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 OF THE 
 
 AT,. 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 » o ::v .A. T I o ::^r c» ir 
 
 SAMUEL AaNE^V, 
 
 OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
 J CV/N6', ■ Divis.r- -^=- 
 
 Sh el/\ Sectio n 
 
 Book, Ho,,,, 
 
 &(f- 
 
\ •.•^\ 
 
 »\-- ■.^''^■ 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 THE CONVERSATIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 EUGENIUS AND ALCIPHRON 
 
 ON THE 
 
 SPIRIT AND BEAUTIES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SACRED POETRT OF THE HEBREVTS. 
 
 SELECTED FROM THE 
 
 GERMAN DIALOGUES AN^ DISSERTATIO NS 
 
 Of the celebrated ^ E R D E R. 
 
 L ND N-: 
 
 Printed by A. Strahan, Printers-Street, 
 
 FOR T. CADELL JUN. AND W. DAVIES, IN THE STRAND. 
 
 I80I. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The original work, from which the follow- 
 ing Dialogues are feleded, was publifhed 
 at Leipfic in the year 1787, and an intereft- 
 ing account of its contents was foon after 
 given in the Appendix to the Ixxxth volume 
 of the Monthly Review, among the articles of 
 foreign literature. 
 
 The name of Herder has been long 
 diftinguifhed In the annals of theology, 
 philofophy, and literature ; and the Dia- 
 logues which are here offered to the public, 
 will, no doubt, be confidered as an interefting 
 fpecimen of the piety, genius, and tafte of 
 that eminent writer, and refpe£table man. 
 They-breathe, indeed, a fpirit of rational and 
 elevated piety, though, upon the whole, 
 the author appears rather as a poetical and 
 
 3 /^^^'- 
 
VI . PRJ;FACE. 
 
 philofophical^ than a theological critic. He 
 does not judge of the books of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, and the merit of Hebrew poetry, by 
 comparing them with the regular produdions 
 of ages and nations more refined ; but by 
 going back to the times of the writers, and 
 confidering men and things in the light In 
 which they viewed them. This is, no doubt, 
 a wife and judicious method of proceeding. 
 In his explication of the pafTages of Scripture, 
 he confiders them principally in an hiftorical 
 view, and, at the fame time, by examining 
 and illuftrating the rhetorical and poetical 
 manner of expreffion fo frequently iifed by 
 the Oriental writers of Sacred Hiftory, he 
 often afcertains the fadls which they tranfmit, 
 and never fails to animate, by his manner of 
 treating them, the virtuous and religious feel- 
 ings which they are adapted to excite. In 
 fome inftances, perhaps his explanations will 
 be deemed more ingenious and fanciful, than 
 folid. But we all know that genius has its 
 whims. Humanum eft err are. 
 
 The 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 The Dialogue to -v^hich we have given the 
 Jirfl place in this feledlion, contains an inte- 
 refting inveftigation of the earlieft opinions 
 of mankind concerning the Deity ^ Creation y 
 Providence^ the Angels^ and Klohim. Among 
 other things, the Author expofes here the ab- 
 furdity of thofe who have reprefented religion 
 as originally derived from the apprehenfions 
 and terrors, of mankind. 
 
 The lid * contains the Mofaical account of 
 t}\Q primitive Paradife^ and the fall ofourf.rji 
 Parents. 
 
 In the Hid, the ideas of the ancient He- 
 brews concerning the ifivifible world and chaos^ 
 are confidered and illuftrated. 
 
 The IVth and Vth are employed in point- 
 ing out the defign, and the , numerous and 
 exquifite beauties, of the book of Job. 
 
 * This Dialogue is the Vlth in the original work, but it is 
 placed here, at leaft with more chronological propriety. 
 
 The 
 
vHl PREFACE, 
 
 The Vlth and Vllth treat of the opinions 
 of the Hebrews concerning the nature and de^ 
 Jiination of man, and the judicial providence of 
 God. 
 
 In the Vlllth, thecharaSers oixhe patriarchs 
 are examined and eftimated, and the writings 
 of the Old Teftament vindicated, againft the 
 imputation of fuggefting narrow and partial 
 ideas of the difpenfations of Providence. 
 
 DIALOGUE 
 
DIALOGUE L 
 
 The Dawn — ^ Jl^etcb of tbe Creatmi—'The 
 firji hnprejjion of the Great Spirit, as 
 powerful — Whether this fe.elhig was fervile 
 terror ? —Probable origin of the terrible iit 
 the ancient religions — Proofs of pure ideas 
 of the Almighty — Probable origin of the 
 notions that were formed coricerning Him — > 
 Whether they occafionally led to Idolatry P — 
 Vfefulnefs and neceffity of the idea of the 
 Divine Unity in forwMig the human iinder^ 
 fanding — The excellence and ufefulnefs of the 
 kind of poetry^ by which that idea is illuf 
 trated and confirmed — The tendency of the 
 Parallelifn of heaven a?id earth to prove 
 and illufrate the Unity— The great advantage 
 which Oriental poetry derives fro?n the con- 
 nexion ofthefe ideas— -How this poetry repre^ 
 Cents the Deity in aBlon and repofe — Plis 
 Word — Early 720 1 ions concerning the 
 AiSiGELS~The idea of God, as the ince[fantly 
 a&ive Pcirent of the vniversal familt. 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE L 
 
 liuGENiufi and his friend Alciphron ' 
 met, in confequence of their agreement the 
 night before, at an early hour, on a beautiful 
 rifing ground, fituated in the centre of an 
 extenfive profped. The dav/n had not, as 
 yet, pierced the gloom, which covered the 
 jface of Nature : — all things were without 
 form, and, as it were, enveloped in the veil 
 of night. After fome moments the veil be- 
 came gradually tranfparent, and the lovely 
 dawn appeared. It came forth like a ray of 
 celeftial light upon a renewed world. All 
 around it Ihone the glory of the Lord, which, 
 with a gradual increafe of fplendour, began 
 to expand itfelf through the vault of heaven, 
 as its majeftic temple. The more it afcended, 
 the more clear and elevated did the gilded 
 azure of the horizon appear. The blue ether 
 difengaged itfelf from the fogs and damps 
 which defcended into the lower regions of the 
 atmofphere, and, being illumined by ftreams 
 B 2 of 
 
4 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 of light from above, made the earth appear 
 like a glittering fea, or as a fapphire inlaid 
 with gold.— So ihone the awakened earth, 
 adorned v/ith trees, plants, and flowers of 
 different hues, which feemed all to await the 
 bleffing of Jehovah. The foul of man is 
 elevated by. the noble profpe£t, and feels a 
 fublime calm, analogous to the mild azure 
 of the heavens. — But of all thefe pleafmg 
 moments none is more delightful thau the 
 firft break of dawn, the firft perception of 
 light, when (as the Hebrev/s exprefs it,) the 
 Parent of the Dawn is in a laborious conflidt 
 with the fliadows, and, in a fuffering'and vio- 
 lent pofture, waits for the moment of delivery 
 from her anguifh. This moment is con- 
 fidered as the birth of the clay : a foft thrilling 
 pleafure is felt by all beings, which are en- 
 dowed with fenfibility : they feem to enjoy 
 the prefence of Jehovah. It is alfo remark- 
 able, that, in the moft ancient nations, a dif- 
 tindion was made between the light of the 
 dawn and that of the fun : they confidered 
 the former as an uncreated being which 
 gleamed from the throne of God, and returned 
 thither when the terreftrial fun arofe. 
 
 EUGE- 
 
OMENTAL DIALOGUES- S 
 
 EUGENIUS. Let US hail, my friend, with 
 joy, this delightful moment of the New-born 
 Dawn ! It was the dawn of human know- 
 ledge, and the cradle, perhaps, both of Poetry 
 and of Religion upon earth. 
 
 Alcipkron, What do you mean ? 
 
 EuGENius. Have we not now feen a 
 kind of reprefentative view of the work of 
 creation in a fucceffion of fcenes, from the 
 deep nocturnal gloom to the rifing of the 
 fun, with which all beings on the earth, in 
 the air, and the waters, feem to awake, as it 
 were, into a new exiftence ? Now I wifh you 
 to obferve, that not only the fhort hiftorical 
 account which we have of the Creation, but 
 all the hymns of the Hebrews, relative to that 
 ftupendous event, nay, even the greateft part 
 of the names of the beautiful objeds, we fee 
 all around us, have been formed upon the 
 a£lual view of the objects themfelves ; and 
 this is (what I love to call) the moft ancient 
 Nature-Poetry of the Creation. 
 
 Alciphron. When and by whom 
 formed and compofed? 
 
 B 3 EUGE- 
 
6 OHIEKTAL DIALOGUES^ 
 
 EuGENius, That is more than I know, 
 with any high degree of probability. It is 
 not eafy to carry back our refearches to the 
 firft efforts of human intelligence and genius. 
 It is enough to have before us * the roots of 
 the poetic language, and the firft outlines of 
 the pidure, to the compofition of which they 
 contributed. And what if we fhould (in this 
 calm and fiknt hour 
 
 To meditation diie^ and f acred fong^ 
 
 endeavour to iuveiligate the primitive ideas 
 and conceptions, which the contemplation of 
 nature v/as adapted to excite, and the con- 
 nexion and feries of the various fcenes which 
 are really to be found in the beautiful infancy 
 of Nature-Poetry? Methinks we could not 
 employ our morning better. 
 
 Alciphrcn. I accept your propofal with 
 fingular pleafure, and I am perfuaded, that 
 the Infinite Being will deign to accept of 
 the hymn of praife, which muft naturally 
 accompany the contemplation of his glorious 
 works. The early dawn leads our thoughts 
 to the dav^/'n of the world, to the morning of 
 the creation, and will thus diffufe an elevated 
 
 * Geneils, i. 
 
 kind 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 7 
 
 kind of pleafure through our hearts. 1 have 
 obferved, that, generally fpeaking, the poetry 
 of every nation is, more or lefs, modified by 
 its climate. A low, cold, and foggy region 
 gives rife to ideas and images which feem to 
 refemble its temperature, while, in an exten- 
 five and varied profpe6t, a pure air, -and an 
 elevated fky, the foul, if I may fo exprefs my 
 idea, becomes more expanded, and takes a 
 bolder flight. 
 
 EuGENius. On this fanciful idea I might 
 make many refledlions ; but I fhall not 
 trouble you with them at prefent. We fhall 
 not vifit the fummits of Sinai or Tabor^ but 
 afcend, if it be poffible, the Hill of Hills ^ the 
 jfirft fcene of the terreftrkl creation, and ob- 
 ferve how the dawn received its birth, and 
 the firft poetry of the world its exiftence. 
 Or, if this flight appears to you too adventu- 
 rous, and the region,' to which it leads, too 
 folitary and awful, let us defcend to fome 
 more convenient place. — It will be, per- 
 haps, moft eligible to remain where we are : 
 night is every where night, and morning 
 is every where morning : we have every 
 where the heavens above us, and the earth 
 all around us, andj in no place, can we be 
 
 B 4 abfent 
 
S OMENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 abient from the Great Spirit, wlio 
 fills both with his gracious and awful pre- 
 feiice. It is this great Spirit, which has raifed 
 man above all the other inhabitants of the 
 earth, which points out to him the works of 
 his Creator ; and, in the fublime contempla- 
 tion of thefe ftupendous werks, hifplres both 
 his underftanding and his heart with the 
 poetry of nature. 
 
 Alcipi-iron. You feem, my friend, to 
 have caught an animating fpark of this in- 
 fpiration. — Begin, then, the inveftigation 
 you propofed, by the moft ancient opinions 
 concerning the origin of things. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Where can I, w^ith more 
 propriety, begin, than with the Name of 
 Him, who, In the Poetry of the ancient Bards, 
 animates all things — connefts all things? 
 He is there called the Terrible^ the Mighty^ 
 whofe fovereign power they perceive over 
 all, v/hofe prefence, though invifible, they 
 feel with a facred and refpe£tful emotion-— 
 w^hora they revere with trembling — by 
 whom they fwear — wdiom., by way of emi-i 
 nence, they call HE, HIM : the Great 
 
 Spirit, 
 
CUIENTAL DIALOGUES. 9 
 
 Spirit, whom all the favage hordes, all 
 nations, as yet, in their infant-ftate, feek, 
 feelj and adore. O my friend, what ele- 
 vation do we find in the poetry even of the 
 rudefl, the moft uncultivated nations 1 How- 
 powerful is their continual imprelTion of the 
 prefence.of the great, Invifible Spirit I. Have 
 you obferved, in the work of a modern Tra- 
 veller ^^% the account of an American, who 
 went to fee the great waterfalls of Niagara? 
 When he heard, even frorti far, the majeftic 
 found of that immenfe body of water, he 
 flood flill . . . and held converfe with the 
 Great Spirit: — when he drew near to the ftu- 
 pendous objecc, he fell proftrate on his face, 
 not from a fervile terror, but from an awful 
 fenfe of the prefence of the Great Spirit^ in 
 fuch an amazing v/ork : — ^thus he thought 
 that he was now nearer, than ever, to the 
 Invisible ; and, accordingly, he prefented, 
 with a filial reverence, every thing he had 
 v/ith him, as a devout ofFeringj with calm, 
 prayer and adoration. — Now, in the feelings 
 and condud: of this American, you fee my 
 friend, the hiftory of all the nations, Ian* 
 
 * Carver's Voragee, 
 
 guages, 
 
to ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 guages, hymns, divine names, and religious 
 lervices of ancient times. Of this I could 
 give you a feries of proofs from the records 
 of antiquity ; but I know, that with thefe you 
 are well acquainted. 
 
 Alciphron. Of thefe I am not ignorant. 
 Philofophers, however, have explained, in a 
 very different manner, the ftrong emotion 
 occafioned by that religious veneration of 
 which you fpeak, — • It was ignorance^ fay 
 they, that gave exijlefice to the gods ; ftupid 
 and fervile aftonifhment produced the firft 
 oblations to them, whom terrified fancy re- 
 prefented as powerful beings, as invifible 
 dsemons, from v/hom mankind had every 
 thing to fear. In all languages Religion has 
 derived its denomination from terror^ as they 
 allege ; and they endeavour to prove this by 
 a long enumeration of the ancient names 
 given to the Deity in the language and 
 writings of the Hebrezvs. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. This explanation of the 
 matter is, I confefs, of ancient date ; but its 
 falfehood is ftill more evident than its anti- 
 quity. There is no fubjedt oa which frigid 
 
 and 
 
OHIENTAL DIALOGUES. II 
 
 and fuperficfal thinkers fall Into groffer and 
 more extravagant miftakes than in their fpe- 
 culations on human nature and its feelings. 
 In all the remains of ancient times, which 
 have come to my knowledge, I find manifold 
 and undeniable fads, and circumftances, 
 which prove, that religious honours and 
 worlhip did not originate from fervile terror, 
 and ftill lefs from a brutifh ftupiditj. On the 
 contrary, it is the eiTendal and diftindive 
 character of Man^ arid that which places him 
 above all clafTes of beings merely animal, that 
 he is fiifceptible of religion. The propenfity 
 to worfhip one or more fuperior beings is 
 known to have taken place among men in all 
 nations and periods of the world : and why, 
 I befeech you, muft this propenfity be de- 
 rived, only^ from anxiety and fea-r f Our 
 exiftence, furely, is an ad of beneficence, 
 and not a puriifhment ; otherwife the love of 
 life, and the ardent defire of its duration, 
 would be unaccountable ; the great Being, 
 therefore, to whom we are indebted for it, 
 and by whom we fubfift, muft be confidered 
 d^s good. Daily experience muft convine.2 us 
 of his benignity, and there is, confequently, 
 no reafon to fuppofe, that the worfhip and 
 6 honours, 
 
l^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 honours offered to him by mankind in all ages, 
 w^ere merely the fervile tribute of aftonifh- 
 ment or terror. 
 
 Alciphro^. You cannot, however, be 
 unacquainted with the multitude of horrible 
 rites and ceremonies of a religious kind, 
 which are to be found in the hillories of 
 many nations; and you recoiled, no doubt, 
 the work of Boidaiiger"^ ^ who reprefents all 
 religious vv^orfhip, as occafioned by terrible 
 calamities, fuch as inundations, waterfpouts, 
 the general deluge and anxious prefages and 
 apprehenfions of fimilar difafters. 
 
 EuGENius. Let us not trouble ourfelves 
 with the gloomy vifions of this ftrange man. 
 He was conftitutionally fplenetick and melan- 
 choly, and, by his profeffion, he was infpec- 
 tor of bridges and dikes, where he had often 
 dreary fcenes and ruinous inundations before 
 his eyes. It is alfo well known, that the 
 hiftory of the deluge had made a profound 
 and permanent impreflion upon his gloomy 
 imagination; and this appears even in his 
 
 * A member of the French Academy. 
 
 ftyle 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. t^ 
 
 ftilc and manner of writing. Befides, his 
 learning is fo vague and fuperficial, and his 
 ideas are fo confufed and extravagant, that 
 he is a very improper guide in the prefent 
 difcuffion. At the fame time, I am willing to 
 grant that the religion of many ancient 
 nations was really mixed with painful feelings 
 of apprehenfion and terror. This was more 
 efpecially the cafe with thofe who had their 
 dwellings in rude climates, in dark caverns, 
 amidft burning mountains, or on the barren 
 eoafts of unfrequented and tempeftuous feas, 
 or of fuch as were accuftomed to frequer t 
 views of difmal objects, and of revolutions 
 accompanied with inhuman fcenes of devafta- 
 tion and carnage. But all thefe are manifeft 
 exceptions from the general and ordinary flate 
 of things ; for the globe on which we live is 
 neither a barren defart, nor a perpetual deluge, 
 nor an aggregate of volcanoes. It has been ob- 
 ferved, that the religion of temperate cli- 
 mates has, generally fpeaking, fom.ething ia 
 its fpirit which partakes of their mildnefs; 
 and, even in the moft dreary and uncomfort- 
 able regions, the idea of an invifible Superior, 
 not only powerful, but alfo benevolent, has 
 never been totally effaced from the human 
 
 • mind. 
 
14 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 mind.— It may even be confidered as highly 
 probable, that all the forms of fuperftition, 
 which were productive of anxiety and terror, 
 were the inventions of later times ; for the 
 fentiments of religion, which we meet with 
 in the earlieft ages, are rational and fublime. 
 The human race, in a very earl)^ period, feem 
 to have been furniflied with a valuable por- 
 tion of knowledge, plain but pure. Never- 
 thelefs, when colonies were fent into diftant 
 regions, when a depravation of fentiments 
 and morals took place, and was followed by 
 the calamities and difafters, which are its or- 
 dinary confequences, then, indeed, the pure 
 metal was mixed with drofs. But let us not 
 lofe ourfelves in fuch a vaft and fruitlefs field 
 of inveftigation, as that which the general 
 hifiory of man exhibits in the different 
 nations and periods of the world. It is our 
 prefent bufinefs to confine our view to 07ie 
 people *, and one language. 
 
 Alciphron. True : — but you may ob- 
 ferve, that, among this people, and in this 
 language, the moft ancient names and attri- 
 
 * The Hebrews. 
 
 * butes 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I5 
 
 butes of the fupreme Being were not derived 
 ixom goodnefs and love^ but from power and 
 7najejl)\ and the veneration and awe, vvuiich 
 they are adapted to excite. 
 
 Eu GEN I us. And how could it be other- 
 wife ? The idea of power is, certainly, the 
 firft which prefents itfelf to the mind of man, 
 when he confiders the incomprehenfible caufe 
 of his exiftence. The infinite, or, at leaft, 
 indefinite power of their Maker, is the moft 
 natural feeling, of which weak and helplels 
 mortals can be confcious. The book of Job 
 gives the moft afFedling proofs of this truth, 
 and in terms the moft elevated and fublime : 
 take only the following fpecimen*. 
 
 *^ Wife in heart and mighty in flrength ? 
 
 ** Who hath hardened his heart againfl Him 
 
 ** and hath profpered ? 
 *^ He removeth the mountains, and they know not t 
 ** He overturneth them in his anger ; 
 «^ He fhaketh the earth on her foundations, 
 *' So that the pillars thereof tremble ! 
 *« He commandeth the fun, and it rifeth not : 
 " He fesleth up the ftars in their dwellings : 
 
 * Job, ix. 
 
 ^' He, 
 
ID ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *» He, alone, fpreadeth out the heavens, 
 
 ♦< And treadeth upon the heights of the fe^ 5 
 
 « He maketh Arclurus, Orion, and Pleiades, 
 
 <« And the chambers of the fouth— r 
 
 *« He doeth great thingSj paft finding out, 
 
 << Yea and wonders, without number. 
 
 <* Lo ! he goeth by me, and I fee him not ; 
 
 <* He paffeth on alfo, but I perceive him not ; 
 
 <« Behold he taketh away ; Who can hinder him ? 
 
 « Who fhall fay unto Him, What doeft tjipu ?" 
 
 What do you think, my friend, of this 
 paflage ? Are not the elevated feelings, here 
 expreffed, the feelings of nature i The more 
 clear and extenfive the ideas are which a 
 people form of the power of God dlfplayed 
 in his works, the more, proportionably, muft 
 their expreffion of that Power become eni- 
 phatical and affefting. Even the wifdom of 
 the fupreme Being, by which he formed the 
 the univerfe, and governs intelledlual and 
 moral beings, is ^wful and majeftic : it is 
 fuch a boundlefs ocean of intelleC ual energies^ 
 as fills the attentive mind with aftonifhment 
 and veneration. You recoiled, no doubt, a 
 remarkable example of this in the Hebrew 
 Poetry, 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL dialooueS; ly 
 
 Alciphron. You have in view, as I 
 imagine, my favorite pfalm'^. I think it 
 would be proper at this moment, for our 
 morning-devotion. 
 
 " Jehova, thou fearcheft me, 
 
 ** And knoweft me ; 
 
 *« Thou knoweft my down-fitting and up-rifing j 
 
 " Thou underftandeft my thoughts afar off; 
 
 " Thou compaffeft my path ; 
 
 *« Thou art acquainted with all my ways ; 
 
 *' There is not a word in my tongue, 
 
 " But, lo ! O Lord, thou knoweft it. 
 
 ** Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; 
 
 *' It is high, I cannot attain to it : 
 
 *« Whither fliall I go from thy fpirit, O Lord ; 
 
 *^ Whither (hall I flee from thy prefencc ? 
 
 ** If I afcend up into heaven. Thou art there : 
 
 *« If I make my bed in the abyfs. Thou art there ; 
 
 «' If I take the wings of the morning, 
 
 *^ And dwell in the uttermoft parts of the fea; 
 
 ** Even there (hall thy hand lead me, 
 
 <* And thy right-hand fhall hold me, 
 
 <* If I fay, furely the darknefs (hall cover me ; 
 
 *' Even the night (hall be light about me : 
 
 <« Yea, the darknefs hideth not from thee ; 
 
 ** But the night fhineth as the day ; 
 
 <« The darknefs and the light are both alike to 
 
 " thee. 
 
 *' For thou poflefTeft me in my inmoft parts ; 
 
 *J Thou didft cover me in my mother's womb i 
 
 * Pfalm cxxxix* 
 
 c "I win 
 
iS .OUmNTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *< I will praife thee, that I came hito being, 
 
 <* wonderfully made ; 
 
 ^* Marvellous are all thy works, O Lord ! 
 
 ** TKat my foul knoweth deeply. 
 
 " Flow precious unto -me, O God, are thy 
 
 " thoughts ? 
 
 *« How o'/erpowering is the fum of them ? 
 
 " Should I count them, 
 
 " They are more in number than the fand ; 
 
 ** When I awake, as from a dream, I am 
 
 " Still with Thee." 
 
 EucENius. Can you point out, among 
 the produQions of any other nation, of equal 
 antiquity with the Hebrews, fuch a hymn as 
 this ? Here you fee exprefTed in all the fim- 
 plicity and grandeur of poetic language, the 
 pureil ideas and the mofl fublime truths, rela- 
 tive to the nature and moral government of 
 the Supreme Being. You fee his omnifcience, 
 his prefcience, his intimate knowledge of the 
 human foul, his univerfal prefence, and his 
 providential diredion, painted in the moil 
 lively colours. The very thoughts, with 
 which many of the modern philofophers mean 
 to fhine in their writings, are to be found in 
 many | -laces of the book of Job ; and are even 
 expreffed with fuch propriety, and energy, 
 that I really know no theifnx fo pure as that 
 
 which 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, JQ 
 
 \vhich is difplayed la the hymns of the Old 
 Tcftament. 
 
 Alciphron. Confider, however, that 
 the paffages, you have been quoting, are ra- 
 ther modern, and that, in the moil ancient 
 hymns on the Creation, the Elohim a£t a 
 part*. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Of this I am av/are ; and 
 they were, undoubtedly, found by Mofes in 
 thofe ancient defcriptions and pi6turefque re- 
 prefentations of the creation, of which his 
 firft book is compofed. For they could not 
 have been inferted in that book by Mofes 
 himfelf, who was the great adverfary oi poly- 
 theifm^ and of every thing which cot^ld lead 
 to it. 
 
 
 
 Alciphron. That I am difpofed to be- 
 lieve. I even think it probable that Mofes 
 ufes the word created^ in the fingular number, 
 as a prefervative againft polytheifm. At the 
 fame time, it appears pretty evident, that the 
 firft notions, which men entertained concern- 
 ing the Elohim^ were, in effed:, polytheijiical. 
 They were fuppofed to be the models of wif- 
 
 * Genefis, \, 
 
 c a dom 
 
20 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 dom held forth by the Serpent to our firft pa- 
 rents, and were probably confidered by Eve, 
 as having acquired their wifdom by eating of 
 the 7)rc of Knowledge of good and evil. 
 You know how the Orientals filled every place 
 and region with invifible beings : and, more 
 efpecially, that they believed the exiilence of 
 a fubtile fpecies of fpirits, or Genii^ who lived 
 upon the effluvia of trees, made war upon the 
 giant-fpirits, and took plants, flowers, trees, 
 and mountains, nay, the elements and ftars alfo, 
 under their proted:ion. This kind of poly- 
 theifm is the peculiar charadleriftic of all un- 
 cultivated nations, and thus the fertile and 
 wild imagination of the Orientals could not 
 eafily efcape it. They confidered the univerfe, 
 as full of life, and peopled every region with 
 living beings. Such were the Elohtm^ Adon'wiy 
 and Scbadim of the Hebrews, the Ized of the 
 Parfi, the Lahen ''^ of the Tibetans, the Dee- 
 rnons of the Orphic Hymns, and, in a word, 
 the moft ancient fpirits and divinities of the 
 unpoliflied world, 
 
 EuGENius. It maybe fo: and fuppofing 
 all this to be true, do you find any thing in it 
 
 • Lahn was a name, whioh feems to have been equivalent 
 to that of Elohim. 
 
 furprifing 
 
t 
 
 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. CLl 
 
 furprifing or contemptible ? Confider fuch a 
 weak creature as man, that being of yefter- 
 day, ftruck with an infantine wonder at a 
 view of the works and beauties of nature, 
 without having any vifible notice of their ori- 
 gin, — feeing, every vv^iere around him, 
 energy, wifdom, and a felf-renewed power of 
 produdion and reprodudiion In all things, and 
 obliged to confine his attention and views to 
 particular objeds, and particular beauties, 
 from his incapacity to conned the whole in a 
 general point of view ; after confidering all 
 this, do you think it furprifing or contempti- 
 bly abfurd, that fuch a creature, in fuch cir- 
 cumftances, fhould attribute to feparate crea- 
 tors, prefervers, and rulers, the feparate ob- 
 jeds which had made fuch impreffions of 
 pleafure and aftonifhment, and which his un- 
 cultivated reafon was incapable of conneding 
 in one general plan ? To the eye oi fenfe 
 the^afped of nature, though amazingly full of 
 adion, exhibits no general ading, or efficient 
 caufes. How natural was it, therefore, to 
 imagine feparate and particular caufes of par- 
 ticular objeds, diflind creating fplrlts, of 
 which each produced a particular objed, 
 (a plant, a tree, an animal for example,) and 
 
 c 3 contri- 
 
22 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES- 
 
 contributed to its prefer vation with intelligence 
 and care. Thefe creating fpirits, according 
 to the opinion of the boldeft obfervers, 
 placed themfelves in the works, and dwelt in 
 them with love* But the vulgar notion was, 
 that the creatuig fpirits became confubftantial 
 with their productions, and that, of confe- 
 quence, the geniiis of each living produdlion 
 grew, declined, died, and was renewed with 
 theobjedl, which it had formed. In a word, 
 thefe Elohim were, firft, Gejiii^ fpirits of the 
 creation, of whom the Mythology of later 
 times related many things, v/hich probably 
 had no place in the dodlrine of the earlier ages. 
 When the angels, of whom we ihall fpeak 
 prefently, appeared on the fcene, thefe Elohim 
 or Natiire-Gejin held, no longer, the firft 
 place. The former flood before the throne 
 of God in the rank of celeftial povrers : the 
 latter were the guardian-fpirits of the creatures, 
 and thus only fubordinate fpirits. The eafl- 
 ern mythology of later times contains a mul- 
 titude of fables, relative to the conduct of thefe 
 fpirits and their combats with each other. Ij; 
 mentions the curious propenfity of the Na-- 
 ture-Genii to get behind the curtain of the 
 great King, and intrude themfelves into the 
 
 council 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 2$ 
 
 council of the angels, and informs us aKo, 
 how they are guarded and punlfhed on fuch 
 occafions. Suppoling then, that the notion 
 of the Klohim was formed in the manner 
 I have now mentioned, is it not an innocent 
 notion ? What can you object to it ? 
 
 Alciphron. Nothing, — when it is re- 
 prefented as the production of human inven- 
 tion or poetical fancy : on the contrary, it 
 pleafes the imagination : we love to be in a 
 world, where ail is in motion, life and acti- 
 vity, where every flower, every tree, every 
 ftar, hath its particular fpirit, its vital princi- 
 ple, and rejoices with us, in its exiftence. 
 But what pleafeth the fancy, does not, on that 
 account, fatisfy a found judgment, 
 
 EuGENius. Why not? Confider, that 
 the notion in queftion, never amounted to 
 polytheifm among thefe people, even in the 
 moft ancient times. We fee, in one of the 
 pfalms of David, that the Elohim were repre-? 
 fented as fpirits^ whofe excellence was nearly 
 attainable by mankind, and, in the firil crea- 
 tion, the idea of the unity of God the Creator 
 is clearly exprelTed. This idea gave to 
 
 c 4 the 
 
54 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 the poetry of the Hebrews fuch a command- 
 ing afped: of truth and grandeur, of fimplicity 
 and wifdom, that they happily became the 
 inftrudors of the world. . It is impoffible to 
 eftimate the immenfe treafure of fpeculative 
 knowledge^ and moral inftrudion, which man- 
 kind derived from the fingle doctrine of the 
 unity of God. This imperceptibly reclaimed 
 them from idolatry and fuperftition ; it remo- 
 ved the foundation of thofe vices, and enor- 
 mities, which proceeded from polytheiftical 
 diforder and anarchy. It accuftomed the 
 human underflanding to difcern and contem-. 
 plate unity of defign^ in created things, and 
 thus to inYeHigSitQ general laws of nature, laws 
 of wifdom, and goodnefs, to perceive, in a 
 great variety of parts, one 'whole ^ — real order, 
 in feeming diforder, and light in darknefs. 
 And, while from the idea of one Creator, that 
 of one world, [Keo-'^ogy a beautiful whole^ 
 naturally proceeded, it may as naturally be 
 conceived, that this idea had no fmall influ- 
 ence in forming the human mind to the per- 
 ception and love of intellectual and moral 
 beauty and order. Now the poetry and in- 
 ftru6tion, which contributed to produce thefe 
 happy effeds, were, no doubt, fignally bene- 
 ficial 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 25 
 
 ficial to mankind. And herein is the merit of 
 the Hebrew poetry peculiarly difplayed. It 
 was the firft bulwark that was raifed againft 
 idolatry: it fent forth the firft ray of light 
 which reduced the chaos of creation to unity 
 and order ; and do you know how it pro'duced 
 this efFed: ? 
 
 Algiphron. You can beft explain that 
 matter. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. By a very plain method, — 
 by, what we may call, the paralkli/m of 
 heaven and earth. According to this method, 
 the creatures were to be diftinguifhed from 
 each other, and placed, as it were, in certain 
 ranks and divifions. Now the more natural 
 thefe divifions appeared, and the more eafily 
 they were formed, the more were they deemed 
 beautiful. 
 
 Algiphron. Where then fhall we find 
 this divifion and thefe happy arrangements ? 
 
 EuGENius. They reign in a variety of 
 ftriking contrafts, through the whole of the 
 Hebrew poetry, which, on this account, may 
 be called the poetry of heaven and earth. 
 
 The 
 
26 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 The moft ancient accounts of the creation are 
 formed upon this plan ; and of this, what we 
 call, the work of fix days^ is a ftriking exam^ 
 pie. For, when the heavens were extended 
 on high, the earth, beneath, was adorned with 
 rich difplays of beauty and grandeur ; — when 
 the air and the water were ftored with living 
 creatures, the earth alfo was enriched with 
 inhabitants. Khis parallel fn. oi heaven and 
 earth, runs through all the hymns of praife, 
 which were addrelTed to the Deity in confe- 
 quence of the contemplation of his glorious 
 works. It is remarkable in the book of 
 Pfalms, in which all nature is called upon to 
 adore its author. It animates, in a manner 
 equally affecting and fublime, all the folemn 
 and public addrefies of Mofes and the pro- 
 phets to the people of Ifrael. In fliort, it 
 enlivens the whole mafs of the Oriental 
 language and poetry, 
 
 Alciphron, But it feems to me, that this 
 parallelifn wants proportion : for what is the 
 earth in comparifon with the heavens ? 
 
 EuGENius. It is this difference, that the 
 facred poetry of the Hebrews was particu- 
 larly defigned to point out. It was defigned 
 
 to 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. ^7 
 
 to elevate and expand our ideas of the immen- 
 fity of the heavens, by comparing it with the 
 earth's furface, which, though it may appear 
 of vaft extent, when confidered feparately, 
 come^ forth, in 'Cd^paraUcL as a grain of fand. 
 The radical words of the language, and all its 
 defcriptions and' images, render this evident. 
 You recoiled, furely, feveral examples of thefe 
 comparative defcriptions. 
 
 Alciphron. There are, indeed, many,— 
 and one which is particularly fublime, occurs 
 to me this m.oment. 
 
 ^ << The heaven is my throne, 
 
 *f The earth is my foolftool." 
 
 EuGENius. This is truly a great and fub- 
 lime example. I fliall add another from the 
 Book of Job-^\ 
 
 " Canft thou by fearching find out the wlfdom of 
 
 « Elonh^ 
 <* Canft thou comprehend the whole power of the 
 «' Schaddai? 
 
 *' It is higher than heaven, what canft thou do ? 
 ** It is the depth of depths, what^canft thou know ? 
 " The meafure thereof is longer than the earth, 
 
 <* is broader than tlie fea/* 
 
 Job J xl. 
 
 Here 
 
28 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Here you fee the notion that was entertained 
 of the infinity or immenfity of a vifible world. 
 What we call the univerfe^ is an obje6: of 
 which the people of the earlieft ages had no 
 notion ; and to thofe of later times, the term 
 worldy or aon^ conveyed the idea of every 
 thing that is little, mean, mutable, and pre- 
 carious. The heavens change and decay as 
 a garment : the earth is a theatre of dreams 
 and vifions, a grave ; but the God of heaven 
 and earth, he who was before the viountains 
 were brought forth ^ before the foundations of 
 the heavens and the earth were laid, is, and 
 remains the fame through all eternity. He it 
 is by whom both were created and are re- 
 newed, before whom the heavens fee away^ and 
 the earth dlfappears, in the immenfity of 
 fpace, 
 
 Alciphron. I muft own, that I do not 
 well fee what the poetry of the Hebrews has 
 gained by xkmparalleUfn without proportion. 
 
 EuGENius. In my opinion it has gained 
 confiderably. It gets thereby into the way of 
 comparing the infnite^ with the fmite^ which, 
 in poetical painting, produces a great effed:. 
 
 All 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 29 
 
 All that IS beautiful, great, and fublime, is 
 among the Orientals deemed celeJliaL All 
 that is low, weak, and little, is reprefented 
 to them by the duft of the earth. All power 
 defcends from heaven : all things below are 
 regulated and governed from above, by an 
 invifible, but a ftrong and irrefiflible influ- 
 ence. Above fhine the everlafting luminaries, 
 the ftarry hofts : there flows the pure ocean 
 of sether: there the holy azure difFufes its 
 mild beauty over the expanfe of heaven. 
 .But here below all is frail, inconflant, tranfi- 
 tory, and perifhable. The nearer the human 
 mind can bring thefe contrafling ideas to one 
 point of view, the more will its contemplation 
 of nature become rational and fublime. By 
 this comparative view of things it will learn to 
 form a juft eftimate of what is low and little, 
 as well as of thofe objeds which are noble 
 and elevated. It will be placed in a fixed 
 point, from whence it will be enabled, in 
 fome meafure, to perceive how the whole 
 fyftem of nature is poifed and direded. Do 
 you think, my friend, that a fpecies of poetry, 
 merely terreflrial, would have any higher 
 charader, than that of an infed, however, 
 neat and elegant its compofition might be? 
 All fublime and elevating poetry is celeftial. 
 
 Alci- 
 
3.0 ORIENTAL DIALOGUE^. 
 
 Alciphron. You dazzle me, at leaft, if 
 you do not perfuade me. In my way of 
 thinking, it is our good mother Earth, that 
 gives all obje£ts their form, their place, and 
 thus alfo their beauty. 
 
 EuGENius. But pray do not forget, that 
 the Eaftern poets join heaven and earth toge- 
 ther. From the former, their poetry derives 
 fubiimity, expanfion, iplendour, and energy ; 
 juft as we feel a certain elevation of mind, 
 when, in a clear night, we raife our eyes to 
 the firmament, and behold the moon and the 
 ftars in their glory. The earth is the bride 
 of heaven, the inftrament and fcene of its 
 operations, but not, however, the everlafting 
 fcene. Even in the formation of man, earth 
 and heaven had each their part: the human 
 body was taken from th^ former^ and from.the 
 latter proceeded man's vital fpirit. As the 
 grain of fand, on which we live, walk, and 
 ad:, is furrounded by the heavens, fo is our 
 narrow horizon inclofed in the pure immen- 
 fity of fpace, which is full of energy and life. 
 Methinks, that poetry muft be truly deemed 
 grand and jnajeftic, which entertains us with 
 a?i ample view of what zve are^ and what we 
 are not^ of our importance and infignificance, of 
 
 our 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 3^ 
 
 our ftrengtli and weaknefs. It would be illu- 
 fof y^ — it would repr^fent falfely the real (late 
 of th!no;s, if it difclofed one part only of our 
 connection v/ith the univerfe, and concealed 
 the other. The fuhlhne afpires after Injinity 
 and iinnienfity, and foars towards the height 
 of heaven, and whatfoever confines the true 
 and the beautiful within narrow limits, is 
 merely terreftrial, 
 
 Alciphhon You maintain ably your 
 hypothefis o^ paraUelifrriy and I wifh earneftly 
 to follow it through the poetry of Job^ the 
 Pfalms^ and the Prophets^ that we may fee if 
 there alfo as you allege, the great and the 
 beautifuly are fo conneded as to juftify us in 
 calling out perpetually, 
 
 <^ Receive, O heavens, my fong, 
 
 « And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." 
 
 I wifh to fee how the Lord of heaven and 
 earth connedts the one with the other, even 
 in facred poetry, 
 
 EuGENius. He unites them, if I may fo 
 cxprefs myfelf, fometimes in fcenes of repofe, 
 
 and 
 
52 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 and fometimes in ads of energy. In repofe, 
 when, fitting on his throne, he commands 
 creation by a word^ and orders exiftence; 
 and here we have again the firft and the moft 
 fublime parallelifm, 
 
 " God faid— let there be light, 
 <* And there was light *." 
 
 On many occafions, alfo, we find the fimple 
 command of God employed, as a happy 
 method of exprefiTmg the boldeft and moft 
 fublime ideas in a few words : 
 
 <' Hejpah — and it was doMe^ 
 
 " He commanded— 'dind it Jloodfyfi f." 
 
 The more furprifing and difficult the opera- 
 tions are which are performed by a word, a 
 fimple command, the more beautiful and fub- 
 lime are the fententious periods in which this 
 command is exprefled. 
 
 *< He faith to the fnow — Be on the earth, 
 
 « To the great rain — and it ilreams with force $.'* 
 
 In the 147th Pfalm, objeds and images of 
 this kind are prefented in the following 
 manner : 
 
 ♦ Genef. i. 3. \ Pfalm xxxiii. 9. % Job, cxlvii. 15. 
 
 « He 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 33 
 
 " He fendeth forth his commandment upon 
 
 « earth •> 
 " His word runneth fwiftly : 
 ** He giveth fnow like wool : 
 « He fcattereth hoar frofl: like a(hes : 
 *^ He cafteth forth his ice like morfels : 
 ** Who can (land before his coldF 
 *« He fendeth out his word anew ; 
 " Then they melt ; 
 " His wind blows ; and the waters flow.** 
 
 Here you fee the word of God introduced 
 2,^ 2i per/on^ an agent ; and this kind of perfoni- 
 fication is common among the Hebrews. 
 
 Alciphron. In this they are to be com- 
 mended ; for if all thefe adts of the divine 
 will and energy were conveyed to us merely 
 by narration, this would render their poetry, 
 which is now fo fublime, monotonous and 
 lifelefs. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. It is far, indeed, from being 
 defedlive in perfonal reprefentation ; for the 
 whole miniftry of angelic beings is employed 
 to render it animated and fublime. It was 
 by no means the opinion of the moft ancient 
 times, that the deftination of the angels w^as 
 pnly to ftand before the throne of God and 
 
 D fmg 
 
34 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 fing his pralfe : no fuch thing: — univerfal 
 nature became angelic at the command of its 
 author. It was, in fome lenfe, one animated 
 being, and all its parts were in perpetual 
 readinefs to execute the orders of the 
 Supreme. 
 
 *^ He maketh the winds his angels, 
 
 ** The flaming lightnings are his minifters. 
 
 The Book of Job is full of thefe perfonifi- 
 cations. The ftars, more efpecially, gave a 
 fair occafion, in the earliefl: times, to the 
 opinion that they were employed as God's 
 meflengers. Their elevation and fplendour, 
 their pure light and progreffive motions ex- 
 cited ideas of jubilation, mufic, and dance. 
 In procefs of time, they were called the 
 daughters of God, who moved, in cadence, 
 before his throne, and proclaimed his glory. 
 Afterwards they were confidered as the armed 
 hefts of the Moft High, in fplendid order of 
 battle ; and hence was derived their fymbolic 
 charader of fervants and meflengers of the 
 Supreme Being. Of this we find fubiime ex- 
 amples in the Book of Job, which fhew, by 
 comparifon, the meannefs of the earthly fer- 
 vants 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 3J 
 
 vants of the great Being. Thus was the God 
 of all the Elohhn^ in a flill higher fenfe, King 
 of the angels and of the heavenly hofts, the 
 Jehova Sabaoth : though this idea is of later 
 date. 
 
 Alciphron. Why later ? 
 
 EuGENius. Becaufe In earlier times the 
 Deity v/as not fo much reprefented under the 
 charafter of a celeftial monarch in repofe, as 
 under that of the aftive head of an immenfe 
 family, perpetually attentive to their concerns 
 and well-being; who, not having deemed it 
 below his dignity to bring into exiftence, by 
 his creating power, a multitude of beings, con- 
 tinues to preferve and govern them by his 
 paternal providence. Daily does he fpread out 
 the firmament, as he did at the beginning, and 
 walks, on the waves of the ocean, to the 
 utmoft limits of the horizon, where he raifes 
 his pavilion. Daily does he call forth the 
 dawn, as at the beginning, and deals out his 
 rain, and opens the treafures of his magazines. 
 He binds together the clouds like water-fpouts. 
 He forms flreams in the firmament, and gives 
 
 D 2 t© 
 
36 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 to the lightning his commands. He cloaths the 
 
 flowers, — nouriihes the plants, brings forth 
 
 the dew, and all things upon earth are the ob- 
 
 jeds of his providential care. The Book of 
 
 Job and the Pfalms abound with images, 
 
 which fhew that no inftance of benignity is too 
 
 mean for the ever-adlve energy of the uni- 
 
 verfal Parent, nor any creature fo minute as to 
 
 be deemed beneath his regard. Thus the 
 
 Hebrew poetry, by its reprefentation of the 
 
 father of the univerfe, is adapted to excite 
 
 fuch lively feelings of confidential veneration 
 
 and love to that wonderful being, as it is eafier 
 
 to conceive than exprefs. Nor is it of the 
 
 poetry of the Hebrews alone that this may be 
 
 faid : for a fimllar character is confpicuous in 
 
 all the poetry of the eaft, which abounds with 
 
 fimilar expreffions of adoration and praife, 
 
 as all their religion is founded on a filial 
 
 confidence in the Great Being, and a 
 
 perfetSt refignation to his will. 
 
 Alciphron. Is this a good foundation ? 
 If the Deity operates alone through uni verfal 
 nature, in the mofl minute objects, muft not 
 that pcrfuafion lead men to inactivity and in- 
 dolence ? 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 37 
 
 dolence ? And if the fervants and meffengers 
 of the Great Being watch conftantly over us, 
 and are as adtive as they are vigilant in pro- 
 moting our interefts, what purpofe can the 
 labours of mortals ferve ? 
 
 EuGENius. We fhall treat that point at 
 fome other time. At prefent the fun is high 
 in the firmament : — let us refume our refped:- 
 ive labours, that we may not incur the re- 
 proach you have juft mentioned. At your 
 leifure you may look over this piece of facred 
 poetry : it is of eaftcrn growth, and has an 
 interefting relation to the fubjeds we have 
 been confidering. 
 
 Eocordium of a Hjmn from the Perfian^ taken 
 from the Specimens of Oriental Poetry fub- 
 joined to the Injlitutes of Timour. 
 
 In the name of Him, whofe name Is the refuge of the 
 
 fouls of t\\Q faithfiit \ 
 Whofe praife is the ornament of eloquent tongues ; 
 The mofl: High, the only God, the Eternal, the 
 
 Omnifcient ; 
 Who beftoweth (Irength and power on the feeble and 
 the helplefs. 
 
 D 3 The 
 
jS . ORIENTAL DIALOGUES; 
 
 The heavens he illumines with multitudes of conflel- 
 
 lations; 
 And with the human race he decorateth the earth, as 
 
 with ftars. 
 He prepared the vaulted roof of the revolving fphere^ 
 And raifed up the quadruple fold of the elements. 
 He gives fragrance to the bofom of the rofe-bud, and 
 
 ornamenteth the parent fhrub with wreaths of 
 
 flowers. 
 He weave th the garment for the brides of the fpring, 
 
 and teacheth the graceful cyprefs to eredi his head 
 
 on the borders of the lake. 
 He crowneth with fuccefs the virtuous intention, an4 
 
 humbleth the pride of the felf-conceited. 
 He accompanies the folitude of thofe who watch the 
 
 midnight taper ; 
 He pafTeth the day with the children of afflldilon. 
 From the fea of his bounty ilTues the vernal cloud, 
 Vt^'hich waters alike the thorn and the jeiTamine. 
 From the treafurcs of his beneficence proceeds the 
 
 autumnal gale. 
 Which bcfpangles with gold the carpet of the. garden. 
 It is his prefence that enflameth the orb of day, froni 
 
 whence every ^tom derives its light. 
 Should he hide his countenance from the two great 
 
 lumin-aries of the world, 
 Their mighty fpheres would defcend quick into the area 
 
 of annihilation. 
 From the vault of heaven to the centre of the earth, 
 
 which ever way we dire6l our thought and ima- 
 gination ; 
 Whether we defcend or haften upwards, we (hall not 
 
 difcover one atom uninfluenced by his power, 
 
 2 Wifdoncf 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 39 
 
 "Wifdom is confounded in the contemplation of his 
 
 EJJence ; 
 The inveftigation of his ways exceeds the powers of 
 
 man. 
 The angels blufh at their want of comprehenfion ; 
 And the heavens are aftoniihed at their own motion. 
 
 D 4 
 
DIA'LOGtJE IL 
 
 Of Paradife — 7hc Ideas thereof derived from 
 the period of youth— from love^ and the hap^ 
 fhiefs of a rural If e — Whether Paradfe ever 
 exijied ? — Why Mofes places it at fuch a 
 diftance^ in afoj^t of encha?2ted region ? — Why 
 this region has been thefubjeB offo many ro- 
 mantic fables ?-^0f the Tree of Life — Of 
 . the fuppofed tendency of the imagery of Par a-^ 
 dife to attach the mind too much to the plea- 
 fares of fenfe — Of the converfe of Adam 
 with the animals — A fketch of the Golden 
 AgCy with refpeB to the peaceftd i?2tercourfe 
 of living creatures with each other — Of love 
 in Paradfe — Ilhiftrations on the tender affec-^ 
 tions between the fexes in this ancient tradi- 
 tion — Of the Tree of Knowledge — Why the 
 ferpent anight eat of the Tree^ and not our 
 Firfl Parents ? — The charaBer of the fer- 
 pent — Why Adam and Eve defired to be like 
 the Elohim ? — The difference between true 
 andfalfe wifdom — The Tree of Knowledge — 
 Whether an apologue or a hijlory ? — A nar- 
 ration of high antiquity — The effects of eating 
 
 the 
 
( 40 
 
 the forbidden fruity even the introduEilon of 
 our Firjl Parents into a new Jiate — Of the 
 relation which this fory has to us — // con* 
 tains the principles of differe7it kinds of 
 Eajlern poetry — Of the cherubim — Of the 
 ivar-chariots of the Lord in Habakkuk — Of 
 the cherubim of Mofes — Of the temple of 
 Solomon and Ezekiel — Of EzekieP s che?"ub — • 
 The tradition concernijig the oldejl^ fabulous 
 animal^ which was faid to guard the trea^ 
 fures of Paradife — Whether the cherubims 
 of Mofes were fphynxes ? — How the cheru^ 
 lim pafed f^om the ark of the tefimony int9 
 the clouds^ and became at length a prophetic 
 vifion — Of the compofition of the Cherubim-^ 
 The origin of their Mythology — Of the Mount 
 of the affembled gods in the Eajl — Of the 
 chariot of Elias^ and the war-chariot of God 
 in the wilder nefs — Of the mo/1 ancient reprc-* 
 fentcUion of thunder. 
 
C 43 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE IL 
 
 jluGENius. Welcomej my friend — ^We 
 ;are very lucky in the weather: it is a fine 
 morning, — and Nature has a p.leafmg afpe£l 
 of youth,. 
 
 Alciphron. This afped is well adapted 
 to the fubjed propofed for our prefent con- 
 verfation. You feem defirous to carry me 
 back to the cradle and childhood of the 
 human race, and alfo to the paradife of my 
 infancy ; for, indeed, the fpecies, as well as 
 the individual, is deftlned to pafs through 
 different periods and modes of exiftence, and 
 the confideration of its progreffive motion is 
 truly interefting. Befides, the early, the 
 primitive flate of humanity^ will recall the 
 pleafmg remembrance of my youth, and the 
 infancy of the world will revive the id«a of 
 my own happy childhood. It was to me a 
 very high entertainment, in my earlieft years, 
 to wander, in fancy, through the delightful 
 fields of Paradife, to accompany the fathers of 
 
 the 
 
44 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 the human race in their firft aflbciatlons and 
 connexions, and to take a fympathetic con- 
 cern in their pleafures and pains. The poets 
 who defcribe the charafters, manners, and en- 
 joyments of thefe primitive times, made deep 
 and lively impreffions upon my mind : and 
 you know, that we have eminent Bards, who 
 have treated on thefe intereftlng fubjefts* 
 
 EuGENius. Every country has its Bards: 
 in all nations, which are not totally favage, 
 we perceive, at lead, fome faint traces of the 
 felicity of the firft Golden Ages. The poets, 
 who, as genuine children of the mufes, were 
 moft diftinguifhed by their fenfibility and in- 
 nocence, have preferved and animated the in- 
 terefting tradition of paft felicity, and handed 
 it down to fucceeding generations. In our 
 early youth we are pleafed with thefe ideas of 
 primitive and rural happinefs, and we form 
 notions of it according to our refpe<£tive fan- 
 cies. Every returning fpring revives thefe 
 ideas, and prefents to us a regeneration of the 
 primordial beauties of the ancient world. 
 Hence have proceeded paftoral fongs, na- 
 tional poems, lively defcriptions of the rural 
 fcenes of Paradife, and the happinefs of the 
 
 firft 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 45 
 
 firft ages ; and thefe will always maintam their 
 credit by being the favourite poetry of our 
 younger years. And, after all, what is the 
 objed — the ultimate end of all our wifhes ? 
 To w^hat would they tend in an uncorrupted 
 ftate, but to Paradife ; or, in other words, ta 
 the enjoyment of health and love, fmiplicity 
 and innocence, amid ft the rural beauties of 
 nature ? 
 
 Alciphron. It may be fo — but, in the 
 mean time, it is much to be lamented, that 
 all this feems to be little more than a dream ; 
 or, at beft, a fplendid vifion. The primitive 
 Paradife is loft : — the Paradife of our fpring, 
 our youthful days, is tranfitory ; the blooming 
 verdure of our vernal feafon pafles with rapi- 
 dity, and leaves us expofed to the hot fum- 
 mer-fun of painful labour, with all that train 
 of wants and cares which accompany the ad- 
 vanced period and evening of life. Nay, 
 even fuppofing a nation or people were to be 
 found in the enjoyment of that peace, inno- 
 cence, and harmony, which conftitutes a Para- 
 dife, —there is, alas ! always a ferpent which 
 creeps in, under fome form or other, to blaft 
 their joys, and poifon their felicity. Wherever 
 
 the 
 
46 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 the Tree of Life grows and bloflbms for 
 man, there fprings up near it, a Tree of 
 prefumptuous curiofity and knowledge^ whofe 
 fruit is death* Alas I what is man ? 
 
 EuGENius, You fpeak, not only with 
 eloquence, but alfo with precifion on this in- 
 terefting fubjed: \ and you ftate the cafe, 
 which we are to confider, in its true point of 
 
 view. 
 
 Alciphron. And, neverthelefs, I have 
 my doubts concerning the fads which are 
 employed to afcertain the original ftate of 
 human nature. Do you really think that 
 there ever was fuch a place as Paradife, — and 
 are we to look upon the fplendid accounts of 
 this delightful region as any thing more than 
 poetical fidion ? Mofes reprefents it as a fort 
 of enchanted land^ unknown to him : he 
 places it in fuch a ftrange and remote region, 
 that imagination has a large field for inven- 
 tion and embellifhment, and the hiftorian is 
 in no danger of being refuted, even were his 
 recital fabulous. Accordingly, learned men 
 have entei'tained different opinions concern- 
 ing the fituation of this famous garden : — 
 
 fome 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 47 
 
 fome place it on the Golden r'lver^ others on 
 the Fhajisy which flows around Colchis; 
 others again on the Oxiis^ which waters the 
 rich plains of Cachemire ; and there are not 
 wanting writers who place it on the banks of 
 the Indus and the Euphrates, One thing is 
 evident, and that is, that the facred hiftoriaa 
 reprefents the Deity as forming a beautiful 
 garden in a widely-extended diftrid:, which 
 he calls Eden^ a land of delights. But where 
 Ihall we find the wonderful Trees which 
 grew in it, the Tree of Knowledge^ and the 
 Tree of Life? Did thefe enchanted trees ever 
 blofTom. ? And where flood the Cherubim^ 
 which guarded thepaffage to the Tree of Life ? 
 or rather, Where does it now (land ? Hath 
 not this whole narration a fabulous appear- 
 ance ? 
 
