauti
ful Michal, the daughter of Saul, has been disgraced by
David, who has refused again to recognize her as his
queen, and has elevated the stately Abigail to that dis
tinction. The fatality which from the first has hung
about Saul s house, seems still lowering over all his de
scendants. The cause of the displeasure of the king her
husband was as follows :

On the day when the Ark was borne into the city of
David, and the monarch danced with solemn and measured
step before it, playing upon his harp, according to a
form of religious worship, common even with us in As
syria, Michal from her palace window mocked him and
laughed aloud, as if he shamed his kingly rank, by ex
changing the royal apparel of a king, for the white linen
ephod of a priest. Her excuse, haughtily given and
with a good deal of Saul s fire, was that she had never
beheld the King of the Hebrews before in such base ap
parel, and that she felt it became not his royal dignity
to assume it ; that she had never seen her father, the
first king, think it necessary to be so religious as to
humble himself in that degrading way, and that such
display became more hired dancers at a festival and sing
ing women, than a king !

The king became greatly offended and also grieved at
her w r ords, for he perceived by them that she was without
piety, and desuised the worship of God, which in tho

506 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

days of Saul had been so much neglected ; he also learned
that it was not until the more reverent Abigail com
mended the king s devout bearing before the Ark, that
Michal began to scorn him and deride.

Thus, your majesty, the perverseness and jealousy of
Saul, coming out in the character of the daughter, has
been the cause of her shame as it was of the father s.
What an illustration of the law of God, that the sins of
the fathers shall be visited upon their children ! From
that day David has not entered the presence of the per
verse and jealous woman, who publicly sought to bring
upon him ridicule, while in the accustomed worship of
his God. She is punished therefore, even like her
father, Saul, both for irreligion and for jealousy.

The widow of Nabal is now, therefore, the first in rank
in the palace as queen, and being scarcely less beautiful
than when David married her among the mountains of
Carmel, and possessing amiability and grace of manners,
she is a great favorite with the court and people, which
Michal, Saul s daughter, has never been.

At length Ziba returned, and with him came Mephi-
bosheth, the sole surviving prince of the unhappy House
of Saul. I saw him when he came into the Hall of Jus
tice, where David sat, having just closed for the day
the administration of the cases brought before him. The
king would not have known him as he drew near, but for
the presence of Ziba, which led him to suspect who he
was ; for he leaned heavily, from his lameness, upon the
Canaanite servant s arm. He was a slight, sickly young
man, with a short neck which supported a large and in
tellectual head, developing the grand brows and forehead
of Saul ; while the mouth was singularly effeminate and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 507

Deautiful. but wore a fixed, cynical smile. His face, pale
and prematurely withered, was like that of one who sel
dom stirred abroad in the sun and air. He wap attired
richly and gaudily after the fashion of the princes of
Moab ; jewels sparkled on his wrists and breast, and he
wore rings of gold in his ears like the effeminate Ammo
nite lords. The expression of his white and wilted face
was a singular compound of scorn and deference, hatred
and fear, as if he respected the power of David, and yet
felt that he sat on a throne which was justly his own
birthright. The arrogance of a dethroned prince be
fore his successor, with the humility of a dependent,
struggled also in his voice, as he answered the king, who
said, kindly, and drawing near to him,

&quot; Is this Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan?&quot;

&quot;I am, king,&quot; he answered, making haughty
obeisance, leaning upon the hand of Ziba. u I am come
in obedience to thy command!&quot;

&quot; Thou hast done well ! Fear not, I have sent for
thee to show thee kindness, for Jonathan thy father s
sake ; for I hear that thou hast been dependent on
strangers !&quot;

The dark, Saul-like eyes of the young man flashed at
words, which, though kindly meant, enkindled his anger;
and he looked as if he would have replied, &quot;Had I my
rightful inheritance, king, thou and I would have
changed places, and I should have been seated in my
father s throne.&quot; But his bloodless lips ventured no
word. lie had from a child been trained in the disci
pline of exile and self-denial, and knew how to restrain
his feelings, and when to keep silence. The king, with
out seeming to observe his looks, continued mild y,

508 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OB,

&quot;For thy father s sake, I -will restore thee all the land
of thy grandfather Saul and all things that thy father
possessed. These will enrich thee ! Also, thou shalt
dwell with me in my palace, and have a seat at my table as
long as thou livest ! Ziba will look after thy estates, and
render to thee his yearly accounts ; and thou canst dwell
here in peace, and pursue such a life as suits thy fragile
health !&quot;

At this unexpected kindness and generosity on the
part of the king, the proud heart of the exiled prince
softened, his anger melted away, tears quenched the ire
ful fire of his eyes, and, with a voice trembling with
grateful emotion, he cried,

&quot; Thou art too gracious and good to so worthless a
wanderer as thy servant, king. I believed thou
wouldst treat me as if I were a dog in thy sight, and lo !
thou honorest me as a prince, giving me the royal lands
of my father s house !&quot;

&quot; Ziba,&quot; said the king, turning to the old servant of
Saul, &quot; thou hast a score of servants and many sons.
They and thou shall be servants to Mephiboshethi&quot;

&quot;According to all that my lord the king commandeth
thy servant, so shall thy servant do,&quot; answered the gray-
headed Canaanite, making lowly obeisance, after the
abject manner of the men of his race, before the king.

Since then, the last Prince of the House of Saul has
dwelt in Jerusalem, a guest in the palace of the king, and
daily sits at the king s table. He dresses with magnifi
cence, and is imperative and troublesome in temper,
showing the irascibility of Saul without his courage, and
the vices of Ishbosheth without his indolence ; for there is
nothing escapes his inquisitive and jealous eyes that goes

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM 509

on in the palace ; and while he seems to be full of grati
tude to the king, and artfully plays the sycophant, he is
evidently his secret and envious enemy. Treachery
plainly lurks in his covert glances at David, who, honest
in purpose and knowing he ought to have his gratitude,
doubts not but that he has it, and entreats him with an
ingenuous confidence from which all mistrust is absent.

Tliis letter will go to Assyria by the caravan, which
leaves Jericho next week. It is to be laden with rich pro
ductions of this bountiful land, and will, I doubt not. re
ward the king for his wise policy in opening this avenue of
commerce with the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris.
Already caravans leave here for Syria, Edom, Egypt,
and Tyre, and a constant influx and reflux of these com
mercial waves, laden with the fruits of the merchandize
of those lands, have given a new impetus to the minds of
this hitherto exclusively agricultural people, and is con
verting them into a nation of merchants ; while foreign
gold and silver flow into the royal coffers in abundance.

A few days hence, at the head of one hundred thou
sand disciplined troops, the king moves forward against
the lealm of Philistia. Upon the return of the army,
I will again write to your majesty. Farewell.

Your friend and ambassador,

AKBACES.

510 THE THRONE OF DAVID: OR,

LETTER XVI.

ARBACES, THE AMBASSADOR,

To BELUS, THE KINO.

CITY OF DAVID, MOUNT ZION.

IT is many months since my last epistle was written
to thee, Belus ; but my long silence must be attributed
not to the forgetfulness of waning friendship, nor to the
neglect of my official duty, but to the warlike and ab
sorbing condition of affairs which has existed the past
eight months.

My last letter informed you that King David was
about to extend his arms in the direction of the kingdom
of the Philistines, who had not ceased to annoy the
western borders of his dominions. The march of the
Hebrew army, after it entered the land of the Philistines,
was one uninterrupted series of brilliant conquests.

Always, heretofore, invaders, the Philistines knew not
how to meet invasion, and so bold and formidable a
one as now menaced them. Wheresoever their armies
made a stand to oppose the Hebrew monarch, they
were routed and pursued with great slaughter. One
after another their towns fell into the hands of David,
their idol temples were overthrown by his soldiers, and
their fields laid waste. At length, driven to their strong
hold and capital city, Gath, situated on the hitherto im

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 511

pregnable height of Ammah, their king assembled the
whole of his army to make a final stand against the con
quering progress of the Hebrew warrior-king ! David
encircled the city with his hosts, and took it with vast
slaughter. The night of the conquest thereof David
reposed (how singular the reversion of fortunes, your
majesty !) in the palace of the deceased Achish, whose
tomb he the next day visited, commanding it to be re
spected by his soldiers ; for once he had received from
Achish, shelter and favors in his exile ; and David is one
of that heroic and generous class of men who never forget
a personal kindness. Gaza and all the ports of Philistia
soon fell into his power, and he extended, thereby, the
borders of his kingdom even to the shores of the Great
Sea. All the ships of Askelon, Jopha, and of the port
by the sea over against Gaza, fell into his hand, with
the mariners arid merchandise thereof. Having laid
tribute upon the King of Philistia, Itta the son of Achish,
whom he had taken prisoner, and received his homage
as his servant, and having garrisoned the sea ports, and
especially Gath, the key of the subdued kingdom, David
returned with his armies to Jerusalem, having in three
months brought to his feet a dominion nearly as large as
bis own, and which had been the terror of Israel since
the days of Joshua.

The sons of Anakim, consisting of a family of seventy
giants of both sexes, descendants of Anak whom Joshua
fought against, King David put to death, not leaving a
soul of the blood of Goliath alive, thus wisely ending a
race of giants, which has long cumbered this quarter of
the earth.

But he hart no sooner reached his capital than he found

512 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

a new war upon his hands. The powerful King of
Edom, a descendant of the royal House of Esau the
elder brother of Jacob, and whose dominions lay south
of the province of Judah around Mount Hor, even
stretching beyond the sea of Sodoma this king, who in
herited hatred of the descendants of Jacob and his
twelve sons, taking advantage of David s absence in
Philistia, invaded Judah and menaced Hebron. Without
delay and by forced marches, King David went against
him, defeated the king in battle, and also the King of
Moab, who assisted him, and taking their capital city,
brought both Moab and Edom into subjection to his
sceptre, making them tributary to his crown. Thus on
the west, his borders now were extended to the sea, and
on the south to the desert.

This increase of dominion and power has naturally
aroused the fears of other kings. Talaric, the warlike
Parthian monarch of the land of Palm-Zobah, whose
capital is Tadmor, fearing for his own dominions on the
east, hath raised a great army, saying to his generals,
&quot;This Hebrew shepherd-king is becoming too powerful
for our safety. He hath laid one hand on the sea, and
placed one foot on the desert. Lo, he will stretch him
self, and with the other hand grasp the east, and plant
the other foot on the north, even upon the crown of
Syria. Let us go against him and weaken his power,
and keep him within his own borders !&quot;

Moreover, your majesty, this usurper of the throne of
Hadadezer, hath heard that the true princess of his
stolen sceptre is in Judea, at the court of David. Un
known to me, your majesty, I learn King David sent a
message to Talaric three months ago, demanding the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 513

throne of Tadmor for its lawful princess, Adora, daughter
of Isrilid ! for the king regards my noble wife with the
most respectful friendship ; and well knowing her history
and her title to the throne of Tadmor, as well as the fact
that we no longer entertained any undue ambition to wield
its sceptre, secretly sent, without consulting our pleasure,
the message demanding its surrender. When, upon
hearing of it, I expressed my regret, the king smilingly
answered,

&quot; It is of importance to my empire, Arbaces, that
in the country between the Jordan and the Euphrates, a
king should rule who shall be my friend and ally. This
Parthian usurper of the throne of the royal house of
Rehob of Tadmor, will always be a thorn in my side.
I, therefore, not only secure the integrity of my borders
eastward, by placing you and your wife upon its throne,
if necessary, by the force of arms ; but do justice to the
claims of a noble lady, whom for her own sake and her
father s I greatly esteem.&quot;

The Parthian, therefore, has declared war against the
King of the Hebrews, not only from fear that he will
extend his conquests in the direction of Palm-Zobah, but
to prevent the accession of Adora to the throne of her
ancestors, and, moreover, resent the insult to his crown,
which King David s demand implies.

Already, your majesty, this Parthian s hosts are rolling
along towards Jordan in an army of one hundred thou
sand footmen, twenty thousand horsemen, and four thou
sand chariots. To meet this formidable army, King
David marches to-morrow with one hundred arid twenty
thousand foot, eight hundred horse, and but seventy cha-
33

514 THE THBOXE OF DAVID; OR,

riots, for the laws of Moses forbid the Hebrews multi
plying horses and chariots for their armies.

Your majesty cannot long remain ignorant of the
march of this formidable army of Talaric, the King of
Zobah, who also has taken the name of Hadadezer, the
royal designation of the former kings. It is impossible
for me to remain behind, when King David, partly on
account of Adora s claim, advances to meet him ! Adora
and I, therefore, join the king at Jericho two days hence,
and advance with the army.

That he will conquer I doubt not. The smile of hea
ven is ever shining upon his arms. If he conquers, he
is resolved to place Adora upon the throne. Hence it
is not impossible, Belus, that this letter (which I shall
place in my tablets until I have an opportunity of com
pleting it and sending it) may be finished before the
walls of Tadmor. or within its royal palace itself! Al
though both Adora and myself have long ago made up
our minds to be contented to dwell near the court of Da
vid, in our happy villa on the side of the Mount of Olives;
yet I will not deny that the possibility of ascending the
throne of her fathers has aroused in the bosom of my
wife pleasing and new-born hopes, which have kindled
into warmth my own dormant ambition.

How pleasant would it be, Belus, if Adora and her
lord Arbaces could rule a dominion protected on the east
by thine, and on the west by that of King David ! Three
such kingdoms united by the bonds of amity, as they
would be, would control the events of nations, and hold
the balance of power on earth ! But I am letting my
pen run wild with ambitious aspirations, which a few
weeks ago I would not have believed existed within my

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 515

breast. Farewell, for a time. I now roll up the parch
ment, deferring the conclusion of my letter to a later
period.

THE army of the King of the Hebrews encountered, three
weeks after the above portion of the letter of Prince Arbaces was
written, the hosts of the King of Zobah in the desert, and over
threw him ; pursuing him for three days with great slaughter.
and taking, besides great spoils, a thousand chariots* armed
with scythes, seven hundred Parthian horsemen, who carried
bows of steel, and twenty thousand footmen. He then laid
siege to Tadmor, within which Talaric fled, and taking it. aftei
a month s siege, by assault, he extended the borders of his
kingdom even to the banks of the Upper Euphrates.

Adora, the daughter of Isriiid, was duly placed by the con
queror in possession of the throne of her ancestors, and Prince
Arbaces was crowned king-consort by her side. In the midst
of the festivities with which this event was celebrated, the
King of Damascus, who had entered into league with the King
of Zobah to check the power of the King of the Hebrews, was
advancing to his aid. when he met the defeated monarch Tala
ric, attended by a few wearied horsemen, flying to seek shelter
in his dominions.

The sight of this great Syrian army, so near his late capital,
inspiring the Parthian Prince with a hope of recovering his
throne, he prevailed upon Haclad. King of Damascus, to return
with him to aid him in regaining his capital. The Syrian
monarch yielded to his importunities. From the walls of Tad
mor. the Hebrew warrior-king beheld the advancing hosts of
Syria, and marched out to offer Hadad battle. The terrible
contest coiitinued throughout the day and all the night, and the
Syrians, defeated, fled, leaving two and twenty thousand men
dead on the plain, with chariots and horsemen overthrown with
out number.

Leaving Arbaces and Adora securely seated on the throne
of Palm-Zobah. King David re-crossed the desert westward
into Syria, and made a thorough conquest of the kingdom of

* 2 Samuel, rliap. viii. 3. 4.

516 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

Hadad, besieging and taking his brilliant capital of Damascus
on the rivers Arbana and Pharpar. Leaving garrisons therein,
and receiving the submission of all the towns and citadels of
Syria, he returned to Jerusalem, having achieved the greatest
victories of the age, and added to his dominions four kingdoms ;
not including that of Tadmor of Zobah, which he declared a
free crown, having sealed with Arbaces a permanent league of
friendship.

The noble river Euphrates now bounded his kingdom on the
east ; the north was defended against the Barbarians by his
fortresses of Syria ; and also by Tyre, the dominion of his
friend, the virtuous and wise King Hiram. On the south, he
held military possession of Idumea, Moab, and Philistia;
while on the west he touched the shores of the Middle Sea :
thus Lebanon, Egypt, the Euphrates, and the Mediterranean
were the magnificent limits of his vast empire.

The following year, a son of one of the kings of Ammon in
the East, whose father had shown him friendship on his march
to Tadmor, having ascended the throne of the Ammonites,
King David kindly sent ambassadors to congratulate him. The
jealous prince, suspecting them to be spies, shaved their beards
as a mark of contempt, cut off the skirts of their robes, and
sent them back to Jerusalem. David was not a monarch to
bear with equanimity an outrage so great as this. He sent
Joab with an army, and, defeating their insolent young king
reduced him to the level of a tributary prince.

The Syrians now secretly raised an army to drive out the
Hebrews from their dominions, and David, hearing that a great
host of foot, chariots, and horsemen were assembled to overturn
his power, took the field in person, conquered them, and made
many thousand prisoners, besides capturing seven thousand cha
riots ; while thousands of horses taken by him, he commanded
to be put to death according to the law of Moses, which law
was ordained to prevent the Hebrews from engaging in foreign
wars, that they might become a domestic and defensive power.
King David had, in his army of the East, a battalion of cha
riots and four legions of horse of six thousand men each ; but
this was a temporary setting aside of the law bv hiir in order

THE REBELLION CF PRINCE ABSALOM 517

to meet upon an equality foes similarly organized and
mounted.

Returned from his second war against the Syrians, the soldier-
king now gave his attention to the cultivation of the arts of peace
The sword was turned into the ploughshare, and the spear into
the pruning-hook. Unexampled prosperity reigned throughout
his wide dominions, and his court was distinguished for its
splendor and dignity. Marrying Maacah, the beautiful daugh
ter of the Syrian Prince Tolmai, he cemented peace with this
dangerous tributary monarch. All eminent men sought Jeru
salem ; and here were founded schools, and seats of learning,
and academies of science ; and from every land, men who were
the most famous in their own country in any art, flocked to the
Court of David. Thus his capital became the centre of all that
gives glory to a monarch, or illustrates the genius of the age.
From farther Tnd, from Tarshish in Ceylona of the East, from
Ophir, the land of gold, and the isles of the sea, from Grecia,
and Etruria, and Cyprus, and Iberia, came philosophers, poets,
historians, astrologers, magicians, and painters on wood and
papyrus, and workers in gold and silver, and polishers of
precious stones, and artificers of all sorts to sit under the
shadow of the throne of David, and share the bountiful re
wards which he bestowed on all who conferred glory upon his
empire.

