'Who numbereth the clouds in wisdom?

And who poureth out the bottles of heaven?' language which accords with the ideas suggested by skins made to contain liquids. Accordingly, in Job xxvi. 8,

'He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, And the cloud is not rent under them,' the last word rendered in the English version, bottle, is Bakbook, which has the signification of emptiness. It appears to have been used of pottery ware (1 Kings xiv. 3. Jer. xix. 1,10). Jeremiah is directed to get a potter's earthen bottle,' which he was to break, so that it could not be made whole again. The original word for break denotes to break by contactas dashing to the ground; as such breaking would destroy a piece of earthenware by breaking it in pieces so that it could not be made whole again -a description which is not applicable to skin-bottles.

common in Egypt, and could scarcely have been unknown to the Hebrews. One of the monuments represents glass-blowers in the act of forming a bottle. Indeed the materials were various of which bottles were made by the Egyptians. Not only glass and porcelain were employed, but alabaster, granite, basalt, porphyry, serpentine or breccia, ivory, and bone.

In Ps. lvi. 8, God is said to put the tears of mourners into his bottle, and to number them. This, when rightly understood, is a touching description of the care of a kind Providence over those who grieve. It was usual with the ancients to treasure up the tears of their friends in small vases, termed lachrymatories, which were either kept at home, or deposited in the tombs. Such a lachrymatory the Divine Being is here represented as keeping, in which he places every tear shed by his sorrowing children; numbering them as they are shed, that they may not become too numerous. The engraving shows what appears to have been a bottle of this kind, made of glass, and found represented in the sculptures of Thebes, in Egypt.

EGYPTIAN BOTTLES OR VASES.

The language, however, does not enable us to determine whether the pot bottles of the Hebrews were of glass.

EGYPTIAN GLASS BOTTLES.

BOZRAH (H. a fortified place) is a name borne by two cities:-I. The Romans speak of a Bostra, calling it a chief city of Arabia, which, being adorned by Trajan, was called after him Trajana Bostra. This Bozrah lay in a wide plain, being the last inhabited place on the south-west of Auranitis, or the eastern side of the Jordan. It now bears the name of Busrah.

But, II. the Bozrah of the Old Testament (Isa. xxxiv. 6; lxiii. 1. Jer. xlix. 13, 22. Amos i. 12) was a famous city of Edom. The place was very ancient; for it is mentioned in Gen. xxxvi. 33, as the native city of one of the princes of Edom, who lived 'before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.' It is spoken of in teams waich seem to indicate that it was the capital of Edom or Idumæя. The words,and all the cities thereof' (Jer. xlix. 13), scarcely admit of any other interpretation. We are, then, inclined to identify Bozrah with Petra, - - a word which appears to be

a softened form of the ancient Hebrew name. Certainly the language which Scripture holds respecting Bozrah accords with the position and history of Petra. For instance,Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock; that holdest the height of the hill: though thou make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down, saith Jehovah' (Jer. xlix. 16). These words (comp. Obad. 3, 4) are strikingly descriptive of the situation of Petra, in a deep fissure of the mountain, and at the same time placed on a very elevated mountainous region. The deep valleys, bounded by steep cliffs which pervade every part of the country, and which must always have contained the chief part of the population, are well described as 'clefts of the rocks,'' heights of the hill,'-'high habitations.' But we are not satisfied that these words were, as some have affirmed, intended to allude expressly to the excavations in the side of the Petran rocks, which we shall shortly mention.

