OBSERVATION XIX.

There is little or no difficulty, I think, in understanding what the facred hiftorian fays, concerning Jonathan's visiting David when concealed from Saul in a wood, mentioned 1 Sam. xxiii; but there is a paffage in the Travels of Pietro della Vallé, fo picturesque, and bearing fuch a resemblance to David's fituation, though not exactly fimilar, that my readers, poffibly, may not be displeased with seeing it.

Speaking of his paffing through a forest or wood in Mazanderan (a province of Perfia) into which they entered on the 11th of February, and complaining of the moisture and heaviness of the roads there, he tells us, "We did at length mafter them, but with "fo much difficulty, that we could not get "forward above two leagues that day, and

night overtook us before we got through "the foreft. We endeavoured to find fome place of retreat, in different parts, to "which the barking of dogs, or the noise "made by other animals, feemed to guide " us. But at laft, finding no inhabited

place near us, we paffed the night in the "fame foreft, among the trees, under which "we made a kind of retrenchment with our baggage, in a place where we found many dry leaves that had fallen from the trees. "These served us for a carpet and for bed

ding

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ding both, without any other tent than "the branches of the great trees there, through which the moon-fhine reached

us, and made a kind of pavilion of cloth "of filver. There was no want of wood "for the making a great fire, any more "than of provifions for fupper, which we "fent for from the nearest village in the

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foreft, feated by the high-way fide, where, "after fome conteft with the people, of a favage and fufpicious temper, who were ready to come to blows with my meffengers, without knowing any reason why they "should, they, after coming to a right understanding with us, became very civil, would "have lodged us, and made us prefents; but " on our refufal, on account of the distance of "the way, the chief person of the town, with "the other principal inhabitants, came, of their own accord, to our camp, laden with

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good meat and other provifions, and spent "the night with us with great gaiety. They " even brought us a country musician, who regaled us during fupper, and all night long, with certain forest-songs, in the language of the country, that is, of Mazanderan, where a coarfe kind of Perfian is fpoken, fung to the found of a miserable "violin, which was fufficiently tiresome'."

How picturesque! How descriptive of David and his people's lodging in a wood, and

Tome 3. p. 217, 218.

the

the altercations he may be believed to have had with some of the neighbouring villagers, before he could obtain provisions from them! Whether Jonathan brought a supply of bread, meat, and fruits with him, and even his mufic, we are not told; but certainly he treated David not only with friendship, but with fomething of deference and refpect, which was like an acknowledgment of fuperiority.

"David faw that Saul was come out to "feek his life and David was in the wild"erness of Ziph, in a wood. And Jonathan "Saul's fon arofe, and went to David into "the wood, and ftrengthened his_hand_in "God. And he faid unto him, Fear not: "for the hand of Saul my father shall not "find thee; and thou fhalt be king over

Ifrael, and I fhall be next unto thee: and "that alfo Saul my father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the Lord : "and David abode in the wood, and Jona"than went to his houfe '.'

Certainly Jonathan did not ftrengthen his hand in God, by giving him fresh prophetic affurances of his after royalty; nor could his repeating the declarations of Samuel add much to the fortitude of David's mind; it must at least be the winning acquiefcence of his friend in the divine arrangement, which was fo contrary to the ufual emotions of the

human heart, as evidently to fhew the finger of God in it; and there might be a princely fupply of David's wants in that deftitute state, which might greatly encourage him; and the imagination may even go fo far, as to suppose he did him the honour of complimenting him with his music.

At worst, della Valle's account affords an amufing defcription of his lodging in a wood.

OBSERVATION XX.

Mean as, we are ready to think, their accommodations are, who have no other habitation than tents or caves, many of those who employ themselves in the Eaft in tending cattle, cuftomarily lie abroad in the fields with them, without even the shelter of a tent; and this too fome of them do when Winter approaches.

Dr. Chandler fet out, on his firft excurfion from Smyrna, the laft day of September, and travelled nearly the whole month of October. The following is the account he gives us of one occurrence in this journey: "About two in the morning our "whole attention was fixed by the barking "of dogs, which, as we advanced, became "exceedingly furious. Deceived by the light"of the moon, we now fancied we could "see a village, and were much mortified to "find

ΙΟ

"find only a ftation of poor goat-herds, with"out even a fhed, and nothing for our horfes "to eat. They were lying, wrapped in their "thick capots, or loofe coats, by some glim"mering embers among the bushes in a dale, "under a spreading tree by the fold. They "received us hofpitably, heaping on fresh "fewel, and producing caimac

or four

"curds, and coarse bread, which they toasted "for us on the coals. We made a fcanty "meal, fitting on the ground, lighted by "the fire and by the moon; after which, fleep fuddenly overpowered me. On wak

ing I found my two companions by my "fide, fharing in the comfortable cover of "the janizary's cloke, which he had carefully spread over us. I was now much "ftruck with the wild appearance of the spot. The tree was hung with ruftic utenfils; the fhe-goats in a pen, fneezed, and bleated, and ruftled to and fro; the fhrubs by which our horfes ftood were leafless, " and the earth bare; a black caldron with "milk was fimmering over the fire; and a figure, more than ghaunt or favage, clofe by us, ftruggling on the ground with a "kid, whofe ears he had flit, and was endeavouring to cauterize with a piece of red "hot iron 2.'

I think this may ftand as a comment on

He frequently, in the course of these Travels, mentions thefe four curds, as used for food in Asia.

2

• P. 157.