More than twenty years elapsed ^ unparalleled prosperity
and regal grandeur. His wisdom, prowess, wealth, and com
manding personal influence had placed his kingdom in the
foremost rank among the nations of the earth. Not Assyria,
nor Egypt surpassed Judea in power, and glory, and breadth
of dominion. First of nionarchs of the earth, all other
kings did him willing reverence and eagerly sought his alliance.
Embassies from the uttermost parts of the earth, which were a
year on their way, presented themselves at his court, bringing
gifts and letters of respectful homage. His wealth was un
bounded, so that it was said, &quot; Gold in Jerusalem is as plenty
as iron in Syria.&quot; The powerful monarch had also strengthened
his throne by alliances of marriage with the Houses of the

518 THE TIIllONE OF DAVID; OK,

Princes of the nations about him, so that every king of his
tributary kingdom had a daughter married to the powerful mon
arch of Judea.

At length, a cloud, at first no bigger than a vulture in the
Bky, darkened the horizon of his dominions, concealing thun
ders and lightnings, which were from time to time to flash their
angry fires, and mutter their condemning voices against his
throne. Seated at the head of earthly empire, the proud and
prosperous monarch lost sight of God above, and his dependence
upon Him. Allured by pleasure, he neglected the Sanctuary,
and gratitude ceased to bend his knee, for he had all that the
heart of man could wish for ; and piety no longer lifted his
hands in prayer, for he felt himself sufficient in himself with
out God ! He had nothing to ask of Heaven, and ceased to
ask ! Thankfulness lives on a sense of need ; but he believed
he had no needs, and required nothing more of God, and ceased
to be thankful ! In the splendid king he forgot the humble
shepherd; and the virtues, which were cherished as fine gold
by the youthful &quot; son of Jesse&quot; in the wilderness, were
disdained by the successful king on his throne ! The heart
of David was wholly changed ; and though he chanted
magnificent hymns to God on festal days before the people, it
was from his passion for psaltery and singing, and not from
piety.

When God is forgotten, He withdraws his presence ! The
void is soon filled by the enemy of man, and the heart is ex
posed to every temptation ! The Spirit of God departed from
Saul ibr disobedience; but the Spirit of the Lord was driven
from the heart of David by pleasure. His palace became
a paradise of luxury and delights. Singing men and singing
women played and danced before him : and he introduced into
his house forbidden entertainments from the dissolute courts
of the pagan kings. Beautiful slaves ministered to the intoxi
cation of his senses, and all the arts of refinement of pleasure
were sought for and introduced before him, to enhance the luxu
ries of his hours. The stern warrior had gradually become a
voluptuary ; and the righteous sword of the soldier gave way

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 519

to the gold-inlaid harp and dulcimer ! New delights were in
vented by his sycophants, and new fountains of enjoyment were
opened for him by his base and foreign-born courtiers. He
permitted the gods of the heathen princesses he had married
to be set up in their chambers, and incense to be burned before
them by their own idolatrous priests.

In the meanwhile, the sacrifices burned morning and evening
upon the Altar of Jehovah in the Court of the Tabernacle, and
incense to the God of Israel ascended continually from the
Bacred censers of the Priests. Perhaps the cloud which ever
climbed towards heaven from the Altar of Burnt-ofiering, and
the ever upward-rising holy incense of God (the fragrance of
which entered the windows of his palace) interposed like a con
tinual national supplication between the anger of Heaven and
the head of the royal voluptuary.

Sons and daughters from time to time were born to him ; of
whom were Absalom, son of the daughter of KiugTolmai of Syria,
Tamar, his sister, and her half brother, Ammou, and others,
who imitated the luxurious life of the king, and rebelled against
his authority when he would reprove them; for fathers, who
would have their children virtuous, must first set them the
example of virtue ; for their example is more powerful than
counsel.

At length, one morning, there arrived at the court of David
a foreign-looking young man with a noble air and in fine apparel,
and with those large Oriental eyes which betray the inhabitant
of the East. He was richly armed, and rode a superb Persian
horse, the housings thereon heavy with gold and glittering with
precious stones. He was attended by a train of servants, and
lords, and captains, with a retinue of one hundred splendidly
armed men.

They were from the city of Tadmor, and the young man
proved to be a prince, the youngest of three sons of Arbaces
and Adora ; and who had been sent by them to pass a few
3 ears at the court of David, to learn the art of arms and of let
ters under so great a captain and wise a monarch.

The king received the youthful Hadad Isrilid with great

520 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

affection for his father s sake, and at once established him as his
favored guest in his own palace. The reader is referred, for the
further progress of the narrative of the reign of David, to tho
correspondence of Prince Hadad with his mother, Adora, Queen
of Tadmor.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 52 J

LETTER XVII.

THE PRINCE HADAD,

To ADORA HIS MOTHER, QUEEN or TADMOB,

COURT OF DAVID, JERUSALEM.
MY DEAR AND ROYAL MOTHER,

I KNOW how impatient you will be to receive early
intelligence of my arrival in Judea, and I hasten to write
to you assuring you of my safety and health. Say to
my dear father that we were but nine days on our journey,
which we shortened by leaving Damascus far to the
right, and crossing the Jordan near the foot of Mount
Tabor.

With what emotion did I traverse with my retinue, the
field of Gilboa, where King Saul fell; the very place
being pointed out to me by a herdsman, who was watch
ing his herds on the side of the mountain of Gilboa !

The beauty of the country, and its wonderful fertility
from thence to Jerusalem, was a constant theme of won
der to my escort. The faithful and good Ninus, who had
already long been familiar with these scenes, enjoyed my
pleasure ; and said that my dear father experienced equal
gratification and surprise at the rich green valleys, vine-
clad hills, countless snow-white villages, numerous warlike
citadels, and noble towns which he passed on his route to
Hebron from Jericho your own city, my mother.

522 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

At length we came in sight of the city of David, which,
partly palace and partly fortress, towers loftily above
Jerusalem, and is visible far and wide. Our entrance
into the city attracted no little attention ; although the
numerous embassies from all lands, which visit the court
of David, have made the dress and aspect of foreigners
familiar to the eyes of the Hebrews.

My reception by the king was as cordial and warm as
if I had been his own son. He was taken, at first, by
surprise, as he had not expected me for some weeks. He
made the kindest inquiries after you and my dear father,
and expressed the sincerest regard and friendship for
you both ; and desired me, when I wrote, to convey his
friendly greetings, and to say that I so resembled you
both, that he should extend to me twofold regard for my
parents sake.

I am now a guest in his palace, with my own servants,
and feel almost as much at home as in your royal house
at Tadmor. I take delight in contemplating the scenes
which you and my father have visited, and it was with
mingled joy and sadness I entered the chamber which
my father occupied, a quarter of a century ago, in the old
wing of the king s palace.

You desired me to describe the appearance of the king.
He looks nearly sixty years of age, with a florid face and
silvery locks, and is the most beautiful old man I ever
beheld, retaining still all his martial dignity of bearing,
softened by the gracious majesty of the courteous king.
His eyes are singularly expressive of tenderness and
gentleness, and his pleasant voice, the beauty of the
tones of which my father has often spoken of, it is de
lightful to hear. It is richer than a harp, softer than

THE REBELLION OF PK1XCL ABSALOM. 5-3

the notes of a dulcimer; yet beneath its music reposes
the warlike trumpet-tone, which it requires only the
field and the foe to make ring as of old. He attached
me at once to himself, and the deferential affection, with
which I involuntarily treat him, greatly pleases him.

The state of his court is in keeping with the dignity
of so great a monarch. I will not attempt adequately
to describe it. Yesterday I saw him holding a royal
court for the reception of an ambassador from Seba.

He was seated in his magnificent throne-room, upon a
chair of ivory over-arched by a canopy of cloth of gold.
On each side of him stood two beardless Idumean eunuchs,
waving above him fans of gorgeous feathers. On the
lower step of his throne stood his cup-bearer, the young
Prince Absalom, a youth of wonderful beauty of face and
person, with flowing locks of hair covering his shoulders
like a glorious, shining mantle. He was not more than
seventeen years of age. I was presented to him the first
day of my arrival, and the amiability of his manners
quite won my heart. His attire was the most magnifi
cent I ever beheld ; and was so becoming that he looked
like some brilliant and beautiful god, rather than a
creature of earth. Near him were the other princes
of the house of the king, and the artful Jonadab his
nephew.

On the right of the king stood his Prime Minister,
Ahithophel, a noble and elegant prince, with shining
silvery hair, and a face full of intellect and intelligence.
My father will recollect him as one of the earliest com
panions of the king in his youth, and then distinguished
for his acute mind and profound diplomacy, talents which
in his maturer years eminently distinguish him. In his

524 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

crimson robe of office, his gold embroidered vesture, his
coroneted cap, and gold-headed wand of office, together
with the singular dignity of his person, he looks like a
king himself; and it is said that David yields much to his
counsel, and commits the chief weight of government
into his hand.

Next to the Prime Minister stood Hushai, the Archite,
and Lord of the Treasury, a noble old man whose face
showed an honesty of purpose, singularly in contrast
with the politic looks of the Prime Minister. Next to
him was Jehosaphat, the Chancellor and Recorder of the
kingdom. A little in advance of the venerable Archite
stood the famous warrior and General of all the armies
of Israel, Joab, whom my father has so often spoken of.
Tall, almost gigantic in height, his iron-gray head covered
with a helmet of steel, his rough white beard trimmed
closely to his chin, while the mustache of his upper lip
stood in long, stiff brushes from ear to ear, a man with
a ferocious countenance, covered with battle scars, he
looked dark, stern, silent, disdaining the elegancies of
military costume which characterized several of his offi
cers who were about him. Seriah, the Secretary of State
and Chief Scribe of the kingdom, stood by with his secreta
ries to record the proceedings. Farther on in front, a little
to the sides, stood the ambassadors from other monarchs,
tributary princes, and high officers of the court, and gover
nors, and lords of provinces, a brilliant assembly ! On the
right and left of the throne, in mitred chairs of state, sat
the distinguished ecclesiastics, Abiathar, the High Priest,
and Zadoc, the Chief Priest, the only two dignitaries who
are permitted to be seated in the presence of the king on
such a state occasion as this of which I speak. Farther

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 525

on from the throne towards the entrance, stood persons
of less dignity, motionless, in two lines, facing the throne,
with depressed eye-lids and their hands crossed upon the
breast. At the great entrance stood Uriah, the Cap
tain of the palace-guards, mailed in gold-armor, and
keeping ward with his drawn sword in his hand, and one
hundred men of Cherith and of Peleth, gigantic archers,
with Benaiah their Captain of the royal guard. Fifty
tall men of Dan, armed with javelins, in brazen helmets
and steel corslets, were drawn up by the gate. Seated
upon his superb throne, the king holds in his hand a tall
sceptre, crowned with a sphere set with rubies, upon
which reposes a golden lion, the symbol of the king and
his royal House. Prince Mephibosheth, who is now quite
gray, was not present, his infirmity and sensitiveness
thereupon keeping him much secluded within. He is a
man both feared and shunned for his bitterness, and his
jealousy of all whom the king honors.

Besides the state days, when the whole court is assem
bled, the king passes a portion of every morning in his mag
nificently decorated Audience-hall, or Judgment-cham
ber, which is open to all who wish to enter and approach
his royal majesty; and here he sits to decide in person
those cases which, by appeal from the courts of the gover
nors or senate of the Sanhedrim, are brought to the foot
of the throne.

I was present this morning at such a tribunal. I then ob
served that the beautiful Prince Absalom, who volunteers
to be his royal father s cup-bearer, an honor, (inasmuch
as it brings the person always near the person of the king,)
which many royal princes have held, managed artfully to
keep from the throne such persons as he did not favor

526 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

while lie forwarded the prayers of those whom he desired
to please. I perceived with surprise that the king was
wholly governed by him in all his suggestions, and th.it
this young man, of whom I have less regard than at the
first, was the idol of his heart. Upon speaking to Ninus
upon this subject, he answered that Prince Absalom was
actually the power behind the throne, and that the peo
ple of Israel had recently learned the humiliating lesson
that he who would find favor with the king, must pur
chase the good-will of this spoiled, arrogant, and indulged
young prince. If any petitioner approaches directly to
the monarch, passing by the prince, the king, before de
ciding, consults his young cup-bearer. The decision, in
such cases, is always against the prayer of the petitioner,
for in this way the prince delights to punish and rebuke
those persons who presume to go first to his father.
Whosoever wishes to have his prayer granted comes
first privately to the prince, and says to him, &quot; I know,
my lord, that thou art first in the kingdom, and art to
reign hereafter, and that now the king, thy father, doeth
nothing without thee. I desire a favor of the king ; but
I come first to thee, knowing that the power to grant my
petition remains with thee, and whatever my lord the
prince decideth upon that the king doeth !&quot;

This flattery is successful, and the prince is also
greatly enriched by the gratitude of the successful peti
tioners. At first, I was pleased with Absalom, for his
beauty and grace of manners and winning ways took my
heart captive ; but I do not like him. His character is
artful and full of duplicity. He is, however, the idol of
the court, perhaps, because he is feared for the terrible

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 527

power he can command for life or death. To oifend the
prince is to embrace swift destruction.

The splendor of the palace mocks description from my
unaccustomed pen. It covers nearly half of Mount Zion,
and is a magnificent assemblage of reception halls, por
ticoes, corridors, paved courts, of fountains, hanging gar
dens, marble walks. Ranges of painted chambers, fifty
in number in one wing, and thirty in another, are all
lined with alabaster or polished stones of divers colors,
and hun&amp;lt;r with embroidered curtains. In the centre are

the royal, domestic residence, Throne-room, and Judg
ment-hall, Chamber of Ambassadors, and Hall of Princes;
all adorned by bright porticoes with brilliantly colored
columns ; while the walls and ceilings are decorated in
the most elaborate and elegant manner, with scrolls,
flowers, fruit, and wreaths.

The Throne-room itself is a wonder of glory and
beauty. The interior is entirely surrounded by slender
pillars plated with silver, along which trail artificial
vines with leaves gemmed with emeralds, and fruit glit
tering with rubies and sapphires. The posts which sup
port the canopy above the entrance are of silver, the
threshold is brazen, and the lintels silver inwrought with
cedar and architravcd with gold. Lions plated with
c;old stand on each side of the entrance, while all along
the walls to the throne itself, stand lesser thrones for
kings, princes, and ambassadors, over which are dis
played the shields of gold David took from the Syrian
King. Without the entrance gate lies a spacious garden
luxuriant with many a lofty tree, among which are the
Bcarlet pomegranate, the broad-leaved honeyed fig, the

528 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

golden pear, the bright, blushing apple, and rich, brown-
tinted olive with its polished leaves; while clustering
grapes hang pendent over the noble avenues. Flowers
of all hues, that bloom through all the year, are arranged
along the walks with graceful taste, and guarded with
constant care ; while the beauty of the lovely scene is en
hanced by seven welling fountains, that descend in bright
showers of liquid diamonds, diffusing delicious cool
ness throughout the summer air. This garden is the
Palace Court, open to all, and traversed by all who ap
proach the king. Beyond the threshold of this noble
garden stand the tall towers occupied by the palace
guards ; and near them the beautiful house of the princely
soldier Uriah, the king s lord of the palace and captain
of his royal body-guard.

Farewell, dear mother, I will write you again in a few
days. I am, next week, to enter into the military
school of the Citadel of David to learn the art of war ;
since, as a younger son, I cannot look to the throne of
my father, I can, at least, hope to serve my country, by
and by, as a leader of its armies.

Say to my dear father, that many gray-haired officers of
the court of David have inquired after his health ; and
that many of them honor me with notice for his sake ;
especially Joab, at whose house in Bethlehem my father
stayed, I believe, two months after his return from
Egypt. The noble Uriah has also paid me great honor
for your sake, and has desired me to become his guest
to-morrow, which I have promised to do.

Prince Absalom, whose peculiar, full-lidded eyes be
tray his Syrian blood, has just called upon me, insisting

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 529

I shall accompany him to Mount Olive that he may shov
me how they hunt the gazelle in Judea. I shall embrace
the opportunity to visit the villa situated there and so
long your home.

Your faithful and affectionate son,
HADAD BEN ISRILID.

530 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

LETTER XVIII.

PRINCE ISRILID TO KING ARBACES.

THE COURT OF DAVID, MONTH TIZRL

MY ROYAL FATHER :

A FEW weeks since I wrote my dear mother, inform
ing her of my safe arrival in this sumptuous capital of
the Hebrews. I will now not so much send you a letter,
as commence for your perusal, when I shall a few years
hence return to your court, the &quot;Journal of Events&quot; you
desired me to preserve. This tablet of Egyptian papyrus
leaves, on which I write, may therefore bear, besides this
present one, many dates . In the tablets I shall briefly
write at leisure such events as may be interesting to you.
My residence here continues to be more and more
agreeable. I am interested in studying the manners and
customs of the people, reading their records, witnessing
the solemnities of their religious worship, and learning
the forms of this stately court ; moreover, I am not in
dolent in pursuing those military studies of which Joab
is the great master, and Uriah one of the most brilliant
instructors. Even the king, whose soldierly tastes, amid
all the luxury which environs him, are not yet dormant,
often enters the military castle, that which is called the
&quot; Citadel of David,&quot; where three hundred of the noblest
Hebrew youths, as well as the king s own sons, learn the

THE KEBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM,

tactics and strategy of war, and the use of arms. So
celebrated is this college of war that a son of the King
of Tyre, two Syrian princes, three sons of the King of
Arabia, and a son of the King of Cyprus are pupils
herein.

The sight of the army of King David in review on the
elevated plane between this and the sides of Mount Eph-
raim is a magnificent spectacle. The main body consists
of one hundred and forty and four thousand men, twelve
thousand from each tribe, and each tribic host armed and
mailed differently, and carrying splendid standards, the
tribes displaying thereon their peculiar insignia. Be
sides this central army are battalions from the cities and
towns, in vast numbers, eight legions of horsemen, and
four thousand chariots; troops of Moabite slingers, of
Edomite spearmen, of Syrian bowmen, of Ammonite
lancers, of Philistine swordsmen, and a squadron of de
sert cavalry, wild and barbaric riders, with spears twice
the length of their horses, and whose steeds rival the
eagle s flight in speed.

Besides these are the permanent garrisons of more
than one hundred border towns, and the soldiers who
hold the fortresses in the countries the king has con
quered. The whole army which the king can bring into
the field numbers six hundred thousand fighting men.
But, of course, only a portion of these for state forms
and garrisons remain in arms in time of peace.