Petra, or Bozrah, lay at the foot of Mount Hor, in the Wady Mousa, two days' journey south of the Dead Sea, and the same distance north of the Akabah. The principal entrance to the city is through a long narrow defile in the mountains, in which, for nearly two hours, the path winds among wild and picturesque masses of grey and red granite, greenstone, and yellow sandstone. The deep ravines are adorned with a rich shrubbery of oleanders, tamarisks, and other shrubs, which become large and more plentiful as the elevation increases. Grass also is abundant. The general direction is northward; but the zigzag path looks successively to every point of the compass. The ancient and more interesting entrance is on the eastern side, through the deep narrow gorge of Wady Syk. The ruined city lies in a narrow valley, surrounded by lofty and precipitous mountains, and appears to have covered more than a mile in length, nearly from north to south, by a variable breadth of about half a mile. A small stream, or rather mountain torrent, enters the valley by the Wady Syk, which is joined and fed by two smaller streams that come from the gorges of the northern mountain. The chief public edifices occupied the banks of the river, on the south side of which a sumptuous edifice is still standing, called 'Pharaoh's treasure,' which seems to have been a palace. We cannot give a full description of the buildings that still adorn this wonderful vale, but may mention a triumphal arch; ruins which belonged to a temple; columns and hewn stones, the remains of important public buildings, found in fourteen different heaps. The excavations in the solid rock, however, are by far the most deserving of notice. Whether formed for temples, tombs, or the dwellings of living

men, they surprise the visitor by their incredible number and extent. They are seen in precipitous rocks along all the approaches to the place. Instead of following the sinuosities of the mountain and its numerous gorges, were they ranged in regular order, like the houses of a well-built city, they would form a street not less than five or six miles in length. They are often seen rising one above another in the face of the cliff; convenient steps, now much worn, lead in all directions through the fissures, and along the sides of the mountains, to the various tombs that occupy these lofty positions. Some of them are not less than from two to three or four hundred feet above the level of the valley. Besides unadorned habitations of the humble dead, there is a vast number of excavations enriched with various architectural ornaments. To these unique and sumptuous monuments of the taste of one of the most ancient races of men, Petra is indebted for its great and peculiar attractions. The front of the mountain is wrought into façades of splendid temples, rivalling in their aspect and symmetry the most celebrated monuments of Grecian art. Columns of various orders, graceful pediments, broad rich entablatures, and sometimes statuary, all hewn out of the solid rock, and still making part of the native mass, transform the base of the mountain into a vast splendid pile of architecture; while the overhanging cliffs, towering above in shapes rugged and wild, produce the most striking and curious of contrasts. But nothing contributes so much to the almost magical effect of some of these monuments, as the rich and various colours of the rock in which they are formed. The mountains that encompass the vale of Petra are of sandstone, of which red is the predominating hue. But many of them are adorned with a profusion of the most lovely and brilliant colours. Red, purple, yellow, azure or sky blue, black, and white, are seen in the same mass, distinctly in successive layers, or blended so as to form every shade and bue -as brilliant and as soft as they ever appear in flowers, in the plumage of birds, or in the sky when illuminated by the most glorious sunset. The red perpetually shades into pale or deep rose or flesh colour. The purple is sometimes very dark, and again approaches the hue of the lilac or violet. The white, which is often pure as snow, is occasionally just dashed with blue or red. The blue is usually the pale azure of the clear sky or of the ocean; but sometimes has the deep and peculiar shade of the clouds in summer, when agitated by a tempest. The yellow is as bright as that of saffron. It is more easy to imagine than describe the effect of tall graceful columns exhibiting these exquisite colours. They are displayed to still greater advantage in the walls and ceil

The architectural remains and natural beauties of the spot serve to make the solitude and desolation that prevail, deeply and almost overpoweringly impressive, and show with what minute accuracy the words of the prophet have been fulfilled (Isa. xxxiv. 11, seq.). Deserted of man, the place now affords a residence only for beasts and birds. Yet for centuries, this, which may well be denominated one of the wonders of the world, remained hidden and unknown; for it was not earlier than 1811, when Burckhardt discovered its forgotten site, and drew the attention of the civilised world to its mournful spectacle of prostrate grandeur and utter desolation.

