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plied themselves to him as the principal person in the government then there, with confused cries that he knew not what to make of; but upon his giving leave to Paul to explain the affair in their hearing, they grew into more violent rage than ever, but not daring to attempt doing themselves justice as before, they demanded justice much in the same manner as the Persian peasants now do, by loud cries; throwing down with apparent anguish their clothes on the ground, after tearing them in pulling them off with violent emotions, and throwing up dust.

I have, in another volume, touched upon this circumstance of the history of St. Luke, and recited the sentiments of two different gentlemen on this throwing up the dust; but as both of them may appear rather too refined and far fetched, I thought it proper to set down Sir John Chardin's account of the way of applying for justice in Persia, which very exactly tallies with the account here given of the Jews, and leads us to consider their conduct, merely as a demand of justice from the Roman commandant in Jerusalem, according to the usual Asiatic form, which continues to this day.

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OBSERVATION XL.

Of the Bastinado in the East.

THE feet as well as the hands of criminals are wont to be secured, some how or other, by the people of the East, when they are brought out to be punished, to which there seems to be a plain allusion in the Old Testament.

Thus when Irwin was among the Arabs of Upper Egypt, where he was very ill-used,. but his wrongs afterwards redressed by the great Sheikh there, who had been absent, and who, it seems, was a man of exemplary probity and virtue; he tells us, that upon that Sheikh's holding a great court of justice, about Irwin's affairs and those of his companions, the bastinado was given to one of those who had injured them, which he thus describes in a note, p. 271: "The prisoner is placed upright on the ground, with his hands and feet bound together, while the executioner stands before him, and, with a short stick, strikes him with a smart motion on the outside of his knees. The pain which arises from these strokes is exquisitely severe, and which no constitution can support for any continuance."

As the Arabs are extremely remarkable for their retaining old customs, we have just grounds of believing, that when malefactors in the East were punished, by beating, and

perhaps with death by the sword, their hands were bound together, and also their feet.

How impertinent, according to this, is the interpretation that Victorinus Strigelius gives of 2 Sam. iii. 34! as he is cited by Bishop Patrick in his Commentary on those words: The king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him.

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Strigelius," says the Bishop, "thinks that David in these words, distinguishes him from those criminals, whose hands being tied behind them, are carried to execution; and from those idle soldiers, who being taken captive in war, have fetters clapt upon their legs, to keep them from running away. He was none of these; neither a notorious offender, nor a coward.".... Patrick adds, "The plain meaning seems. to be; that if his enemy had set upon him openly, he had been able to make his part good with him."

How impertinent the latter part of what Strigelius says! how foreign from the thought of David, not to say inconsistent with itself, the explanation of the English prelate! What is meant appears to be simply this: Died Abner as a fool, that is, as a bad man, as that word frequently signifies in the Scriptures? Died he as one found on judgment to be criminal, dieth? No! Thy hands, O Abner! were not bound as being found such, nor thy feet confined; on

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the contrary, thou wert treated with honour by him whose business was to judge thee, and thy attachment to the house of Saul esteemed rather generous than culpable: as the best of men may fall, so fellest thou by the sword of treachery, not of justice!

OBSERVATION XLI.

Prompt and arbitrary Executions frequent in the East.

BRITONS, who are used to slowness and solemnity of procedure, with regard to supposed criminals; who always expect that a number of independent persons should be concerned in determining their fate, and those their equals in rank; who find a considerable length of time is wont to intervene between condemnation and execution; and this execution openly performed, in the presence of all who choose to attend ; are wont to be surprised, as well as pained, on reading accounts of the Oriental privacy, rapidity, and silent submission of their great men, when they are put to death, which appear both in the Turkish and Persian histories.

What Thevenot' says, concerning the manner of putting great men among the Turks to death, is confirmed by a great multitude of other writers. When, it seems, the enemies of a ' Part 1, ch. 46.

上 A jury of their peers.

great man have gained influence enough over the prince, to procure a warrant for his death, a capidgi (the name of the officer who executes these orders) is sent to him, who "shews him the order he has to carry back his head; the other takes the Grand Signior's order, kisses it, puts it on his head in sign of respect, and then having performed his ablution, and said his prayers, freely gives up his head: the capidgi having strangled him (or caused servants whom he brought purposely with him to do it) cuts off his head, and brings it to Constantinople. Thus they blindly obey the Grand Signior's order, the servants never offer to hinder the executioner, though these capidges come very often with few or no attendants at all."

Sir John Chardin gives a similar account of the silent, hasty, and unobstructed manner of putting the great men of Persia to death.Much the same method, it seems, was used by the ancient Jewish princes. Benaiah was the capidgi, to use the modern Turkish term, who was sent by Solomon to put Adonijah, a prince of the blood, to death;" and Joab, the commander of the army in chief." A capidgi, in like manner, beheaded John the Baptist in prison, and carried his head away with him to the court of Herod the Tetrarch, So a capidgi was sent to take off the head of the Prophet Elisha, by King Jehoram; but the exen Ver. 29, 30, 31. m 1 Kings ii. 25.

• Matt. xiv. 10, 11.

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