In my letter to my mother, I informed her that I had
been invited by the princely courtesy of Uriah, who is
regarded as the most gallant and brilliant officer in the
army of the king, to become his guest for a day. 1
have stated that his palace is on one side of the king s

532 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

gardens, while that of Joab, the general-in-chief of the
armies, stands on the other. The palace of Uriah is as
distinguished for taste and elegance in all its interior
apartments, and by its exterior, as that of the latter for
plainness and soldier-like severity of style. The rough old
warrior disdains gardens and fountains, and gives up the
ground to the exercises of his long-haired Pelethites and
Cherithites with their bows and arrows, slings and quoits.
The environs of the villa of Uriah are cultivated and
adorned with flowers and fountains, shaded walks, and
terraces, while in the midst of the scene of beauty stand
white marble bathing basins, enclosed by the curtains
of silken pavilions.

Through these charming walks Uriah conducted me to
his mansion. He did me the honor to present me to his
wife, Bathsheba, who expressed a desire to have me
brought into her apartment, as she had seen both you
and my mother. Is she not the same whom David saw at
the Well of Palms, and of whom Uriah learned the way he
took ? How shall I give my dear mother a description of
the beauty of this noble-looking lady, who, at forty
years of age, for she does not seem more, and is perhaps
not so old, is still the most beautiful woman, next to my
ever-charming mother, I ever beheld ! She received me
with infinite grace, and asked me so many questions
about my own country that I was soon at ease in her
presence.

After dinner, attended by her maidens, and accompa
nied by Uriah and by me, she walked in the garden, and
we gathered fruit and flowers, and looked at the wide pros
pect over Jerusalem from the terrace. The palace had
but just been completed, and but a few weeks occupied

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 633

by them, and they took, therefore, the more pride and
gratification in showing it to strangers.

TABLET. LEAF SECOND.

We are now just entering upon the great Hebrew fes
tival of which I have heard you, my father, speak ; but
the arrival of which, as it recurs only every fifty years,
you did not witness while you were in Judea. Their
sacred number, seven, applied to years, makes a week
of years, and this week of seven years (instead of days)
long is again multiplied by seven, making forty-nine
years, or one year, striking out the secular days, wholly
made up of Sabbaths. This forty-ninth year is cele
brated by suspension of all agricultural labor, and kept
as a Sabbath of rest. During the whole year, no one
either sows or reaps, but all are satisfied with what the
earth and trees produce spontaneously.

Nor is this the only remarkable feature of this half-
century festival. Every man who has sold, or mort
gaged, or in any way alienated his landed patrimony, this
year resumes possession of it, the holder cheerfully re
signing it, having, of course, in the transaction by which
it fell into his hands calculated for the jubilee restora
tion thereof; hence, neither loss nor injustice is received
by him. All persons held in bondage are also set free
with their wives and children.

This extraordinary law of the land coming into opera
tion produces all at once an extraordinary condition of
things. The whole kingdom is suddenly thrown into a
state of excitement and motion. Years of poverty and
struggle end in a night, and the houseless reoccapy the
homes of their fathers, the landless become possessors

534 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

of noble estates, and universal joy prevails. The varied,
touching, and joyful scenes which occur every hour for
the first few days are deeply interesting.

The first nine days are spent in a round of festivities.
Every body congratulates every body, and gifts are in
terchanged, old feuds healed, and forgivenesses and recon
ciliation are the rule of the day. These first nine days
no manner of work is done, even within doors, and every
one you meet is crowned with leaves or flowers, and
arrayed in festal attire, while chants and songs fill the
air.

On the tenth morning I was awakened by the loud
peal of the trumpets of the seventy priests, who stand
in the court of the tabernacle, and which the prince of
the Senate of the Sanhedrim ordered to be sounded, it
being the legal signal for all slaves to resume their free
dom without further form, and all lands to revert to their
hereditary owners.

&quot; This law was mercifully designed,&quot; said the king to
me, &quot; to prevent the rich from oppressing the poor, and
any one person from becoming too rich in lands to the
exclusion of the natural tillers of the soil ; to put a bar
to the too great multiplication of debts, and to prevent
perpetual bondage among brethren of one blood.&quot;

Without doubt, dear father, this is a law which could
only have originated from a wise and benevolent God !
It preserves the liberty of the persons of the Israelites,
(who can be sold for debt,) conserves a due equality of
fortunes, arid re-establishes the hereditary order of fami
lies as they stood in the days of Joshua.

There is also a lesser festival every seven years, called
the Sabbatical year, or &quot;week of years.&quot; On this year

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 535

a certain class of bondmen are released from obedience
to their masters, and a certain portion of property re
verts to those who have alienated it. The Sabbatical
year, at its close, annuls debts of money between man
and man, which the Jubilee year does not. Cautious
rich men, this year, seldom loan to those who ask, unless
fully protected against the statute of limitation obtain-
ing during the year. Houses in walled towns built within
the Jubilee period do not return to those who have mort
gaged or sold them, the statute having reference prima
rily to the reversion of lands, in order to restore the
integrity of their original division between the tribes
and families.

&quot; The appointment of the Sabbatical year,&quot; replied
the intelligent Prophet Nathan to me when I inquired
its object, &quot;was to preserve the remembrance of the
creation of the world in six periods, followed by an equal
period of rest. Then God gave six periods of time to
the earth and man, and one to Himself for repose. lie
now gives man six periods for himself, but demands one
aqually long set apart for His honor, and in remembrance
of the first period of rest. These periods are years
in the Sabbatical week, and weeks of years in the
Jubilee week ; and a week of Jubilees must be, therefore,
about three hundred and forty-three solar years. Thus
we cannot learn how long was the first period of crea
tion and rest, called a week ; for God makes weeks of
years, and years of years! With Him a day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.
There exists a record in our ancient writings which
states that the first day consisted of a week of solar
years, or two thousand and five hundred and fifty-five

536 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

years, and that this was the length of the first Sabbath.
A week of these weeks of creation will comprise, accord
ing to the Rabbinical books, seventeen thousand years,
at which time the world, they say, will end, and a new
order of things, with a new circle of ages, begin. If this
prediction and this calculation be true, we are now only
in the second day of this great week of time !&quot;

TABLET. LEAP THIRD.

It is three months, my dear father, since 1 have looked
at my Tablets or made any record. In the meanwhile 1
have received my dear mother s letter. I will proceed
briefly to answer her inquiries about the ladies of the
palace, whom she once knew.

The deposed Princess Michal, Saul s daughter, I ought,
before this, to have informed you, died, ere I came to
Jerusalem, in the house of the sons of Kish, at Bethel,
whither she retired after David put her away. Her de
clining years were tortured with the sharp thorns of
fallen pride and the pangs of impotent jealousy. She
slowly wasted away ; and, during the last weeks of her
life, she became lunatic, and raved, and played the queen,
and, daily crowning herself with faded flowers, she be
lieved herself the ruler of Israel, and died calling upon
Saul, her father, &quot; to avenge her upon the Shepherd of
Jesse !&quot; It is said, the king, grieved at her sad end,
gave her a royal, burial in the tomb with Saul and Jona
than.

The stately Abigail still lives in the palace, but takes
no part in the state pageants, and is seldom seen. I
have been presented to her. She looks sad and broken,
a wreck only of the former splendor of her beauty. The

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 537

other wives of the king are foreign princesses ; each keep
ing her own suite of apartments, and worshiping her own
gods, and all rivaling and hating each other ; each vainly
aspiring to the supreme place in the affections of the
monarch, which Queen Abigail holds by the slender and
daily fading tenure of her former beauty.

LEAF FOURTH.

A sad event, my dear father, has occurred since I laid
aside my tablets, almost a year ago. I hardly know
how to record it. It reflects so severely and darkly upon
the king, that I am sure you will feel greatly distressed ;
for I know in what high estimation you hold his private
as well as his kingly character. It shows, however, that
&quot; humanity,&quot; as our Assyrian proverb has it, &quot; is a
flawed vase not a perfect one can be found on earth.&quot;
The golden vase of King David has at length betrayed its
human imperfection. I have already alluded to the volup
tuous complexion of his brilliant and luxurious court ;
and that his departure from the customs of his ancestors
by marrying many wives, after the manner of the hea
then kings, had insensibly broken down all the barriers
which a previous life of virtue had created about his
heart. The painful consequences of such royal disre
gard to the integrity of his personal honor have been
lately exhibited.

A few weeks since, the tributary King of the Ammon
ites, who had been recently subdued and still sore with
wounded pride, came to Jerusalem to do homage to the
king, his conqueror. While here, he fancied himself
wounded by the imperious manner of Prince Absalom,
and complained to the monarch, his father, of the insult.

538 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

The king, instead of rebuking his son, reproved the Am
monite Prince for taking offence where none could have
been given ; for David can believe no evil thing of the
youth ; and he who carries a report to him against him
will be the only one believed to be guilty.

The angry Ammonite hid his indignant feelings at the
time, and, with fair outside, a day or two afterwards,
took leave of the king. He had no sooner reached his
own dominions than he secretly formed a league with
the King of Syria, the King of Moab, and the King of
Edom, and raised the standard of rebellion. No sooner
did David hear that the King of Syria had joined him,
and that they showed front of war, than he despatched
Joab with an army against him. The Ammonites, at hia
approach, treacherously withdrew from the field, leaving
the Syrians to contend alone with the Hebrew hosts.
Uriah, the king s chief captain, had also joined the army
under Joab ; for David had not spared even his own
body-guard in order to visit the rebels with instant chas
tisement.

A few days after the departure of the army, King
David was walking upon the terrace of his palace, which
overlooked the beautiful gardens of the villa of Uriah.
While he was walking to and fro, impatient to hear news
from the war, and often looking in the direction of the
Jordan, to discover couriers, his eyes fell upon the per
son of the wife of Uriah, as, loosely arrayed and unsus
picious of observation, she was leaving her bath in the
seclusion of her garden, attended by two of her maidens.
The king, who, rumor now saith, had long envied his great
captain the possession of his beautiful wife, and often
distinguished her with a place of honor when he met her

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 539

among the ladies of his court, was, upon the instant,
seized with a desire to make this lovely woman his own.
With a king, to wish is to will, and to will is to obtain !
Nothing can resist power and will combined ! The vir
tuous wife of the noble soldier, who was beyond Jordan
fighting, as his general s armor-bearer, the battles of his
king, leaving his honor in his lord s keeping, was despised
and dishonored by that lord.

The guilty secret was kept fro^i every eye, even from
the prying scrutiny, and jealous observing of all things
else, of Prince Mephibosheth. But I discovered that there
was some deep sorrow in the heart of the wife of Uriah,
who has been ever my friend, for I have continued to be
a frequent and welcome guest at her house. I attributed
it to the absence of her lord ; and strove to re-assure her
mind of his safety: but the more I talked with the noble
wife, the more sad and tearful she became. Little did I
then suspect the wreck of honor and shame she had
become through the sin of one who had forgotten his
anointing of God as Shepherd of Bethlehem, the fate of
Saul, the justice and vengeance of that terrible Lord,
the history of whose dealings with the Hebrews from his
judgments against Moses and Aaron to those against
Ishbosbeth, show that he winks at no sin, and leaves no
transgression of men unpunished, either in their own
persons or in those (a still more awful consideration) of
their children. At length, the guilt of this king, natur
ally a righteous and religious man, and who hitherto had
firmly kept the laws of God, could not much longer be
concealed. The war was prolonged three months, and
Uriah still remained absent. The king now began to
reap the fruits of his iniquity by torture of mind in de-

f/40 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

vising how to hide from the world his guilt and he
shame; for he was well aware that when the Chief Priest
should hear thereof, he would assuredly put her to death
in compliance with the letter of the law, which ordained
stoning to death as the punishment for a wife who dis
honors her lord. The king was not so lost to all gene
rous emotions as to risk exposing her, for whom he had
begun to feel a profound attachment, to so cruel a fate.
She also eloquently p^aded to him to save her. There
was but one way which suggested itself to his mind to
protect her from the law, which was, to cover his crime
which was yet their own secret ere it would be open to
all men, by the artful presence of her husband. - He,
therefore, sent a swift messenger to Joab in the field,
saying,

&quot; Send me to Jerusalem as soon as this comes into thy
hand, Uriah the Hittite, my faithful servant ; for I have
need of him.&quot;

When Joab read this letter he showed it to Uriah, who
not pleased to be ordered home, on the eve of an assault,
yet made no delay; but the evening of the second day
presented himself, just as he was in his travel-stained dress
and arms, before the king.

When the monarch had carelessly asked of the brave
soldier, he had wronged, with the greatest wrong one
man can do to another man, news of the field and
learned that the Syrians were still unconquered, he said,

&quot;I need thee here as before in my palace. I would
not have sent thee to the wars, had I known I should
have been without thy services so long as captain of my
guard. Go down to thy house and bathe after thy

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 541

journey, and I will send thee meat and wine from my
own table; and in the morning come to me.&quot;

The unsuspecting Uriah left the king s presence ; but
instead of going down to his house, met several of his
military friends, and refreshed himself in the guard-room
with them and the officers of the king s guard; and was
so occupied in giving them an account of the incidents
of the war, that finding it quite late when he rose to leave,
he said to his friends,

&quot;I will not disturb my house this night, it is so far
gone, but sleep here on a soldier s couch, as becomes a
man of war.&quot;

The next morning King David having inquired and
learned that his victim had not gone down to his house,
but slept, instead, in his room in the guard-tower, he
sent for him and said to him sternly and yet coloring with
apprehension, lest the husband suspected the truth and
his motive:

&quot;Why didst thou not go down unto thine house, arid
gladden thy wife with thy safety and presence, and all
thy house?&quot;

&quot;My lord,&quot; answered the stout soldier, &quot;the Ark of
God dwelleth in a tent of curtains ; and the armies of
Israel and Judah beyond Jordan I left abiding in tents;
and my lord, Joab, and his guard of soldiers were en
camped, two nights ago, in the open field ! Shall I then,
king, go down into my house to my wife, and eat and
drink, and live luxuriously and at ease? Not so, my
lord the king ! As thou livest and as thy soul liveth, I will
not do this thing ! I came from the wars with my armor
on, and I return to it when thou wilt, with it on. When
the war ends, I will take oif my helmet and cuirass, and

542 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

lie down in my house in peace. If the king sent for me
only to learn how Joab did, and the army fared, and how
the war prospered, let it please my lord the king to send
me baok again, for presently we are to have a great battle,
and I would not be absent.&quot;

&quot; Tarry here to-day, and to-morrow I will let thee de
part,&quot; answered the king, who evidently felt the deepest
annoyance and disappointment at this turn which the
affair had taken.

The same day at even the king entertained his lords
and officers, and also Uriah at his table, and pressed the
Hittite warrior warmly with goblets of wine. When the
brave soldier, who could not refuse the frequent pledges
of the king, was well under the effects of the wine, the
king ordered his servants to take him home and leave
him there. But when Uriah found himself in the court,
and breathed the fresh air, he disengaged himself angrily
from the men, who fled from him. He then went to the
stone hall of the guard-house, and there lying down slept
until morning.

David was foiled in this additional wrong, by which he
fain would have covered up the original injury; for one
act of guilt begets others, and deprives men of their un
derstanding and ordinary judgment. It alters their very
nature, blinds their eyes to inevitable consequences, and
debases and degrades the reason: &quot;especially,&quot; said the
Prophet Nathan .to me in discoursing of this matter, &quot; is
this true of those whose sin is sensuality.&quot;

But a greater wrong was yet to be done to conceal
his guilt, and protect the wife from the law of death.
He who generously spared Saul, who thrice sought his
life, when he could have destroyed him, now meditates

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 543

the destruction of a faithful servant who had oftentimes
saved his life in battle, and for years had guarded his
person. So degenerate do the best of men become when
once they resolve to do evil.

Commanding the unsuspecting Uriah before him, whom
he now profoundly hated, not only because men naturally
hate those they injure, but because the wonderful inter
posing providence of God prevented him from making
him the instrument of hiding his crime, he said, coldly :

&quot;Deliver this letter to Joab, my general, in the
field. Thou mayest remain in the camp until the war
is ended.&quot;

Uriah immediately departed from the presence of the
king, and hastened to return to the field he had left five
days before. During this visit to the court, he had not
gone to his house, nor seen his wife, whom he greatly
loved. How can this be accounted for, but on the pre
sumption that he had received intimation of the truth?
Indeed it is now said that his wife secretly sent to him
confessing the whole, and imploring him not to suffer
her to behold his face again, since she could no longer
share his honorable love. If this be so, with what deli
cacy he yielded to her prayer, and with what dignity he
met and answered the royal injurer !

A man less noble than Uriah would have suspected,
under these circumstances, evil in a letter from David to
Joab, and would have hesitated to deliver it without first
knowing its ccxtents; but he honorably executed his
trust

When Joab received the letter he opened it and read as
follows :

&quot;Set ye Uriah in the fore-front of the hottest bat-

544 THE THRONE OF DAVID J OB,

tie, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten and
die.&quot;*

It is with the most painful hesitation, my dear father,
I record this dreadful history. If Saul were possessed
with an evil spirit, the same demon of murder and wrong
had now entered into the heart of his successor. Well
may we take up the words of his requiem over Saul, and
cry:

&quot; How are the mighty fallen !&quot;

When Joab had read the letter, he said within himself :

&quot; This man hath done some crime against my lord the
king which he hath reasons for not punishing openly,
iving him the favor of an honorable death. I must
obey the king my lord in this thing.&quot;

Three days afterwards, when he was about to assault a
part of the wall of the city and fortress they were besieg
ing, Joab placed Uriah at a point where he knew would
be the hottest conflict, and at which place he was to put
his most valiant soldiers. In order, however, that Uriah
might certainly be slain, he gave orders to the soldiers,
who were purposely selected few in number, to retreat
if the assailants came out of their gates, which he knew
well they would do, while to Uriah he said : &quot; Let no
man retreat, and if the Ammonites open their gates,
enter* at the head of your men and take the citadel !&quot;

When, therefore, the Ammonites, seeing but few sol
diers assaulting the gate, sallied forth to attack them,
while others shot from the walls, killing several of David s
men, the rest fled, leaving the brave Uriah standing alone.
In a moment, he was surrounded by his foes, whom ho
fought long and desperately, slaying many at his feet,
2 Samuel xi. 15.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 545

and to the last refusing to yield. From the camp the
brave and fierce Joab saw how valiantly he sold his life,
and said :

&quot; But for the command of the king, I would sound the
retreat, and he would yet bring his life away ! It is a
pity to see so valiant a soldier slaughtered like a lion ai
bay ! There he falls ! But he has piled a tomb of dead
men about him, within which, like a true and great war
rior, he has stretched himself in death.&quot;

So died the king s brave captain, slain by treachery
and guilt. Who can forgive the king this deed of mur
der ? The crime of blood-guiltiness, who will deliver him
from ? How dearly was his sin purchased ! Alas for
the noble and faithful soldier and husband ! Who, that
recalls the hour when he overtook the fugitive David,
lending to him his horse, and joining his fortunes, could
have believed such would have been his end ? But it
has ever been thus. Kindnesses in this world are almost
always but the forerunners of wrong and ingratitude
from the recipients. Only a godlike disposition can
receive a favor, and not hate and strive to injure th?
giver. If the highest angel should come from Heaven
to do good to men, he would be repaid by ingratitude and
insults. If such a man as David could return evil for
good, who can be called wise and virtuous ?

