Volume 1

A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice.

  • Andrew Brice
Date:
1759
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A universal geographical dictionary; or, grand gazetter. Of general, special, antient and modern geography: including a comprehensive view of the various countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America; more especially of the British dominions and settlements throughout the world ... / by Andrew Brice. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    made it hisPlac^ of Refidence, II. Sam. v. j, 55, 9. and this is commonly call’d 7, ion, or the City of David, Pfa. xlviii. Ufc. I. Chron. xi. 5. The Name Jerufalem, 'tis fuppos’d, either firft began, or firft got the better of the other, under Solomon. According to the Pronunciation of the Maforites it is fpelt JerouJhalaim, but to that of the Chaldee, in Holy Writ, JerouJhelcm; which is much the fame as the Greek 'iSpccrctAvy., & our Jerufalem. The Greeks & Latins call’d it alfo Solyma. As to its Attribute Holy, it has not been gi¬ ven to it by the Rabbies only : Ifaiah (xlviii. 2.) tells us that the Ifraelitcs call themfelves of the Holy City, and Nchetniah twice calls it by that Title (xi. 1. 18.): All which fuffici- ently (hews it was gen. fo called. In the N. Tell, the fame Title is fev. Times given it. Mat. iv. 5. and elfewheres. It bears Name of the City of God in Pfa. xlvi. 4., In Jerem. iii. 17. collected with Ezek. xliii. 7. Joel iii. 17. Zach. viii. 3. we read it fhall be called the Throne of the Lord, fojhua gave it to the Tribe of Benjamin; tho’ it flood fo near the Bord. of Judah that one Part of it flood in their Territory. ’Tis not eafy precifely to determine the Extent of this City in its differ. Changes. Its moftantient State of Perfection was under the flourilhing Reign of Solomon, when (having been before embellifhed by David) it appear’d in its greateft Lu- ltre. Its Circumference at firft is fuppofed abt. 7 or 8 Stadia, or 1 m. Roman. ’Twas certainly twice, probably thrice, as large under Solomon. After the Captivity, it rebuilt took up as much Space as before. According to Jofephus its whole Circumf. was 33 Stadia, or about 4 m. & 125 Paces. But Hecateus, who deferibed it fuch as it was in his Time under Ptolemy Lagus, gives it no lefsthan 50 Stadia, probably in¬ cluding the Out-parts not properly belonging to it. His Af- fertion that there were in it 120,000 Inhabitants is very pro¬ bable; or they rather feem too few for fuch an Extent of 4 m. Jofephus reckons, in the Siege perilh’d 1,100,000 Men, befides 97,000 taken Prifoners during the War; and that this,may gain more Credit he adds, that in Ctefas's Enrol¬ ment on Eafer-day were counted 255,600 Lambs. Now there were not lefs than 1 o Men to each Lamb; fo that the Number of but the Purified accord, to the Law, befides the' reft, muft have been 2,556,000. But this large Number mull be on acct. of the prodigious Refort of the People from other Towns, &c. &c. at that Time. The Situation was extremely advantageous. The agreeable Variety of rifing Grounds with which it was encompafled (Pfa. cxxxv. 2.), the fruitful Meadows that lay between, interfperfed with clear Rivulets and wholefome Streams (II. Chron. xxxii. 3, 4), the Hills on which it flood, which rofe gradually one behind another, 8c look’d like a natural Amphitheater, made up as pleafing and delightful a ProfpeCt as can well be con¬ ceived. The 2 Iargeft Hills were Zion 8c Acra, diredtlyop- poffte to each other. On Morija, whofe Compafs might be abt. 3 qrs. m. Solomon built the Temple. Zion bounded to S. the whole Circumference, and reached fr. W. to E. The W. Side wat higheft, and bounded by the Valley of Hinnom, as the E. by that of JehoJhaphat, which ’tis thought joined the other towards S. Here were fev. Springs of exceeding good Water, partic. Gihon [See the Article] or Shiloh (Ifa. viii. 6. John ix. 7.) as fome have thought that Shiloh was a Street of Gihon. And ’tis true that the Word fignifies Sent, according to the Etymology given of it in John ix. 7. where ’tis alfo called Pool. Zion had another Valley to N. that lined it from one End to another, by Jofephus named the Val¬ ley of the Cheefemongers. Accord, to Jofephus, then, Jerufa- lem was built upon the 2 Hills Zion 8c Acra, thus oppofite, & feparated by the faid Valley. Zion being higheft, on it flood the high City, in his Time called the high Market-place. The lower flood upon Acra. The principal Ward or Quarter was called the City of David, on Top of Zion, to W. This was a Fortification which enclos’d that King's Palace; and ’tis likely that near this afterw. flood that of Herod, which ferv’d as a Citadel. See Article ACRA, ANTONIA, BARIS. To W. of that Fort was Mizpah, one of the Quarters, div. into 2 Parts, (Nehem. iii. 15.) in one of which was the Ar- fenal, to E. of the above Fortrefs. Another Quarter, div. into 2 Parts, bears the Name of Jerufalem (Neh. iii. 9, 1 2.) which had 2 Rulers each of half that Quarter. This is the Part Jofephus calls the City with refpeft to the Citadel, and both together made the Upper City. It was alfo furnamed the Daughter of Zion, as being built after it. Three other Quarters might, it feems, be look’d for in Acra, viz. Be- thakerem, Bethzur, and Keilah. All that we know of the Streets Names is, there was one named Haophim, i. e. Ba¬ ker s-free t, Jer.xxxvii. 