And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.-Verse 4. Thus acted the puissant monarch, because he could not get Naboth's garden. See the creature in the shape of a man, pouting his lip, and throwing himself on his bed, and refusing to eat food, because he could not gain his wishes. The domestics brought refreshment, but their lord would not take it; they went therefore to queen Jezebel, to communicate the sorrowful intelligence; and she immediately went to his Majesty, and inquired, "Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest not bread?" He then told his pitiful story. How often do we see full-grown men acting in a similar way, when disappointed in their wishes! Approach them, and they avert their faces; offer them food, they will not eat; and, generally speaking, their friends are so weak as to gratify their wishes at any expense. See the remarks on 1 Sam. xxviii. 23. Does a person wish another to forgive him some crime or debt? he will refuse to take food till he shall have gained his purpose: and though the injured man may feel very unwilling to pardon, yet the dread of being haunted by the ghost of him who dies through hunger, will generally induce him to comply. But instances have occurred where whole families, and even towns, have refused to eat food till those who were placed over them granted their requests. Bishop Heber mentions a great religious offence having been committed by the Mahometans of Benares against the Hindoos of that city, when "all the Brahmins in the city, amounting to many thousands, went down in melancholy procession, with ashes on their heads, naked, and fasting, to the principal ghats leading to the river, and sate there, with their hands folded, their heads hanging down, to all appearance inconsolable, and refusing to enter a house, or to taste food." (Vol. i.) He also describes another scene of almost a similar nature in the same city, which arose from a house-tax imposed by the British government. On that occasion, more than "three hundred thou, sand persons, as it is said, deserted their houses, shut up their shops, suspended the labour of their farms, forbore to light fires, dress victuals, many of them even to eat, and sate down, with folded arms, and drooping heads, like so many sheep on the plain which surrounds Benares." (Vol. i. p. 434.) Р So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.-Verse 8. At this day, in the East, not a female in ten thousand is acquainted with the art of writing; and I think it probable that Ahab's affectionate queen did not write the letters with her own hand, but that she caused it to be done by others. It is not unlikely that the state of female education in the East, in modern times, is precisely the same as was that of antiquity; for I do not recollect any female in the scriptures, excepting Jezebel, who is mentioned as having any concern in the writing of letters. That highly-gifted Hindoo female, Aviyar, has left wonderful memorials of her cultivated mind; and I doubt not, when female education shall become general in the East, from them will be furnished many an Aviyār, to bless and adorn the future age.* She set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him. -Verse 10. Ask any judge, any gentleman in the civil service of India, whether men may not be had, in any village, to swear any thing for the fraction of a shilling; and he will soon adduce sad proofs of the wide-spread subornation of evidence among the natives. Jezebel would not find it difficult to procure agents to swear away the life of Naboth the Jezreelite. When Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and went softly.-Verse 27. See the man who goes into the presence of a superior: he takes off his sandals, and walks softly; he has a timid air, and you cannot hear the tread of his foot on the ground. When a dutiful son goes to his father, or a devotee into the presence of a sacred personage, his gait is at once silent and solemn. Has a proud, boasting man been humbled? the people say, "Aha! aha! he can now walk mitha-vāka,” that is, softly." "What! the proud Muttoo walk softly? whoever expected that?" ⚫ For a short account of that distinguished female, see " Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society," No. I., p. 140. CHAP. XXII. How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord ?--Verse 16. In England, this solemn appeal is never made but in cases of extremity. In the East, however, the most trifling circumstance will induce a person to say, Unni-ani-uddukerain, "By thy oath!" or, "I impose it upon thee." 2 KINGS. СНАР. І. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.-Verse 2. See Matt. xii. 24; Mark iii. 22; Luke xi. 15, 18, 19. CALMET says, "Ekron may denote the Aun who directed our flight from our native country; and as this town was one of those belonging to the Philistines, who were foreigners in Canaan, it gives much colour to this explanation." "Beel-zebub, god of the fly, had a famous temple and oracle at Ekron."