The same evening, Joab, who was deeply moved at the
death of one who had, for twenty-five years, been his
fellow-soldier, and long his armor-bearer, called a mes
senger, and said to him :

&quot; Mount a swift horse, and ride to Jerusalem, and when
thou comest before the king, give him an account of all
th&amp;lt;^ events of the assault : and. I charge thce, whec thou

546 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

hast made an end of telling of all the things I com
mand thee concerning the war, and of the discomfiture
of the Hebrews, and the death of many of the king s sol
diers, and, lo ! thou seest the king s wrath rise thereat,
and he say unto thee,

&quot; Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city
when ye did fight ? Knew ye not that they would shoot
from the wall ? why went ye nigh the wall ? then answer
thou, and say,

&quot; Thy servant, Uriah, the Hittite, is dead also ! &quot;

How profound the knowledge of human nature, dear
father, is evinced by the old Hebrew warrior in this last
order ? How thoroughly it proved his just apprehension
of the king s real character !

When, at length, the courier from the Hebrew camp
stood before David, the king, hearing from him of the
disaster and loss of his soldiers, became displeased, but
the words of the messenger, &quot; Uriah the Hittite is dead
also !&quot; acted like a talisman upon his anger. With a
face, in which high satisfaction took the place of wrath,
he said, in an altered and quiet tone,

&quot; Such is the fortune of war ! Tell Joab not to let
this thing trouble or dishearten him, for the sword de-
voureth one as well as another. Bid him send out a
stronger force against the city that shall not fail to
overthrow it. Say thou to him that the king hath no
fault against him, and bid him go valiantly on with the
war ; for his conduct of it thus far pleasetu the king
well!&quot;

After the seven days of mourning for her husband were
passed, according to law, David hastened to bring Bath-
sheba to his palace and make her his wife, which he did

THE REBELLION OF PRLXCE ABSALOM. 54:7

do in the presence of his whole court with great pomp.
But in a few months after the marriage, the whole
secret became manifest, and the purposed death of Uriah
was fastened upon the king by the indignant judgment
of the whole army, by which the valiant captain was
greatly beloved.

The Prophet Nathan was asleep upon his bed in the
closet above the gate at Raman in the Palace of the
Judges, when he had a vision from the Lord, in which
the fourfold guilt of David was made known to him, and
he was commanded to arise and go to Jerusalem and
stand before the king, and rebuke him. Uriah had been
dead then a year, and the king had manifested no
remorse.

David at that hour sat upon his Judgment Seat in the
great Hall, and all his officers, and lords, and elders of
his court, and of the city were before him. I also stood
in the presence, as I desired to study the manner in
which the Hebrews administer justice. When the king
beheld the dignified and holy man of God enter and ad
vance up the Judgment Hall, his face changed; for he
knew that the prophets are oftener the ministers of God s
displeasure than of his favor. Besides, he felt that he
deserved the anger of God, for his four-fold crime of
adultery, his base intoxication of Uriah, his treacherous
murder of him, and marrying the wife of the man that
he had killed in order to have her.

The brow of the prophet was calm, and his features
grave, but sad, rather than stern. With his ample
sacerdotal mantle folded about his tall person, his step
firm, and his bearing noble, as became an Ambassador
from Heaven, he stopped opposite the king, and made a

548 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

low obeisance, before the anointed of tbe Lord. All
eyes were fixed upon the prophet with superstitious
dread. Not a thought in that vast hall, but was recall
ing the guilt of the king, and suspected for what the
prophet bad come into his presence.

David partly rose, and bowed reverently before the
Prophet of the Highest, and reseating himself said,

&quot;Wherefore comest thou, Nathan, whom the king
delighteth to honor!&quot;

&quot;I come, king, to crave justice,&quot; answered the
prophet mildly, &quot;for this should be the throne of judg
ment and of justice.&quot;

&quot;Speak, Nathan,&quot; answered the monarch, looking
relieved and as if a great weight were taken from his
conscience; &quot;who is the offender? I trust that justice
and judgment are the habitation of my throne, for all who
are wronged or inflict wrong.&quot;

&quot;There were two men in one city,&quot; said the prophet,
speaking calmly and humbly; &quot;the one rich, and the
other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks
and herds : but the poor man had nothing save one little
ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up ; and
it grew up together with him, and with his children : it
did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and
lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And
there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared
to take of his own flock, and of his own herd, to dress
for the wayfaring man that was come unto him ; but took
the poor man s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was
come to him.&quot;

AYhen the king heard this narrative which the prophet

THE REBELLION OF PRTNCE ABSALOM. 5 9

gave with deep feeling, he rose to his feet, and with a
countenance flushed with anger, cried in a loud voice,

&quot;As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing
shall surely die : and he shall restore the lamb four-fold,
because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!&quot;

Then the prophet drawing himself up to his command
ing height, and with a sublime anger kindling in his as
pect, said with stern severity, extending his hand towards
the king,

&quot; Thou art the man!&quot;

The king stood a moment transfixed with surprise.
A subdued murmur ran through the hall, which told how
the prophet s narrative told home in the mind of all pre
sent.

David, after a moment s agitation, descended from his
throne and stood humbly and penitently before the
Prophet of the Most High God. The personal applica
tion of the parable was irresistible. He felt all the
keenness of its piercing point. Then said Nathan :

&quot; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee
king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand
of Saul. And I gave thee thy master s house, and
thy master s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the
house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too
little, I would, moreover, have given unto thee such
and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the
commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou
hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast
taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with
the sword of the children of Ammon. Now, therefore,
the sword shall never depart from thine house ; because
thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah

55 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, &quot;Be-
hold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own
house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and
give them unto thy neighbor. Thou didst secretly what
thou hast done against Uriah, but I will do this thing
before all Israel and before the sun!&quot;

Then said the king with a manner and tone of the
deepest humiliation, &quot;I have sinned against the Lord!
I acknowledge my guilt ! Let the Lord do unto me as
seemeth good in his sight!&quot;

The humble attitude of the penitent monarch before
the prophet, the sincere contrition manifest to all in his
looks and voice, the painful spectacle of beholding a
king thus humbled for sin, who should be an ensample
to his people, deeply moved all present. Tears stood in
the eyes of many of his courtiers at a sight so pitiful.
But Prince Absalom smiled haughtily and frowned upon
the prophet, and Mephibosheth sneered with his cold
cynical lip and eye. Ahithophel betrayed nothing in his
well-schooled features. Nathan, who had known David
from his youth, and been with him in the School of the
Prophets, was himself not unmoved, and his voice was
uneven when he replied,

&quot; The Lord hath put away thy sin in that thou dost
humbly confess thy guilt. Thou shalt not die as thy sin
meriteth. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast
given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blas
pheme, thou shalt not altogether go unpunished. There
fore the child that has been born unto thee shall surely
die!&quot;

Then the prophet, turning from the face of the king,
folded his robes about him and slowly strode from the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 551

Judgment Hall, where the king himself had been judged
that day by the Judge of all the earth.

Such, my dear father, is the event which has filled the
hearts of the wise and good in Jerusalem with sorrow.
The king is certainly deeply humbled. A great change
has come over him. He walks in his house with a lowly
heart, and sad but contrite looks. He ordained a public
act of confession and sacrifice for his sin, and humbled
himself in sackcloth. So profound was his repentance,
and it showed itself in such humbleness of mind, that
those who at first were most bitter against him were
stirred to sympathy. His solemn act of public contrition
in the Tabernacle was distinguished by the composition
of a penitent psalm, which he humbly recited aloud be
fore all the people. It was as follows :

Have mercy upon me, God, after thy great goodness;
according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine of
fences.

Wash me throughly from my wickedness, and cleanse nu
from my sin.

For I acknowledge my faults, and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy
eight ; that thou niightest be justified in thy saying, and clear
when thou art judged.

Behold, I -was shapen in wickedness, and in sin hath my
mother conceived me.

But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts, and shall
make me to understand wisdom secretly.

Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; thou
shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness, that the bones
which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds.

552 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OE,

Make me a clean heart, God, and renew a right spirit within
me.

Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy
Spirit from me.

O give me the comfort of thy help again, and stablish me
with thy free Spirit.

Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked, and sinners
shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, God, thou that art the
God of my health ; and my tongue shall sing of thy righteous
ness.

Thou shalt open my lips, Lord, and my mouth shall show
thy praise.

For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee ; but
thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and con
trite heart, God, shalt thou not despise.

be favorable and gracious unto Sion ; build thou the walls
of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteous
ness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations; then shall they
offer young bullocks upon thine altar.

This psalm seems to exhaust the language of humble
penitence. He feels his sin is too great for the blood of
bulls and of goats to atone for, but casts himself outside
of all these upon the mercy of his God.

He also implored, day after day, the favor of God to
spare his infant son. He wept a.nd fasted for its life to
be given him, for it was a child of extraordinary beauty.
But the fiat had gone forth and been uttered by the
Prophet of God. The child died ! When the unhappy
king heard of its death from his servants, he calmly rose
up and said,

* Now that he is no more, why should I fast and afflict
myself? While he was alive. I said, Who can tell

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 553

whether God will be gracious unto ine that the child may
live ? But now he is dead, wherefore should I weep and
fast? I shall go to him,&quot; he added, with touching ten
derness, &quot;I shall go to him, but he shall not return
to me !&quot;

Then the king, after the burial of the child, once more
arraying himself in his royal apparel, went in and out
before his people, and gave himself up with diligence and
wisdom to the administration of the neglected affairs of
his kingdom. Once more he piously observed the laws
of religion, and devoutly meditated in the statutes of his
God day and night.

TABLET. LEAF FIFTH.

Seven years have passed, my dear father, since I com
menced these tablets. Some of the records I sent you
before I left Jerusalem to visit the foreign lands from
which I have a few weeks since returned. One year s
absence in acquiring military knowledge in Egypt, one
year in the camp in Cyprus, and two years service with
the King of Grecia, and two years at the court of Tyre,
with full another year spent in journeying by sea and
land, have, I trust, fulfilled your expectations of your
son, and resulted in that improvement in arts and arms
which you have sent me from home to obtain. My let
ters from those foreign countries you have, no doubt,
duly received from time to time, and as I am now once
more here, in order, before returning to Tadmor, to look
after the business connected with the estate near Jericho
which my royal mother received from her father, Isrilid,
and has bestowed upon me, I will while here resume mj

554 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

tablets, for I have interesting events to record -which
have transpired since my absence.

I found your letters here informing me of the death
of the wise and good King Belus, and that you, my dear
father, had tho privilege of being in Assyria and with
him at his death. As he never married, it was generous
and noble in him to offer to you, his dearest friend, the
throne of Assyria ; and as you accepted it, upon his in
sisting thereupon, for my elder brother, lonaton, and the
vice-regency of Babylon, for my next brother, Eldavid,
I cannot refuse to hasten home at your command to be
with you and my dear mother. Long may you fill the
throne of Tadmor ! very long may it be ere its crown is
transferred by your death from the brows of my mother
and thine to mine !

Great changes have taken place in this kingdom dur
ing my absence. The king, soon after I left Jerusalem,
went in person and ended the war in Syria-Ammon, by
taking its city, Kabbah, before which Uriah fell ; and as
the lords and king thereof had treated his ambassadors
(whose persons all nations should hold sacred) so basely,
he inflicted upon them the severest punishment, in order
to show other barbaric nations how people who insult the
representatives of kings are to be treated. David, hav
ing put an end to the war, was crowned king of Ammon,
with its defeated king s golden crown, and then with his
victorious armies returned to Jerusalem. He now de
voted his time to the colleotion of gold, and silver, and
precious stones, and cedar, and brass, and fragrant and
beautiful woods, in order to build the long-desired tem
ple to God, if God would now permit it ; and if not, to
have the materials in readiness for his son, Solomon,

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 555

who was born to him by Bathsheba, his wife, after the
death of her first-born. This prince is a bright, beauti
ful kd, whom I daily meet in the corridors of the palace,
possessing a gravity and dignity beyond his years. He
is the hope and glory of his royal father s pride, who has
destined him as his successor, though Prince Absalom is
much older, being, I am told by the veteran Joab, tall,
bearded, and the very image of his father when he was
crowned king of Judah, at Hebron. But this prince had
been, during three years of my absence, living an exile from
his father s court, dwelling a fugitive at that of his grand
father, the Syrian King Talmai, whose daughter, Ma-
acah, was his mother. Thither he fled from the wrath
of King David, his father. This anger against him was
aroused by his assassination of his brother, Amnon, who
had insulted his sister, Tamar, in a manner no brother
could lightly pardon. Thus, in one day, the sins of the
king began to be visited upon his children and his house,
according to the prophecy of Nathan ; for in one day one
of his sons became a fratricide, another murdered for a
great crime, and his daughter dishonored. Thus, though
the transgression of a man may be forgiven, it seems an
inevitable law that the natural consequences must still
take place. The sins of David were repeated in his
sons, who, by sensuality and blood, bore the legitimate
fruit of the parent tree.

The king, however, felt no anger towards Absalom,
but, on the contrary, mourned daily his absence and
constantly sent to hear of him. No city of refuge in his
own land could have protected him, inasmuch as the mur
der of his brother was designed, and a long premeditated

556 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

vengeance ; therefore he guardedly kept himself at the
court of King Talmai.

That King David did not send for his son whom he so
idolized, and had, in heart, forgiven, was because he
feared the people would be dissatisfied if he recalled him
At length, however, being prevailed upon by the elo
quence of a woman who came before him at the request
of Joab, and by Joab himself, who greatly desired the
prince to be brought back, he gave orders as his general
desired. The prince, therefore, returned with the vene
rable warrior, but, when he entered Jerusalem, so great
was the indignation of the populace that he should be
received, that the king, hearing the uproar, feared to see
his son and openly to pardon him too freely ; and there
fore ordered him to go to his house in another part of
the city, and dwell there, until it should be the king s
pleasure to restore him by a full and public pardon to his
favor.

The subjects of the king thereby seeing that David
did not pass lightly over the crime of his son, prince
though he was, and often beholding the comely young
man walking in his gardens, grew less bitter after a year
or more ; and, from disliking him, began to admire him,
and to pity him thus kept a prisoner by the king, his
father.

In all Israel there is none so much praised as Absalom
for his extraordinary personal beauty : &quot; from the sole
of his foot even to the crown of his head,&quot; say the He
brews, his admirers, &quot;there is no blemish in him.&quot; And
not only the elegance of his form, the comeliness of hia
countenance, the brilliancy of his complexion, and splen
dor of his eyes render him attractive above all other

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 557

young men, but the glory of his hair, its richness and
abundance, and the magnificent masses in which it falls
over his shoulders and breast, fill every beholder with
wonder and admiration. He is proportionably vain
thereof. Daily his Nubian servants comb out its long
tresses, anoint it with fragrant oils of myrrh, cinnamon,
and sweet spices, and training it to flow in luxuriant
waves, powder it with dust of gold, which, in the sun s
rays, lend to it a starry splendor.

At length, finding that the common people were more
and more disposed to favor him and flatter him, the
graceful and beautiful prince became impatient of his
confinement, and dispatched a messenger to his mentor,
Joab, asking him to come and visit him.

To this request the aged warrior paid no regard, when
the incensed young prince sent his servants to destroy
some of the property of Joab which was near his own
abode. Then Joab, when he was told of this outrage,
went to the prince where he was held a prisoner in his
house, and, remonstrated with him: Absalom answered,

&quot;Behold! I sent unto thee to come hither that thou
mayest go to my father, the king, who hath, for fear of
the people, lest they should think he overlooked too
lightly the death of Arnnon by my hand, kept me here
as if I were a robber chief of the desert he had caught
in his toils, and has held me here for show, these two
whole years to the curiosity of all the people of Jerusalem
as if I were a caged leopard. I sent for thee to bid thee
go to my father, and ask him why he hath brought me
from the court of Talmai in Geshur of Syria ? It would
have been much better for me to have remained there
still. If I am pardoned by the king, wherefore this con-

558 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

tinned banishment from his face? Have not three years
exile in Syria and two years shut up in this, my palace,
been expression enough of the king s anger against me ?
Go, therefore, to the king, and let me come before him
and see him face to face ! If he has pardoned me, let
me go in and out before him as aforetime ! If he finds
guilt in me still, and iny blood is required, let him put
me to death; for death is preferable to this suspense.&quot;

The veteran soldier, though angry with the prince for
the injury he had done in setting fire to his fields, obeyed
him, and presented his petition before the king.

Rejoiced to have an intercessor for his erring and be
loved son, in so eminent a person as his general, King
David gladly consented to the permission sought, and
which he had long desired to grant, and at once sent for
the prince ! Joab brought to his father the seemingly
penitent young man, who bowed himself in humble
obeisance before him, even with his face to the ground,
and asked his forgiveness for what he had done. The
king was deeply moved at the sight of his son, whose
face he had not seen for five years ; and raising him up,
he fell upon his neck and kissed him in token of complete
reconciliation.

When Prince Absalom went forth again into the Court
of the Palace, he was hailed by the soldiers with accla
mations ; and as he rode along upon a superb charger,
the handsomest rider and most courteous and elegant
looking man in the kingdom, he could with difficulty
make his way through the streets back to his house, for
the crowds of rejoicing citizens, chiefly of the lower
class, who filled the air with cries of &quot;Long live Absa
lom ! Lono; live the Prince of Jerusalem !&quot;

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 559

TABLET. SIXTH LEAF.

