than the productions of the soil, or those of human ingenuity and labour. Augustus was not the enemy of freedom of speech; he conceived that it was too much to deny it to those who were deprived of liberty of action, beyond the bounds prescribed by law. He was a friend to the diffusion of knowledge. Education was countenanced; seats of science and learning multiplied; the pen of the historian and poet aspired to the fame of wisdom; and the wise and learned were considered ornaments of the court, and received the honours of the state. The rich and melodious language of subjugated Greece, and its wisdom and arts, were preferred by the conquerors to their own noblest achievements. Thus all things contributed to elevate the intellectual nature and dignity of mankind, and to prepare them for the widest. dissemination of the heavenly truth which was about to descend to guide every man's steps, who chose not to be the dupe or slave of error, to the sanctuary of peace, purity, and pure felicity; that the prophetic song might resound through every land, and its echo return to fill Jerusalem with joy. "The race that long in darkness pined have seen a glorious light; No reader, accustomed to reflection, can, we presume, calmly survey the prominent events in the history of the Romans, and hesitate to conclude that this ancient race were granted the opportunity, which the Orientals and the Grecians had long enjoyed, to know the divine revelations communicated to the Jews, and to ascertain the nature and requirements of the true religion. Did not the Romans transfer the gods, the philosophy, the arts, and even the amusements, as as well as riches and vices of Syria, Egypt, and Greece, to the western division of the empire? Did they not, then, import the Hebrew and Greek copies of the Scriptures? Were none of these seen by them in all their journeys through Judea and other regions filled with Jews? Were not many Jews resident in Rome? Are we not informed that they were among the most conspicuous mourners over the melancholy death of Julius Cesar? Both he and Augustus conferred on the Jewish nation special privileges, and accepted from them many expressions of their gratitude. Might they not then have procured the Sacred Book, examined, and judged its claims to be the production of infallible wisdom, and the exclusive guide to immortality? The Jews every where confessed their belief in the divine origin of these writings, and avowed themselves the worshippers of the One God. Every seventh day they publicly adored him in their synagogues, read his oracles in the Hebrew language, which was easily learned, or in the Greek, very generally understood. They were, indeed, not in general admirers of pagan learning, nor tolerant of pagan gods: they were not, perhaps, remarkable for any superiority of mind or manners in that age; their religion was exclusive, it admitted no rival to the Deity in his worship, it sanctioned no impurity in his service; they veiled its benevolent character by their bigotry: but whatever they were, they still are acknowledged to have kept the holy books uncorrupted, and to them every one sincerely desirous of truth ought to have had recourse, to learn what was the religion which distinguished the Jews from all nations. Many Romans thus wisely acted, and not a few received as divine the writings of Moses and the prophets. That these comprised not the Romans most celebrated for talents, learning, genius, or taste, will excite no one's wonder, who knows that this exalted class of the human race have, in all ages, generally deemed themselves too wise to submit to a religion that demands them to resign their judgments to the authority of the Creator, and to renounce every object which He pronounces unworthy of the honourable and pure ambition of an intelligent being, who only enters in this world on a life which remains to be matured through eternity, and to advance unceasingly in the invisible world, to the consummation of excellence and hapiness, or of demoralization and wretchedness. The most memorable and eternally important event in the annals of this world transpired in the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus, in the 748th year of Rome, and 2348 years after the Deluge; for this is calculated to be the date of the BIRTH OF JESUS of Nazareth, the Messiah, and the Saviour of the world. But this illustrious event will come more properly to be noticed in our section on the Rise of the Fifth Empire. CHAPTER IX. HEROD THE GREAT, AND HIS FAMILY. THE truth of Divine Revelation and of Christianity required the preservation of the Jews in a national organization, possessed of uncontrolled liberty to observe the laws, religious institutions, and customs established by Moses. All the prophets had announced that the Messiah, the Saviour of all nations was to descend from the race of Abraham by Isaac, distinguish himself from every other human being, by perfect conformity to the laws of Moses, and demonstrate, by his burning zeal for these laws, and consummate wisdom and goodness in explaining and enforcing them, that he was worthy to succeed his ancestor David, "the man according to God's own heart," on the throne of the chosen people. In order to his being thus manifested, it was indispensable that the Jews should reside in their own land, sacredly keep their national register, maintain the external observance of the various rites of worship enjoined by the God of their fathers, and, to sum up all in one word, that they should retain an independent national legislation, till the Messiah appeared, to "finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy." Reflect, then, on the exigencies of the Jewish people at the time when Herod assumed the entire