 EuGENius. Such an appearance it muft 
 naturally have, and we fhall fee, prefently, 
 where fable and truth, which are fo often 
 Mended^ may be diftingulfhed, and hiilorical 
 fads be feparated from their poetical embellifh- 
 ments. You have juftly obferved, that 
 Moses, or, rather, ancient tradition, confi- 
 dered the region, in which Paradife was 
 
 placed. 
 
48 ORIENTAL DIALOCUES^ 
 
 placed, only In its vaft extent, and without 
 any precife determination of its limits. You 
 have alfo obferved that it was precifely this 
 region, which was the land of fables, from, 
 whence the inhabitants of the ancient world 
 drew their moll beautiful ideas and inventions. 
 From hence proceeded their fanciful defcrlp- 
 tions of the Golden Fleece^ of the apples of the 
 Hefperides^ and the tree of Immortality. 
 This was the land of the firft inhabitants of 
 the ancient world, the pleafure-garden of 
 their Genii and deities, of the Dfmns^ the Peris ^ 
 the Neris^ and other enchanted beings. But 
 do not all fuch fanciful relations manifeftly 
 prove, that there was, fomewhere, in the old 
 world, a real ftate and conftitution of things, 
 which gave occafion to thefe inventions, and 
 that we muft feek the origin of all thefe fabu- 
 lous defcrlptions in fome tradition of a more 
 fimple kind ? For when we fee the hiftorical 
 and fabulous relations of all ages and places 
 of the world, terminating, as it were, in one 
 common fet of objedls, and, almoft all, point- 
 ing to the fame region, we cannot help think- 
 ing, that there muft have been, fome where, a 
 ground for all thefe traditions, fome fixed 
 point from whence they proceeded. It is 
 
 evident, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 4g 
 
 evident, both from hiftory, and the gradual 
 progrefs of mankind towards complete civi- 
 lization, that the human race muft have had 
 its commencement in fome particular fpot ; 
 and confidering the reports of hiftory, and 
 the ftrudlure of this our globe, where can we 
 more naturally feek the origin of mankind, 
 than in that region, to which all the relations 
 above mentioned evidently point ? Here lie 
 the moft elevated parts of Jfia^ the barrier, 
 if I may ufe that exprefFion, of the old world. 
 This immenfe region comprehends the moft 
 fruitful hills and valleys, which feel the influ- 
 ence of our fun, and here Nature fheds her 
 blefiings upon mortals with a liberal hand, 
 and anticipates their labours. Moses fpeaks 
 of this part of the v\^orld only in general terms, 
 ^vvithout any minute or circumftantial detail, 
 and this is a fufEcient proof of its exlftence. 
 He did not judge it proper to fay more than 
 the tradition contained ; and, as he had never 
 vifited this happy region, nor, confequently, 
 brought from it any of the regifters or ar- 
 chives of Paradife, fo neither was it pofFible 
 for him to do any thing in this refped:, but 
 what he has really done. But you muft con- 
 fider, my friend, that it is not our prefent 
 
 E bufmefs 
 
fO ORIENTAL DIALOG0ES- 
 
 bufinefs either to clear up or vindicate the 
 hiftorical fad. We leave it to circulate, as a 
 tradition of the ancient world ; and only 
 mean to confider what it has contributed to 
 the formation, fpirit, and improvement of 
 ancient poetry* We may confider it as a 
 root. 
 
 Alciphrcn. It is certain, that from this 
 root a beautiful tree has fprung up, bearing 
 m^ny branches and bloflbms of a rich and 
 lively verdure ; for the traditions concerning 
 Paradife are expreffed, by the Prophets, in 
 the boldeft allufions and poetical images. 
 The Tree of Life ftill flourifhes in the laft 
 book of the Sacred Writings : it forms thus 
 the commencement and the end of the 
 Hebrew Poetry* 
 
 EuGENitrs. And beautiful is its begin- 
 ning, and beautiful its end, my dear Alci- 
 phron ! Hovnt has the Paradife of Adam been 
 ennobled by the Prophets ? They extend it 
 even to the times of the MefTiah. Nay, the 
 Avrlters of the Nev/ Teftament have aggran- 
 dized it fo far as to give its name to the ce- 
 leflial world. There grows and flouriflies the 
 
 Tree 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. j^I 
 
 Tree of Life in never-fading bloom: — 
 thither do we all dired: our courfe, to feek, 
 beyond the gulphs and ftormy leas of this 
 tranfitory worlds the truly Fortunate IJlands\ 
 the Golden Age^ which will be permanent and 
 eternal. In all the Oriental Poetry, and, 
 even in the writings of the Arabian and Per- 
 fian Bards, the term Faradife exprefles, (if 
 we may ufe the language of the painters,) the 
 ideal^ or the moil exalted conception of 
 human joy and felicity. It is the anticipating 
 dream of love, youth, hope, and, finally, of a 
 future deftination, where 
 
 No fruitlefs wiflies torment the heart — 
 No painful reiie,xions opprefs the mind- 
 Where every objeft is permanent and pleafing ; 
 Where lucid flreams exhale perpetual fragrance ; 
 And where mortality and corruption are unknown* 
 
 Alciphron. This fcenery is no doubt 
 enchanting : but are not thefe ideas adapted 
 to attach men too much to the pleafures of 
 fenfe ? 
 
 Eugenius. Allow me to aik you in my 
 turn, Whether you can conceive any kind of 
 poetry, in which either a prefent or a future 
 world can be delhieated without the affiftance 
 
 E 2 of 
 
ji. ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 of fenfible objects, and the ideas which they 
 excite ? We know nothing of the beauties of 
 a prefent world, but by the impreflions they 
 make on our external fenies, and the ideas 
 which accompany thefe impreffions ; how 
 then can we fpeak of a future world, without 
 employing terms and images analogous to 
 thefe ? Accordingly we find that, in the ear- 
 lieft ages of the world, the ideas which men 
 formed of a future ftate, were of the fame 
 kind with thofe which are excited in the 
 mind by the impreffion of external objedls. 
 It is alfo certain, that, in after-times, the ideas 
 of many became fcill more grofs and fenfual, 
 as imagination, corrupted more and more by 
 irregular paffions, rendered them incapable of 
 relifhing, or even conceiving, any enjoyment 
 beyond animal pleafures ; and thus we find 
 Mahomet giving a grofsly fenfual account of 
 his paradife, drawn from his own impure and 
 grovelling propenfities. But all this mifrepre- 
 fentation proceeds from the abuies of men, 
 and not from the nature of the thing. Nay, 
 it may perhaps be affirmed, that even the 
 Mahometans have been mifreprefented in this 
 matter. Whatever may be faid, with truth, 
 of the licentioufneis of their chief, it is well 
 
 known, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 53 
 
 known, that their poets and philofophers 
 have fpoken of the future Paradife with as 
 much chaftity and metaphyfical refinement as 
 thofe of the northern nations. In general we 
 muft take into confideration the natural cha- 
 radter and genius of the Orientals, and their 
 ufual manner of expreffing their ideas. As 
 they feel and enjoy with a peculiar fenfibility, 
 we muft not be furprifed that their poetical 
 defcriptions of love, pleafure, expedation, 
 and hope, are animated, and glowing in a 
 high degree. 
 
 Alciphron. To this I have no objec- 
 tion : — I am rather difpofed to commend it 
 highly in poetical compofitions, vv^hich have 
 for their objeds, the innocent and agreeable 
 impreffions made upon the mind by the 
 pidurefque defcriptions of rural fcenes : but 
 I ftill think that thefe Elyfian fcenes have a 
 dangerous tendency to bend the mind too 
 much towards terreftrial gratifications, to 
 which the eaftern nations are ftrongly in- 
 clined. 
 
 EuGENius. I cannot, I confefs, enter- 
 tain any anxious apprehenfions of this kind, 
 
 E '\ when 
 
54. ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 when I confider the prefent ftate of man^ 
 mingled, as it is, with pain, labour, and 
 forrow, and thus Handing in need of the plea^ 
 fures of fancy and hope, at leaft, to call fome 
 rays of comfort on its gloom. On the con^ 
 trary, I feel a fmcere delight, when I find the 
 eaftern Bards, in their national fongs, repre- 
 fenting the verdant plains, the trees that pro^ 
 jed a deep and refrefhing fhade, the chryftal 
 lakes and purling ftreams, as the remains of 
 the ancient Paradife, and the prefage of its 
 reftoration, in a future fcene, w^hich they call 
 the land of Kden^ the happy region of tran- 
 quillity and contentment. How different are 
 thefe views of a future deftination from the 
 fordid notions of thofe northern Bards, the^ 
 fons of Odln^ who place their departed heroes 
 in lofty halls, daubed with gold, and loaded 
 "with hogflieads of metheglin and beer, which 
 they fwill out of the fl^ulU of their flaughtered 
 enemies ! How different alfo from the odious 
 fyftein of thofe pretended fages, in mor^ 
 civilized nations and times, who reprefent the 
 natural and ultimate ftate of man as a flat e of 
 war, f 'f]lh difcord and tumult, in which each 
 individual fij;ids enemies in all with whom he 
 conyerfes ! Ah ! Alciphron, gloomy and 
 
 inimical 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 55 
 
 inimical to man are the mufes which infpire 
 fuch ferocious and uncomfortable lays ! It is 
 the objed and end of poetry to elevate and hu- 
 manize the mind, and to render man not fierce 
 and favage, but fociable and benevolent. All 
 the poetical ideas and images, that have atend- 
 ency to produce thefe effeas, contribute effen- 
 tiall'y to his true improvement ; and, confe- 
 quently,the fubUme and beautiful piduresof a 
 Paradife of innocence, love, and contentment, 
 in the bofom of renewed and exalted nature, 
 muft tend diredly to this improvement. 
 
 Alciphron. And have the two famous 
 enchanted trees this tendency alfo ? 
 
 EuGENius. The TREE OF LIFE, moll cer- 
 tainly. This tree, in Oriental poetry, pre- 
 fents a moft pleafing, a moll deUghtful image, 
 even were the objed merely poetical If we 
 knew where it grew, we would all, furely, 
 dlred, with ardour, our courfe thither, and 
 take ihelter under its foliage. But now, while 
 piety, teviperance, and wifdom, are held forth 
 as a Tree of Life, which grOweth for all, and 
 qn the fruits of which all may feed, let us pa- 
 tiently wait for the other, until the proper 
 
 E ^ feafon. 
 
^6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 feafon. O ! my friend, how beautiful and 
 affeding does the Tree of Life appear, as it 
 is defcribed in the laft book of the New 
 Teftament ! There it rifes in profpedt, at the 
 end of our wanderings and conflidls in this 
 tranfitory ftate : — there it flourifhes in the 
 Paradife of God, to refefh the weary and 
 drooping pilgrims with its ever-growing 
 fruits, and to cover the nations with its ver- 
 dant and never-fading umbrage. O ! Alci- 
 phron, do not labour to fhed the baneful mifts 
 of fcepticifm and infidelity over this delight- 
 ful profped. Leave me, I befeech you, this 
 tree, that, when my parched tongue feeks re- 
 frelhment in vain, and my palate can no 
 more receive pleafure from any fruits of ter- 
 reftrial growth, I may fend forth the laft 
 breath of this mortal life, in the well-grounded 
 hope of an entrance into the Paradife of God. 
 
 Alciphron. And as to the Tree of 
 Knowledge— 
 
 Eu GENIUS. We fhall fpeak of that elfe- 
 where. At prefent, let m-e afk you. Whether 
 you do not think the Creator's bringing the 
 animals to Adam, that he might fee hov/ they 
 
 fliould 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 57 
 
 ihould refpedlvely be named, a beautiful trait 
 in the pidurefque defcription of Paradlfe ? 
 In this keen and attentive contemplation of 
 the inferior clafles of living creatures, the firft 
 man exerted his faculties, formed them to the 
 aft of obferving and the habit of diilinguifli- 
 ing, as alfo to the powers of coinpai^'ifon and 
 abJlra5lion, In a word, the underftanciing and 
 fpeech of the firft man were thus gradually 
 and naturally improved and formed. The 
 founds emitted by the animals, and by his 
 own organs, according to his ideas and per- 
 ceptions of the objedls before him, v^ere the 
 firfl words In Adam's Didionary. The firft 
 notices of conjTitutmi and charaEier in the ani- 
 mals were eafily perceived by him, when he 
 beheld and examined them with attention, as 
 In their gait, their motions, and in their man- 
 ner of living, there are evident marks of their 
 fpecific and refpedive charaders ; and thus 
 the animals were gradually led into a kind of 
 fociety with man. Accordingly, there is no 
 reprefentation of Paradlfe in which the fami- 
 liar intercourfe of the inferior creatures v/ith 
 Adam is omitted. They are always repre- 
 fented as acknowledging 7nan to be their Lord^ 
 and as (hewing a peaceable and voluntary fub- 
 miflion to his authority. 
 
 Alci- 
 
58 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. This, furely, has the afpedl 
 of a fabulous period, in two refpedts< — Para- 
 dife and /peaking animals ! 
 
 EuGENius. A golden period rather, my 
 friend ; you muft recolledl the delightful ac- 
 count of this period in Ifaiah* : 
 
 << The wolf {hall dwell with the lamb, 
 
 <* And ihe leopard fliall lie down with the kid 5 
 
 *< And the calf and the lion (hall go quietly 
 
 <' together ; 
 " And a little child fhall lead them : 
 ♦« The cow and the bear (hall feed b)'- each other, 
 ** And their young fhall lie down together ; 
 *« And the lion fliall eat flraw with the ox. 
 <* The fucking child fliall play on the hole of 
 
 « the afp, 
 " And the weaned child fiiall put his hand in 
 
 *' the hole of the cockatrice den : 
 <« They fliall not hurt nor deftroy 
 
 " in all my Holy Mountain ; 
 •' For the earth fliall be full of the knowledge 
 
 ** of Jehovah, 
 *< As the waters cover the fea." 
 
 The Prophets abound with defcriptions of 
 this kind ; and they are rich in imagery, and 
 full of grace and beauty. 
 
 * Ch. xi, ver. 6, &c. 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 59 
 
 Alciphron. xA.nd with refped to the paC- 
 fion of love in Paradife, what ideas are we to 
 entertain on that fubjedt ? Milton, indeed, 
 and other poets have painted it in lively and 
 beautiful colours, 
 
 EuGENius. True — the touches of MiU 
 ton's pencil, on this pleafing fubje6t, are full 
 of grace and genuine truth. Love, in Para-» 
 dife, is the fimple defcription of that affedion 
 in all Its original purity. Obferve the traits of 
 this charming picSure — the new, fecret, un- 
 known propenfity of the man, who finds him- 
 felf alone, and cannot exprefs his longing— his 
 fenfations — his fleep ; perhaps his dream ; — 
 confider the formation of the woman from his 
 breaft, the feat of his heart ; the manner in 
 which the Creator brings the woman to him, 
 and blefleth them both ; Adam's joy and con- 
 gratulation on their mutual exiftence ; their 
 nakednefs unaccompanied with any fenfe of 
 fhame or any wanton emotion : all this is the 
 expreflion of fuch a tender, calm, and amia- 
 ble fenfibility, that, even were it confidered 
 merely as poetry, it would ftill deferve to be 
 called the P^^/;^ ofPai^adife. In effect, fuch love 
 finds in Paradife its proper place. It is the 
 
 awakenin?: 
 
6o ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 awakening of the heart after the beautiful, 
 morning-dream of our infancy ; and I am 
 perfuaded, that nothing can be faid or fung 
 on this fubje£l with propriety and grace, 
 which does not derive its faireft charms from 
 the garden of Eden, and the fweet fimpUcity 
 and innocence of that primitive habitation of 
 the human race. Accordingly, it is ufual 
 among the Oriental Bards to reprefent, in this 
 manner, the fmiling periods of love and 
 youth. The Song of Solomon is compofed in 
 the fpirit of Paradife : Adam's joyful accents, 
 You are my beloved ! you are my other f elf I are 
 repeated there in fongs and dialogues from one 
 end to the other. 
 
 Alciphron. You do not however ima-? 
 gine that Adam really pronounced the words 
 contained in the kind of predidiion which is 
 attributed to him in the book of Genefis ; 
 where it is faid, A man Jloall leave his father 
 and mother and fh all cleave to his wfe^ and they 
 fball be one fief o * ? 
 
 EuGENius. I am perfuaded, at leaft, that 
 the feelings exprefied in thefe words, were 
 
 * Ch. ii. 23, 24. 
 
 thofe 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 6l 
 
 thofe of Adam : otherwife neither the tradi- 
 tion, nor the writer, by whom thefe words 
 have been tranfmitted to us, would have put 
 them in his mouth. Adam may have really 
 uttered thefe words, as well as he could, by 
 tones or geftures, perhaps by both : they ex- 
 prefs the fimpleft, and at the fame time, the 
 moft perfect conceptions of innocence and fe- 
 licity : and this tender predidion, or prefage, 
 announces the true Paradife of hearts. 
 
 Alciphron. You have given, I confefs, 
 a very fubtile and elegant analyfis of the 
 hiftory of Paradife ; but, do you think it to 
 have been the intention of the hiftorian, that 
 this old tradition fhould be reprefeuted and 
 illuftrated in your manner ? 
 
 EuGENius. Why not ? It muft be con- 
 fidered as, at leaft, one of the collateral pur- 
 pofes of the hiftorian ; fmce this reprefent- 
 ation of the matter difplays fo happily the 
 various and natural workings of the human 
 heart. The narration is evidently conneded 
 in the following manner : " Firft, they 
 " are naked, but not afhamed ;— afterwards, 
 " they eat of the tree, and then perceive their 
 
 " naked- 
 
62 ORIENTAL DlALOGUE^i 
 
 " nakeclnefs." The paternal Judge appears^ 
 and pronounces the lot that awaited them^ 
 namely, individual marriage, and a rural, or 
 cottage-life ; upon which the Creator himfelf 
 gives them cloathing. The period of their 
 Paradife has thus paffed with its concomitant 
 ideas and feelings, and they experience the 
 pains and forrows of this life* 
 
 Alciphron. This much refembles a cer^ 
 tain — 
 
 Eu GENIUS. No raili conjectures and fup- 
 pofitions, if you pleafe, on this fubjed:. 
 Above all, be efpecially on your guard againft 
 that imprDpdr and indecent hypothefis which, 
 I fee, has prefented itfelf to your lively ima- 
 gination. Nothing can be more oppofite to the 
 fpirit of allegories, and even of the language 
 of the Orientals than this hypothefis, and 
 others of later date, which refemble it, and are 
 flill more forced and inadmiflible. Such in- 
 terpretations of the Tree of Kno'wledge are the 
 impure inventions of modern times, and are 
 totally inconfiftent with the chafte fimplicity 
 which charaderizes this ancient, plain, and 
 venerable hiftory. When Adam knew his 
 
 wife, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 63 
 
 Wife, the fa£t was related plainly: — on the 
 other hand, the ideas and feelings which 
 arofe from eating the forbidden fruit, are alfo 
 mentioned with the fame fimplicity. Thefe 
 were new, but diftreffing and painful feel- 
 ings :•— the firft parents of the human race 
 fled and hid themfelves among the trees. 
 The voice of their Creator, by fixing their lot, 
 put an end to their perplexity and anxious ex- 
 pedations; and you know what follows. 
 This is not at all like an amorous fcene, or 
 the meeting of lovers to gratify their paffions/ 
 
 Alciphron. I wifli, however, that you 
 would be more explicit on this interefting 
 fubjedt, and unfold more clearly your ideas of 
 the tree, — the inftrument of temptation in the 
 hiftory of the fall. You would thus perhaps 
 throw fome light on the moft ancient fable or 
 allegory upon record ; and this, furely, will be 
 no digreffion from our purpofe. 
 
 EuGENius. Whether or how far the rela- 
 tion in queftion may be confidered as a 
 fable or allegory, we fhall fee afterwards : at 
 prefent let us confider it, for a moment, as It 
 lies before us, namely, as an ancient, plaia 
 
 record. 
 
64 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 record. What do you think is meant by the 
 Tree of Knowledge^ or of the knowledge of 
 good and evil ? What do thefe words fig- 
 nify ? 
 
 Alciphron. The knowledge of good 
 and evil, as that phrafe is ufed by the eaftern 
 writers, fignifies, if I am not miftaken, the 
 life of reafon a?id obfervation ; and it is gene- 
 rally employed to mark that period of life in 
 which the human underftanding begins to 
 open, operate, and judge : or it may fignify 
 the moral fenfe of mankind, their fufceptibi- 
 lity of virtuous or vicious chara£ter, which is 
 called, by fome, their practical underftand- 
 
 ing. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Very well : Thus w^hen a 
 perfon arrives at the years of intelligence and 
 refledlion, he perceives the difference between 
 good and evll\ or, in other words, he hath the 
 ufe of reafon. Moreover, when, after having 
 examined vv'hat is his duty in particular cafes 
 and relations, he faithfully performs it, and re- 
 fills the temptations to a contrary condu<S, he 
 then makes a right ufe of his, faculties, and 
 wifely diftinguiilies between good and evil, 
 4 Again, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 65 
 
 Again, finally, as, after tranfgrcffion, his cojU 
 fcience cbndemns him and makes him appre- 
 hend punifhment, he thus receives deeper 
 impreffions of the difference between good 
 and €vil, though not in an agreeable manner. 
 Here then you have the vv^hole hiftory of the 
 Tree under confideration,and its effential figni- 
 fication. God forbad the firft Parents of the hu- 
 man race to eat the frUit of that Tree: thus they 
 acquired the know^ledge of a duty^ which they 
 could eafily underftandj and were, therefore, 
 peculiarly obliged to perform. This was the 
 firft occafion that was prefented to them for 
 the exercife of their underftanding, in diftin- 
 guifhing between good and evil. All the 
 trees were good ; but of this Tree of Knozv^ 
 ledge they were forbidden to eat under a 
 folemn penalty. The ferpent endeavours to 
 weaken the force of this prohibition, by addrefl- 
 ing to them a difcourfe of the following kind: 
 " Ye are forbidden to eat of this Tree, becaufe 
 " its fruit contains the knowledge of good and 
 " evil; /. e. communicates a higher degree of 
 " knowledge and wifdom than ye already 
 " poffefs : eat of it then, freely, and ye fhall 
 " thereby be changed from children to men, 
 ** and from men to Gods or Elohim'' This 
 
 F reafon- 
 
66 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 reafoning, concerning the fenfe and inten- 
 tion of the Divine command, addrefled in- 
 fidioufly to our firft Parents, was the fecond 
 fcene of their trial. Finally, however, they 
 did eat of the Tree, and confcience w^as 
 awakened and alarmed : they perceived that 
 they had tranfgreired, and they had now a 
 view of things which they would have been 
 glad to have avoided. This painful view of 
 their ftate, was employed by their Creator as 
 a mean of leading them to new difcoveries 
 and duties. He made their deviation the 
 occafion of their tranfition to a new ftate and 
 condition of life, and even affifted them in 
 finding a fupply of their moft urgent wants, 
 and, among others, of clothing : — This was 
 the third fcene of their trial : Now might 
 their Creator fay, " The man is become as 
 " one of the Elohim; he hath learned to 
 " know and diftinguifh good and evil." 
 Thus v^e have the whole ftate of the cafe. 
 The knov\rledge of^good and evil is, at firft, 
 innocent, and, afterwards, in confequence 
 of falfe reafoning and erroneous conclufions, 
 it becomes chargeable with guilt. What do 
 you think of this account of the Jirji tranf- 
 greffion ? Is it not recommendable for its 
 good fenfe and fimplicity? 
 
 Alci- 
 
OHIENTAL DIALOGUES. 67 
 
 Alciphron. It might be fo, if the event, 
 tinder confideration, were a fable ; but I 
 doubt much of its propriety in an hiftorical 
 fafl: of high importance, and of fuch awful 
 confequence. Millions are fuppofed to have 
 derived death from Adam's having ate of this 
 apple ; and tfeis^ adt of his was owing to a 
 miftake. 
 
 EuGENius. This is not the place to confi- 
 der the doctrinal or moral conclufions which 
 have been deduced from this ftory. We have 
 now before us a Narration, which belongs to 
 the firft ftate of the human fpecies, the period 
 of its infancy, and we muft confider it with 
 a proper degree of attention to the fpirlt of 
 this early period. It may not, therefore, be 
 improper to analyfe this Narration, and to con- 
 fider, diftind:ly, the parts of which it is com- 
 pofed. It certainly contains the fundamental 
 ideas which entered into the creation of 
 Oriental poetry. 
 
 Alciphron. I fhall hear, with eagej-nefsy 
 your difcuffion of this fubjedl: — It muft be 
 interefting. 
 
 F 2 EUGE- 
 
68 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES.. 
 
 EuGENius. Obferve then, in the fiiil 
 place, that man has duties to perform \ this 
 is the firfl: outline of his nature and defti- 
 nation. The ferpcnt, who probably ate of 
 the Tree^ and thus, by his example, (which 
 is the mofl powerful kind of language,) ani- 
 mated the man to eat of it alfo, had no duties 
 to bind him. To eat of this fruit was finful 
 in man : in the ferpent it was innocent :-^ 
 Have you attended to this difierence ? 
 
 Alciphron. I recoiled:, on this occa-* 
 fion, that the Orientals divided living crea- 
 tures into two general clafles ; the firft com- 
 prehending the inferior animals, which are 
 fubjeft to no law : and the fecond, mankind, 
 who, as moral beings, are fubjedt to law, and 
 fufceptible of moral obligation. This dif- 
 tindion fets the matter, under confideration, 
 in the cleareft light. The ferpent, who had 
 no other guide than his fenfual inftind and 
 appetite, followed the impulfe of his nature, 
 and ate of the Tree. But the man aded in 
 oppofition to his duty, by following the ex- 
 ample of an irrational animal, and eating of 
 it alfo. 
 
 EucE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 69 
 
 EuGENius. Do you recoiled what was re- 
 marked, in one of our former conferences, with 
 refped to that paflage,in which Adam is repre- 
 fented as paffing the animals in review, and 
 giving to each fjpecies its proper name ? 
 
 Alciphron. I do — and he received, no 
 doubt, confiderable information, by his liv- 
 ing in a kind of fociety with the inferior 
 animals ; but, in the cafe before us, he was 
 greatly mifinformed and i'adly deceived, 
 
 EuGENius. And what was the animal 
 appointed by the Creator to be the accidental 
 caufe of his firft error, and of the mifappli- 
 cation of his faculties of perception and imi- 
 tation ? — Was it not the ferpent, whofe dif- 
 tindiye qualities -vjtrcfagadty and cunning? — 
 Thefe qualities appear in the difcourfe which 
 IS here attributed to that animal. They were 
 the charaBers^ and met alfo with the reward, 
 i^i ^ deceiver y 
 
 Alciphron. The more I refied upon 
 the tenor and moral of this ftory, the more 
 it pleafeth me. If I could confider it as a 
 Fablc^ I fliould think it a charming one. 
 
 F 3 EUGE^ 
 
70 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EuGENius. With refped to the drapery 
 in which it is exhibited, you may confider it 
 as fuch. Neverthelefs, it is a Piece^ that has 
 been really adled. You will furely find in 
 the Fables of jEfop and Lockman^ many lines 
 and ideas, relative to the character and curfe 
 of the Terpentine race, which refemble thofe 
 in the narration before us. 
 
 Alciphkon. Of thefe, the Oriental 
 Hiftories and Fables are full. They contain 
 many inftances of art and cunning afcribed 
 to ferpents,. and, among others, the art of 
 renewing their youth, which is fuch a darling 
 objed: of human ambition and effort. It 
 is faid, that in old age, they recover their 
 fight, that they are nimble and expert in 
 faving themfelves from impending danger ; 
 and, efpeciaily, in fecuring their heads, in 
 which their flrength and vital powers refide, 
 I could fliew you a whole lift of ftories, 
 which reprefent ferpents as producing fick- 
 nefs and reftoring health — depriving of their 
 fpeech falfe fwearers — fliutting their ears 
 again ft the charm of the enchanter; while, 
 at the fame time, they love mufick and follow 
 
 the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, Jl 
 
 the voice of the Priefts. Stories of this kind 
 are often repeated with fach confidence, that 
 we are at a lofs to know what we fhould 
 think of them. 
 
 EuGENius. Many of them may be, in 
 fome manner, conned:ed with the natural 
 hiftory of this animal, with which, indeed, 
 we are Httle acquainted. Several of them may 
 be no more than the fcattered fragments of 
 an ancient tradition, fwelled with new pro- 
 digies, during the lapfe of ages, in propor- 
 tion to its diftance from the fountain-head. 
 In procefs of time, truths and prodigies are lo 
 blended and mixed, that they are equally be- 
 lieved by the credulous multitude ; and no 
 wonder, fince it is well known with what 
 dexterity artful priefts, poets, and magicians 
 can avail themfelves of a motley tradition to 
 eftablifh their authority and promote their 
 interefls. It is- fufficient for our purpofe to 
 know that the ferpent was confidered, 
 throughout the Eaft, as a iligacious and fub- 
 tile animal, and, that it is a noxious one, 
 needs no proof. Obferve, I beieech you, 
 how all thefe lines of charadler are exprefled 
 in the recital now before us : — Fii ft, the fer- 
 
 F 4 pent 
 
72 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 pent makes a fplendid appearance, and pretends 
 to the wifdom of a counfellor and a guide ; 
 afterwards it appears as a vile reptile, — a con- 
 temptible deceiver. At firft, it feems to feed 
 on immortal fruit, to know the fecret powers 
 of Nature, and to be affociated, in fome mea- 
 fure, with the Elobim ; afterwards we find 
 him creeping or gliding on his belly, and con- 
 demned to lick the dull:. So far is he from 
 being immortal, that man hruifes his head, 
 while of man he can only bite the heel. He 
 is, at firft, the friend of Eve, whom he 
 appears defirous of exalting to the rank of a 
 fuperior being ; afterwards he becomes her 
 enemy, and is regarded as the declared enemy, 
 of the human race. Did you ever hear of 
 fuch remarkable and inftrudtiye contradid:ion3 
 in thfe fame animal ? And it is from this con- 
 temptible reptile, that the chiefs of the human 
 race hope to derive knowledge and wifdom ! 
 Surely the egregious folly of liftening to the 
 counfels and infmuations of fuch a creature, 
 '\% here expofed in the ftrongeft light. 
 
 Alciphron. But the fcene is focn 
 changed ; — for when the deed was done, the 
 pian confidered his deceitful guide in thq 
 
 fame 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 73 
 
 fame point of light as the ferpent appears iix 
 the curfe which was injflided on him. The 
 recital affunies a new form j and even fup- 
 pofmg that the fad had never happened, is 
 not the recital, confidered merely as a fable, 
 a moft inftrudive reprefentation of the critical 
 fj:ate5 the duties and dangers of the unexperi- 
 enced parents of the human race ? Here, in- 
 deed, every thing has a language — a warning 
 voice j the tree, the ferpent, and the whole 
 fcene indicate vdiat, alas ! we have learned 
 by a painful experience. I now fee how 
 foolifhly men have been torturing their inven- 
 tion, by idle inquiries about the ferpent, as, 
 whether in his firft ftate he had feet and 
 v/alked ? — Whether he was endowed with 
 underftanding fimilar to that of Adam, fo as 
 to form ideas of the curfe, and his degrada- 
 tion, and fo on ? 
 
 EuQENius. The Jewifh Dodors have mul- 
 tiplied queftions, ftill more prepofterous : — » 
 But let us not lofe our time with their ridicu- 
 lous fancies, fmce there are inftrudive linea 
 of the hiftory before us, worthy of illuftra- 
 tjon. It was the defign of the ferpent to open 
 the eyes of our firft Parents by their eating; of 
 
 the 
 
74 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 the forbidden fruit, and thus to make them 
 partakers of the wifdom of the Elohim, But 
 why and for what purpofe did it deceive them 
 by this vain hope ? Do you recoiled what 
 we have already faid concerning the Elohim? 
 
 Alciphron. Your meaning, 1 think, is 
 fufficiently clear. They were flattered with 
 the hopes of acquiring the penetration and 
 knowledge of the Elohim^ who were fappofed 
 to behold the fecret powers of nature with an 
 enlightened eye, and lay lurking, as it were, 
 behind the curtain which concealed thefe 
 powers from common obfervation. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. This indeed was a notion 
 generally received among the Orientals, v/ho 
 were as eager in their purfuits of this kind of 
 knowledge as we are in our endeavours to 
 find out the Philofophers Jiofie, Amazing is 
 the multitude of idle ftories and fables Vvrhich 
 have been handed down to us about thefe 
 fecret powers of nature, from the earlieft 
 times. In one place, this fecret knowledge 
 was fuppofed to be contained in a /r^^— elfe- 
 where, in certain images, or in the feal of a 
 ring, or in a talifman, and, fometlmes It was 
 
 fought 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 75 
 
 fought after in the flight or the finging of 
 birds : but it was moft generally attributed to 
 invifible fpirits or Geiiii^ which fubfifled on 
 the emanations of plants and flowers. Partak- 
 ing of this food of gods ^ thefe fpirits became 
 thereby partakers of their knowledge, of 
 which they were fometimes led, by a particu-- 
 lar impulfe, to communicate a portion to 
 certain individuals. TheTe flories feem to 
 have had a remarkable influence on the moral 
 doEtrine of the Orientals, not only with refpefl: 
 to its ornaments and allegories, but alfo its 
 proverbial maxims and precepts, 
 
 Alciphron. With refped: to its pre- 
 cepts and maxims alfo, do you fay ? 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Moft certainly : for in this 
 doctrine we find folemn and repeated warn- 
 ings againft fecret arts and divination. It 
 perpetually inculcates the neceffity of care- 
 fully diftinguiihing between this falfe, this 
 pernicious fpecies of pretended fcience, and 
 the pure fimplicity of true and red wifdom. 
 Of this, I think, I could abundantly convince 
 you, by producing a multitnde of precepts 
 and admonitions, in which the fear of God 
 
 and 
 
j6 OHIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 and obedience to his laws are fet in oppofitlon 
 to the fear of invifible beings, and the en- 
 chantments of falfe knowledge and pretended 
 wifdom. The former are reprefented by the 
 Tree of Ufe; the latter hy xht forbidden Tree 
 of fa!fe and pernicious Knowledge. But to 
 confine ourfelves to the hiftory now under 
 conilderation, you feem much inclined to look 
 upon it as a fable, if I am not miftaken, 
 
 Alciphron, This I cannot deny- 
 
 EuGENius. But we muft then examine 
 whether it has the proper charad:ers of a 
 bibulous or anegorical Relation, which muft 
 be connedled and confiftent in its parts, and 
 mftruclive in its defign. Now if we examine 
 the point of hiflory, under confideration^ by 
 thefe rules, we fhali not find, in its different 
 parts, the harmony and confiftence that con- 
 ftitute a regular and inftrudlive apologue. In 
 its parts there is manifeftly incoherence, and 
 even contradiction, and things which are not 
 fufceptible of any moral application. Firft 
 we fee death announced to the primitive Pair, 
 in cafe they fliould eat of the forbidden fruit ; 
 and, neyerthek'fs, this penalty did not take 
 
 place 
 
ORIENTAL BIALOGUESi 7/ 
 
 place when they had tranfgreffed ; nay^ 
 their tranfgrellion is followed by efFeds of 
 a very different nature, which were not com- 
 prehended in the prohibition. Moreover, 
 if you conned w4th this tree and its fruit the 
 acquifition of knowledge and wifdom, as the 
 ferpent had predided, then it is only the 
 predidion of the ferpent which feems, in 
 fome meafure, to have been realized. The 
 eyes of our firft Parents were, in e3ed, 
 opened : they became, as God himfelf faid, 
 like unto the Elohim. Why then had He 
 forbidden them to eat of the tree ? And 
 what connexion is there between this newly 
 acquired wifdom of Elobifn^ and the thorns 
 and thiftles of the earth, the labours of the 
 field, and the pains of child-birth ? Nay, 
 farther. Why %¥ere thefe new Elohiin obliged 
 to leave Paradife ? They might have re- 
 mained there with the brotherhood of Elah'im^ 
 and that w^ith propriety, (as far as we can 
 judge,) unlefs the Creator had really appre- 
 hended, that as they had eaten of the Tree of 
 Knov/ledge, they would alfo eat of the I'rce of 
 Lifcy and thus become immortal Elobim \ as, 
 Againft his command, they had afpired to the 
 
 rank 
 
78 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 rank of wife Elohhn, Pray explain-, Ifyoii 
 can, your fuppofed fable. 
 
 Alciphron. That is your bufinefs, and 
 to you I leave it. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. For my part, I fee no poffi- 
 bility of explaining it, if it muft be confidered 
 as 2i fable. But if we confider it as the narra- 
 tion of 2ifaB.^ of an inftrudlive event, w^hich 
 really happened to the firft Parents of the 
 human race, in their primitive ftate of moral 
 and intelledual infancy, then every part of 
 the narration is clear, and the confequences 
 of the event are perfectly natural. Let us 
 begin the illuftration of it by that memorable 
 circumftance relative to our firft Parents, 
 which is mentioned by the facred hiftorian, 
 who tells us, that " they were naked^ and 
 " w^ere not ajlda7nedr Do you think that 
 they could have remained in this ftate ? 
 Gould they have continued always naked, 
 without any feeling of ftiame or confufion ? 
 
 Alciphron. Certain enthufiafts have 
 anfwered this queftion in the affirmative. 
 
 « Eve, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 79 
 
 *' Eve, fd'^ they^ would not have conceived 
 " and brought forth as w^omen are now im- 
 " pregnated and delivered : an important 
 " change has taken place,^ in this refped, in 
 '' confequence of the entrance of fin, and in 
 " order to its puniihment." 
 
 EuGENius. If this be true, my friend. 
 Eve was not formed like the women of our 
 times; for they, confidering their bodily- 
 frame and confhitution, cannot become 
 mothers in any other way than that which 
 actually takes place ; and the firft bleffing of 
 the Creator announces it as the fignal defti- 
 nation of the human race, that they jChould 
 replenijh or people the earth. The earth was 
 certainly made to be peopled, and confe- 
 quently to be cultivated; for this Paradife, 
 which was placed at the fources of four rivers, 
 could not be equally fertile and produ£live in 
 every place, more efpecially in cold and raw 
 climates. Accordingly, the cultivation of the 
 earth muft foon have become neceflary : here 
 labour was required, with which the fweat 
 of mail s brow was as naturally connected as 
 pain was with child-birth. The one and 
 the other were the natural effedis of the bodily 
 5 conJlitutio?t 
 
80i OklEKTAL DIALOGUES^ 
 
 con/lit ution znd.fituatmi of the human fpeciesi 
 In a word, if certain vifionaries cannot point 
 out to us another earth, and another race of 
 men, entirely different from thofe we know^ 
 a[nd to which the blefling pronounced by- 
 God at the creation of man muft evidently 
 be applied, we fhall leave them to indulge 
 themfelves with their idle dreams of a body of 
 glafs for Adam, and of a Paradife under the 
 North'Pele, 
 
 Alciphron. You fuppofe then that 
 God really formed man for that ftate in 
 which he is at prefent, 
 
 EuGENius. And w^ho but his Creator 
 fliould have formed him for it ? God,- 
 who formed man out of the duft clearly 
 forefaw the whole feries of events that 
 were to take place with refpeft to 
 him and the human race, in all their cir- 
 cumftances, connexions, and refults. He 
 knew the faculties and propenfities of man. 
 He knew the powers and defires of the foul, 
 w^hofe fpiritual nature he had united with a 
 material fubftance. He knew every error 
 and deviation to which it was liable ; and^ 
 
 in 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 8l 
 
 in one word, he knew perfedly that man 
 was — what he was. To deny this would be 
 abfurd, in every point of view ; it would 
 betray a total ignorance of our nature, our 
 faculties, and the world, of which we are the 
 inhabitants. There is no kind of philofophy 
 fo hateful, or rather fo contemptible, as that 
 which employs all its art or artifice to put out 
 men's eyes, that they may not fee themfelves. 
 Neither the Hebrew Poetry, nor the philo- 
 fophy of the New Teftament, know any 
 thing of this Juhlime nonfenfe. We find 
 neither in the Pfalms, nor in the writings of 
 the Prophets, any thing that refembles the 
 conclufions, which feveral modern writers, by 
 a fanciful philology, or a falfe philofophy, 
 have drawn from the hiftorical fa£l now be- 
 fore us. The plain and conftant language 
 of Sacred Writ, on this important fubject, 
 may be comprehended in a few words : 
 " Adam finned firft, and we are all finners 
 " as he was, and we muft alfo die as he died : 
 " as Eve was tempted and deceived, fo are 
 we alfo tempted and deceived, and thus 
 depart from the fimplicity of truth and 
 good^'* Such is the language of Scripture : 
 but it doth n\Ot fiiy, that^ in aiiy of its parts, 
 
 G " our 
 
82 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 " our bodily frame is entirely different from 
 " that of our firft Parents ;" It doth not even 
 infinuate that, as foon as Adam fmned, his 
 nature, a^ an intellectual and moral being, was 
 totally degraded and ruined ; and that both he 
 and his pcfterity through him, were necef- 
 farlly and unavoidably fubjecled to number- 
 lefs and dreadful deviations and perverfions, 
 both of underftanding and will. What he 
 fuffered, is here clearly defcribed. 
 
 Alciphron. What then did he fufFer? 
 And how did his fufferings proceed con- 
 fequentially from the prohibition relative to 
 the Tree of Knowledge ? 
 
 EuGENius. Suppofe that the Tree, from 
 tvhich he was commanded to abftain, was, 
 though not deadly, yet noxious to his con- 
 llitution: God announces its pernicious in- 
 fluence by the term deaths (of which the maTl 
 could only form a confufed idea, as of fome- 
 thing unhappy,) partly to diftinguifh its un- 
 happy effeds from the benignant influence of 
 the Tree of Life, and alfo to terrify our firft 
 Parents from eating of it. However, — He 
 who knoweth^^all hearts, and all things, and 
 
 even 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 83 
 
 even all contingencies and poffibilities, fore- 
 faw their weaknefs and their tranfgrefFion ; 
 and, as it would have been unwife to have 
 created a race of beings lb little adapted to the 
 ftate in which they were deftined to live, that 
 they muft perifli,even after the firft moments of 
 their exiftence ; he placed within their reach 
 a Tree, which anfwered his original purpofe 
 with refpedl to the human race ; and, at the 
 fame time, occafioned a new modification in 
 the ttate of man, and led our firft Parents, 
 in fome meafure, to a change of fcene. 
 
 Alciphron. I don't well underftand 
 you. 
 
 EuGENius. The fruit of the Tree ex- 
 cited defires, heated the blood, occafioned 
 fear, inquietude, and apprehenfion. Thefe 
 feelings were managed by the paternal wif- 
 dom of the Creator, to point out to his chil- 
 dren the confequences of their firft tranfgref- 
 fion, both with refped to themfelves and 
 their deceiver. Thefe confequences he fet 
 before them in a manner that was adapted to 
 infpire terror. The new ideas excited by 
 their tranfgreffion, foreboded to them fcenes 
 
 G 2 gf 
 
S4 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 of life entirely different from thofe which 
 they might have cxpecled in a ftate of obe- 
 dience. The Virgin of Paradife muft, in 
 procefs of time, become a mother. She, who 
 was hitherto the bride of Adam, muft hence- 
 forth be Eve; i. e. the woman of the cot- 
 tage, the fervant of the inhabitants of the 
 earth, who were to defcend from her. The 
 peaceful inhabitant of Paradife, who w^as 
 deftined to pafs only the firft days of his 
 youth in this primitive garden of innocence 
 and pleafure, fees now before him active 
 fcenes of painful induftry and labour; which, 
 however, belong to his true and effential de- 
 iVmation. Finally, the awful w^ord death 
 was pronounced, and he was prepared for 
 this general lot of humanity in the mildeft 
 manner. In fine, his firft tranfgreflion be- 
 came, by the providential arrangement of his 
 God and Father, a paternal meafure for fix- 
 ing his ftate and deftination, and even his 
 puniiliment, (how can the beft of Beings 
 punifti otherwlfe ?) a new blefllng, though 
 accompanied w4th no fmall mixture of for- 
 -row and pain. It was necelHuy that tlxc firft 
 man fliould have the door of his cottage 
 opened, and it was to be opened by his own 
 error. I hope you ?iow underftand me ? 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 85 
 
 Alciphron. Perfedly well; and by 
 this manner of explaining the event under 
 confideration, it acquires indeed a new 
 afpedt : every thing appears natural, and 
 there is nothing in the relation fuperfluous or 
 ufelefs. Even in the manner in which the 
 punilhment is decreed and announced, every 
 thing is paternal and indulgent. It appears 
 to me as the ctnticipated abridgement of the 
 Natural Hiftory of the Human Race. The 
 father lets his child fall in the gentleft man- 
 ner : — It is the child himfelf that plucks 
 the apple, the inftrument of his approaching 
 pains and labours : He is, by the inward 
 fenfe of his mind, led to attribute to himfelf 
 only his exclufion from Paradife, in which 
 he neither could, nor was deftined to 
 abide always. The man, by lofmg fight of 
 his dependance, withdrew from his Father's 
 houfe : Now he may become his own mafter 
 and take care of himfelf. 
 
 EuGENius. Do you fee nothing mon 
 this hiftory — no line of conformity v 
 our actual fituation ? 
 
 •e in 
 with 
 
 G 3 Alci- 
 
86 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. Yes; in confidering the 
 objed: farther, and comparatively, I think I 
 do ; for we live in a fimilar ftate, and in 
 fimilar circumftances^ mutatis mutandis^ v/ith 
 our firft Parent. We fni alfo like Adam, 
 and like him we are punilhed ; that is, led to 
 a condition, accompanied with unavoidable 
 pains and hardihips. 
 
 EuGENiuS. And do you find in this hif- 
 tory no illuftration with refpedl to the precife 
 nature of fin or moral evil ? 
 
 Alciphron. I do fee here indeed the 
 true nature of fin reprefented, with perfedt 
 precifion, as a departure from fimplicity and 
 redlitude, in confequence of inconfiftent 
 views and ftrong impreffions from external 
 objeds, which intoxicate the fenfes or cloud 
 the underftanding. In every human being 
 there is a law which commands and forbids, 
 whether it comes from the inward tribunal 
 of confcience, or the pofitive appointment 
 .of fuperior authority, Aferpent^ at the fame 
 time, which either feduceth or feeketh to 
 feduce, is always at hand ; that is to fay, the 
 
 pleafures 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 87 
 
 pleafures of fenfe, or falfe Ideas of happlnefs, 
 or both thefe united. The confequcnces of 
 tranfgreflion are likewife the fame ; and I 
 hope, from the goodnefs of our merciful God 
 and Father, that the punifliments which he 
 inflids on his erring creatures, will alfo have 
 one general tendency ; and, in the iffue of 
 things, prove paternal benefits and gracious 
 arrangements to lead us, though it may be 
 fometimes through painful paths, to true 
 felicity. 
 
 Thus, then, my friend, you fee the field 
 of trial and conteft that is opened to the hu- 
 man race on all its fides ; firft, Nature, Para- 
 dife, love, innocence, dominion over the 
 inferior creatures ; every thing, in a word, 
 vvrhich is adapted to make pleafing impref- 
 fions on the youthful imagination. In the 
 midft of this delightful fcene ftands the Tree 
 of Obedience, the great objed: of the Moral 
 Poetry of the Eaft, in w^hich all true enjoy- 
 ment and happinefs are centered. On the 
 other hand, with the eating of the fcroiddea 
 fruit all the evils incident to humanity bcr 
 gin to afflid the earth ; fuch as labour, fer- 
 G 4 vitude. 
 
88 ORIENT.AL DIALOGUES. 
 
 vitude, pain, ficknefs, and death, of which 
 we find fo many afFeding defcriptions in the 
 Book of Job and the Pfahns. The fhort 
 narrative before us contains an immenfe 
 fund of knowledge and wifdom. Compared 
 with it, the Apologue of Prometheus and 
 Pandora is but a poor and barren allegory. 
 But before we quit this fubje£l, I mull afk 
 you. Whether you do not perceive in this hif- 
 tory another circumftance which is highly 
 poetical? 
 
 Alciphron. I fuppofe you mean the 
 Cherubim^ with xh^ flaining fword. But thefe 
 w^ere thundering Jieeds or war-horfes. 
 
 EuGENius. Thundering-fteeds at this 
 early period ! How very improbable would 
 this render the poem ? And how can fuch a 
 notion be entertained, when it is confidered, 
 that all the reft of the narration is perfectly 
 confiftent v/ith the nature and charader of the 
 time ? Had Adam any knowledge of v/ar- 
 horfes ? From whence could he derive fuch 
 an idea ? And what relation hath fuch an 
 objeQ to the fcene now before us ? 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 89 
 
 Alctphron. Your queftions, I own, 
 puzzle me ; and, neverthelefs, in the Hebrew 
 Poetry Cherubim always fignifies thundering 
 Jleeds. 
 
 EuGENius, No fuch thing; I do not recoi- 
 led: a fmgle paffage where the term has even 
 the appearance of bearing that fignification. 
 By a prophet indeed of later times we find 
 horfes mentioned in awful fcenes of God's ap- 
 pearance poetically defcribed ; but thefe were 
 not Cherubim^ The Lord appears in his war- 
 chariot, to w^hich, no doubt, horfes belong, 
 but he doth not thunder. " He ftandeth and 
 " meafureth the land : before him goeth the 
 " peftilence : birds of prey fall at his teet : he 
 " beholdeth and driveth afunder the nations, 
 " and the everlafting hills are fcattered : now 
 " he draws his bow : the mountains fee him 
 *' and tremble : the fun^and moon ftand ftili 
 " in their habitations : he walks through the 
 *' fea wath his horfes, through the heap of 
 " great waters*.'' In this fublime defcrip- 
 tion, we fee nothing about thundering Jieeds 
 or Cherubim, , 
 
 * Habakkuk, Ili. /<^?rt. 
 
 Alci- 
 
go ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphrcn. The Greeks, however, 
 give thimdering Jieeds to their Jupiter; and 
 we find them magnificently defcribed by 
 Virgil. 
 
 EuGENius. And what then ? Is Jupiter 
 Jehovah ? Is Virgil a Hebrew Bard ? The * 
 Peruvians confider thunder as the rattling 
 noife of a veffel, which the beautiful rain- 
 goddefs holds in her hand ; her brother 
 knocks it to pieces, upon which the thunder 
 roars, and the rain falls. This is the mytho- 
 logy of the Peruvians ; but how foolifh would 
 it be to illuftrate, by this mythology, the 
 poetry of the Hebrews ? And in this refpcfl: 
 the Greeks have no privilege above the Peru- 
 vians. But after all, is there nothing to be 
 learned with refped: to the' Cherubim^ from 
 the Hebrew Poets ? Are they not defcribed 
 to us plainly and pofitively as works of art ? 
 
 Alciphron. We have only to examine 
 the paflages in which they are mentioned. 
 And here we are firft to confider the form 
 under which they are reprefented, above the 
 ark of the teJiimo?2y^\ 
 
 * Exod. XXV. 17, &c. — xxxvi, 8. and '^^. 
 
 EUGE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 9I 
 
 Eu GENIUS. There they appear with wings 
 and faces, as looking down upon the ark, and 
 overfhadowing, with their wings, the mercy" 
 feat : and it is probable that they were re- 
 prefented in the fame manner on the ta- 
 peftry. In the temple of Solomon they ap- 
 pear alfo under fimilar forms, but on a 
 larger fcale and with greater magnificence*. 
 
 Alciphron. We cannot conclude much 
 from thefe defcriptions : for faces and wings 
 may have a great diverfity of forms. 
 
 EuGENius. We muft then have recourfe 
 to the temple of Ezekielf. In his defcrip- 
 tion the Cherubim have two faces, one of a 
 man, the other of a lion ; no mention at all 
 of horfes. They even appear to the prophet 
 in the clouds J, One cherub holds out the 
 hand of a man, which grafps fire. The 
 vifion appears twice, and is illuftrated by 
 comparifon. Each animal hath four faces, 
 that of an ox, a man, a lion, and an eagle, 
 according to the fide on which it is feen. 
 
 * See I Kings, vi. 2?. 2 Chron. ili. 7., where the de- 
 fcription of Exodus is repeated. 
 
 t Ezek. xh. 18. X Ibid. X. 14. 
 
 Thefe 
 
92 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Thefe four faces appeared alfo to St. John in 
 a vifion, with this difference only, that they 
 did not all belong to one animal, 
 
 Alciphron, What then ? 
 
 EuGENius. Two conclufions may be 
 evidently drawn from hence : firjl^ that the 
 Cherubim was a compound of different ani- 
 mal figures : and^ fecondly^ that there was no 
 figure of a horfe among them. 
 
 Alciphron. Are there no more paffages 
 relative to this fubjed ? 
 
 EuGENius. There is one which I think 
 decifive : the proud King of Tyre is called by 
 Ezekiel a cherub'^ ^ who had dwelt in Eden, 
 in the garden of the Elohhn^ on the holy 
 mount, and had zvalked there up and down 
 amidjl the /tones of jire. This emblematical 
 picture was defigned to exprefs, in the moft 
 lively and brilliant manner, the power of this 
 monarch, and the pride and luftre of his royal 
 ftaie. All the fplendor of the onyx, the fap- 
 
 * Eztk. X. 14. — I. 10, Sec. 
 
 phi re, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 93 
 
 phire, the diamond, and other precious ftones, 
 fhone forth in his robes, and he %vas ?nade per- 
 feEl ill bis ways from the day in which he was 
 created^. Now do you know what kinds or 
 forms of animals were employed in the earli- 
 eft times, and particularly among the Ori- 
 entals, as emblems and marks of proud pomp 
 and magnificence ? Precifely the four ani- 
 mals of whofe forms the Cherubim was com- 
 pofed, the lion, the ox, the man, and the 
 eagle. You may probably have heard of the fol- 
 lowing apophthegm of the Hebrews ; " There 
 " are four fuperb creatures in the world, the 
 " lion among the wild beafts, the ox among 
 " the tame, the eagle among the birds, and 
 " the man, who furpafleth them all." 
 
 Alciphron. But this proverbial faying 
 is not decifive with refped: to the earlieft 
 times ; becaufe the parts, of which the che- 
 rubim was compofed, feem to have under- 
 gone feveral variations 
 
 EuGENius. This happens to all works of 
 art, more efpecially to their ornamental parts, 
 
 * Ezekiel, xxvlii. 12, &c, 
 
 in 
 
94 ORIEITTAL DiALOGtiES. 
 
 ' in which invention or unexpected incidents' in- 
 troduced variations. Neverthelefsthe original 
 fpirit of the compofition remains amidft thefe 
 changes; and in the cafe, under confidera- 
 tion, the time is fo marked that it cannot be 
 miftaken : for Ezekiel brings his Tyrian 
 monarch to the very place where the oldeft 
 Cherubim flood, on the mountain of God, in 
 Paradife, and reprefents him as a fplendid, 
 awful, and pompous form. He probably 
 borrowed thefe characters and images from 
 the idea of his royal ftate and fplendor, and 
 alfo from the received notion of the Cherubim 
 as brilliant and awful forms, which guarded 
 tiie way to the Tree of Life, This defcrip- 
 tion of Ezekiel, combined with other Eaftern 
 traditions, give us, I think, a fufficient idea 
 of thefe extraordinary compofitions, without 
 our having recourfe to your thundering jleeds 
 to illuftrate the fubjedt. 
 
 Alciphron. What other Eaftern tradi- 
 tions do you mean ? 
 
 EuGENius. Have you never heard of a 
 fabulous animal, which is fuppofed to have 
 lived on the mountains of the ancient world, 
 
 and 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. gj 
 
 and even in the very region where Paradife is 
 placed by our hiftory, and which is faid alfo 
 to have been the guardian of precious trea- 
 fures in the earlieft periods of our globe ? 
 
 Alciphron. You mean I fuppofe, the 
 dragon, or griffin, which was the keeper of 
 the famous golden apples ? 
 