Since I wrote the last leaf of my journal, dear father,
important events have occurred, the narration of which
will amaze you and cause you deep grief. King David
is at this moment a fugitive from Jerusalem, an exile
from his throne, fleeing from his rebellious son, Prince
Absalom.

This unprincipled young man s vanity and ambition
had been kindled by the flattering reception he had met
with by the populace, and he harboured the idea of
wearing a crown. To this arrogant presumption he was
prompted by a subtle courtier, who had been his adviser
and tempter in his crime, and encouraged in by the deep
and artful policy of Ahithophel, the Prime Minister of
David. Having firmly opposed his reconciliation with
the prince, when, therefore, the king took Absalom back
to his heart and confidence, the pride of Ahithophel, at
this rejection of his wise counsel, was deeply wounded-
The long-existing regard he had entertained for his mo
narch was in a moment destroyed. lie resolved to avenge
this conduct of David ; for a king s counselor can be
offended in no manner so grievously as by the rejection of
his counsels. Courtiers are bound to monarchs only by
ties of selfish aggrandisement and personal ambition.
Their power consists in having power over the king. They
rule by him ! Ahithophel, from the hour of the recon
ciliation, saw that his power was gone ; and that Absa
lom would henceforth become his father s adviser and
confident.

Mephibosheth, whose penetration and subtlety fath
omed all the policy and secrets of the court, was not

560 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

long in discovering this alienation. He sought an inter
view with Ahithophel, and insidiously fanned the spark
of disloyalty ; and watching his moment, he said,

&quot; Hast thou heard that the prince has secret aspira
tions to reign over Israel and sever the crown, leaving
Judah, as of old, only to his father ? He has been for
the last year stealing the hearts of the people. He has
prepared horses and chariots, and fifty men to run before
him. He is the most popular person in the kingdom at
this moment. All eyes are fixed upon the rising star !&quot;

The seed was dropped in a congenial soil. That night
Ahithophel secretly sought the house of Prince Absalom,
and from that hour was born the unnatural conspiracy
which has driven the king from his throne. The ambi
tious prince kept secret his purpose in his own breast,
and in the hearts of his counselors. He took great
state upon him, rode forth from the gates and from town
to town royally attended, drawing the eyes and admira
tion of all people unto him. He stood in the gate of the
palace, and in the door of the Hall of Judgment, grant
ing all petitions without referring them to the king, and
Buffering the guilty to go without judgment. The splen
dor of his manly beauty, the grace of his speech, the
condescending courtesy with which he received and ad
dressed the meanest citizens, won all hearts ; while the
unthinking populace were carried away by a show of
royal equipage, such as King David had never indulged
in, and which resembled the magnificence of the courts
of Egypt and Phoenicia.

One day, the king being ill, Absalom sat upon his
judgment seat. He decided all cases so agreeably,
that, when the people applauded, he could not refrain

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 561

from saying as he left the hall, and they were crowded
near him, to behold him :

&quot; Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that every
man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me,
and I would do him justice !&quot;

If any approached him to make obeisance, he gra
ciously prevented him, and, with his captivating smile,
put forth his hand, or embraced, or kissed him as if he
greatly loved and honored him, although the person
might be the meanest man in Jerusalem ; so artfully did
the counsels of the politic and wicked Ahithophel guide
Him in his pathway to popularity and to power.

The indulgent king took no notice of this, and, believ
ing he sought only the honor and glory of his reign, he
let him, cunningly and by flattering words, alienate the
hearts of Israel from their lawful allegiance. Some he
won by his beauty and gallant bearing ; some by his
courtesy and civility ; others he carried with him by
magnificent promises ; and others, by his boasts of what
noble acts for the glory of the empire he would do if he
were king.

The king, who, for nearly forty years, had reigned
over Israel and Judah, and believed, himself immoveably
fixed upon his throne, was not disturbed by these demon
strations of rebellion against his power, if, as is doubt
ful, the proceedings of the prince were all made known to
him. The indisposition of the king continuing, probably,
prevented his full knowledge of what was passing so
deeply affecting his power and happiness, and, at the
same time, gave the rebel prince full opportunity to
perfect his plans.

At length, his conspiracy being matured, and confident
36

562 THE THROVE OF DAVID; OR,

that he had enough of the people with him, the treache
rous prince presented himself in the sick-chamber of his
father, where Queen Bathsheba sat by him, and his son
Solomon, a prince in his eighth or ninth year, was waving
above his head a fan of gorgeous Indian feathers.

During the whole time in which he was secretly plot
ting to dismember his father s united kingdoms, he had
not ceased daily to appear before him, and, outwardly,
manifest the conduct of a dutiful son. The Prime Coun
selor Ahithophel, concealing his revengeful feelings, also,
as before, held his place by the throne, and when David
would express any misgivings as to the state in which
his son was living, he would artfully put them to rest.

&quot; My royal and beloved father and honored king,&quot;
said Absalom, after kneeling and kissing his hand, &quot; I
pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed
unto the Lord, in Hebron, where I was born, and where
Abraham and our fathers sacrificed : for, while I w r as in
Syria an exile, I vowed a vow, saying, &quot; If the Lord shall
bring me again to Jerusalem, then will I serve the Lord
in Hebron!&quot;

The king, gratified at this show of piety, blessed him
and let him depart. Leaving the room with a courtly
bow of homage to the queen, and a word of kindness to
the little Prince Solomon, who affectionately came up to
bid him good-bye, he departed.

The same day, Absalom left Jerusalem at the head of
two hundred chief men of the city, and of the king s
officers, who suspected no wrong, supposing he w r as to
return upon sacrificing to the Lord. Abiathar also went
with him. After sacrificing, he took possession of the
gates, and of the fortress, and of the ancient palace of

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 563

Saul, and where once dwelt his father, King David.
Here he raised the standard of rebellion, for hundreds
flocked to him, sent for Ahithophel to join him, arid de
spatched messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel,
calling upon the people, saying, &quot;As soon as ye hear
the sound of trumpets blowing from citadel to citadel,
know that Absalom reigneth in Hebron, and let every
man say, * Long live the King of Israel : Long live
Absalom ! &quot;

When the news came to the ears of King David, m
Jerusalem, that Absalom had taken up the fallen crown
of Ishbosheth, and had been crowned, even by Abiathar,
King of Israel, with Hebron for his capital, and that
Ahithophel was his Prime Counselor, and that the peo
ple increased continually with Absalom, and that many
of the elders, and chief men, and warriors had declared
for him, he rent his clothes and humbled himself before
the Lord, in the door of the Tabernacle, saying :

&quot; Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness and
in the deeps. My sins have taken such hold upon me,
that I can not look up. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me
Thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. turn not
away thy face from thine anointed; for thou, Lord,
hast said thou wilt establish the throne of thy servant
David forever!&quot;

While he was yet humbling himself before the Lord,
Joab came near, in full armor, crying,

&quot;Wherefore, king, dost thou delay! L^p and escape!
for some of the chief men who went with Absalom, have
fled from him hither, and say that he gather eth a mighty
arniy and will march against thee I Fall not into his

564: THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

hands, and into the hands of Ahithophel, fur they will
put thee to death, and reign over Judah, also!&quot;

The voice of the veteran warrior fell like the peal of a
trumpet upon the ears of King David. He rose and
called for his armor, and put it on; and consulted with
Joab, who ad\ised speedy flight, as there was not time
to provision the city to stand a siege ; and moreover, so
extensive was the conspiracy among the soldiers, he said
he knew not whom to trust.

That night King David left his palace, and with all
his household departed on foot from the city which he
could not defend. The queen and Prince Solomon walked
by his side. His other wives remained behind, prefer
ring rather to trust to the favor of Absalom, than endure
the perils of the desert. Abigail, the widow of Nabal, no
longer lived. The city of Jerusalem that night became
a scene of woe and terror. The streets were thronged
with alarmed people, not knowing in what direction safety
lay ; some crying that it was best to remain and trust to
the prince; and others, that security was with the king as
he was God s anointed. Thousands flocked after the
fugitive monarch all night, while the most part remained
and shut themselves up in their houses awaiting events.
The garrison almost to a man shouted for Prince Absalom !
The royal body-guard of Cherithite archers, and the
cross-bowmen of Peleth, and the six hundred tower-
guards of Philistines of Gath, who served him for pay,
and whom Ittai, a son of King Achish, commanded (for
Philistia now belonged to David), were all the soldiers
which accompanied him. This noble Ittai followed the
king from affection, for when David was an exile in his
father s court at Gath, he was a lad of twelve, and became

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 505

greatly attached to him ; and after Philistia &quot;became trib
utary to him, Ittai, from his ancient regard and affection,
came with six hundred men and offered himself and them
for the king s service. Ittai now voluntarily accompanied
his royal master in his misfortunes; and David was
deeply moved that foreigners should thus show their at
tachment to him, when his own countrymen deserted him.
Abiathar who had returned from Hebron, Absalom fear
ing to detain a priest of God, ordered the Ark of the
Covenant to follow the king over the brook Kedron, be
yond the city, that the Oracle of God might be with him
in his flight. When the king beheld the Ark, he kindly
commanded them to carry it back again and place it
within the Tabernacle, God s own habitation, saying
humbly, &quot;If the Lord will favor me, he can do so from
thence, and bring me back again to worship there be
fore His Mercy-seat. If he delight not in me, Lo, I
am before Him, let Him do what seemeth good unto
Him.&quot;

The unhappy monarch, whose wonderful life of vicissi
tudes presents one of the most extraordinary chapters
of human history, sending his people eastward over the
brook in the valley, followed himself. As he ascended
Mount Olivet, he turned back and, gazing upon the city,
the towers of which the morning sun was just illuming with
golden light, tears coursed down his aged and chastened
cheeks. Hiding his head in his mantle, he proceeded
barefoot, followed by a mourning and weeping con
course.

At the top of the hill his ancient friend and officer
Hushai, who had gone unwittingly with Absalom to
Hebron, not knowing anything of the rebellious son s

566 THE THROXE OF DAVID; OR,

designs, met him, having just escaped from the prince.
The two friends embraced, and Hushai said, &quot;Knowest
thou, king, I left Ahithophel with Absalom in Hebron,
giving him counsel?&quot;

&quot;I know it, my friend. Let the Lord, whose servant
I am, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!&quot;
He then said to his friend, &quot;If thou goest with me, thou
wilt be a burden to me ; for what can I do with all these ?
Return to Jerusalem. Stay there and learn all things
that pass there, and in the palace, and send me word
privately by the faithful sons of Abiathar and Zadok, the
chief priests. It is necessary I have such a friend in the
city.&quot;

While the king was hastening onward with his melan
choly army of fugitives, consisting mainly of women
and children, and the halt and invalid, and old men, be
sides his soldiers before mentioned, he was met by Ziba,
the old servant of Saul, who, you recollect, brought
Prince Jonathan s son, Mephibosheth, many years ago
to Jerusalem, and whom David made the steward of
Saul s estate, which he had generously bestowed upon the
son of his friend. This wily old man, who had grown
rich in farming the possessions of Mephibosheth, now
brought to the wearied and famished king a present of
bread, raisins, dried fruits, and wine, laden upon asses,
saying :

&quot; Live forever, king ; thy servant hath brought
these asses for thy wife, Bathsheba, and the young
Prince Solomon to ride on, and fruit and provision for
thy soldiers, and wine for such as be faint in the wil
derness.&quot;

&quot;Where is thy master s son, Mephibosheth? I have

THE REBELLION OF PRIXCE ABSALOM. 567

not seen him these three days ! Sent he thee. hither
with these gifts?&quot;

&quot;The grandson of Saul abideth in Jerusalem,&quot; an
swered Ziba ; &quot; for I heard that he said yesterday, when
my lord the king fled, l To-day shall the House of Israel
restore me the kingdom of my father Jonathan !

Behold, my dear father, the subtlety of this prince,
who for so many years had eaten the king s bread, and
whom he enriched. When David heard this he said, bit
terly :

a Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against
me. But the Lord will be merciful to me, and raise me
up that I may requite them who rise up against me.
When I return to my throne, Ziba, for this day s
kindness to a fallen king, thou shalt have all that ap-
pertaineth to Mephibosheth. There shall not be left a
place for his burial in the lands of his father I gave
him! All shall be thine !&quot;

A little farther on, the king passed the habitation of
a man named Shimei, who was a kinsman to King
Saul; and seeing David s low estate, he cast stones at
him from the top of his house, and then came forth and
cursed him, and all with him, shouting aloud and rejoic
ing in his fall, saying :

&quot; Come out, come out of Jerusalem, thou bloody man,
thou man of Belial ! Lo, the Lord hath returned upon
thee all the blood of the House of Saul, in whoso stead
thou hast reigned, and the Lord hath delivered the king
dom into the hand of Absalom, thy son !&quot;

Then Abishai, the friend of the king, and brother
of Joab, who, you remember, niy father, joined David

568 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

forty years ago in his exile near Mount Carmel, cried in
great wrath : &quot; Let me, king, take off this dog s head
who curseth my lord the king !&quot; Joab also drew his
sword to slay him.

&quot; Nay, Abishai nay, Joab ye sons of Zeruiah ! Let
him curse on ! The Lord hath sent him, and commanded
him, Curse David ! God knoweth what my hand hath
done ! What marvel that this Benjamite curses me,
when my own son seeks to take my life ! Let him alone,
and let him curse ! It may be that the Lord, seeing my
humility and patience under this man s cursing, will re
quite me good for it !&quot;

Such, my dear father, is the present aspect of affairs
at this moment, David being now three days gone out
of the city and encamped at Bahurim. I am still re
maining in the city, though my heart is with the king ;
but by his counsel I have remained behind. Hushai is
at the same house with me. What the issue of all will
be I know not. The whole capital is in a state of con
fusion and excitement. The soldiers hold all the strong
places and gates for the rebel prince. Their commander
is no less a person than Mephibosheth, who secretly go
verns the whole city, as if for Absalom, though he does
not render himself visible. But he is unquestionably
the master spirit ! He plays a deep game. If Absalom
enter Jerusalem, it will be to fall by the dagger, or by
poison ; for this grandson of Saul means, says Hushai,
(who is pretending to be his friend and the adherent of
Absalom, in order to counterwork the intrigues of the
crafty Ahithophel,) to make the vain prince the stepping
stone to the throne of his father.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 569

TABLET. LEAF SEVEN.

Many weeks have passed, my dear father, since I last
took up my pen. I will briefly record the events. Scarcely
had the king s party crossed the brook Kedron, ere Ab
salom, at the head of a large army, encamped at Bethle
hem, and the next morning, followed by thousands of
the baser sort, entered Jerusalem in triumph. He was
proclaimed king as he entered the court of his father s
palace, and received the homage of the chief men and of
the soldiers. He even compelled Abiathar s son to
anoint him. Among the eminent men who approached
him was Hushai, the sage and learned Archite, who,
bowing down before him, said, &quot; God save the king, God
save the king !&quot; meaning in his heart King David.

&quot;What! lord Ilushai, art thou remaining? Is this
thy kindness to thy friend whom thou fleddest from He
bron doubtless to join? Why wentest thou not with thy
friend David, my father ?&quot;

&quot;Nay,&quot; answered the Archite, respectfully but sub-
tilely, &quot; but whom the Lord, and this people, and all th e
men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I
abide. If I have served in the father s presence, shall I
not serve in the presence of the son ?&quot;

These words gave Absalom confidence in him, and he
gladly received him into his counsels with Ahithophel,
and said :

&quot; Counsel ye together, my lords, and advise me what
I shall now do ?&quot;

Ahithophel, fearing a reconciliation might ultimately
take place, advised Absalom to take to wife the fairest
of his father s foreign wives, whom he had left behind,

570 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OK,

knowing such a step would forever remain unpardoned
by the king. Absalom yielded to the dangerous counsel,
which Hushai however firmly opposed. Ahithophel also
counseled the usurper to choose twelve thousand men,
and give him the command of them, saying, &quot; I will go
forth and pursue David, and will presently come upon
him while he is weary and weak -handed, and his men
will flee, and I will smite the king only to put him to
death, and then all Israel will submit to thee as king ;
for there is none else !&quot;

Absalom was well-pleased with this advice, but sent for
Hushai to learn his opinion.

&quot;What sayest thou, Hushai?&quot; asked Absalom;
&quot; for art thou not also one of my counselors ? Ahitho
phel adviseth me to pursue the king with all possible
haste, ere he strengthen himself with an army. Shall I
do as he counsels? If not, what sayest thou?&quot;

&quot; The counsel Ahithophel has given thee is not good,&quot;
boldly replied the Archite. &quot; Thou knowest thy father
and his men with him are all mighty men of valor ! Who
so brave as these Pelethites and these men of Cheritk ?
and who can contend with the lion-like Ittai and his
formidable Gittites, when they are chafed and sore with
being driven away ! Like a bear robbed of her whelps,
they will, if pressed, turn at bay. Thy father, though
gray-headed, is a man of war of old, as thou knowest,
and his experience, too, is such, that he will not be found
by thee lodged in his camp, for he will fear treachery ;
but will retire, by night, into some secret place. Be sure
he will conceal himself from all assassins ! Wait and
gather the thousands of Israel together for the field, lest
if thy men are defeated by Joab, there will be a cry,

THE REBELLION OP PRINCE ABSALOM. 571

Absalom s people are slain/ and it go against thee and
thy cause. Venture not a battle until thou art sure of
victory. I counsel thee to take the field in thine own
person at the head of thine army, and then shall ye over
power him and his, and, if he be driven to a city, ye
can surround it, and take it, and all within it. Aliitho-
phel s counsel is not good ! He and his twelve thousand
men, if they go out, will be utterly destroyed by Joab
and the king, who are like lions.&quot;

&quot;The counsel of Ilushai is good wiser than the coun
sel of Ahithophel:&quot; answered Absalom, and also the
elders of Israel; and his courtiers, and officers agreed
with him, even as they had before agreed with him when
the counsel of Ahithophel pleased him.

Hushai then sent the sons of the priests secretly to
warn David not to delay crossing the Jordan, lest the
counsels of Ahithophel might yet prevail with the prince,
and he be destroyed. The next night, David crossed the
river Jordan with all his followers, and sought refuge in
the city of Mahanaim, where Prince Ishbosheth formerly
dwelt, and lodged in the palace in which he was slain by
the two brothers.

