victory, and their enemies' flight, and called it the stone of power, as a signal of that power god had given them against their enemies."

Josephus says (Ant. VI. iii. 1) Samuel, when he had ordered the affairs of the people after a convenient manner, and had appointed a city for every district of them, commanded them to come to such cities, to have the controversies that they had one with another determined in them, he himself going over those cities twice in a year, and doing them justice; and by that means he kept them in very good order for a long time.

VOL. I.

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CHAPTER VIII.

STORIES AND LEGENDS OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE KINGDOM. STORY OF SAMUEL THE SEER AND SAUL.-The stories of Samuel the ruler and Samuel the seer cannot be reconciled. The former ruled in peace, after the defeat of the Philistines, all his life. The latter, after a period of despotism, held a divided and antagonistic rule with a king, constantly intriguing. And the Philistines were "upon them."

The stories of the infant and juvenile Samuel may be applied either to the ruler or the seer.

The opening of the story of Samuel the seer indicates that some considerable time had elapsed after the death of Eli. His influence had risen to its zenith and was in the decline; Abimelech, a grandson of Eli, had grown to manhood.

By this time the Adonites (levites, prophets, sons of the prophets) had formed their hut-villages in Ramah, Shiloh, Nob, and the other localities, already mentioned, in the sacerdotal territory and extended their influence twenty miles south, to Beer-sheba.

There is no warrant in the scriptures for ascribing these establishments (called schools) to the institution of Samuel. But Samuel had attained to a domination over them, and was regarded as the archon-the arch-adonite-superior to the high priest.

Although they had no literature, in the proper sense, they were the seats of Adonite learning, of the bards or prophets, the seers, second sight men, fortune tellers, discoverers of stolen goods and stray cattle, story tellers, minstrels, and singers, with a little conjuring; the learned of a nation of villagers and rustics. Some of the wealthier farmers' sons, like Elisha, may have got an education there, and some, like Micah's levite, went out to get a living by minstrelsy, or a permanent priesthood.

Samuel the seer, the arch-adonite, appears, probably, through the action of these schools and their missionaries, in a position of despotism over the sacerdotal land, including Beer-sheba, where he had appointed his two sons his vicars or vice-regents.

The appearance and occupation of Samuel is in his Nazarite guise, his undressed hair hanging down over his face and shoulders, his garment, originally white, hanging down to his feet-the performer of sacrifices, and, for a consideration, telling where stray cattle might be found, and giving that kind of information which, in this day, is sought by ignorant rustics from a conjurer or white witch.

Samuel's influence among the lower classes, through this region, appears to have been despotic, and his sons at Beer-sheba availed themselves of it by obtaining bribes for the mal-administration of their office.

But the chiefs or elders were not inclined to submit to Samuel's assumed authority. The misconduct of his sons brought their opposition to a crisis.

The elders, who, perhaps, had little respect for Adonism, determined to control the sacerdotal tyranny by the appointment of a civil and military chief, a king.

The cunning Samuel, after feeling convinced (according to the scriptures, after arguing with Adoni about it), that he could not resist the demand, submitted with a tirade of maledictions; but he contrived, as he erroneously hoped, to have a king only in name, and to preserve his own power by the appointment of a submissive minion.

He accordingly conspired with the stalwart son of a wealthy franklin, but not of the chief family, to set him off against the antagonistic elders. It might have been dangerous to his authority to have selected the head of a powerful sept; and, to adapt him to his purpose, he sent the young man to school.

Some of the people were gathered at Mizpeh, in Palestine; and, by a proper manipulation of the lots, Samuel found Saul elected. He was not present; but Samuel knew exactly where to find, and produced him, from the shoulders upward higher than any of the people, and declared him duly elected king; and Saul, with the becoming shyness of a bishop professing his disinclination to episcopate, accepted the office. However, there were present some who did not deem the election fair.

The first part of this story exhibits the extreme reluctance of

Samuel to relinquish the influence which, if he had not himself abused, he had permitted his sons to abuse grossly.

The second part presents an interesting picture of early Hebrew times-the son of the Benjamite franklin-(a mighty man of power) wandering, with his confidential serf, in search of his father's stray asses their disappointment at not finding them-the suggestion of the servant to apply to the seer, who could tell them where the asses would be found-the difficulty of Saul, as he had no money—the servant's offer of his quarter shekel (about 7 pence) to pay the seer's fee-the meeting of the town damsels going to the spring or well for water-the conversation with the young ladies -their description of the sacrificer, and the ceremony of the sacrifice and festival-the meeting with Samuel-Samuel's immediate recognition of the very man, "goodly,'-there was not among the Bene Israel a goodlier person than he; from his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people," to be his king-the seer relieving Saul's anxiety by telling him that the asses had been found-exciting his ambition-setting before him the choicest mess-and on the following day confidentially communicating his intention to make him king, and forthwith anointing him in the name of Adoni, by pouring on his head a little oil-the sending him to study with the sons of the prophets-the conjuration by lots to ascertain whom Adoni had chosen-the finding of Saul hidden among the baggage, his production-the recording of his election-and the discontent of some of the people, is the painting of a consummate artist who had well studied the times.

The Story.-1 Samuel viii. 1. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Adoni. And Adoni said unto Samuel, Hearken thou unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to

all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: how beit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10. And Samuel told all the words of Adoni unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvests, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of the king which ye shall have chosen you: and Adoni will not hear you in that day.

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19. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel ; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

21. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Adoni. And Adoni said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

1 Samuel ix. 1. Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish Ben Abiel Ben Zeror Ben Bechorath Ben Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly and there was not among the children of Israel a

goodlier person than he from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

3. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said