 EuGENius. No ; that is the tradition of 
 later times, and of the Northern nations. 
 The people of the Eaft fpeak of a winged 
 animal whofe dwelling is on the mountain 
 called Kaf^ and which is faid to have had 
 violent combats with the giants of the ancient 
 world. This animal, according to their ac- 
 count, is diftinguiihed by its knowledge and 
 piety, fpeaks all languages, has the wifdom 
 of the fphinx, and the cunning of the griffin, 
 guards the road w^hich leads to the treafures 
 of Paradife, and is a prodigy among the 
 works of God, which can neither be enfnared 
 by art, nor fubdued by force. ThQfph'mx of 
 the Egyptians, the dragon of the Greeks, and 
 the griffin of the Northern nations, were all, 
 undoubtedly, one and the fame creature, 
 though differently defcribed and charader- 
 
 i ized 
 
.96 , ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 ized according to the particular notions of 
 dtfferent countries and dIfFerent times. You 
 will eafily perceive that all the later traditions 
 concerning certain guards, which were pofled 
 at the gates or entrance of Paradife, to keep 
 the l^ree of hnmortality^ as alfo the fhining, 
 terrific forms on the facred mountain, and the 
 flainhig fword moving upwards and down« 
 wards, and to right and left, agree well with 
 the defcription Vv^hich Ezekiel gives of his 
 Cherubim, AVl this has been embellifhed from 
 time to time, by every nation, both in poetry 
 and profe ; nay, it has even been augmented 
 by new fables*. It is enough for our purpofe 
 to confider the hiftory of the Cherubim^ as 
 it fiands in the progrefs of the Hebrew 
 Poetry. ' At firft, they appear as guardians 
 and defenders with their flaming fwords, and 
 not as deftroyers, as fome have abfurdly ima- 
 gined. We find them again in the tabernacle 
 of Mofes, and he, perhaps, perceiving acon- 
 fiderable refemblance between them and the 
 fphinxes, placed them in conformity with the 
 Egyptian manner, over the ark of the tefli^ 
 
 '^ See the Fables of Simorganla, Sohawy and other animal 
 pioduftlons of fancy in Boc HART, Herbelot, and a multi- 
 tude of Oiiental Poems. 
 
 inonj* 
 
OHIENTAL DIALOGUES. 97 
 
 moriy. From the ark, they were afterwards 
 tranfported to the clouds, where they were 
 iztn in a vifion, and thus the glory of the 
 Lord, or Jldekhi^h^ which had refted upon, 
 them in the ark^ came alfo upon them here. 
 Thus they became a poetical image among the 
 Hebrews; and, finally, a prophetic vifion. 
 The tranfition of the Cherubim from a piece 
 of carved work over the ark of the teftimony, 
 to a Cherubim in the clouds, a Being which 
 bears the throne of Jehovah, is clearly notified 
 by that expreffion of the prophet, " God 
 " whofe throne is between the cherubims ;' 
 and this is a reprefentation of the glory of the 
 Lord v^\C\q\\ we find in the books of Samuel*. 
 No fooner was this reprefentation tranfported 
 to the clouds, than the bold imagination of 
 the poets took the liberty to employ it in their 
 pidiurefque defcriptions of the heavenly 
 world, and David feems to have been the firft 
 who combined all the parts of this pompous 
 imagery, and employed them in the fervice cf 
 the temple f. Now you will eafily perceive 
 that his Cherubim is fo far from having any 
 
 * I Samuel, iv. 4. 2 Samuel) vi. 2. 
 f Pfalm xvlii. 2, 6cc. 
 
 H refem- 
 
9.8 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 refemblance of thundering fteeds, that thc^ 
 pafTage in the Pfahns, in which they are 
 alluded to, is rather adapted to banifh fuch 
 an idea, if there were any other that feemed 
 to favour it. For the cherub of David is a 
 ivifigcd animal^ on wdiicli God is fuppofed to 
 fly ; it ftands in the parallcUfm over againft 
 the w'mgs of the njoind^ and thunder and 
 lightning are introduced into this fplendid and 
 magnificent imagery. Let me recall to your 
 memory fome of the lines of this fublime 
 pidlure : " I cried unto the Lord in my 
 " diftrefs, and he heard my voice out of hi& 
 *' temple : He bowed alfo the heavens and 
 " came down, and darknefs was under his 
 " feet : He fat upon a cherub and did fly; He 
 " did fly upon the wangs of the florms." The 
 God whom we find reprefented, even in the 
 time of Ifaiah^'^^ 2i% fitting above the Cherubim ^^^2^% 
 nothing more than an ancient Mofaic expref- 
 fion, which is repeated in the books of Samuel 
 and the Pfalms. When God appeared ta 
 Ifaiah, there was no Cherubim in the defcrip- 
 tion w^hich the Prophet makes of this appear- 
 ance t* I^ after-times and out of Judea, 
 
 Ifaiah, xxxvli. i6. f Ifaiah, tI. i — 8, 
 
 among 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 99 
 
 among the captives on the banks of the river 
 Chebar^ this poetical tablature of Ifaiah became 
 a prophetic vifion, and the Cherubim fhone 
 forth in a full blaze of glory*. But it was 
 hot a thunder-chariot that they drew : they 
 bore the throne oi the glory of the Lord; and 
 there appeared over them as it were 2ifapphire 
 Jlo7ie ; /. e, a clear and lucid firmament, and 
 like a rainbow in the clouds, was the luftre 
 that fpread itfelf around them. This is a fub- 
 lime, fplendid, and beautiful defcription, but 
 ftothing that prefents an idea of a thunder- 
 chariot, or fteeds of war. 
 
 Alciphron. Thus your Cherubim have 
 three periods in their hiftory : — Firft they are 
 carved works in the temple — afterwards, 
 images in the clouds \ and, finally, a pro- 
 phetic vifion. 
 
 EuGENius. You muft add to this account 
 another circumftance, and an eflential one ; 
 which is, that they had a place in the tradi- 
 tion concerning Paradife. This, my friend-, 
 is the circumftance on which all the notices 
 
 * Ezekiel, 1. and x. 
 
 H 2 WQ 
 
IGO ORIENTAL DIALOGUE^. 
 
 ^ve have of them are founded. If hi the primi-* 
 tive hiftory of Paradife they had not been men-* 
 tioned as living creatures^ Mpfes would never 
 have thought of reprefenting them as he did 
 over the ark of the tc/litnony^ nor would they 
 ever have been tranfported from thence to the 
 clouds, nor have finally become a prophetic 
 vifion-. You muft however eafily conceive, 
 that in procefs of time, and confidering the 
 different occafions on which the Cherubim 
 xvere employed, changes mufl have naturally 
 been introduced in the imagery by which 
 they were reprefented. In the mofi ancient 
 record, it was an awful and extraordinary 
 "work of God' — in the tabernacle, a lifelefs pro^ 
 duBion ofhznnan art — in the Pfalms, a work of 
 poetical fancy ; and, finally, in prophetic 
 vifion, a living, a celeflial creature, which 
 bears the fhokinah or the glory of the Lord. 
 The prophet Ezekiel announces, plainly, 
 thefe variations in the appearances of the Che- 
 rubim. He defcribes in a lively and fublime 
 manner, their appearance in heaven with 
 their four forms and faces. In his temple he 
 reprefents them with only two animal-faces, 
 to avoid, perhaps, any thing that might have 
 a. tendency to occafioa or encourage idolatry ; 
 ^'^' and. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. lOI 
 
 an4, for thefe or other reafons, the reprefent- 
 ation of the Cherubim, in the tabernacle of 
 Mofes, was remarkable for its fimplicity. 
 
 Alciphron. The permanent and predo- 
 minant idea of the Cherubim was, confe- 
 quently, that of an extraordinary produdlion; 
 a combination of various kinds of animals ? 
 
 EuGENius. Undoubtedly : — the defcrip- 
 tion which Jofephus gives of their nature, 
 from the tradition of his time, reprefents them 
 as ivinged living cjiimals^'\ of a form and 
 afpedt different from every thing that had 
 been feen by men ; as an affemblage of the 
 greats the terrible^ and the wonderful. It is, 
 however, manifeft that they bore fome re- 
 femblance of the eagle^ the &///, the maii^ and 
 the lion^ as far as the poets could paint, or 
 the artifts execute thefe fubje^ts. The Che- 
 rubim of the ark were alfo known more or lefs 
 to the Arabians by their traditions : they 
 were known to them as winged creatures ia 
 fomething like the human forin, with eyes 
 that darted flame, and which, in time of war, 
 
 H 3 had 
 
102 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 had raifed deftrudlve ftorms againft their ene- 
 mies : a fidion which, probably, derived 
 its origin from events recorded in fcripture- 
 hiflory. 
 
 Alciphron. But what was it, in your 
 opinion, that gave rife to the moft ancient 
 mythology, I mean, that of the Cherubim at 
 the gate of Paradife ? 
 
 EuGENius. Of this a tradition univerfally 
 fpread gives a probable account. That thefe 
 Cherubim were guards placed on the way to 
 the Tree of Life ^ to the garden of the Hefpe- 
 rides, is a fad recorded without any variation. 
 We learn, moreover, from the prophet 
 Ezekiel, that the Cherubim of the Orientals 
 w^ere encamped on a mountain ; and the 
 current relations of eaflern writers confirm 
 the fad. They all reprefent the Cherubim 
 as placed on a high hill, in one of the remoteft 
 parts of Afia, behind which Paradife is fup- 
 pofed to lie, nearly where it is placed by 
 Mofes. Do you know no other hiflory or 
 mythology in which mention is made of a 
 motmtain of God ^ remarkable for its fplendor 
 and beauty ? 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I03 
 
 Alciphron. No— I do not recoiled 
 any. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Such a mountain is never- 
 tlielefs believed to exift, by all the Eaftern 
 nations from Tibet to the Red fea. They 
 entertain the notion of a mountain on which 
 gods, guardians, Elohim^ daemons, and holy 
 men, have their refidence ; and fome tradi- 
 tions mingled with thofe of the Hebrews, 
 place this mountain in the north, where pro- 
 bably the monarch was, in wliofe rnouth (to 
 cover his pride with derifion) the Prophet 
 ifaiah puts the following words'^ j 
 
 <^ I will afcend into heaven, 
 *' I will exalt my throne above the ftars of God 5 
 *« I will fit alfo on the mount of God's council, 
 ■« In the fides of the north.'* 
 
 This mythology could not take place among 
 the Jlebrews, becaufe they confidered only 
 Sinai and Siori as the mountains of God ; and 
 you know with what elevation and ardour of 
 exprefhon Ifaiah fpeaks of mount Sion, and 
 exalts it above all the mountains in the world. 
 
 * Ifaiah, xiv, 13. 
 
 H 4 In 
 
104 ORIENTi\L DIALOGUES. 
 
 In the difcourfe of Elihu, God comes forth as 
 the midnight^ fhinlng with the fplendor of 
 gold, and he departs from the affembly of the 
 faints, as he marched before the Hebrews 
 from mount Sinai. Perhaps this midnight- 
 mountain was the hill of the Cherubim, on 
 which, in Ezekiel, we fee the king of Tyre 
 ivalking amidji Jlones of Jire before the garden 
 of God. 
 
 Alciphron. And what gave rife to the 
 firft idea of Cherubim on this fhining 
 mount ? 
 
 EuGENius. In Its origin It was certainly as 
 
 plain a ftory, as the account we have of Para- 
 
 dife itfelf. The firfl: Parents of the human 
 
 race were baniihed from thence ; and there 
 
 was, probably, a high mountain between 
 
 them and their firft happy refidence. This 
 
 mountain may have been full of animal- forms, 
 
 of which the wearied travellers who attempted 
 
 to pafs over it may have given terrifying 
 
 accounts. Thunder-clouds may have been 
 
 frequently fufpended over the fummit of the 
 
 mountain, and fubterraneous fires may, from 
 
 time to time, have ifTued from its bowels; 
 
 and 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. IO5 
 
 aiid thefe irruptions might naturally enough 
 explain the origin of \ht flaming fw or d which 
 waved in different diredlions before the en- 
 trance of Paradife. In Ihort, all thefe proba- 
 ble or poffible circumftances, combined with 
 the fucceffive relations of travellers, might 
 eafilv terminate in a marvellous animal of fa- 
 bulous compofition. Nor would it be unrea- 
 fonable even to fuppofe, that the two un- 
 happy exiles from Paradife, when they looked 
 behind them towards the peaceful region from 
 which they had been baniflied, might per- 
 ceive wandering meteors and wild beafts, 
 which made deep impreffions on their gloomy 
 imagination. Thefe impreffions may have 
 been communicated to their defcendanttrj and 
 being afterwards renewed by the fight of the 
 mountain, and affociated with the reports of 
 pilgrims, and the defcriptions of poets, may 
 have given rife to the fanciful creation of a 
 wonderful being or figure, defigned to repre- 
 fent the Divine Power and Majefty. How- 
 ever this may have been, it is totally abfurd 
 to imagine that Adam and Eve were driven 
 out of Paradife by a Cherub^ as painters have 
 delineated, and poets have fung the difmal 
 itory. God hin^felf Iqd them out of that de- 
 lightful 
 
Io6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 Iightful abode, and the Cherubim were Sip^ 
 pointed as guards of the place. 
 
 Alciphron. But what are we then to 
 think of the cafe of Elijah ? Was not he 
 carried up to heaven by horfes of fire, and 
 in a fiery chariot ? 
 
 Eu GENIUS, Elijah's triumph was of a 
 military kind : we fee in it no mythological 
 thunder- chariot, and nothing that has any 
 relation to the Cherubim : nor did Elifha con- 
 fider it as having any connexion with it. 
 He faw the fublime fpedacle, and cried out, 
 " My father^ — my father! the chariot oflfrael 
 andl.S^ horftmen thereof''^ ^ A fimilar manner 
 of reprefenting the Divine Majefty we find in 
 the fublime Pfalm where the chariots of the 
 Lord are reprefented as " thoufands of 
 thoufands," and God is defcribed as going 
 forth before his people to fubdue their ene- 
 mies, and put them in pofTefTion of the pro- 
 mifed land. On this occafion the mountains 
 tremble on their foundations, and kings be- 
 take themfelves to flight, before the prefencQ 
 of the Mofl High. 
 
 * 2 Kings, ii. 12. 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I07 
 
 Alciphron. But fince you have taken 
 from me the thundering fteeds, what other 
 figure or defcription can you furnifh me 
 with, to charadierize the thunder ? 
 
 EuGENius. It is (when employed in 
 defcribing the awful manifeftations of God's 
 power and juftice) the voice of the offended 
 and chaftizing Father. This is an image in- 
 telligible even to children, and it is prefented 
 to us in this fame hiftory of Paradife. We 
 are told, that our firfl: Parents after they had 
 tranfgreffed and their eyes were opened, 
 *' heard the voice of Jehovah walking in 
 *' the garden in the cool of the day." Now 
 it is highly probable, that on this occafion, 
 thunder was heard, and by this coincidence, ' 
 became afterwards a poetical image in the 
 Hebrew Poetry, expreffive of the majefty of 
 divine Juftice. This expofition of the hiftory of 
 the Cherubim, feems to me conformable to the 
 account we have of it in the book of Geneiis. 
 We cannot well exped: any thing more clear 
 and fatisfadory from a mythological view of 
 fuch ancient poetical compofitions. Read and 
 compare with one another the pieces relative 
 
 to 
 
lo8 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 to this fubjed''^, and they will remove all 
 your doubts. A noble aflemblage of enigma- 
 tical beings bear the fymbol of the heavens, 
 on which the throne of God refts : and how 
 could that throne be (figuratively) fupported 
 with more propriety than by the emblems of 
 all that is elevated, beautiful, and terrible upon 
 ^arth, connected with the idea of incompre- 
 jhenfible, inacceffible, myfterious knowledge 
 ^nd wifdom ? 
 
 * See the Appendix to this Dialogu?, 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 TO THE 
 
 SECOND DIALOGUE. 
 
 No. I. 
 
 Ezekiel's Fijon of /be Cht^kubim, 
 
 Chapter I. 
 
 Fer. 4. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind 
 came out of the north'*, a great cloud and a fire 
 infolding itfelf, and a brightnefs was about it, and 
 out of the midft thereof as the colour of amber; out 
 of the midft of the fire. 
 
 5. Alfo out of the midft thereof came the likenefs 
 of four living creatures. And this was their appear- 
 ance ; they had the likenefs of a man. 
 
 * Compare this with yo5, xxxvii. 22. — It may alfo be com- 
 pared with, and illuftrated by, iy^z^^, xiv. 13. znd Ezeiiel, 
 xxviii. 14. In the Vifion of Zechariah, vi. i — 8. the horfes 
 after going round the world, return to the north : that is the 
 place of their horhe. 
 
 6. And 
 
no ORtENfAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 6. And every one had four faces ; and every ond 
 had four wing?. 
 
 7. And their feet were ftraight feet; and the fole 
 of their feet was like the fole of a calPs foot* : and 
 they fparkled like the colour of burnifhed brafs. 
 
 8. And they had the hands of a man under their 
 wings on their four fides ; and they four had their 
 faces and their wings. 
 
 9. Their wings were joined one to another; they 
 turned not when tliey went; they went every one 
 Uraight forward f. 
 
 10. As for the likenefs of their faces, they four 
 had the face of a man and the face of a lion on the 
 right fide ; and the face of an ox J on the left fide j 
 they had alfo the face of an eagle, 
 
 11. Thus were their faces: and theirwings were 
 flretched upwards ; two wings of every one were 
 joined one to another, and two covered their 
 bo dies §. And they went every one ftraight for- 
 ward ; and they turned not when they went. 
 
 13. As for the likenefs of the living creatures, their 
 appearance was as burning coals of fire : and the 
 
 * It m ay be obferved here, that the rcfemblance betweea 
 the Cherubim and the Egyptian Sphinx was remarkable. 
 
 f This was a fymbo] of the omniprefence of God's throne, 
 and of its perpetual and ever progrefiive motion. 
 
 % What Ezekiel calls here the face of an ox, is exprefled 
 by the word cheruh^ chap. x. 14. 
 
 ^ This covering of their bodies is taken from the Vifion of 
 Ifaiah, chap. vi. 2, It is an emblem of their unworthinefs to 
 ferpents. f^re 
 
 8 
 
APPENDIX. lit 
 
 fire was bright^ and out of the fire went forth light- 
 ning. 
 
 14. And the living creatures ran afid returned as 
 the appearance of a fia(h of lightning. 
 
 22. And the likencfs of the firmament upon the 
 heads of the living creatures, was as the colour of 
 the terrible chryftal (Iretched forth over their heads 
 above. 
 
 23. And under the firmament were their wings 
 {Iraight, the one tov/ards the other : every one had 
 two, which covered on this iide, and every one had 
 two which covered on that fide their bodies. 
 
 24. And vv'hen they went, I heard the noife of their 
 wings, like the noife of great waters, a*s the voice 
 o( t\it Almighty y the voice of fpeech as the voice of 
 an hod j when they flood they let down their 
 
 wings. 
 
 2^. And there was a voice from the firmament, 
 that was over their heads, when they flood and had 
 let down their wings. 
 
 26. And above the firmament, that was over their 
 heads, was the likenefs of a throne, as the appear- 
 ance of a fapphire-flone, and upon the throne was 
 the likenefs, as the appearance of a map upon -it, 
 
 27. And I faw as the colour of amber, as the ap- 
 pearance of fire round about him, from his loins 
 even upwards 5 and from his loins even downward : 
 I faw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had 
 brightnefs round about. 
 
 28. As 
 
112 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 28. As the appearance of the bow that is In the 
 cloud in the day of rain, fo was the appearance of 
 the brightnefs round about. This was the appear- 
 ance of the glory of Jehovah ! And when I faw 
 it I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one 
 that fpake ; &c, &c. 
 
APPENDIX. 113 
 
 No. II. 
 
 it anient at ion on the Fall of the King ^/ TyrEi 
 under the Symbol of a Cherub*. 
 
 EzEKIEL, XXviii, 12, &C. 
 
 Son of man ! take up a Lamentation upon the King 
 
 of Tyrus, and fay unto him, Thus faith the Lord ! 
 
 '* Thou fealeft up the fum — full of wifdom, and per- 
 
 " {qOl in beauty. 
 " Thou haft been in Eden the garden of God. 
 *« Every precious ftone was thy covering ; 
 " The Ritby, the Topaz^ the Beryly the Diamond^ the 
 
 " Onyxy and the Jafper^ and the Sapphire^ the 
 
 *' Emeraldy the Carbuncle^ and Gold, 
 " The workmanfliip of thy tabrets was prepared in 
 
 " thee. 
 " Thou art the anointed Cherub that covereth 
 
 " Eden, and I have fet thee fo. 
 «* Thou waft upon the Holy Mountain of God ; there 
 
 «« thou haft walked up and down in the midft of 
 
 " the ftoncs of fire ; and thou waft perfed in thy 
 
 * This piece of poetry is the fequel of the beautiful 
 Lamentalion over the arrogant folly and the humiliating cata- 
 ftrophe of the King of Babel, which we find in Ifaiah, chap. 
 xiv. 12, &c. We place it here on account of the defcription 
 of the cherulinii which Ezekiel, according to his ufual manner 
 of painting figures, reprefents circumftantially. 
 
 f I know not whether thefe Jloties have any connexion 
 with the flaming fvvord of paradife, ivhich turned every nvay* 
 We have not, as yet, records or traditions fufficient to illutlratc 
 
 the hiilory of this Holy Mountain. 
 
 J ^* ways, 
 
114 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *f ways, from the day that thou waft created, till 
 '* iniquity was found in thee."By the multitude of 
 «« thy merchandize, they have filled the midft of 
 *' thee with violence ; therefore I will caft thee 
 ** a's prophane, out of the mountain of God (Elo- 
 " him !), and I will dcftroy thee O covering (or 
 *' extended) cherub, from the midft of the ftones 
 '* of fire. Thy heart was lifted up b ecaufe of thy 
 " beauty (or ornaments). 
 
 <* Thou haft corrupted thy wifdom by reafon of thy 
 << brightnefs ; 
 
 *' I will caft thee to the ground, 
 
 ^' I will lay thee before Kings, 
 
 " That they may behold thee. 
 
 " Thou haft defiled the ornaments of thy fani^uaries 
 *' by the multitude of thine iniquities — by the 
 <« iniquity of thy traffick j 
 
 *< Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midft 
 " of thee ; 
 
 *^ It (hall devour thee ; 
 
 *^ And I will bring thee to afties, in the fight of all 
 *' them that behold thee; 
 
 <* All they that know thee among the people, (hall 
 '' ftand aftoniftied at thee; 
 
 " Thou wert the pride and terror of the earth ; 
 
 <* And never ftialt thou be any more." 
 
APPENDIX. 115 
 
 No. in. 
 
 A Pi^furefque and Mythological Defcription of 
 
 ^bunder. 
 
 From the xviilth Psalm. 
 
 <« The forrows of death compafled me, 
 *f And the floods of Belial made me tremble ; 
 « The forrows of Hell (Ades), compafled me about ; 
 *' The fnares of death prevented me. 
 " In my dillrefs I called upon the Lord, and cried 
 " unto my God — he heard my voice out of his 
 " temple ; and my cry came before him even to 
 " his ears. 
 <« Then the earth {hook and trembled : 
 «' The foundations alfoof the hills moved, and were 
 
 " fhaken, becaufc He (Jehovah) v^as wroth. 
 « Then went up a mill out of His noftrils \ and fire 
 
 " out of His mouthy devoured : 
 <' Coals were kindled by it. 
 «* He bowed the heavens alfo and came down : 
 «* And darknefs was undtr Ij is feet. 
 " He rode upon a cherub and did fly; 
 <* He did fly on the wings of the v/ind ! 
 " He made darknefs his fecret place, 
 << His pavilion round about him, were dark waters 
 
 *< and thick clouds of the flcy. 
 « At the brightnefs that was before him, 
 <* His thick clouds pafl'ed — hailfliones and clouds of 
 
 « fire. 
 ^' The Lord alfo thundered In the heaven : 
 " The Higheit gave his voice — haUfl:one8 and coals of 
 *< fire. 
 
 12 "He 
 
Ii6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *^ He fent out his arrows and fcattered them, 
 
 *' And he {hot out lightnings and difcomfited them, 
 
 <* Then the abyfs of the waters was opened, 
 
 And the foundations of the earth were difcovered ^ 
 
 At thy rebuke O Lord, 
 
 At the blaft of the breath of thy noftrils. 
 
 He fent from above— He took me — 
 <' He drew me out of many waters, 
 
 He delivered me from my ftrong enemy, &c.'* 
 
APPENDIX. 117 
 
 No. IV. 
 The Voice of Jehovah, 
 
 Psalm xxix. 
 
 «« Give glory unto the Lord— O ye mighty, 
 
 « Give unto the Lord the glory due to his name. 
 
 <« The voice of the Lord is upon the waters— 
 
 " The glory of the Lord thundereth, — 
 
 << The voice of the Lord is powerful : 
 
 « The voice of the Lord is full of majelly, &c.'* 
 
 i 3 
 
DIALOG tfE IIL 
 
 Night and twilight — The region of the U7i- 
 born — yob's defcription of ancient night — 
 Whether the Orientals had the idea of a 
 Chaos ? — Their ideas of the primitive fate 
 of the earth' — The noSliirnal breath or fpii^it 
 on the fur face of the nsoater — The origin of the 
 conf deration of fpirit^ as perceivable by the 
 
 fenfes — The voice of a noBurnal fpirit in 
 Job — The af cent of the morning light ^ and 
 the joy which it diffifes — Beautiful images 
 of it in the Oriental poetry — P erf ofiif cations 
 of light and of the dawn — Poetical images of 
 
 . the frmament confidcred as a ^watery vaults 
 as a magazine of provifons^ as a fapphire 
 coverings as the pavilion of the unive?fai 
 Parent. — The poetical cofmogony of the Ori^ 
 entals — Its conformity with the hifory of our 
 earth — The lives of the plants^ an inter efing 
 ohjeB in the poetry of the Hebrews — Why the 
 Hebrews addrefed no hymns to the fun ^ moon^ 
 or other luminaries ?—Perfonif cations^ — 
 their beauty^ truth y and propriety ^ in the 
 I 4 Hebrew 
 
( I20 ) 
 
 Hebrew poetry — The Jtars reprefented as 
 angels^ as daughters of God^ as an armed 
 hoji^ as a Jlock of Jheep belonging to the 
 Great Shepherd. — Of the fympathy of the 
 Oriental Bards with the brute-animals in their 
 enjoyments and fufferings — David^s view of 
 creation in afublime hymn^ 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE III, 
 
 JL HE following day Alciphron was 
 punftual to his engagement to pafs a poetical 
 morning with his friend ; — he met him at the 
 appointed place, and Eugenius began thq 
 converfation in the following manner ; 
 
 I fhall fhew you to day, my friend, a pic- 
 turefque compofition, much richer than the 
 Table of Cebes ; for inftead of confining our- 
 felves, as we did yefterday, to particular ob- 
 jects feparately confidered, we fhall have occa- 
 fion to take an extenfive and connected view" 
 of things. When you fee that immenfe dark- 
 coloured veil before us, in which all beings 
 feem to be fliut up, as if they were waiting 
 for the light, does it recall nothing remark- 
 able to your thoughts ? 
 
 Alciphron. You mean perhaps, the 
 Jlate of the dead in the Eaftern philofophy. 
 
 <J EUGE- 
 
122 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EuGENius. We fhall not begin our con- 
 verfation with them. I indeed thought of the 
 fcheol^ but only fo far as this denomination is 
 given to the ftate of the tinhorn^ who are 
 waiting for the hght, and hope that it will 
 bring to them joy and happinefs .... Do 
 you recoiled: that night in which Job curfeth 
 the hour of his birth ? In xh^fcheol of Ori- 
 ental mythology and poetry, the unborn nights 
 and days lie, as it were, in a profound fleep. 
 God from his throne looks down upon them, 
 and calls them forth according to his good 
 pieafure ; and they rejoice that they are per- 
 mitted to pafs from the choir of their fijlers^ 
 Into the proceffion of the years. 
 
 « Let the day perlfli in which I was born ; and the 
 *' night in which it was faid, there is a fon born ! 
 « Let that day be darknefs ! 
 « Let not God regard it from above I 
 ** Neither let the light (luae upon it I 
 « Let darknefs and the fliadow of death feize upon it 1 
 <* Let clouds dwell over it ! 
 ** Let every calamity terrify it ! 
 « That night ! let darknefs cover it ! 
 " Let' it not be joined to the days of the year \ 
 « Let it not come into the number of the months I 
 <* Lo ! let that night be folitary ! 
 '' Let no joyful fong be heard therein ! 
 
 « Lefc 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I2J 
 
 " Let themcurfe it, that curfe the day ! 
 " Let the ftars of the twilight thereof be dark ! 
 *' Let it look for light, but find none ! 
 " Let it never fee the eyelids of the morning ! 
 *' Becaufe it fhut not up the womb of my mother, 
 *« and hid not from my eyes all my forrow !'* 
 
 Have you ever feen a more ftriking defcrip- 
 tion of a dreadful night, in v^hich a fon of 
 afflidiion laments his birth, or in general, of 
 a folitary difmal darknefs, in Vv^hich no ftar 
 twinkles, and on which the dawn is never to 
 arife ? You know that Shakefpear defcribing 
 fuch a night . . . • 
 
 Alciphron. He is not inferior to the 
 Eaftern Bards, in his defcriptions of gloomy 
 and terrifying objefts. But, my friend, I do 
 not fee in the paffage you have repeated 
 any mention of children yet unborn. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. The region of the m?born is 
 filent, and without form like the night : it$ 
 place 13 in the darknefs — ^in the centre of the 
 earth : there they are inclofed, and are wait- 
 ing for the light, as all the creatures now be- 
 fore us are waiting for the dawn. When the 
 hour of their birth arrives, God fhallcall them 
 forth. 
 
 Alci- 
 
124 ORIENTAL DIALOGUE^. 
 
 Alciphron. This reprefentation is eii- 
 tirely compofed of fenfible images. 
 
 Eu GEN I us. Such in general IS the poetry 
 of the Hebrews. The j. know nothing, for 
 example, of the chaos^ in which atoms or 
 indivifible particles wander to and fro : this is 
 a fanciful reprefentation of things, which we 
 have received from the Greeks. But the 
 Hebrews fpeak of a darkfea^ which the wind 
 of the Almighty fets in motion; and methinks 
 this image is by far the moft beautiful, 
 becaufe it is the moft juft. Such, in effe£t, 
 was the primitive ftate of our earth, as we 
 learn from its firft appearance. It muft have 
 remained, during a courfe of ages, under 
 water, until it was anew rendered habitable by 
 the order of the Creator. This image ha 
 form and limits ; but the monfter chaos has 
 neither the one nor the other. 
 
 Alciphron. This breath or fpirit of 
 God, which moves over the furface of the 
 dark, watery wafte, has fomething in it pecu- 
 liarly impreffive ; the idea of it excites a cer- 
 tain tremor or thrilling in my frame. 
 
 EUGE«* 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I25 
 
 EuGENius. It has always been employed 
 by the Orientals, as the moft natural image of 
 that life, power, and motion, which are com- 
 prehended in the idea of creation : for the 
 conception of fpirlt feems to have proceeded 
 originally from hearing the wind, which, 
 more efpecially in the night, we are apt to 
 confider as having its peculiar powers and 
 voice. 
 
 Alciphron. You recall to my thoughts 
 the vifion of a nofturnal fpirit which we find 
 in Job. It is an image, and yet formlefs and 
 undefined — a paffing, fluttering, breath — a 
 found, a murmur like the voice of the wind, 
 yet withal the power of a fpirit. It made the 
 hair of Job's flefh ftand up, and filled hinx 
 with perturbation and terror. It harrows up 
 his foul with fear and wonder : hear him 
 fpeak : 
 
 *« There came to me a word in fecret ; 
 
 <' Mine ear heard it •>—- it was a gentle found : 
 
 *^ In the terrifying hour of night-vifions ; 
 
 <* At the time when deep fleep falleth upon men 5 
 
 <' Then fear and trembling came upon me ; 
 
 <* A {huddering went tlirough all my bones : 
 
 « Then a ghoil: pafled before me ; 
 
 « All 
 
126 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 '' All my hair ftood of an end : 
 
 " It flood Hill — but I could not dlfcera its form ; 
 
 <f An image ftood before my eyes j 
 
 <' Then was filence — and I heard a voice faying, 
 
 <^ Shall mortal man be more juft than God ?'* 
 
 EuGENius. It IS exadly as you faid, an 
 image and no image — filence and a voice, and 
 the Ihapelefs fonn can only be announced by 
 a powerful efFedt or operation. But behold ! 
 the lovely dawn appears — let us bid farewell 
 to noSurnal vifions, and adore the Father of 
 Lights ! 
 
 " Blefs the Lord, O my foul : 
 
 ** O Lord my God, thcu art very great ; 
 
 " Thou clothell thyfeif with light as with a gar- 
 
 **' ment ! 
 ** Thou ftretcheft out the heavens as a tent*." 
 
 When the firft morning arofe, thou, O great 
 Creator! didft call the Light good, and didft 
 confecrate it as an everlafting emblem of thy 
 prefence and glory, as an emblem of all joy 
 and purity, — of all wifdom, goodnefs, and 
 fan£tity. God dwells in light, and his coun- 
 tenance beams forth paternal benignity on his 
 
 * Pi aim civ. 1,2. 
 
 children. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 12J 
 
 children. Salvation and bleffing flow from 
 his prefence. He fends beams of light into 
 the dark abodes of mortals, and makes bright 
 rays of hope and joy to arife on their night 
 of calamity and diftrefs. It is the glory of the 
 Creator that he hath formed the light : and it 
 is the brighteft ray of his paternal charader, 
 that he maketh a light to arife on the human 
 foul, which extends its views beyond this 
 twilight of its prefent exiftence, and tranfports 
 its hopes to fplendid and eternal m^anfions. 
 Is there, my friend, in the whole compafs of 
 creation, any produdion more worthy than 
 light, of being confidered as the ^<3r;72^;^/ of 
 Jehovah, who in his effif^nce is unfearchable, 
 and without this bright efflueftce"^ of that 
 adorable eflence, would dwell, with refpedt 
 to us in entire darknefs ? Light is alfo repre- 
 fented as the dwelling of the Almighty, and 
 fom^?imes as his fwifteft meflenger, which 
 comes, as it were, on the wings of his om- 
 niprefence, and with the velocity of thought, 
 tranfmits its comfort to mortals. 
 
 Alciphron. The poetry of the Hebrews 
 
 * Milton, Book iij. I. 6. 
 
 muft 
 
128 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 muft then abound with beautiful and pic- 
 turefque defcriptions of light. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. No poetry is perhaps equal 
 to it In this refped. The very term which 
 expreffes lights is, in this language, elevated 
 and noble both in found and fenfe. It is the 
 emblem of all joy. Difmal and dejedling are 
 the defcriptions of darknefs ; while the dawn 
 breaking through the morning clouds, and the 
 genial luftre of the rifmg day, are painted by 
 the Hebrew Bards with the moft chearful 
 and pleafing colours. All the images of the 
 twilight exprefs ideas of waiting, expedation, 
 and hope, and the daw?t is reprefented as 
 their joyful accomplifhment. The morning- 
 ftar which w^e fee' before us, is confidered by 
 the Hebrew Bards, as the fon of the twilight; 
 for, in the Oriental poetry, Light and 
 Darkness have their palaces, their genealo- 
 gies, their refpective oftices and fpheres of ac- 
 tion. In Job, the dawn appears as a hero, 
 who puts to flight iTialefadtors, who takes 
 from robbers their ftrong holds and hiding 
 places, gives form and colour to all objeds, 
 and as it were, by new imprefTions made 
 upon them, changes their afpefl:. From the 
 
 womb 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 129 
 
 womb of the morning comes forth the dew, 
 whofe innumerable drops are the brilliant ofF- 
 fpring of the dawn. Behold that beautiful 
 harbinger of day before us, blending light and 
 Ihade in fuch a charming variety of grada- 
 tions, and extending itfelf over us like the 
 vault of heaven ! 
 
 ** He fitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the in- 
 <* habitants of the world are as grafshoppers 
 «« before him. 
 
 ** He ftretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and 
 «« fpreadeth them as a tent to dwell in *.'* 
 
 Are you curious to hear fomething of the my- 
 thology of the heavens ? 
 
 Alciphron. On this fubjeft I appre- 
 hend we fhall find a great diverfity of opini- 
 ons among expofitors, more efpecially with 
 refped to what Mofes fays of the expanfe 
 between the waters, and the true meaning^ of 
 his account of that objed:. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. There is no occafion for any 
 controverfy on this fubjefl:; becaufe the 
 images employed in treating it are common 
 and familiar, and, at the fame time, fuitable 
 
 . * Ifaiah, xl. 22. 
 
 K and 
 
!30 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 and elevated. The moft ancient idea of this 
 objeft is not that of a glaffy vault ; for glafs 
 was the difcovery of a much later period ; and 
 it was later ftill, that it was applied to any 
 ufe, that refembles the objed under confider- 
 ation. According to the earlieft mythology, 
 the heavens were formed of water, and even 
 the throne of God, furrounded with darknefs, 
 was founded upon the waters. We fee thefe 
 ideas entertained fo far down as the time 
 of David ; they are expreffed in one of his 
 moft celebrated hymns of praife : 
 
 ** He flretcheth out the heavens like a curtain 
 
 *' He layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters j 
 
 ** He maketh the clouds his chariot ; 
 
 " He is carried on the wings of the winds*." 
 
 You fee, my friend, that In thefe later times 
 no mention was made of a glojfy vaults but 
 only of a teiit or curiam^ and of celeftial 
 chambers formed out of the waters. This 
 was alfo conformable to the traditions of the 
 Arabians. According to them, God called 
 forth the heavens from the waters of the deep, 
 and formed them as a fmoke or mift* Do not 
 
 • Pfalm civ. 
 
 you 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 13! 
 
 ycu admire thefe defcriptions, even when you 
 confider them merely as imitations or images 
 of the phaenomena of nature ? 
 
 Alciphron. I have indeed been always 
 much pleafed with them ; and the defcriptions 
 alfo of clouds, rain, and thunder-ftorms, have 
 always appeared to me pidurefque and beau- 
 tiful. It feems as if the faint and languid 
 Orientals confidered the heavens only as a 
 magazine of ftores, deftined for their refrefh- 
 ment, and expeded from thence a plenitude 
 of bleffings, which their parched land fo often 
 refufed them. 
 
 EuGENius. True ! and they have embel- 
 lifhed this pleafmg idea with every kind of 
 ornament of which it is fufceptible. Some- 
 times they reprefent the univerfal Father as 
 binding the clouds together, and making them 
 the receptacles of the w^ater of life for man and 
 beaft : at others^ we fee him driving thefe 
 fame clouds to and fro, to moiften and refrefh 
 the land ; and that in fuch rich abundance, 
 that even the defarts, where no human crea- 
 tures dwell, are clothed with verdure 3 and 
 are faid by a beautiful figure of fpeech toftng 
 K 2 Vi;itb 
 
132 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 isDith joy. This wonderful difplay of provi- 
 dential care, in thus diffufing- genial moifture 
 and refrefliment, is fublimely exprefled by 
 God's making the clouds his chariot, and the 
 dark waters of the firmament his pavilion. 
 *' He bows the heavens and comes down — 
 ^* He rends his tabernacle, opens the 
 " windows of his palace, and fatisfies the 
 ** earth with frudifying ftreanls.'* This laft 
 imagery feems to be of a later date, \vhen God 
 was confidered by men as the King of 
 
 Heaven. 
 
 ol bnfii bsnqiBq 1: 
 
 Al.cipiiron. Tf I am not miftaken, he 
 was very early reprefented under that cha- 
 racter. " ' ■ ■ 
 
 EuGENius. iStlll earlier as the F^ither of a 
 family— -thbuniverfal Father extending his 
 paternal -tare 'to the preservation and fupport 
 of man and beaft. How many paffages do 
 we find in the Pfalrns and Prophets, which 
 have a manifeft relation to this affedlng cha- 
 racter ? How many ardent fupplicatioris fent 
 up to4ieaven for refreihing fliowefs ! and 
 what Iniag^ry can be at the fame time more 
 fiTblime' and afteding than that which repre- 
 > -• fents 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, I33 
 
 jfents the eyes of all things as ^waiting upon the 
 univerfal Parent*, who fends them rain from 
 heaveny and fdls their hearts with food a?id 
 gladnefs? It is alfo remarkable that beautiful 
 images of God's paternal goodnefs, are fre- 
 quently borrowed from the dew and rain ; 
 and ardent recourfe to this goodnefs is de- 
 fcribed under the figure of a parching and 
 burning thirft : 
 
 ,** As the Hart panteth after thi^ water fprings, 
 
 ** So panteth my foul after thee O God I 
 
 <« My foul thh-fleth for God, 
 
 ** For the living God. 
 
 *' When (hall I come before him, 
 ** And behold the light of his countenance V* 
 
 Images of this kind, give to poetry a focia! 
 glow and fympathetic influence, by which 
 men, animals, plants, every thing in fhort, 
 which is fufceptible of life and vegetation, are 
 concentrated in one general bond of union — • 
 and the fupreme Head of the great family in 
 heaven and earth is the Parent of them all. 
 
 Alciphron. But how then came they to 
 confider the heavens as ^foynaj?ient ? 
 
 * Pfalm civ. 
 
 K 3 EUGE- 
 
134 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EuGENius. No doubt — on account of 
 their ftability, luftre, and beauty, and the fine 
 fapphires which feem to compofe the majef- 
 tic vault extended over us. It may poffibly 
 have been an ancient opinion, that the firma- 
 ment was a vault of ice, from which hail- 
 ftones often defcended. The Arabians fre- 
 quently employ images, which fhew that 
 they looked upon lightning as an emiffion 
 of fparks from the fapphires which compofe 
 the vault of heaven. Moreover, while the 
 heavens were confidered as the temple and 
 palace of Jehovah, fo was the pure azure of 
 the firmament fuppofed to be the floor of his 
 habitation, and the roof or cieling of curs. 
 I think, however, that the people or tribes 
 who lived in tents^ would be the moft natu- 
 rally difpofed to reprefent by this image 
 the dwelling-place of the Deity. Accordingly, 
 they tell us that he daily fpreads his tent^ and 
 faftens It to the pillars of heaven and the fum- 
 mits of the mountains : and this tent is for 
 them an afylum, a place of fafety, reft, and 
 paternal protection, in which God lives with 
 his creatures. 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, I35 
 
 Alciphkon. And how do they confider 
 the Earth ? 
 
 EuGENius. The anfwer to this queflion 
 is eafy. You have only to proceed with the 
 hymn of praife in which the Pfalmift continues 
 his defcription, or rather his fubUme pidure of 
 the creation*. 
 
 " The earth hath he laid on Its foundations, that it 
 
 " {hould not be (liaken for ever : 
 <« With the deep he furrounded her as with a gar- 
 
 " ment : 
 " The waters ftood above the mountains. 
 *' At thy rebuke they fled ; 
 ** At the voice of thy thunder they hafted away ; 
 
 or, 
 <* At thy threatning voice they fell. 
 
 «< Then rofe the mountains ; 
 
 <* Then defcended the valleys ; 
 
 «* They defcen4ed to the place where thou haft fixed 
 
 " them. 
 ** Then didft thou fet bounds to the waters, which 
 
 ^< they may not pafs over, nor turn again to 
 
 ** cover the earth. 
 
 *< Thou makeft fountains to fpring up In the valleys ; 
 
 <* They run among the hills : 
 
 <' They quench the thirft of the wild beafts ; 
 
 * Pfglm dlw 
 
 K 4 J, Above 
 
136 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 <^ Above them are the fowls of heaven ; 
 *< They fing among the branches. 
 
 *' Thou watereft the hills from thy chambers ; 
 
 ** The earth is fatisHed with the fruit of thy works ; 
 
 " Thou makeft grafs to grow for the cattle, and feed 
 
 " for the fervice of man ; 
 ** That he may bring forth food out of the earth ; 
 *' And oil which maketh his face to (hine, 
 <« And wine that maketh his heart glad. 
 
 *' The trees of the Lord are full of fap ; 
 -*' The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted : 
 *< Where the birds make their nefts ; 
 " The Stork hath her houfe in the fir-trees ; 
 <* For the wild-goat the high hills are a refuge, and 
 *' the rocks for the conies." 
 
 EuGENius. What a delightful, exhilarat- 
 ing view does the Sacred Bard take here of the 
 earth ! It is the verdant mountain of Jehovah 
 which he hath raifed out of the water — a feat 
 of pleafure which he hath raifed above the fea, 
 as an habitation for myriads of living creatures. 
 The feries of images which the poet here 
 fucceffivelv employs, forms, precifely, a natural 
 hiflory of the earth. Firft, the waters ftand 
 above the hills ; then the mountains rife in 
 profpeft ;- after this, the valleys defcend, and 
 the waters fend through them their refrefhing 
 ftreams. Finally, God affigns to them all 
 their proper bounds and eftabliihes the land. 
 
 Now 
 
OIIIENTAL DIALOGUES, IJ^P 
 
 Now the valleys become dry and verdant ; 
 the rivers flow In their channels, and the 
 ftreams and rivulets rejoice the valleys with 
 plants and flowers. Here the beafls of the 
 field flock together — the birds of the air fend 
 forth their notes — and the banks of the rivers 
 begin to be lined with trees. We rn?iy find, 
 perhaps, in the book of Job, more fublime 
 and bold defcriptions of the formation of the 
 earth, but none more beautiful ^nd exad than 
 this of the Pfalmift. 
 
 Alciphron. Truth and conformity with 
 nature conftitute, no doubt, the beauty and 
 perfedlion of fuch pidiures as thefe ; they are 
 even eflTentially required in fuch pictures. 
 "What pleafure or profit are to be derived from 
 thofe mythologies which teach us nothing? 
 What do I gain by reading in the northern 
 Edda^ that the firmament is the jaw-bone of 
 a vanquifhed giant, out of whofe bones the 
 earth was formed, and from whofe blood the 
 rivers and fountains proceeded. Totally dif- 
 ferent from this is the poetry of the Hebrews, 
 VN^hich unites beauty with truths enlivens them 
 both with the moll intefefting feelings, and is 
 
 thus 
 
138 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 thus the poetry of the underftanding and the 
 heart. 
 
 EuGENius. The Orientals in their 
 poetical views of nature feeni Indeed to 
 unite thefe three charaders ; for their defcrip- 
 tions are beautiful^ true^ and affe&ing. How 
 interefting as well as beautiful, for example, 
 are their views of the natural world rendered 
 by their manner of reprefenting the flowers, 
 plants, and the other parts of the vegetable 
 creation ? They afcribe a kind of life almoft 
 to all things, and are peculiarly fond of that 
 figure of fpeechjby which a fort oi perfonaUty 
 IS attributed to inanimate beings. Thus God 
 is reprefented as the foftering Parent of the 
 plants and trees to which he has granted the 
 bleffings of growth and fecundity. He waters 
 them from the clouds of heaven : he pre- 
 fervesthem, though in aftate of apparent death, 
 during the feverity of the winter, and breathes 
 into them new life and vigour, at the return 
 of the vernal gales and fummer-fun. This 
 revival of the vegetable world and its bloom- 
 ing verdure, is a beautiful emblem of the 
 refurredlion of the dead, as its conftant pre- 
 
 fervatioa 
 
OHIENTAL DIALOGUES. I39 
 
 fervation excites a clear and affe£llng idea of 
 the care of a benign providence. The loves 
 and connubial union of plants, feem to have 
 been objects of attention in the earlieft times, 
 and we find the Palm-tree, the Cedar, the 
 Vine, and the Olive, furnifhing moft pleafing 
 and even elevated ideas to the Hebrew Bards. 
 It is much to be lamented, that fo many of 
 their produdtions are loft. Had we more of 
 tlieir Fables and paftoral Poems, fuch as the 
 Parable of yotham^ and of their national 
 poetry, fuch as the Song of Songs ^ we fliould 
 undoubtedly find in them a poetic treafure, 
 rich in ideas, images, and charaders, much 
 more beautiful and diverfified than thofe 
 which we find in the dialogues between the 
 Rofe and the Zephyr^ the Rofe and the Night'in- 
 gale^ the Traveller and the Turtle-dove. At 
 prefent we muft content ourfelves with a 
 fmgle colledion of poetical compofitions 
 which breathe the perfume of rofes, and fend 
 forth the foft accents of the turtle-doves : fuch 
 are the fongs which exprefs the love of 
 Solomon. But, my friend, the fun mounts 
 towards the meridian ! 
 
 Alciphron. Don't be in a hurry. — 
 
 Favour 
 
140 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Favour me rather with fome beautiful hymn 
 to the fun, if the Hebrews have any compo- 
 fitions of that kind. 
 
 EuGENius. The Hebrew Poetry admits 
 of no hymns or facred fongs addrefled to the 
 fun, or to any other objed: in the natural 
 world, for that would be deemed idolatry; 
 and you know with what care the Hebrews 
 were obliged to avoid every thing of this kind* 
 Job fays* : 
 
 « If I beheld the fun when it ftiined, 
 
 *« Or the moon walking in brightnefs, 
 
 *< And my heart had been fecretly enticed, 
 
 *< And my mouth kifled my hand In fign of homage ^ 
 
 « Then ihould I have been chargeable with a punilh- 
 
 <' able tranfgreflion, 
 « For I Ihould have denied the God above." 
 
 Such a ferious way of thinking in religion 
 as this, rendered it impofTible to addrefs any 
 hymns or poetical oblations to the luminaries 
 of heaven. On the contrary, it was the great 
 and predominant objed of the Hebrew Poetry 
 to oppofe this kind of idolatry, becaufe of all 
 the created beings which were objeds of 
 
 * Job, xxKi. 26. 28. 
 
 worfliip 
 
OllIENTAL DIALOGUES. I4T 
 
 worfliip among idolaters, there were none 
 which attracted fo much the admiration of 
 the Orientals, as the king and queen of 
 heaven. Accordingly, in the poetry of the 
 Hebre\v's^ the fun and the moon are conftarttly 
 reprefented as the^ri;^;^/^ of God ; and here 
 again -we fee ,in. this poetry gratideur and 
 truth, precifion and beauty happily united :, • 
 
 , ■■■ '"^ r '■■ ^:. ^ 
 «' God fald — Let there be two great lights for 
 
 ** rulers of the feafons ! ■ • , ► . .^ 
 
 " And they were placed in the sreat firmament, 
 •* As rulers of the feafons*.*' 
 
 Thus you fee that they are rulers of the fea- 
 fons, but they are fuch under God : they are 
 his fubftitutes, his vicegerents, but ftill his 
 creatures : and in this manner are they 
 always mentioned in the poetry of the 
 Hebrews. 
 
 Alciphron. But v^^hen thus employed 
 they do not feem of much ufe to this poetry. 
 
 EuGEKlus, " On the contrary, — they pro- 
 duce a great effed:. The fun, moon, and 
 
 * Genefis, 1. 
 
 ftars, 
 
142 ORlElxfTAt DiALOGtJES. 
 
 ftars, are here reprefented as living beings* 
 They have, in the heavens, dwelHngs atnd 
 tents ; and this opinion is ftill entertained by 
 the Arabians and other Eaftern nations. 
 This idea gives much fpirit and action to 
 poetical delcription, as you may fee in the 
 following beautiful paffage, which is fuperior, 
 perhaps, to any thing you will find in the 
 Grecian Poets : 
 
 *« The fun hath fct his tabernacle in the heavens, 
 
 *' From v/hence he goeth forth as a bridegroom from 
 
 " his chamber, 
 ** And rejoiceth as a (Irong man to run his race •; 
 ** He goeth forth from one end of the heaven, 
 << And his circuit is to its other end, 
 «' And he fills the vi^orld with his heat *.*' 
 
 The moon and ftars have alfo their habitations, 
 In which they are reprefented as confined by 
 the Creator, when they are to be darkened, or 
 to which they retire with precipitation and 
 terror, and hide themfelves when the fplen- 
 dour of Jehovah appears. We fee a fublime 
 example of this in the book of Habakkuk, 
 where, when God comes forth in his war-^ 
 
 • Pfalm XIX* 
 
 chariot 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES: I43 
 
 chariot to divide the land, the fun and moon 
 ftand fixed in aftonifliment at the doors of 
 their tents. When his lightnings flafh and 
 his arrows fly, they conceal themfelves as con- 
 founded at the prefence of his glory* The 
 iiiblirne pafTage runs thus* : 
 
 *' The mountains faw him and trembled ; 
 
 ** The over flowing of the water paffed by : 
 
 ** The deeps groaned ; 
 
 " The hills lifted up their hands ; 
 
 ** The fun and moon flood ftill in their habitation ; 
 
 ** At the. light of thine arrows they went, 
 
 ** And at the fhining of thy glittering fpear. 
 
 More majeftic perfonifications than thefefeem 
 icarcely poffible. Heaven and earth lijlen 
 with profound attention : — the mod rapid 
 powers of Nature Jland Jlill^ and the moft 
 fplendid are darkened. Thus alfo the ftars 
 become God's armed legions^ and fometimes 
 rejoicing children. Whatever is pure, beauti- 
 ful, and immortal, is compared with the ftars, 
 and in them the angels are often perfonified. 
 
 Alciphron. But for what purpofes are 
 thefe fhining hofts employed \ 
 
 • Habakkuk, lii. 
 
 EUG2- 
 
144 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EUGENit^s. For all fuch piirpofes as God 
 executes by the intervention of his fervants. 
 The fun, by his very name, is reprefented to 
 us as a mejfenger ; but he is not acknowledged 
 as the fource of vegetation, fertility, and 
 beauty. The growth of the plants is not 
 afcribed to the fun, but to the fupreme Parent 
 who quickens the vegetable world by light, 
 dev/, and fructifying fhowers. It is only the 
 province of the fiin to lead dn the feafons;- — 
 He is the king of the Earth, but under God. 
 The ftars march forth as his armies and give 
 battle : to them are afcribed water-fpouts and 
 inundations ; and in the fong of Deborah 
 there is a beautiful perfonification of this kind. 
 If they appear as angels or meflengers, thefe 
 mefiengers may fometimes miftake their 
 errand ; in fuch cafes he flops them in their 
 courfes, and doth not place in them an unli- 
 mited confidence. He fees fpots in their luf- 
 tre, and the heavens are noipure in his fight. 
 Finally, when the future, the grand period of 
 God's government fhall arrive, then fhall the 
 fun ftiine with a feven-fold increafe of luftre, 
 and the moon fhall be as bright as the fun; 
 Now my friend, a fpecles of poetry which 
 takes in fuch a fublime and connected view of 
 
 I the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I45 
 
 the nature of things, and arranges all created 
 beings in regular clafles, which reprefents the 
 Deity as the univerfal Shepherd, who knows 
 the ftars as if they were his flock, calls them 
 by their names, fcatters them in a variety of 
 fplendid cluflers through the blue vault of 
 heaven,— girds Orion, bijids the fweet influ-- 
 ences of Pleiades'^ ^ and layeth up his treafures 
 in the fouth. Such poetry is, I fay, the ofF- 
 fpring of heaven and earth. When we come 
 to the book of Job, what fublime defcriptions 
 of the Harry heavens iliall we find there! 
 