The Syk is thus spoken of by Robinson, who approached Petra by this chasm: 'The character of this wonderful spot, and the impression which it makes, are utterly indescribable; and I know of nothing which can present even a faint idea of them. I had visited the strange sandstone lanes and streets of Adersbach, and wandered with delight through the romantic dells of the Saxon Switzerland-both of which scenes might be supposed to afford the nearest parallel; yet they exhibit few points of comparison.

All is here on a grander scale of savage yet magnificent sublimity. We lingered along this superb approach, proceeding slowly, and stopping often, forgetful of every thing else, and taking for the moment no note of time. As we drew near the western end, the sunlight began to break in upon the rugged crags before us. Here the Syk terminates, opening nearly at right angles into a similar though broader Wady or chasm, coming down from the south, and passing off northwest' (ii. 5, 18).

The Khuzneh, or Pharaoh's treasure, struck Robinson with amazement and delight: All at once the beautiful façade of the Khuzneh in the western precipice, opposite the mouth of the Syk, burst upon our view in all the delicacy of its first chiselling, and in all the freshness and beauty of its soft colouring. I had seen various engravings of it, and read all the descriptions; but this was one of the rare instances where the truth of the reality surpassed the ideal anticipation. It is, indeed, most exquisitely beautiful; and nothing I had seen of archi tectural effect in Rome or Thebes, or even Athens, comes up to it in the first impres sion. Its position as a portion of the lofty

mass of coloured rock, over against the imposing avenue; -its wonderful state of preservation-the glow and tint of the stone, and the wild scenery around-all are unique, and combine to take complete possession of the mind. There it stands, as it has stood for ages, in beauty and loneliness; the generations which admired and rejoiced over it of old, have passed away; the wild Arab, as he wanders by, regards it with stupid indifference or scorn; and none are left, but strangers from distant lands to do it reverence. Its rich roseate tints, as I bade it farewell, were gilded by the mellow beams of the morning sun; and I turned away from it at length with an impression which will be effaced only by death.'

The name is given because the Arabs think the place contains the treasure which they ascribe to Pharaoh, and which they suppose to be held in the urn crowning the summit of its ornamented front, a hundred feet or more above the ground. Their only interest in all these monuments is to search for hidden treasures; and, as they find nothing elsewhere, they fancy they are in this urn, which to them is inaccessible. It bears the marks of many musket-balls, which they have fired at it, in the hope of breaking it to pieces, and thus obtaining the imagined wealth.

Robinson thus describes the general impression which he received:-Around us were the desolations of ages - the dwellings and edifices of the ancient city crumbled and strewed in dust,- the mausolea of the dead, in all their pristine beauty and freshness, but long since rifled, and the ashes of their tenants scattered to the winds. Well might there be the stillness of death; for it was the grave itself, - -a city of the dead by which we were surrounded. Yet this impressive silence was not uninterrupted. Our Arabs had slaughtered the sheep which we had bought, and made themselves a feast. They were in high glee; and the voice of singing, story-telling, and mirth, sounded strangely amid these sepulchres' (ii. 535.)

Petra was indebted for its wealth and greatness even more to trade, than to its well-protected position; for it lay on a chief caravan road, which united the merchants and customers of the East and of the West. It thus became the seat of an immense commerce- the great emporium of Indian merchandise. Affluent, however, as the city was, and high as was its pomp, Petra seems, even from still remaining evidences, to have lavished its favours on the few, leaving the people at large in the possession of at best a bare sufficiency. This injustice was not least among those heavy sins which brought her to ruin and desolation.

Josephus mentions Petra as the capital of Arabia Petræa. In the reign of Trajan, it came under the sway of the Romans.

His

successor, Adrian, appears to have granted privileges to Petra, which led the inhabitants to give his name to the city upon coins. Eight coins of Petra have been described:Three in honour of Adrian; one, of Marcus Aurelius and Verus; two, of Septimius Severus; and two, of Geta. In the sixth century, Petra was the metropolitan see of what was termed the third Palestine. From that time Petra suddenly vanished from the pages of history.

