II. CHAP. which goes down to Silla. Which word Silla is thought by fome learned commentators to denote the fame that Mefillah is elsewhere put for; namely, a caufey. And it is further thought, that as from the valley between the two mounts, Sion and Moriah, there were two steepneffes, one towards the temple or mount Moriah, the other towards the palace or mount Sion; fo this last was that which is peculiarly denoted by the descent of Silla; and that the house of Millo ftood near this descent. 73. Of the royal fepulchres. It remains only to obferve, in reference to the foremen→ tioned expreffion, viz. David built round about from Mille and inward, that the original word rendered inward, may also be tranflated, to the house; and so thereby might be denoted, that David built round about, from the place where Millo was afterwards built by Solomon, to his own boufe or palace. And confequently it is not improbable, that the palace and Millo ftood on two oppofite fides of mount Sion: fo that to say, that David built round about from Millo to the palace, was as much as to say, that David built from one part of mount Sion quite round to the oppofite part. And confequently by this expreffion thus understood was aptly enough described the largeness of the city of David. In 1 Kings ii. 10. we are informed, that David was buried in the city of David. And the fame we read of Solomon, 1 Kings xi. 43. And in the series of the facred History we read that Rehoboam, Abijam, Afa, &c. were buried with their fathers in the city of David. Whence it appears, that those famous grots at Jerufalem, now-a-days called the fepulchres of the Kings, cannot be the place, where either the Kings of all Ifrael, David and Solomon, or their fucceffors in the kingdom of Judah, were generally buried: forafmuch as these grots lie without (what is now-a-days called) the gate of Damafcus, and on the north fide of the city, and fo at a confiderable distance from the city of David, where the Scripture expressly afferts David and Solomon, and most of the Kings of Judah, to have been buried. Whoever was buried here, this is certain, fays Mr. Maundrel, that the place itself discovers fo great an expence both of labour and treasure, that we may well suppose it to have been the work II. work of Kings. You approach to it at the eaft fide, through CHA P. an entrance cut out of the natural rock, which admits you into an open court of about forty paces fquare, cut down into the rock, with which it is encompassed, instead of walls. On the fouth fide of the court is a portico nine paces long, and four broad, hewn likewife out of the natural rock. This has a kind of architrave running along its front, adorned with fculptures of fruits and flowers, ftill difcernible, but by time much defaced. At the end of the portico on the left hand you descend to the paffage into the fepulchres. The door is now fo obftructed with ftones and rubbish, that it is a thing of fome difficulty to creep through it. But within you arrive in a large fair room, about five or fix yards fquare, cut out of the natural rock. Its fides and ceiling are fo exactly square, and its angles so just, that no architect with levels and plummets could build a room more regular. And the whole is fo firm and entire, that it may be called a chamber hollowed out of one piece of marble. From this room you pass into (L think, fays my author) fix more, one within another, all of the fame fabrick with the firft. Of these the two innermoft are deeper than the reft, having a second descent of about fix or seven steps into them. In every one of these rooms, except the firft, were coffins of stone placed in niches, in the fides of the chambers. They had been at first covered with handsome lids, and carved with garlands; but now most of them were broken to pieces. The fides and ceiling of the rooms were always dropping, with the moift damps condenfing upon them. To remedy which nuifance, and to preserve these chambers of the dead clean, there was in each room a small channel cut in the floor, which ferved to drain the drops that fell conftantly into it. But the most furprising thing belonging to these subterraneous chambers was their doors; of which there was only one remaining entire, being left as it were on purpose to puzzle the beholders. It confifted of a plank of stone, of about fix inches in thickness, and in its other dimenfions equalling the fize of an ordinary door, or somewhat lefs. It was carved in such a manner as to refemble a piece of wainscot. The ftone, II. CHAP. ftone, of which it was made, was vifibly of the same kind with the whole rock, and it turned upon two hinges in the nature of axles. Thefe hinges were of the fame entire piece of stone with the door, and were contained in two holes of the immovable rock, one at the top, and the other at the bot tom. From this defcription it is obvious to start a question, how fuch doors as these were made? Whether they were cut out of the rock, in the fame place and manner as they now hang? Or, whether they were brought, and fixed in their station, like other doors? One of these must be supposed to have been done; and which foever part we choose as most probable, it feems at first glance to be not without its difficulty. But thus much I have to say, says Mr. Maundrel, for the resolving of this riddle, which is wont to create no small dispute among pilgrims, viz. that the door, which was left hanging, did not touch its lintel by at least two inches; so that, I believe, it might eafily have been lifted up, and unhinged. And the doors, which had been thrown down, had their hinges at the