whom Mules firft became known to the Greeks. The Characters and Speeches of Perfons in the Scriptures, are exceeding natural, and difcover all the unaffected and inimitable Marks of Truth. They are short, and contain fuch circumstances and thoughts as are not far fetch'd, but arise from the matter in hand, and have manifeft influence upon the Actions themselves. This may be seen in the Hiftory of Jofeph and his Brethren, and in several other Paffages, which are fo naturally related, that in fome of them, the manner of Relation, which manifeftly speaks the truth of what is delivered, has given occafion to the cavils of fuch as have not well confidered it. Saul enquired of Abner, whofe Son David was; Abner anfwered, he did not know; David was brought to Saul, who asked him the fame Question, 1 Sam. xvii. 55, 58. yet Saul had fent to Jeffe, for his Son David to play before him upon the Harp, 1 Sam. xvi. 19. Grotius imputes this forgetfulness to the Distemper which Saul then laboured under, and to the multiplicity of his Affairs. But was it ever expected of any King, that he should remember the Names of the Fathers of all his Servants? Jeffe was an obfcure Man, and David had not then been fo much taken notice of, as that his Father's Name should be known in Saul's Court, and Abner being absent with the Army, might never fee David nor hear of him before. In the Relation of Saul's Death, the Meffenger who brought the News, had declared himself to be an Amalekite, yet David afterwards enquires of him, whence art thou? But nothing could be more natural than for a Man in that confternation to ask that Question fo foon after, 2 Sam. i. 8, 13. And is there not the like Voice of Nature in these words of Jofeph, when he discover'd himself to his Brethren? I am Jofeph: Doth my Father yet live? Gen. xlv. 3. when they fo little before had told him, that Jacob was still living. Some have alledged, that they could conceive no reason for that Paffage con F cerning cerning the Arrows which Jonathan was to fhoot, to give David notice whether he were to go or stay, becaufe tho' he did fhoot in that manner, which by agreement was to be a fign to him that he must be gone, yet they met and difcourfed together upon the place, after Jonathan had fent his Servant away. But it seems they had a more favourable opportunity than they expected of converfing there and tho' this happened beyond expectation, yet the Sacred Hiftorian is fo punctual as to acquaint us with that fign which was given by an agreement made between David and Jonathan, when they fuppofed that it would not have been fafe for them to come to one another, 1 Sam.xx. There is no nicer Subject, than when a Man is forc'd to speak of himself: Truth, if it be to his own praise, will be rejected as Falfhood, or at least cenfured for Vanity; and if he blame himself, this will be fufpected as defigned only to extort a Commendation from others. And yet there are certain times and occafions, in which the wifeft and best Men have thought it requifite to speak with great freedom and openness of themselves. There is a Deference owing to Authority, and a Reverence due to Years, and therefore ancient Men, and Men in Power, may speak, as we fay, with Authority; and any Man may speak in his own vindication what would not become him in another cafe: Every Man has a right to defend his own Innocence by all lawful means, and to speak Truth cannot be unlawful, tho' it be in his own commendation; nor can there be any indecency in it, when it is forced from him, for the good, not only of himself, but of others, who may fuffer by the Scandal thrown upon him. All these circumftances concurred in St. Paul's cafe, who had the Authority of an Apoftle, and the Reverence due to Paul the Aged, and the Intereft of Souls to plead for what he yet terms the folly of commending himself in his own necessary Vindication. Plutarch in a fet difcourfe upon y this Subject, determines, that a Man may praise himfelf, when it is neceffary for his own defence, and when he may benefit others by it. Neftor fpeaks of himself with as great commendation, as he could have spoken of any other Man; but when the Authority and Reverence due to his Age warranted that Freedom, and the neceffity of Affairs required it of him, it was not only allowable, but very proper and requifite. Tully obferves, that he might claim this privilege from his Old Age. a Brutus Ipeaks of himself in very high terms, and juftifies his doing fo. And Socrates himfelf, at his Tryal, speaks very freely in his own commendation, which has never been mentioned to his difpraise, but as an argument of his Courage and In nocence. b Virgil makes Aineas and Turnus fpeak of