I will make Babylon a possession for the BITTERN, and pools of water.

THE word kephod, rendered bittern, has been a sad stumbling block to commentators: "three elements," says Scheuzer, "may dispute its property, earth, air, and water." The weight of interpreters is in favour of the hedgehog, or the porcupine, which may stand at the head of the hedgehog class. A long list of names might be inserted, including the LXX and Jerom. Mr.Parkhurst has taken unusual pains on this subject; and it must be acknowledged, that the Arabic, kenfud, kunphud, canfed, &c. are not unlike the Hebrew kephod. I do not think it to be the common hedgehog, because the manners of that creature do not agree with those necessary in the kephod: for the hedgehog is resident in more verdant and cultivated places, than we are led to place the kephod in.

It appears however, from Dr. Russell's Aleppo, vol. ii. p. 159. that the porcupine is called kunfud; "It is sometimes, though rarely, brought to town by the peasants." "The notion of his darting his quills still prevails in Syria. I never met with any person who had seen it; but it stands recorded in books, and the fact is not doubted." "The hedgehog is regarded by the natives as the same species, is found in the fields in abundance, but serves only for medicinal purposes." I conclude, from these hints, that the porcupine is wilder than the hedgehog, in Syria. The same inference arises from comparing the accounts of these animals given by Buffon; hedgehogs he placed in his garden; and I have known

hedgehogs kept in kitchens as devourers of black beetles, in order to rid the place of those too numerous insects: the hedgehog also abounds most in temperate climates: the north is too cold for it. The porcupine is a native of the hottest climates of Africa and India, perhaps is originally of the East, yet can live and multiply in less sultry situations, such as Persia, Spain, and Italy. Agricola says, the species has been in late ages transported into Europe. It is now found in Spain, and in the Appenine mountains, near Rome. Pliny, and the naturalists, say, that the porcupine, like the bear, hides itself in winter. It eats crumbs of bread, cheese, fruits, and when at liberty, roots and wild grain; in a garden it makes great havock, and eats pulse with greediness; it becomes fat toward the close of summer, and its flesh is not bad eating.

We should now inquire with what associates Scripture has placed the kephod? It is here connected with "pools of water," according to our translation. This we shall consider hereafter. In chap. xxxiv. 11. it is associated with kaat, the pelican; with ianshuph, which, on Levit. xi. 17. we supposed was the lesser bittern, or ardea ibis; and with oreb, or the raven kind; together with thorns, nettles, and brambles; with tannim and ostriches. If only water birds had been connected with it here, we should have been led to conclude that it denoted a water bird, also: but, as ravens and ostriches, to say nothing on the thorns and nettles, are found in dry places, nothing hinders this from being an animal of dry places also. In

CHAP. XIV. 23.]

Zeph. ii. 14. the kephod is coupled only with the kaat or pelican; but, though the pelican be a water bird, yet she builds her nest in open places distant from water; and the prophet had said, in the former verse, "Nineveh shall be dry like a wilderness;" so that creatures inhabiting dry places, may readily be supposed to reside there. This association therefore does not determine for a water bird; though we must own it looks rather like a bird of some kind as a fellow to the pelican, with which it is matched.

It appears, then, that both Babylon and Nineveh are threatened with desolation, and with becoming the residence of the kephod. To ascertain, if it might be done, this kephod, I have taken some pains to discover what creatures breed in ruins in these countries, and would be glad to know more precisely, what actually breed in the ruins of these ancient cities themselves. I have not obtained any thing very satisfactory. Storks, owls, bats, and a bird, which I take to be the locust bird, vide Exod. xvi. EXPOSITORY INDEX, are all I find identified. Bats, it should seem, we might naturally expect in vaults and caverns; but whether porcupines also, I do not affirm. The following extracts are submitted to the reader. If they do not answer our desires, they may give hints for further inquiries.

At Chytor, "The ruins of above an hundred [temples] to this day remain of stone, white, and well polished, albeit now inhabited by storks, owls, bats, and like birds," G. Herbert's Travels, p. 95.

