practice of this fort, which obtained in thofe very early times, in those words of his 49th chapter: "That thou mayeft fay to the pri"foners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They fhall feed in the ways, and their pastures fhall be in high places. They fhall not hunger nor thirst; "neither shall the heat or fun fmite them: "for he that hath mercy on them, fhall lead them, even by the fprings of water shall "he guide them. And I will make all my "mountains a way, and my highways shall "be exalted '.'

The thoughts of many people have been turned, I imagine, to the feeding of cattle by the way-fide, and gathering their food on the hills, which laft Dr. Shaw informs us are the places moft proper, in thofe countries, for the pafturing of cattle, on account of the Springs of excellent water there, too much wanted, efpe- . cially in the fummer feafon, not only in the plains of the Holy-Land, but of other countries in the fame climate. But it should seem a more natural and eafy interpretation, to understand the words of fuch pleafurable excurfions, usual now in the Eaft, and made ufe of, it fhould feem, in ancient times alfo. So a princess is represented in a facred fong as saying, "Come, my Beloved, let us go forth "into the field: let us lodge in the villages. "Let us get up early to the vineyards, &c." Sol. Song, vii. 11, 12.

Thus the contraft will appear quite natural, as well as lively, in this paffage of Ifaiah, between being shut up in prifon, fecluded from fresh air, and even the light itself, in unwholefome dungeons; and walking at liberty, enjoying the verdure, and the enlivening air of the country: paffing from the tears, the groans, and the apprehenfions of fuch a difmal confinement; to the mufic, the fongs, and the exquifite repafts of Eaftern parties of pleafure.

It is readily acknowledged, that there is an harshness and roughness in some other images made use of by poets, that lived many ages ago, and in countries whofe conceptions, as well as manners, fo widely differ from ours; but there is no occafion to prefer such explanations, when others offer themselves that are as easy and natural, and at the fame time give a view of such contrafted matters, as is by much the most lively and affecting.

I would only farther add, that there is no occafion to tranflate the original word by the English term paftures, which is appropriated to the places where cattle eat; the original words are of a much more general nature, and may be tranflated: 66 They fhall take "their repafts in the ways, and their eatingplaces thall be in all eminences," as the people of thofe countries, at this day, enjoy themselves, when on a party of pleasure, fitting at their collations under fhady trees by the highway fide; and near their springs of 0 4

water,

66

water, which moft abound, as well as their trees, on their hills, according to Dr. Shaw. And anfwerable to the delicacy, as well as the plenty of what is provided for thefe joyous excurfions, and alfo to the nature of their hills, the prophet goes on, They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither fhall the heat or "fun fmite them," (the fuffocating hot winds of thofe countries, which blow in their deferts; nor the fierce, and fometimes deadly rays of the mid-day fun, to which fome have been expofed :)" for he that hath mercy on them "fhall lead them, even by the Springs of water fhall he guide them.'

Neither were they to be indulged only in fuch pleafing excurfions in the land of their captivity, being brought out of prison, as one of the Jewish princes was by Evil-merodach', king of Babylon, who not only brought him out of prifon, but turned his forrows into a ftate of confolation, fetting his throne above the throne of the other kings that were with him in Babylonş but Ifaiah, in the next verfe, turns the thoughts of thofe that heard his predictions, from these short excurfions of pleasure to the more exquifite joy of returning to their own land.

Nor is it altogether improbable, that the Pfalmift might refer to fuch amufing little journies of the Jews in the land of their captivity, when he fays, "By the rivers of

1 Jer. 52. 31, 32,

2 Pf. 137. 1-3.

"Babylon,

Babylon, there we fat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the "midst thereof." The fitting by the waters, and still more the mention of their harps, strongly inclines the mind to this conception; and the fuppofed contraft between the original design of these affemblings, and the mournings into which they were in fact thrown, when they were led to remember Zion, would give a beauty and life to this paffage, which otherwife do not appear.

Other travellers, as well as Dr. Chandler, mention their having mufic in these excurfions, and the Doctor tells us, that he found the fhepherds, that watched their sheep in a mountain to which he accidentally went, hung the things they wanted to make use of on a fo that the circumftance of hanging their harps on the willows that grew by the rivers of Babylon was quite natural, when the remembrance of the fongs of the Temple made them burft into tears, and turned the intended merry-meeting into a scene of lamentation and wailing.

tree;

It is no objection to this, that the Jews were in a state of captivity in Babylon, for though fome of their principal people might be kept in prifon, and treated with harshness, yet the prophet Jeremiah fuppofed numbers of them would be fufficiently at their eafe, to admit the fuppofing they might go from time to time to fhady places, near their rivers, to

ΙΟ

take

take a joyous repaft. For in a prophetic letter which he wrote to the Jews in Babylon, he affured them they fhould obtain confiderable degrees of favour in the land of their captivity: Thus faith the Lord of Hofts, "the God of Ifrael, unto all that are car"ried away captives, whom I have caused "to be carried away from Jerufalem unto Babylon; Build ye houfes, and dwell in "them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit "of them. Take ye wives, and beget fons and daughters; and take wives for your "fons, and give your daughters to hufbands, "that they may bear fons and daughters: that

"แ

ye may be increafed there, and not dimi"nifhed. And feek the And seek the peace of the city, "whither I have caufed you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for "it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Jer. xxix.

And though the Jewish law was understood to forbid their affociating with those of another nation, yet these repafts being held by the way-fides, by fountains or rivers, numbers of the people of Babylon, paffing by, might ftop to hear the mufic, and might very naturally be understood to fay, Sing us one of the fongs of Sion, curious to hear what kind of melody had been made use of in the Temple. The word tranflated required, does not fignify an authoritative order, but merely asking them in a manner confiftent with friendlinefs, and even complaifance.

Galled