 Alciphron. I am indeed highly pleafed 
 with your views of this noble fubjed:, and 
 am already more reconciled to the ancient hif- 
 tory of our globe. It difcovers a peculiarly 
 fympathetic attention to animals and living 
 creatures, and feems to take a cordial concern 
 in their lot. I remember well the great plea- 
 fure I felt in my early youth, when I perceived 
 that the animals (the dumb animals, as they 
 are compaflionately called in this poetry,) 
 w^ere confidered as bearing fome refembiance 
 of man's nature,, and as only wanting fpeech 
 
 * Job, sxxvili. 31, 
 
 L to 
 
146 ORIENTAL DlALOGtf^g. 
 
 to claim a kind of relationfhip to the great hu-- 
 man family. The beafts of the field afe fre- 
 quently denominated by the Hebrew Bards^ 
 livhig creatures in oppofition to the unaclive 
 and ftiil life of domeftic animals. I was always 
 peculiarly pleafed when I obferved the accents 
 which mark the diftindive language of differ- 
 ent animals, expreffed and imitated fo happily 
 by the facred writer, that even by the very 
 founds of the words he employed, he feemed 
 to coo with the turtle-dove, and to cafl ftones 
 with the oflrich in the wildernefs. I was de- 
 lighted to find the forms of the flag, the Hon, 
 and the bull defcribed, or rather painted, in 
 the mofl lively colours, with their refpeftive 
 charadcrs and manner of living. Nay, I have 
 often v/ifhed, that we had fewer facred hymns 
 and odes, and more fables and allegories rela- 
 tive to the brute -creation, in this nature-poetry 
 as you very properly call it ? ' 
 
 ' EuGENius. You mufl not, however, for- 
 get my friend, that religion and its great 
 author and objed, give the vital fpirit to this 
 kind of poetry, in which, therefore, the name 
 of God mufl not be omitted. For Nature is 
 the work of God— the affemblage of beings 
 
 and 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I47 
 
 ^nd things created and preferved by him that 
 made them. He is the Father of the great 
 family in heaven and earth — the Father of all 
 living creatures. He gives to all their food : 
 the eyes of all things wait upon him : the youjig 
 ravens cry and feck their meat from God, He 
 lives and deals with every creature in his im- 
 menfe family, in a manner fuitable to its na.- 
 ture, wants and deftination. In his fight 
 nothing is favage — nothing contemptible. 
 The hawk flies by his wifdom, and the eagle 
 mount eth up at his command^ and maketh his 
 neflon high'^\ He provideth for, and dire£ls 
 even the monfters. The frightful crocodile 
 is the object of his care, and the behemoth, 
 as defcribed by Job, is a mafter-piece of divine 
 .workmanfhip. In a word, the true poetry of 
 Nature has for its great objed, the wondrous 
 works of Nature's author. It exhibits, in a 
 lively and ftriking manner, the general order 
 of created things, and the providential care of 
 the univerfal Parent for the beings Jae has 
 created. This poetry is drawn from the 
 bofom of nature, and is follered, if I may io 
 cxprefs myfelf, in her lap. 
 
 "^ Job, xxxix. 
 
 L 2 AlCI- 
 
148 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. I now underftand you, and 
 comprehend a thing which I have often ob- 
 ferved with aftonifliment, and which ap- 
 peared, indeed, more or lefs fhocking : — I 
 mean the preference which, in this poetry, is 
 fometimes given to the inferior animals, even 
 before man. The afs of Balaam feems to 
 have been in higher confideration with the 
 angel, than the Prophet himfelf. You will 
 obferve alfo, that in the book of Job, God 
 fpeaks with complacency of the behemoth 
 and the leviathan, but fays nothing of the , 
 human fpecies. 
 
 EuGENius. Man, however, is far from 
 being overlooked (if your obfervation deferves 
 a ferious anfwer) ; on the contrary, he is re- 
 prefented as the image of God, the nobleft of 
 his works, and as one of the vifible Elohim 
 here upon earth. But more of this here- 
 after — In the mean time go on with your 
 hymn of praife, and we fhall finifh our con- 
 ference with mine* 
 
 Alciphron. *' He appomteth the moon for feafons 5 
 ** The fun knoweth his gonig down ; 
 «' He maketh darknefs, and it is night ; 
 < Then are all the beafts of the foreft in motion : 
 
 « Th« 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I49 
 
 " The young lions roar after their prey, 
 
 " They alfo feek their meat from God ; 
 
 ** The fim rifeth ; they gather themfelves together, 
 
 *^ And they again return to their dens. 
 
 *' Then man goeth forth to his work, 
 
 <' He goeth forth to his labour until the evening, 
 
 ** O Lord how manifold are thy works ! 
 
 '* In wifdom haft thou made them all. 
 
 ^* The earth is full of thy riches j 
 
 *' So is this great and wide fea, 
 
 *^ Wherein creatures innumerable live and move, 
 
 *« Both great and fmall beafts. 
 
 *' There go the fliips, 
 
 ** There plays the Leviathan, 
 
 *« Formed by thee to fport in the great waters. 
 
 " Thefe wait, all upon Thee, 
 
 « That thou mayeft give them their meat In due 
 '* feafon ; 
 ^ « That thou giveft them, they gather ; 
 ^« Thouopeneft thy hand— they are filled with good j 
 « Thou hideft thy face, 
 '' They are troubled ; 
 
 *' Thou takeft away their breath — they die : 
 ** They return to their duft : 
 *' Thou fendeft forth thy fpirit, 
 ** They are again created : 
 •* And the race of the earth is renewed. 
 
 ^' The glory of Jehovah endureth for ever ; 
 *^ Jehovah rejoiceth in his works, 
 ** He looketh on the earth and it trembleth : 
 ** He toucheth the hills and they fmoke. 
 
 h 3 «^ I will 
 
150 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 *• I will fing unto the Lord as long as I live 
 
 *< I will flag praife unto my God, while I have my 
 
 ** being. 
 ** And my fong of him (hall found fweetly, 
 <* I will be glad in Jehovah ! 
 " Praife him, the Lord, O my foul. 
 
 Hallelluiah ! 
 
DIALOGUE IV. 
 
 'The boot: of Job — and the proper mannerof 
 
 read'mg it'^—RepreJtntation of the Deity as 
 
 Creator of the ijoorid — to whotn the himina-^ 
 
 ries cf heaven y and all the powers of Nature 
 
 afefubjedcd—EUhus char ad er as exprejfed 
 
 in hh iifcourfes—God fpeaks out of the whirls 
 
 'Wind' — Of the^ poetry of Nature in general— 
 
 Of its objeEi — Of its perfonif cations which 
 
 give it a peculiar energy — Examples of this 
 
 from Job — Striking defcriptions of the ob- 
 
 jeEis of the Natural lA^orld in this book — Thefe 
 
 cojifidered as adapted to excite lively and ex^ 
 
 altedfeelings — An appendix containingfornc 
 
 perfonif cations from ossuiw 
 
 L4. 
 
( 153 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE IV. 
 
 Vv HEN EuGENius vifited his friend, lie 
 found him reading the book of Job, and his 
 friend began the converfation in the follow- 
 ing manner. 
 
 Alciphron. You now fee before you 
 your difciple. I now read with fingular plea- 
 fure the book you fee in my hand : I cannot 
 however, accuftom myfelf eafily to the long 
 converfation s, complaints, and difcufEons it 
 contains ; and ftill lefs to thofe vindications 
 of Providence, which after all, prove but 
 little. Of the plan of this book, and the 
 thread of reafoning which runs through it, I 
 as yet know nothing ; but it certainly abounds 
 with defcriptions of Nature, and fublime, yet 
 fimple obfervations, concerning the divine 
 perfections and government which elevate the 
 foul. Give me fome moments of your leifure 
 and patience, and I will open to you (to 
 fpeak in the Oriental ftyle) the treafures of my 
 heart, and read you fome pafTages : but in 
 your turn, you mull inform me and redify 
 14 my 
 
154 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 my ideas with refpefl: to the plan^ defign^ ati' 
 tiquityy and author^ ot this remarkable book, 
 
 EuGENius. It is not a matter of indifFer- 
 ence whar paffages we feled for this purpofe. 
 To go through the whole book would be, for 
 us, an undertaking much too laborious : we 
 like brevity in Dialogues : VvX require a per- 
 fpicuous feries and arrangement of ideas, 
 which are not exhibited here in our manner, 
 and in the method of inveftigation to which 
 we are accuftomed. The Orientals are lefs 
 animated in their focial meetings than we are ; 
 they are fond of long conferences, and even 
 of circumlocution, more efpecially in fuch 
 poetical compofitions as this before us. Thefe 
 indeed, contain pearls, but we ipufl: dive for 
 them as it w^ere, into the depths of the 
 ocean. They are not remarkable for their 
 number J but in their quality, they are truly 
 precious treafures of fcience and wifdom, ,con- 
 tained in proverbs and fayings of the earHeft 
 antiquity. 
 
 Alc I phron. To what peilid of time do 
 you allude ? Wc are furprifed to fiiid here 
 fuch extenfive and judicious views of the true 
 
 confti- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I55 
 
 conftitution of Nature, and, at the fame time, 
 to meet fo often with poverty of expreffion 
 and puerile ideas. 
 
 EuGENius. Let us turn, for fome mo- 
 ments, our attention from the author, and 
 confine ourfelves to a confideration of the 
 work itfelf, in its riches and poverty. The 
 book of Job muft undoubtedly belong to a 
 period of very high antiquity, and therefore 
 I take it up with a certain kind of reverential 
 feeling, when I attempt to decypher it. 
 From the earlieft ages— from the moft diftant 
 lands — from the hoary ruins of th|e greateft re- 
 volutions in tafte and manners, which may 
 have taken place in the courfe of three or four 
 thoufand years, I think I hear a voice, which 
 fpeaks to me in this book; — and then, in- 
 ftead of deciding concerning its antiquity, or 
 endeavouring to adapt its interefling contents 
 to more recent times, I fay within myfelf, 
 
 « We are but of yefterday and know nothing, 
 «« Becaufe our days upon earth are a fhadow ; 
 «f The fathers teach us and tell us ; 
 <« They utter words out of their heart *." 
 
 * Job, viii. 8, 9. 
 
 Begin 
 
tjS ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 Begin therefore, my friend, with the beauti- 
 ful paflfages of this book, which relate to the 
 Deity and the natural world ; I love to hear 
 the ideas and language of the primitive — the 
 infant-world. 
 
 Alciphron reads : 
 
 *< Dominion and fear are round about him ; 
 
 *' Hedecideth* in the high heavens 5 
 
 *' Are not his armies without number ? 
 
 ^' i*ind upon whom doth not his light arife ? 
 
 *' How then can man be righteous before God ? 
 
 ** How can he be pure, who is born of a woman ? 
 
 <* See ! even the moon is fled with her tent f ; 
 
 <« Yea, the ftars are not pure in his fight ; 
 
 *' And (hould man be fo ? that worm ! 
 
 ** A fon of the earth." Job, xxv. 
 
 EuGENius. This is truly a fublime re- 
 prefentation of God, the Supreme, the hea- 
 venly Ruler ! He decides between ftars and 
 angels : — numberlefs are his radiant hofts ! 
 His fplendour darkens them all ! that is, — his 
 light, purity, truth, and reditude furpafs in- 
 finitely all the lines of moral excellence, 
 
 • In our tranflation. He maketh peace in his high places. 
 f In the fame. Behold even to the moon and it ftiineth not. 
 
 which 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 157 
 
 which are vifible in finite Intelligences or 
 powers of Nature. The moon with her tent 
 difappears before him! The ftars are not 
 pure in his fight : and from this height of 
 heaven, how awful and fublime is the look he 
 cafts upon man who prefumes to judge of his 
 ways ! 
 
 « And {hould man be fo ? that worm ! 
 «' A fon of the earth— that mite !" 
 
 Alciphron. I am much pleafed with 
 your explanation of thofe obfcure words, 
 
 ** He decideth in the high heavens, &c." 
 
 I fee the Sovereign of the earth pronouncing 
 judgment between ftars and angels, and the 
 moon hiding herfelf from the prefence of his 
 g^ory. 
 
 EuGENius. Proceed to other paflages of 
 Job, which are of a ftill fuperior kind. 
 
 Alciphron r^^^/x : 
 
 «« The abyfs is naked before him, 
 «' And deftrudiion hath no covering 5 
 
 « He 
 
1^8 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 ^* He flretcheth out the north over the empty place y 
 
 *« He hangeth the earth upon nothing ; 
 
 ** He bindeth up the water in his thick clouds ; 
 
 *' And the cloud is not rent under it j 
 
 " He eftabliflieth all around his throne, 
 
 *^ And fpreadeth his cloud upon it. 
 
 <« And marks, as with a compafs, the bounds of the 
 
 " waters, 
 «' Until the light lofeth itfelf in darknefs. 
 * *« The pillars of heaven tremble : 
 *« They are aftoniflied at his reproof. 
 ** By his power he divideth the fea ; 
 *' By his wifdom he curbs the pride of its waves, 
 *' Then by his fpirit does he again garnifh the 
 
 heavens, 
 ** And his hand overtaketh the flying ferpent. 
 " Lo 1 thefe are only a part of his ways, 
 *' How fmall a portion is heard of him ? 
 ** But the thunder of his power who can underftand ?'* 
 
 EuGENius. Yon have been filling the 
 place of the Poet — I iliall now endeavour to be 
 your expofitor : Job overcomes this objedtor 
 as he overcomes them all. He only exhibits 
 a fingle fcene of the power and grandeur of 
 the Almighty to confound him. He however 
 takes his objeds and images from the moft pro- 
 found depths and raifes them to the fublimeft 
 heights ; fo that the bottomlefs abyfs and the 
 throne of the moft High prefent themfelves to 
 his imagination in awful contraft. The em- 
 pire 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I59 
 
 pire of non-entities appears before God :— the 
 abyfs or deJlrtiBion (as Job terms 4t) hath no 
 covering before Him. Now fince thefe are re- 
 prefented as an unfathomable ocean, fo the 
 vaft region of the unborn ftands before the Al- 
 mighty in the gloomy void, where the poet's 
 eye, rolling with a kind of frenzy, perceives 
 flitting fped:res and Ihapelefs forms, which 
 raife themfelves up and wait. The abyfs 
 where light had never pierced, ftands unco- 
 vered — this is the awful, the dark moment, 
 when ciiEATiON begins. It begins with 
 heaven and earth. God fpreads abroad the 
 heavens over the unlimited deep : he efta- 
 blifhes the earth alfo over it (for thefe regions 
 of night, fhadows and fpedres, are reprefented 
 as fubterraneous) : He arranges with wifdoin 
 the heavens, and binds up the waters in clouds* 
 He eredls his throne in the midft of the wa- 
 ters, and covers it v/ith thick clouds. He 
 compaffeth the waters within bounds, until 
 the day and night are blended together at the 
 horizon. After this, his power is defcribect 
 In the thunder, and the fceae is rendered ftil! 
 more awful by the defcription of a fea-ftorm. 
 Here the fwelling and rebellious waves are 
 violent infurgents, which he drives before him 
 
 and 
 
l6o ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 and reduces to filence. At his word the 
 fea is calm, and the heavens are ferene. Now 
 his hand overtakes \h.tflyi?ig ferpent which (if 
 we confider the images ufed in other places,) 
 may fignify the fea-monfter of thefe regions, 
 the crocodile, or may perhaps be a bold figure 
 employed to defcribe the rolling and fwelling 
 waves which the hand of the Almighty renders 
 calm. The concluficn' of the defcription, is as 
 calm and (erene, as its commencement was ter- 
 rible and tempeftuous. And this (fays Job) is 
 only a fmall part of his ways. But the thunder 
 of his power who can underfiand ? Every 
 morning which breaks forth from the dark- 
 nefs of the night — every tempeft that arifes, 
 more efpecially in the fea, prefents this majeftic 
 image to the mind. 
 
 Alciphron. We may add to thefe paf- 
 fages, the difcourfe fo full of animation and 
 tranfport, which Elihu delivered immedi- 
 ately before the laft fcene — the appearance of 
 God in the whirlwind. 
 
 Eu GENIUS, You muft, however, take 
 notice, that this muft be confidered as belong- 
 ing to the back-ground of the piece. For the 
 
 faylngs 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. l6l 
 
 fayings of Elihii^ however plaufible and hap-, 
 pily expreffed they may be, are, neverthelefs, 
 in his own judgment, hke new wine in fer- 
 mentation, which burp;s the vejfel and acuns 
 over^. His images are noble, but there is no 
 end of them, and they are, at beft, no more 
 than ampufications of thofe which Job and 
 his friends had employed before with more 
 brevity and equal energy. Accordingly, his 
 difcourfe receives no anfwer. He makes a 
 kind of preparation for the appearance of the 
 Almighty, and publiflies it before hand with- 
 out knowing it himfelf. He defcribes a 
 rifmg tempefl: in all its terrors, and announces 
 thus, without perceiving it, the approach of 
 the Judge. 
 
 Alciphron. I have never attended to 
 this preparatory feries of images. 
 
 EuGENius. This, in my opinion, is the 
 foul, the vital fpirit of the whole fcene, with- 
 out which Elihu would, every now and then, 
 be repeating the fame things without neceffity. 
 As the whole difcourfe is too long, v^e {hall 
 begin by this paflage, Behold God is great f. 
 
 * Ghap. xxxu. 19, f Chap, xxxvi. 25. 
 
162 ORIENTAL DlALOCVtS. 
 
 Alciphron. « Behold God is great In his powef | 
 <' Who is wife and teacheth like him ? 
 << "Who can examine his ways ? 
 «« Who can fay unto him, Thou haft erred ? 
 *• Therefore remember and magnify his deeds. 
 ** For all men praife them ; 
 *' All men behold them ; 
 <« Only the w^eak fee them afar off. 
 
 << Behold God is great and we know him not, 
 
 " Neither can the number of his years be fearchcd 
 
 " out. 
 *' Tlie drops of rain which defcend, 
 '* He draws up again in vapours ; 
 *' Which the clouds diftil anew on man abundantly. 
 " And who can comprehend the fpreading of the 
 
 " clouds ? 
 «« And the noife of them in his tent ? 
 ** Behold ! He furrounds them with his lightnings j; 
 <* And covereth the bottom of the fea ! 
 *« For by, them he judgeth and punifheth the nations^ 
 " And giveth alfo meat in abundance. 
 
 *' With his hand he grafps the lightning, 
 *' And gives his order where it fliall fall ; 
 *' He ihews it to the wicked ! 
 *« The wicked is th€ prey of his anger." 
 
 All thefe images will appear with more bre- 
 vity and beauty when the Almighty fpeaks. 
 Now the ftorm rifes with violence, and 
 Elihu proceeds ; 
 
 « At 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. iCj 
 
 *f At this my heart trembles ; 
 
 " It fhudders in my bofom ; 
 
 <^ Hear, hear, with terror, the noife of his voices 
 
 *< And the words that go out of his mouth ! 
 
 <* He dire6leth his voice under the whole heaven, 
 
 *« And his lightning to the end of the earth ; 
 
 «* After it a voice roareth — He thundereth mar- 
 
 *^ velloufly. 
 " God thundereth marvelloufly with his voice ; 
 ** Great things does he, which we cannot compre- 
 
 « hend. 
 *' For he faith to the fnow, be thou upon the earth, 
 <* Likewife to the great rains the ftreams of his 
 
 *' might, 
 *' And hefea/eth up the /jarid oi every man ; 
 << That all men may know that it is his work/' 
 
 Alciphron. This paffage is expreffive. 
 On the hand of every man he fets afeal, i. e. 
 they ftand furprifed and aftonifhed ; feeling 
 that they can do nothing : — a fenfation v/hich 
 is excited in every one of us during a thun- 
 der-ftoriri. 
 
 Eu GEN I us. The terrors of the tempeft 
 are thus farther defcribed : 
 
 " Then the beafts go into dens 5 
 
 ^' And remain in their places. 
 
 " Out of the fouth cometh the whirlwind, 
 
 " And froft from the north. 
 
 *' By the breath of God froft is given ; 
 
 M 2 " The 
 
164 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 *' The wide fea becomes dry land. 
 
 ** And now his fplcndour drives the clouds before it 5 
 
 ** His light difperfes them far and wide ; 
 
 *' They wander in their progrefs according to his 
 
 " will; 
 " They go and execute what he orders on hills and 
 
 *' plains, 
 " To which it pleafeth him to fend refrefhment.'* 
 
 The Orientals alone can fet a juft value on 
 the treafures of the rain, and obferve the mo- 
 tions of the clouds to and fro, in fuch a man- 
 ner as to defcribe them with fuch precifion 
 and beauty. They are prefent — we fee them 
 before our eyes in the pidure drawn here by 
 JElihu. 
 
 Alciphron reads: 
 
 " Hearken unto this, O Job * \ 
 
 ** Stand ftill— and confider the wondrous works of 
 
 '^ God ! 
 *< Doft thou know when God difpofed them, 
 <« And caufed the light of his cloud to (hine ? 
 *' And doft tliou know the balancings of the clouds, 
 *^ The wondrous works of Him that is perfect in 
 
 <' knowledge ? 
 " Doft thou know how thy garments are warm, 
 " When he quieteth the earth by the fouth wind ? 
 / * 
 
 * Chap xxxvii. 14, 
 
 <' Hafk 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 165 
 
 ^ Haft thou with him fpread out the flcjr, 
 
 ** Which is as ftrong as a molten glafs ? 
 
 ^« Teach us what we (hall fay unto him ! 
 
 *' For we cannot order our fpeech by reafon of darks 
 
 " nefs, 
 « Shall it be told him that I fpeak ? 
 " If a man fpeak furely he (hail be fw^llowed up. 
 *' Invifible is the light of the Almighty I 
 *' His fpleridour is there behind the clouds ! 
 <« Now the wind bloweth and cleanfeth them, 
 '* Now Cometh gold * from the north ; 
 ^' Beautiful and awful is the luftre of Eloah f ; 
 *' The Almighty, we cannot find him out ! 
 ** The great, the ftrong, the Judge unfpeakable in his 
 
 *' righteoufnefs. 
 *' Therefore fear him ye fons of men ! 
 *^ No fage ever faw him." 
 
 EuGENius. You fee the conclufion to 
 which the young philofopher is brought. He 
 declares to be impoffible that which is now to 
 take place : for, while he is affirming and 
 maintaining that the dark cloud forms an 
 eternal feparation between God and man, and- 
 that a mortal can never hear the voicf: of tlie 
 Almighty, God appears and fpeaks. And 
 what a difference is there, my friend, be- 
 tween the language of Jehovah and that of 
 ^lihu P Feeble, prolix, nay childifh is the 
 
 * Fair weather, f Chap, xxxvii, 22. 
 
 M 3 latter. 
 
l66 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 latter, in comparifon with the concife, majef- 
 tic words of thunder which proceed from the 
 Creator ? He does not difcufs or difpute ; 
 He brings forth a rapid fucceffion of lively 
 images, and furrounds, aftonifhes, and over- 
 powers Job with the^NVonders of his creation ; 
 
 <f The Lord fpoke to Job out of thp whirlwind * ; 
 
 ** He fpoke to him and faid ; 
 
 « Who- is this that darkeneth God*s counfel by 
 
 *' words without knowledge ? 
 <f Gird up now thy loins like a man ; 
 <' I will demand of thee — anfwer me : 
 *' Where waft thou 
 
 When I laid the foundations of the earth ? 
 <« Declare if thou knoweft it. 
 '' Who ilretched the line over it ? 
 <' Whereupon are its foundations fattened ? 
 <* Or who laid the corner-ftone thereof ? 
 <* When the morning ftars fung together, 
 <^ And all the fons of God ihouted for joy." 
 
 EuGENius. Here let us, for a moment, 
 lofe fight of the natural fcience and philo- 
 fophy of later times, and confider this ima- 
 gery as the earlieft poetry of Nature refped:- 
 ing the earth. In this point of view, it muft 
 furely afte£t us in a pleafing manner. How 
 
 * Chap, xxxviii. 
 
 beautiful 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 167 
 
 beautiful and grand is it in its images, and in 
 its fimplicity ! T}iq earth is reprefented as aa 
 edifice, founded and meafured by the Al- 
 mighty ; and no fooner are its foundations 
 laid, and the corner-ilone fixed, than all the 
 Jons of God and the morning-Jlars raife an 
 acclamation of joy and a fong of praife to the 
 great Creator. Now comes the formation of 
 the ocean : 
 
 *« Who (hut up the fea within doors, 
 
 <* When it brake forth, as it were, from the womb I 
 
 ** I gave her the clouds for a garment, 
 
 *^ And folded her in darknefs as in a fwaddling band, 
 
 <* And faid, hitherto (halt thou come— and no 
 
 " farther — 
 ** Here fhall thy proud and ftormy waves be flaid." 
 
 Eu GEN I US. I do not bdieve that there 
 ever was a more fublime and pid:urefque de- 
 fcription of that element than is here exhibited. 
 It breaks forth from the abyfs, from the 
 bowels of the earth, as from its mother's 
 womb. He who forms and arranges all 
 things fpeaks to it as a Being newly brought 
 into exiftence, and fpeaks, as the irrefiftible 
 difpofer of all things, in few words — and the 
 Ocean is filent and obeys him for ever. 
 
 M4 Alci^ 
 
l65 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Algiphron reads: 
 
 <* Haft thou, in thy days, commanded the mornings 
 
 ^' And caufed the dawn to know its place, 
 
 <* That it might be extended to the ends of the earthy 
 
 " And the robbers be fhaken out of it ? 
 
 '^ The images of things change imperceptibly, 
 
 ** Like clay in the forming hand of the potter. 
 
 '* From the wicked his light is withdrawn, 
 
 *' And his high'arm is broken." 
 
 EuGEHius. One would wifli to fee the 
 dawn^ generally charaderized more clearly 
 as a meffenger of the celeftial Monarch, fent 
 to difperfe the bands of the wicked. How 
 elevated is this idea and this occupation, when 
 compared with the offices and titles which the 
 weftern nations and Bards attribute to their 
 Aurora? The time of terror and rapine 
 among the ancients was that which preceded 
 day-break, as even in modern times it is ftili 
 the cuftom of the wandering Arabs to go out 
 in fearch of plunder at that early hour. 
 
 AlciPHRON reads : 
 
 " Haft thou entered into the fprings of the fea ? 
 *' Haft thou walked in the depths of the abyfs ? 
 ** Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? 
 «* The gates of deftrud^ion haft thou beheld ? 
 
 « Haft 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I 69 
 
 f>' Haft thou perceived the breadth of the earth ? 
 ** Declare If thouknoweil italL 
 
 f« Where dwells the light, and what is the way to it? 
 
 «' And as for darknefs, where is the place thereof ? 
 
 << Canftthou follow her to her limits ? 
 
 ** Knoweft thou the path to her domain ? 
 
 «< Oh ! furely thou knoweft it, for, no douhty tliou 
 
 <' w«rt then born, 
 <« And the number of thy days is great." 
 
 EuGENius. Eveiy thing here is perfoni- 
 fied, the light, night, death and deftruclion. 
 Some of thefe have their feparate palaces- 
 others their houfes, their dynafties, their 
 boundaries. It is a whole poetical world — a 
 ^ofmography. 
 
 Alciphron reads : 
 
 *' Haft thou entered into the treafures of the fnov/ ? 
 " And have you there feen the treafures of the hail ? 
 «' Which I have referved againft the time of trouble, 
 ^' For war and flaughter ?" 
 
 Eu GENIUS. One can fcarcely help per- 
 ceiving fomething that has an appearance of 
 irony in this part of the poem. It is as if 
 God, apprehending an attack from his ene- 
 mies, had prepared above, clouds of hail- 
 
 ilones 
 
170 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 ftones as magazines of war, and held them la 
 readinefs. However, in the atmofphere as in 
 the abyfs, every thing is defcribed in the moll 
 poetical manner. Proceed, if you pleafe. 
 
 Alciphron reads : 
 
 *« In what manner Is the light divided, 
 ** \Thsn the eaft-windfcatters it over the 6arth ? 
 <« Who cpena a courfe for the waters of heaven, 
 ** And a path for the thunder-clouds and lightning, 
 ?* That rain may fall upon the lands, where no man is, 
 <* And on \!tiQ wildernefs where no man is feen ? 
 <* To fatisfy the dcfolate and wafte ground, 
 <? And to caufe the bud of the tender herb 
 *f To %ring forth in the folitary ckfart ? 
 
 « Hath the rain a father ? 
 
 " The drops of the dew, who hath begotten them ? 
 
 *' Out of whofe womb cometh forth the ice ? 
 
 ** And the hoary froft of heaven, who hath gen- 
 
 *' dered it ? 
 ^^ The waters rife into mountains, and become a& 
 
 <« ftone, 
 ^* And the furface of the waves is bound in froft.'*' 
 
 EuGENius. This certainly is fublime 
 poetry, rich in imagery— powerful and im- 
 preffive in defcription. It alfo takes in a wide 
 range both of celeftial and terreftrial objeSs, 
 
 Above, 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, ini 
 
 Above, the light comes forth in ftreams, and 
 the eaft-wind carries them over the land : the 
 Father of heaven and earth forms canals for 
 the rain, and marks out a courfe for the 
 clouds. Below, the watery become a rock, 
 and the waves of the fea are held in chains of 
 ice. Here, indeed, all is reality, perfoni- 
 fication and energy. And peculiarly beauti- 
 ful and elevated are the defcriptions which 
 follow: 
 
 ** Canft thou bind the fweet influences of Pleiades, 
 
 ** Or loofe the bands of Orion ? 
 
 ** Canft thou bring forth Mazaroth in his feafon F 
 
 ^* Or canft thou guide ^r^^z/r/^j- with his fons ? 
 
 ** Knoweft thou the ordinances of heaven ? 
 
 *« Canft thou fet the dominion thereof in the earth ? 
 
 ** Canft thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, 
 
 ** That abundance of waters may cover thee ? 
 
 '* Canft thou fend lightnings that they may go, 
 
 ** And fay unto thee — Here we are ? 
 
 " Who has directed withwifdom the clouds in their 
 
 " courfe s ? 
 5* And given underftandlng to the meteors of heaven ? 
 f Who counts the drops of the rain, 
 " And ftays the catarads of heaven fo that they fall 
 « gently, 
 ^« And waters the duft that it may hang together ?" 
 
 EuGENius. Thus ends the defcription of 
 what is called the inanimate creation : but 
 
 indeed 
 
IJZ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 indeed there is nothing here which is not 
 animated by the magic power of poetry j 
 nothing lifelefs, no dead inadive beings. 
 The conilellations, that lead on the lovely 
 fmiling ipring, are, here reprefented as a-fift^r- 
 train : — Orion is an armed man who brings 
 on the winter ; — The figas of the Zodiac ap- 
 pear as a garland, which defcends gently 
 towards the earth : — -The Father of heaven 
 permits the-S^^rto feed with her young ones 
 at the north-pole, or, (according to a different 
 mythology and reading,) the night-'wandtrer^ 
 a mother of ftars, who feeks her loft chil- 
 dren, (the fetting luminaries,) is comforted by 
 Him, probably with a new and fucceeding 
 progeny. When at night the conftellation of 
 xht greattr hear is feen to move, as if he were 
 grazing with his young ones in the vault of 
 heaven, as the poets exprefs it ; and we ob- 
 ferve how the belt of the zodiac, with its 
 figns or figures in beautiful array, changes 
 gently its pofition and afped: with the courfe 
 of the revolving feafons : When we confider 
 this, and at the fame time recolIecSl:, that in 
 the/ earlier ages, the fhepherds who fed their 
 flocks by night, under an unclouded fky in 
 the Eaftern hemifphere, had thefe ob- 
 
 jeds 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. lyj 
 
 jeds always before them, and gave them 
 a kind of life, in the ruftic fimplicity of 
 their wandering fancy ; when, I fay, we 
 confider all this, we muft be particularly 
 ftruck by the beauty of the paflage you 
 have been reading. Of the fame kind is 
 the following pafTage, in v/hich GoA pcrfojiifies 
 and treats as intelligent beings, the dark abyfs, 
 the wandering clouds and meteors. All thefe 
 images ; the lightnings fummoned, and their 
 anfwer ; God's walking upon the clouds ; 
 his counting the drops of the rain ; the foft 
 and gentle defcent of the fhowers at his com- 
 mand : all thefe conftitute a beautiful Nature^ 
 poetry, 
 
 Alciphron. You feem to be an admirer 
 of this fpecies of beauty ; and yet our critics 
 look upon it as the coldeft kind of poetical 
 compofition : fcarcely will they allow it to 
 be called poetry. In their opinion it is only 
 mere defcription of things and forms, which 
 are not always fufceptible of defcription. 
 
 EuGENius. If this were the cafe, I would 
 readily grant that fuch perfonifications did 
 not deferve the name of poetry. Mere fer- 
 
 vile 
 
174 ORIENTAL BIALdGtTEgo 
 
 tile defcrlption of external objeds is not 
 poetry in the true and noble fenfe of that 
 word. Thofe laborious fcribblers, who paint 
 the fpring, the flowers, the thunder, the ice, 
 the winter, in a manner which prefents 
 nothing to the imagination, and confine them- 
 felves to exadl and fervile defcription, are 
 neither true poets nor animated writers. To 
 conftitute what I call the true poetry of Na- 
 ture, more is required, my friend, than a 
 circumftantial and exa£t defcription of par- 
 ticular objects. 
 
 Alciphron. Explain your nieatiiiYg^ 
 more fully. 
 
 EuGENius. You know the very word 
 poetry comprehends, in its fignification, creat- 
 ing power ; and imagination, which is its 
 prime agent, has the magic faculty. of vivi- 
 fying even inanimate objedts, and giving 
 them aBion and perfonality^ as you fee here in 
 Job's diverfified and beautiful fcenery. For 
 here the earth is a palace, of which when the 
 foundations are laid by its Creator, the 
 morning ftars^;^^ together, and all the fons 
 of God fmit for joy. The ocean is a new- 
 8 borr^ 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. IJC 
 
 born child laid in its fwaddliiig bands ; the 
 dawn knows its place ; the lightnings y^^^i ; 
 each image is a new perfonification, and it is 
 this circumftance which gives fuch animation 
 to the poetry of the Hebrews. 
 
 Alciphron. This may be trire, but 
 who will dare to imitate the bold imagery— 
 the arduous flights of the Eaftern bards r To 
 reprefent the ocean as a fwaddled cbild^ and 
 the Creator as forming Jlore-houfes for the 
 hail and fnow, and channels in the Jirma7nent 
 for the waters, are fuch bold, (I was going 
 to fay) fuch audacious figures of fpeech, that 
 I muft afk you again, w^ho will dare to foar 
 fo high in the airy region of poetical licence ? 
 
 EuGENius. I fliould not, indeed, advife 
 any of our bards to attempt it. Every 
 people, language, and climate have, refpedt- 
 ively, their peculiar rules and their particu- 
 lar advantages for poetical compofition ; and 
 it would betray a great poverty of natural 
 genius to borrow fervilely from fuch remote 
 nations, however they may have excelled : 
 but v/e muft purfue the fame path in which 
 tbey proceeded, ^nd draw from the fame 
 
 fource 
 
iyb ORIENTAL DIALOGtJES. 
 
 fource by which they were fupplled. No^lf' 
 by this path and this fource, I mean Nature; 
 and efpecially animated Nature. He to whofe 
 eyes and perceptions Nature does not appear 
 full of life, to whom flie does not fpeak in a 
 language both clear and affeding, with 
 whom fhe is not in friendly concert ; that 
 perfon is not born to be a poet. Nature will 
 be to him a dead mafs, and will alfo appear 
 lifelefs and infipid in his defcriptions. 
 
 Alciphron. From all this one would 
 think, that the early times of ignorance were 
 more favoured than the fucceeding periods of 
 improvement and knowledge, in which the 
 careful ftudy of Nature produced fo many 
 important difcoveries. In the former, poetry 
 painted; in the latter, philofophy only 
 defcribed. 
 
 EuGENius. What do you mean by igno- 
 rance ? In all nations, where people had the; 
 life of their fenfes, they knew well that 
 Nature, of which they fpeak in their poetry ; 
 tiay, they knew it better, and more feelingly 
 for their purpofe, than the learned Botanift 
 does from the Vocabularies of Linnisus. It 
 
 is 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I77 
 
 Is a matter indeed of prime confequence in 
 Botanical Science, to enumerate and arrange 
 the various kinds and claffes of natural objeds, 
 and to point out their fpecific differences; 
 but this does not render them fubjeds of 
 poetical reprefentation. I love to think of 
 thofe early times, in which the views of 
 Nature, though lefs minute, accurate, and 
 cxtenfive, w^ere, neverthelefs, productive of 
 noble and elevated feelings,— -when it was 
 contemplated, principally in its relations to 
 man, and was thus beheld wath fenfibility and 
 admiration, 
 
 Alciphron. You are always carrying 
 me back to the times of ignorance ; and you 
 are ingenious in your endeavours to render 
 them venerable. 
 
 EuGENius. In every period of time 
 the fpirit and genius of poetry muft be in- 
 fluenced and regulated by the ideas men have 
 of the fyftem of the univerfe, and of the 
 aflemblage of beings which come under 
 their obfervation. If they think proper to 
 overlook thefe, they muft at leaft flatter them- 
 felves with the hope of producing a greater 
 
 N eflfeift 
 
178 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 effect and making more lively impreffions by 
 a fabulous nature than by adhering to the 
 real truth of things. And is not this, my 
 friend, often the cafe, even in more advanced 
 and enlightened times ? — The Philofophical 
 Syftems of Copernicus and Newton^ and the 
 difcoveries of (till more modern philofophers 
 may, no doubt, furnifli fubjedls for poetry 
 as iliblime and afteding as thofe which more 
 fimple views of Nature have, in effeft, pre- 
 fented to the illiterate obferver; but why 
 have we never feen this poffibility realifed ? 
 Why have thefe learned and philofophical 
 difcoveries furnifhed fo little to the poetry 
 of Nature ? Whence comes it that the fimple, 
 fabulous poetry of ancient and illiterate times, 
 makes more lively impreflions on our minds, 
 than the philofophical difcoveries and meta- 
 phyfical views of Nature and Man which 
 have crowned the refearches of modern Sages? 
 I fee no other Vv^ay of accounting for this than 
 by fuppofmg, that, in the early periods of the 
 world, the fimple bards of Nature viewed her 
 appearances and operations with more lively 
 feelings, from a notion, that Nature was the 
 immenfe habitation of a Being, fimilar in 
 fome refpeds to themfelves, and that in this 
 great dwelling all things were, in fome mea- 
 
 fure. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I79 
 
 fure, animated^ fufceptible of love and hatred^ 
 and poffefled of be7ieficent or pernicious in- 
 fluences. The firft poet who fhall venture to 
 contemplate the world of Newton, or even 
 oiDefcartcs^ under this point of view, will 
 make the fame lively impreflions on his 
 readers v^rhich accompanied the poetry of the 
 ancient bards ; an impreffion, however, con- 
 nected with more accurate ideas and more 
 enlarged views. It is much to be wifhed that 
 fuch a poet may foon arife! — In the mean 
 time, let us not depreciate the fublime beauties 
 which are to be found in the poetry of ancient 
 nations, becaufe their bards w^ere not natural 
 philofophers nor metaphyficians. Many of 
 their allegories and perfonifications difplay a 
 more lively fancy^ and alfo a richer fund of 
 Ideas than are to be met with in bulky fyftems 
 of philofophy ; and as to their power ot 
 afFe£ling the heart, that needs no proof. 
 
 Alciphron. I muft however confefs, 
 that what you call xht poetry of Nature^ does 
 not appear to me fo afFedting as you repre- 
 fent it. 
 
 Eugenius. It undoubtedly affeds In a 
 pleafing and durable manner, and more fo, 
 
 N 2 In 
 
l8o ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 in truth, than any other poetry. Can any 
 thing be more afFefting and impreffive, than 
 that kind of poetry which fpeaks to us, as it 
 were, from God himfelf in the revolving 
 feafons, in the wonders of each returning 
 day, and announces his prefence with a voicCj 
 that goes throughout the earthy and words that 
 reach to the end of the world? Is it not true 
 that we live in the houfhold of God — in the 
 great family of the univerfal Parent ? And 
 do not both our pleafures and pains tend 
 naturally to render this exalted, this delight- 
 ful idea interefting to our hearts ? That 
 ipecies of poetry, therefore, which prefents 
 this idea to our thoughts, which gives us, as 
 it were, an eye to contemplate the univerfe, 
 to refled: upon ourfelves, and fo to connect 
 and confider thefe objects, in their mutual 
 relations, as to make us perceive all around 
 us omnipotence, wifdom, and love ; fuch 
 poetry is facred and fublime : it pleafcs the 
 fancy, it gratifies the underftanding, it com- 
 forts the heart. Where, O my friend, is the 
 fon of affliction, who, in the midlt of his 
 forrows, raifmg a penfive eye to the ftarry 
 heavens, does not find his anguifli gradually 
 ioothed by the great and glorious afpe£t of 
 
 thofe 
 
 I 
 
OPIEKTAL DIALOGUES. l8l 
 
 thofe bright luminaries, which, in the folemn 
 filence of the night, announce the glory of 
 their Creator ? and feel his complaints and 
 mental pains imperceptibly changed into 
 efFufions of praife ? Nay, on fuch an occa- 
 fion, it fometimes happens that a ray of fere- 
 nity and hope diffufes its comforts through 
 the fufFering mind. Recoiled the queftion 
 of the Almighty— 'iX?/? thou bound the fwect 
 influences of Pleiades? The reader of feehng 
 will confider thefe words as addreffed to him 
 from the ftarry heavens. This is the true 
 fpirit, the genuine effed of the poetry of 
 Nature. It is the true, the fublime Inter- 
 preter of the perfedions and ways of God. 
 It is not verbofe, but, by a w^ord, it often 
 unfolds elevated ideas and afFedling fcenes to 
 the imagination of the poet, and fends them 
 diredly and with energy to his heart ; more 
 efpecially if his heart be endued with fenfibi- 
 lity, and the love of what is great and good. 
 
 Alciphron. The poets of Nature then, 
 as you call them, muft have been always 
 diftinguifhed by their fenfibility and bene- 
 volence. 
 
 N 3 EUGE- 
 
l52 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Without doubt this is the 
 character of thofe poets of a fuperior order, 
 whom Nature marks for her ow?t} for fuch 
 alone are capable of obferving with pene- 
 tration, and expreffing with perfpicuity, grace, 
 and power, her wonders and her beauties. 
 That poetry which is employed on low and 
 contemptible fubjed:s, which is always fearch-^ 
 ing into the impure receffes of the human 
 heart, and, at the fame time, paints its objedls 
 in a lively and pleafmg manner ; fuch poetry 
 is adapted to corrupt both the bard and hi3 
 reader. This, religious poetry neither does 
 nor can do. As the field of contemplation 
 it opens, is large and extenfive, fo does it 
 proportionably elevate and ennoble the mind. 
 It produces, no doubt, a variety of effects 
 and impreffions on different perfons accord- 
 ing to their refpeclive tempers, Ghara(£ters, 
 and improvement. It makes ferae fedate and 
 circumfped:, others active and ardent ; but it 
 has certainly a tendency to render all free and 
 cheerful. It infpires univerfal benevolence. 
 It gives the underftanding vigour and acute- 
 neis in invefligating the laws of Nature, and 
 leads the inquifitive mind into the right path 
 for ufeful difcoveries. All this is more efpe- 
 
 eially 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 183 
 
 cially true with refped to the poetry of the 
 Eaflern nations. 
 
 Alciphron. Do you think It alfo ap- 
 plicable to the poetry of Job ? 
 
 EuGENius. Certainly, my friend !— It 
 would betray a palpable want of judgment, 
 indeed, to ftrain the phyfical fenfe of certain 
 particular and poetical expreffions in fuch a 
 manner as to give them the colour of modern 
 fyftems, and to make Job fpeak and think in 
 the manner of our philofophers. Neverthelefs, 
 the great idea that the world is the houfe, 
 the family of God, in which he prefides as 
 the univerfal Parent, in which all is direSed 
 by eternal rules and a perpetual attention to 
 the minuteft objeds ; this idea is predominant 
 in the Book of Job, and it is an idea equally 
 elevated and affeding. It is iUuftrated by 
 examples; it is enforced by a multitude of 
 particular incidents and events, which all in- 
 dicate a uniform defign, a regular connexion, 
 and terminate in one ultimate and general 
 purpofe. The moft wonderful phenomena 
 are exhibited as the ads, the produdions of 
 ^ Parent-Creator always pervading, and ani- 
 
 N 4 mating 
 
I§4 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 mating by his influence the univerfal fyflem. 
 Shew me a poem in which the fyftem of 
 Nature (as it prefents itfelf to our obfer- 
 vations and refearches,) is dlfplayed in fuch 
 bold iketches, with fuch animated perfonifi- 
 cations, and with fuch a graceful mixture 
 of uniformity and variety as in the Book of 
 Job, and even in the chapter now before us ? 
 Do not forget, I befeech you, the three eflen- 
 tial requifites in a perfed poem ; a lively re^ 
 preff ntation of objeds to i\\Q fenfes^ animated 
 defcriptions of Nature for the hearty and a 
 regular defign or plan, ^fimilar to that which 
 takes place in the creation,) for the under- 
 Jiandlng. The laft of thefe is often neglefted 
 by many of our modern painters of Nature. 
 
 Alciphron. You require what to me 
 feems impoffibk. How little can we perceive 
 of the general plan of Nature in the parti- 
 cular fcenes of her operations ? The empire 
 of this omnipotent Parent is fo vaft, her 
 procedure fo How, her views fo extenfive . . . 
 
 EuGENius, Therefore you imagine, per^ 
 haps, that the production of her poet muft 
 fae equally flow, progrefllve, and vafl: ? — ^ 
 
 This 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 185 
 
 This may be requiring too much. — However, 
 my friend, let me tell you plainly, that the 
 bard to whom this great Parent has imparted 
 no idea of her plan, her defigns, and the 
 unity of her operations, muft impofe filence 
 on his mufe, and not permit her to fmg of 
 Nature's works and ways. But he, for whom 
 the great Parent has drawn afide her veil, and 
 whom flie has permitted to behold her, face 
 to face, let fuch a bard point out to us the 
 connexion, order, and benevolent arrange- 
 ment which reign fo confpicuoufly in all her 
 works. The poetry of fuch a bard will be 
 (like the Creation) tcoo-f/^ogj a regular produc- 
 tion, formed and finiihed on a clear plan, 
 with wife circumfpeftion, and right views : 
 and thus it will enliven Nature, and render 
 its objefts peculiarly pleafing both to the un- 
 derftanding and the fenfes. In the kingdom 
 of Nature all things are conneded, and to the 
 eye of man they are conneded in a manner 
 that is analogous to his perceptive powers, 
 and his mode of exiftence. The feafons of 
 the year refemble the different periods of 
 our duration. Lands and climates are con- 
 ne£ted by the human race : ages and worlds 
 arc bound together by their derivation from 
 
 one 
 
l86 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 one ETERNAL CAUSE, God the Creator: 
 He is thus, in a certain fenle, the eye of ih^ 
 univerfe in all its boandlefs extent, and thai 
 EYE reduces all things to one point of view — • 
 to imrxienfe unity. This view of things 
 leads us again eaftwards ; for the Orientals 
 introduced into their Nature-poetry unity of 
 defign, as its principal and predominant cha- 
 radter, however rich or barren it might be in 
 objeds : they faw, in all things, and in all 
 places, the God of heaven and earth, — the 
 One Supreme. This was not the cafe 
 among the Greeks, Celts, or Romans. How 
 far in this refpedl is Lucretius below Job 
 and David ? 
 
 Alciphron. You think and feel much, 
 my friend, in the Oriental manner, efpecially 
 with refpect to perfonlfication. Read, how- 
 ever, our critics, and you will fee how earn- 
 eftly they exhort poets to employ this ofna^ 
 ment fparingly. 
 
 EuGENius. If it deferves only the name 
 of a mere ornament^ and they confider it only 
 as a piece of poetical finery, they are certainly 
 in the right. But I do not look upon it in 
 
 J 5 this 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 187 
 
 this light: I confider It 2l^ life ^ foul ^ animation^ 
 \ a&io?i. Oss IAN is not an Oriental bard, nor 
 Is he even a painter of Nature^ in the ftridt 
 and proper fenfe of that phrafe ; and, never- 
 thelels, ajl objedis are perfonified by his 
 creative mufe. All Is full of life and motion 
 in his poetry, — the winds, the waves, even 
 the head of a thiflle. The fun is an a£tive 
 youth: the moon a virgin^ who has other 
 moons for her fillers in the firmament : the 
 evening-ftar is a graceful boy, who comes 
 forward, (hines and retires. In a word, 
 Offian, in the article of perfonlfication, may 
 be called Job's brother. Of this I can give 
 you a very pleafing proof. Read the four 
 pieces I have in my hand, and I am fure you 
 will be fatisfied with the ps,rfomf cations of 
 the Eaft*. 
 
 * Thefe four Pieces are the AddrefTes of Oflian to the 
 (etting Sun, the rlfing Sun, the Moon, and the Evening 
 iStar. 
 
( i88 ) 
 
 OSS IAN. 
 
 TO THE SETTING SUN. 
 
 Hall thou left thy blue courfe in heaven. 
 
 Golden-haired fon of the fky ! 
 
 The Weft has opened its gates ; 
 
 The bed of thy repofe is there. 
 The waves come to behold thy beauty ; 
 
 They lift their trembling heads. 
 
 They fee thee lovely in thy fleep ; 
 
 And (brink away with fear. 
 Reft, in thy Ihadowy cave, O Sun I 
 
 And let thy return be in joy. 
 
 TO THE MORNING SUN, 
 
 O Thou that rolleft above, round as the ftiield 
 
 of my fathers ! 
 "Whence are thy beams, O Sun ! 
 Thy cverlafting light ? 
 Thou corn eft forth in thy awful beauty ; 
 The ftars bide themftlves in the fky ; 
 The moon cold and pale finks in the weftern 
 
 wave. 
 But thou thyfelf moveft alone : 
 Who can be a companion of thy courfe ? 
 
 The 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 189 
 
 The oaks of the mountains fall : 
 The mountains themfelves decay with years : 
 The ocean (hrinks and grows again : 
 The moon herfelf is loft in heaven ; 
 But thou art for ever the fame. 
 Rejoicing in the brightnefs of thy courfc. 
 When the world Is dark with tempefts ; 
 When thunder rolls and lightning flies, 
 Thou lookeli In thy beauty from the clouds, 
 
 and laugheft at the ftorm. 
 But to Ofliiin, thou lookeft in vain ; 
 For he beholds thy beams no more ; 
 Whether thy yellow hair floats on the Eaftcrn 
 
 clouds, 
 Or thou trembleft at the gates of the Weft. 
 But thou art perhaps, like me, for a feafon. 
 And thy years will have an end. 
 Thou (halt ileep in thy clouds, carelefs of the 
 
 voice of the morning. 
 Exult then, O Sun ! in the ftrength of thy 
 
 youth ! 
 For age is dark and unlovely ! 
 It is like the glimmering light of the Moon, 
 When it (hines through broken clouds. 
 And the mift Is en the hills : 
 The blaft of north is on the plain ; 
 Th« traveller {brinks In the midft of his journey. 
 
 TO 
 
I^O ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 TO THE MOON. 
 
 Daughter of Heaven, fair art thou T 
 
 The filence of thy face is pleafant ! 
 
 Thou comeft forth in lovelinefs. 
 
 The ftars attend thy blue courfe in the Eaft. 
 
 The clouds rejoice in thy prefenee, O Moon F 
 
 They brighten their dark-brown fides. 
 
 Who is like thee in heaven, light of the filent 
 
 night ! 
 The ftars are afliamed in thy prefenee. 
 They turn away their fparkling eyes. 
 Whither doft thou return from thy courfe. 
 When the darknefs of thy countenance grows ? 
 Haft thou thine hall, like Oflian ? 
 Dwelleft thou in the (hadow of grief? 
 Have thy ftfters fallen from heaven ? 
 Are they, who rejoiced with thee at night, no 
 
 more ? 
 Yes I they have fallen, fair light I 
 And thou doft often retire to mourn. 
 But thou thyfelf (halt fail one night. 
 And leave thy blue path in the heaven. 
 The ftars will then lift up their heads : 
 They, who were aftiamed in thy prefenee, wili 
 
 rejoice. 
 Thou art now clothed with thy brightnefs : look from 
 thy gates in the fky. — Burft the cloud, O wind, 
 that the Daughter of Night may look forth ! that 
 the ftiaggy mountains may brighten, and the ocean 
 roll its white waves in light. 
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 1 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I9I 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE EVENING STAR. 
 
 Star of defcending Night ! fair is thy light in the weft ! 
 Thou lifted thy unfhorn head from thy cloud : thy 
 fleps are (lately on thy hill. What doft thou be- 
 hold on the plain ? The ftormy winds are laid. 
 The murmur of the torrent comes from afar 
 Roaring waves climb the diftant rock. The flies of 
 Evening are on their feeble v/ings ; the hum of 
 their courfe is on the field. What doft thou be- 
 hold, fair Light ? But tliou doft fmile and depart. 
 The waves come with joy around thee : they bathe 
 thy lovelv hair. Farewell^^ thou filent beam 1 
 
DIALOGUE W 
 
 ^ pidlurefque view of the cmimal creation — 
 Inquiries into Job'' s place of abode — Whether 
 it "was in the valley o/^Gutta 7iear Damaf- 
 cus ? — 'The proverbial exprejions in the book 
 of Job^ are of Idumeaii origin — Conccni" 
 ing the Egyptian linages in that ^OO)^— Whe- 
 ther the author of it was an Egyptian ? — 
 Whether by the Behemoth we are to tinder- 
 Jland the Elephant or the Nile-horfe ? — 
 Whether yio'^t^ was the author of the hoolz^ 
 which bears the 7iame of Job^ or found it 
 during his fojournlng with Jethro ^—When 
 this book was known In Judea ? — Whether It 
 was tranfated from the Arabic^ or orlghi- 
 ally compofed in the Hebrezv lafiguage ? — 
 Whether the hlfojical IntroduBlon to the book 
 is of the fame date with the book Itfelf? — 
 Whether the Idea of Satan In this book Is of 
 Chaldean origin — Concer72lng the dlfcourfes 
 of Job, his friends and accufers, and the 
 fplrlt of jurlfprudence and phllofophy which 
 appears In their re afonlngs on the dlfpenfa- 
 tlons of Providence, 
 
 o 
 
( ^95 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE V. 
 
 JTiLciPHRON. I long much, my friend, to 
 hear the fecond part of the difcourfe which 
 God addrefles to Job, and in which the ani*- 
 mals alfo are reprefented with the perceptions 
 and feelings of human beings. I fhall read 
 the paffages and leave it to you to explain 
 them*- 
 
 « Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion, 
 *« Or fatisfy the defire of the young lions, 
 *« When they couch in their dens, 
 " And abide in the covert to lie in wait ? 
 
 « Who provideth for the raven his food, 
 <* While his young ones cry unto God, 
 << And wander for lack of food ? 
 
 <« Knoweft thou the time when the wild goats bring 
 
 "forth? 
 « Or canft thou mark when the hinds do calve ? 
 *« Canft thou numberthe months that they fulfil, 
 «< Or knoweft thou the time when they bring forth ? 
 
 *' They bow themfelves, they bring forth their young 
 « ones J 
 
 * Chap, xxxix, 
 
 02 " They 
 
19^ ORIENTAL BIALOGUES. 
 
 <* They cad out the children of their forrows. 
 
 <^ Their children are vigorous ; 
 
 " They grow up in the wildernefs ; 
 
 " They go forth and return not unto them." 
 
 The ravenous ferocity of the lion, the de- 
 formity of the young raven, which is never- 
 thelefs an objed of God's providential care, 
 and the defcriptions which follow, are beauti- 
 fully pidurefque. 
 
 Alciphron reads \ 
 
 <« Who hath fet the wild afs free, 
 « And loofed the bands of his fervitiide ? 
 *^ The wildernefs I gave him for a houfe, 
 <* The barren wildernefs for a dwelling : 
 «« He fcorneth the multitude of the city, 
 " Neither regardeth he the voice of the driver : 
 ** The range of the mountains is his pafture, 
 *f And where the green tufts of grafs appear, thither 
 << doth he climb." 
 
 EuGENius.. With what an animated and 
 genuine fpirit of liberty is the nature of this 
 animal defcribed ! The bleak and barren 
 wildernefs is his habitation, which he prefers 
 before the nolfe and hurry of the crowded 
 city. He is not conftrained, like his enflaved 
 brethren, to liften to the voice of the driver, 
 
 but 
 
 i 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. I97 
 
 hut fiiuffeth up the wind at his pleafure^ cafts a 
 wild look towards the verdant hills, and feeks 
 out, with ardour, .every tuft of grafs. He 
 lives, indeed, poor in his defart, but he has 
 all he wants, and is free and frolickfome.* 
 
 Then follow the beautiful defcriptions of 
 the ojirich^ the horfe^ and the ^^^g-/^, which 
 form the conclufion of feven pi£tures from 
 animal nature in the moft brilliant manner. 
 
