HIRAM THE GREAT.
(1046—990 B. C.)
BUILDING OF DAVID'S PALACE—THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN TYRUS AND ISRAEL—BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE BY HIRAM—THE COMMERCE AND FLEETS OF TYRUS—THE CAUSES OF HER WEALTH AND POWER—POLICY WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES, &c.—DEATH OF HIRAM—HIS CHARACTER.
1046 B. C.] David had been King of Judah ten years, and Monarch over all Israel two years, when Hiram ascended the throne of Tyrus. The intimacy and friendship between David and Abibal were continued upon the death of the latter, by his son and representative, Hiram;—for it is recorded that the Tyrian King sent to David, at Jerusalem, Messengers of Peace, Architects and Sculptors, and even materials to erect a Cedar Palace for the Monarch of Israel:—a royal gift, as magnificent as it was original, and (in our reading) we do not remember that it was ever imitated. He was indeed "a lover of David."
1043 B. C.] "And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David,—and cedar trees, [from Lebanon] and carpenters and masons; and they built David a house." (i. e. Palace.) [2 Samuel v. 11, 12.]
In the Hebrew the word "masons" is defined to be "hewers of the stone of the wall,"—i. e. Sculptors:—the common workmen are identified by a term, as expressive as can be desired for illustrating the rudiment of the art,—viz., stone-squarers. [1 Kings v. 18.]
"And Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stone-SQUARERS."
For two years previous to the death of the warlike David, he gathered material for building the Temple of Jerusalem, which by Prophecy was to be erected by his son Solomon, [i. e. the peaceable]—for no Sovereign whose life had been passed in the battle-field, and amid scenes of warfare and carnage, could erect (except in mockery) a Temple to The Peaceful GOD. During this period David commanded that the Sculptors, who were "strangers" in the land of Israel, should be gathered for the purpose of commencing the Sculpture for the great edifice. These "strangers" were, without doubt, Tyrians. They had furnished Cedar for the building, and they were, also, the skilful artists to work in all kinds of metals. This calling forth of foreign artists to build and decorate The Temple, is a conclusive proof that the Israelites were not practical Architects or Sculptors. The Tyrians had already built for David his regal Palace at Jerusalem, and were, therefore, naturally received with every courtesy by the Israelites, and many probably remained in the country. In illustration of the previous remarks, the following extracts are given from the 1st Book of Chronicles [ch. xii.]:
"And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel: and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God" (i. e. The Temple).
From this quotation it would appear that the stones were "wrought," or put into shape, by common workmen of Israel (i. e. the "Stone-squarers"); and thus subsequently the "Strangers" (i. e. Tyrians) were to "hew" the stones—i. e. Sculpture them. David gathered material of all metals,—and the only wood he obtained appears to have been the Cedar from Lebanon, and for this he was indebted to the Tyrians.
"Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David."
The following is part of David's address to Solomon, and refers to the accomplished Tyrians, as will be shewn hereafter.
"Timber [cedar] and Stone have I prepared: and thou mayst add thereto. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning [i. e. skilful] men for every manner of work."
1015 B. C.] Hiram of Tyrus had reigned 31 years when David died. Solomon having been anointed King during the last year of his father's life, was already in possession of the regal power. Upon the ascension of the "wise" Sovereign of Jerusalem, the Monarch of the Tyrians instantly sent ambassadors to congratulate him on the event.
"And Hiram king of Tyre sent servants [ambassadors] unto Solomon: for he had heard that they had anointed him King in the room of his father; for Hiram was ever a lover of David." [1 Kings v. 1.]
Solomon, appreciating the proffered friendship of Hiram, and having resolved to build The Temple to the One God, sent the following message to the Tyrian monarch, for artists and materials to erect the edifice:
"As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense and for the continual shew-bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, and on the new-moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. And the house which I build is great, for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?—who am I, then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him? Send me now, therefore, a man cunning to work in gold and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and in crimson, and in blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide [i. e. did bring from Tyrus.] Send me, also, cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon; and behold my servants [labourers] shall be with thy servants [artists] even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great. And behold I will give to thy servants the hewers [carvers] that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil." [2 Chron, ii. 3—10.]
