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2. This house was a
large and curious building, and was supported by many pillars, which Solomon
built to contain a multitude for hearing causes, and taking cognizance of
suits. It was sufficiently capacious to contain a great body of men, who would
come together to have their causes determined. It was a hundred cubits long,
and fifty broad, and thirty high, supported by quadrangular pillars, which were
all of cedar; but its roof was according to the Corinthian order,
(15) with folding doors, and their
adjoining pillars of equal magnitude, each fluted with three cavities; which
building as at once firm, and very ornamental. There was also another house so
ordered, that its entire breadth was placed in the middle; it was quadrangular,
and its breadth was thirty cubits, having a temple over against it, raised upon
massy pillars; in which temple there was a large and very glorious room,
wherein the king sat in judgment. To this was joined another house that was
built for his queen. There were other smaller edifices for diet, and for sleep,
after public matters were over; and these were all floored with boards of
cedar.
Some of these Solomon built
with stones of ten cubits, and wainscoted the walls with other stones that were
sawed, and were of great value, such as are dug out of the earth for the
ornaments of temples, and to make fine prospects in royal palaces, and which
make the mines whence they are dug famous. Now the contexture of the curious
workmanship of these stones was in three rows, but the fourth row would make
one admire its sculptures, whereby were represented trees, and all sorts of
plants; with the shades that arose from their branches, and leaves that hung
down from them. Those trees anti plants covered the stone that was beneath
them, and their leaves were wrought so prodigious thin and subtle, that you
would think they were in motion; but the other part up to the roof, was
plastered over, and, as it were, embroidered with colors and pictures. He,
moreover, built other edifices for pleasure; as also very long cloisters, and
those situate in an agreeable place of the palace; and among them a most
glorious dining room, for feastings and compotations, and full of gold, and
such other furniture as so fine a room ought to have for the conveniency of the
guests, and where all the vessels were made of gold.
Now it is very hard to reckon
up the magnitude and the variety of the royal apartments; how many rooms there
were of the largest sort, how many of a bigness inferior to those, and how many
that were subterraneous and invisible; the curiosity of those that enjoyed the
fresh air; and the groves for the most delightful prospect, for the avoiding
the heat, and covering of their bodies. And, to say all in brief, Solomon made
the whole building entirely of white stone, and cedar wood, and gold, and
silver. He also adorned the roofs and walls with stones set in gold, and
beautified them thereby in the same manner as he had beautified the temple of
God with the like stones. He also made himself a throne of prodigious bigness,
of ivory, constructed as a seat of justice, and having six steps to it; on
every one of which stood, on each end of the step two lions, two other lions
standing above also; but at the sitting place of the throne hands came out and
received the king; and when he sat backward, he rested on half a bullock, that
looked towards his back; but still all was fastened together with gold.
3. When Solomon had completed all this in twenty
years' time, because Hiram king of Tyre had contributed a great deal of gold,
and more silver to these buildings, as also cedar wood and pine wood, he also
rewarded Hiram with rich presents; corn he sent him also year by year, and wine
and oil, which were the principal things that he stood in need of, because he
inhabited an island, as we have already said. And besides these, he granted him
certain cities of Galilee, twenty in number, that lay not far from Tyre; which,
when Hiram went to, and viewed, and did not like the gift, he sent word to
Solomon that he did not want such cities as they were; and after that time
these cities were called the land of Cabul; which name, if it be interpreted
according to the language of the Phoenicians, denotes what does not please.
Moreover, the king of Tyre sent sophisms and enigmatical sayings to
Solomon, and desired he would solve them, and free them from the ambiguity that
was in them. Now so sagacious and understanding was Solomon, that none of these
problems were too hard for him; but he conquered them all by his reasonings,
and discovered their hidden meaning, and brought it to light. Menander also,
one who translated the Tyrian archives out of the dialect of the Phoenicians
into the Greek language, makes mention of these two kings, where he says thus:
"When Abibalus was
dead,. his son Hiram received the kingdom from him, who, when he had lived
fifty-three years, reigned thirty-four. He raised a bank in the large place,
and dedicated the golden pillar which is in Jupiter's temple. He also went and
cut down materials of timber out of the mountain called Libanus, for the roof
of temples; and when he had pulled down the ancient temples, he both built the
temple of Hercules and that of Astarte; and he first set up the temple of
Hercules in the month Peritius; he also made an expedition against the Euchii,
or Titii, who did not pay their tribute, and when he had subdued them to
himself he returned. Under this king there was Abdemon, a very youth in age,
who always conquered the difficult problems which Solomon, king of Jerusalem,
commanded him to explain. Dius also makes mention of him, where he says thus:
"
When Abibalus was dead, his
son Hiram reigned. He raised the eastern parts of the city higher, and made the
city itself larger. He also joined the temple of Jupiter, which before stood by
itself, to the city, by raising a bank in the middle between them; and he
adorned it with donations of gold. Moreover, he went up to Mount Libanus, and
cut down materials of wood for the building of the temples.
"He says also, that
Solomon, who was then king of Jerusalem, sent riddles to Hiram, and desired to
receive the like from him, but that he who could not solve them should pay
money to them that did solve them, and that Hiram accepted the conditions; and
when he was not able to solve the riddles proposed by Solomon, he paid a great
deal of money for his fine; but that he afterward did solve the proposed
riddles by means of Abdemon, a man of Tyre; and that Hiram proposed other
riddles, which, when Solomon could not solve, he paid back a great deal of
money to Hiram."
This it is which Dius
wrote.
Footnotes
(15) This mention of the Corinthian ornaments of architecture
in Solomon's palace by Josephus seems to be here set down by way of prophecy
although it appears to me that the Grecian and Roman most ancient orders of
architecture were taken from Solomon's temple, as from their original patterns,
yet it is not so clear that the last and most ornamental order of the
Corinthian was so ancient, although what the same Josephus says, (Of the
War, B. V. Ch. 5. Sect. 3,) that one of the gates of Herod's temple was
built according to the rules of this Corinthian order, is no way improbable,
that order being, without dispute, much older than the reign of Herod. However,
upon some trial, I confess I have not hitherto been able fully to understand
the structure of this palace of Solomon, either as described in our Bibles, or
even with the additional help of this description here by Josephus; only the
reader may easily observe with me, that the measures of this first building in
Josephus, a hundred cubits long, and fifty cubits broad, are the very same with
the area of the cart of the tabernacle of Moses and just hall' an Egyptian
orout, or acre.
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