would be easily distinguished by the bereaved father, who would forthwith direct all his energies against him. They therefore, after due consultation, resolved to dig a hole in the ground four cubits deep, and cause the giant to stand in it, so that he might not be distinguished from the rest. The day came on which the father was either to kill the murderer, or cast himself into the fire; his vow had gone forth, and either the one or the other must be accomplished. The contest began, and long was it continued; but all to no purpose, for the giant could not be found out. The case became desperate; for the princes had not only lost a brother, but had the melancholy prospect of losing their beloved father, whose vow could not be broken. At that time the god Vishnoo, in his incarnation of Chrishna, knowing their cause was a just one, took his shield and placed it before the sun, which caused instant darkness. The one hundred princes and the giant, thinking the sun had set, said, 'The old man has not accomplished his purpose; let us now go see him burn himself;' and came with triumph to the scene; when in a moment the four brothers arose and dispatched the giant on the spot. Then the one hundred princes began to abuse the father and his four sons, saying, 'The vow was to kill him before the sun went down, but you have broken it;' they then greatly reviled them, and were about to slay them, when the god took off his shield from the sun, and showed the full blaze of day. The favoured ones then slew the one hundred princes, took their cities, and made the inhabitants their slaves." Pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost.-Verse 19. The Hebrew has, for smite the hindmost, "cut off the tail.” Servants, dependents, or courtiers, always follow their superiors. Should one of them cease to serve or follow his master or patron, having gained his purpose,* another, on seeing this, asks, "Where is your tail?" "The tail has been long in my way, I have cut it off." None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.-Verse 21. When a person speaks of the fear to which his enemy is reduced, he says, "Ah! he dares not now to shake his tongue ⚫ A man wishing to obtain a favour of a great man, will follow him for days or weeks as a dependent, stooping to the most humble offices till he shall have gained his end. against me." "He hurt you! the fellow will not shake his tongue against you." Put your feet upon the necks of these kings.-Verse 24. This, in the East, is a favourite way of triumphing over a fallen foe. In the history of the battles of the gods or giants, particular mention is made of the closing scene,—how the conquerors went and trampled on their enemies. When people are disputing, should one be a little pressed, and the other begin to triumph, the former will say, "I will tread upon thy neck, and after that beat thee." A low-caste man insulting one who is high, is sure to hear some one say to the offended individual, "Put your feet on his neck." See the remarks on Isai. xviii. 2, 7. CHAP. XXIII. Neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them.-Verse 7. See Jer. xii. 16. The Heathen, when accused of a crime, or when making a solemn promise, swear by their gods. Siva-Ane, "By Siva," is very binding upon his followers. They shall be thorns in your eyes.-Verse 13. "What!" says a wife to her angry husband, "am I a thorn in your eyes?" "Alas! alas! he has seen another; I am now a thorn in his eyes." "Were I not a thorn in his eyes, his anger would not burn so long." "My old friend Tamban never looks at my house now, because it gives thorns to his eyes." CHAP. XXIV. The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem.-Verse 32. The bodies of nearly all respectable Hindoos are burned after death. Should a person of rank die in a place too far off to bring his body home, then the bones and ashes which remain on the funeral pile will be put in a new earthen vessel, and taken to his friends, in order to be buried in a sacred place. But those whose relations can afford it, take the calcined bones, and throw them into the Ganges, to secure, with certainty, their future happiness. See the observations on Amos vi. 10. JUDGES. CHAP. I. Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table.-Verse 7. The Hebrew has, "the thumbs of their hands and of their feet." The Hindoos call the thumb the peria-viril, "the great finger of the hand," and the large toe is named "the great finger of the foot." This punishment was exceedingly common in ancient times, and was inflicted principally on those who had with their hands and their feet committed some flagrant offence.* Thus, those convicted of forgery, or numerous thefts, had their thumbs cut off. The practice is abolished; but its memory will remain, as it is now one of the scare-crows of the nursery and domestic life: "If you steal any more, I will cut off your thumbs." "Let me find out the thief, and I will soon have his thumbs." CHAP. III. Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh.