Page images
PDF
EPUB

fuch a refolution, he determined to go on with the fiege, at all adventures; though, of all his captains, none was found, but Amyntas, who approved of that determination. Having therefore exhorted the disheartened Macedonians to ftand by him, and infufed into them all the courage he could, he furrounded the city with his fleet, and began to batter it on all fides. In the mean time, a fancy taking the Tyrians, upon a dream fome 1 of them had, that Apollo defigned to forfake them, and go over to Alexander, they faftened his ftatue, or coloffus, with golden chains, to the altar of Hercules. This ftatue, or coloffus, (for it was of an extraordinary fize), belonged formerly to the city of Gela in Sicily, and was fent from thence by the Carthaginians, when they took Gela, to Tyre, their mother city. In this Apollo the Tyrians greatly confided; and therefore, upon the rumour that he was to abandon them, they had recourse even to chains, in order to prevent his departure but their utter ruin being already decreed by the true God, and foretold by his prophets, the confidence they placed in their idols could not avert the impending judgment. They were deftined to deftruction, and deftruction was their fate: for Alexander, having at last battered down the walls, and taken the town by ftorm, after seven months fiege, fully executed the fentence, which the Tyrians had, by their pride and other vices, drawn down upon themselves and their country. The city was burnt down to the ground, and the inhabitants (excepting those whom the Sydonians fecretly conveyed

1

[ocr errors]

C

away

away in their fhips) were either deftroyed, or enlaved by the conqueror; who, upon his frit entering the city, put eight thousand to the fword, caufed two thousand of thefe he took prifoners to be crucified, and fold the reft, to the number of thirty thoufand, fays Arrian, to be flaves. His cruelty towards the two thousand that were crucified, was highly unbecoming a generous conqueror. Alexander treated them thus, for no other reafon, than, because they had fought with fuch bravery and refolution in defence of their country; but, to paliate the true caufe of so base an action, he gave out, that he did it to revenge, upon the prefent Tyrians, the crime which their forefathers committed, when they murdered their masters; and that, being flaves by origin, crucifixion was the punishment due to them. Upon taking the city, he unchained Apollo; returning him thanks for his intention of coming over to the Macedonians; offered facrifice to Hercules; and, after performing many other fuperftitious follies, continued his march into Egypt.

A Defcription of the city of JERUSALEM, its antient and modern state.

TH

HIS city, in its moft flourishing state, was divided into four parts, each inclosed with its own walls, viz. 1. The old city of Jebus, that stood on Mount Zion, where the prophets dwelt, and where David built a magnificent catle and palace, which became the refidence both of himfelf and fucceffors; on which account

vid.

it was emphatically called, The city of Da 2. The lower city, called, The daughter of Zion, built after it; on which stood the two magnificent palaces, which Solomon built for himself and his queen; that of the Maccabean princes; and the ftately amphitheatre, built by Herod, capable of containing 80,000 spectators; the ftrong citadel, built by Antiochus, to command and overtop the temple, but fince rafed by Simon the Maccabee, who recovered the city from the Syrians; and, laftly, a second citadel, built by Herod, upon a high and craggy rock, called by him, Antonia. 3. The new city, mostly inhabited by tradefmen, artificers, and merchants; and, 4. Mount Moriah, on which was built the fo famed temple of Solomon, defcribed in the fixth and feventh chapters of the Second book of Kings; and fince then, that rebuilt by the Jews, on their return from Babylon; and afterwards. built almost a-new, and greatly adorned and enriched, by Herod.

SETTING afide all controverted points con-cerning this fo celebrated ftructure, we fhall confine our present account of it to fuch particulars only, as are agreed on all hands, and founded on the authority of the divine writers, but which will ferve to give our readers a ge• neral idea of the whole.

As, 1. There were no less than 163,300 men employed in the work. 2. That, notwithftanding that prodigious number of hands, it took up feven whole years in building, 3. That the height of this building was 120 qubits, or 82 yards, rather more than lefs; and the courts round it, about half as high.." 4. That

C 2

4. That the front, on the Eaft-fide, was fuftained by ramparts of fquare ftone, of vaft bulk, and built up from the valley below; which laft was 300 cubits high, and, being added to that of the edifice, amounted to 420 cu-. bits; to which if we add, 5. The height of the principal tower, above all the reft, viz.-60, will bring it to 480 cubits; which, reckoning at two feet to a cubit, will amount to 960 feet: but, according to the length of that measure, as others reckon it, viz. at two feet and a half, it will amount to 1200 feet; a prodigious height this from the ground; and fuch as might well make Jofephus fay, that the very defign of it was fufficient to have turned the brain of any but Solomon. 6. Thefe ramparts, which were raifed in this manner, to fill up the prodigious chafin made by the deep valley below, and to make the area of a fufficient breadth and length for the edifice, were 1000 cubits in length at the bottom, and 800 at the top, and the breadth of them 100 more. 7. The huge buttreffes which fupported the ramparts, were of the fame height, fquare at the top, and 50 cubits broad, and jutted out 150 cubits at the bottom. 8. The ftones of which they were built, were, according to Jofephus, 40 cubits long, 12 thick, and 8 high, all of marble; and fo exquifitely joined, that they feemed one continued piece, or rather polished rock. 9. According to the fame Jewish hiftorian, there were 1453 columns of Parian marble,

and twice that number of pilafters, and of fuch thickness, that three men could hardly embrace them; and their height and capitals proportionable, and of the Corinthian order.

Bus

ornaments.

But it is likely Jofephus hath given us the fe two laft articles from the temple of Herod ;. there being nothing like them mentioned by the facred hiftorians, but a great deal about the prodigious cedars of Lebanon ufed about that noble edifice, the excellent workmanship of them, adapted to their several ends and defigns, together with their gildings and other curious. The only thing more we fhall. venture to add, is what is affirmed in the text, that all the materials of this ftupendous fabrick were finished and adapted to their feveral ends, before they were brought to Jerufalem; that is, the ftones in their quarries, and the cedars in Lebanon; fo that there was no noife of ax,. hammer, or any tool heard in the rearing of it. Thus much fhall fuffice at prefent, to give. our readers an idea of this immenfe work.

THIS once ftately and opulent metropolis is at prefent called by the Turks, Cudfembaric and Goudfheriff, and reduced to a poor thinly inhabited town, of at moft three miles in circuit. It ftands 38 deg. 48 min, of North lat. and 35.. 34. Eaft longitude, on a rocky mountain, fur-rounded on all fides, except on the North, with fteep afcents, and deep valleys below; and thefe again environed with other hills at fome diftance from them. The foil now,. for want of care, is, for the most part, ftony, fandy, and barren; yet here and there produces fome corn, wine, oil, &c. efpecially about the neighbourhood of the city; but at a diftance from it, fcarcely bears any thing but grafs, heath, and other fpontaneous herbs and shrubs, which are left to run to feed. There was a period indeed, after its deftruction by Titus Vefpafian, in which it was

C 3'

likely

« PreviousContinue »