"Here in ancient times stood the famous city of Nineveh, which, having repented on the preaching of Jonah, forty years afterward relapsed into its former disorders; wherefore the people of the country say, that God overturned the city and its inhabitants, who were buried in the ruins with their heads down, and their feet upward. There is nothing now to be seen but some hillocks which, they say, are its foundations, the houses being underneath. These reach a good way below the city of Mosul," Thevenot, part ii. p. 51.

"Nineveh was built on the left shore of the Tigris, upon Assyria side, being now only a heap of rubbish, extending almost a league along the river. There are abundance of vaults and caverns uninhabited; nor could a man well conjecture, whether they were the ancient habitations of the people, or whether any houses were built upon them in former times; for most of the houses in Turkey are like cellars, or else but one story high," Tavernier, book ii. p. 72.

The latest account of the ruins of Babylon which I am acquainted with, is that by M. Beauchamp in the European Magazine, May, 1792, wherein we remark, that this place, and the mount of Babel, are com. monly called by the Arabs Mak Coube, that is, "topsy-turvy:" which is almost the same as Thevenot mentions respecting Nineveh and its inhabitants; and which, could we trace it to its origin, very prob

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ably would be found deserving our notice. "The master mason led me along a valley; I found in it a subterranean canal; these ruins extend several leagues." Vaults and under ground constructions, then, remain of ancient Babylon, and these may well afford shelter for hats. I understand that trees grow in parts of the space formerly occupied by Babylon; and, if so, they may afford shelter for porcupines. Against this interpretation of kephod it must be observed, that in the Chaldee this word denotes a bird, taken for the bittern, as by our translators; and so in the Talmud. The root of the word signifies to cut off, to terminate, which, as applied to animals, teaches nothing; for I cannot admit with Scheuzer, that "the beaver is what best agrees to the import of the word." I think the porcupine does not inhabit dusty ruins, nor desert places; but rather common lands or forests, where vegetables and grain may be its food: yet, as vegetables may grow where towns have stood, perhaps this is not a decisive objection. Moreover, this objection becomes still less decisive, if the remark of Bochart, confirmed by Parkhurst, be correct, that the, now, pools of water are to be hereafter, a possession for the kephud; and these "pools of water," are, according to the most probable notion of the word which I can form, fish ponds, as Isai. xix. 10. I would, therefore, understand them of garden CANALS, forming parts of pleasure grounds; fed, no doubt, originally from the river; and, long after the destruction, or rather the abandoning of the city, retaining moisture enough to support vegetables, on which porcupines might feed. In fact, Babylon became a park, wherein the kings of Parthia hunted in after ages, and the same land which supported wild boars, might equally well support other wild animals; including those native of hot climates, such as the porcupine or kephod appears undoubtedly to be. We have seen in the Expository Index, on a former chapter, that the prophet takes some pains to consort creatures of the dry desert, with creatures of the watery marshes; and from the local situation of Babylon, both these classes might dwell there together.

I should be glad if the etymology of this word would assist us in determining the creature intended; but, what can "cut off" denote as the name of a bird? if any bird had no tail, or was otherwise apparently mutilated, this name might express that appearance; neither is this notion very happily applicable to the porcupine, though it may be taken not unaptly in reference to the hedgehog, whose spines being very short, when compared with those of the porcupine, they have the appearance of being cut off, and in some kinds, cut off closely too. The reader will give its proper weight to this remark. I shall only add, that in Arabic, the word kanfad, or kenfud, includes three kinds: 1st, Kanfad al bari, the land hedgehog. 2dly, Kanfad al bachari, the sea hedgehog; or, what we call urchin, as indeed, we call the former,

WE have elsewhere endeavoured to prove that marecab imports a chariot drawn by four horses, and that recab imports a chariot drawn by two horses only; but when we say drawn, we are by no means to consider all chariots as drawn, for it would be abundantly more descriptive of the major part of the Eastern vehicles, to say they were carried by two, or by four horses, or camels; and this idea of them will contribute essentially to a better understanding of many places of Scripture: so many, indeed, that perhaps this notion of them ought usually to be accepted in preference to any other.