21. Others probably bore Names of Trades, like as the above Cheefemongers Valley did. As 727 dicious Critick obferves, that it, Rehob, properly is an opcii Place, 8c is ufed to fignify the Place, or Square, of a Town, Judg. xix. 15. In Efher iv. 6. it feems made a Place for, Courtiers to walk in. In the Rebob of Jerufalem (II. Chr. xxxii. 6.) Ezekiah aflembled his Generals, and made a Speech to them. The People were gathered together in a Rehob of the Temple (Ezrax. 9.), and the Priefts and I.e- vites in the E. Rehob (II. Chr. xxix. 4.): We may then fup- pofe thefe two to have been Parts of the vacant Space that furrounded the Courts of the Temple. There was a Rehoh near the Water-Gate (Neh. viii. 1. 4.) which muft have been vaftly large, fince it contain’d all the People of both Sexes, that flock’d thither from all Parts, to hear Ezra read the Law upon a Stage eredted at one End of the Place, the whole Aflembly facing him. Add the Rehob of the Gate of Ephraim, ver. 16. As to Millo, fee Articles CITY OF DA¬ VID & MILLO. Mean while, it may be fuppofed a Place of Exercife, fuch as the Canipus Martins at Rome. In Zion Quarter King David's Palace flood on Top of Zion, in the Midft of a Portrefs (II. Sam. v. g, 11.), to which was a Flight of Steps to go up (Neh. iii. 15.). To N. of thefe Stairs flood the Tomb of David. At their Bottom was the Houfe of the Mighty (ver. 16.); which may be fuppofed the Guard-Houfe to the Palace, or at leaft the Station of fome Chief Commanders, without whofe Leave no one was per¬ mitted to go up to the Houfe; fuch as, it may be imagined; the 37 Worthies, among whom was Uriah the Hittite (II. Sam. xxiii. 8—39.). Next was the Arfenal, or Armory (Neh. iii. 19.): And not far fr. that, nearer the City’s Cen¬ tre, if not the High-Prieft’s Palace, at leaft a Pontifical one (ver. 20.); from which little faid of it, it is gathered that it was a fpacious Building. As to Solomon s Palace of Palaces, the Books of Kings indeed mention Three Houles built by him* The firft they call the Houfe where he dwelt, (I. Kings vii. 1. 8.) the 2d the Houfe of the Foreft of Lebanon, (ver. 2) and the 3d that for Pharaoh's Daughter, ver. 8.; but this latter is fuppos’d to have been only a fpacious Apart¬ ment added to the iff Houfe. The Word Beth is often ta¬ ken inthatSenfe; as, when Rebekah runs to her Mother’s \betb~\ Apartment or Lodging, Gen. xxiv. 28. And fo is the Houfe of the Women to be underftood in Efh. ii. 9. the faid Houfe probably not being feparate fr. the King’s, but Part of it. The Situation of this for Pharaoh's Daughter is not difficultly fix’d : For, on one Side, this Palace was aim. parallel to the Water-gate, Neh. iii., and on the other there was a Communication between it and the Temple, by means of a Terrace built by Solomon over the Valley, I. Kings vi. The Houfe of the Foreft of Lebanon is by many fuppofed but another Wing of the Palace, and that it took fuch its Name from the Cedars of Lebanon, that may have been the chief Material. Not far from this Palace, ’tis conjeftur’d, was the Mattara, tranflated Prifon, in Neh. iii. 25. compar. with Jerem. xxxii. 2.; but, if it was, ’twas only like the Tovser of London, or fomewhat fuch: For in the Court of it Jeremiah, tho’ confin’d, had a good deal of Liberty, fince ’twas here he made the Purchafe of anEftate in Prefence of fev. Witneffes, 8c of all the Jews that lived there, ver. 12. Other Reafons there are to conclude it differ, fr. •a.Prifon commonly fo call’d. As to the Station of the Nethinims, Neh. iii. 26. 31. ’tis faid indeed they dwelt in Ophel, E. near the Valley. But Cri- ticks obferve their Mojhab, or Dwelling, fliould not, ’tis prefum’d, be confounded with their Beth, Houfe, or as in our Verfion their Place. Then followed the Hall, or Place of the Merchants, or Retailers, Harojhelim, ver. 31, 32. who are imagined to be the fame as the Collybifm, or Money¬ changers, Mat. xxi. 12. and parallel in Mark and John ; a fort of Dealers very ufeful at the Gate of the Temple, where Numbers of Strangers reforted from all Parts. But N.ward flood the Governor’s Houfe, in Acra, near the Gate of Ephraim. Our Tranflation has the Throne of the Governor, and it might be called his Court. ’Twas like the Roman Praetorium, and had in it a Tribunal, or a Seat, which properly is what is in Hebrew meant by Kiffe, Neh. iii. 7. This too is the prim. Signification of Throne in Greek, fr. whence that Word in Englijh is deriv’d. As to Walls 3 David built round abt. Millo, and inward, II. Sam. v. 7-9. Solomon built the Wall of Jerufalem (I.Kin. ix. 1 5.). Jehoajh King of Ifrael broke down this Wall, II. Kin. xiv. r 3. Of Jotham we read. On the Wall of Ophel he built much. This lay to S. E. Hezekiah built up all the Wall that Jchoalh broke down, and another Wall without, II. Chron. xxxii. 5. Ma- naffeh built as we may find written in II. Chron. xxxiii. 14. Here you have aim. the whole Circuit of Jerufalem fr. S. tar N.by W. & to S. E. Laftly, ’tis reported, that when the City