 Alciphron reads', 
 
 *« The oftrichfoars exulting on triumphant wings : 
 
 «^ She trufteth her eggs to the earth, 
 
 " And warmeth them in the duft, 
 
 <« And forgetting that the foot may crufii them, 
 
 " Or that the wild beaft may break them ; 
 
 «« She is hardened againft her young ones, as if they 
 
 " were not hers : 
 <* Her labour is fruitlefs becaufe (he careth not for 
 
 « them ; 
 *< For God hath deprived her of vi^fdom, 
 <f Neither hath he imparted to her underftanding. 
 «< Yet fhe lifteth up herfelf on high, 
 " And fcorneth the horfe and his rider. 
 <^ Haft thou given the horfe ftrength ? 
 ** Haft thou clothed his neck with thunder * ? 
 <* Canft thou make him fpring up as a grafshopper ? 
 
 * Or, Haiil thou adorned his nech nvith a ivavhg mane ? 
 
 o '^ " Thi^ 
 
198 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES.. 
 
 '^ The glory of his noftrils is terrible * : 
 
 " He paweth in the valley and rc=jolceth in U3 
 
 *« flrength ; 
 *< When he goeth to meet the armed men, 
 " He mocketh at fear and does not tremble, 
 " Neither turneth he back from the fword. 
 " The quiver rattleth againithim, 
 *« And the glittering fpear and ftiield. 
 <f He fwalloweth the ground with fiercenef;^ and rage 5, 
 <« Neither believeth he that the trumpet founds. 
 «' He faith among the trumpets, ha, ha. 
 <« He fmelleth the battle arar off, 
 " The thunder of the captains and the fhouting. 
 *< Doth tne hawk fly by thy wifdom, 
 *' And fpreadout her wingi before the wind ? 
 ^* Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, 
 " And make her neft on high ? 
 " She abideth and dwelleth upon the rock, 
 ** Upon the crag of the rock— her (Irong place. 
 '* From thence (he watcheth her prey, 
 " And her eyes behold afar off. 
 ** Her young ones alfo fuck up blood ; 
 *« And where the llain are — there is flie." 
 
 EuGENius. Obferve, I befeech you, the 
 fpirit, energy and truth which animate and 
 enliven thefe three pidures. The oftrich is 
 boldly painted by her towering flight, and the 
 fudden emotion of wonder which it excites. 
 
 * Or, His tremendous neighing excites terror. 
 
 Her 
 
orie:ntal dialogues, 199 
 
 Her forgetfulnefs and ftupidity are wifely- 
 ordered by the Creator. Had this bird been 
 endued with more fagacity and inftindive 
 fenfibility, fhe would fufFer keenly for her 
 young ones, w hich fhe is obliged to leave be- 
 hind her in her flight to the wildernefs. 
 Therefore hath the Creator withheld from her 
 fagacity and forefight, and formed her for 
 that rapid and winged motion, which is ac- 
 companied with the wild cry of exultation 
 and joy. As to the defcription of the bo7'fe^ 
 I think it the fineft that was ever given of that 
 generous and noble animal, as the region in 
 which this book was compofed was alfo the 
 moft remarkable for furnifliing the beft horfes. 
 He is here reprefented as the Arabians con- 
 fider him, that is, as an intelligent, bold, 
 warlike animal, which exults in vidory, 
 and whofe proud neighings have a grand 
 efFed: amidft the war-fhouts and acclamations 
 of heroes. The eagle, finally, portrayed in 
 a mafterly manner v/ith refped to his royal 
 afpeft, his elevated dwelling, his thirft of 
 blood, and his dexterity in purfuit of his 
 prey, concludes the feries. It is terminated, 
 as you fee, by a monarch of the feathered 
 tribe, as it commenced with the king of the 
 
 p 4 four- 
 
QGO ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 four-footed animals. The fea-monfters. 
 Behemoth and Leviathan^ now follow. 
 
 Alciphron. I fhall read the account of 
 them when I am alone — what I particularly 
 defire at prefent, is, that you would give me 
 your ideas concerning the general purpofe for 
 which all this imagery, and all thefe- pic^ 
 turefque defcriptions are introduced, as alfo 
 with refpedt to the tenour and connexion of 
 the dialogues which we find in this ancient 
 and remarkable book. I fhould likewife be 
 glad to have fome information relative to the 
 time and place in which the writer lived. 
 
 EuGENius. As to the place, that cannot 
 be determined until we know who the writer 
 was. The firft and moft elTential point to be 
 cleared is, Where the fcenes defcribed in this 
 book were exhibited ? or, in other words. 
 Where Job lived ? If the hiftorical intro- 
 duction, prefixed to this poem, be of high 
 antiquity and worthy of credit, (as it appears 
 to be,^) then Job muft have dvvrelt in the land 
 of Z7% — Where then was this little canton 
 fituated ? 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 20I 
 
 Alciphron. It was, perhaps, the 
 charming dale Guttdy near Damafcus*. 
 
 EuGENius. If this be fo, the Introdiiclton 
 IS at variance with the Book. For in the 
 latter we meet with no fcenes but fuch as are 
 Arabian or Egyptian. Nothing that is parti- 
 cularly relative to Syria is obfervable in Job's 
 poetry, though that country, as you well know, 
 was rich in natural and beautiful fcenery. 
 We fhall therefore give up thivS opinion, which 
 feems to be founded only on a modern oral 
 tradition, and inveftigate the matter by con- 
 fulting the Hebrev/ writings. Have you 
 no recolledion of a place called Uz, befides 
 that vv^hich is near Damafcus ? 
 
 Alciphron. Yes — the name is given in 
 the book of Genefisf^ to one of the children 
 of Edom. 
 
 EuGENius. And where has Jeremiah 
 placed the daughters of Edom ? 
 
 * This was the opinion of the learned Michaeh's. 
 f Genefis, xxxvi. 28. 
 
 Alci- 
 
202 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. Rejoice, and be glad, O 
 daughter of Edom, that dwelleth in the land of 
 
 Eu GEN JUS. Nothing can be more clear. 
 And from whence came the friends who 
 vifited Job, and confequently muft have 
 lived in the fame neighbourhood ? Eliphaz, 
 as well as Teman, was mentioned by Mofes 
 among the fons of Efauf . In feveral places 
 Teman is made known by the Prophets as a 
 country or city of Edom :):, eminent for 
 wifdom and men of good counfel, fuch as 
 Eliphaz here feems to be. Bildad of Shuah, 
 Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu of Buz, are 
 all from the diftrids or neighbourhood of 
 Idumea. Suah was a near relation of Dedan, 
 who alio lived near Idumea. The other 
 cities are likewife named by Jofhua ; and, 
 upon the whole, the manners, which predo- 
 minate in this book, are Idumean— Arabian. 
 
 Alciphron. Did knowledge abound (q 
 early in Idumea ? 
 
 • Lamentations, iv. 21. f Genefis, xxxvi. ii , la. 
 ^ Jeremiah, xlix. 7. 
 
 5 EUGE^ 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 203 
 
 EuGENius. If it had not made a confi- 
 derable progrefs there, the poet would not 
 have placed with propriety the fcenes of his 
 piece. But he was a better judge of thofe 
 remote objeds than we can poffibly be. If 
 certain fuperficial thinkers among us, were to 
 decide on this head, they would, perhaps, 
 with a temerity not uncommon, reje(fl the 
 whole hook, and affirm, that in fuch an early 
 period, and in fuch rude and barbarous 
 times, it is impoffible that fo much wlfdom 
 and fuch an extenfive knowledge of Nature 
 eould have exifted. Neverthelefs, every de- 
 cifion of this kind is openly and pofitively 
 contradifted by more than one prophet. 
 
 Alciphron. By what prophets ? 
 
 EuGENius. By thofe who, in their time, 
 when Edom was already brought under the 
 yoke, regarded this fmall territory as a maga- 
 zine of Oriental, i. e. Arabian wifdom. The 
 wife men of Teman, the fages of Edom, feem 
 to be alledged as noted examples, and have 
 been confidered as proverbial on this bead*. 
 
 * Jeremiah, xlix. 7. Obadiah, veiTcs 8, 9. 
 
 We 
 
204 ORTENT-4L DIALOGUES. 
 
 We know now in what the Oriental, i. e« 
 the Arabian wifdom, confifted. It was made 
 up of proverbs, fublime images, and enig- 
 matical fentences, of which the book under 
 confideration furnilhes many and remarkable 
 examples. Befides, the fcene'and the manners 
 which it exhibits are entirely Edomitlcal. 
 Job is an£?«ir, and his friends were probably 
 Emirs alfo ; and they who, in the books of 
 Mofes, were afterwards calledprinces ofKdom^ 
 were undoubtedly Emirs. It is farther to be 
 obferved,_ that the book of Job contains 
 nothing that has any relation to the laws 
 of Mofes. It abounds with ideas rela- 
 tive to jurifprudence; but they all breathe the 
 fpirit of an Oriental or £;;//r-legiflation» 
 This fpirit reigns from the firft to the lafl 
 chapter. It is the vital principle, as it were, 
 pf the whole book. 
 
 - Alciphron. The book, however, con- 
 tains feveral defcrlptions of objecfts which are 
 entirely Egyptian ; fuch as the Nile, (which 
 here,, as among the Egyptians, is called the 
 fea^ ih.^ papyrus y the crocodile ^ the IJlc of the 
 dead — 
 
 EuGE- 
 
fJlRIENTAL DIALOGUES. 20^ 
 
 EuGENius. You may add the Behemoth^ 
 which was, probably, the Nile or river-horfe ; 
 the fepulchres of the kings ; nor mull we 
 forget the elephantiafis : b^t -it is, neverthe- 
 lefs, certain that Tob did not live in Egypt, 
 and the man ne-r - r thinking, which predomi- 
 nates in this book, is by no means Egyptian. 
 It is the Hebrew or Oriental mythology that 
 reigns in all the poems of which it is conf- 
 pofed ; and T ufe the word Oriental here, as a 
 general denomination for all the languages 
 which are connected with the Hebrew. 
 The ideas of the Deity, of the univerfe, of 
 the origin of the world, of man, fate and re- 
 ligion, are truly Hebraic or Oriental, and in 
 no other language are they fo properly and 
 happily expreffed. The Egyptian images and 
 ideas, which are employed in this book, bear 
 the diftlnd:ive marks of a foreign derivation, 
 of riches brought from. far. It is evident 
 that this kind of Afiatic fplendor reigns 
 throughout the book, in fimilitudes, compa- 
 rifons, and allufions to the ufeful and liberal 
 arts. We find treafures of Oriental wiidom 
 in places where we fhould have little expedted 
 them ; this is alfo the cafe Vv^Ith many inte- 
 refting defcriptions, which feem to be placed 
 
 where 
 
2o6 ORIENTAL DIALOOUES. 
 
 where we find them, merely on aceountof theif 
 rarity, and as curious morfels of natural hif- 
 tory. This is more efpecially true with re- 
 Ipedl to the accounts of the ojlrich^ the behe- 
 tnotfj^ and the leviathan. Had the two laft of 
 thefe animals been common in the country 
 where Job lived, they would not have been 
 fo circumftantially and fo pompoufly de- 
 fcribed. But they are introduced as foreign, 
 unknown, and wonderful beings :— this is the 
 reafon of their appearance on the fcene. 
 
 Alciphron. We can thus, methlnks, 
 eafily diftinguifh between the fubjeds which 
 were particularly known and familiar to the 
 writer of this book, and thofe which he did 
 not find at home, but which exifted in 
 neighbouring lands. 
 
 EuGENius. Very eafily. The manners, 
 opulence, and jurifprudence of the Emir are 
 perfedly known and familiar to him. The 
 oblation is known to him ; but it is 2i patriar- 
 chal oblation ; for Job prepares and prefents 
 it as the head of a family. Arabian defarts, 
 fountains dried up, marching hords and cara- 
 vanferas, bands of robbers, inhabitants of 
 
 caverns — 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 207 
 
 Caverns — lions and wild affes are frequently 
 mentioned in this book. All the forms of 
 the Afiatic jurifprudence, and many other 
 circumftances and objeds of fmaller import- 
 ance, feem plainly to point out that diftridl 
 in which the Septuagint places the fcene of 
 this book — even Idumea. On the other 
 hand, the treafures of Mauritania, and the 
 rarities of Egypt, appear only as ornamental 
 famples of the author's learning. The levia- 
 than and behemoth come forth at the end of 
 the book. 
 
 Alciphron. You faid that Behemoth has 
 been confidered as the Nile-horfe or Hippopo^ 
 tamus : but it generally pafles for the ele- 
 phant. 
 
 Eugenius. In the ^opinion perhaps of 
 fome modern writers. But according to the 
 old and general opinion, the behemoth was 
 the fame animal with the rhinoceros ; apd 
 not only the teflimonies of a refpedable num- 
 ber of learned men, but alfo remarkable and 
 decifive circumftances in the defcriptions of 
 the animal plead for this opinion. It is evi- 
 dent that the behemoth was an aquatic ani- 
 mal. 
 
. 20§ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 mal, fince it is mentioned as fomething rare 
 and extraordinary that he eats grafs like the 
 cattle, that the hills furnifh him with food, 
 and the beafts of the field fport with him. 
 He fleeps in the reeds, and lies concealed in 
 the mud under the banks gf the river/ and 
 all thefe are circumftances^-which have no 
 fort of relation to the elephant. He goeth 
 againft the ftream, as if he meant to fwallow 
 it, and thus is manifeftly a water animal. 
 His Jlf-ength is in bis loins ^ and his force is in 
 the 7iavel of his belly ^ which is precifely the 
 weak part of the elephant. His bones are as 
 Jlro7ig pieces of brafs — his back-bone is like a 
 bar of iron. He that made him has provided 
 him with a fword (or harpoon), which indi- 
 cates plainly the long extended teeth of the 
 river-horfe *, while he is alfo placed together 
 with the crocodile, in oppofition to the land- 
 animals which form a feparate fpecies, and is 
 confidered as a monfter (as the Orientals con- 
 finder all aquatic animals) which terminates 
 the animal kingdom. This opinion feems to 
 be well founded ; and, if I am not much mif- 
 taken, will in a little time be generally adopted. 
 
 * Or Hippopotamus » 
 
 ' Confult 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 209 
 
 Confult on this head Bochart^ Ludolph^ and 
 Reimarus^ and you will find a remarkable 
 agreement in their defcrlptions of this out- 
 landifh monfter. 
 
 Alciphron. But what do you fay of the 
 fnout which he is faid to move and project 
 like a cedar \ 
 
 EuGENius. There is no mention made 
 of a fnout, but of a tail ; nor is it the length 
 of the cedar-tree, but rather th€ curvature of 
 its branches which forms the point of compa- 
 rifon. This circumftance of the branches of 
 the cedar, is mentioned in the old verfions ; 
 but we have dwelt long enough on this fub- 
 jedt.— By whom do you think this book was 
 compofed ? 
 
 Alciphron. It is fcdd to have been com- 
 pofed by Mofes when he lived in the family 
 of Jethro. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. I am forry to be again under 
 the neceffity of oppofmg an ancient and gene- 
 ral opinion. I have a very high idea of 
 Mofes as a poet ; but of this poem he cer- 
 
 p tainljr 
 
2IO ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 talnly was not the author. I fhould as foon 
 believe that Solon compofed the Iliad of 
 Homer, or the Eiimenides of ^fchylus. I 
 will venture to affirm, that I have ftudied the 
 fphit of this poetry, and that of Mofes, with 
 the greateft and the moil unprejudifed atten- 
 tion : — I have alfo taken into confideration 
 the variations in ftyle which may be produced 
 by change of circumflances, lapfe of time, 
 and diverfity of occupations ; but, neverthe- 
 lefs, I muft ftill confider the poetry of Job 
 and that of Moses as totally different from 
 each other in ftyle and manner of expreffion. 
 The former is fententious, bold, rich in 
 ideas and images, and always in the higheft 
 ma7iner of pidurefque rcprefentation : the 
 latter is, even in the fublimeft paffages, more 
 foft and flowing : nay more — the ftyle and 
 imagery, which are peculiarly remarkable in 
 the poetry of Mofes, are not to be found in 
 the book of Job : the voice that ftrikes us here 
 is rough and abrupt, like a found tranfmitted 
 through rocks and precipices, and not fuch a 
 one as bears any conformity with the flat and 
 uniform territory of Egypt. We find in the 
 book. of Job the genuine tone and manner of 
 sa Arabian, an Idumean, exprefled both in 
 
 the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 211 
 
 the outlines of his pidures, and in little fa- 
 vourite touches which are peculiar and cha- 
 radteriftic. The imagination of the Bard 
 feems to have been formed in his youth, and 
 to have kept always its form, particularly in 
 thofe lines which announce early impreffions. 
 Job is fo abundant in patriarchal and juridical 
 defcriptions of the Eaftern Emirs, which he 
 applies to the fupreme Governor of the 
 world, that it is eafy to perceive in what 
 country he was born and educated. MosES 
 faw nothing of this kind in Egypt, nor were 
 any of his anceftors Eaftern rulers or princes. 
 He was an entire ftranger to the tone and lan- 
 guage of fuch perfonages ; and it would have 
 been a real miracle if, befides his poems, 
 his laws and v/ritings, he had alfo compofed 
 the colle(3:ion of poems now before us — a 
 collection accommodated to the genius of a 
 quite different nation, to the manners, ideas, 
 and cuftoms of what we might call the 
 people of another world. This I could fully 
 demonftrate by confidering fucceffively, the 
 different pieces which compofe the book of 
 Job ; — but you can yourfelf eafily make the 
 comparifon and draw the conclufion. 
 
 p 2 Alci- 
 
212 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. But might not Mofes have 
 tranflated this poem from the Arabic, while 
 he fojourned with Jethro ? 
 
 EuGENius. For my part I fhould be 
 much pleafed to find that the poem had got 
 among the Hebrews by the means of Mofes ; 
 but how can this be proved ? The work, as 
 it appears to me, is not a tranflation, but an 
 original compofition in the Hebrew language. 
 I fee no reafon for confidering it as a tranfla- 
 tion. It bears a ftriking refemblance to the 
 Arabian poetry ; and confidering the proxi- 
 mity of Idumea to Arabia, this circumflance 
 may naturally have produced a fimilitude 
 between the ideas, manners, and poetical 
 fpirit of the two countries. 
 
 Alciphron. Is it not pofTible at leaft that 
 Mofes may have found the book in the family 
 of Jethro ? 
 
 EuGENius. You feem unwilling to think 
 that Mofes loft his time while he kept Jethro's 
 flieep. But I muft tell you, my friend, that 
 though I fhould really wifh to fee your fup- 
 pofition confirmed, 1 ftill think it highly im- 
 probable. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 213 
 
 probable. If this book, which contains fuch 
 an admirable colledion of poetical pi£lures,^ 
 had been known to the Hebrews by the 
 recommendation of Mofes, we fhould find 
 in the poetry of that people, more imitations 
 of its manner and contents than we at prefent 
 perceive. Have you never obferved how 
 the prophets imitate and even copy one 
 another ? — how they borrow from each 
 other imagery and expreffions which they 
 employ each in his way, without adding 
 any thing of their own ? But the book of 
 Job, like a venerable old pyramid, ftands 
 alone on its own foundation. It is not, and 
 perhaps cannot be an obje(3: of imitation. 
 
 Alciphron, There are, however, if I 
 ani not miftaken, feveral imitations of it in 
 the Pfalms. 
 
 EugeniuSp Imitations perhaps of parti- 
 cular paffages and defcriptions : — but you 
 muft recoiled that, in the time of David, 
 Ifrael had an eafier and more diredt way of 
 being acquainted with Edom, than in the 
 time of Mofes. 
 
 p % Alci- 
 
214 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. True — for David brought 
 Edom under the yoke. 
 
 EuGENius. And you may add, that this 
 people refufed to Mofes even a paflagJ 
 through their country. You muft alfo con- 
 fider, that it v^^as not at all agreeable to the 
 defigns of Mofes or his manner of thinking, 
 to borrow books or religious ideas from the 
 nations of Canaan, fmce his great objed: was 
 to keep the Ifraelites as much as pofTible, 
 feparate in all things from other nations. 
 Now in the time of David, things and cir- 
 cumftances were greatly changed. When this 
 monarch caji his Jhoe over Edonf^^ the trea- 
 fures of fcience which were found there came 
 within his pov/er, as well as the conquered ci- 
 ties, and this monarch, who gloried as much 
 in poetical as in regal acquifitions, muft have 
 been highly gratified by any literary treafures 
 which he might meet with among the fpoils 
 of that conquered nation. It v^^as inpurfult of 
 thefe, that he met \^ith this venerable pro- 
 duction of ancient wifdom, this noble pane- 
 gyric on the ftedfaft piety of one of the ancient 
 
 * As a mark of its fubjecllon. 
 
 Emirsy 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2 I^J 
 
 E?nirs^ which muft have been perufed with 
 fmgular pleafure by fuch a prince and patri- 
 arch as David. If, therefore, in fome of his 
 later pfahns we find pafTages which look 
 like imitations of this ancient book, this only 
 fhevvs that he felt the fublimity of this kind of 
 poetry, and mingled it, fometimes, either 
 through choice or imperceptibly, Vv^ith his 
 Idyllian numbers. I have not, however, 
 found many palTages w^iere this imitation is 
 remarkable ; it is ftill lefs perceivable in the 
 prophets, and Ezekiel is the firfl: who men- 
 tions the name of Job, For my part, I 
 follow the moft ancient account we have of 
 this venerable book ; it ftands in the Septua- 
 gint tranflation, and is as follows : " This 
 " book is tranflated from the Syriack, (from 
 *' a manufcript in Syrian charad:ers). Job 
 " lived in the Itrnioxy oi jdujitis^ on the bor- 
 " ders of Idumea in Arabia. His name was 
 " Jobab. He defcended by his father's fide, 
 " from the children of Efau, the fifth from 
 *' Abraham, The kings of Edom were by 
 " name, Balak the fon of Beor, Jobab w^ho 
 " was named Job, &c. The friends who came 
 " to him, were Eliphaz an Edomite, prince 
 " of Theman, Baldad Emir of Suah, Zo- 
 p 4 " phar 
 
-#16 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *' phar King of Minseers." Now you cannot 
 fay that this account is entirely fabulous, 
 fince it is not contradided by any thing in 
 the book itfelf. It may, however, be alleged 
 that ^it has arifen from the refemblance in 
 found between the names Job and Jobaby 
 and thus is only founded on the genealogy of 
 the Edomites, which is given by Mofes. 
 What ihall we fay ? Perfect certainty is not 
 attainable in matters of fuch remote antiquity, 
 nor is it neceffary to our underftanding the 
 book under confideratlon. 
 
 Alciphron. Do you think the hiftori- 
 cal introdudion to the poem as old as the 
 poem itfelf ? 
 
 Eu GENIUS. I have fometimes had my 
 doubts of this ; — but on farther enquiry they 
 appeared to be ill founded. The lirft chap- 
 ters are compofed with fuch a patriarchal fim- 
 plicity, graceful brevity, and calm fublimity, 
 that they are entirely worthy of the author of 
 the poem. I mud obferve farther, that the 
 fcene in the firft chapter, is evidently the 
 foundation of the whc:e book. 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 217 
 
 Alciphron. But what do you fay of 
 Sata7i ? This is fuch a modern idea — 
 
 Eu GENIUS. As Satan appears here, I 
 confider the idea quite otherwife, and as of 
 the higheft antiquity. You muft take notice, 
 that he is here among the angels, that is, in 
 the family of the Supreme Monarch. He is 
 fent into the world to bring back an account 
 of what paffes there, and he a(fls in perfed: 
 conformity with his commiffion. God fends 
 him to Job : Satan follows exactly the or- 
 ders he had received, and the commiflion he 
 executes is only a triaL God fits in judg- 
 ment : for a confiderable time the procedure 
 has not a promifmg appearance for Job, and, 
 at the conclufion of the book, no more men- 
 tion is made of Satan. You fee then, my 
 friend, that this tranfacflion gives an idea of 
 Satan totally different from that which the 
 Chaldeans formed of him, and, therefore, I 
 was hngularly furprifed to find that Mr. 
 Heath and other learned men after him, con- 
 fidered the whole book of Job as a Chaldean 
 production. Here they have entirely mif- 
 taken the matter. The Chaldean Satan is the 
 Ormufdj the firft principle of evil : but this is 
 
 not 
 
il8 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 not the charaSer of the Satan in Job. I 
 would not compare the latter, even v.dth the 
 Typhon of the Egyptians, or the being whom 
 the moft ancient fathers of the human race di- 
 ftinguifhed by the name of the Evil Genius. 
 The Satan of Job is the recording Angel of 
 God, a m.effenger fent forth to examine and 
 4ifcover5 to punifh and correct. 
 
 Alciphron. You furprife me ! 
 
 EuGENius. Every age and every people 
 get imperceptibly into the habit of transferring, 
 in fome meafure, to heaven and hell, their 
 own manners, cuftoms, and methods of 
 tranfadting bufinefs. In the firft chapter of 
 this book God is reprefented as an Emif\ 
 who fits in heaven, and at certain times 
 aflembles his fervants, the angels, to bring ac- 
 counts of the things which happen or are 
 carried on upon earth. Accordingly Satan 
 is fent down into the world to try Job, and to 
 fee whether he is or is not a true worfhipper 
 of God, and fiiithfully devoted to his fervice. 
 What then follows from this proceeding ? 
 For a long time Job appears as a perfon who 
 had been condemned without having been 
 
 heard. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2T9 
 
 heard, and thus punifhed unjuftly. He only 
 wifhes — and wifhes with a noble confidence, 
 to fee his Judge and to plead his caufe before 
 him. His friends are advocates for God : 
 they vindicate the condud: of the fupreme 
 Judge towards him, and employ all the 
 powers of their eloquence and art, nay, fome- 
 times, even evafions to demonftrate its juftice. 
 At length the Sovereign appears with majefty, 
 and pronounces fentence in Job's favour. 
 Job is filent — ^is reflored to his profperity — 
 and is amply indemnified for the injuftice that 
 was done to him. This is the true plan of the 
 book. 
 
 Alciphron. I fliould be glad to fee this 
 plan, which you have fketched in fuch 
 an interefting manner, more amply illuftrated 
 and finiihed. 
 
 EuGENius. I have employed fomc pages 
 on this fubjed:, in which you will find both 
 the thread of the difcuffion and the charaders 
 of the pleaders*. 
 
 * See the Appendix to this Dialogue. 
 
 Alci- 
 
g20 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. There is then, you think, 
 a connexion between the difcourfes of the 
 fpeakers, and a thread that binds together the 
 fubjefts of their converfation ? 
 
 EuGENius. Moft certainly, though not 
 In our manner. Job begins with his com- 
 plaint* ; the three friends, or rather accufers, 
 produce their arguments. He anfwers them. 
 The conteft becomes warm and obftinate ; 
 it is renewed at three different times f ;, but 
 at the third conference Zophar does not ap- 
 pear. Job having vanquifhed his adverfaries, 
 remains alone on the field of conteft, and 
 continues to maintain his caufe in a fenten- 
 tious difcourfe, which contains fome of the 
 moft beautiful paflages that are to be found in 
 this book J. He defcribes his former profpe- 
 rity, his prefent afflidion and innocence, ia 
 terms the moft affeding, and concludes with 
 the following wifli : 
 
 «' Oh that one woal.l hear me ! 
 
 '* Oh that the Almighty wouki anfwer me ! •« 
 
 ♦' And that fome one wrote my caufe in a book! 
 " Surely I would take It upon my flioulder, 
 
 * Job, ill. t Chap, iv, xiv, xv. xxi, xxil. xxvi. 
 % Chap, xxvil. xxxi. XXXV. xxxvli. 
 
 " And 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 221 
 
 " And would wind it as a princely ornament about 
 
 '* my turban ! 
 " I would declare unto him the number of my fteps. 
 ** As a hero would I go near unto him. 
 
 • As fuch he appears in reality — and permits 
 Elihu to rpeak without interruption until God 
 appears as fupreme Ruler, with inexpreffible 
 rnajefty. 
 
 Alciphron. We are then to confider 
 this book as a kind of drama, or theatrical 
 compofition ? 
 
 EuGENius. A dramatic compofition, in 
 our manner, it certainly is not. How could 
 fuch a fubjed, confidering the defign with 
 which it was treated, be prefented in a dra- 
 matic manner ? Here there is no a^ion. 
 All is ftill, and exhibits nothing beyond the 
 tenor of ordinary converfation. Long dif- 
 courfes and proverbial fentences conftitute the 
 effence of the book. The hiilorical part of it, 
 in the beginning and the conclufion, may be 
 called, if you pleafe, prologue and epilogue^ 
 for I fhall not difpute about words. There 
 is alfo, I grant, a certain kind of divifion and 
 arrangement in the conferences, but no fcenei 
 
 m 
 
222 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 iri the proper and dramatic fenfe of that term. 
 We have here a meeting, a company of fome 
 fages, who plead yir and agamjl the juftice 
 and equity of the fupreme Ruler of the 
 world in a given cafe — a philofophical conteft. 
 on the caufe between God and Job, confe- 
 quently no drama. 
 
 Alciphron. You think, then, that this 
 book is founded on a real hiftory ? 
 
 EuGENius. That is a matter quite indif- 
 ferent to me, with refpedl to the arrangement 
 of its cojitents and its defign^ which I have 
 endeavoured to point out. It is effentially 
 the hiftory of all virtuous fufferers upon earth, 
 in all places and periods of the world. I 
 acknowledge, neverthelefs, that I find a cer- 
 tain pleafure in thinking that fuch a man as 
 Job did really exift, and that he was diftin- 
 guiihed by the magnanimous charafter and 
 elevated underftanding which are attributed to 
 him in this book. On this fuppofition, the 
 book is for him a memorial fuch as he wifhed 
 for — a memorial more folid and permanent 
 than that which is engraved on brafs, or carved 
 on a rock. This memorial is infcribed 
 
 deeply 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2^3 
 
 deeply in the hearts of the virtuous and the 
 wile, and engraven with indeUble characSlers 
 on the tables of endlefs fame. 
 
 Alciphron. But furely you cannot 
 think that all the converfations which we 
 find in this book were held in reality ; nor 
 is it to be fuppofed that certain things which 
 are here related,' fuch as God'* s Jilting injudg^ 
 menty and his vifible prefence, were real events. 
 The appearance of Satan, alfo, and feveral 
 other relations, muft naturally be confidered 
 as poetical fidlons, though founded on real 
 and important truths. The difcourfes, more- 
 over, delivered by the feveral interlocutors, 
 do not feem to have been extemporary effu- 
 fions. And then an unhappy fufFerer .... 
 
 EuGENius. The compofition of this 
 book is undoubtedly poetical from the begin- 
 ning to the end ; but it is a poem which, in 
 all its parts, fketches and paints from Nature 
 and truth. The Orientals were fond of fuch 
 meetinsis, fuch learned converfations as we 
 find here, of long reafonings in elevated ex- 
 preflions and proverbial phrafes, propofed 
 and anfwered with an eloquent facility. It 
 
 c was 
 
224 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 was with an intention to exhibit fuch a literaty 
 conteft, that the fublime and pious poet fat 
 down and chofe for his fubjecSl: the painful 
 ftruggles of fuffering virtue, and both the 
 conquefts and the defeats of human wifdom. 
 How far hiftorical fad was the objeft on 
 which thefe conferences turned, and whe- 
 ther the difcourfes were delivered in reaUty, 
 and at one or more fittings, thefe are 
 points which it concerns us little to know. 
 The poet has certainly treated the fubjedl in 
 the nobleft manner, and difplayed a perfe£t 
 unity of defign in the whole compofition. 
 It is only under this point of view ^ that I mean 
 at prefent to confider it, and when thus con- 
 fidered, I think it will appear to be the moft 
 ancient literary compofition now exifting. 
 
 Alciphron. I am much pleafed with 
 this idea. It is highly interefting to know 
 what the fages of the moft ancient times 
 thought concerning the providence of God 
 and the deftination of man. 
 
 EuGENius. We muft on another occa- 
 fion examine the traditions of the eaft, rela- 
 tive to the creation and deftination of the hu- 
 man 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. CLl^ 
 
 man race. We fliall then find ourfelves in a 
 garden, blooming with poetical ideas, and 
 perceive a great variety of flowers and fruit 
 which were tranfpl anted from thence into the 
 poetry of later times. I think this inveftiga- 
 tion will pleafe you. You know what a 
 high value the Orientals, and indeed all thofe 
 who are attached to the pleafures of the 
 imagination, fet upon thefe fragments of 
 the ancient world, — the fayings, names, me- 
 moirs, and tranfadions of the firft patriarchs. 
 It is upon thefe, that the earlieft poetry and 
 the whole train of ideas, obfervable in the 
 Book before us, were really founded. 
 
 Alciphron. I fliall follow you with 
 great pleafure in your walk through the gar- 
 deri of the ancient world of the Hebrews. 
 
 EuGENius. In the mean time, here is 
 the Piece relative to the book of Job, which 
 I mentioned to you ; you may look over it 
 at your leifure. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 TO THS 
 
 FIFTH DIALOGUE: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 AN ANALYTIC VIEW OF THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 CONSIDERED AS A COMPOSITION. 
 
 JL HERE is a twofold fcene in this book, which is 
 carried on, at the fame time, in heaven and upon 
 earth. The a5lion is carried on above ; the conver- 
 Jation, relative to it, is held below. The terreflrial 
 feafoners know nothing ofthedefign of theceleftial 
 adors J and hence the plot, or tranfadion, goes 
 backwards and forwards as if it had no foiid found- 
 ation. This is very frequently the cafe among 
 phiiofophers, and thofe who undertake the vindi- 
 cation of the divine government. 
 
 The fubjed of the book is a virtuous rhan who 
 fuffers innocently, and who is vifited even with 
 ievere bodily pains and difeafcs. His plaintive 
 exprcflions are therefore excufed, fince even a hero 
 is not difhonoured by fuch expreffions under acute 
 bodily fuiterings. He perceives the approach of 
 
 0^2 death. 
 
228 ORJENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 death, and longs for its arrival. His life is bitter- 
 Defs — Why may he not figh and complain ? 
 
 The fufFerings of Job are to terminate in a vin- 
 dication of the jufiice and glory of God : his cala- 
 mines were permitted in order to verify the folemn 
 declaration of the Creator with refped to him. 
 Can man furfer for a nobler purpofe ? The great 
 defignof the book, is a vindication of the fupreme 
 Governor of the univerfc, very different from thac 
 which is here undertaken by the wife men of this 
 world i though it mud be confeiTcd that their ob- 
 ffervations are ibmetimes jud, and their fayings ele- 
 vated and fublime. 
 
 But their difcourfe. brino^s no confolation ; it 
 rather embitters than foothes the pains of the fuf- 
 ferer : Job even furpalTes them in his fublime repre- 
 fcntations of God's wifdom and power, and, never- 
 thelefs, ftiil continues unhappy : — \ common cafe, 
 this, in fcenes of aliliiftion, when the Sources of 
 confoladon are fout^jht for here below. The views 
 of Job's friends are too narrow and limited : they 
 look for foundations of comfort in the dull:, when 
 they are only to be found above the ftars. But 
 who, among them, can rife fo high ? None of them 
 entertain the leaft idea that the caufe of Job's fuf- 
 ferings muft be fought for in the place which was 
 pointed out in the beginning of this book*. 
 
 • Chap. i. 8 — 12. li. 5, 6. 
 
 How 
 
APPENDIX. 229 
 
 How Is the dunghill ennobled on which this Ton 
 of afflidion lies, faying to the worm. Thou art my 
 father ! It is a fcene worthy of the contemplation 
 of angels, and of all the heavenly hoft. Job vindi- 
 cates his virtue, and juftifies the declaration of his 
 Creator, who holds forth the crown and covers him 
 "v^ith glory. 
 
 This twofold fcene, and the invifible fj^edators, 
 who are intent upon the manner in which Job 
 fhall bear his calamitous trials, render the whole 
 tenor of the book interefting and facred. 
 
 The man, who is to exhibit to celeflial beings a 
 fublime example of human (trength and perfever- 
 ance, appears upon earth engaged in a painful con- 
 flicl of wifdom 3 and here he is a man like other men. 
 
 The facred poet reprefents him with an irritable 
 and ardent temper, which appears foon in the hif- 
 tor.y j for even at the firlt difcourfe of Eliphaz, 
 which was mild and fedate, it carried him too far> 
 and betrayed him into impatience. At the fame 
 time this temporary ferment contributes to the re- 
 inforcement of his virtuous feelings. It alfo ani^ 
 mates the converfation, which would have been 
 tedioufly prolix if Job had not poured forth his 
 complaints, and if his friends had only prefented 
 to him confolatory exhortations. 
 
 ' Q 3 Through 
 
230 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Through all thefe difcourfesand reafonlngs there 
 runs a fine thread , which gives them an interefting 
 connexion. The three Arabian fages argue and 
 declaim againft Job, who furpafTes them in the 
 conteft, both as a philofopher and a poet. The 
 moft temperate and modefl: of the three is Eliphaz, 
 who, in his firft attempt to counfel and corredt 
 Job, fpeaks not as of himfelf, but as on the part of 
 God*. Bildad attacks the fulferer more keenly; 
 and Zophar exceeds them all in the feverity of cen- 
 fure : he is alfo the firft who retires from the combat. 
 
 There are three repeated attacks made by the 
 combatants f. At the end of the firft, the bufmefs 
 is already carried fo far, that Job appeals from his 
 accufers to God t.^ In the fcccnd, the thread of the 
 difcuITion is the moft entangled and perplexed ; and 
 here, indeed, is nearly the knot of the controverfy ; 
 for at the end of this onfet. Job himfelf proves 
 againft Zophar, that events turn out favourably, 
 aifofor the wicked §, to which he is inconfidcrately 
 led merely by the warmth of the conteft. Eliphaz 
 endeavours, by an ingenious turn of fophlftry, to 
 make a diversion from the fubje^t ; but the dif- 
 cuITion is too far advanced, and Job perfeveres. 
 Bildad has little to propofe i| ; Zophar is reduced to 
 filence^ ; and Job obtains the victory. He appears 
 like a lion in the midft of flaughtered enemies, re- 
 
 *- Chap. XV. 12, &c. t Chap, iv — xlv. xv — xxi. xxil — xxvi. 
 ■t Chap. xiii. § Chap, xxi. 1| Chap. xxlv. f Chap xxv. 
 
 vokes 
 
APPENDIX. 2'M 
 
 voices what he had inconfiderately thrown out in tfic 
 heat of controvcrfy *, and brings forth, in three 
 divifions or parts, proverbial fcntences and wife 
 refle6lions, which form one of the principal orna- 
 ments of the book f. 
 
 However uniform the general tone of thefc dif- 
 courfes may appear, they exhibit ftriking and moft 
 interefting efFeds of light and fhade. The thread 
 of the difcufllon continues (^ill the fam« , but the 
 confufion in treating the fubjcds upon which it 
 turns, increafes from conference to conference, 
 until Job grows more calm, refleds with more pru- 
 dence, and foftens the harfb things which he. had 
 advanced with too much ardour and precipitation. 
 It is necefiTary to attend carefully to this circum- 
 fiance, and alfo to obferve how Job wrefts from 
 the hands of his adverfaries their weapons, and turns 
 them againiV themfelves, either by expreiUng better 
 and with more precifion what they had advanced, 
 or by employing their propoiitions and aroumenrs 
 to the confirmation of his own opinions. They who 
 do not give a proper attention to this circurn dance, 
 will not feel the true beauties nor enter into the 
 genuine fpirir of this wonderful book. 
 
 Job begins with a beautiful elegy t, and he gene- 
 nerally clofes his difcourfus with cffafions of kn- 
 
 * Chap. xxviL I Chap, xzviii. xxxi, -^^ Chap. ilL 
 
 0^4 libiliry^ 
 
232 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 fibility, which are plaintive and pathetic. Thefe 
 refemble, more or lels, the chorus in ancient tra- 
 gedy : and they render the contents of the piece 
 highly interefting. 
 
 After the vidory of Job over the wife men, a 
 young prophet appears in the fcene *. PJe is (hke 
 many of the enthufiafts who afTume that title) pe- 
 tulant, audacious and felf-fufficient. He pours 
 forth pompous drains of eloquence without meaning 
 or purpofe, and, accordingly, nobody deigns to an- 
 fwerhim. At the appearance of the Almighty, he 
 vanifhes as a fnxiovv. His intervention, however, 
 in the general arrangement of the piece, is wifely 
 managed and inftrudive. 
 
 God appears ofa fudden and with majefby. He 
 interrupts the prophet in his reafoning : the pro- 
 phet, v;ithout knowing it, had defcribed his ap- 
 proach, but had, however, declared it impoffible, 
 God fpeaks to Job, but takes no notice of the de- 
 fenders of his providence. He fpeaks to him firfr, 
 not in his quality as Judge, but as a fage f :— -He 
 propofes to bim, who thought himfelf lo vveii in- 
 ftruded in all things, a variety of queilions, relative 
 to the mytleries of creation and providence. The 
 wife men of the earth ftand confounded. 
 
 • Chap, xxxii. xxxvli. f Cbap. xxxviii. 
 
 Then 
 
APPENDIX. 233 
 
 Then comes a defcription of fcven wild animals, 
 and alfo fea-monlTers^ which the great Father of all 
 had created, and to which, as the objeds of his 
 bounty, he daily extends his providential care. 
 Why Vv'ere thefc creatures brought into exigence ? 
 They are not dellined for the ufe of man. The 
 greatefb part of them are even hofliie and detri- 
 mental to the humsn race. — The wife men of the 
 earth ftand again confounded at thelc queftions, and 
 are afhamed of their ignorance : hence the duty of 
 fubmiffion under an humble fenfe of God's infinite 
 wifdom and man's imperfect views, and the ftrik- 
 ing marks of benignity and care which the Father 
 of the univerfe extends even to the crocodile and 
 the raven. This is the folution of all the queftions 
 relative to the government of the univerfe and the 
 lot of humanity, and it comes from the mouth 
 of the fupreme Ruler himfelf, who pronounces it 
 in the midtl of a temped, and addrefles it to the 
 whole creation. The true 'Theodicea-y or w^ay to 
 vindicate the divine government, is to lludy with 
 attention the goodnefs, wifdom, and power of the 
 Deiry, in the general arrangement and conftitution 
 of Nature ; and, at the fame time, to acknowledge 
 with humility, that his immenfe plan and deep de- 
 figns infinitely furpafs our limited and narrow views. 
 i\ccordingly, we fee that God does not make known 
 to Job the particular reafons for which he had been 
 vifited with the (harp trials of adverfity ; he only 
 re [lores the fufrerer to his profperity and in- 
 demnifies 
 
^34 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 demnifies him for his fufFerings, — and more than 
 this what could a mortal expe6l ? The common 
 place reafonings, conjeftures, and difcuiTions, which 
 we iifually meet with among thofe who undertake 
 to vindicate the ways of Providence, come fo little 
 into confideration here, that they feem rather to 
 have required an expiation, which Job was obliged 
 to make upon the occafion. 
 
 The plan, the fcope of the book is truly fublime. 
 I have given here only fome feeble lines of its pre- 
 cious contents. If it was not compofed by an 
 Eaftern prince, it is, at leaft, worthy of a writer of 
 high rank as well as genius ; for the ideas and ftyle 
 of the writer are, indeed, elevated and noble in the 
 higheft degree. Through the whole work the Su- 
 preme Being a(5ls as a Monarch, a Father, and a wile 
 Benefactor to the whole creation : angels and men, 
 the raven and the behemoth, are equally the ob- 
 je6ls of his providential care. The mod beautiful 
 and elevated defcriptions of the divine perfections 
 and government, the moll: rational fources of hu- 
 man comfort, the various reafonings of fophifts and 
 fages concerning the ways of Providence and the 
 deftination of man, are found in this book, not in 
 words and phrafes fo much as in events, and efpe- 
 cially in the fublime fpcdlacle of a great and good 
 man (iruggling with adverfity : Ecce/peolaculum dig- 
 num dd quod rejpciat intentus cperifuo Deus — Vir 
 fort is cum mala for tuna compofitus I 
 
 « And 
 
APPENDIX. 235 
 
 " And where is thy grave, O venerable Sage, to 
 " whom we are indebted for this Theodicea, this 
 " Epic treafure of celeftial wifdom derived from 
 *^ a fimple (lory^— the ftate of a fuffcrer on his 
 *' dunghill in all the variety of wretchednefs, — a 
 *^ fufferer, whom thou haft adorned v/ith the 
 *^ brighteft rays of wifdom and virtue, which break 
 ■*' forth with luftre through the gloom of his forrow? 
 *' Where is thy grave, fubiime Bard, who feemeft 
 " to have been entrufted with tiie fecrets of hea- 
 .** vcn, and to have known the ways of angels and 
 *^ men, — thou who didft comprehend heaven and 
 " earth in one rapid and fubiime point of view, and 
 " who from the abodes of forrow and the gloomy 
 *^ manfions of the dead, didft mount on the wings 
 *^ of poetic fancy, holy faith, and elevated defires, 
 ^^ even beyond the ftarry frame ? May the cyprefs 
 *^ preferve always its bloom and verdure on the 
 ^"^ place where thou art laid ! Is that place un- 
 *' known as well as thy name, which thou haft 
 *' withheld from our knowledge ? However that 
 ^'' may be, thy work remains and it will be to thee 
 <* for an everlafting memorial. It will bear tefti- 
 ** mony to thee, while exalted far above our fpoc 
 " of clay, and the clouds that cover it^ thou ftialc 
 «« for ever fing Halleluia to the Sovereigi^, 
 ^^ with the morning ftars and the celeftial armies 
 *' that rejoice before his throne. 
 
 cc 
 
 Or, 
 
^2^6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 *' Or, wert thou thyfelf the hiftorian of thine own 
 *^ forrows, humiliation, and triumph ? Wert thou 
 " thyfelf the happy child of afflidion, the perfe- 
 *' cuted man and the rewardedj^aint ? Then didft 
 *^ thou alleviate the forrows of thy heart by its pious 
 " effufions, as thou haft perpetuated the triumphs 
 «^ of thy virtue through ages and worlds. From thy 
 *' aihes has fprung up, with this book, a triumphant 
 *^ palm, whofe roots drink the fpring of Immorta- 
 *' lity, and whofe branches fhall not wither. Thou 
 ^' haft made heaven defcend gently upon earth, and 
 ^* ranged the celeftial armies around the death-bed 
 *^ of the righteous. Hence his fufferings become 
 *' an object of the contemplation of angels, and a 
 *^ token of God's love of his creatures, on whom 
 *^ he looks from above with a gracious eye, as it 
 ** were, to juftify his ways and to difplay the equity 
 *^ of his government in their deliverance. It is, 
 " therefore, with propriety that we count thoje 
 *' happy which endure: Tehaveheard of the patience 
 " ^fjo^i ^^^^ havejeen the END of the Lord, that 
 <« the Lord is pitiful and of tender fnercy 
 
 • James, V. II. 
 
 ,* >> 
 
DIALOGUE VI. 
 
 7hc origin and dejllny ofmaU'-^H'ts name bor- 
 rowed from fragility — weaknefs — duji^-^ 
 Elegy of fob on the deftiny of man — Of the 
 breath or spirit of God co?ifidered as the em- 
 blem of power i?i thoughts^ words ^ and ac- 
 tion — A hymn on the dignity of human na- 
 ture as bearing lines of the divine image — 
 The high rank of man in the creation — From 
 ivhat idea an epic poem on human nature^ 
 confidered i?! its natural and fpiritual fratnCy 
 muf fet out ? — j4n illuf ration of this from 
 the poetry of the Bible- — Why the earliefl mo- 
 ral poetty and moral fcicfice m?ijl be derived 
 from God? — Origin of the notion that was 
 formed of the region or empire of the dead — 
 An elegy on this fuhjeB — Whether it is i?i- 
 conffent or compatible with the im7nortality 
 of the fold? — A poetical view of graves in 
 Oriental necrology^ and of the manner of ex- 
 ijling of the deceafed in them — PiEiurefque 
 defcriptions of the regions of the dead^ made 
 by the Hebrews^ Celts ^ and other nations — 
 Probable origin of the gigantic accounts of the 
 
 region 
 
( 238 ) 
 
 region of the dead given by tbe Orientals-'^ 
 Why whole kingdoms and cities are f aid to 
 Jleep there .^—-0/" Belial the king oftheghojls 
 or foadows^ and of the fcheol his palace — 
 Images derived from hence in the New I'efld" 
 ment — Of the infimice of thefe ideas on the 
 human mind — Of the tranfation of Enochs 
 
( 239 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE VI. 
 
 OOME time had paffed before the fubjeft of 
 the preceding conference was refumed. 
 Alciphron had loft one of his beft friends, 
 who died fuddenly, and this event had funk 
 his mind into a gloomy ftate of inaction and 
 defpondency. At length, on a line evening, 
 when the fetting fun, which is a daily image 
 of our great journey, was defcending beneath 
 the horizon with unufual fplendour and 
 beauty, he addrefled to Eugenius, with 
 that foft and penfive dejedion which was 
 become the habitual difpofition of his mind, 
 the follovv'ing difcourfe. 
 
 Alciphrcn. You have perhaps forgotten, 
 my dear Eugenius, that expreffive fentence, 
 that fundamental law which points out the 
 origin and deftination of man in fuch an af-r 
 feding manner— ^^r/i? to earth — thou art diijly 
 and to dujl thou Jhalt retur?2. Of this Adam 
 was the firft example : he returned to the bo- 
 fom of mother-earth from whence he came, 
 Duft to dujly is a voice which is perpetually re- 
 founding 
 
240 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 founding from all the ftages of human life. 
 It vibrates ftill in my ears from the lafl (hovel 
 of earth that was thrown upon the coffin of 
 my friend ; and from that time I have taken 
 a penfive pleafure in mufmg over feveral 
 pieces of Oriental poetry, for which I had be- 
 fore no tafte. All the denominations by 
 which man Is charaderifed in that poetry, ex- 
 prefs his fragility and vanity. They announce 
 the term of his prefent exiftence. He is a 
 cottage of'cla)\ which the worm and the moth 
 are perpetually gnawing— a fiower bending 
 beneath the ftorm or parched by the fcorch- 
 ing heat of the fun. It may perhaps be 
 affirmed, that no poetry prefents the images 
 of this tranfitory exiftence, this empty fhow, 
 in fuch an affed:ing manner as that of the 
 Hebrews, and they are all derived from the 
 roots of the language itfelf, as the primitive^ 
 the original images of man's deftination. 
 
 <* Does it feem good unto thee to opprefs, 
 
 " And defpife the work of thy hand* ? 
 
 *« Remember, I befeech thee, 
 
 « That thou haft made me as the clay, 
 
 *< And that I mud foon return to the duft again.** 
 
 • Job, X. 3, 9. 
 
 I In 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2.^1 
 
 In this calm evening-twilight, while the fun, 
 the guide of our earthly labours, hais with- 
 drawn his beams, and the toiling race of man 
 with the inferior creatures are finking into 
 reft, permit me to read to you a plaintive 
 ftrain which never made fuch an imprefTion 
 upon me as at the prefent moment. Job was 
 truly a philofophical poet : he was well ac- 
 quainted with the nature and ftate of man : 
 he knew what life is — what it is not — and 
 what we have to exped: when its courfe is 
 finifhed. Thus he fpeaks, or rather pours 
 forth the folemn ftrain * : 
 
 *« Hath not man the life of a fervant upon earth ? 
 *f Are not his days alfo as the days of an hireling ? 
 «' As a fervant earneftly defires the ihadow, 
 ^^ And as a hireling look eth for the reward of his 
 
 *' work, 
 " So am I made to pofTefs months of vanity, 
 *' And wearifome nights are appointed to me : 
 <f When I lie down, I fay with a heavy (igh, 
 *' When (hall I rife, and the night be gone ? 
 '« For me the night is long and tedious, 
 *« And I am befet with fearful dreams, until the 
 
 " dawning of the day. 
 
 " My flefh is clothed with worms and clods of dud 5 
 *J My ikin is broken and become loathfome 5 
 
 * Chap. vii. I, &€. 
 
 R *^ My 
 
^4* ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 " My days have fled away ; 
 
 <« They have fled fwifter than a weaver's fliuttle : 
 
 " And are fpent without hope. 
 
 " O remember that my life is wind ; 
 
 " Mine eye fliall no more fee good. 
 
 " The eye that fought me fhall find me no more \ 
 
 ** Thine eye ihsdl feek me, and I am not ! 
 
 ** As the cloud Is confumed and vaniftieth away, 
 
 ** So man defcends into the regions of darknefs, 
 
 " And fhall come up no more : 
 
 »< He fnall not again return to his houfe : 
 
 *' Neither fhall his place know him any more. 
 
 ' ** Therefore I will not refrain my mouth ; 
 '* I will fpeak in the anguiOi of my fpirit ; 
 ** I will complain in the bitternefs of my foul ; 
 <* Am I the Nile-flood or the crocodile thereof, 
 *< That thou fcttcft a watch over me ? 
 
 <* AVhen I fay my bed (hall comfort mc, 
 <* And my couch (hall eafe my complaint, 
 " Then thou fcareft me with dreams, 
 <« And tcrrifiefl me with vifions, 
 «« So that my foul chufes {Irangling, 
 <• And death rather than life. 
 
 « I loath life ; I would'not live always : 
 
 <« Let me alone, for my days are vanity * 
 
 « What is man that thou (houldft magnify him ? 
 
 *< And that thou (houldeft fet thy heart upon him, 
 
 " And that thou (houldeft vlfit him every morning, 
 
 <« And try him every moment ? 
 
 <« How 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 243 
 
 ^^ How long wilt thou not depart from nr^e, 
 *' Nor let me alone until I draw my breath ? 
 *^ Have I finned ? what have Ijdone unto thee ? 
 *' O thou preferver of men ! 
 *< Why haft thou fet me as a mark againft thee, 
 ** So that I am a burthen to myfelf ? 
 ** Why doft thou not pardon my tranfgreflion, 
 *' And take away mine iniquity? 
 *' For now (hall I fleep in the dull, 
 *' And thou fhalt feek me in the morning,— but 1 
 «« ihall not be." 
 
 Here, my friend, you fee the lot of man ! 
 T/jou arf diift^ aud to dnjl thou fialt return. 
 This is the original, the only oracle or decla- 
 ration of the Supreme Being with refpeft to 
 our deftination, and what more can this ta- 
 bernacle of clay, in which a tranfitory fpirit 
 breathes, require in order to know that defti- 
 nation. 
 
 EtJGENiiTs. But you feem to forget, my 
 friend, that this houfe of clay is animated by 
 the infpiration of Jehovah ! You feem alfo to 
 forget that this infpiration is the germ, the 
 principle of all perfedion, and even of 
 immortality. You have not, I apprehend, 
 fufficiently attended to the images equally fub- 
 lime and affeding, which announce that in 
 ' R 2 the 
 
244 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 the SPIRIT of the Almighty all power ^ all 
 the wonders of thought and intelligence^ all the 
 energy of efficient mill^ all the fources of di- 
 vine confolation eifentially refide and are 
 from thence diffufed into the human mind. 
 Your prefent afflidion confines your atten- 
 tion to only one afped of the lot and condi- 
 tion of man ; but there is another and a very 
 different view of his condition and profpeds, 
 exhibited with equal evidence in the Hebrew 
 poetry. 
 
 Alciphron. With equal evidence? 
 That is a bold affertion — What is a breath — 
 an infpiration ? You do not furely think that 
 the metaphyfical foul of our modern philofo- 
 phers is to be found in a blaft of air ? 
 
