350 mISCELLANEOU$ THOUGHT& leaves behind him a noble divine ode at his death, for the perpe- tual memory of God and his wonders. The next remarkable instance we have of this kind, are the writings of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel ; but even David could never be supposed to borrow any thing from the Greeks, when Homer, the father of their verse, was supposed to be but a contemporary with Solomon the son of David. If the Greeks had been acquainted with the songs of Moses, which I have men- tioned, or the Romans had ever know the odes of David, and amongst the rest this admirable elegy, they would never have spoke of the Jews with so much contempt, as a rude and barbar- ous people; at, least I am persuaded their poets would have con- ceived a much better opinion of them, when they found them so far exceed any thing that their own nations had ever produced. I believe I might fairly challenge all the antiquity of the heathens to present us with an ode of more beautiful sentiments, and great- er elegance, than this lamentation over Saul and. Jonathan. It is rehearsed in the scripture indeed, but perhaps not written by inspiration, for there is scarce any thing of God or religion in it. David the mere man was a sublime poet, and God made him a prophet. I have seen this piece several times in an English dress, but none of them have given me any more satisfaction, than perhaps I shall give to those who read mine. It was a mere admiration of this Hebrew song that set my imagination at work, in this attempt to imitate. I shall here first transcribe it from the scripture, though it is impossible that it should appear at this distance of time, and in our language, with half,:the lustre in which it stood in that ago and nation when it was written. 2 Sam. i. 17. " And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his'son. 19. The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places : How are the mighty fallen ! 20. Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings : for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though, he had not been anointed with oil. 22. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul re- turned not empty. 23. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
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