Neither am I sure whether we ought not even to correct what we have already said on the subjects of

Josiah's, and Ahab's, second chariot, by supposing that vehicle to be rather what we should call a litter, than a chariot, of which our Plate furnishes the form, and the manner of conveyance by it. I am persuaded, that this vehicle was well known to the Hebrews, and would have been called by them recab; but in what passages of Scripture this should appear to be used, rather than any other, must be the subject of conjecture. As conjectures, therefore, simply, and in no other light, are the following thoughts to be considered. Let us first state our authorities.

"There are vehicles in the East used for sick persons, or for persons of high distinction," says Maillet, Lett. p. 230. and Pitts observes, in his account of

his return from Mecca, that, "at the head of each division, some great gentleman, or officer, was carried in a machine made like a horse litter, borne by two camels, one before, the other behind, which was covered all over with sear cloth, and over that again with green broadcloth. If he had a wife attending him, she was carried in another." This is the vehicle in our print; on which Pococke, from whom fig. B. is copied, observes, "When the caravans go to Mecca, some women of condition ride in tartavans, or litters carried by camels, as here represented; the labour of the camel that goes behind being very great, as his head is under the litter. Some go in a smaller sort, on the back of one camel only."

Now, if sick persons, no doubt for their ease, and as the least violent manner of being conveyed, go in these vehicles, then one should naturally suppose that king Joram, who was at Jezreel to be healed of his wounds, 2 Kings, ix. 15. would have used a vehicle of this sort; yet we learn, verse 21. that Joram said, "make ready ;" and they made ready his "recab." The passage is, literally; and Jehoram said, "bind ;" and they bound his "recab." The second recab of Josiah, into which he was removed from his marecab, was probably of this nature, as being most easy of carriage for a person desperately wounded; and I think we may infer, from 2 Kings, xxiii. 30. that he was carried in a mɔɔ recab, when dead, from Megiddo to Jerusalem. Now this is also the very case I have supposed of Ahab, 1 Kings, xxii. 35. of whom it is remarked, that his blood ran into the bosom, hollow place, concave bottom, bed, of the recab in which he lay, [and I submit whether this word can be applicable to those chariots which roll on wheels, which have properly no bed, or concavity, at the bottom,] and his blood spread all over the bottom of it, so that it was taken to the pool of Samaria to be washed.

i.e. a mixture of parentage. Now this kind of vehicle being used by the great, by princes, &c. the prophet alludes to such an one, very unusually equipped, approaching against Babylon, and raising great expectation, &c. Consider the different heights, different paces, different dispositions, &c. of an ass, and a camel: but that this refers to one person riding in it, is clear, verse 9. "Behold here cometh the recab of the man, ws, the chief man, by excellence [vide FRAGMENT, No. 265, and on Solomon's Song,] conveyed by a pair of animals for riding, &c. and he said, Babylon is fallen," Cyrus has conquered all before him. This is very different from bishop Lowth, whose note I insert, to show the extreme difficulty of the passage.

"And he saw a chariot with two riders; a rider on an ass, a rider on a camel.] This passage is extremely obscure, from the ambiguity of the term ", which is used three times, and which signifies a chariot, or any other vehicle, or the rider in it; or a rider on a horse, or any other animal? or a company of chariots, or riders. The prophet may possibly mean a cavalry in two parts, with two sorts of riders; riders on asses, or mules, and riders on camels; or led on by two riders, one on an ass, and one on a camel. However, so far it is pretty clear, that Darius and Cyrus, the Medes and the Persians, are intended to be distinguished by the two riders, or the two sorts of cattle. It appears from Herodotus, i. 80. that the baggage of Cyrus's army was carried on camels. In his engagement with Croesus, he took off the baggage from the camels, and mounted his horsemen upon them: the enemy's horses, offended with the smell of the camels, turned back and fled.