 EuGEN I us. No — thank heaven ! — nor in 
 any analyfis of its powers in our ufual man- 
 ner, but in a much fuperior kind of inform- 
 ation, which afcertains the great object, even 
 the eternity of its effence in the important in- 
 formation which tells us that this intelligent 
 and moral principle comes from God and re- 
 turns again to him ; that in its frail habitation 
 of clay it exerts divine powers, and particu- 
 larly 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 245 
 
 kriy that It is dependant on the ivord^ on the 
 breath of the Almighty. All this is fet forth 
 in the plaineft and moft energetic manner in 
 the poetry now under confideration. 
 
 Alciphron. You furprife me. It is 
 there fcarcely unfolded at all. How late was 
 it ere any fuch thing was thought of? In a 
 book written before the captivity of Babylon, 
 we read, for the firft time, that " the breath 
 " (in our tranflation \\\t fpirit^ Jloall return to 
 *' God who gave /V '^ ;" and this is manifeftly 
 a tenet of the Chaldean philofophy annexed to 
 this old, plain expreffion. In the hiftory of 
 Adam, the book of Job, and the Pfalms, we 
 find nothing of it. 
 
 EuGENius. To obtain clear ideas on this 
 fubjed, it will be proper to take a clofe and 
 attentive view of the opinions relative to 
 man's immortality, weaknefs and ftrength, 
 particularly by inquiring into the true fenfe of 
 that expreffion, that hisjbul is a breath or /;/- 
 ffiration of the Deity. If I am not much 
 miftaken, you have overlooked many things 
 
 '^* Ecclefiaftes, xil. 7, 
 
 R 3 v/hich 
 
246 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 which are of real confequence on this fubjeft, 
 or yielded too haftily to the impreffion of 
 new opinions. Let us review the fubjed: j-'- 
 it is highly interefting in many refpe£ts, 
 
 « Th.Q/pirit of God breathes upon me; 
 
 <^ The hreat/j of the Almighty gives me life : 
 
 " My countenance is hke yours in the fight of God j 
 
 « I am alfo formed of the clay as ye are. 
 
 <^ As long as my breath is in me *, 
 
 <' As long as the 7^/ri/ of God is in my noftrils, 
 
 <« My lips fhall notfpeak wickednefs, 
 
 «* Nor my tongue utter deceit -f." 
 
 Is this now feeble or vigorous ? 
 
 Alciphron. In words^ it Is certainly 
 highly expreffive and energetic. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. And what are words but the 
 meflengers of thoughts, of volitions, and all 
 the powers of the foul. It was early confi- 
 dered as fomething flriking and wonderful, 
 that the foul thinks^ the tongue fpeaks^ and 
 the hand moves and ads : and, on attentive 
 refledion, it muft, at firfl, have appeared in- 
 eomprehenfible, that when the foul thinks 
 
 ♦ Chap, xxxiii. 4. 6. f Chap, xxvii. 3, j^. 
 
 an4 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 247 
 
 and wills ^ its ideas or volitions are underftobd 
 by others merely by the intervention of 
 the breath of the mouth. Even to the Deity 
 breath or fpirit was afcribed as a mighty 
 agent ; it was compared to the moft power- 
 ful caufes and agents in the natural vVorld : 
 nay, it was exalted far above them. While 
 every thing elfe is tranfitory and tends to 
 decay, xhtfpir'it of God remains and is adive 
 without ceafmg, active as the winds which 
 purify the air, quickening as the rain which 
 defcends in fructifying fhowers, enriches the 
 earth, and animates and enlivens all things. 
 
 Alciphron. True— this Is the fpirit of 
 God in the kingdom of Nature, the immedi- 
 ate voiitioa and exertion of his omnipotence : 
 but as to the breath of God or his fpirit in 
 man — What does that mean ? 
 
 EuGENius. Here alfo, its influence is 
 mighty and truly divine : for hence arifes 
 the important diftindioa in man between 
 flelh and fpirit, or in other words, between 
 human weaknefs and divine power. You 
 furely recoiled: the expreffion of the Moft 
 Jiigh before the flood came upon the earth : 
 
 R4 " My 
 
248 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 <f M^ fpirit (hall not always dwell in man, 
 « For they Tihfejh *." 
 
 And vv^e fee how this laft declaration was ve* 
 ritied by a univerfal degeneracy, and more 
 efpecially by the influence of fenfual pleafure, 
 and the weaknefs and effeminacy it produ- 
 ceth. Let us go back to the firft intention 
 with which God feems to have introduced . 
 the human fpecies into the world. They 
 were deftined to be the image of the Elohhriy 
 a vifible copy of their invifible pov/ers. Like 
 the Elohim they were to be endowed with 
 activity and fuperintendance. As you have, 
 a moment ago, expreffed io much fatisfaition 
 at the recital of an elegy on the weaknefs and 
 littlenefs of man, fhall I now read to you a di- 
 vine hymn in which you will find a magnifi- 
 cent delcription of his power and dominion ? 
 A Pfalm which reprefents man as a kind of 
 divinity upon earth — as far exalted above all 
 the other vifible works of Jehovah, over 
 which he alfo exercifes dominion — and as 
 crowned with the luftre and glory of angelic 
 natures? This Pfalm f feems to have been 
 compofed exprefsly to exercife the piety of 
 
 * Gencfis, vL 3, f Pfalm vlii, 
 
 devout 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 249 
 
 devout minds, and to be addrefled from grate- 
 ful hearts to the Author of nature under the 
 vaft expanfe of the ftarry heavens, which at 
 this moment fhine over our heads with inex- 
 preflible glory. 
 
 Psalm vili, 
 
 *f Jehovah, our God, how excellent is thy name la 
 
 <' all the earth ! 
 " Thy praife refounds through the heavens : 
 *« Out of the mouth of babes and fucklings 
 *« Haft thou ordained ftrength, 
 " Againft thine enemies, which they could not refift. 
 <f When I confider thy heavens, 
 <« The work of thy fingers, 
 
 ^« The moon and the ftars which thou haft ordained, 
 <« What is man that thou art mindful of him ? 
 «f And the fon of man that thou iheweft him favour ? 
 « Thou haft placed him a little lower than the 
 
 <f Elohhn^ 
 <« Thou hart crowned him with honour and glory, 
 « Thou haft made him to have dominion over the 
 
 <f works of thy hands : 
 «< Thou haft put all things under his feet ; 
 «' All ftieep and oxen, and the beafts of the field, 
 « The fowls of the air and the fiOi of the fea, 
 « O Lord our God, 
 « How excellent is thy name in all the earth V* 
 
 Apply, now, this plndaric hymn of praife to 
 the work of creation, from the hiftory ^ of 
 
 which 
 
<50 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 which It was taken*, and then you will 
 perceive, with a peculiar fenfibility, the ma- 
 jefty with which man makes his appearance 
 upon earth. When the natural world is 
 finiflied, its Creator, if we may fpeak after 
 the manner of men, feems to paufe — -he takes 
 counfel with himfelf, and draws, as it were, 
 from the depth of his effence, his own image. 
 The whole creation, which had not as yet re- 
 ceived its accomplifhment and its crown, 
 feems to wait for it in the filent expectation 
 of its vifible chief. Now what aiFeding de- 
 fcriptions have the Hebrew bards given of 
 man, confidered not only with refped to his 
 natural powers, but alfo, and that principally, 
 with refpecS: to his moral qualities and charac- 
 ter ! What elevated and beautiful ideas have 
 they not drawn from the Old and New Tefta- 
 ment, concerning the bnage of God as It is 
 unfolded in the nature and moral conftitution 
 of man ! Adam was a fon of God. Enoch, 
 Abraham, and the moft eminent of the patri- 
 archs, v7Qi'Q friends of God. A fecond Adam 
 appeared to exhibit to his brethren the true 
 image of a fon of Jehovah, and thus to excite 
 
 ♦ Genefis, i. / 
 
 the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 25I 
 
 the fons of ^r\en to admire the- beauty, and 
 afpire to the refemblance, of this glorious 
 imare. Where 'hall we find in poetry or 
 profe a more noble idea of the ftate of ex- 
 altation for which man is formed ? 
 
 Alciphron. I only apprehend that it is 
 too pure and elevated for us. What do we 
 knov/ of God ? And how can a mortal at- 
 tempt to imitate his perfect charader, with- 
 out finking into defpondency under a con- 
 fcioufnefs of his own impotence ? The hif- 
 tory of our deftination, and the nature of our 
 moral frame, muft be inveftigated, by arifing 
 from the examination of ourfelves to the de- 
 figns and purpofes of him that made us. 
 All true moral doctrine is derived from this 
 two^fold fource ; from what man /j-, we can 
 arrive at fome knowledge of what he is 
 deftined to be ; and notices of the counfels, 
 and purpofes of the maker^ are in fome degree 
 deducible from his works. The difcovery 
 of our future deftination and moral frame 
 muft be derived from the nature of man, as 
 well as from the counfels of God. 
 
 EuGENius. Thefe two methods of In- 
 
 veftigation 
 
252 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 veftigatlon are combined In all true moral 
 do£trine. You have juft now remarked 
 yourfelf, how graphically the weaknefs and 
 littlenefs of man are defcribed in the Hebrew 
 poetry. When confidered with refpeft to 
 the body, "we cannot, according to the pure 
 dodrine of the Eaft^ be regarded as Xhtfons of 
 God ; for God has no corporeal form, and we 
 are clay. But a divine energy formed us, 
 and the breath or fpirit of the Almighty is 
 vifible on the animated human countenance. 
 Now, my friend, a fpecies of poetry which 
 never lofes fight of human infirmity, and yet 
 is not deterred by this humiliating view, from 
 attributing to man a noble origin and a fub- 
 lime dejiination — fuch poetry is without 
 doubt elevated and rational. It holds forth 
 man as a child of God, deftined for eternity, 
 but, at the fame time, as a feeble, a mortal 
 child . . . , 
 
 Alciphron. Aye, truly a child; for 
 both the poetry and moral dodrine of the 
 Eaftern nations exhibit ftriking marks of hu- 
 man infancy, weaknefs and dependance* 
 There all the ideas of man are fuppofed to 
 originate from God« — all moral obligation 
 
 and 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. IJJ 
 
 and rules of adion are derived from his will. 
 Now I need not tell you that this way of 
 thinking muft, in the iffue, reduce both the 
 will and the intelleftual powers of man to an 
 ignoble ftate of diowfy indolence. It muft 
 terminate in a blind and flothful fubmiffionto 
 the will of God. In one word, it muft pro- 
 duce a kind of ijlaviifm. 
 
 EuGENius. You recoiled, I hope, the 
 following refledions in the book of Job * ; 
 
 *' Can the rufh grow without mire ? 
 
 *^ Can the water-lilly grow without water ? 
 
 ** It is green before the fun, 
 
 ** And its branch fhooteth forth in the garden j 
 
 *^ But it withereth before any other herb j 
 
 <c So are the paths of all that forget God, 
 
 <« And the hypocrite's hope (hall perifh, 
 
 *^ The hope of the wicked (hall be cut down, 
 
 <« And his truft fhall be a fpider's web, 
 
 <« He {hall lean upon his houfe, 
 
 «< But it (hall not iland; 
 
 «' He fhall hold it faft, 
 
 <« But it (hall not endure ; 
 
 <« Suddenly is he removed from his phce, 
 
 « And it {hall deny him, 
 
 ** Saying, I have not feen thee." 
 
 '^ Chap, vlljk 10, n» &c- 
 
 Alci- 
 
.254 OUtENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. You give me a lively, pic- 
 ture, but no anfwer to my quertion. 
 
 EuGENitJS, The picture, my friend, is a 
 fufficient anfiver. All poetry wdthout God, 
 is a miferable rufh without moiilure. All 
 moral dodrine without him is a plant fpring- 
 ing up from froth. It blooms beautifully in 
 words and fpreads its branches on every fide ; 
 it even feems to penetrate into every recefs 
 of the human foul: But what folioTv^s ? The 
 . fun rifes and it is no more. It is not my in- 
 tention here to depreciate, in any degree, 
 ffychological refearches or moral delineations. 
 I mean only to affirm that the firft, the moft 
 ancient poetry and morality, w^hich breathed 
 a fpirit of filial dependance and fubmiffion, 
 knew nothing of pfychology ; for otherwife, 
 they would have been embarraffed in a 
 labyrinth of intricate propofitions and con- 
 clufions. Poetry and morality flood in need 
 of a quite different foundation and fupport. 
 The idea of God, the eternal mind, w^is 
 to be their pure and folid foundation, and 
 this alone could conftitute their refpedable 
 fimplicity. In this centre all their parts 
 were to be united, and to derive from thence 
 
 their 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 25^ 
 
 their elevation, dig nity, and power. There 
 was no occafion for any other connexion of 
 things. The fear of God^ without farther 
 difcuffion, was here alfo the leginning of 
 wifdom. 
 
 Alciphron. The leghining^ I grant: 
 this principle condu(Sed them to the right 
 path ; but why fhould it be regarded as their 
 inf^parable condudor ? It held them always 
 in leading-firings, if I may ufe that term, and 
 the child never thought of learning to walk 
 alone. Is not this the courfe that things took 
 in the Eaft ? This childifh manner of think- 
 ing in the old world gave rife to the fervile 
 religion of Mofes ; and the human mind, 
 inftead of rifmg towards perfedlion by moral 
 improvement, funk rather into a kind of 
 degradation by a paffive obedience. Why ? 
 Becaufe it only looked up to God without 
 learning to know itfelf, and to try the flrength 
 of its own internal faculties and powers. 
 
 EuGENius. What it was that gave occa- 
 fion to xhtfervlle Mofaic worfhip, as you arc 
 pleafed to call it, we fhall, if you think proper, 
 examine fome other time, that we may not 
 
 transfer 
 
256 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 transfer modern Ideas to an ancient period, 
 when moral fcience, as well as the land in gene- 
 ral, flowed with milk and honey. In the mean 
 time you mufl agree with me in thinking, 
 that it is good for a child to know and follow 
 his father. Now in the moral poetry of the 
 Orientals, the idea of God is as the fun in the 
 firmament, which gives light to the whole 
 horizon of human exiftence, and points out 
 and illuftrates, with a penetrating ray, the 
 whole circle of relations and duties. This 
 fun appears to us now, perhaps, to have 
 beamed with an overpowering ardour and 
 brightnefs, — but at that early period this was 
 necefTary ; for moral inftruftion founded, as 
 it were, on the contemplation of the Deity, 
 and derived entirely and dire£tly from the 
 Great Being, to a people as yet in an 
 infant-ftate, could only produce its proper 
 effedt by being prefented to them v/ith 
 affeding marks of majeftic fimplicity and 
 authority. Both in this world, and in the 
 world to come, God ever was and is the 
 Father ap,d the Guide of man. 
 
 Alciphron. In the world to come alfo ? 
 This is a point on which we were beginning 
 
 to 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 257 
 
 to fpeak a few moments ago. How flow 
 and gradual has the progrefs of the human 
 mind been towards any clear or fatisfad:ory 
 ideas of a life to come ? Conclufions often 
 too haflily drawn— -arguments which prove 
 too much — fond wiflies and forebodings 
 which prove nothing — Are not thefe the frail 
 foundations on which the dodlrine of immor- 
 tality has been entertained ? Adam was 
 formed of clay and knew nothing of immor- 
 tality : he faw Abel weltering in his blood, 
 and this fiift vidim of death was bitterly- 
 lamented — and, in appearance, lamented 
 without hope. No angel or meflenger of 
 comfort came to confole the mourning parents 
 with even a glimpfe of immortality. His/oul 
 was poured out upon the earth with his blood: 
 from thence it cried to heaven and zvas 
 burled. This was the belief of the old world, 
 and it fubfifted even after the deluge. The 
 fathersyZ^j^/,— their days are counted, and we 
 know nothing more of them than that they w^ere 
 gathered imto their fathers ; that is, laid in their 
 gi'aveSr Thus in procefs of time the grave 
 was confidered as the region of the dead. 
 Caft an eye, I befeech you, on the dark and 
 doleful poetical defcriptions of the fubterra- 
 
 s neous 
 
250 ORlENTi\L DIALOGUES, 
 
 neous empire of the dead, which we meet 
 with lb frequently in the Old Teftament ; 
 ©r rather permit me to prefent to you one ot 
 thofe dirges, which will ferve as an oblation 
 to the memory of my departed friend. If he 
 really exifted and could tranfport himfelf 
 hither, he would, at this moment be gliding 
 about us. But alas ! even this miferable 
 confolation is not adminiftered by the follow- 
 ing funeral ftrains, in which it is affirmed 
 th^it there is no return from the region of the 
 dead. 
 
 ** *f Man that is born of a woman * 
 *' Is of few days 
 ft And full of trouble ! 
 •* He coQieth forth like a flower and fades 5 
 <f lie fleerh like a fliadow ^ 
 *^ And continueih not/' 
 
 And again : 
 
 " There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, 
 
 «' That it will fprout again ; 
 
 «* And that the tender branch thereof will not ceafe j 
 
 *« Though the root thereof wax old in the earth j 
 
 ^* And the ftock thereof die in the ground, 
 
 '■'- Yet throu"h fcent of water it will bud. 
 
 o 
 
 Job, xiv. I. 5, 
 
 «^ A ad 
 
tDRTENTAL DIALOGUES. 259 
 
 «^ And bring forth boughs like a plant : 
 *^ But man dieth and wafteth away, 
 <* Yea man breathes out his fpirit— And then where 
 " is he r* 
 
 And 
 
 agam 
 
 ** O that thou wouldefi: hide me in the grave ! 
 
 " That thou wouldeft keep me until thy wrath be 
 
 « paft^ 
 ^' That thou wouldeft appoint me a fet time and 
 
 '* remember me. 
 " But alas ! if a man dle^ 
 ** Shall he live again ? 
 *' All the days of my appointed time 
 •' Will I wait tiii my change come. 
 *« But alas ! the mountain falling, 
 ** Cometh to nought, 
 *' And the rock is removed out of its place, 
 *' The waters wear the Hones : 
 ** Thou wafheft away the things which grow out of 
 
 « the duft of the earth, 
 " And thou deftiroyeft the hope of man,** 
 
 What do you think of thefe plaintive ftrains? 
 Has that difmal truth, " That from the re- 
 *' gion of death th^re is no return," ever 
 been prefented in ftronger expreflions than 
 thefe ? Nay, is it pofiible to affirm in a more 
 clear and pofiiive manner^ that no account 
 either of happinefs or mifery wrs ever 
 
 s 2 brought 
 
l6o ORIENTAL DIALOGUES^ 
 
 brought from that empire of fhadows, where 
 eternal filence and profound oblivion reign ? 
 
 EuGENlus. You are in the right, my 
 friend, according to one fignilication of the 
 word here employed «y Job ; — but of what 
 return do you think Job fpoke in the pafTage 
 you have quoted'? He fpoke, manifeftly, of 
 a return to human life, to a new pofTeffion of 
 the world and its advantages, of which, in 
 his prefent circumftances he could have fo 
 little enjoyment. The pafiage, therefore, 
 which you have been repeating, does not fur- 
 nilh even the appearance of an argument 
 againft the immortality of the foul and of a 
 life to come. Who of the pafiengers through 
 ar prefent world, ever returned to vifit this 
 iirft fl:ai>:e of his exiftence ? And, neverthe- 
 lefs. Job confidered the foul as ftill exifling 
 in the region of the dead and thus furviving 
 its reparation from the body, as we fee evi- 
 dently, by his wifhing that God would hide 
 him in the grave and keep him fecret until his 
 wrath had ceafed, and the ap^poijited time for 
 his ref oration Ihould come. He feems, how- 
 ever, in the fucceeding moment, to perceive 
 the temerity of this hope, and fubmits to his 
 
 lot. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 261 
 
 lot. Let us, therefore, confider more atten- 
 tively the opinions of the Orientals concern- 
 ing what was the ffjadowy domain^ or the 
 abode of departed fpirits, and tracing them to 
 their origin, enquire what ideas they formed 
 of this abode. 
 
 Alciphron. They undoubtedly meant 
 no more by it than the grave^ — the perma- 
 nent, the eternal refidence of the dead. We 
 mufl: only recoiled: here that they did not 
 confider the inhabitants of this refidence as 
 abfolutely dead. They were regarded (fond 
 illufion !) as ftill poHeffing a kind of life even 
 in the grave. On this account, they called 
 the grave, the houfe of rejl^ the permanent 
 manfion of peace. I have fecn fome poems 
 of the Arabian Bards, in which they confi- 
 'der and vifit the graves of their friends as 
 habitations, hold converfe with them in thefs 
 gloomy manfions, and water and plant the 
 earth about their houfes, as if they themfelves 
 were deftiued one day to inhabit them. This 
 is a notion of great antiquity in the Eaft, 
 where it was almoft univerfally entertained. 
 It was in later times introduced among the 
 JiebrewSj and gave rife to a great variety of 
 S3 traditions, 
 
l6z ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 traditions, funeral ceremonies, and alfo of 
 pilgrimages to the grave? of departed friends 
 and relatives. Now the foul being thus con- 
 fidered as a ihade, a ghoft, or an animated 
 blaft, where do you think they placed it ? 
 In fubterraneous dwellings, in a region of 
 repofe and perfecfi: equality. This is the 
 circumftance which Job exprefles fo patheti- 
 cally in his plaintive ftrains, even that kings 
 and flaves, fervants and their maflers, are 
 there, all free, equal, and at reft ; but all defti- 
 tute of adivity and vigour, like a ghoft or 
 phantom which is without, nerves cr fmews* 
 All this I own was mere fiftion or idle fancy. 
 Love and regret for their departed friends 
 betrayed the good people into thefe childifl^ 
 errors, and that to fuch a degree, that they 
 neither could nor would confider the de- 
 ceafed as dead^ but believed them to be ghofta 
 or fpirits ftill living, even in their graves. 
 The life of vigour and activity they confider, 
 indeed, as paft with refped: to them ; but 
 they fancifully reprefent them as difembodied 
 beings flitting about in the regions of the 
 dead. There, darkfome and filent ftreams 
 flow heavily ! — There, reigns the difmal king 
 pf fhadows ! — There, defcend the princes of 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 263 
 
 the earth and continue to ad their parts on a 
 Vifionary theatre. They cannot diveft them- 
 felves of their former propenfities and habits. 
 The dreams of wordly pomp and grandeur 
 ftili purfue them ; but they are mere dreams. 
 How often did David pray that God would 
 grant him upon earth profperoUvS days, which 
 might be fubjeds of his grateful hymns,, fmce 
 in the region of the dead the voice of joy is 
 never heard, nor are any oblations of praife 
 fent up to heaven for vidories, and fpoils of 
 conquered nations and vanquifhed enemies, — 
 nothing but filence ! The truly phllofophical 
 writer of the Ecclefiaftes exprelfed himfelf 
 on this head, with brevity and energy, when 
 he faid, 
 
 '« Whatfoever thine hand findeth to do, 
 
 ** Do it with thy might ; 
 
 ** For there is no work, nor device, 
 
 *^ Nor knowledge, nor vxifdom, 
 
 ** In the empire of (hudows, 
 
 " Where thou goeft." 
 
 You have not, I fuppofe, forgot your favour- 
 ite OssiAN and his Celts. His heroic an- 
 ceftors whofe feparate ftate, after this tranfitory 
 life is placed in the clouds, continue ftill to 
 ^ 4 S^'^^'P 
 
264 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 grafp the fword ; — but the fword is wind, — it 
 is a reddifh cloud, and the hand that grafps 
 it is alfo a lliadow, which flies away at the 
 firft appearance of the Hght of the morning. 
 And not only the Celts and Hebrezvs^ but all 
 the ancient nations believe the exiftence of a 
 region of departed fpirits, where each indi- 
 vidual follows the occupation which he had 
 upon earth — fome affembled on verdant 
 plains — others in the clouds, from whence 
 they behold the pleafures and purfuits of their 
 pofterity upon earth. The Orientals, who 
 adopted the primitive idea of a grave, placed 
 the manfion of the dead under the earth. All 
 this, you muft grant, is fond illufion. An 
 aggregate of phantafms and non-entities, 
 which do not carry the fmalleft proof that 
 their inventors had any perfuafion, or even 
 idea of the imrnortality of the foul. It is a 
 mtre JJjadozv which conftitutes the fubjed of 
 all this poetry, thefe fautaftic defcriptions of 
 the lives of ghofts and hobgoblins. 
 
 EuGENius. Softly, my friend ; you feem 
 
 to iorget that t^txj fbadow fuppofes a fub- 
 
 JIance, Even fancy is a fhadow of truth. 
 
 Can you conceive that this notion, this per- 
 
 fuafiori 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 265 
 
 fuafion of immortality, would have prevailed 
 fo univerfally if it had not a general foundation 
 in the heart of man, or in the tradition of rJl 
 ages ? 
 
 Alciphron. This pleafmg or dejecting 
 dream was produced in the human heart or 
 fancy, by defire, friendfhip and hope ; and, 
 by the influence of thefe feelings, the dream 
 might eafily grow into a tradition, which 
 would gain credit from age to age, and, in 
 procefs of time, become univerfal. Do you 
 think that it was natural for man to fee with 
 indifference, his fellow-creatures, to whom 
 he vv'-as bound by various ties of affedion or 
 intereft, perifh before his eyes like the brute- 
 animals ? Was it not, on the contrary, more 
 natural to contrive fome way of perpetuating 
 tender and fecial connexions with departed 
 friends and parents, and with children carried 
 off in the dawn, or prime of life ? The de- 
 luge no doubt, furiiifhed the firft and the moft 
 folemn occafion for poetical fidions relative 
 ,to a future fcene of exiftence, and for fanci- 
 ful defcrlptions of the regions of the dead. 
 Confider the influence which this trem^endous 
 fventj— the deilru<^ion of a whole world of 
 
 living 
 
266 OKIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 living creatures, muft have had in multiplyin 
 the traditions of fucceeding ages. 
 
 *' There were giants in the earth in thofe days, 
 
 " Which fprung from the conjundlion of the fons of 
 
 ** God with the daughters of men : 
 *' Mighty men were they and men of violence, 
 **, The renowned heroes of ancient times *.** 
 
 Thefe were now the rephaim^ the giants 
 which feemed to figh and fob under the water, 
 whofe voice was fuppofed to be heard in the 
 roaring waves, and whofe violent" and con- 
 vulfive motions produced ftorms and earth- 
 quakes. Thefe are the mod ancient gigantic 
 inhabitants of the region of the dead. This 
 notion or tradition was gradually foftened into 
 a milder one, and the manfion of the dead 
 became exadly, the calm and peaceful alTem- 
 blage of the deceafed, which we find de- 
 fcribed by Job and by the Hebrews. There 
 remained {till legions of heroes in the empire 
 of death : fhadowy kings fat on fhadowy 
 thrones ; nay, whole cities, kingdoms, and 
 vanquifhed armies Vv^ere crowded together in 
 this manfion of fhadows ; while every objeft. 
 
 See Genefis, vi. 4. 
 
 not 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. -267 
 
 not even excluding things which we deem 
 inanimate, had its peculiar fpirit, Thus, ia 
 procefs of time, the fubterraneous kingdom 
 obtained a monarch, whofe name was 
 Belial,. the ghoftly king of imaginary be- 
 ings, without fubftance or power. The 
 ScHEOL became a palace, an impregnable 
 fortrefs with gates and bars of brafs. It was 
 a devouring gulph which never reftored any 
 thing it had fwallowed, nor accepted of a 
 ranfom for the fouls which it had made cap- 
 tive. Even in the New Teftament v/e find 
 many expreffions and modes of fpeaking 
 which bear the marks of thi^ mythology, as 
 in the king who had the power of hell and 
 deaths who opened gares, which none but he 
 could open, fubdued potentates, and delivered 
 fouls, which he alone could fubdue and 
 deliver. It v/ould be a very improper man- 
 per of illuftrating things to apply all this to 
 our ideas of hell and death. It is neverthe- 
 Jefs certain, that this kind of mifapplication 
 has taken place with refpeft to many ideas 
 ^and (SXpreiTions, which otaght to be confined 
 to the particular times in which they were 
 employed. In the mean time, the idea of 
 hero or gpvQrnpr co^ifiderec} in the extenfive 
 
 fignifi- 
 
a'Gd ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 fignification of tliefe terms in the ancient 
 poetry, deaoted great things, awful power 
 and dominion. The potentate who reigned 
 over human fouls and had the power of death, 
 became an unrighteous tyrant, and the 
 anointed of the Zc>r^ wrefted from him both 
 Ills dominion and his prey. Thus you fee, 
 my friend, that during the fpace of five 
 thoufand years, the human race, deftitute of 
 any defence or fupport againft this dreadful 
 Ihadow-potentate, w^ere in a long flate of 
 fervitude and terror, or, to ufe the language 
 of a facred v/riter, were, through the fear of 
 death ^ all their ^ life-time fubjeB to bondage. 
 Hence the doleful lamentations of Hezekiah ! 
 Hence that dejedion VN^hich prevailed among 
 the Hebrews at the profped and approach of 
 death, which the chieftains and people of 
 other nations beheld and refilled with mag- 
 nanimity and valour. In this refped:, the 
 Hebrews were, if I miftake not, the moft 
 daftardly people upon earth. The difinal 
 ideas oi i\iQ fbadow-kingdorn tormented them, 
 perhaps, ftill more than the belief of a total 
 annihilation would have done. 
 
 fluGENius. I have allowed you, my 
 
 friend J 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUE?* 269 
 
 friend, to go on without interruption. And 
 now allow me to tell you frankly, that your 
 hiftorical view, of the empire of deathj ftruck 
 me while you were fpeaking, as the plaintive 
 efFufion of a melancholy fpirit, which loves to 
 i^ander, in iolitary filence, through the 
 region of fhadows. You feem to have often 
 viiited in fancy this dark domain, and to have 
 ftudied with a gloomy kind of complacence, 
 its vifionary objeds. But now, I befeech you, 
 raife your eye to the ftarry vault v/hlch is ex- 
 tended above our heads with fuch fplendour 
 and glory. See there, ALCipnRON,the Book 
 of hnmortality which God opens for us and for 
 all nations every night. And when the rifmg 
 morn brings frein vigour and alacrity to 
 wearied mortals, remember that every new 
 day is a fymbol of the rcfurreElion^ as the 
 deep of each returning night is the im.age of 
 death. Thefe fymbols are clear and beauti- 
 ful ; their language is as univerfal as it is 
 afieding. But confider, befides, another 
 fource of hope vvhich was opened to men, 
 with clearnefs fufEcient to ftrengtheii and 
 arm them againft the gloomy terrors of death 
 and the grave. How early, for example, do 
 we find it faid of the virtuous man, 
 
 '< He 
 
270 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 «« He walked with God, 
 
 *< And becaufe God loved him he was not 
 
 « For God took him *.'* 
 
 Alciphron. I hope you do not con* 
 fider this paflage, which was probably the 
 fragment of an old fong, as a narration of the 
 l*efurrefl:ion and afcenfion of Enoch. It is 
 the foft voice or echo, which poetical fancy 
 fends from the grave of fome perfon who 
 had died in early youth, and had not arrived 
 at the advanced age of his brethren and pa- 
 rents. As children have no idea of another 
 world, their queftioning curiofity about 
 their departed friends was frequently fatisfied 
 by fuch anfwers as thefe. Your brother is 
 *' with God — God took him away fo foon 
 " becaufe he loved him, on account of his 
 *' virtue." The primitive world was in 
 fuch a ftate of fimplicity and infancy, that it 
 was necefiary to fpeak in this manner. 
 
 EuGENius. That I do not deny : and an 
 early removal from a prefent world, is no 
 doubt adapted to make that childifh kind of 
 impreffion of which you fpeak. Not only 
 
 * Genefis, v. 24. 
 
 among 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 27I 
 
 among the Hebrews, but alfo among other 
 nations we find ideas and expreffions of this 
 nature : " This beautiful and virtuous young 
 " man was taken away by the gods" — " that 
 *' innocent and amiable virgin was carried 
 " ofF by Aurora." But you do not feem to 
 comprehend clearly and fully the > ideas which 
 fuch expreffions were defigned to convey, 
 and which w^ere really affixed to them in the 
 mind of the fpeaker. The conftant traditions 
 of the Eaftern nations conveyed nobler ideas 
 by thefe expreffions, than you feem to be 
 aware of, and the poetry of the Hebrews 
 manifeftly improved thefe ideas. " God 
 " took him^'* is the ufual phrafe among them. 
 to denote the happy lot of God's favoured 
 fervants in another v^^orld, and this fenfe of 
 the expreffion was evidently derived from the 
 cafe of Enoch, \h^ friend of God. He lived 
 in degenerate times, and was zealous in pro- 
 moting the pradice of piety, and the glory of 
 his Creator. He was no doubt expofed to 
 the raillery and perfecution of the wicked. 
 This is often the lot of the righteous in times 
 of prevailing iniquity. This was afterwards 
 the cafe of his brother in fuffering, the 
 illuftrious Elias, and it pleafed the God 
 7 whom 
 
^7^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES^ 
 
 whom he had ferved, to diftinguifii him in ^ 
 fimilar way. He was raifed, not perhaps 
 with fuch pomp and fplendour as Elias was, 
 but certahiiy with equal favour, to the man^ 
 fions of immortality. It is in this fenfe, that 
 St. Paul ufes the expreflion : it bears the 
 fame fignification in the laft book of the holy 
 fcriptures, in the vifion of the afcenfion ken 
 In the cloud ; and it is alfo interpreted in the 
 fame manner in the neighbouring countries 
 of the Eail. The Arabians tell many fabu- 
 lous ftories of a wife, foUtary, perfecuted, and 
 virtuous prophet named Idris, (fo they call 
 our Enoch,) who was carried, up to heaven 
 and lives in Paradife. By other nations he is 
 placed on Albordy^ the radiant mountain 
 where the gods are affembled ; and their tra- 
 ditions alfo make mention of his walkings not 
 with God, but with the Elohim. The in- 
 flrudive removal of Enoch, is thus a ground 
 of hope, a particular and comforting pattern, 
 as it were, of the fubfequent exaltation of 
 other friends of God to fimilar honours. 
 
 Alciphron. Other friends of God, you 
 fay ? I recoiled none but Elias. 
 
 EUGE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. ' c;/"^ 
 
 EuGENius. Abraham was a friend of 
 God as well as Enoch ; and you know with 
 what a peculiar and emphatic diftindion the 
 Supreme Being was called the God of Abra-- 
 ham, Ifaac and Jacob. But obferve now, 
 with a facred writer*, that pod is not the 
 God of the dead but of the living : therefore 
 they all live. With refped: to this vifible 
 world, the Fathers died without having had 
 any enjoyment of the promifcs which God 
 had folemnly made to them : they paffed 
 from their frail and tranfitory dwelling here, 
 into the manfion of their celeftial Friend, — 
 into a better country ; and the being gathered 
 together 'with the fathers was the popular and 
 familiar expreffion of the Hebrews to fignify 
 their region of the dead^ or rather of the happy^ 
 They were, like Abraham and Enoch, in the 
 Paradife of their friend. 
 
 Alciphron. For my part, I underftood 
 nothing more by this expreffion than the 
 placing their dead bodies in the graves of 
 their refpedive families. . 
 
 ^^ This reafoning is not taken from the New Tellament : 
 on the contrary, the reafoning \i\ Matthew, xx::. 32. and 
 Hebrews, xi. 13. is founded upon thefe ideas, and iij iilullratcd 
 by them. 
 
 T EUGE- 
 
il74 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EuGENius. No doubt this external rite was 
 conneded with their religious opinions, and 
 was therefore religioufly obferved. But when 
 it was rendered impradicable by any circum- 
 fiance, (which feldom happened,) they knew 
 how to fupply its place in their imagination ; 
 and after all, it was not precifely the inter- 
 ment in the family grave, which conftituted 
 their being gathered to their fathers ; for 
 Abraham was gathered to his fathers although 
 he was not buried with them, and Jacob de- 
 lired to defcend to his beloved fon in the region 
 of fhadows, though he confidered him as hav- 
 ing been torn to pieces by a wild beaft. You 
 have remarked, yourfelf, that all the nations of 
 the world, even thofe whom we call favage, be- 
 lieved fuch an ajjeinhling with their fathers in 
 the world of fpirits. This alfo as you may 
 eafily imagine, prefented in fancy, the moft 
 affeding fcenes to the feelings of the heart, 
 when the father was reprefented as in the re- 
 fidence of his fon, the mother in that of her 
 child, and when friends were thus reftored to 
 each other with renewed fenfibility and 
 mutual delight. As a proof of this, I fhall 
 communicate to you a pathetic funeral dirge. 
 In the writings of travellers, we find many 
 compofitions of this kind, the produdions of 
 
 a people 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. ^75 
 
 a people who lived in thejhade^ if I may fo 
 exprels myfelf. They had only a feeble 
 glimpfe of knowledge, and their hopes were 
 founded merely on tradition. Accordingly 
 they depicted the ma72fio7i of the dead and their 
 being gathered to thdr fathers in a manner 
 conformable to their refpedtive ideas, and 
 their particular manner of living. The 
 Hebrew line followed the opinions of their 
 fathers : and as it was the peculiar glory of 
 this race, that Abraham and the reft of their 
 fathers were deemed the fiends of God^ fo 
 muft they have adopted with the utmoft com- 
 placence, that natural and foothing idea that 
 God who had loved his friend the good pa- 
 triarch here below, and had granted him the 
 protection of his paternal providence to the end 
 of his days, would not forfake him in the grave, 
 nor permit the dark region of the infernal ty- 
 rant to be his only portion. This conclufion. 
 was juft and fairly drawn; and it was the 
 foundation of their faith and hope. That faith, 
 even now, maintains its ground, and reprefents 
 the Great Being as the friend of thofe that 
 love him, and as the aufpicious proteftor, 
 who opens to them after death, his glorious 
 manfion for their eternal refidence. " He 
 " took him to himfelf' is alfo the beautiful ex- 
 preilion of this idea in the Pfalms. 
 
 T 2 AlCI- 
 
^276 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. I do indeed recoiled fome 
 Pfalms, which feem relative to this object ; 
 but I cannot help thinking them very ob- 
 fcure. 
 
 Eu GENT us. We are now near home, and 
 I fhall read to you two of them, if you pleafe, 
 before we part. The firft may almoft be con- 
 fidered as an evening-prayer^; and fome 
 have looked upon it as an infcription on the 
 tomb of the Poet. 
 
 « Hear all people ! 
 
 «' Give enr all ye inhabitants of the earth I 
 
 *'« Ye fons of men, ye foris of heroes, 
 
 « Rich and poor, hear ! 
 
 « My mouth fliall fpeak wifdom : . 
 
 " And my heart (hall mufe of underftanding : 
 
 " I will incline mine ear to a parable, 
 
 *« I will open my dark fayings upon the harp f . 
 
 " Wherefore (hould I fear in the days of evil, 
 
 « While the iniquity of my enemies compafleth me 
 
 <« about? 
 « They that truft in their ftrength, 
 " And boaft themfelves in the multitude cf their 
 
 «* riches j 
 
 -* Pfalm xlix. 
 
 t The bard liilens to his guitar a:; if the verfes came to 
 him from Its ftrings. Lyric poetry, fong, and InRrumental 
 mufic were, In thefe ancient times, combined. The dark Jay -^ 
 ing, or enigma, he had to explain and iiluftrate, was the 
 feeming felicity of the wicked in the pofTeffion of temporal 
 prolperity, as we fee In the following verfes. 
 
 « Can 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 277 
 
 «* Can any of them redeem his brother, 
 
 " Or give God a ranfom for him ? . 
 
 ** That he ftiould ftill live for ever, and not fee cor- 
 
 *« rupdon ? 
 '* For he feeth that wife men die, 
 " Likewif ; the fool and the brutifli perfon periQi, 
 *< And leave their wealth to others, 
 ** Their inward thought is that their houfes fliall 
 
 " continue for ever, and their dwelling-places 
 
 ^« to all generations ; 
 ^^ They call their lands after their own names. 
 " Neverthelcfs man being in honour abideth not ; 
 ^' He is like the beafts that perifli, 
 ** Like fheep they are laid in the grave ; 
 '* Death (hall feed on them, 
 " And the righteous (hall have dominion over them 
 
 " in the morning ; 
 «* And their beauty (hall confume below, 
 ic "VVhere theydwell among the fhadows. 
 " But God (hall redeem my foul from the region of 
 
 " the dead, and receive me in his dwelling. 
 *'• TpxCrefore fear not when one is made rich, 
 " And the glory of his houfe is increafed ; 
 <« For he (hall carry nothing away with him when he 
 
 « dieth, 
 '' Neither fhall his pomp follow him,** Sec, 
 
 Alciphron. I have never confidered the 
 different parts of this Pfalm in this clear con- 
 nexion, 
 
 EuGENius. That may be, — this con- 
 nexion, however, is perfedly conformable 
 
 T 3 with 
 
278 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 "With the fenfe of the words. The different 
 ilates alfo of departed fouls are pointed out 
 here in the cleared manner. The fouls which 
 have been addided only to fenfual gratifica- 
 tions, and have afpired to no other objed:s of 
 enjoy rnent and felicity, are driven like flocks 
 of fheep to the abyfs, and are ^here devoured 
 by the King of Terrors. The fouls of the 
 righteous, on the contrary, are delivered and 
 redeemed from the Orcus^ the infernal regions, 
 by God, and tranfported to his celeftial man- 
 fions. The former become the prey of death, 
 and are abandoned to putrefaction, and the 
 righteous rule over them in the moriiing^ that 
 is, foon and without delay, as after night, the 
 feafon of fleep, a clear and brilliant day 
 breaks forth. The other Pfalm, which I re- 
 commend to your attention, ftates this import- 
 ant diftindion ftill more circumftantially. It 
 reprefents the Supreme Being as taking under 
 his protection and care, even in the grave, 
 the bodies of his faints, and conducing them 
 through a fecret path, to the manfions of 
 eternal light and joy. 
 
 Alciphron. You mean, I fuppofe, the 
 fixteenth Pfalm ; but I underftand this as 
 
 little 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 279 
 
 little as that which you have been repeating. 
 It look$ like the effufioa of a fick prieft, whom 
 God furnifhes with meat and drink, and who 
 prays for a fpeedy recovery of his health. 
 
 Eu GENIUS. It is certainly a prayer of 
 David ; you mud obferve in it, from verfe to 
 verfe, his ufual manner of expreffirig his 
 feelings, and the effential lines of his cha- 
 rader. 
 
 «< The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and 
 
 " of my cup ; 
 ** Thou maintained: my lot : 
 
 •' The lines are fallen unto me in pleafant places ; 
 " Yea, I have a goodly heritage. 
 " I vvillblefs the Lord, 
 " Who hath given me counfel ; 
 *< My reins (or heart) (hail inftru6l: me in the night- 
 
 " feafon. 
 <* I have fet the Lord always before me *, 
 «« Becaufe he is at my right-hand, 
 ** I ftiall not be moved. 
 <* Therefore my heart is glad, 
 " And my glory rejoiceth ; 
 « Yen, my flefli alfo (hail reft in hope ; 
 « For thou wilt not leave my foul in the grave (or in 
 
 *« the region of fnadows), 
 « Neither wilt thou fufFer thine Holy One to fee 
 
 ** corruption. 
 " Thou wilt (hew me the path of life ; 
 « In thy prefence is fulnefsof joy, 
 <* At thy right hand are pleafures for evermore." 
 
 T 4 This 
 
260 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 This Pfalm, methinks, not only by its con- 
 tents, but alfo by certain flriking cHaraders 
 which diftlnguifh it, appears evidently to be 
 a Pfalm of David. '' God is his guardian 
 " and protector" (i. e. combats £(ft and with 
 him as a friend). " God had given him a 
 *' goodly heritage which his father had 
 " not left him" (i. e. a crown in the land of 
 Jehovah). *' This heritage had fallen to him 
 *' by the ccunfel of God, by the lot" (as 
 that of the refpedive tribes of Ifrael had 
 fallen to them). In his various troubles and 
 confiids with adverfity he is an objed of 
 God's providential and paternal care. There- 
 fore was he ftedfail: in his communion with 
 God, and efteemed as his treafure the fari&u^ 
 ary of yehovah. He would have nothing to 
 do with foreign idolatrous kings and their ob- 
 lations : Jehovah v\^as \\\^ portion and his cup. 
 Is not all this manifeilly applicable to 
 David, and is it not, at the fame time, 
 diftindively charaderiftic of the author of 
 this Pfalm ^^? 
 
 * That David mufl be confidered in this Pfalm as a type 
 of the Mefliahmay be proved from the Nev/ Teftament ; but 
 this does not belong to our prefent fubjed. We are here only 
 to confide'r the charader of the perfon who appears In this 
 Pfalm, and of the connexion that is obfervable in it. 
 
DIALOGUE VIL 
 
 Concernhig the ideas refpe&ing Providence in 
 the poetry of the Orientals — Ilhijlration of 
 certain relations which have given rife to the 
 later views and ideas of Providence — The 
 Deity reprefefited as the avenger offecretjins 
 in the hijlory of Cain- — AffeEiing and poetic 
 calflrokes in this hi/lory- — Right eotfnefs and 
 mercy in the divine pr editions — Tranfitioji 
 to fame animated perfonif cations in the poetry 
 of later times — Of the blood that cries — The 
 blood bird of vengeance^ Iffc. — Explication of 
 the divine procedure in the Deluge — How we 
 ought to judge of events of this kind — In 
 what fpirit the narrations of this event are 
 given — A new arrangement of the earth 
 after the food— Of gigantic relations — The 
 fons of God — Journal of the Ark — Of the 
 renovation of the earth — Why the rainbow 
 was the fgn of a new homage to the 
 Creator ?— Of the rainbow in the northern 
 poetry reprefented as a bridge of the giants — 
 Of the Tower of Babel — The objedi atid 
 
 fpirit 
 
( 282 ) 
 
 fpirit of the relation coficernifig this Tower --^ 
 Of Nimrod the mighty hunter before the 
 Lord — A latent irony in this recital — Of the 
 general character of the poetical traits infa- 
 cred hifory relative to Babel — Lamentation 
 cf Ifaiah on the king of Babel — Of God con- 
 fidered as the judge and avenger of tyrants — 
 A jpflificatio7i of contrqjls in the poetical de- 
 
 f crip t ions of humoM charaEiers — Of the im^ 
 preffion of this f pedes of poetry on the human 
 heart — Comparifon betwecfi the Oriental 
 poetry and that of other nations in this re^ 
 
 fpe3 — Views of Providence from Job — Utility 
 offuch poetry— -The moji ancient eulogy of 
 wifdom^ 
 
( ^83 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE VIL 
 
 In a certain company the converfation turned 
 upon the vifible diredion and government of 
 Providence in the courfe of human affairs. 
 Many events and examples were brought to 
 prove that the Great Being, who created the 
 world, extends his paternal care to its inhabit- 
 ants, watches for their prefervation, often 
 covers them with his protedion in the time of 
 danger, and, in a multitude of cafes has deli- 
 vered them from the very jaws of deftrudion. 
 Among other things it was remarked, that 
 the children of poor but pious parents 
 meet, generally fpeaking, liberal fuccour and 
 fupport, that fecret frauds and crimes are fre- 
 quently brought to light and punifhed with a 
 juft feverity ; while the prayers of the 
 righteous are often anfwered by remarkable 
 difplays of providential goodnefs. All the com- 
 pany, by turns, had communicated their ob- 
 fervations on this interefting fubjed:, and they 
 feparated in a pleafing frame of mind, as they 
 were all edified and delighted with the con- 
 yerfation. Our two Oriental friends remained, 
 
 and 
 
284 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES,/ 
 
 and Alciphron (whofe fingular turn of 
 mind has already appeared on feveral occa- 
 fions) refumed the fubjedt in the following 
 manner : 
 
 Alciphron. What do you think, my 
 friend, of the converfation in which we have 
 been now engaged ? Is not the manner of 
 proceeding, which has been attributed to the 
 Deity, too much accommodated to our wifhes, 
 ideas, and manner of afting ? To me it has 
 always appeared unphilofophical, and even 
 vulgar and trivial, to trace all the events 
 which happen in the world to the direction 
 of a Divine Providence^ — to feek out for de- 
 fign zxi^ final caufes in every occurrence, and 
 to attribute to the Deity in the laft inftance, 
 all our adions with all the pleafing or un- 
 happy coafequenccs which proceed from 
 them. In our friendly conferences in which 
 this fubjed: has been either formally difcuffed 
 or occafionally confidered, you feemed to 
 differ from my way of thinking on that head, 
 and I recoiled: that you even maintained your 
 opinion by very plaufible arguments ; but I 
 muft confefs that you rather embarraffed than 
 convinced me ; and while I found myfelf in- 
 capable 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2S5 
 
 capabie of anfwering your arguments, there 
 was fomething within me that effaced theh* 
 impreffion. In the poetry of the Orientals, 
 (as in the converfation we have now heard,) 
 men are placed in the world, if I may ufe 
 fuch a comparifon, like pa%vns on a great 
 chefs-board, which the invifible agent moves 
 as he finds good, and places or difplaces with- 
 out their perceiving his agency. This may 
 give to their poetry, as you lately obferved, a 
 certain air of dignity and fimplicity ; but I 
 think there is more fancy than truth in this 
 reprefentation of the actions of men : and 
 with all its air of dignity and fimplicity, it 
 would be produdive, were it univerfaily be- 
 lieved, of the moft pernicious effeds. Such 
 a reprefentation of things muil render man in- 
 feafible, indolent and feeble, as it naturally 
 leads him to z. pajjive recumbency on the di- 
 vine will, confidered as the fok univerfal 
 agent, and thus difcourages and precludes all 
 effort to improve his nature and faculties. 
 Thus men when they pray and perform reli- 
 gious rites, are eafily induced to think they 
 have done all that is required of them, while 
 they negled to aB their part on the fcene of life 
 which is their true and principal deftination, 
 
 and 
 
286 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 and leave all to the direction and agency of 
 the invifible worker. The fpecies of poetry, 
 therefore, of which we are now fpeaking, 
 notwithftandmg all its pompous and ftriking 
 contrafts between God's providentialy omni- 
 potent agency and man's feeble efforts, is only 
 a combination of pleafmg founds with little 
 fenfe and lefs utility. It is, as it were, an 
 opiate to the foul, whofe adivity it fufpends,. 
 and whofe faculties it lulls into a foft lethargy. 
 It is always exalting the decrees of God's 
 providential wifdom, while it negleds fetting 
 in a proper light the power and obligations of 
 man, to avoid or overcome evil, and to attain 
 to true felicity ; — thus while in appearance 
 it advances the glory of God, it difcourages 
 the efibrts and v/eakens the. powers of man : 
 it dazzles us with the fuppofed light of 
 heaven, but it turns the light, which is in us, 
 into darknefs. And if man prefumes to judge 
 of the ways of Providence by his narrow 
 views, and the guidance of his reafon which 
 is fo limited and imperfect, he is accufed of 
 prefumptlon, and his decifions are deemed 
 rafh, felfifh, and erroneous. All this ap- 
 pears evident to me when I compare the 
 poetry of the Orientals with their hijlory. 
 8 The 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 2S7 
 
 The former is rapid and foars aloft, the latter 
 creeps. The former amufes the fancy, but 
 has upon the condudl of life either no influ- 
 ence at all, or a kind of influence which is 
 rather pernicious than falutary ; and as to the 
 latter, it afcribes every thing to God, and 
 then all is done — this is thought fuflicient. 
 The poetry of the Eaft, confidered in this 
 point of view, does not appear to have con- 
 tributed much to the improvement either of 
 the underftanding or the heart : it has rather 
 retarded the progrefs of the one in ufeful 
 knowledge, and that of the other in virtuoujj 
 feelings and purfuits. 
 
 EuGENius. I perceive, my friend, that 
 the root from which your prejudices are nou- 
 rifhed, has ftill a fafl: hold in your mind ; and 
 until it is entirely eradicated, it will be need- 
 lefs to talk of the beauty of any poetry what- 
 foever. I freely acknowledge that the mofl 
 fublime poetry is of very little ufe either to 
 religion or morals, when it is an opiate^ as 
 you exprefs yourfelf, to the foul, — when it 
 is not guided in its flight, by an attention to 
 the true nature of things, or fpreads before the 
 eye a fallacious veil which hinders it from 
 
 difcern- 
 
288 O'RIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 dlfcerning the real forms of the objeds of 
 ^^'hich it treats. But the poetry of the Eaft 
 will lofe nothing of its merit by this acknow- 
 
 I ledgment. The ideas it gives of the Deity, 
 and its manner of reprefenting and explaining 
 the ways of Providence were derived, not 
 from metaphyfical fpeculations, but from 
 
 particular and determinate events. Every 
 event and circumftance in which, according to 
 the judgment of the fpectators, the diredion 
 and fuperintendance of the Deity were vifible, 
 tended to confirm thefe ideas ; and an atten- 
 tive obfervation of the events which happen 
 in human life, ftill continues to prefent to the 
 philofophic and even to the vulgar eye,reafons 
 for believing that important dodtrine, that hu- 
 man affairs are under the government and di- 
 rection of a wife Providence. Letus go then, 
 my friend, to the fountain-head. Let us confi- 
 der the particular events in the early periods of 
 Oriental Hiftory upon which this belief was 
 founded; — for I do not like reafoning from 
 vague exprelTions and general aflertions. 
 
 Alciphron. Neither do I — and we can 
 eafily find in the records of ancient times, 
 events and objefts that will anfwer our pur- 
 
 pofe. 
 
ORIENTAL BIALOGQES. 289 
 
 pofe. The hiftories of Cam and Abel^ of the 
 Deluge^ of the Tita?2s of Babel ^ oi Sodo?n and 
 Gomorrha prefent theinfelves in a ftriking 
 manner to our view on this oecafion. It was 
 perhaps from thefe events, that the primitive 
 inhabitants of our globe formed their ideas of 
 a governing Providence. 
 
 EuGENius. Undoubtedly it was— and 
 we muft confequently confider thefe events, 
 not fuperficially, or in a general point of view, 
 but fucceffively and feparately ; thus we fhall 
 fee more fully the great and awful truth in 
 which they terminate. We fhall begin with 
 the hiftory of Abel. It is prefented to us in 
 the Sacred Records as a drooping flower, 
 ftained with blood ; and it is as poetical in its 
 fimplicity, as it is admirable in its tendency 
 to difplay the juflice of divine Providence in 
 the punifhment of wickednefs : 
 
 " Where is Abel thy brother * ? 
 
 *« What haft thou done .? 
 
 <« The voice of thy brother's blood crieth Unto me 
 
 '^ from the ground. 
 ^« And now art thou accurfed, 
 *' Banilhed fronx the earth. 
 
 * Genefis, iv. 9, Sec. 
 
 U '^ Which 
 
290 ORIENTAL DIALOGtJES. 
 
 *< Which hath opened her mouth to receive thy 
 
 " brother's blood from thy hand. 
 " When thou tilled the ground, 
 " It (hall not henceforth yield unto thee her flrength ; 
 •* A fugitive and vagabond {halt thou be on the 
 
 « earth." 
 