When Ahithophel heard of the interview which the
prince held with the Archite, and that messengers had
been sent to David, warning him of his own counsel, he
saw at once that his power at the rebel court was gone ;
and that he was in peril, not only from the fickle temper
of his new master, but from the diplomacy of the saga
cious Archite, who held his ear. The experienced diplo
mat knew enough of the custom of courts, to be aware
that a disgraced counselor is regarded by the crown as a
foe. Anticipating, therefore, each moment, his arrest,

572 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

he fled from the palace and hastened to his own house.
Here he shut himself up and surveyed his position ! He
saw that if Absalom ultimately ruled Israel, he would
put him to death ; and that if David got the better of
Absalom, he would not suffer him to live after so trea
cherously betraying him. These reflections, united to
the bitter idea that his rival s counsels should be pre
ferred to his own, maddened with vexation and anger at
his defeat, his passions and anguish of mind increased by
wounded pride, (for he was a man as haughty as he was
sagacious,) in a moment of fierce despair at his certain
disgrace, he resolved to destroy himself. This determina
tion fixed, he set his house in order, wrote letters to the
king and prince, and to others, and, just as the day
dawned, he hanged himself with the cords of the curtain
of his sumptuous couch.

When news was brought Absalom of this tragic ter
mination of the career of one of the most distinguished
statesmen, wisest counselors, and profoundest diploma
tists that ever stood before a monarch, he expressed his
surprise by a mere interjection of regret, and ordered
him to be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers !

King David now organized his forces, and numbering
all who were with him, found he had many thousands,
both of men of Israel and Judah ; for great companies
soon flocked to him at Mahanaim from all the tribes of
the kingdom, while the elders and chief people beyond
Jordan supplied him with all manner of camp-equipage,
clothing, and provisions. Absalom, in the meanwhile,
levied a vast army, and at the head of it marched from
Jerusalem to give battle to the king, his father. Cross
ing the Jordan, at the ford of Jericho, he pitched his

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 573

camp over against the strong city of Mahanaim, where the
king was fortified. David s army was divided into three
divisions, under the command of Joab, Abishai, his bro
ther, (the same who went with David to Saul s tent, and
took away the cruse of oil and spear,) and Ittai, the
brave Philistine chief. When they were arrayed for
battle, the king would have placed himself at the head
of his hosts, but the army effectively refused to suffer
him to expose himself, saying :

&quot; Thou shalt not go forth, for if we are defeated they
will not pursue us, for it is the king they seek ! Thou
art worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, remain in the
city. If we are beaten, thoti canst raise another army.
If thou art taken, then all is lost, though none of us die !&quot;

&quot; That which seemeth to you best, my children, I
will do,&quot; said the aged king.

He then stood by the city gate, and saw them all
march out by hundreds and thousands. When the whole
army had gone forth into the plain, the king called the
three generals, Joab, now nearly threescore years and
ten, Abishai, a few years his junior, and Ittai, who was
about fifty- five.

&quot; Go forth, my brave captains, and fight the battle of
the Lord. And may the Lord of hosts and God of battles
be with your arms ! But I charge you, and all of your
captains, and all the people, that ye deal gently, for my
sake, with the young man, even with Absalom !&quot;

How beautiful, my dear father, this charge to his war
riors ! How tenderly the kingly old man felt for the
rebel prince, his son, who had driven him from his throne !
What an exalted spirit of forgiveness ! What a lovely
illustration of that parental affection which no ingrati-

574 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

tude or evil can wholly destroy. &quot; Deal gently, for my
sake, with Absalom.&quot; These few words alone are almost
sufficient to redeem the past errors of the exiled king.

The armies met at the end of the plain, by the forest of
Ephraim, and before noon the battle began ! For several
hours the hosts of Israel, under Absalom, got the advan
tage against Abishai, and Ittai, and their thousands, but
when Joab came up with his reserved division, the troops
of the prince, under the immediate command of the
renowned Amasa, his general, gave way, and fled in all
directions, but most of them seeking shelter in the wood
in their rear. Thousands fell on the plain, and more still
amid the trees of the forest by the swords of the pursuing
soldiers of David. Absalom, seeing that the day was
wholly lost, to save his life, fled ; and in escaping rode
swiftly beneath the branches of an oak of the forest, one
of which caught him by the long hair and lifted him from
his saddle, leaving him suspended thereby a few feet above
the ground.

Joab, in full pursuit through the dark avenues of the
oaks after Absalom, passed him unseen on one side of
the wood, when a soldier cried,

&quot; Behold, my lord, I saw the king s son, Absalom,
caught in a tree by the head ? &quot;

&quot; Why didst thou not smite him there to the ground ? &quot;
cried the old warrior fiercely. &quot; I would have given
thee ten shekels of silver, and a golden girdle for thy
sword ! &quot;

&quot; Though I should receive a thousand shekels in mine
hand, yet would I not slay the king s son/ answered
the man of Judah; &quot;for in my hearing, the king charged
thee, and Abishai, and Ittai, to deal gently with the

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 575

young man Absalom, and harm him not! If I had slain
him against the king s word, even thou, my lord,
wouldst have put me to death !&quot;

U I may not linger here! Where safest thou the
prince?&quot; demanded the hoary-headed old man.

AY hen the soldier had pointed out to him the oak on
the other side of the forest, Joab left him, and in a few
minutes coming to the spot, beheld the prince hanging in
the tree, entangled partly by his long hair, and partly
by the arched crest of his helmet that caught in the fork
of the branch and held him. With his sword, the
wretched young man had already cut off a great quantity
of his idolized locks, in a vain eifort to disengage him
self; but the throat chain of the helmet nearly suffocated
him, and he would have strangled and died there ere
many hours. When Joab came up, he cried,

&quot;So thou art at last in my power, disturber of
Israel and of Judah ! This day thou shalt die for thy
father s peace, and mine own revenge ! for I have not
forgotten the injury thou didst me in burning my field !
But for this private revenge I might spare thee, boy, as
the king, thy father, bade me deal gently with thee; but
he who crosses the path of Joab of Zeruiah to injure him,
surely dies ! Thou rernemberest Abner ! Likewise shalt
thou perish.&quot;

The dying prince essayed to speak, but could not ; but
his eyes revealed his terror and anguish, as he saw the
tall, stern-visaged, white haired warrior step back a few
paces and level one of three javelins, which he held in
his hand, at his heart. As it flew on its errand of death
through the whizzing air, Absalom uttered a wild, appre
hensive cry of horror, which was stopped by the cleaving

576 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

barb entering his heart. Another and another dart
followed, and the hapless rebel hung writhing beneath
the oak. Ten young men of Joab s body-guard coming
up at the instant, cried out, &quot;Let us bear the blame also
of his death,&quot; and thrust their javelins through his body
and slew him.

Joab gazed for a few moments on the lifeless body, and
then commanded his trumpeter to sound the recall, which
from bugle to bugle echoed far and wide through the vast
wood ; for he wished to spare the lives of the people, who,
now that Absalom was dead, had no cause of battle with
each other. Thus in the very act of killing the prince,
he had humanely and generously a thought for the lives
of the multitude, who, all of one blood, had been brought
into this civil war by his rebellion. When the army of
David, hearing the retreat sounded, stopped the pursuit
and returned, Joab commanded that no one should, that
day, go to the king to carry news of the war, because on
the day of so great a victory he did not wish bad news
to go to him; &quot;for,&quot; said he, &quot;the king s son is dead!&quot;
The next day, however, two messengers were sent to
Mahanaim by Joab, Cushi and Ahimaaz.

The king sat between the inner and outer gate of the
city, which looked towards Ephraim, waiting, like Eli
of old, for news from the battle. At length the watch
man, who ever stands over the city gate, reported that
he saw a man running alone across the plain towards the
city.

&quot;If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth,&quot; said
the king ; and he arose and saw him coming on apace and
drawing near.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 577

&quot;Lo, my lord the king,&quot; cried the watchman, &quot;Be
hold, another man runneth alone.&quot;

&quot; He also bringeth tidings,&quot; said King David.

And the watchman said, &quot; Methinketh the running ot
the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of
Zadok.&quot; And the king said, u He is a good man, and
c ometh with good tidings. And Ahimaaz called, and said
unto the king, &quot; All is well.&quot; And he fell down to the
earth upon his face before the king, and said, &quot; Blessed be
the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that
lifted up their hand against my lord the king.&quot; And the
kin&amp;lt; r said, &quot; Is the young man Absalom safe ?&quot; And Ahi
maaz answered, &quot; When Joab sent the king s servant, and
me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not
what it was.&quot; And the king said unto him, &quot; Turn aside,
and stand here.&quot; And he turned aside, and stood still.
And, behold, Cushi came ; and Cushi said, &quot; Tidings, my
lord the king : for the Lord hath avenged thee this day
of all them that rose up against thee.&quot; And the king said
unto Cushi, &quot; Is the young man Absalom safe ?&quot; And Cu
shi answered, &quot; The enemies of my lord the king, and all
that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young
man is.&quot;

And the king was much moved, and went up to the
chamber over the gate, and wept ; and as he went, thus
he said, &quot; my son Absalom ! my son, my son Absalom !
would God I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, my
son!&quot;

No words can be more touching, no language of pas
sionate grief so affecting as this. When he was going
up to his chamber, he refused to let any one follow him,

and was heard bemoaning his son as he went, until his
37

578 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

voice was hushed in the distant recesses of his apart
ments,

This depth of paternal affection has no parallel. How
it exalts the character of the father and king in our es
teem ! There is a sublimity in such grief which com
mands our admiration and awakens our sympathies
The victory could not be celebrated on such a day of
mourning, and all the people stood in amazed groups,
and talked of the king s great grief for his son. When
the conquerors returned and heard at the gate how the
king wept for Absalom, they hushed their shouts of vic
tory, and gat them by stealth into the city, more like
soldiers who have lost a battle, and are fleeing away
ashamed, than conquerors.

When they passed the palace, and heard through the
distant windows the king s cry : &quot; my son Absalom,
Absalom, my son, my son!&quot; they feared to be seen,
and in silence and mortification sought their garrisons.

When Joab came and heard all this, he was very
highly displeased, and went abruptly to the king, and
said :

&quot; Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy ser
vants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives
of thy sons, and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy
wives, and the lives of thy concubines : in that thou
lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends : for thou
hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes
nor servants : for this day I perceive, that if Absalom
had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had
pleased thee well. Now, therefore, arise, go forth, and
speak comfortably unto thy servants : for I swear by the
Lord, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 579

thee this night : and that will be worse unto thee than
all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.&quot;
Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they
told unto all the people, saying, &quot; Behold, the king doth
sit in the gate.&quot;

When the army heard that the king had made his ap
pearance, their chief men and captains came before him,
and were received by him with kind and commending
words upon their devotion to his crown, and praised for
their valor in battle.

The next day David, seeing that he was now absolute
king again, prepared to return to his capital. The Is
raelites, who had followed Absalom, now vied with the
people of Judah for the honor of escorting the king and
bringing him back to Jerusalem ; and were so zealous to
repair their fault and honor him, that they would have
had all the glory of his restoration, if word had not been
sent to Jerusalem that, unless the friends of David came
forth to meet him, Israel, with its armies, would alone
bring the king back to his throne. But the rebellious
people of Jerusalem were doubtful as to their treatment
by King David, and hesitated what to do, fearing his
vengeance, if he came to them, and equally his justice,
if they marched to meet him. Abiathar, the priest,
however, assured them of David s full pardon to all in
Jerusalem, and that he would ask no questions of any
man whether he had gone with Absalom or not. Then
the whole army of Judah, headed by the elders and Abia
thar, sent word to David, saying : &quot; Return, king, to
thy throne, thou and all with thee !&quot;

Without waiting for the monarch s arrival, they
marched out, and hastened to Gilgal, near Jericho, to

580 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

meet and receive him when he should come over the
Jordan. David, in the meanwhile, was waiting in Ma-
hanaim for the late army of Absalom to assemble, to
escort him back, but hoping Judah would move for this
purpose before they could come together. When, there
fore, a messenger came to him that all Jerusalem, with
the royal banner in advance, was coming towards Jeri
cho to receive him, he at once left the city with all his
people and with a thousand Israelites under the com
mand of Amasa, Absalom s late general, whom he had
pardoned and received into his favor. It was this Amasa,
David s nephew, who accompanied King Saul and Doeg
on the visit of that monarch to the sorceress in Endor.
He had subsequently been a soldier under Isbosheth, and
had recently been made general of the army of his rebel
cousin, Prince Absalom.

The returning king was received at the fords of Jor
dan by the people of Judah, and escorted in great tri
umph back to Jerusalem. On his way thither the Shimei
who had stoned him now fell in abject humility, (for
what will not a base man give for his life?) at the feet
of the king, and asked his forgiveness. The king an
swered : &quot;No man shall be put to death this day of re
joicing. Thou shalt not die.&quot; Thus he began by mercy
and clemency to re-establish his throne.

Ziba also was in the returning king s army, even
having crossed the Jordan to meet and join him. As
the triumphant thousands of Judah came to the top of
Mount Olivet, and David thence beheld the city, he
stopped and gave praise to God with all his people, for
being permitted once more to behold the walls of Zion in
peace. This eminence which a few weeks before had

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 581

been ascended by him in tears, and barefooted, and with
his hea.d covered in shame, he now descended with the
glory and state of a conquering monarch, the people
shouting &quot;Hosannas&quot; before him, strewing flowers in his
path, and laying tapestry and their most gorgeous robes
along the way, for his steed to tread upon !

Thus the King of the Hebrews returned to his capital,
and was once more seated upon his throne. His wives
and concubines, which the rebel prince, in taking his
father s crown, had taken as his own, (thus fulfilling the
prophecy of Nathan, that David s wives should be given
to another,) the king refused to see, but placed them in
a separate house to be secluded for life from all eyes.
The seventh day after his return, as the king sat on the
Throne of Judgment, hearing long delayed cases, the
Prince Mephibosheth came and stood before him. His
beard and hair were long and undressed, his apparel
mean and rent, and his whole aspect one of outward
humiliation. Abishai, whom David had placed over his
guard instead of Joab, (whom the king had forbidden hia
presence since the slaying of Absalom,) not knowing
him in his present wretched aspect, would have led him
out of the hall.

&quot;Nay,&quot; said the king, &quot;take no man forth. I give
judgment and justice to all men in Israel and Judah. Is
not this Mephibosheth ? Whence comest thou to me, and
BO long in coming?&quot; he asked sternly.

&quot;From Bethel, the house of my fathers, king,&quot; he
answered, &quot;whither I went after Absalom took the city;
for my heart was not with the young man, but with the
king!&quot;

&quot;Wherefore then wentest thou not with me at the

582 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

first?&quot; asked David. &quot;I heard words of thine repeated
in mine ears, which were offensive to me and were worthy
of death!&quot;

&quot; The tale told thee by my wicked servant Ziba,
king, deceived thee,&quot; answered he humbly and depreca-
tingly; &quot;I would have followed thee; but thou knowest 1
could not on foot. I ordered my servant Ziba to saddle
me an ass that I might ride thereon after my lord the
king ; and lo, he took two asses and laded them and de
ceived me, and in his own name, went after thee to find
favor in thine eyes, and hath slandered thy servant unto
my lord, the king, that he might get my estates. Let
my lord the king discern, with the divine wisdom God
hath given thee as a judge, between truth and falsehood
in the thing. Here before thy throne of judgment,
king, I submit to thy judgment, and trust to thy mercy ;
for all my fathers house were but dead men before thee,
and yet thou didst set me at thy table. What right have
I to claim any thing more at the hands of the king ?
Mercy and justice are all I ask.&quot; Thus spake Mephi
bosheth, Jonathan s son, before the friend of Jonathan.

When David had regarded his abject appearance and
saw the tears of humility drop down upon his neglected
beard, there was evidently a struggle in his mind how to
decide. Already he had given judgment against him
by giving all he had to Ziba. Ziba was not present to
make any defence. That Mephibosheth was wholly inno
cent of having favored Absalom , and looked to the re
storation of the crown of Saul in himself, he was not
fully assured. But he had resolved that mercy should
illustrate his restoration, and as he had by public pro
clamation, pardoned all who had followed the misguided

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 583

prince in his rebellion, he could not withhold pardon
from the son of his friend, even though he were guilty
of treason. He, therefore, answered him and said,

&quot; What thou hast done or spoken I ask not to heart
Mephibosheth. Ziba is not in Jerusalem to answer.
My former grant and decree shall stand for thy father s
sake ; which was, that the lands shall be thine, and thou
shalt be lord over them, as hitherto; and Ziba shall divide
with thee the income for the farming and stewardship
thereof!&quot;

The Israelites beyond Jordan, when at length they
found the king had put himself under the escort of
Judah, were very angry, and sent elders and chiefs to him,
saying,

&quot; Why have the men of Judah, our brethren, stolen
thee away and brought thee over Jordan without us?&quot;

&quot; Because,&quot; David s counsilors and chief captains an
swered them, &quot; the king is nearer to us in blood than to
you, being born in Bethlehem of Judah. Wherefore be
ye angry, men of Israel ?&quot;

&quot; We have ten parts, we ten tribes of Israel, in the
king, and have more right to David than you who have but
two parts in him,&quot; the men from beyond Jordan replied.
&quot; Why then did ye despise us in not letting our advice
and aid be had in bringing the king back?&quot;

Thus speaking, the Israelite ambassadors departed from
Jerusalem in great displeasure.

This feeling, so bitterly expressed, my dear father,
increased and took form in open rebellion. Sheba, a
relative of Saul, and a man of unscrupulous character,
of great bravery, and an adventurer in arms, living by
his sword in whatsoever king s service he could find

584 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

employment, and who had been second in command in
Absalom s army, next to Amasa, seeing this disaffection,
resolved to avail himself of it to create a revolt against
David. Gathering a few desperate followers, and joined
by Adonijah, a brother of Absalom, he marched from
town to town, sounding a trumpet before him, and pro
claiming :

&quot; We have no part in David, neither have we inherit
ance in the son of Jesse ! Every man to his tents,
Israel !&quot;

This rallying cry was readily listened to by the disaf
fected men of Israel. This chief soon gathered a small
army about him, and fortified himself in a city called
Abel. Against him, the king sent Amasa with a large
force to besiege it, associating with him in command
Joab s brother, Abishai ; for Joab was in disgrace. On
the march, near Gibeon, Joab appeared and volunteered
to serve under Amasa ; but, observing his time, he ran
his sword through his body while he was talking with
him, and left him dead in the road. The bold warrior
and assassin then, raising aloft his bloody sword, cried
unto the army, &quot; He that is on David s side and for
Joab, let him follow Joab !&quot;

The army, accustomed to the command of Joab, at once
accepted him as their general. He soon besieged the
citadel of Abel, when the citizens, at the suggestion of a
woman, in order to prevent the destruction of their town,
betrayed the revolutionary chief, Sheba, and cast his
head over the wall to the leader of the hosts of Judah.
Adonijah, the dissolute prince, was pardoned by Joab,
with whom he was a favorite.