themfelves in fuch a manner, as is hardly reconcileable to the Rules of Decency of our Times. Mr. Dryden, in his Tranflation, faw it neceffary to foften his Expreffions, that they might be more fuitable to our Cuftoms and Manners. But certainly, if this were not agreeable to his own Age, it was at least to that Notion which Virgil had of the Age in which Æneas y Hom. ll. x. z Nihil neceffe eft mihi de meipfo dicere, quanquam eft id quidem fenile, ætatique noftræ conceditur. Videtifne ut apud Homerum fepiffime Neftor de virtutibus fuis prædicet? Tertiam enim jam ætatem hominum vixerat, nec erat ei verendum, ne vera de fe prædicans nimis videretur aut infolens aut loquax. Cic. de Senect. Juvat enim magnificè loqui, & certè decet adverfus ignorantes, quid pro quoque timendum, aut à quoque petendum fit. Brut. ad Cic. Epift. a b Sum Pius Æneas Fama fuper æthera notus. En. I. The Good Æneas I am call'd, a Name, I Turnus, not the leaft of all my Name, F 2 En. 11. lived, с lived, or else fo great a Master of Decorum would never have put fuch words into the mouth of his Hero. Yet thefe very words he had from Homer, who makes them to be spoken by Ulyffes. Servius fays, Heroes were wont thus to speak. d Poets likewise affumed a liberty of speaking bold Expreffions concerning themselves, upon pretence that they were acted by fome Divine Power, and therefore were called Prophets; which is an argument that in the common Opinion of Men, inspired Writers might ufe fuch Forms of Speech as would not be proper nor decent for others to ufe. And this Liberty was taken by Orators as well as Poets, when the occafion feemed to require it, as may be obferved in Ifocrates. For the ancient Orators too, by Longinus's Obfervation, pretended to fomething more than humane, and would be thought to speak by fome kind of impulfe; upon which account, this Liberty might be allowed them. The Rant of Arrian can hardly be excufed: for he speaks of himself more like a Stoick, than like an Historian, or like a modest Man. f But it may well be thought needlefs for me to have ufed fo many words on this Subject, when there is fo little occafion for any Objection of this nature in the Holy Scriptures, and where-ever there can be any pretence for it, it has been confidered in its proper place: but I thought it might not be labour ill bestowed, to shew here befides, how bad Criticks they * Καὶ μα κλέθ ἐρανὸν ἵκι. Odyff. ix. d Jamque opus exegi, quod nec Jovis ira nec ignis Nec poterit ferrum, nec edax abolere vetuftas.-Ovid.Metam.l.15. Exegi monumentum ære perennius. Horat. carm. lib. 3. Od. 30. Panegr. & Panathen. e * Αλλ' ἐκεῖνο ἀναγράφω, ὅτι ἐμοὶ πάτεις τε, και λύσ αρχαι, οἵδε οἱ λόγοι εἰσί τε, καὶ ἀπὸ νέο ἔτι τὸ ἢ ἐκ ἀπαξιῶ, ἐμαυτὸν 7 πρώτων ἐν τῇ ἐπὶ ἐν καὶ ̓ΑλέξανδςΘ 7 ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις. Alexandr. 1. I. ἐγένοντο· καὶ ἐπὶ φωνῇ τῇ Ἑλλάδι, Arr. de Expedit are are that can object at this rate. I will fay farther, that the Paffage, Tob. v. 16. concerning the Dog which follow'd Tobias (which has given occasion to unwary and unskilful Men to infult with so much Scorn over a Book that is very useful, tho' not of Divine Inspiration) is not only innocent, but agreeable to the best Patterns of Antiquity, Homer and Virgil ; who thought it a very proper and natural Ornament of their Poems to defcribe Dogs following their Mafters; Homer fpeaking of Telemachus, and Virgil of Evander. And * Servius produceth an Example of the fame thing out of the Roman History. g IV. As to the Method used in the Holy Scriptures, there is no reason to expect that Prophecies fhould be written according to the Order of time in which they were deliver'd, or that Hiftories fhould be digefted into Diaries or Annals, fince there may be Reasons, whether known or unknown to us, why they should be otherwise plac'd: And thus the Lyrick Poets, h who pretended to Enthusiasm, and an Imitation, as it were, of Prophecy, do not confine themselves to obferve any Order of Time. Some things laft foretold might be first to be fulfill'd; or fome things were more or lefs remarkable, or concern'd the Jews more. or less than others; but generally in the Prophetical Books of Scripture, what concerns the fame Subject is put together, though foretold, or falling out, at different times, that the clearer and more diftinct view may be had of it. This, as i St. Jerom obferves, is the Cause of divers Tranfpofitions in point of Time, Αμα τῷ γε δύω κιες ἀρ[οὶ ἕπονο. Odyff ii. v. 11. Nec non & gemini cuftodes limine ab alto Æneid. viii. & in Hiftoria Romana, quæ ait: Syphax inter duas canes ftans Scipionem appellavit. Serv. h Vid. Hieron. ad Hjeremiæ cap. 21, 25. Hieron. ad Ezech. cap. 29, 30. |