"... a man, one of the two riders.] So the Syriac understands it; and Ephrem Syr.'

Now, I think, the principles we have adduced, and the nature and form of the chariot, as we have understood it, agree perfectly with such circumstances, as we might expect to find adverted to, and foreseen by the prophet. Our principles will, I think, also explain another passage, which his lordship considered as nearly desperate; for he thus speaks of it in his notes, chap. xxii. 6.

Observe, this pair of animals is called v pareshim, and the Persian, &c. empire is called paresim. Probably, under a word so closely alike in sound, the reference of this prophecy could hardly be misunderstood by its hearers. But why an ass and a camel? because Cyrus, to whom this allegory refers, was a Mede, by his mother Mandane, but by his father he was a Persian: whence we learn from Herodotus, that Nebuchadnezzar foretold him under the idea of a mule,

"... the Syrian.] It is not easy to say what

the form of the sentence, which consists of three members, the first and the third mentioning a particular people, that the second should do so likewise; thus, “with chariots the Syrian, and with horsemen :" the similitude of the letters and is so great, and the mistakes arising from it so frequent, that I readily adopt the correction of Houbigant, instead of 8, which seems to me extremely probable. The conjunction prefixed to seems necessary, in whatever way the sentence is taken; and it is confirmed by five MSS. one ancient, and three editions. Kir was a city

belonging to the Medes. The Medes were subject to the Assyrians in Hezekiah's time. See 2 Kings, xvi. 9. and xvii. 6. and so perhaps might Elam, the Persians, likewise be, or auxiliaries to them."

Let us now attempt to explain this difficulty. "And Elam, i.e. Persia, whose inhabitants were excellent archers, even from childhood, as Herodotus informs us, took the quiver, with the bow, no doubt, and slung it over the shoulder, while they each of them rode in a recab of a single man, the word is not here as before, wx aish, but 8 adam, placed on an animal for riding," which elsewhere we shall see is a very correct description of a class of vehicles. If we accept the vau, we may read, " And Elam took the quiver in his single-manned vehicle, and on his riding animals." This acceptation of perashim as animals for riding, seems very applicable. So Isai. xxx. 1. "Wo to those who go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and hope in recab, chariotry, because they are great, and in animals for riding, perashim, cavalry, because they are strong," &c.

N.B. Litters are often, for the sake of state and magnificence, when used by bashaws, &c. carried by four horses though this should seem to be an appendage of authority and power. Another appendage of authority and power, is a golden ball, on the

top of this carriage; by which, supposing the fact, the recab seen by the prophet's watchman, would easily be distinguished as belonging to a chief man. This kind of vehicle is called in Arabic takht revan, "moving throne," and is, with such distinctions, peculiar to princes, or others expressly permitted by the sovereign. Vide Frazer's Nadir Shah; et al.

EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE.

The upper figure on our Plate is copied from Mr. Dalton's representations of Egyptian costume; it is the travelling equipage of the superior ranks of life, such as bashaws, and other great men; or their wives.

The lower figure is copied from Dr. Pococke's Travels in Egypt, vol. ii. p. 187. who thus explains it:

"Some go in a smaller sort of carriage on the back of one camel, as may be seen at B. People of condition ride on a saddled camel, as is represented at D. The most extraordinary way of conveyance is a sort of round basket on each side of the camel, with a cover made at top, as may be seen at F. There is a cover over the lower part, which holds all their necessaries, and the person sits crosslegged on it.” [Vide on Genesis, xxxi. 30.]

WE have had frequent occasion to regret the ignorance of learned men on the common arts of life, but on none more strongly than on those which we denominate the arts of design. In FRAGMENT, No. 220, we complained of their mis-translation of the working tools of the statuary; and this complaint we must

here repeat. Our translators have thus rendered a very descriptive passage, Isai. xliv. 12. "The smith with the tongs [Margin, ax] both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it by the strength of his arms; yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he drinketh no water, and is faint."