lay within their province, or without it, exprefly ascribe it to the agency now mentioned (1 Sam. xvi. 15.): Behold now an evil Spirit from God troubleth thee. They then proceed to prescribe in the following manner; Let our lord now command the fervants which are before thee, to feek out a man who is a cunning player on the harp; and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. COMMENTATORS, who afcribe this dif order to natural caufes, abound with learned reasonings and quotations, to prove the power of mufick in cafes of this kind; and particularly urge that proof from Seneca, (de Ira, 1. iii. c. 9.) that Pythagoras quieted the perturbations of the mind with a harp *. And, poffibly, fo he might but as we are not told whence thofe perturbations proceeded, his having done fo, no way affects the question before us. All that we know of, is, that * Pythagoras perturbationes animi lyra componebat. Thuanus tells us, (tom. 3. Buckley's edit. 1.57. fect. 19.) that after the Parisian maffacre, Charles the Ninth was wont to have his fleep disturbed by nightly horrors, and was composed to reft by a symphony of finging-boys. we of we have reason to believe, from the example of Elifha, 2 Kings iii. (nor will the best philofophy forbid us) that quieting the perturbations of the mind, is abfolutely neceflary towards receiving the facred influence of the Spirit of GOD. And if fo, then may we fairly conclude, that the fame state of mind which fits us for the influence of good spirits, as naturally unfits us for the influence of fuch as are evil and therefore the fame power mufick which quieted Elifba's rage and indignation against the idolatrous Jehoram *, and fitted him for the agency of the Holy Spirit of GOD, might, for the fame reason, by quieting Saul's unruly paffions, unfit him for the agency of the evil spirit which troubled him, and, of confequence, work his cure for that time. And accordingly we are affured by the facred historian, that David was recommended to Saul, on this occafion, by one of his fervants, to play before him; that he was fent for accordingly; that his father immediately dispatched him with a final prefent of bread and wine to the *That the prophet was in a rage against him, appears evidently from his answer; Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and the prophets of thy mother. king; and that his mufick had the desired effect. And if we fuppofe Jofephus's account of this matter to be true, that David added fongs and hymns to the harmony of his harp, (hymns that repressed the suggestions of the evil fpirit) what is it which the united power of fuch mufick, and fuch poetry, might not effect? And that he did fo, is, I think, more than probable; first, because he excelled both in voice and poetry; and it was natural he should, on this occafion, exert his talents; fecondly, because he could not but know, that fuch united accomplishments would at once more endear him to Saul, and be more effectual to his amendment; and, thirdly, because this was the known fubfequent practice and praise of all the celebrated bards of antiquity. Nor have I the least doubt, but that the distinguished honours paid in after-ages to those who excelled on the harp, added to those high and known epithets of divine, infpired by God, and honoured by the people, were derived from the tradition of David's infpira * Xenocrates, we are told, cured madness by the harmony of verfe. Alexander ab Alexandro, Gemal. lib. 2. cap. 17. tion, and the honours heaped upon him both by Almighty GOD, and the whole realm of Ifrael. THIS beft accounts for Homer's * seating the divine Demodocus (introduced by an herald) on a filver ftudded throne, in the most honourable part of the affembly, and at a fingle and separate table, like an eastern prince; and at another time placing him (in the middle of the affembly) as the Ifraelites did Eli the high-priest in the height of his dignity, on a feat against a pillar; and crowning all with the appellation of the hero Demodocus *; honours utterly abfurd, and unaccountable, even in this age of mufical ido latry, * It appears from Sir Ifaac Newton's Chronology, that Homer flourished about one hundred and fifty years after David; and that the Phenicians, who fled from Zidon and from David, under Cadmus, Phanix, &c. carried letters, mufick, and poetry into Greece. These men could not but know the true character of their conqueror; and letters being then in ufe, it was easy to derive it to their posterity, tho' their hatred of him might make them conceal or change his name. Τῷ δ ̓ ἄρα Ποντίνοος θῆκε θρόνον ἀργυρόηλον παρ' latry, upon any other than the foregoing fuppofition. As the recommendation now made to Saul of David, is very remarkable, the reader will not, I hope, be displeased to dwell a little upon it: Then answered one of the fervants, and faid, Behold, I have seen a fon of Jesse παρ' δ ̓ ἐτίθει τράπεζαν πολυμητις Οδυσεύς Νώτο ἀπὸ ποτάμων. Πᾶσι γὰρ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐπιχθονίοισιν ἄοιδοι Τιμῆς ἔμμοροι εἰσὶ κ' αἰδῶς. Ηρῶι Δημοδόκῳ. "OM HP. 'Ofvas. . Be there Demodocus, the bard of fame, The herald now arrives, and guides along High on a radiant throne, fublime in state, Before his feat a polish'd table shines. v.65. Lives there a man beneath the spacious skies, POPE's Odyff. the |