-CALMET. Dr. Lightfoot says, "Among all the devils, they esteemed that devil the worst, the foulest, as it were the prince of the devils. He was called god of the fly, and a dung-god." Dr. A. Clarke says, "Baal-zebub, literally, the fly-god, or master of flies." "Baal-zebub, god of dung." * Some suppose "fly-god" or "dung-god" is an epithet of contempt; but would Ahaziah, in his illness, call the god by a name which implied scorn? Certainly not. There must, therefore, have been some reason for those names being assigned to him. The following are the characteristics in Baal-zebub First. He was the prince of devils. Second. The dung-god. Third. The fly-god. Fourth. He was the deity to whom people went in their sickness. Vyravar is the Hindoo prince of devils; and by whatever See the remarks on Deut. xxix. 17, where the same offensive epithet is applied to Pulliar. demon a man is possessed, or by whatever kind of sickness he may be afflicted, his offerings for deliverance are principally made to Vyravar. But should he, as the monarch of demons, possess a man, then the offering must be made to Siva,* in the following way. A figure like this, having two hundred and fifteen squares, is made on the ground, and an image of Siva is placed in the centre, and the incantations continue till Vyravar shall be ejected. Should, however, a female demon have possession of a person, then recourse must be had to the wife of the prince of devils. Baal-zebub is called "the dung-god." Vyravar, in one of his avatārs, or "births," is said to have taken delight in ordure and blood. And at certain seasons females have a broom placed across the threshold, or margossa or mango leaves, or a rope of straw, tied across the door, to keep him and others from the house. But he is also called "the fly-god." Vyravar assumes the shape of a wasp, to punish those who offend him. When a person buries, or in any other way conceals, his money, he makes an offering to the chief of the devils, and prays that none but those of his own family may enjoy that treasure. If, however, others should discover the hoard, he begs the demon to assume the form of wasps, and drive them away. Magicians often dispute with each other respecting their respective powers. One says, "I am greater than thou:" another, "Thou art a low-caste magician; I have power with gods and demons." They then begin to defy each other, and at last conclude to let their superiority be proved by the power of a spell. The one buries a goat, leaving only his head above the ground, and then defies the other magician to • Or to Scandan his son. take it away. As the antagonist approaches the spot, the other throws rice upon him, and earnestly prays that Vyravar will assume the form of wasps, and drive the intruder away. But when people in common life hate each other, they also throw rice in the direction of the house, and invoke their demongod to change it into wasps, to sting and destroy their foes. Another plan is this: A magician buries money in the earth, and then prays Vyravar to sting and drive off the other when he comes near the place. But if, in spite of these incantations, the other does take off the goat, or find out the money, then he is acknowledged to be the greatest. The hornet, the fly, and the bee, are all mentioned in the scriptures, as instruments of punishment. See the remarks on Deut. vii. 20; and on Isai. vii. 18. Ahaziah sent to Baal-zebub to inquire how his sickness would terminate. He must, therefore, have been the most famous deity, and the most proper for such an application. When people are injured by a fall, or are bitten by a serpent, or any other reptile or animal, they generally have recourse to Vyravar. In time of danger, sickness, or fear, they make an offering to him of a goat, which, if possible, is black.* One of his names is Aba-thotaran, from apattu, "calamity," and tottukurruthu, "to appear to the sight or imagination." Thus this chief of devils, who is also called "the dung-god," and "the god of flies," was the god to whom people applied in their troubles; and he, to say the least, greatly resembles Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. See the observations on Matt. xii. 27. CHAP. II. There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Verse 11. The Hindoos believe that their supreme god Siva sends his angels, with a green chariot, to fetch the souls of those who In the 29th plate of Calmet's "Illustrations," there are representations of Baal-zebub. On two coins, there is on one side the head of a goat and a fore leg, as if cut off in sacrifice; which agrees with that offered to Vyravar, as the head is severed, and the fore leg is cut off and put into the mouth. On the other side of the coin is a figure of the wasp or bee, |