 Let me now afk you, What ftrikes you mofl; 
 in this picture, the y^'ym/j/ of God as judge — 
 or his goodnefs as father ? Who, in this cafe, 
 could have exercifed juftice and inflifled pu- 
 nifhment, if God had not interfered ? The 
 father furely could not think of avenging the 
 blood of one fon by fhedding that of another : 
 was then the atrocious deed to be left unpu- 
 nifhed, and the blood of a man to be fhed, 
 with indifference like that of a brute-animal ? 
 Was an odious, crime by remaining unpu- 
 niihed, to ferve as an encouragement to fimi- 
 lar abominations ? All thefe confequences 
 muft have foliov\red, had the punifhment of 
 the crime in queftion been left to Adam. 
 What could he have done if the murderer 
 had concealed his crime, or in a moment of 
 defpair, even raifed his hand againfl: his 
 father ? The earth could not difcover it 
 to the latter, but (as the bold figure of the 
 facred text expreffes the thing,) it could 
 
 proclaim 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 29I 
 
 froclahn it to God. The blood cried aloud^ 
 and demanded puniiliment. Be pleafed to ob- 
 ferve farther, with what fimplicity and 
 energy all the circumftances of this tragical 
 ftory are here reprefented ! The blood that 
 cries, (in which for a long time the life of 
 the human foul was fuppofed to refide,) the 
 crying meffenger — the mother-earth which 
 drinks with horror the blood of one of her 
 fons, fhed by the hand of his brother, and 
 withdraws from the murderer for the time to 
 come, the fporltaneous produce of her ferti- 
 lity. Obferve alfo, my friend, with what 
 perfed: equity the Supreme Being punifhes ; 
 for the curfe unfolds only the natural confe- 
 quences of the tranfgreflion. The murderer 
 could not remain any longer in the houfe of 
 his father, for there he was an object of horror 
 to himfelf and to every one about him : 
 Neither could he continue in the place where 
 the crime had been committed ; for the blood 
 cried to heaven and demanded retribution. 
 Cain himfelf faid, IJIoall be a fugitive and a 
 vagabond in the earthy and it Jloall come to pafs 
 that every one that Jindeth me Jhall Jlay me *". 
 
 * Genefis, iv. 14. 
 
 u 2 In 
 
2^2 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES^. 
 
 In this dreadful emergency, the merciful Judge 
 does for the malefador what the defpairing 
 wretch could not do for himfelf He places 
 him at a certain diftance from the paternal 
 manfion, and thus from a variety of objedls, 
 which could only excite the moil bitter reflec- 
 tions and the moft painful emotions. He 
 places him in a lefs fruitful, and probably in 
 a hilly country, where the fruits of his labour 
 would be lefs abundant, but where, at the 
 fame time, he would be fecured from the per- 
 fecution of thofe who were favoured with a 
 better portion. A brother's blood is thus ex- 
 piated without bloodfhed, and the malefador 
 is, at the fame time, puniflied and faved* 
 Surely you mufl perceive in this hiftory, as in 
 a mirrour, an exam.ple of the paternal go- 
 vernment of the Deity ; and when you con- 
 fider it in all its parts, does it not appear to 
 you, at the fame time, terrifying, monitory, 
 mild, and inftruclive ? 
 
 Alciphron. Was it, inefTecl, attended 
 v;lrh thefe good fruits ? 
 
 EuGENius. Undoubtedly it wrs — recall 
 to 3^our remembrance the i/ood that ftill fends 
 
 forth 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 293 
 
 forth Its voice In the lailbook of the New Tefta- 
 ment. The Toiils there reprefented as cryin^^ 
 under thealtar* \vith a load voice, are the fouls 
 of thofe who had been flain for the Vv^ord of 
 God, and fealed tl^eir teftimony with their 
 blood. They call for vengeance — but white 
 robes we^^e given unto each of them in token of the 
 triumph the/ had gained over death and all 
 its terrors, and they v/ere comforted with the 
 promife of a future and glorious retribution in 
 the day of the final and righteous judgment of 
 God. God has referved for himfelf the right of 
 avenging the wrongs they have received. It 
 is he that executes judgment at the proper 
 feafon, againft all a.6ts of violence, and more 
 efpecially againft all fecret crimes. Com- 
 plaints that can be made to no m.ortal, may 
 beaddreffed, with the greateft facility, to him ; 
 what no earthly fovereign can punifh, muft 
 and will be puniflied by him, both as the 
 Father and the Judge of the human race. 
 
 « He fets our iniquities before us, 
 
 ^« Our fecret fins in the light of his countenance f •,'* 
 
 Or within the reach of his tribunaL 
 
 • 
 
 * Revelations, vi. 19. f Pfalm xc. 8, 
 
 V 3 This 
 
294 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 This IS the conftant and peculiar fpirit, the 
 idiotlfmus of Hebrew poetry, and this you fee, 
 is at the fame time, a fublime idea and a falu- 
 tary and inftrudtive leiron for the human 
 fpecies. Thus confcience was kept awake, 
 and men were reftrained at leaft by fear from 
 ads of iniquity. It was, moreover, the pe- 
 culiar purpofe of God to keep their hearts 
 and their hands free from the ferocity of ven- 
 geance, and the guilt of vindidive blood-fhed, 
 and to referve the execution of juftice to him- 
 felf. Hence the blood that was unjuftly fhed 
 was reprefented as crying to heaven for retri- 
 bution. 
 
 Alciphron. Neverthelefs the end pro- 
 pofed was not obtained. With what violence 
 does the paffion of fanguinary revenge ftill 
 rage among the Arabians ! and even among 
 the Hebrews it was found neceflary to enadt 
 laws for m/itigating the violence of vindidive 
 juftice, 
 
 EuGENius. This only proves that the 
 fpirit of revenge was uncommonly violent in 
 the hearts of that people, and confequently 
 that whatever could tend to diminifh and miti- 
 gate 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. ^95 
 
 gate it, was looked upon as falutary. In the 
 poetry of the Arabiafis^ the venom of the 
 bafilifk is faid to ifliie from the bodies of per- 
 fons who have been murdered, and continues 
 to flow until it is flopped by the blood of vin- 
 dictive retribution*. A bloody bird is even 
 faid to fpring up from the wounds of the 
 deceafed which purfues the aflaffin ; and it is 
 well known that among the Arabians ven- 
 geance was tranfmitted from generation to 
 generation, fo that the avenger in his turn, 
 became a prey to vindidive reprlfal. In this 
 violent ftate of the human mind, agitated by 
 propenfities fo fatal to its internal peace and 
 moral improvement, whatever had a tend- 
 ency to foften its afperity and raife its views 
 above the world, muft have been regarded as 
 a precious gift of heaven ; and if the Orientals 
 did not avail themfelves of the falutary and 
 affeding leffons (fo proper to improve them 
 in this refpedl) which are to be found in 
 their own poets, they were furely inexcufable. 
 Beautiful indeed, and affecting are many paf- 
 fages relative to this fubjed:, in the Pfalms of 
 
 * There is in the liamafa^ a confiderable number of Ara- 
 bian poems of this kind and complexion, and many marki of 
 ferocity and vengeance in their hiftory. 
 
 V 4 David, 
 
296 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 David, and in the Prophets ! How pathetic 
 the complaint of Job* ! 
 
 ^' My eye is foul with weeping, 
 
 <« On my eyelids is already the fhadow of death 1 
 
 ** Not for any iiijujiice in my hands ; 
 
 ** Alfo my prayer is pure : 
 
 << O earth, cover not thou my blood ! 
 
 <' And let my cry have no place ! 
 
 ^' Alfo now behold, my vyitnefs is In heaven, 
 
 <« And my record is on high : 
 
 «' My friends fcorn me •> 
 
 « But mine eye pours out tears unto God." _ 
 
 Such mild and gracious feelings as thefe, 
 are the fineft fubjeds for poetry, as they are 
 the nobleft ornaments of human nature. 
 
 Alciphron. But to return to the dlfmal 
 ftory of the two brothers,— Would it not 
 have been more worthy of the Judge, as a 
 provident Father, to have prevented the fan^ 
 guinary deed of Cain ? — to prevent evil 
 feems ftill more eligible than to punifh it. 
 
 EuGENius. Thi§ he did where it was 
 pofTible : He continues fo to do where evil is 
 
 • Job, xvi. 16. 
 
 avoid- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 207 
 
 avoidable : — in many cafes he undoubtedly 
 prevents it. 
 
 *' Jehovah had refpe(£l to Abel and to his offering • 
 ** But to Cain and his offering he had not refpedl ; 
 " And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance 
 
 <« fell ; 
 " And the Lord faid unto Cain, Why art thou 
 
 \' wroth ? 
 *' And why is thy countenance fallen ? 
 " If thou doeft well, ihalt thou not be accepted ? 
 <« And i^ thou doeil not well — fin (as ablood- 
 
 <« thirfty fiend,) lieth before thy door*." 
 
 This v\ras all that could be addreffed to 
 Cain as a moral agent. The Supreme Pa- 
 rent fpeaks to him as to a wayward froward 
 child, feems to unfold to him the fecret and 
 violent movements of his own heart, and 
 frowns upon him, as one would do upon a 
 favage beafi:, a lion or a tiger, at his door. 
 The approaching crime is thus denounced 
 and painted in the moft affeding manner ; 
 and what God did with refped: to Cain, he 
 ftill does with refped: to every man who will 
 give attention to the voice of his Creator, 
 which fpeaks in the didates of his own con- 
 f<:ience. 
 
 • Genefis, iy. 6, 7. 
 
 Alci- 
 
.298 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Alciphron. But how Will you folve the 
 difficulties arifmg from the Deluge ? How 
 can you juftify the Ruler, who on account of 
 certain giants or men of violence^ puniflies the 
 whole world, devotes to defl:ru(3:ion all living 
 creatures, becaufe they (perhaps the animals 
 included) had con^upted their ways^ and 
 fpares only eight perfons with what they 
 could fave in the ark, as the only innocent 
 part of the human fpecies ? Muft not this 
 ftory appear fhocking to the fober fenfe of an 
 equitable judge and excite ideas of partial 
 fe verity in the Supreme Being ? — 
 
 EuGENius. No fhort-fighted creature of 
 yefterday may or can arraign the proceedings 
 of the Eternal Mind, or judge defini- 
 tively concerning his ways. Events which 
 extend over the whole earth, 2.xt general laws 
 of Nature, to which every individual muft 
 fubmit with refignation. The ruins of a 
 deftroyed city, or the difmal remains of ex- 
 tenfive regions vvrhich have been funk by 
 earthquakes or covered by inundations, are 
 not the proper places or objeds for philofo- 
 phical fpeculation. Therefore we muft con- 
 fider this awful event and the hiftorical ac- 
 count 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 299 
 
 count of It, in a moral and pradlical point of 
 view, and thus we Ihall perceive the impref- 
 fions they are adapted to make upon attentive 
 and unprejudiced minds. The accounts we 
 have of the deftrudion of the inhabitants of 
 the ancient world, and its unhappy caufe, are 
 in the higheft degree lamentable and affect- 
 ing. 
 
 Alciphron. They are fo, indeed, and 
 that becaufe they are gigantic ftories, handed 
 down to us from the terrified perfons who 
 efcaped. 
 
 EuGENius, This circumftance renders 
 the narration the more original and authentic. 
 The penfive tone that predominates in the 
 whole journal of the ark, feems to announce 
 the antiquity of its hiilory, and correfponds 
 with what you call Xh^ gigantic ftories of that 
 lawlefs rapine and violence which preceded 
 the Deluge. And if you compare our ihort 
 fpan of life and our bodily ftrength with the 
 accumulated years and the conftitutional 
 vigour of the primitive Titans of the ancient 
 world, (who felt ftill within them the energy 
 pf the firft a£t of creation, but perverted its 
 
 force 
 
JOD ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 force to the purpofes of oppreffion, fenruality, 
 and inj lift ice,) you will more eafily compre- 
 hend the horrors that compofe and difhonour 
 their hiflory. Even in our times, we fee 
 what dreadful calamities and defolations may 
 be produced by men of vigorous powers and 
 extenfive authority during the fhort period of 
 their duration, — ^judgethen what an accumu- 
 lation of evils the earth may have fuffered 
 from the violence of thefe Antediluvian op- 
 preiTors, whofe Hves were drawn out to fo 
 long a period. If you confider all this with 
 due attention, you will find the recital of this 
 ancient tradition very natural : 
 
 ff And Jehovah faw that the uickednefs of man was 
 
 ^' great upon earth *, 
 <* And that every imagination of the thoughts of his 
 
 " heart vi^as only evil cpntir.ually, 
 •* And it repented the Lord that he had made man 
 
 " upon earth." i. e. men vi^ho made fuch an 
 
 atrocious progrefs in iniquity. 
 
 Accordingly Jehovah ad;ed in the cafe as a 
 Judge, and at the fame time as a Father — he 
 gave the earth another diredlion or arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 * Gcnefis, \-l ^,6f 7. 
 
 Alci- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 30I 
 
 Alcipiiron. What do you mean ? 
 
 EuGENius. I mean, that the conflitution 
 of the globe underwent a change or new 
 modificadon in confequence of the Deluge, 
 and the life of man was confiderably abridged. 
 At the fame time-, in whatever manner we 
 may attempt to inveftigate and explain the 
 caufes and circumftances of this tremendous 
 inundation, w^e mud always come to this 
 conclufion, that it was the refult of the gene- 
 ral laws of Nature. The earth had been 
 gradually formed by the Creator from water, 
 the water had, probably, at different times 
 covered its furface, and, in the firft periods 
 of its population, inundations mull naturally 
 have been frequent every where. It is 
 highly probable, that in thefe early times the 
 hilly mountainous parts of the globe were 
 alone habitable, and that the reft lay under 
 water. A fhock here or there, might raife 
 the w^ater above the more elevated places 
 which had been recently inhabited, and the 
 earth's axis may have met with an impulfion 
 Vv^hich changed its diredion with refped to 
 the ecliptic. In a w^ord, however fecond 
 caufes may have operated in this great and 
 
 awful 
 
302 ORIENTAL DIALCGUESii 
 
 awful revolution, certain it is, that all things 
 then came into the ftate under which the crea- 
 tion now groans ^, and the firft heroic period^ as 
 it is called, muft probably have exhibited 
 nothing more than the afpeO: of a human 
 race forming anew, — but bearing the marks 
 of its priftine diforder. The duration of 
 this new ftate, required new arrangements^ 
 At the iirft formation of the human race a 
 long life was neceflfary ; but it is no longer 
 fo : — our condition here and our future de- 
 ftination do not require it. After the Deluge^ 
 God made a new covenant or arrangement 
 with refpe(3: to feafons, manners, laws, and 
 the duration of human life. From this 
 period commences, though with feeble glim- 
 merings, our hiftory, the hiftory of the pre- 
 fent'human race. The narrations and events 
 of preceding periods found in our ears only 
 as ftories of heroes and giants, , which come 
 to us from an immenfe diftance over the 
 floods or waves of a drowned world, 
 
 Alciphron, I wiih, however, that we 
 knew fomething more of thefe giant fables. 
 
 * According to die fcripture expreffion, Rom. viii. 22. 
 
 EU GE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 303 
 
 EuGENius. That is not at all necelTary ; 
 for even the little, that we know of them has 
 been miferably perverted. Many abfurd and 
 romantic ftories have been invented concern- 
 ing thofey^^;// of God who macj^^^iamorous vifits 
 to the daughters of men ^ and, neverthelefs, we 
 find the denomination,yS/2x ofGod^ i. e. heroes, 
 men of extraordinary ftrength and beauty, 
 generally ufed in all the heroic poems of an- 
 cient times. — But we lofe fighc of our fub- 
 
 jea. 
 
 . Alciphron. By nomeans, if we confider 
 this difmal cataftrophe of the earth, though a 
 confequence of the general laws of Nature, 
 yet, at the fame time, as a punifhment of the 
 atrocities of the giants, and their licentious 
 connexions -with the daughters of men, and 
 alfo if we confider Noah as faved from the 
 general Deluge, becaufe he was 2igood ma?7^ a 
 favourite of heaven. 
 
 EuGENius. Such indeed, he was. God 
 made him inftrumental in cruihing the vio- 
 lence of the tyrants, and thus in reftoring 
 peace and tranquillity upon earth. This 
 righteous man had been oppreiTed and tor- 
 
 mented 
 
304 ORIENTAL DIALOGUEIS. 
 
 mented by the men of violence, and was noW 
 delivered from their fury, though by a pain- 
 ful, afflid:ing, and terrible cataftrophe. How 
 narrow and difmal is his habitation in the 
 ark ! With what anxious expectation does 
 he open the window of his floating manlion, 
 and fend out the dove ! How reviving and 
 delightful is the firft olive-branch with which 
 the bird returns from the watery wafte ! 
 The whole ftory (and this is a moral proof of 
 its authenticity) contains no contemptuous 
 inventive, or malicious triumph, in defcribing 
 the downfal of the men of violence. It only 
 relates with fimplicity the anxious feelings of 
 the fmall number who were faved from the 
 general wreck, who beheld the firft beautiful 
 rainbow as a pleafing token of the returning 
 fun and the divine mercy, and who trod the 
 mud of old Mother Earth with • that unufual 
 kind of tranfport which is excited by a 
 fplendid vifion or a delightful dream. 
 
 <« And Jehovah fmelled the fweet favour of their 
 " firft oblation, and fald, I vi'IU not again curfe 
 *« the grov.nd any more, for man's fake *." 
 
 ♦ Genefis, vill. 
 
 And 
 
OHiENTAL DIALOGUES* 305 
 
 Ahd then follovv^s the gracious promife that 
 "while the earth remained, the order of the 
 feafons ihould not be again interrupted, nor 
 feed-time and harveft, fummer and v/intcr, 
 day and hight ever ceafe. What a fubUme 
 mixture of grandeur arid goodncfs expreffed 
 with the greateftfimpUcity, muft an attentive 
 mind perceive and feel in this promife ! If the 
 majefty of the righteous Judge was awful, 
 how reviving is the mild expreffion of his 
 benignity ! He beholds the returning rain- 
 low even with a kihd of paternal pleafure. 
 He exhibits it as the fplendid emblem of his 
 goodriefs ; as the firfl: fmile of a revived world 
 on the dark and clouded atmofphere ; and in- 
 ftitutes it as the fign of his inviolable and 
 cverlafting covenant. He encircles the earth 
 •anew with a perpetual choir of chearful hours, 
 regulated in their motion by the brilliant 
 fource of day, with whom they ftill perform 
 their courfe, 
 
 Alciphron. I have never confidered 
 the poft-diluvian rainbow under this point of 
 view, and I have often been at a lofs to com 
 prehend how a tranfient cloudy phxnomenoM 
 
 X couli 
 
3o6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 could be employed as the fign and memorial 
 of an everlafting covenant. ^ 
 
 EuGENitrs. Yes, my friend, of a cove- 
 nant fo firm and permanent, that the prophet 
 Ifaiah appUes to this great event the follow- 
 ing declaration of the Governor of the world : 
 " The mountains ftjall depart^ and the hills fid all 
 be removed^ but 7ny loving-kind?iefs Jhall not 
 depart from thee, neither ihall the cove- 
 nant of my peace be removed, faith the 
 Lord that hath mercy on thee. In a little 
 " wrath I hide my face from thee for a mo- 
 '' ment, but with everlafting kindnefs will I 
 *' have mercy upon thee, faith the Lord, thy 
 " Redeemer* ." The Northern traditions, 
 according to their manner of reporting and 
 modifying the fa£ts recorded in facred hiftory^ ^ 
 reprefented the rainbow as a bridge, which 
 is fattened at the tvsro extremities of the 
 earth, and can never be broken but by the 
 thunder-ftorms and volcanic eruptions that 
 fhall finally involve the globe itfelf, in general 
 ruin. This indeed is an awkv/ard reprefent- 
 ation, or rather depravation of the old and 
 facred record, but Ihews, however, its mean* 
 
 * Ifaiah, liv. 7. lO. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 307 
 
 Irig, and the awful objedl to which it pohits. 
 Hence alfo proceeded another tradition, in- 
 tended to fhow, that as the v/orld was not 
 again to be diffolved by water, its final de- 
 ftrudion would be accomplifhed by fire. In 
 fhort, my friend, thefe fcattered fragments of 
 hiftory and tradition, terminate in one great 
 obje<ft, and as man is a reafonable creature he 
 ought to confider all thefe things in a rational 
 manner. It was expedient that the earth, 
 defiled by the vices of its inhabitants, fhould 
 be cleanfed by the waiters of the deluge, and 
 that the perfons who efcaped that tremendous 
 defolation, fhould come into the new^ world, 
 With deep impreflions of the awful manner in 
 Vv^hich the Supreme Being puniflies tranfgref- 
 fion and revolt, and endeavour to render thefe 
 imprefTions general. The laws of Noah are 
 folemn and pofitive on this head. They bear 
 witnefs to the defperat^ obftinacy and vio- 
 lence of preceding times, and may be confi- 
 dered as the firft code of the laws of Nature 
 and the rights of man, (and why not of bead 
 too ?) in a renewed vv^orld. As foon as at the 
 building of the Tower of Babel, there was 
 even a flight appearance of a fimilar attempt 
 of new giants, or men of violence^ to trouble 
 
 X 2 the 
 
3o8 ORiENTAt DlAtOGtJi:§. 
 
 the world, the celeftlal Judge comes forth 
 
 again- 
 
 AlCipHron. Aye, there we have again 
 a fine ftory. The whole human race fpeak 
 one and the fame language ; and as if it had 
 been poflible to preferve always this famenefs 
 of language, and remain in the fame place, 
 againft the will of Providence, which was 
 that the reft of the world ihould be peopled, 
 they attempt building a tower whofe fummit 
 fhould reach to heaven — This is not all — God 
 is reprefented as entertaining ferious appre- 
 henfions concerning this audacious projedl, 
 and in order to maU? them abandon it, he 
 performs, I know not what kind oi miracle^ on 
 their lips and language, that an event might 
 be brought about, which muft have naturally 
 happened in procefs of time, — I mean their fe- 
 paration from each other, and their difperfiori 
 into different parts of the world. — Pardon me, 
 EuGENius, if I tell' you frankly, that this 
 ftory, whether confidered in itfelf, or as a 
 mark of the interpofition of the celeilial Judge, 
 appears to me very abfurd, 
 
 EucENius. Its appearing fuch to you. Is 
 
 not 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 309 
 
 not a demonflrative proof that it is fuch in 
 reality. Be fo good as to confider where this 
 ftory is plajced. 
 
 Alciphron. It is placed between genea- 
 logical tables of Noah and his defcendants *. 
 
 EuGENius. And after genealogies, which, 
 as you will obferve, are already divided, 
 v/ith refped: to languages, lands, and nations. 
 The colledlor of thefe relations knew, that in 
 confequence of the migration .of families, and 
 the formation of civil eilablifhments in new 
 diftrids, and with new inftitutions and occu- 
 pations, language muft naturally have under- 
 gone variations ; and he therefore inferts the 
 ftory of Babel between the two genealogies, 
 to give fome idea of the incident which placed 
 men in the painful neceffity of feparating and 
 inhabiting different regions. 
 
 Alciphron. They propofed then to 
 keep themfelves together by eredting this 
 ig;hildifh Tower ? — as a point of reunion ? 
 
 * Genefis, xi. 
 
 ;x 3 EuGE- 
 
3Id ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 EuGENius. It is accordingly reprefented 
 as a foolifh undertaking, and has a luitable 
 conclufion. .Becaufe they were of one tongue 
 or language, they formed the idea of building 
 a Tower that fhould reach to heaven, and 
 when they were attempting to execute this 
 extravagant purpofe, they found an alteration 
 in their tongues and fpeech. They wanted a 
 common rendezvous to prevent their difper- 
 fion, and, neverthelefs, they were difperfed. 
 The objedl and defigr^ of the narration, you 
 fee, are evident. 
 
 Alcihpron. And what do you fay of 
 God's being reprefented as coming down^ and 
 of his fears on the occafion ? 
 
 EuGENius. It is evidently no more than 
 zfatirical manner of fpeech to caft derifion on 
 their proceedings. In- ihprt, the whole ftory 
 is a fatire. Have you ever confidered the 
 fecond Pfalm with attention ? There reigns 
 In it a fprrit of raillery^ if I may ufe that 
 term, entirely fimilar and relative to that be- 
 fore us. 
 
 «< Why do the nations rage, 
 "f* And imagine a vain thing ? 
 
 f The 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 31! 
 
 " The kings of the earth fet themfelves, 
 
 *' And the rulers take counfel together, agahifl; 
 
 *^ Jehovah ? 
 *f He that fitteth in the heavens fhall laugh j 
 ** Jehovah fhall have them in derifion." 
 
 In this paflage you have the beft poflible illuf- 
 tration of the whole ftory. Obferve in the 
 chapter preceding *, who it was that reigned 
 in Babel. 
 
 AxeiPHRON. It was Nimrod — *^ the 
 " mighty hunter before the Lord." 
 
 EuGENius. And why was he (o called ? 
 It was not furely for fuch a filly reafon as 
 that of his running after foxes and hares in 
 the plains of Senaar, which is neither a hilly 
 nor a woody country ; befides, my friend, 
 foxes and hares are not hunted before the 
 Lord, We muft therefore, in our refearches, 
 confine ourfelves to the plain and common 
 fignification of the v/ords. Pray what is 
 meant by a hunter in the Hebrew language ? 
 
 Al^iphron. It fignifies a maker of 
 
 * Gencfis, X. 8, 
 
 X4 
 
 fnareS; 
 
312 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 fiiares, or the perfon who employs them,-~< 
 an enfnarer. 
 
 EuGENius. A mighty hunter Is therefore 
 an cjifnarer ; that is, a man who reduces 
 others by art and cunning, under his power 
 and dominion. Such a man was Nimrod : — 
 In this light does he appear in the traditions 
 of the Eaft, in which he is frequently men- 
 tioned ; and this confirms the narration 
 which you feem difpofed to confider as ridi- 
 culous. He found in his excurfions a beauti- 
 ful and extenfive plain — he alfo found mate- 
 rials and artificers to build there, not only a 
 permanent refidence, but even a lofty, regal 
 Jiower, The poor people, who were little 
 better than innocent favages and v^hom he 
 had h.untecL. that is, enfnared iqto iubjedion, 
 were made to believe that the tower they 
 were to build, was defigned for their common 
 fafety and as a point of reunion, while in his 
 intention, it was to be no more than a memo-, 
 rial of his own grandeur and their fervitude. 
 Now, you know^ that in the earliefl: times^ 
 heaven was confidered as the refidence of the 
 Deity ; — confequently whatever approached 
 to heaven, was adapted to excite admiration 
 3 ^^4 
 
OEIEKTAL DIALOGUES. 31^ 
 
 aa<I awe. On this principle, the daring en- 
 terprize of Nimrodis founued : 
 
 5* And they faid, go to, 
 
 " Let us build a city, and a tower, 
 
 ** Whofe top may reach unto heaven." 
 
 XJpon this, God is reprerented as faying, 
 
 .*^ Go to, let us go down, 
 
 ** And there confound their language, 
 
 <« That they may not underftand one another's 
 
 " fpeech. 
 «J* And this they begin to do, 
 ?' And now nothing will be reftralned from them 
 
 *f that they have imagined to do." 
 
 You furely perceive the fpirit of irony that 
 runs through the whole of this paflage, 
 
 Alciphron. I begin now to be fur^ 
 prifed that I did not perceive it fooner. 
 
 EuGENius. The keeneft ridicule is per- 
 Iiaps that which is founded on the contempti- 
 ble iflue of arrogant and pompous undertak- 
 ings. This people aimed at no lefs than the 
 {paling of heaven :• — God is faid to have 
 apprehended that they would perfevere in 
 
 their 
 
3^4 ORISiCTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 their gigantic projefl:, until they brought it 
 into execution ; and ther-efore flightly touchy 
 ing their lips, as it were, with the tip of his 
 finger ; he altered a little the diredtion of the 
 breath that flowed over their tongues, — and 
 down fell, at once, all their lofty projects. 
 The unfinifhed tower remains.— It is called 
 Babel^ i. e. confufion, and is an everlafting 
 memorial of audacious pride confounded by 
 a volition of the Mod High. The narration 
 is carried on in a manner perfedly fuitable to 
 the nature of the event. It is a beautiful ex- 
 ample of fine irony and derifion, prefented 
 with a calm fimplicity, and delineated in the 
 adion itfelf, where we fee grandeur and 
 littlenefs, arrogance and difappointment, in 
 the moft ftriking contrafts. God does not 
 employ here the mighty and awful inftru- 
 ments which execute his commands in the 
 kingdom of Nature- a fmall change in the 
 breath of the mouth is as powerful in his 
 hand, as the moft formidable peals of light- 
 ning and thunder.- Accordingly the ufurper 
 of hisfovereignty is ctuihed and overcome by 
 the moft minute and inconfiderable obje£t 
 that can be conceived. He ftands before us 
 as an objed of deferved contempt. He and 
 
 his 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 315^ 
 
 his royal refidence are terms of derifion. 
 " This was the violent ma.n'huntQY before the 
 " Lord^'' who looked upon himfelf as nearly- 
 equal to Jehovah, vdio attempted to mount 
 up to heaven on the fiioulders of a deluded 
 and enfiaved people. That my illullration of 
 this remarkable paflage of Scripture hiftory is 
 admiffible, will appear evident from all that 
 has been faid concerning Babel by the Hebrew 
 bards, particularly to thofe who confider, 
 with attention, the tone and charader of this 
 ^ncient ftory. 
 
 Alciphron, What do you mean ? 
 
 EuGENius. I mean that the term Babely 
 continues to convey the fame ideas that are 
 CDnned:ed with it in this -ftory. It is the 
 permanent and expreffive fymbol of arro- 
 gance, confufion, tyrannical pride, infidious 
 ambition, oppreffion and violence. Babel is 
 every where what it appears here. It is, on 
 the one hand, the emblem of enterprizing 
 and impious ambition — and on the other, the 
 fymbol of confufion, defolation, and of the 
 contempt and difdain with which God be- 
 holds the gigantic and arrogant defigns of 
 
 mano 
 
3l6 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 man. In former times, a proud Queen held 
 in her hand a cup of intoxication^ whofe 
 contents, as here, fhe lirft dealt about to the 
 inhabitants of the earth, and of which fhe 
 was to drink herfelf, in her turn : her glory 
 pafled like a dream, and this Queen was 
 Babel. 
 
 Alciphron. You really give me a kind 
 of key to all the prophets who fpeak of 
 Babel ; for all their poetical expreffions coiir 
 cerning it are of this ftam'p. 
 
 EuGENius. The poetical defcriptions of 
 other nations are in a fimilar ftrain and 
 equally charaQeriftic, as we Ihall fee at 
 another time. In the laft book of the facred 
 writings. Babel comes forth again in nearly 
 the fame portraiture. She has in her hand a 
 cup of enchantment, with which fhe has in- 
 toxicated the nations. On her forehead is 
 the name oiblafphemy^ and flie finks at length, 
 like a mill-ftone, while a burlefque lamenta^ 
 tion accompanies her fall, fimilar to the jocu- 
 lar narration before us: — " This mighty 
 *' fcourge of the world, this man-hunter be- 
 
 ^' fore 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 317 
 
 *' fore the Lord, is expofed to eternal fhame 
 *' and reproach." 
 
 Alciphron. This recalls to my mind a 
 beautiful funeral poem in Ifaiah, of which I 
 took particular notice in our conferences con- 
 cerning the region of the dead. It exhibits 
 the fame kind of calm and folemn derifion 
 which you then mentioned : its very found 
 refembles that flute-tone which is fuited to a 
 gentle, ftill fpecies of pleafantry. The verfe 
 proceeds flowly, in long elegiack words, like a 
 funeral dirge which is performed over the 
 dead ; and neverthelefs, it is from beginning 
 to end, full of derifion and irony. 
 
 EuGENius. Be fo good as to read it, 
 
 AlciphroN reads: 
 
 « In the day that Jehovah (liall give thee reft from 
 « thy forrow, from thy fear, and from thy 
 <« hard bondage, 
 
 " Then (halt thou take up this fong againft the King 
 " of Babel, and thus fmg : 
 
 <* How hath the opprelTor ceafed ? 
 
 •* How is the exadrefs of gold become ftlll ? 
 
 ** Jehovah hath broken the (taff of the wicked, 
 
 « The rod of the tyrants. 
 
 ^« He 
 
JlS ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *< He who fmote the people in wrath, 
 
 " With a continual ftroke which none efcaped | 
 
 *' He that ruled the nations in anger, 
 
 ** And none hindered the oppreflbr, 
 
 ** Is now perfecuted, and none hindereth, 
 
 *^ Now the whole earth is at reft ; 
 
 <' The nations break forth into finging | 
 
 ** The fir-trees rejoice over you j 
 
 <* The cedars oc Lebanon, faying, , 
 
 " Since thou art faiien, 
 
 •^ No feller cometh up againfl us. 
 
 «« The empire of death from beneath was xnovci 
 
 " through fear of thee i 
 ** It rofe to meet thee, at thy coming : 
 " It ftirred up the ghofts for thee : 
 *^ The kings and heroes of the earth all flood up : 
 '« They rofe from their thrones to welcome thee,^ 
 
 *' and faid : 
 «« Art thou alfo become a fhadow ? 
 ** Art thou become like unto us ? 
 
 " Thy pomp is caft down to the grave^ 
 *« And the noife of thy viols , 
 «« The worm is fpread under thee, 
 « And the worms cover thee. 
 
 *' How aift thou fallen from hesvea ? 
 
 <« O morning-ftar, £on of the dawn l 
 
 " Thou art cut down to the ground : 
 
 •< Thou which didft crufh the nations I * 
 
 <* Thou didft fay in thy heart, 
 «< 1 will afcend to heaven, 
 
 « Above 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 319 
 
 *' Abdve the ftars of God will I exalt my throne : 
 « I wiil fet my throne in the mount of the congrega- 
 " tion, in the higheft regions of the north. 
 
 " I will afcend above the heights of heaven ; 
 
 •^ I will afcend above the heights of the clouds j 
 
 « I will be like the Moft High. 
 
 " Yet thou (halt thou be caft down to hell, 
 
 " In the depths of the pit. 
 
 ** And they that fee thee (hall look down upon thee, 
 
 *^ and fay, 
 ** Is that the man that made the earth tremble ? 
 " That deft royed the kingdoms ? 
 *' That made the world as a wildernefs, 
 ** And deftroyed the cities thereof? 
 " And opened not the houfe of his prifoners ? 
 
 '^ All the kings of the nations fleep in glory, 
 
 ** Every one in his houfe — the grave : 
 
 *' But thou art caft out of thy- grave, 
 
 <^ As an abominable branch, 
 
 <« Covered v/ith carcafes which have fallen by the 
 
 <' fword ; 
 <* Which go down to the flones of the pit : 
 «' So lieft ihou, as a carcafe trodden under feet. 
 
 " Thou fhalt not be joined with them in burial, 
 
 «< Becaufe thou haft deftroyed thy land, 
 
 *« And llain thy people ; 
 
 *' The feed of evil-doers fhall never be renowned. 
 
 « Prepare flaughter for his children, for the Iniquity 
 
 « of their fathers *, 
 
 " That 
 
p6 CTRIENTAL DIALOGiy£^^ 
 
 <' That they do riot rife and inhetit the landy 
 «^ Nor fill the world with cities. 
 
 " I will rife up ngainft you, fairh Jehovah Sabaoth,^ 
 ** I will cu£ ofF from Babel the name and remHant, 
 '« The fon and nephew, faith the Lord. 
 *« I will alfo make it a pofTeflion for the bittefn, and 
 
 ** pools of water, 
 *« And I will fweep it with the befom of defl:ra"£lion, 
 "Saith Jehovah Sabaoth." 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Here then you fee Babel, 
 this arrogant oppreflbr, attempting to take 
 even the heavens by ftorm, and to raife her 
 throne above the ftars — and then what 
 follows ? The Moil High beholds her with 
 derifion, and finks her to the depths of hell— 
 flie becomes the emblem of humbled pride 
 and chaftifed arrogance in the Hebrew poetry, 
 and feveral lines of the elegy you have been 
 reading, are perfectly defcriptive of Nimrod 
 and the famous Tower, But we begin to 
 wander from our fubjecO:, like the difperfed 
 people of which we are fpeaking. The great 
 and important truth, which 1 propofed toafcer- 
 tain and illuftrate, is this,-—" that the poetry 
 " of the Eaft is peculiarly adapted to fix our 
 *' attention on that cver-rulirig Providence of 
 
 " the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 32I 
 
 the celeftial Judge, which confounds and 
 crufhes the arrogance of tyrants, and — 
 
 Alciphron. And exalts^ you mean to 
 fay, the humble. Aye — here we come to the 
 contrafts in the government of Providence, 
 which I mentioned in the beginning of our 
 conference. But there is in thefe contrafts 
 fuch a uniformity of tone, if I may ufe that 
 expreffion, fuch a famenefs, that — 
 
 EUGENIUS. Such alfo you found the 
 parallelifm when I firft mentioned it, but you 
 were foon reconciled to it. The contrafts of 
 high and low, which are prefented to us in 
 the fcripture accounts of God's providential 
 government, with fuch ftriking effedts of 
 light and ihade, what are they but the very 
 nature of things ? Do they not exhibit a 
 lively pidure of the real events and revolu- 
 tions of the world ? What do we fee, 
 wherever we turn our eyes, but ebb and flow, 
 elevation and downfall, growth and decay ? 
 Nothing remains long, nothing continues 
 always in the fame ftate. All things here be- 
 low are a perpetual motion, under the eye of 
 the Great Being, who is ever the fame. 
 
 y The 
 
322 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 The world with all its noify and gigantic 
 heroes, is but a frail bubble. Henod and 
 Homer, jEfchylus and Pindar, hold this lan- 
 guage, and could not indeed fpeak in any 
 other manner, when they fpeak of the ordi- 
 nary courfe of human affairs comparatively 
 with their Deity, or Superintendant, Immut- 
 able Deftiny, They point out the fame con- 
 trafts of weaknefs and ftrength, elevation and 
 dovv^nfall, as if they had copied the Eaftern 
 bards. Now I am ready to acknowledge, 
 that changes and revolutions in the lot of the 
 great and mighty men of the earth, may have 
 been peculiarly rapid, numerous and awful 
 in the fcenes of Oriental defpotifm ; but 
 after all, my friend, change, revolution, and 
 decay, are every where the conclufion of the 
 hiftory of man. When novv^, we confider 
 thefe changes and revolutions in themfelves, 
 they afford neither inftrudion nor pleafure ; 
 but when we view them with attention, in- 
 telligence, and reflexion, and compare them 
 wath our own anions, enjoyments, trials, 
 and fufferings, they will become, by analogy, 
 ufeful monitors ; for the life of man may be 
 confidered as a miniature of the fate of na- 
 tions. I efleem, particularly on this account, 
 
 the 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 323 
 
 the book of Job, the Pfalms, and the Pro- 
 phets, in which the changing fcenes of hu- 
 man Hfe are defcribed with truth, energy, 
 and a noble fimpUcity. 
 
 Alciphron. You might add, that our 
 own hymns are not without merit, in this 
 refpefl:. 
 
 EuGENius. By no means ; — many of 
 them are truly pathetic and fublime, more 
 efpecially thofe which have been modelled on 
 the poetry of Job, and the Pfalms, and treat 
 of the wifdom, grandeur, and goodnefs, of the 
 Divine Providence. They have, accordingly, 
 produced'falutary effects on the hearts of many. 
 They have comforted the afHided, ftrengthen- 
 edthe weak, and given courage and refolution 
 to the timorous. They come to the dejeded 
 and the difconfolate like a voice from heaven, 
 which fpeaks to them in the defert, and 
 renders their journey through it, more com- 
 fortable and cheerful by the views which they 
 exhibit. The book of Job, and the Pfalms 
 contain an ineftimable treafure of moral ob- 
 fervations on human life, on happinefs and 
 mifery, — pride and humility, — a rational and 
 y 2 2i prefump" 
 
5-24 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 ^ prefumptuotis felf-confidence, and above all, 
 on that film and fubftance of human comfort^ 
 an humble, but firm confidence in God. 
 And as through the whole of this poetry, the 
 eye of God is reprefented as always open and 
 attentive to the affairs and adions of men, 
 it gives, methinks, by this very circumftance, 
 to the events of human life a certain afpeft of 
 unity and fimplicity, without leading us to 
 lofe fight of the connection betweeri fubordi- 
 nate caufes and effeds in the natural world. 
 The poetrv of the Greeks is gaudy and 
 fplendid, but it has not the pure and fub- 
 lime fimplicity of the Oriental mufe : that of 
 the Celtic bards paints from Nature, and is 
 admirable in many refpeds ; but when I 
 read it, I think I am walking under an even- 
 ing flcy befet Vv^th clouds. It exhibits, indeed, 
 beautiful fcenes in the clouds, and on the 
 earth, but without a fun, — without God, — 
 without any ultimate e?td^ w^hich points out 
 the connedion of things and their iffue. 
 In fuch poetry we are carried here and there 
 like a cloud before the wind ; while in the 
 Eafi: w^e ftand firm and ferene, on the rock 
 ofages^ the eternal and unchangeable God. 
 
 ^' I will 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 325 
 
 *' I will feek unto the Lord *, 
 
 *« Unto God will I commit my caufe, 
 
 ** Who doth great things and unfearchable, 
 
 ** Marvellous things without number. 
 
 *' He giveth rain upon the earth, 
 
 *' And fendeth water upon the parched deferts ; 
 
 *' To fet up on high thole that be low, 
 
 " And exalt to fafety thofe that mourn. 
 
 *' He difappointeth the devices of the crafty, 
 
 " So that their hands cannot perform their enterprife; 
 
 <« He taketh the wife in their own craftinefs, 
 
 <' And th^counftl of the froward is carried headlong, 
 
 <« So that tliey meet with darknefs in the day-time, 
 
 " And grope in the noon-day as at midnight. 
 
 " But he faveth the poor from the fword, 
 
 « And delivereth him from the hand of the mighty ; 
 
 ** So that the poor hath hope, 
 
 ** And iniquity ftoppeth her mouth. 
 
 " Behold, happy is the man whorn God correfteth : 
 ** Therefore defpife not thou the chaftening of the 
 
 " Almighty. 
 ^* For he maketh fore and bindeth up j j ' 
 <* He woundech and maketh whole. 
 
 << In fix troubles (hall he deliver thee; 
 <* Yea, m feven, Ihall there no evil touch thee. 
 « In famine he Ihall redeem thee from death, 
 « And in war, from the power of the fword. 
 
 Job, V. 8. 
 Y o *• Thou 
 
326 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 " Thou (halt be hid from the fcourge of the tongue ; 
 " Neither {halt thou be afraid of deftrudion when it 
 
 *' Cometh. 
 " At deftraclion and famine thou (halt laugh, 
 ** Neither (halt thou be afraid of the beads of the 
 
 <* field. 
 
 " Thou (halt know alfo that thy feed fhall be great, 
 
 " And thine offspring as the grafs of the earth j 
 
 ** Thou fhalt come to thy grave in a full age, 
 
 *' As a fhock of corn cometh in, in his feafon.'* 
 
 Let it be our ambition, my friend, to afpire 
 after the charader of the favourites of Provi- 
 dence. It will be our own fault, if we forfeit 
 the comforts of that happy relation, by an in- 
 dolent negletf^ of the ufe of our faculties and 
 means, arifing from a fupine and prefumptuous 
 reliance on its extraordinary fuccours. With all 
 due deference to the opinions of others on 
 this fubjedt, it appears evident to me, that an 
 intelligent and attentive obfervation of natu- 
 ral objeds, of the courfe of human affairs, 
 and of the moral condudl of men, is per- 
 fedly adapted to produce that fpecies of 
 poetry, which animates the moft powerfully 
 to confidence in the Deity and his providen- 
 tial government. The Orientals have fhewn 
 this clearly by their produdions, and the ear- 
 4 lieft 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 327 
 
 Heft poetry of the Greeks is, in this refped, 
 entirely Oriental. By this fimple, pleafing, 
 and affecSing method of conveying their ob- 
 fervations on human life, manners and 
 events, they impart convi(n:ion to the moil 
 untutored underftanding^ and confolation to 
 the afflidled heart. Their obfervations are 
 as it were, a mirrour of the world, and the 
 inftrudtive refult of what their wife fore- 
 fathers learned by long experience. Thus the 
 feafons of life, like thofe of the year, the 
 fcenes of Nature and thofe of humanity, are 
 connedled under the empire of him who 
 rules over all. Thus we hear perfons of ex- 
 perience and difcernment, in the advanced 
 period of human life, when the fervour of 
 yputhful fpirits has evaporated, fpeaking in 
 the fame ftrain with Job, the Pfalmift, and 
 the Prophets, while the inconfiderate, unbe- 
 l!ieving young man comes at lad to acknow- 
 ledge that they have fpoken the truth. The 
 hymns of praife, infpired by pious and 
 attentive views of the ways of Providence, 
 are, for the moft part, relative to the objeds 
 and events we have hitherto been confider- 
 ing, fuch as the general Deluge, the difcovery 
 of wicked defigns, and the diHippointment of 
 
 y /}. audacious 
 
328 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 audacious and impious projeds. Thefe are 
 truly grand and interefting fubjeds for facred 
 hymns, in praife of God's ruling wifdom, 
 omnipotence, and majefty ; and when they 
 are blended with the difplays of his paternal 
 and- proteding goodnefs, they conftitute a 
 kind of poetry, which opens in the heart the 
 pureft fources of confolation, confidence, and 
 delight. I would wifli to fee a poem defcrip- 
 tive of the moft fignal and aneding events 
 and revolutions of our times, compofed with 
 true Oriental fimplicity, — like the following, 
 for example * : 
 
 I. 
 
 <* God is our refuge and ftrength, 
 
 *< A very prefent help in trouble: 
 
 «« Therefore lliall we not fear, though the earth be 
 
 <« removef!, 
 " And though the mountains be carried into the 
 
 <« midft of the fea ; 
 « Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled ; 
 " Though the mountains fhake with the fwelling 
 
 « thereof. 
 *« Still there is a river, 
 
 <* Whofe dreams (hall make glad the city of God, 
 «* The holy place of the Moft High. 
 
 • Pfalmxlvi. 
 
 <« God 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 329 
 
 <' God is in the midft of her ; 
 
 <f She fliall not be moved, 
 
 « God (hall help her, 
 
 ^' And that right early. 
 
 *' The nations raged — the kingdoms were moved ; 
 
 " The Lord uttered his voice - the earth melted. 
 
 ** The Lord of hofts is with us, 
 
 ** The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
 
 " Come, behold the works of the Lord ! 
 
 ** He maketh defolations upon the earth ! 
 
 " He maketh wars to ceafe to the end of the world ! 
 
 <« He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the fpear 
 
 <' afunder ! 
 ** He burneth the chariot in the fire ! 
 *« Be ftillj and know that I am God : 
 " I will be exalted arr.ong the nations ! 
 « I will be exalted on the earth ! 
 <« The Lord of hods is with us, 
 <^ The God of Jacob is our refuge." 
 
2,;iO ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 II. 
 
 ^ Hymn c?2 Providence. 
 
 Halleluia *. 
 
 " Praife Jehovah, O my foul ! 
 
 << While I live, will I praife the Lord ! 
 
 <* 1 will fing praifes to oiy God, 
 
 '« While I have any being. 
 
 ** Put not your trull in princes, 
 
 '< Nor in the fon of man, 
 
 «' In whom there is no help ! 
 
 " His breath goerh forth — he returneth to his earth ; 
 
 " In that very day his thoughts perifh. 
 
 " Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his 
 «« help, 
 
 «< W^hofe hope is in the Lord Jehovah, 
 
 " Who made heaven, earth, the fea, and all that 
 
 <' therein is ; 
 <f Who keepeth truth for ever ; 
 « Who executeth judgment for the opprefled ; 
 «' Who givetll food to the hungry 
 " The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind ; 
 << The Lord ralfeth them that are bowed down 5 
 <« The Lord loveth the righteous; 
 *' The Lord prcferveth the ftrangers ; 
 *« He relieveth the fatherlefs and the widow : 
 « But the way of the wicked he turneth upfidc 
 
 " down. 
 *f The Lord fhall reign for ever ; 
 *« Even thy God, O Zion ! to all generations. 
 " Praife ye the Lord!" 
 
 * Pfalm cxlvi. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 331 
 
 IIL 
 Job's Eulogy of Wisdom. 
 
 Chapter xyiw\\\y pqffim. 
 
 Ver. I. « Surely there is a vein for the filver, 
 " And a place for the gold, where they fine it ; 
 *' Iron is taken out of the earth, 
 '* And out of the earth cometh up bread." 
 
 12. " But where (hall wifdoni be found ? 
 *^ And where is the place of undcrilanding ? 
 
 13. ** Man knoweth not the price thereof; 
 '* Neither is it found in the land of the living. 
 
 14. " The depth faith, It is not in me : 
 ** And the fea faith. It is not with me. 
 
 15. ** It cannot be gotten for gold, 
 
 " Neither lliall filver be weighed for the price 
 " thereof; 
 
 16. '' It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir; 
 «« With the precious onyx, or the fapphire. 
 
 17. «« The gold and the chryftal cannot equal it; 
 " And the exchange of it {hall not be for jewels of 
 
 << fine gold. 
 
 1 8. " No mention (hall be made of coral or pearls : 
 " For the price of wifdom is above rubies. 
 
 19. «« The topaz of Ethiopia fliall not equal it ; 
 " Neither fliall it be valued with pure gold *; 
 
 20. " Whence 
 
 * All the treafures here mentioned are a farther proof of 
 what has been already obferved, even that the book of Job is 
 an Idumean produaion. The people of that country carried 
 on, very earlv, an extenfive trade from Ezwn geler and 
 
 ' ^ ' Elath, 
 
532 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 2b. " Whence cometh then wifdom ? 
 <f Where is the place of underftanding, 
 ** Seeing it is hid from the eyes of the living ?** 
 
 2 2. *' DeftruCilon and death fay,' 
 *' We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 
 
 Elath, on the Arabian gulph, which the Ifraelites did not 
 attempt before the rti^-a of Solomon. Hence the knowledge 
 of OpJj'ir, MthiQpiay and their precious rarities here men- 
 tioned. From the pafiages relative to the working of mines, 
 which we meet with in this book, forae have been led to en- 
 tertain doubts concerning its high antiquity ; but without 
 reafon : as foon as gold and precious ftones were dug out of 
 the earth, there muft have been mines - and mines, of fome 
 kind, muft have been of ancient dare. The paffage in Job 
 where it is faid, that gold comes from the north, is very erro- 
 neoufly explained, when it is applied to the gold trade. The 
 gold trade, known to Job, was carried on fouthwards, over 
 the Arabian fea, and the parallelifm of the palTagc above men- 
 tioned, fpeaks of gleams of gold, (perhaps what we call 
 northern lights,) in which God is manifefled from that part 
 of the atmofphere. 
 
 It is farther worthy of obfervation, that Wisdom .is not 
 yet perfonified here, as it is in the Proverbs of Solomon. 
 The poetry of Jvob is of a much more ancient date than that of 
 the Proverbs. The latter is brilliant, the former is fublime. 
 The latter is full of fenfe and melody ; but it has not the ful- 
 minating power and grandeur which charafterife the old 
 Idumean book. Itis, therefore, a jult matter of furprlfe, that 
 any critic of judgment and taile, fhould have attributed the 
 compofition of the Song of Songs to the author of the book 
 of job. The poetical (lyle and the manner of thinking are 
 totally dilTerent in theie two produdions. 
 
 23- " God 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 333 
 
 23. *' God underftandeth the way thereof j 
 ** And he knoweth the place thereof ; 
 
 *^ For he lookcth to the ends of the earth, 
 
 24, 25. " And feeth under the whole heaven, 
 ** To make the weight for the windr, 
 
 ** And to weigh the waters by meafure . 
 
 27. " Then did he fee it and declare it ; 
 *' And unto man he faid : 
 
 28. " Behold the/f^^ro/'z/j^ /.d?ri/, that is Wisdom, 
 •* And to depart from evUj is Understand in g." 
 
DIALOGUE VIII. 
 
 Concerning the objeBlons that have been made 
 to the poetry of the Ifraelites^ as exhibiting a 
 fpirit of partiality and prejudice with refpecl 
 to other nations — T^he conduct of the patri- 
 archs examined — T^he partyfpirit of the 
 tribes with refpeEl to each other — How thefe 
 objeSlions muf be examined^ appreciated^ and 
 anfwered — Of Harn s tranfgreffion and pu- 
 nifbment — Tn ivhat they conffed — How far 
 they regarded Canaan — Of Noah's intoxica- 
 tion — Of the journeys and wanderings of 
 ■ ^Abraham^ and the rights and privileges 
 which were vefled in him by the Canaanites 
 themf elves — Of his conduct in Egypt ^ and his 
 7ioble and 77iagnanimous character — Of his 
 friendfhip vDith God^ according to afcripture 
 expreffion — And the eminciit qualities that 
 ftted him for forming a people^ and govern- 
 ifig them — Firf charaBer of the Hebrew 
 poetry^ corifdered as the poetry of a nation in 
 a federal connexion of fricndfoip with the 
 Mojl High — Faffagesfrom IJaiah relative to 
 the example of Abraham — Of the faults and 
 infrmities of the patriarchs^ end particidarly 
 
( 336 ) 
 
 of yacob — Whether Jacob obtained the 
 honourable title of Israel in a dream ? — 
 An ilhf ration of the hifory of his contefi 
 with Kloeim — Of the contefs between gods 
 and men i?i other natio?is — The difinElive 
 and fymboUcal fenfe of this relation — Jacob'' s 
 dream of the ladder^ and his idea concerning 
 ajigels — Whether in the blejjings pro?iou7iced 
 on his fons^ Ifaac is to be charged with par ^ 
 tiality — Of the ' blejji?2gs pronounced ofi 
 Ifrael—A defcription of Hagar s 'wande7i?igs 
 171 the wildernefs — A bleffi?ig pronounced 07i 
 Esau — A fee on d character of the Hebrew 
 poetry^ relative to their guardian God^ and 
 the Fath^rs'-THREE supplemental pieces 
 from the book of Job ^ *which exhibit in him 
 the happinefs^ co72ducf^ and moral virtues 
 of an Eajiern p7^ince. 
 