In answer to these propositions for artists and material to build the first Religious Temple in Israel, Hiram sent his acceptance of the proposal in writing. Believing, as we do, that the spoken languages of the two nations (Tyrus and Israel) at this period were the same (with such slight variations as localities might produce), the answer being in writing confirms that opinion, for it is not probable that the Tyrian monarch would send his autograph letter in a language not to be read or understood by Solomon. Upon the elevation of Solomon to the throne of his father, Hiram sent an ambassador to congratulate him. Solomon replied by an ambassador,—that was the ancient custom; and if to foreign nations speaking a different language, an interpreter attended the embassy,—but here none appears to have attended, and so far from being necessary, Hiram sent his last response in writing,—the Bearer of the Despatch, without doubt, was a special Envoy. A full investigation of the dispersion of languages will be given in the second volume.
"Then Huram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon," [as follows] Because the Lord hath loved his people he hath made thee king over them. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made Heaven and earth, who hath given David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord and an house for his kingdom. And now I have sent a cunning man endued with understanding,—of Huram my father's—[i. e. his father's especial artist],—the son of a woman of the Daughter of Dan [i. e. of the Tribe of Dan], and his father was a man of Tyre,—skilful to work in gold and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber; in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson: also, to grave any manner of graving, and to find out [i. e. to invent] every device which shall be put to him with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father. [Both Father and Son gathered those artists from the Tyrians.] Now, therefore, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my Lord hath spoken of, let him send it unto his servants:—and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats [i. e., rafts] by sea to Joppa The above artist,—the Tyrian Phidias,—whose genius seems to have been universal, had been named in compliment after the reigning monarch of his country,—viz., Hiram,—and the Tyrian love of the Arts may be gathered from the fact that the "King's namesake was the artist-ambassador from Hiram to the King of Israel. This special Envoy might, also, have been selected in compliment to Solomon, for the artist's widowed mother was an Israelite, of the Tribe of Dan [the 1st Book of Kings states of the tribe of Naphtali], his father was a Tyrian, and also, doubtless renowned for works of art,—as it was the Tyrian, as well as the Egyptian custom, for the son to be of the same profession or trade as the father; thence the numerous pilots and mariners of Tyrus. The same custom prevails at this day in the ancient institutions of China, upon the principle that as a king's son shall be king, so shall every son be as the father. For what the ambassadorial artist accomplished the reader is referred to the Books of Kings and Chronicles,—a higher compliment was never paid to the Arts than by the appointment of an Architect and Sculptor to be a monarch's ambassador to a foreign King, and his representative at the building of the chief Temple of a powerful potentate; and as if to give peculiar character to the Tyrian Envoy's reception at Jerusalem, Solomon deputed a delegation to proceed to Tyrus, for the purpose of escorting him to Israel, that the chief artist of The Temple should have those honours conferred upon him, which were alike demanded by the solemnity of the occasion, the amity of the King of Tyrus, and the intellectual character of the artist-envoy. "And Solomon sent and fetched Hiram [the artist] out of Tyre. [1 Kings vii. 13.] Hiram the King not only, through his artists, built The Temple of Jerusalem for Solomon, but also his "house [cedar palace] of the forest of Lebanon," and a palace for his Egyptian wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. For these services Hiram received the promised gift of Solomon,—viz., 20,000 bushels of flour ("beaten wheat"), 20,000 bushels of wheat, and of wine and oil 150,000 gallons each,—for an "Epha" or "bath of wine," is a fraction more than seven-and-a-half gallons. In addition to the above, which may be received as for the Temple only, there was also, a Treaty of peace and amity drawn up between the two neighbouring kings,—to the effect that Hiram should receive an annual payment,—that might have been for the two Palaces erected after The Temple. "And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures ("baths") of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon:—and they two made a LEAGUE together:" [1 Kings v. 11, 12.] The last line of the previous quotation,—viz., and Hiram and Solomon "made a league together," may have reference to a fact mentioned by Tatian, who followed the records of three Phœnician historians,—viz., that Hiram gave his daughter [we think his sister] in marriage to King Solomon, and that it was through her influence that he was seduced to worship Astartē, the Tyrian Goddess. This record by Tatian is apparently supported by Scripture itself. "But King Solomon loved many strange women together [besides] with the daughter of Pharaoh [Egypt], women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, and