Thus this rebellion was crushed in its beginning, and

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 585

Joab, returning a conqueror to Jerusalem, presented
himself before the king with the audacity of a man who
knows that his power as head of the army is too great
and dangerous to the throne for the king to dare to dis
place him. This fierce and turbulent chief, this man of
blood, is now general over all the hosts of Israel.

Thus, my dear father, is the king once more seated
upon his throne ; but the prestige of his ancient glory
and power is gone ! Sin, and crime, and degradation
have lessened the love and honor of the people for one
whom God anointed to be their example in all piety,
chastity, justice, and truth. Deeply does he feel the loss
of the confidence of his subjects, while he has no faith in
the affection of those who stand about his throne. Fear
ing Joab, he dare not offend him, but is compelled daily
to endure the insolent presence of the old chief, whose
hand is dyed with the blood of Absalom, his son. The
days of the monarch are passed in efforts to administer
the laws of God in his realm with fidelity, in educating
his noble-looking son, Solomon to be his successor, in
works of religion, and in public acts of Avorship.

The excited state of the country, during the past few
months, dear father, has delayed my business in reference
to the lands inherited by my royal mother ; as the Court
of Elders, which presides over the settlement of estates,
has not held any session since the rebellion of Absalom.
The king assures me that my affairs shall receive early
attention, and that those persons, who have unlawfully,
during your long absence, taken possession of a portion
of the wheat lands near Gilgal, will be ordered to restore
them.

I shall, therefore, be ready soon to depart from Jeru-

586 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

salem for Syria, and thence proceed homeward by the
great caravan. You will be complimented to know that
the king, hearing of the magnificence of your majesty s
Assyrian palaces and Temples, is to send with me his
chief architect to visit them, and draw plans* of the most
beautiful and noble, in order to decide upon the style of
the Temple, f for which he is preparing the materials, and
which his son Solomon will erect. If the Hebrew prince
should behold the palace of Ninus, my dear father, he
would hardly fail to re-produce it, with that alteration

* That Solomon subsequently built the Temple after Assyrian
models, says an Oriental writer, is evident from the close re
semblance of its style with the Assyrian Temples. Unques
tionably, Assyria furnished the most ancient specimens of true
art in architecture. Greece gathered as much from Assyria as
from Egypt. Among the Assyrian remains is to be found the
type of architecture which the Temple of Solomon developed.
The recent production of a bas-relief, found in Nineveh,
represents an Assyrian palace. It gives us Solomon s Temple
as we may suppose it really was. The Jewish Temple was
erected very nearly at the same time with the great palace at
Nimroud, when the arts of the Assyrians had already attained
their highest perfection. According to Josephus, Solomon
&quot; waiuscotted the walls (of the House of the Forest of Lebanon)
with stones that were sawed, and were of great value, such as
are dug out of the earth for the ornament of Temples.&quot; The
stones were sculptured, &quot; representing all sorts of fruits and
trees.&quot; The wall was &quot; plastered over, and, as it were, wrought
over with various colors and pictures.&quot; Nothing can be more
Assyrian in its style and picturesqueness than this. The Per-
tian kings of the Achaemeuian dynasty built palaces at Persepo-
lis, Ecbatana, and Susa, upon the Assyrian model: we may safely
take it for granted that Solomon did tht same thing when ho
erected the Temple at Jerusalem.

t Vide Appendix HI.

THE 11EBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 587

and increased majesty which becomes the Palace of God,
upon Mount Moriah. So vast is the accumulation of
wealth, so abundant the gold and silver of Ophir and of
Tarshish,* and precious stones from India, and fragrant
and costly woods from Arabia and Lebanon, which are
collected in the king s treasure house, that, without
doubt, aided by the w r ondrous skill of the Tyrian artists,
the Hebrews may present to the eyes of the world an
edifice of the most extraordinary grandeur and beauty,
the wonder of the whole earth.

Farewell, my dearest father and dearest mother, until
I once more embrace you in your own Palace at Tadmor.

ISRILID.
* Vide Appendix IT.

588 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

CONCLUSION.

THE Throne of King David being now once more firmly
established, and the king reinstated in all his former power and
dignity, he decided to ascertain the number of his subjects,
and know the extent and weight of his power and dominion.
His chief motive was a desire to learn how large an army he
could bring into the field ; for he had conceived, it is believed,
the ambitious idea of crowning his reign by the conquest of
Egypt, and thereby wiping out the stain of the bondage of Is
rael therein, the memory of which still rankled in the hearts
of the haughty Hebrews. The result gave 800,000 warriors
in Israel and 500,000 in Judah, including all the conquered
nations, a host altogether of 1,300,000 men able to bear arms.

To rebuke this pride and ambition, the Prophet Gad was
sent by the Lord from the wildernesses of Jordan, and came
before the king to denounce what he had done as displeas
ing to heaven. To punish him, a pestilence was sent upon the
kingdom in which seventy thousand persons perished. An
angel was also seen by night with his hand stretched forth over
Jerusalem to destroy it, but the vengeance of God was stayed
by a sacrifice of burnt-offerings* and peace-offerings upon an
altar which David erected upon Mount Moriah, the site he
had chosen for the proposed temple, and which was thereby
solemnly consecrated by blood.

&quot; The remaining years of David were spent in making the
most costly preparations for the building of the temple, and in

* This sacrifice of a lamb averted the anger of Jehovah, and saved Jeru
salem. This was a figure of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, which averta
the anger of Jehovah, and is the protection of the true Jerusalem, the
Church. The manner of roasting the lamb upon the altar represented the
affixing of a man to u cross.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 589

securing the succession to his son Solomon, to whom this great
trust was to be bequeathed. As his time drew near, those evils
began to display themselves, which are inseparable from oriental
monarchies, where polygamy prevails ; and where among children,
from many wives, of different ranks, no certain rule of succes
sion is established. Factions began to divide the army, the
royal household, and even the priesthood. Adonijah, the bro
ther of Absalom, supported by the turbulent Joab, and by
Abiathar, the priest, assembled a large body of adherents, to
crown him. When this intelligence was communicated, to
David, without the slightest delay he commanded Nathan, the
Drophet, and Zadok, the priest, with Beuaiah, one of his most
valiant captains, to take Solomon down to Gihon,to anoint and
proclaim him king.

&quot; The young king re-entered the city amid the loudest accla
niations; the party of Adonijah, who were still at their feast,
dispersed and fled. Adouijah took refuge at the altar ; his life
was spared. David, after this success, assembled first the great
body of leading men in the state, and afterward called a more
extensive and popular convention of the people, before whom
he designated Solomon as his successor, commended to the zeal
and piety of the people the building of the temple, and received
their contributions towards the great national work.

&quot; As his death approached, he strictly enjoined his son to
adhere to the Mosaic laws and to the divine constitution. He
recommended him to watch with a jealous eye the bold and
restless Joab; a man who, however bravo and faithful, was
dangerous from his restless ambition, and from the savage un-
scrupulousness with which he shed the blood of his enemies.
Abner and Amasa had both fallen by his hand, without war
rant or authority from the king. Solomon, according to his
wisdom, on the first appearance of treasonable intention, was to
put him to death without mercy.*

&quot; Thus, having provided for the security of the succession,
the maintenance of the law, and the lasting dignity of the na
tional religion, David breathed his last, having reigned forty
years over the flourishing and powerful monarchy of which he

* 1 Kings, chap. ii. 28-35.

590 THE TRKONE OF DAVID; OK,

may be considered tho founder. He had succeeded to a king
dom distracted with civil dissension, environed on every sido
by powerful and victorious enemies, without a capital, almost
without an army, without any bond of union between the tribes.
He left a compact and united state, stretching from the fron
tier of Eg3 r pt to the foot of Lebanon, from the Euphrates to
the sea. He had crushed the power of the Philistines, sub
dued or curbed all the adjacent kingdoms : he had formed a
lasting and important alliance with the great city of Tyre.
He had organized an immense disposable force : every month
24,000 men, furnished in rotation by the tribes, appeared in
arms, and were trained as the standing militia of the country.
At the head of his army were officers of consummate experi
ence, and, what was more highly esteemed in the warfare of
the time, extraordinary personal activity, strength, and valor.
His heroes remind us of those of Arthur or Charlemagne, ex
cepting that the armor of the feudal chieftains constituted the
superiority ; here main strength of body and dauntless fortitude
of mind. The Hebrew nation owed the long peace of the son s
reign to the bravery and wisdom of the father. If the rapidity
with which a kingdom rises to unexampled prosperity, and the
permanence, as far as human wisdom can provide, of that pros
perity, be a fair criterion of the abilities and character of a
sovereign, few kings in history can compete with David. His
personal character has been often discussed ; but both by his
enemies, and even by some of his learned defenders, with an
ignorance of, or inattention to, his age and country, as melan
choly as surprising. Both parties have been content to take
the expression of the man after God s own heart, in a strict
and literal sense. Both have judged by modern European, and
Christian notions, the chieftain of an eastern and comparatively
barbarous people. He had his barem, like other eastern kings.
He waged war, and revenged himself on his foreign enemies
with merciless cruelty, like other warriors of his age and coun
try. His one great crime violated the immutable and universal
laws of morality, and therefore admits of no excuse. On the
other hand, his consummate personal bravery and military
talent his generosity to his enemies his fidelity to his friends

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 591

his knowledge of, and steadfast attention to, the true inte
rests of his country his exalted piety and gratitude towards
his God, justify the zealous and fervent attachment of the Jew
ish people to the memory of their great monarch.

The three most eminent men in the Hebrew annals, Moses,
David, and Solomon, were three of their most distinguished
poets. The hymns of David excel no less in sublimity and
tenderness of expression than in loftiness and purity of reli
gious sentiment. In comparison with them the sacred poetry
of all other nations sinks into mediocrity. They have embodied
so exquisitely the universal language of religious emotion, that
(a few fierce and vindictive passages excepted, natural in the
warrior poet of a sterner age) they have entered with unques
tioned propriety into the ritual of the l;olier and more perfect
religion of Christ. The songs which cheered the solitude of
the desert caves of Engedi, or resounded from the voice of the
Hebrew people, as they wound along the glens or the hill-sides of
Judea, have been repeated for ages in almost every part of the
habitable world, in the remotest islands of the ocean, among the
forests of America, on the sands of Africa. How many human
hearts have they softened, purified, exalted ! of how many
wretched beings have they been the secret consolation I on
how many communities have they drawn down the blessings
of Divine Providence, by bringing the affections into unison
with their deep devotional fervor.

&quot; SOLOMON succeeded to the Hebrew kingdom at the age of
twenty. He was environed by designing, bold, and dangerous
enemies. He saw at once the wisdom of his father s dying
admonition : he seized the opportunity of crushing all future
opposition, and all danger of a civil war. He caused Adonijah
to be put to death ; suspended Abiathar from his ofiice, and
banished him from Jerusalem : and though Joab fled to the
altar, he commanded him to be slain, for the two murders of
which he had been guilty, those of Abner and Amasa. Shimei,
another dangerous character, was commanded to reside in Je
rusalem, on pain of death if he should quit the city. Three
years afterward he was detected in a suspicious journey to Gath,
on the Philistine border; and having violated. the compact, he

592 THE THRONE OF DAVID; OR,

suffered the penalty. Thus secured by the policy of his father
from internal enemies, by the terror of his victories from foreign
invasion, Solomon commenced his peaceful reign, during which
Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and
under his fig-tree, from Dan to Beersheba. His justice was
proverbial. Among his first aots after his succession, it is re
lated that after a costly sacrifice at Gibeon, the place where the
tabernacle remained, God had appeared to him in a dream, and
offered him whatever gift he chose : the wise king had requested
an understanding heart to judge the people. God not merely
assented to his prayer, but added the gift of honor and riches.
His judicial wisdom was displayed in the memorable history of
the two women who contested the right to a child. Solomon,
in the wild spirit of oriental justice, commanded the infant to
be divided before their faces : the heart of the real mother was
struck with terror and abhorrence ; while the false one consented
to the horrible partition ; and by this appeal to nature the cause
was justly decided.

&quot; The internal government of his extensive dominions next
demanded the attention of Solomon. Besides the local and
municipal governors, he divided the kingdom into twelve dis
tricts : over each of these he appointed a purveyor, for the col
lection of the royal tribute, which was received in kind ; and
thus the growing capital and the immense establishments of Solo
mon were abundantly furnished with provisions. Each pur
veyor supplied the court for a month. The daily consumption
of his household was 300 bushels of finer flour, 600 of a coarser
sort; 10 fatted, 20 other oxen; 100 sheep; besides poultry
and various kinds of venison. Provender was furnished for
40,000 horses, and a great number of dromedaries. Yet the
population of the country did not, at first at least, feel these
burthens : Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is
by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and maJcing
merry.

&quot; The foreign treaties of Solomon were as wisely directed to
secure the profound peace of his dominions. He entered into
a matrimonial alliance with the royal family of Egypt, whose
daughter he received with great magnificence ; and he renewed

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 593

the important alliance with the King of Tyre. The friendship
of this monarch was of the highest value in contributing to the
great royal and national work, the building of the Temple. The
cedar timber could only be obtained from the forests of Leba
non : the Sidonian artisans were the most skillful workmen in
every kind of manufacture, particularly in the precious metals
Solomon entered into a regular treaty, by which he bound him
self to supply the Tyrians with large quantities of corn ; receiv
ing in return their timber, which was floated down to Joppa,
and a large body of artificers. The timber was cut by his own
subjects, of whom he raised a body of 30,000 ; 10,000 em
ployed at a time, and relieving each other every month ; so
that to one month of labor they had two of rest. He raised
two other corps, one of 70,000 porters of burthens ; the other
of 80,000 hewers of stone, who were employed in the quarries
among the mountains. All these labors were thrown, not on
the Israelites, but on the strangers, who, chiefly of Canaan itish
descent, had been permitted to inhabit the country. These
preparations, in addition to those of King David, being com
pleted, the work began. The eminence of Moriah, the Mount
of Vision ; i. e., the height seen afar from the adjacent country ;
which tradition pointed out as the spot where Abraham had
offered his son ; where recently the plague had been stayed, by
the altar, built in the thrashing-floor of Oman or Auraunah,
the Jebusite ; rose on the east side of the city. Its rugged top
was levelled with immense labor ; its sides, which to the east
and south were precipitous, were faced with a wall of stone,
built up perpendicular from the bottom of the valley, so as to
appear to those who looked down of most terrific height; a
work of prodigious skill and labor, as the immense stones were
strongly mortised together and wedged into the rock. Around
the whole area or esplanade, an irregular quadrangle, was a
solid wall of considerable height and strength : within this
was an open court, into which the Gentiles were either from
the first or subsequently admitted. A second wall encompassed
another quadrangle, called the court of the Israelites. Along
this wall, on the inside, ran a portico or cloister, over which
were chambers for different, sacred purposes. Within this again,
38

594 THE THRONE OF DAVIDJ OR,

another, probably a lower, wall, separated the court of the
priests from that of the Israelites. To each court, the ascent
was by steps, so that the platform of the inner court was on a
higher level than that of the outer. The temple itself was
rather a monument of the wealth than the architectural skill
and science of the people. It was a wonder of the world, from
the splendor of its materials.*

We now bring our illustrations of the extraordinary scenes
in the life of a monarch, whose whole career, from the hour of
his consecration as an ingenuous young shepherd to his death as a
venerable and penitent monarch, is without parallel in the his
tory of kings. If there is romance discoverable in this book, it
is not of the author s creation. Many of the narratives of the
Scriptures are stories of the most strikingly romantic character,
with surprises and positions which the genius of Scott could
never have invented or conceived, from the story of Joseph
down to that of Esther, the Queen. If the perusal of these
illustrations of the days of Saul and of David sufficiently interest
the reader, who has, hitherto, had but little knowledge of the
Scriptures, and sends him to those sacred pages for instruction
and comparison, the author s object will have been achieved.

The reader, who is interested in the events presented to his
attention in this volume, is referred to the book of Joshua, the
First and Second Books of Samuel, and the First Book of
Kings for the chief sources from which the facts are drawn ;
and to the History of the Jews, by Milman, and to Josephus,
Books v. vi, and vii. For an account of the building of the
Temple, for which David collected, in the closing years of his
reign, the varied and costly materials, the reader is referred to
the Appendix at the close of the volume.

The royal line of the House of David continued under various
vicissitudes and interruptions, until the birth of the last Prince
of the Throne of Judah in his own native city, Bethlehem, ac-
ccording to the prophecy of Jacob : &quot; The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come:&quot;

Of whom it is prophetically written, &quot; He shall be great, and

* Milmnn s History of the Jews.

THE REBELLION OF PRINCE ABSALOM. 595

shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord God shall
give him the Throne of his Father, DAVID. And he shall
reign over the House of J acob forever ; and of his kingdom
shall there be no end.&quot;

Of whom David sung, striking his prophetic harp :

&quot; Thy throne, God, is forever and ever :
The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness,
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Instead of thy fathers, shall be thy children,
Whom thou mayest make Princes in all the earth.
Thou art fairer than the children of men,

Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore God hath blessed THEE forever.

In his days shall the righteous flourish,
And abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth :
He shall have dominion from sea to sea,
And from the river unto the ends of the earth.
For I have made a covenant with my chosen,
I have sworn unto David, my servant,
Thy SEED will I establish forever,
And build up thy Throne unto all generations.
And the House of David shall be as God,

As the angel of the Lord before them;
And I will pour upon the House of David,

And upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
The Spirit of Grace and of supplications,

And they shall look upon ME whom they have pierced P*

And the inspired Apostle of the Apocalypse, seeing for be
yond the earthly Jerusalem to the ends of the ages, writes of
the last Prince of the House of David :

&quot; The kingdoms of the world are become
The kingdoms of our LORD and of his CHRIST:
And he shall reign forever and ever.*

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX I.

URIM AND THUMMIM.

