DIOXIPPUS the Athenian *, in high favour with Alexander the Great, for his ftrength and dexterity at all the Athletick exercises, was challenged by Horratas, a Macedonian, to fingle combat. He accepted the challenge with fufficient contempt; and to fhew it, appeared at the place appointed, naked, anointed, and crowned as a conqueror in the Olympick games, with only a small purple mantle wrapped round his left hand, and a knotty club in his right. Horratas came to the field of battle in complete armour, with a fhield and fword, a lancet in his righthand, and a spear in his left, and began the fight by darting his lance at his adversary; which he, by a little bent of his body, eafily declined; and before Horratas could fhift his fpear into his right-hand, broke it to pieces by a blow of his club. Horratas

*This was he on whom Diogenes (as Elian tells us, 1. 12. c. 58.) paffed that remarkable farcafm: As he entered into Athens in the triumphal manner of the Olympick conquerors, and was gazed upon by the people in great crouds, he happened to caft his eyes upon a young lady of diftinguished beauty, and falling fuddenly and violently in love, fixed them upon her 'till he paffed by, and then turning back his head, kept them ftill fixed upon her: which Diogenes obferving, cried out to the Athenians ; See here your great champion! See how a young girl bath twifted his neck!

then attempted to draw his fword; but before that could be effected, Dioxippus, with a joint-effort of his head and foot, at once knock'd up his heels, and beat him to the earth; then catching up his fword, and putting his foot upon his neck, stood over him with his up-lifted club, ready with one blow to beat out his brains, until Alexander interpofed to fave his life.

THIS is a strong inftance of the triumph of skill and activity over the completest armature; and I hope the fingularity of the adventure will, with the curious reader, compenfate for the length of the digreffion. I now resume the thread of my History.

THE unfcriptural reader may poffibly have fome curiofity to know how David difpofed of Goliah's fpoils; at least, may not take it amifs to be informed, that his armour was firft deposited in David's tent; that is, either the tent belonging to his brethren, or fome other now erected for his use; poffibly, that of Goliah, taken in fpoiling the Philiftine His fword was hung up, as a trophy of thanksgiving to GOD, in the tabernacle *;

camp.

*Poffibly, from hence came that custom among the ancient Greeks and Romans, of depoliting their arms in their temples.

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and

and his head conveyed to Jerufalem, then in the poffeffion of the Ifraelites; tho' the strong fort of Sion still held out for the Jebufites.

AND, poffibly, one end of carrying it thither might be, to ftrike a terror into that garison; tho' it was, more probably, depofited there, in a prophetick forefight of that city's becoming one day the capital of David. And if I may be indulged a conjecture, I own, to me it seems not impoffible, that all the hiftories we have of heads found in the foundations of cities, which afterwards became great and eminent, fuch as thofe of Rome and Carthage, might be derived from fome imperfect or defignedly obfcured tradition of the history of this head.

NOR will the reader, perhaps, think this a very ftrained conjecture, who confiders the great and allowed uncertainties in the accounts of the Roman originals, that when the best Roman hiftorians wrote *, there were

*Their first hiftorian, Quintus Fabius Pictor, was 160 years later than this period; he flourished about twenty or thirty years after the tranflation of the Septuagint, and took most of his accounts from Diocles Peparethicus, a Greek. Whether the hiftory of the capitol be fo old, I cannot fay, but it is evidently later than the verion of the LXX.

no

no records, of almost the first four hundred years of their city, extant; being all confumed (if they had any) in the burning of the city by the Gauls, A. U. C. 363. and therefore their study was, to make its origine as strange and stupendous as they could devise it; and, in order to do so, they crouded into that, the most extraordinary accounts of other countries *.

CHAP. VI.

The Rife and Effects of Saul's Enmity to David. Merab promifed to David, and given to another.

D

AVID now continuing at court, was employed by Saul on various occafions : and as he still acquitted himself wifely, Saul, in fome time, fet him over his men of war;

*This might be illuftrated by many examples: I fhill inftance only in one. Whoever compares the acco int of the Roman beginning, confifting only of men, and the rape of the Sabines, contrived for their increafe, with the hiftory of the Benjamites in the three laft chapters of the book of Judges, will, I believe, be quickly of my opinion.

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that

that is, as it is commonly understood, made him captain of his guards. But this degree of favour lafted not long; for now Saul's envy and malignity returned ftrong upon him, with his evil fpirit. The occafion was thus:

As Saul returned in triumph from the Philiftine war, the women from all the cities of Ifrael came to meet him, to congratulate his conquefts, with fongs, and various inftruments of mufick; and as they fang together, they blended the praises of Saul and David in their chorus: but with this diftinction; Saul bath flain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

THE haughty heart of Saul could ill digeft this preference; his refentment brought back all his black paffions into his breast, and refitted him for the poffeffion of the evil fpirit: And Saul was wroth, (fays the text) and the faying difpleafed him; and he faid, They have afcribed unto David ten thoufands, and to me they have afcribed but thoufands; and what can be have more but the kingdom? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophefied in the