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CHAP. V.

Tamar is ravished, and inhumanly treated, by her own Brother. That Rape is revenged by his Death. Abfalom, who flew him, flies to Gefhur. Nathan's prophecies further fulfilled.

W

HEN David had taken Rabbah, and all the other cities of Ammon, and punished all the unfubmitting mifcreants which he found in them, as they deserved; he returned, with all his people, to Jerusalem ; but had not been long there, before another part of Nathan's prophecy, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, began to be fadly fulfilled upon him.

ABSALO M, the fon of David by Maacak the daughter of Talmai, king of Gesbur, had a fifter by the fame mother, of fuch fingular beauty, that Amnon, another fon of David's (the first-born of his family) by Ahinoam the Jezreelitefs, fell deeply in love with ; and being conscious, that his paffion

her

was

was very criminal, he concealed it for fome time, but at the expence of his health and happiness; racked by the violence of a strong defire, and the terror of indulging it. Amnon, faith the facred writer, (2 Sam. xiii. 2.) was fo vexed, that he fell fick for his fifter Tamar; for he was a virgin, and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. It is natural to think, that this paffion is nowhere so wasteing and vexatious, as where it is unlawful. A quick fenfe of guilt (especially where it is enormous, as in the instance before us) strikes the foul with horror; and the impoffibility of an innocent gratification, loads that horror with defperation. A conflict too cruel, and too dreadful, for human bearing! Witness the two most remarkable inftances of it, found in hiftory; that of Antiochus, for Stratonice his mother-in-law; and this of Amnon, for Tamar his fifter. Indeed that of Antiochus appears the less criminal of the two; inafmuch as he feemed determined to conceal his, to death *; and at the fame time to haften that death, to prevent its publication, had not the fagacity of Erafiftratus, his phyfician, difcovered it.

*Plutarch, in the life of Demetrius..

Altho'

Altho' poffibly Amnon had done the fame, had not the importunity of his false and fubtile friend, Jonadab the son of Shimea, David's brother, drawn the fecret from him. He plainly perceived, that Amnon's disease was fome ftrong defire ungratified; and infinuated to him, that he, who was a king's fon, might give a loofe to his defires, and despise the restraints of ordinary men. How vile was this advice! and how lamentable is It, that the heirs of royalty, whofe virtue is of infinitely more confequence than that of meaner men, should yet be under more temptation to taint it, from the poifon of infectious flatterers! How much happier was Antigonus, in the advice and friendship of Menedemus the philofopher; when being invited to a feast, where a very beautiful courtefan was to make a part of the entertainment, and afking Menedemus, What he should do? he answered, Remember thou art a king's fon, and shouldst do nothing unworthy of thyself! Fonadab was of a character directly contrary to that of Menedemus: he was of that species of courtiers mentioned by Tacitus*, who can applaud all the actions

* Annal. lib. iii.

of

of princes, whether good or evil. And Amnon feems not far removed from that character of Domitian, mentioned by the fame Tacitus; that he played the prince's fon in whoredoms and adulteries. And therefore it is no wonder, if Jonadab's detestable flattery * had its effect upon fuch a spirit.

AMNON Opened his whole heart to him,' and told him his paffion for Tamar I love Tamar my brother Abfalom's fifter; (he was afhamed to fay his own); the subtile and fupple courtier, whose conscience was his least concern, immediately furnished him with an expedient to gratify his paffion, He advised him to take his bed, and feign himself fick; and when his father fhould come to see him, to beg his permiffion, that Tamar his fifter might attend him in his fickness, and prepare him fome fuftenance; which he believed he could take, if he faw it prepared by her own hands. The defires of fick people are often fantastical, and unaccountable; yet must often be indulged. The train took: David's paternal

* More criminal even than that of the Perfians to Cambyfes in the like cafe, tho' not altogether fo monftrous as that of Julia to Caracalla.

VOL. III.

F

affection

affection did not suffer him to be long absent from a fick fon, his favourite, and his firstborn; nor allow him to hefitate upon granting his petition. Tamar was immediately ordered to attend him, and did fo accordingly; and when she had learned what food was most agreeable to him, set herself instantly to prepare it for him, with all the housewifely skill of those fimpler ages; where an utter infignificancy to all the purposes of domeftic life made no part even of a princess's praise. For the text tells us, that She took flour and kneaded it, and made cakes in his fight, and did bake the cakes; and added another preparation of them in a pan, and then served * them up to him; but he refused to eat. The infinuation The infinuation was, That he was grown worse. And, to cover the deceit the better, he ordered every body to go out of his room, as if he could bear neither the fight, nor the noise, of company. And when they were gone, he defired his fifter to bring the victuals into an inner chamber, where he might eat unmolested.

*In the text it is, And he took a pan, and poured them out before him. Which makes it probable, that fhe fried them in oil.

She,

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