largest size, and found it to be twelve yards and six niches in girt, and yet sound; and thirty-seven yards in the spread of its boughs. Gabriel Sionita, a very learned Syrian Maronite 99, who assisted in editing the Paris Polyglott; a man worthy of all credit, thus describes the cedars of Mount Lebanon, which he had examined on the spot. “The cedar grows on the most elevated part of the mountain, is taller than the pine, and so thick that five men together could scarcely fathom one. shoots out its branches at ten or twelve feet from the ground; they are large and distant from each other, and are perpetually green. The wood is of a brown colour, very solid and incorruptible, if preserved from wet. The tree bears a small cone like that of the pine."

The following is the account given of these cedars by the Abbe Binos, who visited them in the year 1778. Here I first discovered the celebrated cedars, which grow in an oval plain about an Italian mile in circumference. The largest stand at a considerable distance from each other, as if afraid their branches might be entangled. These trees raise their proud summits to the height of sixty, eighty, and a hundred feet. Three or four, when young, grow up sometimes together, and form at length, by uniting their sap, a tree of monstrous thickness. The trunk then assumes, generally, a square form. The thickness which I saw might be about thirty feet round; and this size was occasioned by several having been united when young. Six others, which are entirely insulated, and free from shoots, were much taller, and seem to have been indebted for their height to the undivided effects of their sap." These cedars, formerly so numerous as to constitute a forest, are now almost entirely destroyed. M. Billardiere, who travelled thither in 1789, says that only seven of those of superior size and antiquity remain. The largest are eighty or ninety feet in height, and the trunks from eight to nine feet in diameter, These are preserved with religious strictness. The Maronites celebrate an annual festival under them, which is called "the feast of cedars;" and the patriarch of the order threatens with ecclesiastical censure, all who presume to hurt or diminish the venerable remnants of ages long gone by.

ברוש

The learned Celsius has attempted to prove that w BEROSH, and BEROTH, translated "fir-trees" in our English version, are the names by which the cedar of Libanus is expressed in Scripture; and that NEREZ, translated "cedar," means the pine1. But the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the generality of

99 "Maronites are certain Eastern Christians who inhabit near Mount Libanus, in Syria. The name is derived from a town in the country called Maronia, or from St. Maron, who built a monastery there in the fifth century. Hannah Adams, View of Religions, 2d edit.

He has devoted thirty-six pages to the investigation of this subject of the Cedar, and twenty-nine to that of the Pine.

modern interpreters, support the common version. Mr. Tré, in his Historia Cedrorum Libani," asserts that the EREZ is the cedrus Libani conifera Professor Hunt adopts and defends this interpretation And Mr. Merrick has ably advocated this opinions in a very learned and ingenious Dissertation on Psal. xxix. 5, annexed to his Commentary on the Psalms. With the concluding paragraph of which I shall finish this article I shall only add one argument more in favour of our interpretation, which M. Michaelis mentions as offered by Mr. Trew, land which he confesses himself not able to answer. It is taken from the following passage in Ezek. xxxi. 5, 6, 8, where the erez of Lebanon, or a person compared with it, is thus described. Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long. Under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young,' &c. M. Michaelis observes, that this description perfectly agrees with the cedar; whereas the pine does not so overshadow the place where it grows, as to support the image which the words of the prophet present 4" Compare the articles FIR and PINE.

CHALCEDONY. XAAKHAN, Rev. xxi. 19.

A precious stone. Arethas, who has written an account of Bithynia, says that it was so called from Chalcedon, a city of that country, opposite to Byzantium; and it was in colour like a carbuncle.

Some have supposed this also to be the stone called nophec, translated " emerald,” Exod. xxviii. 18.

CHAMELEON. лown THINSEMETH. Levit. xi. 30. A little animal of the lizard kind. It has four feet; and a long flat tail, whereby it can hang to the branches of trees. Its head is, without any neck, joined to the body, as in fishes. In the head it has two apertures which serve for nostrils. It has no ears; nor does it either make or receive any sound. Its eyes are versatile this or that way, without moving the head: and ordinarily it turns one of them, quite the contrary way to the other.

It is a common tradition that the chameleon lives on air 5.

2 In a letter to M. Merrick, inserted at the end of his annotations on the Psalms, p. 285. See also Hiller, Hierophyt. p. 1. p. 337, and Michaelis Recueil de Questions, xc. Niebuhr, Description de l'Arabie. p. 131.