upper end, twice as long as thofe at the bottom: which feems to intimate pretty plainly, by what method this work was accomplished. To the forementioned account of thefe fepulchres, given us by our own countryman, the Rev. Mr. Maundrel, I shall adjoin one or two particulars from what Le Bruyn hath faid concerning the fame place. He obferves then, that this place lies, not only to the north of Jerufalem, but alfo about an Italian mile out of Jerufalem; that the large fquare room (mentioned alfo by Mr. Maundrel) has several small doors, that lead out into five or fix other apartments, each of them forty or fifty paces fquare, and round which there are several other lefs rooms, fome of which are made in fashion of ovens. It is in these rooms they laid the dead bodies upon benches, raised about two or three feet from the ground, and which are cut out of the very rock (called therefore by Mr. Maundrel, niches), and fome they laid upon the ground. Le Bruyn tells us, he found in thefe rooms as many fepulchres, or places for corpfes, as amounted in all to about fifty. In one of these rooms, II. rooms, which feemed to be more lofty than the reft, he faw CHAP. three coffins, one broken, and the other two whole. They were all open, upon the front of the chief of which were engraven two rounds in the nature of circles, each of them having several lines drawn close to one another. Between these two rounds are three pieces of branch-work like palm-trees, and one at each end, being five in all. The cover of this coffin, which lies upon the ground, is likewife adorned with branch-work. The pieces of the coffin, that is broken, lie upon the ground juft by, and had formerly fome decoration or ornament. The Rev. Mr. Maundrel, fpeaking of thefe grots, called now-a-days the fepulchres of the Kings, fays, for what reafon they go by that name, is hard to refolve; it being certain, none of the Kings either of Ifrael or Judah were buried here, the holy Scriptures affigning other places for their fepulchres. Unlefs, adds he, it may be thought perhaps, that Hezekiah was here interred, and that these were the fepulchres of the fons of David, mentioned 2 Chron. xxxii. 33. Now the words of this text run thus in our English verfion: And Hezekiah flept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the fepulchres of the fons of David. Where by the fons of David, · Mr. Maundrel feems to underftand fuch as were not Kings of Ifrael or Judah, but his other fons properly so called, and immediately born of him. Whereas, I think, thereby are rather to be understood Solomon, and the fucceeding Kings of Judah, called the sons of David, by a form of speech frequently made ufe of by the facred writers, who by the name of fons denote, not only the immediate fons properly fo called, but also grandfons, and all others defcended from a perfon in any fucceeding generation. So that, when it is said in the forecited text, that Hezekiah was buried in the chiefeft of the fepulchres of the fons of David, thereby may be very well meant, that he was buried in the chiefeft of the fepulchres of the Kings defcended of David. Whence it will follow, that he was probably buried in the city of David. And this opinion is expressly confirmed by the Syriack and Arabick interpreters in their verfion of the said text. VOL. II. D The CHAP. II. The opinion therefore mentioned by Le Bruyn feems to be more probable, namely, that here were the fepulchres of Manaffeh, his fon Amon, and his grandson Jofiah, Kings of Judah. For the Scripture tells us, that Manasseh was buried in the garden of his own houfe, in the garden of Uzza, 2 Kings xxi. 18; and ver. 26. of the same chapter, it is faid of his fon Amon, that he was buried in his fepulchre, in the garden of Uzza. By which expreffion may be denoted, that these two Kings, Manaffeh and Amon, were not buried in the ufual fepulchres of the Kings, fituated in the city of David; but in another place, where was formerly the garden of one Uzza; and which perhaps Manaffeh might purchase or procure by fome other means, and being delighted with the pleasant- : ness of the faid gardens, might build there an house; which is called, in the forecited 2 Kings xxi. 18. his own house, as it were to diftinguish it from the royal palace built and inhabited by his royal ancestors in the city of David, or on mount Sion. But now that Jofiah was also buried here, is not expressly said in the facred Hiftory. In 2 Kings xxiii. 30. › it is only said, that he was buried in his own fepulchre ; and in 2 Chron. xxxv. 24. it is faid, that he was buried in the fepulchres of his fathers; but it is not added, where those fepulchres lay, whether in the city of David, or in the garden of Uzza. And therefore he might be buried in the fepulchres of his fathers, and yet be buried in the garden of Uzza; forafmuch as his father Amon and grandfather Manaffeh are both expressly faid to have been buried in the said garden. Since then these three Kings are, I think, the only Kings of Judah, that were: buried at Jerufalem, and are not said to be buried in the city of David; and fince thefe fepulchres we are speaking of, on the north of Jerufalem at a mile's distance, were not within the city of David, and yet ftill discover so great an expence, both of labour and treasure, as Mr. Maundrel observes, that they may well be supposed to have been the work of Kings; and fince, laftly, nothing hinders, but the garden of Uzza might be in this very place; on these considerations, I think, : it is not improbable, that here were the fepulchres of Manaffeh and Amon, if not alfo of Jofiah. By what Le Bruyn fays, |