( 337 ) 
 
 DIALOGUE VIII, 
 
 ^ LC I PHRON. During our late conferences, 
 you pointed out to me in the writings and 
 hiftory of the Hebrews, the doB?'inc of an 
 over-ridmg PrGvide?ice^ as the chief ornamei^t 
 of their poetry, and a diftin<flive mark of 
 their fuperiority above all the other nations of 
 ancient times. I have affuredly no objedtion 
 to this dodrine ; I only wifli it were pre- 
 fented in their writings in fuch a rational and 
 attracting manner as would render it a fource 
 of confidence, diredion, and comfort, to the 
 whole human race. But is this the cafe, my 
 friend ? Was not the Providence, in vv^hich 
 they believed, confined to their ow?i nation, 
 and that fo exclufively, as to infpire prefump- 
 tion, and render it rather hoftile than friendly 
 to , the reft of the human fpecies ? The 
 Hebrews were, in their own eyes, the only 
 favourites of Heaven, — xht people of God ^ ex- 
 clufively, — a people already eleded in their 
 forefathers. Nay, even among themfelves, 
 
 z ' the 
 
338 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 the bleffings of this gracious and diftinguiili- 
 ing Providence, were, in, feveral cafes, par- 
 tially diftributed. When a bleffing was im- 
 parted to a new branch of a tribe or family, 
 it was fom.etimes accompanied with a male- 
 didion to the others. When Noah bleffes 
 Shem^ he at the fame time pronounces a curfe 
 againft Ham ; while Ifaac receives the pater- 
 nal bleffing, Ifdmad muft leave his father's 
 Koilfe ; and a fimilar proceeding took place 
 with refpe£t to Jacoh and Efau ; the one was 
 chofen, the other was rejeded. How fre- 
 quently do we meet with inftances of injuf- 
 tice and partiality in the hiftory of this chofen 
 people ? Mofes and Jofma put to the fword 
 the ancient and lawful poffeffors of a country, 
 in order to procure a fettlement for this 
 people ; and you know what complaints, 
 calumnies, and even bitter raillery, thefe 
 conquefts have occafioned. The objections 
 founded on thefe events, have difturbed the 
 tranqullilty of many ferious minds ; ofthofe, 
 more efpecially, whofe imperfed knowledge 
 of thefe ^ ancient times, put it out of their 
 power to refute the objedors, and anfwer 
 their arguments. There is, however, one 
 general reproach call upon the Ifraelites, 
 
 which 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 339 
 
 which It is not, I apprehend, eafy to efflice ; 
 I mean, their high and even infolent idea of 
 their ov/n importance, and their lofty preten- 
 fions to a decided fuperiority over the reft of 
 mankind. This appears in almoft all their 
 poetical productions ; at leaft, many of them 
 are replete with maledidtions, and difcover a 
 kind of national hatred againft all other 
 countries. And yet we do not find, either 
 in this felf-fufficient people, or in the hiftory 
 of their patriarchs, any marks of fuperior 
 merit, when we compare them vv^ith other 
 nations. Of what heroic a£tions can they 
 boaft, which have not been furpafled by the 
 people of other countries ? What are the 
 great names that refledt honour on their 
 tribes ? Is it a drunken Noah ? an Abraham 
 who denies his wife in Egypt ? Is it a timid 
 Ifaac^—2i yacob who cheats his father, his 
 brother, and his relations ? Is it an inceftuous 
 Judah^ — a vindictive Simian and . Levi? 
 Finally^ is it Alofes^ — the blood-thirfty Mofes ? 
 And thefe are the founders of fiates — the 
 patriarchs of the people of God ! In this 
 people were all the nations of the earth to be 
 blejfed^ w^hile they curfed all the nations of 
 the earth, even thoTe which they only knew 
 
 z 2 by 
 
54<5 ORIENTAL DIAL0GUES% 
 
 by name, and like true enemies to the human 
 race, exulted provifionally in the idea of 
 their expefted king, who was to deftroy 
 them all, as you may fee in many of the 
 fongs of their prophets. No imagery was fo 
 pleafing to their fancy, as that which repre- 
 icnted their future monarch coming from 
 mount Seir, treading the 'whie-prefs of divine 
 wrath^ and ftained with the blood of con- 
 quered nations, even of thofe with whom 
 they were in alliance : — And all this for what 
 purpofe ? Only that their paltry land might 
 profper, and their race, though defpifed, 
 might domineer over the reft of the world. 
 Anfwer me frankly on this head, Eugenius, 
 and let your anfwer be neither theological 
 nor myftical. Of thefe kinds of elucidation I 
 have had more than enough — and to tell you 
 the truth, I am glutted with them. 1 might 
 alfo aik, why Abraham did not remain 
 where he was ?— Why the innocent Canaan 
 was to be punifhed for the fcandalous condu(3: 
 of his father ? It was not furely the fault of 
 poor Efau that his mother cooked her kid- 
 ragout fooner than he could bring home his 
 venifon from the chafe, for his father's table, 
 and, neverthelefsj on the female trick that 
 
 was 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 34I 
 
 was pradtlfed on this occafion, depended the 
 eledion of a whole people. On fuch fine 
 ftories as thefe, are founded the glory of their 
 anceftors, the renown of their predictions, 
 and the high regard that has been paid to their 
 hymns of praife. But 1 muft tell you, my 
 friend, that the moft fublime poetry would be 
 deemed contemptible and barren, if it were 
 founded upon ftories of this kind, and while 
 it recorded the exploits of a imgle nation, 
 breathed a fpirit of partiality and malevolence 
 againft the reft of the world. 
 
 EuGENius. You feem difpofed, my 
 friend, to overwhelm me with objedions ; 
 but I am beyond their reach ; for I am not a 
 Jew, neither do I undertake the defence of 
 that people, confidered in their moral and 
 national charadter. But I wilh you to recol- 
 leCt, before I go farther, that they were not 
 chofen as a people, on accoimt of their meriU 
 So flir w^as it from this, that their infirmities, 
 their vices, and their abominations, have 
 never been reprefented in more glaring 
 colours, nor expofed and cenfured with more 
 feverity and indignation than by their own 
 prophets. Nor is it to be denied, that this 
 
 z 3 people 
 
34^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 people had very erroneous ideas of the defigns 
 of Providence, in the preference by v>7hich 
 they were diftinguiilied, and of their free 
 eledion as a peculiar and favoured people. 
 Nay I go ftill farther and acknowledge, with- 
 out any difficulty, that they diflionoured the 
 palladium in which they placed their chief 
 glory, even the worfliip of the one livi?2g afid 
 true God, by their fuperftition and idolatry, 
 their fenfelefs arrogance, and their fanguinary 
 rapine and violence. But it is not, methinks, 
 our prefent bufinefs to pronounce judgment on 
 this people, confidered in their moral and na- 
 tional charader, and ftill lefs to juftify their 
 prejudices, their follies, and their crimes : — 
 our principal objed: ought to be to trace the 
 marks of an over-ruling Providence in their 
 History, — to illuftrate the beauties which' 
 are difplayed in their Poetry, — and to fhew 
 the advantages derived to mankind in fuc- 
 ceeding ages, from the events of the one, and 
 the leJifo7is of the other. Let us then, fince 
 we are fpeaking of ?iJljepherdpeople^ fit down 
 under the tree before us. Let us fuppofe for 
 a moment, that it is the tree of Abrajiam in 
 the plain of Mamre ; and let us talk with fim- 
 plicity and good nature like the ruftic fathers 
 
 of 
 
ORIENTAL dialogues'. 343 
 
 of Ifrael, and not m that ftraln of abufive 
 pleafantry, profane wit, and farcaftlc acri- 
 mony, which render fo difgufting the writ- 
 ings of a Voltaire^ 2l Morgati^ and a Bol'uigbroke, 
 The mild and gracious afpe6l of Nature all 
 around us, invites to concord and philan- 
 thropy, and we muft not quarrel with the 
 fimple and unpoliflied ruftics of the early 
 
 ages. 
 
 Firft then with refpefl: to Noah^ — you call 
 the behaviour of Ha7n to him, inconfiderate, 
 or even fcandalous ; whichfoever of the two 
 it may be deemed, you muft acknowledge 
 that it was proper for the father to punilli it. 
 
 Alciphron. To punifh it? 
 
 Eu GENIUS. Surely ! The word is proper, 
 and the idea it exprelTes is juft. The father 
 in theie early days was the fovereign of the 
 family. He was mafter of the life and death 
 of his fon ; Noah was a fecond Adam, the 
 patriarch and chief of a new world. He 
 muft have appeared to his houfehold as a fort 
 of tutelar divinity, fince it was by his means, 
 and on his account, that they were exempted 
 
 z 4 from 
 
344 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 from the univerfal punifliment inflided on the 
 human race. Now you muft grant that a 
 more fcandalous mfult could not be com- 
 mitted agauiil this domeftic and paternal 
 fovereign, than the adion of Ham^ who was 
 ah'eady come to years of difcretion, and had 
 himfelf children. You know how ftridly 
 the laws^ of filial reverence and domeftic 
 modefty were maintained in the Eaft ; and, 
 in this early period, they were certainly 
 enforced with peculiar attention and zeal. 
 The members v/hich Ham made the fubjeda 
 of a vicious pleafantry, were deemed facred ; 
 the mocker muft, confequently, have been 
 confidered by his brethren as a (hocking 
 tranfgreffor of filial reverence and duty. At 
 the fame time, you muft obferve, that as this 
 tranfgreffion was of a domeftic nature, fuch 
 alfo was its puniihment. The delinquent 
 had mocked the chief of his houfe, and 
 therefore the punifhment fell on his own 
 fon and his family. He was deprived of his 
 fdial rights and privileges, and was humbled 
 to the condition of a fervant in the houfe of 
 liis brethren. 
 
 Alciphron. Is this fignified by the 
 terms in his fentence ? 
 
 EUGE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 345' 
 
 EuQENius. Surely. You have It before 
 you : 
 
 ** Curfed be Canaan | 
 
 *' A fervant of fervants let him be to his bretliren ! 
 
 " Blefled be Jehovah the God of Shem! 
 
 " And let Canaan be his fervant ! 
 
 ** Elchim (hall enlarge Japhet, 
 
 <« And he (hall dwell in the tents of Slicm \ 
 
 ** And Canaan fhall be his fervant." 
 
 Now whether Canaan partook or not of the 
 guilt of his father's indecent condudl, he 
 could not be exempted from a fhare in his 
 puniihment ; for when a father forfeits his 
 hereditary rights, his children muft naturally 
 be fufferers. Such was then, and fuch is 
 ftill the inevitable courfe of things, in cala- 
 mities that overtake families ; and, when the 
 manner of thinking, in thefe remote times, 
 is duly confidered, it will appear, that if the 
 punifhment inflided by Noah was not mild, 
 yet it was not unjuft. *He punifhed fhame 
 with fhame, contempt with contempt, mock- 
 ery with humiliation. 
 
 Alciphron. But why was Canaan, the 
 youngeft fon of Ham, named alone in the 
 curfe J Ham had more and older fons, who, 
 
 as 
 
34^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 as is not improbable, were partakers of their 
 brother's guilt. It would feem, therefore, 
 that fome defign upon the land of Canaaa 
 was here in contemplation. 
 
 EuGENius. Then the recital muft be 
 applied to fome other event which was to 
 take place among the Ifraelites. However^ I 
 cannot help thinking that Canaan, the 
 youngefl: fon, had fome ftiare in the evil deed ; 
 this feems to be intimated by the expreffion of 
 the hiftorian, — " and Noah perceived what 
 *' his grandf 072 had done r The recital indeed 
 is too fliort to determine the matter with cer- 
 tainty. It is neverthelefs evident, that the 
 prediftion under confideration, neither per-^ 
 mits nor juftifies a hoftile fpirit in general, 
 nor the deftrudlion of the Canaanites in par- 
 ticular. You may recoiled: that Jacob, on 
 his death-bed, pronounced a curfe upon 
 two of his fons, [Simeon and Levi^ on ac- 
 count of their having avenged the greateft 
 affront that could be offered to his houfe, in 
 the blood of a Canaanitifh family, 
 
 Alciphron. Jolhua, however, put that 
 people to the fword, ^ 
 
 EUGE- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 347 
 
 ' Eu GEN I US. We fliall fpeak of this after- 
 wards in it' place. At prefent we muft con- 
 fine ourfelves to the hiftory of the patriarchs. 
 You call Noah a drunkard ; — but you will 
 furely retradt this harfh epithet when you 
 read his hiftory with attention. His intoxi- 
 cation was the coiifequence of the trial he had 
 made of the juice of the fruit of an unknown 
 tree, which he had planted for the firft time. 
 What is there in this either blameable or fur- 
 prifing ? 
 
 Alciphron. But I muft repeat the 
 queftion w^hich I propofed to you fome mo- 
 ments ago, and which you did not anfwer. 
 Why did not Abraham remain where he was ? 
 For you know that his travels from Ur into 
 other countries were the occafions of many 
 calamitous events, 
 
 EuGENius. Abraham could not remain 
 where he was. He was obHged frequently to 
 change his fituation becaufe he was a 
 NoMADE, ;. t.fithfjled by pojlurage, which 
 naturally led to an unfettled, wandering kind 
 of life. All the Jloepherd chiefs in thefe 
 ^ countries 
 
34^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 countries went, with their flocks, from place 
 to place ; — they ftill continue this manner of 
 living at the diftance of three thoufand years, 
 and this, no doubt, muft have produced a 
 great dlv^rfity in the population of the Eaft. 
 The father of Abraham had already pafTed, 
 with his family, through the land. Peleg% 
 brother had proceeded with his tribe to 
 Arabia, Abraham's brother and nephew had 
 made fettlements in Mpfopotamia, Syria, and 
 Chaldea, the moft fertile provinces of this 
 region. Amidft thefe acquifitions, Abraham 
 was far from being favoured with the beft por- 
 tion, and he had a divine promife of indem^ 
 nification on this account. Accordingly, in 
 Canaan, as he invaded the rights of none, fo 
 neither did any conteft his claims ; and you 
 cannot bring any reproach againft him on 
 this head. His progrefs through the land is 
 that of a venerable and beloved chief. He 
 }s magnanimous and generous to Lot, and 
 alfp to the kings, whom he delivers from 
 their enemies : — he is juft in his dealings 
 with the Canaanites, from w^hom he pur- 
 chafes a fepulchre, and pays down the price, 
 although they had offered it to him as a 
 gift. Now do you know what they fold 
 
 tQ 
 
OKilENTAL DIALOGUES. 349 
 
 to him in this tranfadlion ? Nothing lefs, 
 truly, than the poireflion of their land in 
 o mmon with them, for himfelf and his po- 
 fterity : where the fathers were buried, there 
 muft their defcendants lie: this was a cuftoin 
 which had the force of law among all the na- 
 tions of antiquity. At the fepidchres of the 
 fathers we fhall fnd yoit^ was the ufual ex- 
 preffion they employed in maintaining 
 vigoroufly their rights and poffeflions againft 
 oppreffors. Truly, my friend, they who re- 
 proach Abraham with wandering like a 
 vagabond, know very little either of his man- 
 ner of living, or of the means of his fubfift- 
 cnce ; and they who impute to this noble- 
 minded man, malice, opprefiion, or mean- 
 nefs, are totally miftaken. 
 
 Alcipkron. It is neverthelefs true that 
 he difowned his wife in Egypt. 
 
 EuGENlus. And where lay the fault 
 here? Much more upon the polijlnd 
 Egyptians than upon him. Abraham was a 
 ftranger ; he was juftly apprehenfive of the 
 licentious condud of a people of whom, no 
 doubt, he had heard very unfavourable ac- 
 
 counts J 
 
350 ORIENTAL DIALCGtTES. 
 
 counts ; and the event fhewed that his fears 
 were not groundlefs. And befides, my 
 friend, we muft not confider a fhepherd-patri- 
 arch in the light of a romantic Arcadian 
 fwain, nor in that of a hair-brained knight- 
 errant, who affronts danger, and only wifhes 
 for ten thoufand lives that he may rifk them 
 for the defence of his Dulcinea. Not that I 
 think the condu£t of Abraham entirely blame- 
 lefs in the prefent cafe ; I only wifh to fee the 
 fault of the great and good man confidered 
 as an exaggeration of prudence. You muft 
 alfo codfefs, that the hiftory of the fail does 
 not contain what the accufers of Abr-aham 
 (ignorant of the ancient Oriental manners) 
 find in it. Let the venerable fhepherd, there- 
 fore, who had not learned the art of accom- 
 modation to the manners of a cou^t, be 
 judged with impartiality and candour. Let 
 us rather view him in his paftoral tent, and 
 obferve with what uprightnefs, benevolence, 
 and fimplicity, he conduds himfelf there. 
 What can be more compafFionate and pious 
 than his interceifion for Sodom, his condudl 
 towards the' King of Salem with refpedl to the 
 plunder, and the declaration and offer he 
 made to Lot ? In what idyl or eclogue will 
 
 you 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 35 I 
 
 you find any thing more beautifully fimplc, 
 paftoral, and gracious, than his hofpltable re- 
 ception of the angels under the tree of 
 Mamre? It brings to my recolledion the 
 charming ftory of Baucis and Philemon. 
 But let us confider Abraham, finally, in his 
 condudl towards the Supreme Being, — and 
 here he fliines forth to all ages with a peculiar 
 luftre. Obferve his heroic fubmiffion to the 
 will of God in the facrifice .of the earthly ob- 
 je£i; the mofl: dear to his heart; — an objed 
 which he had fo long and ardently wifiied to 
 poffefs, and in which his moft brilliant hopes 
 were centered ! God demands this precious 
 objeft, and, without hefitation ,the patriarch 
 obeys. Allow me to fay, that I neither know 
 nor can conceive any thing more fublime 
 than this filent^ fubmiffive, and (I will ven- 
 ture to add) heroic confidence, in the 
 Supreme Being, this affedlionate and mutual 
 tranfadion between a fhepherd and God. 
 There is nothing like this in the po,etry of 
 any other nation in the world. Other bards 
 furnifh their refpedive countries with an 
 abundant provilion of divinities, genlules, 
 fpirits^ and departed heroes ; but never con- 
 ceived the elevated idea of conneding them 
 
 with 
 
;Jj'2 ORTENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 with the On£ Eternal Mind, In fuch si 
 mild and confidential manner, and, as it 
 were, in a bond of mutual friendfhip. The 
 patriarchal ftranger has rio other friend but 
 that God who fent him to a land fo far 
 diftant from his own country; but he 
 poffeffed and enjoyed the favour and protec- 
 tion of tfiis celeftial friend, in a high degree of 
 intimacy, (if I may ufe that expreffion,) he 
 had Him always in view,^ — he lived with him 
 as one friend lives with another. Surely you 
 muft find thofe paflages fingularly affeding in 
 which God fpeaks to him as a chofen objedt 
 of his paternal care, in which the celeftial 
 Father comes to deliver him from danger, to 
 comfort him in forrow, to banifh his fears of 
 future events, giving him fometimes new 
 tokens of his immutable covenant ; at others, 
 a new name of diftindlion, or gracious marks 
 of his aufpicious prefence — while God re- 
 quires fuitable returns of love and obedience 
 from the high-favoured patriarch : 
 
 « The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a 
 
 *< Vision, faying, 
 <« Fear net, Abraham ! 
 
 « I am thy fliield, and exceeding great reward. 
 " And he brought him forth abroad, and faid, 
 <* Look now toward heaven and tell the flars, 
 
 « If 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. ^^^ 
 
 ** If thou be able to number them ; 
 
 « So Hiall thy feed be. 
 
 <^ And he believed in the Lord, 
 
 " And he counted it to him for righteoufnefs *." 
 
 The beauty of fuch paflages as this v;ill be 
 dehghtfully felt as long as the human heart is 
 fufceptible of the impreffions of what is truly- 
 beautiful, fimple, and fublime. The fame 
 may be fald of the vifion, in which God's 
 prefence is announced in the appearances of 
 fmoke and a burning lamp^ P^JJ^^^g betweeti the 
 pieces which compofe the facrifice f . Here 
 God again renews the covenant with Abra- 
 ham, after the manner of human tranfadions. 
 It was a covenant of friendfliip with him and 
 his pofterity, which deftined the patriarch to 
 be an illuftrious model of the moil difficult 
 virtues, and held forth his family as a people, 
 referved indeed for arduous undertakings 
 and fevere trials, but at the fame time, as a 
 people in whofe pofterity all the nations of the 
 world were to be hkjfed. What do you think 
 of the divine counfels, and of God's cove- 
 nant with Abraham, confidered under this 
 point of view, as terminating in the forma- 
 
 * Genefis, xv. 5. 7. t Ibid. v. 17, S.c. 
 
 A A tion 
 
354 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 tion of a people, not only whofe land was to 
 extend from the river of Egypt y to the great 
 river Euphrates^ but from whom was to arife 
 the defired of fiatiojis^ the light of the vooidd^ 
 who was to open to man the true fources of 
 happhiefs and perfedion ? Such a plan in 
 the formation of a people is grand ',- — it is in- 
 terefting in the higheft degree, and nothing 
 fimilar to it will you fin J, my friend, in the 
 hiftory of any other nation. The idtimate 
 objedt propofed by human wiidom in all 
 other national eftablifhments, was temporal 
 profperity, and the means employed for its 
 attainment, I need not enumicrate, nor point 
 out their fuccefs with refpedi to human feli- 
 city. The hiliory of the world fhews this 
 liifEciently. 
 
 , Alciphron. But where, in the mean 
 time, do we fee this great end and defign of 
 the fonPzation of this people, clearly an- 
 nounced ? 
 
 EuGENxus. You may fee it in the patri- 
 arch himfelf, even without going farther. 
 He ftands forth as a fymbol, as an adianbra^ 
 tion^ if I may ufe that term, of the whole 
 
 covenant. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 355 
 
 covenant. Obferve him with attention. He 
 is commanded to leave his father's houfe, to 
 repair to ftrange and diftant hmds, and to 
 fubmit patiently to the hardfliips and difii- 
 culties that awaited him in his peregrinations 
 and excurfions. Long and earneftly did he 
 look for the accomplifliment of the divine 
 promifes, wearied, no doubt, more or lefs, 
 with anxious expedation ; and when, in the 
 birth of Ifaac, he received the earneft, the 
 firft fruits of thefe promifes, — -what hap- 
 pened ? He is commanded to offer up as a 
 facrifice, this precious pledge of the divine 
 protedion. You fee by all this, as it w^ere 
 fymbolically, how a people conned:ed with 
 the Deity by a federal bond^ muft walk with 
 their Supreme Protestor. This bond muft be 
 the great obje(f;i: of their confidence, and their 
 fole-Jlar of diredlion and condud; but it is 
 an objed: which requires great felf-denial 
 and painful facrifices. The virtue, here 
 required of Abraham, is not one of thoie 
 that, make a fliining figure in the eyes 
 of the world, or meet with the applaufe of 
 mankind. It is exercifed in folitude and 
 filence ; but by that very circumftance it is 
 rendered more admirable ?nd excellent. And 
 
 A A 2 what 
 
356 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 what is that virtue ? Confidence in God^ 
 which is neither ihaken by the moft painful 
 affauks of adverfity, nor difcouraged by the 
 great diftance of the promifed bleflings to 
 which it afiiires. In one word, this virtue is 
 called Faith. A hero in faith, that is, in 
 fimpUcity of heart, in magnanimity, in a 
 confident regard to the divine promifes, in a 
 ftedfaft and unmoveable adherence to his 
 (Juty, — fuch a hero was Abraham, and fuch 
 an example had his people to follow. A 
 hero of this kind, you will eafily acknowledge, 
 exhibits a nobler character, a more exalted 
 afped: of human nature, than we meet with 
 in many of the vaunted chieftains both of 
 ancient and modern times. 
 
 Alciphron. I conclude from all this, 
 that the poetry of the Hebrews ought to be 
 called a federal poetry. 
 
 EuGENius. You have juft hit ofFits true 
 name. We mufl only take care (as you feemed 
 a litde while ago to be afraid of mvftical inter- 
 pretation) to feekno more in this name^ than its 
 natural fignification points out. The poetry 
 then of the Hebrews, may with propriety be 
 
 called 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. T^^J 
 
 cdXlti federal^ becaiife it conneds heaven and 
 earth, God and mankind, the fcebltj} of 
 mortals with the Omnipotent, the Supreme 
 Creator and Governor of the univerfe. It is 
 this poetry which treats in a manner entirely 
 peculiar of the univerfal Father and his deal- 
 ings with his children^ — with children who 
 look up to his covenant, who confide in his 
 promifes, and ftrengthen that confidence by a 
 pious and habitual recolledion of his wife, 
 merciful, and righteous providence. Hence 
 the powerful effecls of this poetry on the 
 tender and affedionate feelings of believing 
 minds in general, on the heart of the pious 
 hero, in the hour of trial and fuffering, and 
 the hopes of the virtuous and the good in 
 their lafl: moments. Thus indeed it forms a 
 covenajit^ a fublime bond of union between 
 the human race and whom ? not gods, ge- 
 niufes, or departed heroes, but the One 
 God, the univerfal Father of intelligent be- 
 ings, and the Difpofer of their lot. How 
 pleafmg and refpe6table, when confidered 
 under this point of view, is the plain and art- 
 lefs hiftory of the patriarchs ! Their external 
 profperity was far from being brilliant. 
 Few and evil have been the days of my years ^ 
 
 A A 3 was 
 
^S^ ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 was the declaration of the laft *. They were 
 ftrangers ; they wandered about, without any 
 fixed abiding place, and they were not, in 
 any wife, exempted from domeftic trials and 
 forrows. But God was with them ; his 
 angel, the angel of the covena?it^ was their 
 leader ; Elohim watched over them : the land 
 was bleffed, as it were, by the marks of their 
 footfteps : while the acknowledgment of the 
 one true God, purity of manners, child-like 
 fimplicity, and eminent piety, were preferved 
 among them, as the treafure of the primitive 
 world. In all this they were noble fubjects 
 and ftriking examples for the poetry of fuc- 
 ceeding ages. 
 
 <e Hearken unto me ye that follow after righteouf- 
 
 " nefsf; 
 <« Ye that feek the Lord and are faithful to him I 
 *« Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, 
 «< Look to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged J. 
 <* Look to Abraham, your father ; 
 << And unto Sarah that bare you. 
 <« For 1 called him qIoju^ 
 
 * GenefiS, xlvli. 9. f Ifai'ah, li. I, &c. 
 
 \ The difcourfe of John the Baptift, Matthew, iil. 9. pro- 
 bably alludes to this paflage. Tht Pharifees boafted of their 
 being children of Abraham : but the propliet of the vvilder- 
 ncfs tells them that God is able e'ven of the Jloms (where they 
 were landing) to ra'ife up children to Abraham* 
 
 And 
 
ORIENTAL DJATOGUES, 359 
 
 " And blefTed him and increafed him. 
 
 " So flvall Jehovali comfort Sion j 
 
 " Me will comfort all her wafle places ; 
 
 " Will make her wildernefs like Eden, 
 
 ** And her defert like the garden of the Lord ; 
 
 " Joy and gladnefs fliall dwell therein ; 
 
 " Thankfgiving and the voice of melody." 
 
 Remark here the dlftindive title given to 
 Abraham, in thefe words, I have called him 
 ALONE ; i. e. he was the only^ the unparalleled 
 believer, who, with the firmnefs of a rock, 
 trufted in God, and was therefore conlkiered 
 as the rock from which the people of Ifrael 
 were hewn^ or formed. How folemnly, 
 therefore, were that people bound by fuch a 
 confideration, to obey the laws and confide 
 in the promifes of the God of Abraham, who 
 had affumed the paternal charader to his 
 people, even when Abraham was no more. 
 
 ** Look down from heaven, 
 
 <' And behold from the habitation of thy majefty and 
 
 '< holinefs ! 
 
 *< Doubtlefs thou art our father, 
 
 <' Though Abraham be ignorant of us, 
 
 " And Ifrael acknowledge us not. 
 
 " Thou O Lord art our Father, our Redeemer. 
 
 " Thy name is from everl ailing *. 
 
 * Ifalah, ixili. 
 
 A A 4 ** OLord 
 
3.6o ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 O 
 
 " O Lord why haft thou let us err from thy ways, 
 " And harden our hearts from thy fear ? 
 *' Return for t)ie fake of thy feryants, 
 " The tribg of thy heritage \" 
 
 God had thus, as you fee, taken upon him- 
 felf Abraham's paternal rights with refpedt to 
 this people, and in confequence of his cove- 
 nant with the patriarch, had condefcended to 
 be, in a peculiar manner, their Father and 
 their Protedlor. 
 
 Alciphron. But what are we to think 
 of the faults and mifcondud: of thefe patri- 
 archs ? 
 
 EuGENius, They were marks of human 
 infirmity ; and the candour and fimplicity with 
 which they are related without the leaft em- 
 bellifliment or difguife, render, I think, their 
 paftoral hiftory fmgularly interefting. The 
 ^imid Ifaac and the artful Jacob, by their own 
 deeds, paint their refpedive characters in native 
 and ftriking colours. But it mufl be acknow- 
 ledged that the latter did not find his account 
 in his artifice, and alfo that in his advanced 
 age he exhibits a Ihining character among the 
 fhepherd- fathers. His hiftory holds up an 
 
 inftruc- 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 361 
 
 inftrudlive mirrour of the human heart ; and 
 God removed from Jacob in his old age the 
 ftigma that was attached to his name and cha- 
 racter in early youth. T'hy namejl^all jio more 
 be called Jacobs (i. e. the deceiver,) but Jfrael'^^ 
 for thou haft power with God, This honour- 
 able appellation announces, not bodily 
 ftrength and vigour, but a divine heroifnij — - 
 prayer 2iVi^ faith, 
 
 Alciphron. Was it not in a dream that 
 Jacob obtained this title ? 
 
 EuGENius. This has been faid and often 
 repeated ; but it is a manifeft untruth, and is 
 abfolutely inconfiftent w^ith the whole tenour 
 and connexion of the recital. Jacob had ar- 
 ranged his army and hi^ tents, from an appre- 
 henfion that his brother might fall upon him 
 in the night. He now withdrew to a certain 
 diftance from his tent, not furely to fleep, 
 but precifely with an intention 7iot to lleep. 
 
 Alciphron. And what followed? 
 
 * Gcnefjs, xxxii. 28. 
 
 EUGE- 
 
362 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 Eu GEN I US. That you learn plainly in 
 the narration *. He acldreffed his petitions 
 to heaven,— ^he vorejlled with God in prayer, 
 and this was to be a vifible iymbol of his 
 pious triumph in confequence of his heroic 
 faith. On this occafion it was Elohhn that 
 appeared, not Jehovah : and you know that 
 thefe denominations, or titles, are diftinc- 
 tively employed in the hiftory of Jacob, as 
 well as in the earlier records. The celeftial 
 bands flood in array againft Jacob, like the 
 two wings of an army in order of battle. The 
 idea of angels arofe thus naturally in the mind 
 of the patriarch ; and then ftood forth the 
 lofty form of a celeftial warrior, and this form 
 'ujrejlledv^\\h Jacob, This form, I fay, appear- 
 ed, but it vanifhed at the breakhig of the day. 
 What now are we to make of this recital ? 
 Read the beautiful night-vifion, as it ftands in 
 the book of Genefis, which, in the colouring 
 and pidturefque touches with which it is de- 
 fcribed, is Angularly impreffive and affe£ting. 
 
 Al c I F H R ON reads : 
 
 • See Geaefis, chap, xxxii. 
 
 « And 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 363 
 
 ** And Jacob was left alone ; 
 
 " And there wreftled a man with him, until the 
 
 " breaking of the day, 
 ** But prevailed not againft him. 
 ** And when he Lwv that he prevailed not, 
 *' He touched the hollow of his thigh, 
 ** And the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, 
 
 " as he wreftled with him. 
 ** Then faid the man, Let me go, for the day breaketh. 
 *^ And Jacob faid, I will not let thee go except thou 
 
 *' blefs me. 
 " And he (the man) faid unto him, What is thy 
 
 " name ? 
 ** And he faid, Jacob. 
 *^ And lie faid. Thy name, (hall be called no more 
 
 ** Jacob but Ifrael ; 
 ** For as a prince haft thou power with God and 
 
 *' with men, 
 " And haft prevailed (or conquered). 
 «' And Jacob faid, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. 
 « And he faid, Why doft thou allc after my name ? 
 *' And he blefled him there. 
 « And Jacob called the name of the place Ptv;/V/, 
 '< Fori have feen God [Elohim) face to face, and my 
 
 ** life is preferved. 
 <« And as he paffed over Peniel, the fun rofe, 
 *^ And Jacob halted upon his thigh." 
 
 Is there now any mention made here of a 
 dream ? Is not the whole traniadion related 
 with an hiftorical fimplicity, like the account 
 given before of Jacob's having arranged his 
 tents, and divided his cattle ? And what 
 
364 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 name, what title of honour, could there be 
 given to Jacob, confidered merely as a 
 dreamer ? And becaufe Jacob in a dream 
 had ftraiued his thigh, was this a reafon for 
 his being called a divine champion, powerful 
 with God and men^ and for his receiving the 
 name of Ifrael, which was to be tranfmitjted 
 from him to a great nation ? Finally, was 
 Jehovah to appear again to confirm the pa- 
 triarch in the poflellion of this name, if it was 
 nothing more than the vifionary title of a 
 dreamer ? And w*as all this to be celebrated 
 in a family tradition in honour of Jacob ? 
 Rifum tefteatis amici ? You muft be fenfible, 
 my friend, of the ridiculous abfurdity of this 
 explication of the paflage before us, 
 
 Alciphron. Here you are certainly in 
 the right ; and the name and intervention of 
 Elohim puts the matter beyond doubt, when 
 I recoiled: what you obferyed with refpecft to 
 that name in one of our preceding confe- 
 rences. Conflicts with gods^ fpirits^ heroes^ 
 and forms ^ were no unufual things in ancient 
 times. On the contrary, we find, at leaft in 
 the accounts of the poets, that thefe conflicts 
 were the ordinary, and at the fame time, the 
 
 moft 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 365 
 
 moft decifive proofs of heroic and extraordi- 
 nary power in human efforts. In Homer 
 we find frequently gods and heroes engaged 
 in conteft ; and Ossian reprefents Fingal, on 
 a certain night, combating furioufly the ghoft 
 of a giant. Relations and ideas of this kind 
 muft have been common in the Eaft. 
 
 EuGENius. According to the poets, in- 
 deed, fuch combats made an effential part of 
 the hiftory of the earlieft heroes, who were 
 obliged, at leaft in the fancy of their bards, to 
 encounter ghofts and giants, in order to obtain 
 this title. But you muft not, however, dif- 
 honour the noble fimplicity of Jacob's hiftory 
 by fuch elucidations, or by comparifons 
 drawn from fables or traditions of a later date. 
 Such illuftrations are very improper here. 
 With what paftoral fimplicity is the event be- 
 fore us recorded ! The fupernatural combat- 
 ant is not fpeclfied by any particular 
 mark of dlftindion; — he does not himfelf 
 fay, who he /x, and we are left to guefs it 
 only by the name*. Jacob makes no 
 noife about this extraordinary event: — he 
 tells it to nobody ;— he wonders how he, 
 
 • Elohirn. 
 
 who 
 
366 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 who was only a (hepherd, fliould have been 
 engaged with Elohim face to face, without 
 lofing his life in the conteft. But the moft in- 
 terefting part of this ftory is the language it 
 muft naturally have addreffed to the anxious 
 patriarch, and the encouraging conclufion 
 that he muft as naturally have deduced from 
 it. For it muft have taught him how need- 
 lefs it was for him to fly before Efau, when, 
 by his prayers and efforts, he had obtained a 
 pious victory over Jehovah. Thus 'does a 
 prophet underftand the matter * ; and the 
 fenfe of the imagery is clearly manifefted by 
 the time, place, and connection of the hif- 
 tory. 
 
 Alciphron. Thus then Jacob, now a 
 man, was to learn from this event, the fame 
 lefTon which he had learned when a boy, 
 from the vifion of the ladder which reached 
 to heaven ? 
 
 EuGEKius. Juft fo — with this only dif- 
 ference, that he was to learn it in a manner 
 fui table to the manly charadler ; I mean, that 
 
 * Hofea, xii.'4, 5. 
 
 4 h& 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 367 
 
 he was to acquire his honourable title by a 
 manly effort^ and not by a dream. In the 
 mean time, your parallel is juft and ftriklng. 
 The dream fhews the boyiih ideas of the 
 young fhepherd concerning God and the 
 angels ;~it may be read as an idyl. Are you 
 inclined to read it ? Evening approaches, 
 and the fun fets with fuch beauty ! — 
 
 Alciphron reads'^ : 
 
 <^ He (Jacob) lighted upon a certain place, 
 
 «< And tarried there all night, becaufe the fun was 
 
 « fet. 
 *' And he took of the ilones of that place, 
 <* And put them for his pillows, 
 <^ And lay down to lleep, 
 '^ Ax\d\\Q dreamed y 
 " And behold a ladder fet up on the earth, and the 
 
 '* top of it reached to heaven ; 
 *' And behold the angels of God afcending and de- 
 
 ** fcending on it. 
 " And behold the Lord ftood above it, and faid, 
 <« I am the Lord God of Abraham thy fatlier, 
 " And the God of Ifaac, &c, &c. 
 <* And Jacob avi'aked out of Ins lleep, and faid, 
 *« Surely the Lord Is in this place, and I knew it nut : 
 «' And he was afraid, and f^iid, 
 «« How dreadful Is f-^iis place ! 
 *« Elohim refides hei ! 
 
 * Genefis, xxviii. lij&c. 
 ' . << This 
 
368 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES* 
 
 ** This is the gate of heaven. 
 
 *' And Jacob arofe at the break of day, 
 
 *' And took the (lone that was his pillow, 
 
 *^ And fet it up for a pillar, 
 
 *' And poured oil upon the top of it, 
 
 *^ A.nd named the place Beth-el^ i. e. the houfe of 
 
 '^ God. 
 ** And he vowed a vow, faying, 
 *^ If God will be with me, arid will keep me in this 
 
 <' way that I go, 
 *^ And will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put 
 
 « on, 
 *^ So that I come again to my father's houfe in peace ; 
 *' Then fhall the Lord be my God, 
 *« And this ftone which I have fet up for a pillar, 
 
 " (hail be a houfe of God.*' 
 
 Eu GENIUS. You perceive here the natural 
 feelings of a young ihepherd. He has no 
 idea that his father's God fhould dwell elfe- 
 where than in his father's cottage, and he is 
 feized with fear when he learns that he had 
 flept, without knowing it, on holy ground^ 
 even in the outer court of the dwelling of 
 Jehovah. He had here feen in his dream, 
 t\it gate of heave?i opened, and, confequently, 
 confidered this place as the dwelling of God : 
 How could he confider it otherwife ? And as 
 the angels were afcending and defcending on 
 the ladder which reached from earth to 
 
 heaven. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 369 
 
 heaven, It was poffible that one of them 
 (an Elohim in power and dignity) might 
 contend with Jacob. 
 
 Have you any farther difficulties relative to 
 the hiftory of the patriarchs, which you 
 wifli to have folved ? 
 
 Alciphron. I was indeed this very mo- 
 ment thinking of the great partiality mani- 
 feftedby the fathers in bleffing their fons ; 
 a partiality fo much the more reprehenfible, 
 as, according to the general opinion of the 
 tribes, the lot of their pofterity depended on 
 the prediaion or blejmg pronounced by theii^ 
 fathers. 
 
 EuGENius. What do you mean ? Did 
 their lot depend upon the will of their 
 fathers? No fuch thing. Was not Ifaac 
 even partial in favour of Efau ? And was 
 not Abraham inclined to a reconciliation with 
 Ifhmael ? How painful was it to Jacob to be 
 obliged to pafs by the three firft of his fons, 
 and yet none of them remained deftitute of 
 temporal bleffings. Efau went out as a prince 
 to meet Jacob: — Jacob, who had received 
 the paternal bleffing, was a ftranger, a dweller 
 
 B B in 
 
370 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 /// tetits^ and remained fo. Ifhmael lived in 
 his defert, free and frolickfome, like the ani- 
 mal with which he was compared, the wild 
 afs or coir*. His defendants ftill boaft 
 of having received their land from God ; 
 they accordingly follow their vocation in it 
 with contentment and pleafure, and defire 
 nothing better upon earth : 
 
 ** He fliall be a iv'ild man (or animal,) 
 <' His hand (hall be againft every man, 
 *' And every man's hand againft him ; 
 •f And he fnall dwell in the prefence of all his 
 " brethren." 
 
 This predidion is fulfilled with refpefl: to the 
 IJhmaelites^ and they are entirely fatisfied with 
 their condition. Let us read the truly intereft- 
 ing and moving ftory of the rejected Hagar^ 
 wandering in the wildernefs. It is a remark- 
 able fpecimen of the beauties of the Hebrew 
 poetry f . 
 
 <f The water was fpent in the bottle, 
 
 " And {lie caft the child under one of the (hrubs, 
 
 " And (lie went and fat her down over againft him, 
 
 <' a good way ofF, as it were a bow fhot \ 
 <« For (he faid, let me not fee the death of the child ! 
 
 * Qenefisxvi. I2» f Genefis, »xf. 15. 
 
 « And 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. " ^y^ 
 
 « What aileth thee, Hag:r? Fear not ; 
 „J',°?."-\'^-^d.hevoiceofthe.ad; 
 
 Anre,l,ftupehe,ad,holdh™inthyh;nd; 
 « Fori w,l, make him a great nation. ^ ' 
 
 And trod opened her eyes, 
 
 " ^"^'!'^'''^'h««"^ll of water. 
 And /he went and filled the bottle. 
 And gave the lad drink. 
 « And God was with him, and he grew 
 "And dwelt in the wildernefs, 
 " -^nd became an archer." 
 
 excluded from the bleffing which was con- 
 ferred upon Jacob. Let us place th two 
 benedxatons together, that we may perc ,Ve 
 the^charaaenitical lines which iilg:;;^ 
 
 Isaac's prediaion and blejlng refpeaing 
 Jacob* (deHgned for Efauj. ^ 
 
 " Conie near now and kifsme my fon. 
 
 And he came near and kiffed him • 
 « And he fmelled the odour of his raiment, 
 
 • Genefis, xxvii, 2$. 
 
3/2 ORIENTAL DiALOGtJEg, 
 
 *' And! blefTed him, and faid, 
 
 " See the fmell of my fon is as the fmell of a field 
 
 ** which the Lord hath blefTed ; 
 " Therefore God give you of the dew of heaven, 
 " And of tlie fatnefs of the earth, and plenty of corn 
 
 *' and wine ! 
 " Let the people ferve thee, and nations bow to thee ! 
 " Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's 
 
 '* fons bow down to thee ! 
 ** Curfed be every one that curfeth thee I 
 " BlefTed be he that blelTcth thee." 
 
 Efau, on perceiving that the bleffing due to 
 him as the firfl-born, was furreptitioufly ob- 
 tained by his brother, faid, 
 
 '« Haft thou but one blsfling, my father ? 
 
 *' Blefs me, even me alfo, O my father ! 
 
 " And Efau lift up his voice and wept : 
 
 " And Ifaac his father anfwered and faid unto him," 
 
 {Tbe bkj?,?ig of Is A AC on EsAU*.) 
 
 « Behold thy dwelling fliail be of the fatnefs of the 
 
 " earth ; 
 " And of the dew of heaven from above; 
 ** And by thy fword ihalt thou live ; 
 '' And flialt ferve thy brother. 
 <* But the time of thy dominion (hall come, 
 " And thou fiiait break his yoke from thy neck." 
 
 * Genefis, xxvii. 39. 
 
 You 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 373 
 
 You perceive in both thefe bcnallclious tlic 
 
 voice of fate, or rather of the divine decree 
 
 counterading the will of the father, v.ho' 
 
 under the form of Efau, is conftrained to hlefs 
 
 his brother. But in truth, all your difficulties 
 
 concerning thefe two predidions, will vaniih, 
 
 when you conlidcr that the bleffing allotted to 
 
 Jacob, was not of a temporal nature. The great 
 
 and eJfent'ialohjeav^Viz\i was to diftinguifli him 
 
 and his pofterity, was the prefervatlon of the 
 
 name of Jehovah, and the knowledge of the 
 
 fublime truths which aie comprehended in it. 
 
 They were, from the time of Mofes, appointed 
 
 to bear the burthen of the law, a bleffing this, 
 
 from which many were glad to be exempted 
 
 and fome impatient to be delivered. 
 
 Alciphron. They did not, however, 
 lofe fight of the land of Canaan. 
 
 EuGENius. And what was there fo pecu- 
 liarly valuable and inviting in that little 
 diftria ? The people in queftion, if they 
 continued to exifl: together as a people, muft 
 have exifted fomewhere. This corner of the 
 world, it is true, has been highly extolled in 
 the poetry of the Hebrews j fcarcely any 
 ^23 mountain, 
 
374 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 mountain, fpring, or valley, has been left 
 unfung ; — but how, and in what fenfe, has 
 this boafted region been fo celebrated ? 
 Merely as God''s land^ as the land of promifey 
 and in no other point of view. It derives its 
 name from ideas of expe5iation^ promife^ con-- 
 fecration ; and, in the poetry of Canaan, thefe 
 ideas recur perpetually. Sion^ Lebanon^ Car- 
 mel^ are God's hills. The rivers, where any 
 events happen, are the rivers of God. The 
 land is a holy land, a land of eleEiion, In the 
 hiftories of other countries, we find that 
 the people regarded certain places, here 
 and there, as peculiarly dedicated to their 
 deities, fuch as fhady groves, mountains of a 
 lofty and awful afped: ; cities renowned for 
 arts or arms ; but I know no poetry of any 
 nation, in which even unfruitful regions are 
 regarded as fcenes of divine munificence, and 
 the corner of a country is confecrated as the 
 refidence of the majefty of Jehovah. Even 
 at this day the wandering multitude of the 
 difperfed tribes, turn their views to this great 
 objed:, the Promised Canaan : they ftill 
 comfort themfelves with the idea that their 
 defcendants fhall inhabit, one day, that holy 
 land, that land of eledion. Their hiftory, 
 
 their 
 
* ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 375 
 
 their traditions, their law, their poetry, ter- 
 minate and centre in this land of promife, 
 without which they are no more than caftles 
 in the air, without confiftence or foundation. 
 
 Alciphron. It is then no fmall mortifi- 
 cation for us that we have not a portion in 
 that land, and that we cannot read the male- 
 dictions pronounced by the prophets on all 
 other countries with that enthufiaftic pleafure, 
 which they excite in the minds of this chofen 
 people. But all their golden dreams about 
 this little fpot of ground, which is one day 
 to become fo great and powerftil, under that 
 king fo long expeded, and yet to come, are 
 confidered by us as idle fancies, and, confe- 
 quently^ a great part of their poetry is, for 
 us, a mere jingle of high-founding words. 
 
 EuGENius. Your decifion is too hafty. 
 But we fhall confider this matter with the at- 
 tention it deferves, when we come to fpeak 
 of the prophets, and their predid:ions relative 
 to the temporal ftate of the Jewilh nation in 
 times yet to come. Surgamus ! folent effi 
 graves fedentibus iimbrce I In the mean time, 
 it would give me a fincere and cordial plea-, 
 
 B B 4 fure 
 
376 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 fure to think tha I had contributed, in any 
 meafure, to remove or diminifh the difficulties 
 you feemed to find in the patriarchal hiftory of 
 that people, and to illuftrate to your fatisfac- 
 tion, the character and fpirit of their poetry, 
 even from their genealogical records. Kpaf- 
 toral bucoiical poetry it certainly is, 2i federal 
 poetry alfo ; that is, a poetry founded, if I may 
 ufe fuch an exprefTion, on a family compaft 
 with God, Finally, it is the poetry of Canaan, 
 confidered as aland of diledion and promife. 
 Under ihefe points of view, you mull rea4 
 and confider it, if you wifh to enter truly 
 into its fpirit. 
 
EXTRACTS 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE OF 
 
 THE SPIRIT AND GENIUS OF ORIENTAL POETRV; 
 From the Book of Job. 
 
 J. Tdrtraiture of the happinefs, aciivity^ and dig- 
 nity^ of an Eastern Prince*. 
 
 *^ O that I were as In the days of old, 
 
 <f In the days when God was my guardian, 
 
 <« When his lamp (hined over my head, 
 
 <« And when, by his light, I walked through darknefs ! 
 
 « As I was in the days of my youth, 
 
 *< When God fat in my tent as counfeilor, 
 
 <« When the Almighty was yet with me ; 
 
 « When my children were yet about me *, 
 
 «< When ftreams of milk flowed where I went. 
 
 « And the rock poured me out rivers of oil ! 
 
 <« When I went out to the gate t> through the city, 
 
 « When I prepared my feat in the ftreet ! 
 
 « The young men faw me and hid themfelves ; 
 
 <c The aged arofe and flood up ; 
 
 <« The princes refrained talking, 
 
 « And laid their hand on their mouth ; 
 
 « The nobles held their peace, 
 
 <« Their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth : 
 
 * Job, xxix. 
 
 f llVtgate was the place where the judges fat to hear 
 
3.78 
 
 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES, 
 
 *^ When the ear heard me it blefTed me : 
 
 *' When the eye faw me it gave witnefs to me ; 
 
 ** Becaufe I delivered the poor that cried, 
 
 <« And the fatherlefs who had none to help him ; 
 
 ** The blefling of him who was ready to perifti came 
 *' upon me, 
 
 " And I caufed the widow's heart to fingfor joy. 
 
 *' I put on righteoufnefs and it clothed me ; 
 
 <^ My judgment was as a robe and diadem. 
 
 *' I was eyes to the bhnd ; 
 
 <« And feet was I to the lame. 
 
 *' I was a father to the poor ; 
 
 <« And I pleaded the caufe of the ftranger; 
 
 « And I brake the jaws of the wicked ; 
 
 '« And plucked the fpoil out of his teeth. 
 
 « Then faid I, I (hall die in my neft * -, 
 
 <« And I fhail multiply my days as thefand ; 
 
 <« My root was fpread out by the waters ; 
 
 ** And the dew lay all night upon my branch. 
 
 *' My glory was fre(h in me ; 
 
 ** And my bow was renewed in m.y hand. 
 
 " Unto me men gave ear and waited j 
 
 " They kept filence at my counfel ; 
 
 " After my words they fpake not again ; 
 
 <^ For miy reafons dropped upon them as dew : 
 
 *« And they waited for me, as for a fpring-fhower. 
 
 <' I chofe out their way, and fat chief, 
 
 *< And dwelt as a king in the army, 
 
 " As one that comforteth the mourners." 
 
 * Job had probably here tlie Phcenlx in view, but by a 
 mixed metaphor, which has its beauty, the image of the bird 
 is afTociated with that of the palm'tree, — and thus we fee that 
 the analogy between thefe two objeds was noticed in the 
 
 Eaft. 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 379 
 
 II. 
 
 "The Portraiture of aftedfaft mind/upported by re- 
 ligious co?jfidence in the day of adverfity. 
 
 When the difmal accounts of the lofs of his 
 children and his goods were brought to Job 
 by fucceffive meffengers, with an overwhelm- 
 ing rrpidity, the narration proceeds in the 
 following manner : — Chap. i. 20. 
 
 *< Then Job arofe, and rent his mantle, and fliaved 
 
 " his head, 
 <« And threw himfelf upon the ground, and prayed, 
 
 " and faid, 
 " Naked cams* I qut of my mother's womb, 
 *' And naked (hall I return thither *. 
 ** The Lord has given, 
 •' The Lord has taken away, 
 « Blefled be the name of the Lord !" 
 
 While his friends treat him with the greatefl 
 feverity, charge him with fecret crimes, and, 
 on that account, threaten him v/ith ftill more 
 heavy judgments from the hand of God, — 
 while his nearefl relations forfake, difown, 
 
 * The ^omh and the earth, are, among the Orientals, fre- 
 quently ufed the one for the other. 
 
 A and 
 
380 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 and defpife him, he gives vent to his feelings 
 in the following manner : — Chap. xix. 19. 29, 
 
 *' All my intimate friends abhorred me, 
 
 ** And they whom I loved are turned againft me ; 
 
 ?^ My bone cleaveth to my fkin and to my flefli. 
 
 ** Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O my 
 
 " friends ! 
 <* For the hand of God hath touched me. 
 <« Why do ye perfecute me as God ? 
 ^' Oh that my words were nov/ v/ritten ' 
 *' Oh that they were printed in a book ! 
 «' That they were graven with an iron pen, 
 «' And lead in the rock for ever I 
 '* / know that my avenger Hveth * / 
 " And that he Ihall, at the laft, appear in my caufe 
 
 ** on the fcene ofconteft: 
 '* Let them then (my enemies) deftroy my flefti j 
 <« I (hall neverthelefs live and fee God ; 
 ** Him fhall I behold as my deliverer ; 
 <* And mine eyes fhall behold him, and pot another. 
 
 * Thefe words are in their connexion fo plain and clears 
 that it is not eafy to conceive how they have been fo often 
 mifinterpreted, and rendered thereby obfcure. The friends 
 of Job had perfecuted, and then forfaken him. He has, 
 neverthelefs, a friend remaining, who will be his avenger ; 
 (this was the office of the neareft relation ;) and this avenger, 
 this friend, is God. Job has an intimate perfuafion that God 
 is on his fide, and fliall continue to be his guardian when 
 every one elfe has deferted him. Then fhall his innocence be 
 difplaycd, and his caufe triumph. 
 
 «' Then 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 381 
 
 *< Then fhall ye fay, Why perfecute we him ? 
 « Seeing/the root of the matter is found in me ? 
 << Be ye afraid of the fword : 
 *' It is a fword of wrath that punifhes iniquity, 
 " That ye may know there is a judgment." 
 
 III. 
 
 ne moral principles and doBrine of an Idumean 
 Prince. — Job, xxxi, 
 
 <^ I made a covenant with my eyes, 
 
 « "Why then ftiould I think upon a maid ? 
 
 « For what portion (liould I then have in God ? 
 
 '« And what inheritance of the Almighty from on 
 
 « high? 
 « Doth not deftruaion follow the wicked ? 
 « And fhame purfue the workers of iniquity ? 
 « Doth not He fee my ways ? 
 « And count all my fteps ? 
 
 <c If I have walked with vanity, 
 « Or if my foot hath hafted to deceit, 
 « Let me be weighed in an even balance, 
 « That God may know mine integrity. 
 i< If my ftep hath turned out of the way, 
 cc And mine heart walked after mine eyes, 
 i* And if any blot hath cleaved to my hands, 
 « Then let me fow, and let another eat, ^^ 
 
382 aHlENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 *' Yea, let mine ofFspringbe rooted out! 
 Or rather^ " Let another root out what I have 
 <* planted ! 
 
 *' If mine heart hath been deceived by a woman, 
 «' Or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door, 
 «' Then let my wife grind unto another, 
 <* And let others bow down upon her. 
 <* For this is an heinous crime ; 
 << Yea, it is an iniquity to be punifhed by the Judge ; 
 <* For it is a fire that confumeth to deftruQion, 
 «« And would root out all mine increafe. 
 
 " If I did defpife the caufe of my man-fervant, 
 
 <« Or of my maid-fervant, when they contended with 
 
 " me; 
 « What then (hall I do when God rifeth up ? 
 « And when he vifiteth, what (hall I anfwcr ? 
 ** Did not he that made me make him ? 
 *' And did not one handfafhion us in the womb ? 
 
 ** If I have withheld from the pQor their defire, 
 
 <« Or have caufed the eyes of the widow to fail ; 
 
 *« Or have eaten my morfel myfelf alone ; 
 
 <* And the fatherlefs hath not eaten thereof ; 
 
 *« If I have feen any perifli for want of clothing ; 
 
 '* Or any poor without covering ; 
 
 " If his loins have not blefled me ; 
 
 *« And if he were not warmed with the fleece of my 
 
 <« flieep; 
 « If I have lifted up my hand againft the orphan j 
 <« When I faw my help in the gate ; 
 <« Then let mine arm fall from my Ihoulder-blade ; 
 " And mine arm be broken from the bone ; 
 
 'f For 
 
ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 383 
 
 " For then deftruaion from God mud have filled me 
 
 " with terror 5 
 *« And by reafon of his highnefs I could not endure. 
 
 « If I have made gold my hope, 
 " Or faid to fine gold. Thou art my confidence. 
 <* If I rejoiced becaufe my wealth was great ; 
 *' And becaufe mine hand had gotten much. 
 " If I beheld the fun when it {hined, 
 *^ Or the moon walking in brightnefs ; 
 " And my heart hath been fecretly enticed ; 
 <* And my mouth hath kifled my hand ; 
 ^* This alfo were an iniquity to be punifhed by the 
 
 " Judge, 
 *' For I fhould have denied the God that is above. 
 
 «' Did I rejoice at the dellrudion of him that hated 
 
 « me ? 
 « Or did I lift up myfelf when evil found him ? 
 « No — IfufFered not myfelf to fin by wifhing a curfe 
 
 ** to his foul ; 
 *^ And even when the men of my tabernacle faid, (of 
 
 " any one with rage and paiTion,) 
 *« Oh that we had of his fleOi to fatibfy us ! 
 ** The fl:ranger ftht/s threatetiedj did not lodge in 
 
 «' the ftiect, 
 '* But I opened my door to the traveller. 
 
 *< Did I cover my tranfgrefiions like Adam, 
 
 <« By hiding my iniquity in my bofom ? 
 
 *' Did I fear a great multitude ? 
 
 « Or did the contempt of families terrify me ? 
 
 « So as that I kept filence, and went not out of 
 
 " the door? 
 
 '* Oh 
 
384 ORIENTAL DIALOGUES. 
 
 «< Oh that One would hear me ! 
 
 « Behold my defire is that the Almighty would 
 
 ^< anfwer me ! 
 *« And that mine adverfary had written a book ! 
 *' Surely I would take it upon my fhoulders as an 
 
 « ornament ! 
 « And bind it as acrown to me ! 
 <* I would declare unto him the number of my fteps I 
 *« As a prince would I go near unto him. 
 
 " If my land cry againft me; 
 
 *< Or that the furrows thereof complain : 
 
 *^ That I have eaten the fruits thereof without 
 
 ** money ; 
 << And caufed the owners thereof to lofe their life ^ 
 ** Let thirties grow there inftead of wheat 5 
 « And cockle inftead of barley." ~ 
 
 THE END, 
 
 Printed by A. Strahar., P mUin^ ^Street y Lbmkf. 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 
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 GAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S. A 
 
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