3 C. J. Trew, Historia Cedrorum Libani. 2 tom. 4to. Norimb. 1757 et 1767. 4 Mr. Harmer, on Cantic. v. 15, observes, that "the country people near the mountain, call the cedar, errs, which is very nearly the original name.". And Michaelis, in his Suppl. Lex. Hebr. v. 1. p. 127, has this remark, "Buschingius in Literis die 8 Junii 1776, ad me datis, jam inveni, inquit, itineratorem, qui testatur, cedros ab incolis Libani ARs dici, quo novo teste confirmantur a Trevio ex Schultzii ore relata."

5 Thus Ovid, Metam. lib. xv. fab. iv. v. 411.

"Id quoque ventis animal nutritur et aura."
The creature nourished by the wind and air

Observation and experiment have shown the contrary. Insects are its usual food; yet it lives a considerable time without any visible repast. I kept one," says Hasselquist," for twenty-four days, without affording it an opportunity for taking any food; yet it was nimble and lively during the whole time, climbing up and down in its cage, fond of being near the light, and constantly rolling its eyes. I could, however, at last plainly perceive that it waxed lean, and suffered from hunger." bThis animal is famous among ancient and modern writers for the faculty it is supposed to have of changing its colour, and assuming that of the objects near it.

Bot t

The word THINSEMETH, in our translation rendered “mole," Bochart proves to be the real chameleon. The word, according to the signification of the root w NESHEM, to breathe, applies peculiarly to the vulgar opinion of the chameleon; and here, says Dr. Geddes, etymology is particularly favourable to the appro priation of the word 6.

A bird of the same name is mentioned in verse 18, which Bochart supposes to be the night-owl, by our translation, “ the Swan." See MOLE and SWAN.

II. The Hebrew word П COACH, Levit. xi. 30, which the Greek versions, St. Jerom, and the English interpreters render "chameleon," is by Bochart thought to be a queen lizard, called by the Arabs alwarlo, or corruptly from them warral and guaral; which is, lively and bold. Its Hebrew name signifies strength. This is denoted also by the Arabic word; and the verb min Arabic, signifies to overcome in war. It is said that this lizard fights against serpents, and sometimes even kills them; whence the Greeks have given it the name oiovinos; and the Arabs have many proverbs taken from this disposition. According to Leo Africanus, lib. ix. it is about thirty inches in length, being of a bright reddish, with dark spots.

CHAMOIS. ZAMOR. Arab. zamara. From a root signifying to crop branches; to browse. Occurs Deut. xiv. 5, only.

A particular species of the goat kind, remarkably shy and sprightly. Bochart supposes this to be the animal called in Latin rupicapra, or goat of the ledges. The Septuagint, St. Jerom, and Dr. Geddes render it the "Cameleopard;" but that animal is a native of the torrid zone, of Nubia, and Abyssinia; is rarely seen even in Egypt, and, if at all known in Palestine, could never have been there an article for food, and therefore we cannot suppose likely to be enumerated among the animals for the

Hence Pliny says, this is the only animal which neither eats nor drinks, but stands with his mouth always open, and the air serves him for aliment. Nat. Hist. lib. viii. c. 33.

7 Bochart, v. ii. p. 487. edit. Rosenmuller.

$ Shaw's Travels, p. 178, and 482. 4to. edit.

shambles. Objections equally strong lie against the rupicapra, or chamois; for the Alps, the Pyrenees, the mountains of Greece, and the islands of the Archipelago, are "almost the only places where it is to be found 9." They are not to be met with in Palestine, or in the neighbouring countries. We must, therefore, be content with saying that the zamor is an animal of the goat kind, so called from its browsing on the shoots of trees and bushes 10. Dr. Shaw supposes it to be the Jeraffa; this, however, being a native of the torrid zone, and Southern Africa, is equally unlikely, from its attachment to hot countries, to be abundant in Judea, and used as an article of food. Whatever animal was intended by the zamor, it must have been common in Syria, as we can by no means suppose the sacred legislator would prohibit from being used as food a creature hardly seen from century to century, and of which the nature and history were at best but dubious, and barely to be ascertained, even by naturalists; which was the case with the cameleopardus, whose very existence was admitted with hesitation a hundred years ago, though its figure appears on certain ancient medals, and on the Prenestine pavement.

