Types of mankind, or, Ethnological researches, based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history / illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz, W. Usher, and H.S. Patterson ; by J.C. Nott and Geo. R. Gliddon.

  • Nott, Josiah C. (Josiah Clark), 1804-1873.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Types of mankind, or, Ethnological researches, based upon the ancient monuments, paintings, sculptures, and crania of races, and upon their natural, geographical, philological and Biblical history / illustrated by selections from the inedited papers of Samuel George Morton and by additional contributions from L. Agassiz, W. Usher, and H.S. Patterson ; by J.C. Nott and Geo. R. Gliddon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    655/800 (page 599)
    “ Peradventure, shall the statue of stone [an Assyrian bas-relief?] from the wall cry out? The cricket [scarabaeus, or beetle] from out of the wood will it respond?” (85) There is a verse of another prophet that Lanci restores, in which our forty-seven have metamorphosed famines into “young men,” and sorrows into “maids.” J. — Zechariah ix. 17. “ Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.” The “ Sons of Temperance” may not be pleased with the moral, but the Daughters will not fail to appreciate an emendation that relieves their antique sisters from the charge of unfeminine indulgences. The old Vulgate had translated — “ For, what is the goodness of God, what is his glory, if not the corn of the elect, and the wine which fecundates the virgins ?” Vatablus and Pagnini make “ confusion worse confounded” by reading — “The corn which makes the young men sing, and the new wine of the girls.” But, based upon radicals preserved in Arabic, our teacher proposes: — “ What is more sweet and more agreeable than corn in scarcities, and wine that fortifies in afflictions ?” (86) “ Per saltum,” inasmuch as in the chaos of our memoranda of false-translalions orderly classification is inconvenient, while to our objects quite unnecessary, we open — K. — Genesis xxiii. 9, 17, 19. “ The cave of Machpela” — purchased by Abraham for Sarah’s inhumation — to remark, that the word Machpela which, according to our authorized verity, seems a “ proper name,” is grammatically, in Semitic tongues, “a thing contracled-for;” so that, it is as vain for tourists in Palestine to search for Machpela, as for biblical chorographers to define its latitude and longitude. (87) L. — 1 Samuel xix. 13. “And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goat’s hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.” Manifold were the sins of David, but idolatry was certainly not one of the number; although scandalous suspicions have been rife in regard to this image. Commentators have likewise expounded how the image being laid in the bed, and covered up with the bed-clothes, the messengers supposed that the invalid whom they were sent to slay (v. 11) was asleep therein: but we are told: — M. — 1 Samuel xix. 16. “ And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goat’s hair for his bolster:” whence it is evident that the forty-seven deemed the “ image ” to be of the masculine gender. Their notions of an Oriental bed too must have been peculiar, in England, two hundred and fifty years ago, when a “pillow” was made to serve for a “bolster;” and such a hirsute contrivance ! However, having commenced rolling down hill, they reach the bottom through a series of cascades that would excite Homeric smiles were not “ God’s word” the sufferer: as may be seen by the subjoined restitution; after comprehending that Michal. the astute daughter of king Saul, was a princess in whose “ trousseau ” were doubtless many of the crown regalia: — “ Michal took her casket full of jewels, and placed it upon the bed ; whence were reflected magnificent splendors; and she hid them with a curtain [ ? coverlid].” . . . “ The messengers having arrived, 0 surprise! the jewels [being] upon the bed, from their summits was thrown out a magnificence of splendors.” (88) (85) Op. tit.; 1. p. 283; — C.unsx, xii. p, 115, also reads differently from our version; but see his note 11. (86) Sag. Sent.; ch. ii. g 1; — Cahen, xii. p. 156, follows the Rabbis. (87) Paralip.; i. p. 144. (88) Sag. Scrit.; ch. vii. 4. The note, 13, of Cahen, vii. p. 76, shows how the text puzzled him. Lanci, op. cif, proves that in no place are TfeRaP/iIM “idols.”