Sidonians" [Tyrians.] * * * "And it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods." * * * "For Solomon went after Ashtoreth [Astartē] the goddess of the Sidonians" [Tyrians.] "And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods." [1 Kings xi.] The King of Israel having broken his nation's law by marrying out of his kingdom,—as by his union with a daughter of Egypt,—it would naturally appear to him to be no increase of the misdemeanor by intermarrying with a Tyrian Princess; and believing that this event must have been some years subsequent to the building of The Temple, we have, therefore, hazarded the date at 1000 B. C. The wealth expended by Solomon in the building The Temple,—his Palaces,—and that attending his household, had greatly impoverished the national treasury, and led to excessive taxation; and this was the chief cause (after his death) of the Rebellion of the Ten Tribes from their brethren at Jerusalem, when those taxes were to be continued. It must have been upon the exhaustion of the national treasury by Solomon, that he obtained from Hiram loans of money,—to be paid, not in kind, but in cities;—and this borrowing by the magnificent monarch must have continued for a score of years. The Tyrian King, however, refused to receive the proffered cities or lands, as being unworthy of the donor or the receiver, and he thereupon affixed upon the gift a name, which is now as unpleasant to a Briton's ear, as it must have been to the King of Israel. The Tyrian monarch, to prove that he was not personally offended (and perhaps to shew his superior wealth), sent to Solomon a present of gold, in value over 600,000l. at that period. [992 B. C.] "And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses,—the house of the Lord, and the king's house (now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar-trees and fir-trees, and with gold according to all his desire), that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they pleased him not. [Hebrew, 'were not right in his eyes,'] and he [Hiram] said, 'What cities are these which thou hast given me, my Brother?' And he called them the Land of Cabul [i. e. displeasing] unto this day. And Hiram sent to the king six-score talents of gold." [1 Kings ix. 10—14.] From the expression "my brother," it would seem (as we before hinted) that Solomon married the sister, and not the daughter of Hiram, although it may be regarded as an expression of royalty. It scarcely admits of a question which of the two monarchs exerted their royalty in the greatest splendour,—whether it regards wealth or the arts and sciences. Jewish historians have elevated Solomon, truly at the expense of Hiram,—for it is expressly stated in the Bible, that for "twenty years" Hiram supplied Solomon not only with material and artists for building his Temple and Palaces, but with money,—"with gold according to all his desire,"—and added to this, (which will be shewn in the next pages,) Hiram supplied a navy for his "brother," for the voyages to Ophir and Tarshish. It should also be remarked that the liberality of Hiram's character, and his toleration in matters of Religion, are without their parallels in Ancient History. This was known to David and Solomon, for no other monarch but that of Tyrus is applied to for building and decorating The Temple. This would not have been unnatural, or unreasonable, had Hiram been of the same practical Religion as that of Israel,—but he was essentially an Heathen King, and erected in his own metropolis the most gorgeous temples and golden statues to Jupiter, Apollo, and the minor gods, and their splendour may be estimated by what he erected for his friend at Jerusalem. The language of Solomon must have offended any mind less liberal than that of Hiram's, for in his message to the Tyrian he says: "And the house which I build is great, for great is our (my) God, above all gods." [i. e. pluralities.] This is a direct allusion to the worship of Hiram, who believed that Jupiter and Apollo were the Gods of "all Gods,"—but, so far from resenting the unintentional rebuke by Solomon, he actually bestows a blessing upon the worship of his ally, though opposed to his own, for in his letter he writes: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," and that his actions should be in keeping with his words, he forthwith entered into a Treaty to build the first Temple to the ever-living and the only God at Jerusalem. Had not Hiram been king of Tyrus, he was worthy to have been monarch of Israel; for the mind that could have acted as his own did, upon so august and solemn an occasion, was already prepared to reject plurality, and believe in The One God. What a contrast does Hiram's character present to all the Roman monarchs, from Tiberius to Maxentius, when in a similar position from the introduction of Christianity! From the foregone description of the Tyrian arts and artists (and for details the Books of Kings and Chronicles will testify) it will not be questioned whether from personal knowledge and skill, they could have built the Cities and Temples lately discovered in the Western Hemisphere; but more especially is the question now inadmissible, from the fact, that the styles of the architecture of the Temples at Jerusalem and Palenque, we have shewn to be analagous if not identical. Scripture does not warrant any Historian in writing that the Israelites had a Knowledge of Navigation. It has, however, been often stated that they had, because Solomon "made a Navy:"—but, the sense is, that he gathered a navy,—and this is proved from the fact that Hiram furnished that identical "navy" for the King of Israel. Navigation was the only point in Tyrian policy, in which they resolved to have no rivals,—and to prevent it, they supplied expeditions for other countries,—Galleys, Pilots, and Mariners;—they formed Treaties for this purpose with nations with whom they were on terms of amity. Hiram followed the National policy at this time with Solomon,—and the Tyrians did the same subsequently with the Egyptian. Writers in attributing to the Israelites a knowledge of Navigation, quote from the first Book of Kings [ix. 26]. 