THE Pyramids and other stupendous structures on the JNne
bear Masons marks, as fresh as though chiseled yesterday.
Similar traces have lately been discovered on the monuments
of Nineveh and Babylon, that undoubtedly have reference to
the Masonic mysteries, and, among them, to the Great and
Occult Name. In regard to the &quot;Book of the Dead,&quot; which,
in whole or part, is contained in a papyrus roll laid up with
the Egyptian mummy in the Sarcophagus, there are many
symbols and names, probably Masonic, and more especially the
name of Deity among the Egyptian writings, which may have
an important bearing upon Masonic history. The explanation
of the Urim and Thummim, the lights and perfections, and of
the breastplate of Aaron, is remarkable. The initial letters
of the Hebrew names of the twelve stones in that breastplate,
and also of the twelve tribes, (by the application of a key dis
covered by Lanci,) conveyed a meaning which the exegesis of a
learned linguist would never have reached. The explanation
of the Urim is, I will cause the oracular spirit to rise at my
will;&quot; of the Thummim, &quot;And of the Seers it will manifest
the secret:&quot; and by putting the first two letters in Hebrew
together, the ineffable name is made out.

(597)

598 APPENDIX.

APPENDIX H.

SOLOMON S THRONE.

THE following magnificent description of the &quot;Throne of
King David,&quot; which Solomon erected, is copied from an ancient
Oriental manuscript:

&quot; The sides of the &quot;throne were of pure gold, and the feet of
it were of emeralds and pearls. The throne had seven steps.
On each side were delineated orchards full of trees, the branches
of which were of precious stones, representing ripe and unripe
fruit. On the tops of the trees fowls of the most beautiful
plumage were represented, and these were hollow within, and
made to utter sounds of a thousand melodious tones. On the
first step were vine branches with bunches of grapes, composed
of precious stones, arranged in such a manner as to give the
different colors of purple, violet, green, and red, so as to repre
sent the fruit in its various stages from green to ripe. On the
second step were two lions of pure gold, and terrible aspect, as
large as life. The properties of the throne were such that when
Solomon placed his foot on the first step, all the birds spread
their wings and made a fluttering noise in the air; on his
touching the second step, the lions extended their paws ; on his
reaching the third step, the whole assembly repeated the name
of the Deity. When he arrived at the fourth step, voices were
heard addressing him thus, Son of David, be grateful for the
blessings the Almighty hath bestowed upon thee ! and the same
was repeated on reaching the fifth step ! On his touching the
sixth step, all the children sang praises ! On his arrival at the
seventh step, the whole throne became in motion, and ceased
not until he had taken his seat, when all the birds, lions, and
animals, by secret springs, discharged a shower of the nost pre
cious perfume on the king, and two of the birds descended and
placed a golden crown upon his head ! Before the throne was
a column of burnished gold, on the top of which was placed a
golden dove, which had in its beak a roll bound in silver; in
this roll were written the Psalms of David, and the dove having

APPENDIX. 599

presented the roll to the king, he read a portion of it to the
people of Israel. On the approach of a wicked person to the
throne for judgment, the lions would set up a terrible roaring
and lash their tails ; the birds began to erect their feathers,
and the whole assembly set up such loud cries, that for fear of
them, no person would dare be guilty of falsehood, but would
instantly confess their crimes ! Such was the Throne of Solo-

APPENDIX HI.

THE following account of the building, by Solomon, of the
Temple which King David so long desired to erect, and for
which he collected countless sums in gold and silver, is taken
from Josephus :

&quot; When Hiram, King of Tyre, had heard that Solomon suc
ceeded to his father s kingdom, he was very glad of it, for he was
a friend of David s. So he sent ambassadors to him, and
saluted him, and congratulated him on the present happy state
of his affairs. Upon which Solomon sent him an epistle, the
contents of which here follow :

SOLOMON TO KING HIRAM.

44 * Know thou that my father would have built a temple to
God, but was hindered by wars, and continual expeditions : for
he did not leave off to overthrow his enemies till he made them
all subject to tribute. But I give thanks to God for the peace
I at present enjoy, and on that account I am at leisure, and
design to build a house to God, for God foretold to my father
that such a house should be built by me ; wherefore I desire
thee to send some of thy subjects with mine to Mount Lebanon,
to cut down timber ; for the Sidonians are more skillful than
our people in cutting of wood. As for wages to the hewers of
wood, I will pay whatsoever price thou shalt determine.

&quot; When Hiram had read this epistle, he was pleased with it,
and wrote back this answer to Solomon :

600 APPENDIX.

HIRAM TO KING SOLOMON.

&quot; * It is fit to bless God, that he hath committed thy father 3
government to thee, who art a wise man, and endowed with all
virtues. As for myself, I rejoice at the condition thou art in,
and will be subservient to thee in all that thou sendest to me
about; for when by my subjects I have cut down many and
large trees of cedar and cypress wood, I will send them to sea,
and will order my subjects to make floats of them, and to sail
to what place soever of thy country thou shalt desire, and leave
them there, after which thy subjects may carry them to Jeru
salem : but do thou take care to procure us corn for this timber,
which we stand in need of, because we inhabit in an island/

&quot; The copies of these epistles remain at this day, and are pre~
served not only in our books, but among the Tyrians also ; inso
much that if any one would know the certainty about them, he
may desire the keepers of the public records of Tyre to show
him them, and he will find what is there set down to agree with
what we have said. I have said so much out of a desire that
my readers may know that we speak nothing but the truth, and
do not compose a history out of some plausible relations, which
deceive men and please them at the same time, nor attempt to
avoid examination, nor desire men to believe us immediately ;
nor are we at liberty to depart from speaking truth, which
is the proper commendation of a historian, and yet to be blame
less. But we insist upon no admission of what we say, unless
we be able to manifest its truth by demonstration and the
strongest vouchers.

&quot;Now King Solomon, as soon as this epistle of the King of
Tyre was brought him, commended the readiness and good-will
he declared therein, and repaid him in what he desired, and
sent him yearly twenty thousand cori of wheat, and as many
baths of oil : now the bath is able to contain seventy-two sex-
taries. He also sent him the same measure of wine. So the
friendship between Hiram and Solomon hereby increased more
and more ; and they swore to continue it for ever. And the
king appointed a tribute to be laid on all the people, of thirty
thousand laborers, whose work he rendered easy to them, by

APPENDIX. 601

prudently dividing it among them ; for he made ten thousand
cut timber in Mount Lebanon for one month, and then to come
home ; and to rest two months, until the time when the other
twenty thousand had finished their task at the appointed time ;
and so afterwards it came to pass, that the first ten thousand
returned to their work every fourth month ; and it was Adoram
who was over this tribute. There were also of the strangers
who were left by David, who were to carry the stones and
other materials, seventy thousand ; and of those that cut the
stones, eighty thousand. Of these three thousand and three
hundred were rulers over the rest. He also enjoined them to
cut out large stones for the foundations of the temple, and that
they should fit them and unite them together in the mountain,
and so bring them to the city. This was done, not only by our
own country workmen, but by those workmen whom Hiram
sent also.&quot;

APPENDIX IV.

TARSHISH.

IT will not improbably add considerable interest to that
already felt by outward-bound passengers in the Peninsular and
Oriental steamers in their first glimpse of Indian land, to know
that, according to the best authorities, Point de Galle is the
Tarshish which was visited by the navies of Hiram and Solo
mon.

&quot;Tarshish obviously lay in the road to Ophir, the land from
which Solomon procured gold. Malacca was known to the
later Greek geographers, as the Golden Chersonese ; and in the
Malay language, ophir is the generic term for a gold mine.
King Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is
beside Elath, on the shore of the lied Sea/ From Eziongeber,
Solomon s navy traded with Tarshish and Ophir. Once in
three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver,
ivory, and apes, and peacocks/ In a Persian poem of the tenth
century, which describes an expedition from Jerusalem to
Ceylon, the outward voyage is stated as occupying a year and

602 APPENDIX.

a half a coincidence which would be valueless, if it were
not for the regular limits imposed upon unscientific naviga
tion in the Indian Seas by the recurrence of the monsoons.
Gold could have been trans-shipped at the main port of Ceylon
from the vessels which brought it from Ophir. Silver spread
into plates/ which Jeremiah mentions as coming from Tarshish,
is even yet in use as the material of the sacred books of the
Singhalese. Ivory was, of course, from the earliest times an
export from Ceylon, and even more common formerly than now.
Apes are indigenous to the island, and peafowl abound there.
It is curious that the very terms by which these three latter
articles of commerce are designated in the Hebrew invoice, so
to speak, are identical with their Tamil nomenclature in Ceylon
at the present day. And those terms were so entirely foreign
and alien from the common Hebrew language as to have driven
the Ptolemaist authors of the Septuagint version into a blunder,
by which the ivory, apes, and peacocks, come out as hewn and
carven stones. &quot;*

If Tarshish be once placed in Ceylon, everything seems to
point to its being expressly localized at Point de Galle. This
has been from time immemorial the great emporium of the
island. Under the name of Kalah, it was the rendezvous for the
Persian and Arabian vessels in the time of Haroun Alraschid
trading with China. The impossibility of navigating the
Strait of Manaar except with the smallest craft, as well as
the difficulties in regard of wind and currents, which would
painfully add to the length of the voyage for ships from Arabia
or the Persian Gulf, in rounding the southeast coast of Ceylon,
exclude the noble harbor of Trincomalee from all claim to this
historical distinction. And Pliny learned from the ambassadors
Bent from Ceylon to the Emperor Claudius, that the great port
of the island fronted the south a description applicable to no
point on the coast but that of Galle. In default of any ground
of the slightest probability for a bare suggestion that the de
pot of general Asiatic maritime trade was silently changed
in the interim (a thing utterly repugnant to the habits of
timid tenacity and slowly-bought experience characteristic of

*&quot; Sir Etnerson Tenncnt.

APPENDIX. 603

Eastern sailors), it may be reasonably concluded that the great
port of Ceylon, from the times of Claudius to those of Haroun
Alraschid, and from his times to those of the Dutch and the
Portuguese, was also the great port of Ceylon in the times of

Solomon.

THE EXD.

MESSES, BOBEBTS BBOTEEBS PUBLICATIONS.

MEET FOR HEAVEN.

A STATE OP GRACE UPON EARTH THE ONLY PREP

ARATION FOR A STATE OF GLORY

IN HEAVEN.

BY THE AUTHOR OF &quot;HEAVEN OUR HOME.&quot;
Crown 8vo. Cloth, extra. Price $1.00.

OPINIONS OF THE ENGLISH PRESS.

&quot;This forms a fitting companion to Heaven our Home, a volume which
has been circulated by thousands, and which has found its way into almost every
Christian family.&quot; Scottish Press.

&quot; What we shall be hereafter, whether our glorified souls will be like onto
our souls here, or whether an entire change hi their spiritual and moral condition
will be effected after death, these are questions which occupy our thoughts, and
to these the author has principally addressed himself.&quot; Cambridge University
Chronicle.

&quot;The author, in his or her former work, Heaven our Home, portrayed *
social heaven, where scattered families meet at last in loving intercourse and in
possession of perfect recognition, to spend a never-ending eternity of peace and
love. In the present work the individual state of the children of God is Attempted
to be unfolded, and, more especially, the state of probation which is set apart for
them on earth to fit and prepare erring mortals for the society of the saints. . . .
The work, as a whole, displays an originality of conception, a flow of language,
and a closeness of reasoning, rarely found in religious publications. . . . The
author combats the pleasing and generally accepted belief that death will effect
an entire change of the spiritual condition of our souls, and that all who enter into
bliss will be placed on a common level.&quot; Glasgow Herald.

&quot; A careful perusal of this book will make it a less easy thingj for a man to cheat
himself into the notion that death will effect, not a mere transition and improve
ment, but an entire change in his moral and spiritual state. The dangerous nature
of this delusion is exhibited with great power by the author of Meet for Heaven. &quot;
Stirling Observer.

&quot;This, like the former volume, Heaven our Home, by the same anonymou*
author, is a very remarkable book Often as the subject has been handled, both
by ancient and modem divines, it has never been touched with a bolder or a more
masterly hand.&quot; John O Groat Journal.

LIFE IN HEAVEN.

THERE, FAITH IS CHANGED INTO SIGHT, AND ffOPB,
IS PASSED INTO BLISSFUL FRUITION.

A New Work by the Author of &quot;Heaven our Home&quot; and

&quot;Meet for Heaven.&quot;
Crown 8vo. Cloth, extra. Price Jr.oo.

This new work is a companion volume to &quot; Heaven our Home,&quot; and Meet
for Heaven,&quot; and embraces a subject of very great interest, which has net been
included in these volumes.

The two works above mentioned have already attained in England the laret
sale of 100,000 copies.

MESSES. EOBEETS BEOTHEES PUBLICATIONS,

HEAVEN OUR HOME.

WE HAVE NO SAVIOUR BUT JESUS, AND
NO HOME BUT HE A VEN.

Crown 8vo. Cloth, extra. Ji.oo

OPINIONS OF THE ENGLISH PRESS.

&quot;The author of the volume before us endeavors to describe what heaven is, as
shown by the light of reason and Scripture; and we promise the reader many
Charming pictures of heavenly bliss, founded upon undeniable authority, and do
scribed with the pen of a dramatist, which cannot fail to elevate the soul as well
as to delight the imagination. . . . Part Second proves, in a manner as beautiful
as it is convincing, the doctrine of the recognition of friends in heaven, a subject
of which the author makes much, introducing many touching scenes of Scripture
celebrities meeting in heaven and discoursing of their experience on earth. Part
Third demonstrates the interest which those in heaven feel in earth, and proves
with remarkable clearness that such an interest exists, not only with the Almighty
and among the angels, but also among the spirits of departed friends. We unhes
itatingly give our opinion that this volume is one of the most delightful productions
of a religious character which has appeared for some time ; and we would desire
to see it pass into extensive circulation.&quot; Glasgow Herald.

&quot; This work gives positive and social views of heaven, as a counteraction to
the negative and unsocial aspects in which the subject is so commonly presented.&quot;
English Churchman.

&quot; Amid the works proceeding from an over-teeming press, our attention has been
arrested by the perusal of the above-named production, which, it seems, is wend-
ing its way daily among persons of all denominations. Certainly Heaven our
Home, whoever may be the author, is no common production.&quot; Airdria
A dvertiser.

&quot; In boldness of conception, startling minuteness of delineation, and originality
of illustration, this work, by an anonymous author, exceeds any of the kind we
have ever read.&quot; John Cf Groat Journal.

&quot; We are not in the least surprised at so many thousands of copies of this
anonymous writer s being bought up. We seem to be listening to a voice and lan
guage which we never heard before. Matter comes at command ; words flow with
.msrodied ease ; the pages are full of life, light, and force ; and the result is a
stjmng volume, which, while the Christian critic pronounces it free from affecta-
t on, even the man of taste, averse to evangelical religion, would admit to be exempt
from cant. &quot; London Patriot.

&quot;The name of the author of this work is strangely enough withheld. . . . A
social heaven, in which there will be the most perfect recognition, intercourse, fel
lowship, and bliss, is the leading idea of the book, and it is discussed ia a line,

nai spirit.&quot; Caledonian Mercury.

Messrs. Robots Brothers Publications.

IN HIS NAME.

A Story of the Waldenses, Seven Hundred Years Ago.

BY E. E. HALE.
Square i8mo. Price, $1.00. Paper, 30 cents.

From tJic Liberal Christian.

&quot; One of the most helpful, pure, and thoroughly Christian books of which we
have any knowledge. It has the mark of no sect, creed, or denomination upon it,
hut the spirit pervading it is the Christly spirit. . . . We might well speak of the
author s great success in giving an air of quaintness to the style, befitting a story
of life seven hundred years ago. We do not know exactly what lends to it this
flavor of antiquity, but the atmosphere is full of some subtle quality which removes
the tale from our nineteenth century commonplace. In this respect, and in its
dramatic vividness of action, In His Name, perhaps, takes as high a rank as any
of Mr. Hale s literary work.&quot;

From the N. V. Commercial Advertiser.

&quot;A touching, almost a thrilling, tale is this by E. E. Hale, in its pathetic sim
plicity and its deep meaning. It is a story of the Waldenses in the clays when
Richard Cttur de Lion and his splendid following wended their way to the Cru-
bades, and when the name of Christ inspired men who dwelt in palaces, and men
,vho she tered themselves in the forests of France. In his Name was the
Open Sesame to the hearts of such as these, and it is to illustrate the power of
this almost magical phrase that the story is written. That it is charmingly writ
ten follows from its authorship. There is in fact no little book that we have seen
of late that offers so much of so pleasant reading in such little space, and con
veys so apt and pertinent a lesson of pure religion.&quot;

&quot; The very loveliest Christmas Story ever written. It has the ring of an old
Troubadour in it.&quot;

Sold everywhere by all booksellers. Mailed, post-paid,
by tJie publishers,

ROBERTS BROTHERS, BOSTON.

Messrs. Roberts Brothers Publications.

THE WISDOM SERIES.

EDITED BY THE EDITOR OF &quot;QUIET HOURS&quot;
AND &quot;SURSUM CORDA.&quot;

&quot; These little volumes, small enough for the pocket, and neat enough
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meditative minds. They may well lead the Wisdom Series. The
editor who gave us the excellent volume of selected poems called Quiet
Hours, and who has just prepared another and similar book, has done
the public a service by here putting together in compact form the best
of the thoughts and aspirations which this generation is too little disposed
to look for amidst the less pregnant and valuable matter with which they
are mingled in the full editions. A brief, but compact and readable,
memoir prefaces each volume.&quot; Unitarian Review.

SELECTIONS FROM THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas

& Kern pis.
SELECTIONS FROM THE THOUGHTS OF MARCUS AURELIUS

ANTONINUS.
SUNSHINE IN THE SOUL. Poems selected by the Editor of &quot; Quiet

Hours.&quot; First Series.
SUNSHINE IN THE SOUL. Second Series.
SELECTIONS FROM EPICTETUS.
THE WISDOM OF JESUS, THE SON OF SIRACH ; OR, ECCLESIAS-

TICUS.
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, AND OTHER SELECTIONS FROM

THE APOCRYPHA.
SELECTIONS FROM F^NELON.
THE LIFE AND SERMONS OF THE REVEREND DOCTOR JOHN

TAULER.

SOCRATES, THE APOLOGY AND CRITO OF PLATO.
SOCRATES, THE PH/EDO OF PLATO.

iSmo, cloth, red edges. Price, 50 cents each. Complete sets (two
vois. in one). 6 vols. in a box. Price, $4.50. Sold by all Booksellers.
Mailed, post-paid, by the Publishers,

ROBERTS BROTHERS, BOSTON.

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