Upon this article, Dr. Adam Clarke has the following remarks, "I must once more be permitted to say, that to ascertain the natural history of the Bible is a hopeless case. Of a few of its animals and vegetables, we are comparatively certain; but of the great majority, we know almost nothing. Guessing and conjecture are endless, and they have on these subjects been already sufficiently employed. What learning, deep, solid, extensive learning and judgment could do, has already been done by the incomparable Bochart in his Hierozoicon. The learned reader may consult this work, and while he gains much general information, will have to regret, that he can apply so little of it to the main and grand question."

CHESTNUT TREE. ORMUN.

This tree, which is mentioned only in Gen. xxx. 37; and Ezek. xxxi. 8, is by the Septuagint and Jerom rendered "plane-tree;” and Drusius, Hiller, and most of the modern interpreters render it the same. The name is derived from a root which signifies nakedness; and it is often observed of the plane-tree that the bark peels off from the trunk, leaving it naked, which peculiarity may have been the occasion of its Hebrew name.

The son of Sirach says, Ecclus. xxiv. 14. "I grew up as a plane-tree by the water."

CHRYSOLITE. XPTEOAIOOZ. Rev. xxi. 20.

A precious stone of a golden colour 11. Schroder says it is

9 Buffon, Hist. Nat. tom. x. p. 318.

10 Michaelis, Recueil de Quest. cxlviii. and Suppl. ad Lexic. Hebr. 627. "Ethiopia mittit et chrysolithos aureo colore translucentes." Plin. N. H. lib. xxxvii. c. 9.

the gem now called the "Indian topaz," which is of a yellowish green colour, and is very beautiful. ad su to 270415ło 10

תרשיש

In the Alexandrine version, it is used for ww TARSHISH, Exod. xxviii. 20, and xxxix. 11; and also the fragment of Aquila in Ezek. x. 9. See BERYL. go to teɔle¶ CHRYSOPRASUS. XPTEOПPAZOΣ, Rev. xxi. 200 90 A precious stone, which Pliny classes among the beryls; the best of which, he says, are of a sea-green colour; after these he mentions the chrysoberyls, which are a little paler, inclining to golden colour; and next, a sort still paler, and by some reckoned a distinct species, and called chrysoprasus?

.KIN NEMON קנמון CINNAMON

1

12

·

Gr. κινάμωμον 13. • A An agreeable aromatic; the inward bark of the canella, a small tree of the height of the willow. It is mentioned Exod. xxx, 23, among the materials in the composition of the holy anointing oil; and in Prov. vii. 17; Cantic. iv. 14; Ecclus. xxiv, 15; and Rev. xviii. 13, among the richest perfumes.

This spice is now brought from the East Indies; but as there was no traffic with India in the days of Moses, it was then brought, probably from Arabia, or some neighbouring country! We learn however, from Pliny, that a species of it grew in Syria 14

CLAY, CHOMER, is often mentioned in Scripture, nor is it necessary to explain the various references to what is so well known. It may be remarked, however, that clay was used for sealing doors. Norden and Pocock observe, that the inspectors of the granaries in Egypt, after closing the door, put their seal upon a handful of clay, with which they cover the lock. This may help to explain Job, xxxviii. 14, in which the earth is represented as assuming form and imagery from the brightness of the rising sun, as rude clay receives a figure from the impression of a seal or signet.

COCK. ΑΛΕΚΤΩΡ.

66

A well known domestic fowl. Some derive the name from a, negative, and λexTgov, a bed, because crowing cocks rouse men from their beds; but Mr. Parkhurst asks, may not this name be as properly deduced from the Hebrew, the coming of the light, of which this bird of dawning' (as Shakspeare calls him) gives such remarkable notice, and for doing which he was, among the heathen, sacred to the sun, who in Homer is himself called Αλεκτως 15 β

12 Nat. Hist. lib. xxxvii. c. 5 and 8.

13 Herodotus observes that the Greeks learned the name from the Phoenicians. Lib. iii. c. 3.

14❝In Syria gigni cinnamum quod caryopon appellant, multum a surculo veri cinnamomi differens." N. H. lib. xii. c. 38. Salmasius has shown, from the authority of MSS. that cumocon, or comacon, is here to be read for caryopon. In Solinum, p. 922.

15 Iliad vi. 1, 513, and xix. 1. 398.