992 B. C.] "And King Solomon made a navy of Ships in Ezion-Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom,"—but those writers avoid quoting the succeeding verses,—and two in 2 Chronicles [viii. 17, 18]. "And Hiram sent in the navy his servants,—shipmen [i. e. pilots and mariners] that have a knowledge of the Sea,—with the servants ["common-hands">[ of Solomon." "Then went Solomon to Ezion-Geber, and to Eloth, at the Sea-side [Red Sea] in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent him by the hands of his servants,—Ships, and servants that had a knowledge of the Sea"—[i. e. pilots and mariners]. Now this last quotation has reference to the same voyage,—and it is there shewn that the Tyrians actually built the ships:—they were probably framed and fashioned at Tyrus,—then taken in parts over land, (for Hiram "sent them")—and that is the only way the timbers could have reached the Red Sea, from the Mediterranean,—and then the ships were built or put together, by the Tyrians at Ezion-Geber,—and from thence they commenced their voyage to Ophir, (although some doubt the locality) on the shores of India, and their return cargo was "420 talents of gold." [i. e. two millions and a quarter sterling.] We are anxious to establish the fact that the Israelites had no Knowledge of Navigation, and that upon the authority of Holy-Writ,—for the Aborigines of North America (who are descendants of Israel) have no nautical knowledge in its enlarged sense,—and, therefore, an analogy will be proved by the absence of Commercial Knowledge. In concluding the reign of the most renowned of the Tyrian Kings, the record of whom is placed beyond doubt, or question, in that Volume which will endure until the world itself shall become a clouded scroll,—a glance may be necessary to review the causes that led to the exalted, and unrivalled character of Tyrus: for that Nation at the completion of the Judæan Temples and Palaces [992 B. C.] was without a rival in station or power,—and beyond those worldly points, it stood unapproached (save by Israel) in the highest attributes of the mind,—in the majesty of intellect,—the chief ministers being Science, the Arts, and the long line of faithful followers, attendant on every refinement and accomplishment. The great secret of the enviable distinction was,—Navigation. This power led the Tyrians into foreign cities,—it enabled them to give, or receive from, their Allies in the several parts of the then known world, all that was useful or novel, in exchange for their own exports, until Tyrus became the nucleus of all intelligence. Upon this treasury of gathered knowledge she improved and increased her power, by retaining what was good, rejecting what was useless. Tyrus stood in the estimation of the world like a majestic Temple, which all mankind had aided in building, but when erected and secure, none of the builders were allowed to enter. If a foreign nation required a naval expedition, Tyrus was the only power to furnish it in every department,—material, shipwrights, pilots, and mariners:—this is proved by the fleets loaned to the Kings of Israel and Egypt;—and the Tyrians never made a voyage for another country, that they were not the especial gainers by the expedition. All discoveries of islands were their own, for they alone could keep or reach them afterwards, for other countries were destitute of fleets. The Naval profession in the minds of the Tyrians was (apart from Religion) elevated above all others;—they regarded it as a peculiar gift from the Gods, bestowed upon them as a National blessing. This was confirmed in their estimation, because, as a necessity, it was associated with the Sublime study of Astronomy. Religion itself was brought to enhance its value,—thence their Temple to Neptune:—the highest attributes of the mind were brought forward to support the science,—thence even her philosophers were helmsmen:—for in the language of the Prophet Isaiah,—"Thy Wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy Pilots." When a foreign Nation created a navy, without the sanction of Tyrus, then, as before stated, the latter country made war, or crusades against the vessels as they should appear upon the Mediterranean. The "Daughter of Sidon" attempted no inland conquests; she was content that her throne should be on the Seas: and the means she took to conceal her discoveries, and the secret of her ship-building from foreign countries, were as ingenious and determined, as her resolution to have no rival was indomitable. To conceal the then secret of Ship-building, the Tyrians resorted to the following means of commercial intercourse with all new, and even with some of the surrounding nations,—ancient Iberia and Etruria,—viz., A Tyrian Galley would approach for instance, Britain or Hibernia,—only by night,—the goods were landed, and left unattended upon the rocks or beach. The Galley would then be rowed to such a distance, that the