government of their nation, and you will perceive that he was a most appropriate instrument to effect their preservation from the national dependence on a foreign legislator, and from utter ruin, which they had sufficient reason to apprehend, either of which results would have frustrated the prophetic word. They had completely thrown themselves into the hands of the Parthians, the only people who dared set bounds to Roman ambition. The power of this people, however to repel the arms of the Romans, evidently extended not west of the Euphrates for they had always fallen before them when they ventured to leave their own fiery deserts, and contend with the Romans in salubrious and cultivated regions. It was not, therefore, to be supposed or expected that the Jews could long find safety under the shade of Parthia, nor that the Romans should suffer them to remain in alliance with their most formidable enemy. Nevertheless, Antigonus, king of Judea, confided in Parthian promises, regarded by their authors as the mere breath of their mouth, and braved the mighty power of Rome; and his subjects generally approved of his purpose, for they cherished implacable hatred of Herod, whom the Romans patronised. But, had the Parthians been faithful to Antigonus, inevitable destruction seemed the certain and speedy destiny of the Jews and their king. They had provoked, to the highest possible degree, the pride and revenge of the Romans, and the time was past when they boasted in treating with leniency those who had thus exasperated their wrath. If Herod had not interposed between them, Antony would assuredly not only have conquered the Jews, but also reduced their country to a Roman province, and subjected them to Roman laws, or utterly destroyed the nation, by selling all ranks for slaves. Herod was characterised by qualities peculiarly fitting him to acquire and exercise influence over his political superiors and dependants. Though selfishness regulated every movement of his soul, and every scheme and action of his life, yet he was capable of exhibiting the most striking and the most decisive appearances of disinterested and unalterable friendship, and the most ardent patriotism. He risked all, not excepting his life, for the interests of his friends, while there was the least probability that they could promote his ambitious views; and he hesitated not to give all, and promise all, to those whom he had reason to consider able to promote the welfare, or increase the number of his subjects. These indications of an uncommon boldness, generosity, and liberality of spirit, may be traced in his early history, slightly reviewed in Chap. II., but they were much more conspicuous during his reign. While, however, he displayed`an apparent nobleness of soul that commanded the esteem and admiration of the great, in so much that Augustus remarked of him, that his soul was too great for his kingdom; to procure means to make this display, he could, without painful emotion, violate every principle of justice, equity, humanity, or compassion. Thus the historian remarks, that when Herod obtained the throne of Jerusalem, he ordered all the gold and precious jewels to be sent to his palace; put to death forty-five of the chief supporters of the late king, and seized their estates; and, lest any thing valuable should escape him, he placed guards at each gate, to examine all who went out of the city, and to search even the dead bodies carried to their graves. The consequence was, that the inhabitants were reduced to poverty, and were exceedingly depressed from the dread of famine, owing to its being the sabbatic year, when they neither sowed nor reaped. Their feelings or sufferings were nothing to him; he was satisfied on procuring sufficient wealth to gratify the avariciousness of the Roman officers, and to reward the soldiers, especially the Roman army, who had made him master of the Jews. During fully the first six years of his reign, he scarcely could view his throne or dominion secure, chiefly on account of the machinations and political manoeuvres of Alexandra, his mother-in-law, and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, females who regarded him as the principal barrier to the varied and numerous schemes for aggrandisement suggested by their restless ambition. The former aspired to share in the government of the nation, through the agency of her young son Aristobulus; and she employed every means at her command to prevail on Herod to raise him to the office of highpriest. This high office had been conferred on Ananelus, an obscure priest. This individual seems to have had no other claims to the dignity than that he was an old friend of Herod; and it seemed an outrage on all that was sacred that he should occupy the most sacred office, to which none had so many claims as Aristobulus, the son of the late king and highpriest. But Herod well knew that his mother-in-law might, and possibly would, with almost equal plausibility of argument, demand the throne for her son. To justify his refusal of her request, he reminded her that Aristobulus was not of age, for he was not eighteen years old. But on learning that she had procured the intercession of Cleopatra with Antony, lest he should provoke him to anger, he complied with her persevering solicitations. He, however, no sooner observed that all ranks of the Jews were transported with joy on beholding Aristobulus clothed in the splendid dress of the high-priest, and performing with propriety the functions of his holy office, than he resolved on his death. This he effected at a private feast; for while the guests were, in the interval of feasting, at his suggestion, refreshing themselves by bathing in a pond, his emissaries succeeded in drowning |