another occafion*: I believe, Sir, you would: but then, Sir, you will pleafe to remember, that you are no hero. The man that could have the greatnefs of foul to fave his enemy twice, was not capable of the littleness of upbraiding him with it. David's two points feem to be thefe; to take no merit to himself from his generofity, and to impute no demerit to Saul from his basenefs. As to the firft, the reader will plainly perceive, that, when he mentions the king's danger, he carefully avoids the leaft hint of his having any merit in faving his life. And as to the fecond, he is induftrious to remove all fufpicion of his charging Saul with any guilt upon his own score, and to place the perfecution to the fcore of his own demerit, which moved GOD to excite Saul against him; or, at worst, to the fcore of thofe evil counsellors, whofe advice forced him away from the inheritance of GOD. He avoids, with great delicacy and addrefs, fo much as the mention, or leaft hint, of his own merit towards him, till Saul's fhameful diminution of his guilt extorted a very flight and modeft remembrance of it: and even then he fays not, that he faved his life; but barely, that he abstained from taking it away; and that it was much fet by in his eyes. In a word, nothing can be conceived more tru * A young gentleman objected to Mr. Dryden, that his Spartan Hero was too cold and infenfible to the addreffes of the Egyptian queen; adding that he was fure he should not be fo, were he in Cleomenes's place. I believe fo too, fays Mr. Dryden; but pray Sir, please to remember, that you are no hero. ly ly generous and heroic, than David's whole conduct upon his head. In the last place, Mr. Bayle tells us, That if he faw two narratives of this nature either in Elian, or Valerius Maximus, he should make no difficulty to believe, that it was one and the same fact; which, being related different ways, ferved for the fubject of different articles, or chapters. THAT is; If Mr. Bayle had found two narratives of this kind in fcrap-collectors, in the compilers of patch-work, unconnected hiftories, that had no relation to one another, he would make no difficulty to conclude, they related to one fact, &c. And therefore he will conclude the fame, when he finds them fet down in their order of time and place; and with all poffible marks and characters of diftinction, in one of the moft orderly, regular, well deduced hiftories, that ever was penned. If the admirers of Mr. Bayle can find any complacence either in the clearness of this reafoning, or in the candour and ingenuity that conduct it; I will venture to fay, their enemies have nothing worse to wifh them. I WILL not prefume to fay, that there is fuch a minute detail and connexion of events in the books of Samuel, as in thofe of Livy or Thucydides (GOD forbid there fhould!) but are they, for that reafon, as unconnected as thofe of Elian, or Valerius Maximus? If this be candour, what is chicanery? LET LET us now confider the facts in their hiftorical order of time and place. THE adventure of the cave was foon after Saul's return from repelling the Philiftine invafion, which delivered David out of his hands (1 Sam. xxiv.): it was in the day, in a cave, at the foot of the mountains of Engedi. Saul was alone in the cave, and David had all his men about him: and the proof of his having had Saal in his power, was, the skirt of his robe: it was before David went to Paran, and before he married Abigail. THE adventure of the camp was, by the lowest computation, one year later: it was in the wilderness of Ziph, thirty miles diftant from Engedi, in a camp, on an hill, by night; David attended but with one companion, and Saul in the centre of his whole army; and David's proof of having him in his power, his fpear and crufe of water taken from his bolfter. It was after David's marriage with Abigail, and just before his final departure to Gath; from whence he returned no more, until after Saul's death. And the conference fhews, that he was then determined to leave the land: They have driven me out (faith he) this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord. He was now reduced to his laft refource; and that was, abfolutely to quit his country, and go amongst infidels. If Mr. Bayle had attended to this very diftrefsful and very remarkable circumftance, he would have found this fecond adventure sufficiently diftinguished by it from the first. I CANNOT quit this head without obferving once more upon the fingular politeness and refinement of this expoftulation; in which Da vid carefully avoids all appearance of reproach or cenfure upon his prince, and charges the whole odium of his perfecution upon the influence of his evil advifers. I WILL only add, that the battles of Iffus and Arbela, or of Crefi and Agencourt, have not more or clearer marks of distinction, than these two adventures. And if, after all, they are one and the fame; what criterion is there, or can there be, of any one hiftorical truth from the foundation of the world? CALUMNIATE boldly, (fays the proverb) and fomething will fick. Modern infidels, not contented with adopting this maxim, have added another to it: Contradict boldly, and fomebody will believe it. CHAP. XXI. David flies to Achifh King of Gath; from whence he removes to Ziklag. Mr. Bayle's Cenfure of his Conduct there. AND now David, weary of wandering, weary of fruggling with Saul's implacable fpirit, weary of the unequal conflict between too dangerous generofity, and too relentlefs malice; weary of fubfifting by the spoils of his enemies, or bounty of his friends; and, probably, fince the affair of Nabal, in terror of too much refenting their neglects; refolves at laft to quit his country, and throw himself, once more, under the protection of its enemies. THIS, I think, hath always been the refource of great fubjects in diftrefs. This drove Themistocles to Perfia, and Alcibiades to Sparta. And though I will not take upon me to justify a criminal fubject in this conduct; yet an innocent man, fuch as David, I think I well may; cfpecially when he hath tried all means of reconciliation and juftification, and all other methods of fubfiflence, and finds no fecurity but in this. It would otherwife follow, that every good man was tamely to give up his life to every caprice of a merciless tyrant: a principle which, I believe, no wife and good man will yenture to advance. HOW |