natives in the morning could make no discovery of the manner in which it was built. The Galley, however, from her high mast, served as a beacon to them, and thence conveyed intelligence that a cargo had been landed. The natives would then investigate the goods,—and in return, place by their side, metals and other commodities supposed by them to be of equal value: they then (from a previous treaty) would retire out of sight,—whereupon a small boat would leave the Galley and approach the shore; the supercargo would compare the value of the metals or goods offered in return, and if found to be of an equal barter, the Galley would then be rowed to the coast, but at night only, the exchange-goods would be placed on board, and having left before the dawn, the secret was secure. If the natives placed in exchange less than the value, the Tyrian boat would retire; the Aborigines would again approach and increase the payment: if they should place more than the value of the cargo, the honour of the Tyrian merchant (truly 'Singer of the Sea') was such, that he would not take the overplus, but leave something of value, set apart, as a compliment to the generous Islanders. This, without doubt, was the origin of commercial barter, and founded upon the refinement of honour and honesty. It may be remarked that a similar custom prevails even at the present day at Constantinople,—for when a shopkeeper retires for his meals, or even for a walk, he never closes his door or his windows,—every article has its price marked, or affixed to it:—the passer-by wishing to purchase, takes the article and puts in its place the amount in money;—fraud is not known, for the merchant leaves it to honour, and that never betrays honesty. The Bard of Avon must have thought of this scene, and of the impossibility of its universal application, when in reply to the announcement "that the world was grown honest" he states that the day of doom must be at hand! What a Millennium will be achieved by the human race, when every Metropolis shall practise customs in analogy with that in the City of the Sultan, or those of the merchant-princes of ancient Tyrus. The determination of the Tyrians to keep the secret of their discoveries was as desperate, as their method of concealing the secret of shipbuilding was ingenious. To illustrate this point of National Character, an historical anecdote will be given, as being required by this work,—although the incident occurred some ages later. The Romans having become a maritime power, and having intercourse with Tyrus, ascertained that that Nation imported from a foreign country a white metal, which the Sons of Rome imagined to be Silver, and that it was brought from beyond the Pillars of Hercules,—now the Straits of Gibraltar. The metal which had aroused the curiosity and avarice of the Romans was Tin, and obtained by the Tyrians from the Isles of Britain and Hibernia, but especially from the former,—and to the Tyrians is that Island indebted at this day for her ancient name—Britain,—and of her guardian Goddess—Britannia:—for the word is derived from the Tyrian language,—viz., Brit-tan-nack,—i. e. Land of Tin,—so that there is actually a mysterious link in the chain of history, between Tyrian-Britain and Tyrian-America, which has existed for more than two thousand years! But to resume:—The future conquerors of Britain resolved to find out the secret, as to where the pseudo-silver came from,—and consequently they, unknown to the Tyrians, placed a Galley in-shore on the coast of Gaul, within the British Seas, and patiently watched the approach of the vessel of their rival, known to be on a metal expedition with the Islanders. The Roman allowed the Tyrian to pass on without interruption (for the two nations were at peace) and then followed at a great distance unperceived, by lowering the mast and sail, and depending upon the rowers. As the owner of the secret approached Britain, (thus discovering which of the Isles was the object of their voyage,) the Romans hoisted sail, plied their oars, and followed on their foaming track,—that their chance for barter should be equal to the Tyrians. The latter finding that they were discovered, instantly increased their speed towards the Isle,—thus enticing the former to follow;—all were silent on board the Tyrian Galley, as if in sorrow at discovery,—the Romans gained upon them,—the Sons of Sidon in apparent despair threw overboard their cargo and all useless material, as in fear of losing the secret,—the Romans believing that the Tyrians by sailing close in-shore, and from their loss of cargo, were about to land in sullen silence, instantly renewed their energy both by oars and sail; on sped the first Roman prow through British seas,—dashing through the waves like a wild sea-bird;—and on the silver track of ambition,—amid loud huzzas, and shouts of victory, they were dazzled in their own eyes from danger,—on they flew like the Eagle of their country,—imperious and as proud;—when—sudden as the falling of a star—the Roman Galley struck upon the wave-covered rocks,—the ship was rent asunder,—all were lost,—not one returned to the Eternal city to betray the secret! The last Roman shout of despair at the moment of the defeat, was caught, and echoed as one of triumph by the ingenious and resolute Tyrians,—for they in the friendly chase, threw over the cargo not only to lighten their ship for sailing, but to pass over shallows, rocks, and sands,—where the pursuer (heavy laden) would be sure to strike;—and although the danger of shipwreck