-Verse 21. This may appear an inconvenient and strange place for the dagger: but the Malays, and others, generally carry the kreese, which in shape is like the sickle, though much smaller, concealed under the waist-cloth, an equally inconvenient Nearly all dangers and afflictions are believed to proceed from, or cleave to, the hands or the feet. Thus, the feet must in some way or other move for the accomplishment of evil, and the hands will have their part to perform. In consequence of this, a father, in blessing his children, or a priest the people, says, May God keep your hands and your feet!" "Ah! my child, may the gods keep thy hands and feet from evil!" place; or under the kerchief, or turban, round the back of the head. A small kreese may also be concealed in the long hair.* CHAP. IV. He had nine hundred chariots of iron.-Verse 3. See Joshua xviii. 16, 18; Judges i. 19. From the ancient writings of this people, it is evident, that kings and heroes often fought in chariots of iron, or of other metal. Some of those cars are said to have been large enough to accommodate fiffy warriors. As may be supposed, elephants were principally used to draw them; and the concussion, when the vehicles met, joined with the choler and feats of the combatants, often afforded the historian a subject for using words of a thundering sound, and, at the same time, appropriate meaning.† He went up with ten thousand men at his feet.-Verse 10. See Exod. xi. 8; 1 Kings xx. 10; 1 Sam. xxv. 27; and examine the marginal reading of those passages. The phrase, "men at his feet," did not refer to any particular class of soldiers, but applied to ALL, whether they • Some years ago the Kandians, by stratagem, laid hold of some English and Hindoo soldiers, and treated them with great barbarity. A party of Malays determined to have revenge. They therefore affected to desert the British lines, and went over to the Kandians. The chiefs of that nation held a council, and the Malays were sent for, who had previously agreed on a signal for the destruction of the chiefs; after some time the sign was given, and in an instant the kreese was drawn from every man's waist, and plunged into the breasts of all who did not submit. + In the selection of words to suit the noise of the action described, the Hindoo writers equal the most spirited descriptions of the Greek or Latin authors. Take the following instance, from the Jesuit Beschi's Tēmbāvani, or, “Poetical History of the Old and New Testaments," in imitation of the heathen Puranas :— Aniudandrapari-pariudandrakari_kariudandrakodi—aniuthēr, "The horses chafed on their bits, the elephants were rendered impetuous by the horses, the cars decked with flags were violently impelled by the elephants, the bows tinkled with their bells, the arrows were shot forth from the bows, the blood gushed from the arrow-wounds, the battle fiercely raged, the bodies were sore smitten in the battle, the souls separated and fled from the bodies:-Thus the pious chief, (Joshua,) high-raised on his jewel-decked chariot, vanquished the opposing hosts." fought in chariots, on horses, or on foot. This form of speech is used in Eastern books, to show how many obey or serve under the general. It may be taken from the action of a slave being prostrate at the feet of his master, denoting submission or obedience. In this way devotees, when addressing the gods, always speak of themselves as being at their feet. When the Orientals speak of his Majesty of Britain, they often allude to the millions who are at his feet. The governors, generals, or judges in the East, are said to have the people of such countries, or armies, or districts, at their feet. Nay, it is common for masters, and people of small possessions, to speak of their domestics as being at their feet. "I will send en-kāl-adiyila, 'those at my feet,'" is therefore heard every day, for, "I will send my servant." CHAP. VIII. I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with Thus did Gideon threaten the inhabitants of Zeba and Zalmunna; and thus do masters, fathers, and schoolmasters swear they will punish those who have offended them. To see the force of the figure, it must be kept in mind that the people are almost in a state of nudity. To tear a man's naked body, therefore, with briers and thorns, would be no small punishment. See poor travellers sometimes, who, in consequence of a wild beast or some other cause, have to rush into the thicket; before they can get out again, in consequence of thorns, they are literally covered with blood. There have been instances where a master, in his anger, has taken the jagged edge of the palmirah-branch, to tear the naked body of his slave; and nothing can be more common than to threaten that thus it shall be done to those who have given offence. People also often menace each other with the repetition of the old punishment, that of tying the naked body in a bundle of thorns, and rolling it on the ground. Disappointed lovers sometimes vow they will ride (as a child does on a stick for his horse) on the jagged edge of the palmirah-branch, to punish the obdurate female. |