was, also, apparent to the Tyrian himself,—his vessel, "wise men" and mariners,—still to follow a national monopoly according to the policy of his country, he dared the hazard of the die, although life and wealth were in the desperate game! It is not, therefore, to be wondered at, that Tyrus, from practising such devices and courage upon the waters of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, should have gained and secured to herself the title of Queen of the Sea; but the Policy was not founded in brotherly love, or neighbourly intercourse; and as a consequence, the Tyrians were against every rising maritime nation, which drew from those countries in return, an unconquerable contempt for their pride and monopoly, and compelled them to place so high a duty upon imports into Tyrus, as by degrees to injure her prosperity, and the several nations thence (as a necessity) became their own manufacturers. The writer (or the reader) of history would pass his time uselessly, if he did not draw strong conclusions for a nation's downfall,—when built upon such an unjust foundation as that of absolute and unconditional commercial monopoly. Nations of ancient days should be viewed as beacons for the modern. Although Tyrus visited every country, yet every nation at this time (Sidon and Israel excepted) received her with wounded pride,—no home or haven was given from love, but from fear,—every hand was ready to be raised against her; and when the fatal moment arrived when it could be done with safety, not a Nation, upon the surrounding shores of the Mediterranean, but at once exerted the wished-for resentment;—and this was but in accordance with Prophecy. [Ezekiel xxvi.] "Many nations to come up against thee." [i. e. Tyrus.] This just behaviour the Tyrians knew would be their doom; and in the day when the Judgment of God and of Nations fell upon them, they acted in the great emergency, in a manner perfectly in keeping with their ocean-spirit of Independence. We will not anticipate events pertaining to warfare,—for the reign now under consideration was one of peace and happiness. Of King Hiram we may justly write, that he was the original upon whom the Athenian Pericles (in after ages) founded his own splendid public character. For the love of the Fine-Arts, in all their branches, seems to have been Hiram's dream by night, his reality by day. He gathered around him the wise and the good, the gifted and the talented, to illustrate his own conceptions,—for his brain was the casket, where, for his Nation's service and that of his Allies, were gathered those inestimable jewels of the mind, that wealth cannot purchase, and Death itself cannot destroy,—for corroding Time has hallowed them to the present day, and will to all posterity! The Temple of Jerusalem, erected to The One living GOD, claims not Solomon for its Founder, with a greater certainty than it does Hiram for its Builder. In following the above course, from the direction of a superior and elegant mind, Hiram but consulted the true glory of his People,—for he encouraged not only Poetry, Music, and the Scientific Arts, but enlarged his Commerce, enabling his kingdom thereby to pursue the accomplishments and the intellectual adornments of life,—for the Fine-Arts and Commerce are as essentially the instruments of Peace, as swords and spears are the weapons of war! The country, guarded by her feudal Towers and Banners, may be physically secure in parts of the kingdom; but the Nation that points to the Walls of Artistical and Scientific Galleries, to the Temples of the Muses, Literature, and Education, and to free swelling sails—for her Bulwarks and Standards,—is intellectually defended in every quarter of her domain,—for Peace is the Citadel, and the several branches of Prosperity, her moated outworks! Through the long life of Hiram (whom we have ventured to style "The Great"), he continued the firm ally of David and Solomon,—was the friend and promoter of peace, humanity, the arts and sciences,—was the uncompromising enemy, as a consequence, to all warfare depending upon, or emanating from, the bloody path of Conquest: and to these high points of character may be justly added, that he was "the sworn and covenanted foe" to Religious bigotry or intolerance! The reader will not then wonder that, during his reign, that Tyrus reached the highest point of intellectual grandeur in the estimation of antiquity; and from united acclamation, her triumphant Statue was placed upon the chief pedestal in the Temple of History. While Hiram lived, his mind was as a Pharos, whose revolving light illumined every point to guard his fellow-man from the rocks of danger, and to ensure a peaceful haven—true Nature's harbour; but, at his death [about 990 B. C.], the shade remained upon the Tyrian quarter, and threw its shadow over the People; while other Nations took advantage of the forecast gleams, and found for themselves a brilliant track to power and safety. Such was the patriotic, peaceful, and intellectual King Hiram of Tyrus, whose reputation has descended with increasing splendour through a period of nearly three thousand years! His elevated mind, extensive knowledge, Religious toleration, the patron of Education, Literature, Arts and Science,—the friend of oppressed humanity, and the Patriot King,—are all again revivified amid the applause of nations, in the person of the present William of Prussia; and may posterity record his memory to the date of his Tyrian prototype, that his example may be imitated by future Kings and Rulers!