BRACELET is a diminutive from the Latin brachium, French bras, derived immediately from the French bracelet, denoting a little arm, or ornament for the arm, and A constituting a portion of female attire. bracelet was of old sometimes used as a charm:

'I spie a bracelet bounde about mine arm,
Which to my shadowe seemeth thus to saye,
Beleeve not me; for I was but a charm,
To make thee sleepe when others went to playe.'

Drawn from Egyptian Ornaments in the British Museum. 1, 2, Bracelets. 3, 4, 5, 6, for the neck. 7, Armlet. Bracelets among the Hebrews were confined to women. From Gen. xxxviii. 18, it appears that they were worn by Judah (comp. 2 Sam. i. 10). From the fact that there are not less than five words in Hebrew that are rendered bracelet in the English version, we may infer that this species of ornament was common among the Israelites. The passage relating to Judah shows that bracelets were commonly worn by chief men in the patriarchal ages; whence we may learn that the art of working in metals, if not in existence in Palestine, must have been already practised, and carried to a considerable degree of excellence, in some neighbouring country. Recent discoveries have shown that metallurgy was in a high state of perfection in Egypt. Among the ornaments in gold found among the Egyptian ruins, are bracelets and numerous trinkets belonging to the toilet,

many of which are,' says Wilkinson, of the early times of Osirtasen I. and Thotmes III. the contemporaries of Joseph and of Moses.' Their bracelets, as well as similar decorations for the ankles and the fingers, were frequently inlaid with precious stones or enamel: some were in the shape of snakes; others were simple rings: they were worn by men as well as by women. Kings are represented with bracelets. In the Museum at Leyden is a gold one, bearing the name of Thotmes III. which was doubtless once worn by that monarch.

BRANDISH is a word of Teutonic origin, connected with brand, which, as coming from brennen, to burn, denotes a torch or a stick on fire. Hence to brandish is to wave or shake as a torch is shaken. It is generally applied to a sword, denoting a rapid vibrating motion, which makes the sword flash and glitter like a shaken torch. Thus Fairfax :

'Upon the bridge appear'd a warlike swain,
From top to toe all clad in armour good;
Who, brandishing a broad and cutting sword,
Thus threaten'd death with many an idle word.'

The corresponding Hebrew term has for its root-meaning to fly. Accordingly, to brandish a sword is to make it fly; that is, move with the rapidity and force of a bird's wing. The word is, in this sense, found only in Ezek. xxxii. 10.

BRAY is a word probably connected with branus, which, in Medieval Latin, is equivalent to attritus, rubbed or pounded, from the old Italian brano, a crumb. Accordingly, to bray is to reduce to crumbs by attrition; that is, by rubbing or by pounding. Froissart uses bray in this sense:The Englysshmen were fayne to gather the thystelles in the feldes, and braye them in a morter.' The word occurs, in this import at least, only in Prov. xxvii. 22:-'Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.' Wellbeloved, in his Bible, renders the verse thus:

'If thou thresh a fool on the floor,

Among corn with a threshing instrument, Thou wilt not remove his folly from him.' We do not undertake to decide whether threshing or pounding was intended by the sacred penman; though, with King James's translators, we incline to the latter. The Hebrew word is found in no other place than the one given above; and we are therefore deprived of the aid which comparison might afford. The Septuagint takes the passage figuratively, as denoting a public whipping. In the midst of these uncertainties, it is clear the writer implies that there are some who are so foolish, that the severest punishment will not correct them. The gospel, however, has led many to doubt whether coercion has a remedial efficacy,

and taught them to look for means of moral restoration rather to the genial and reviving influence of gentle expostulation and warm Christian love.

BREASTPLATE was a piece of embroidered cloth worn on his breast by the high priest, of which we shall speak elsewhere (HIGH PRIEST).

The term also denotes a piece of defensive armour worn on the chest, and constituting a part of that panoply,' whole armour of God,' which Paul exhorts the Ephesian Christians to put on (Ephes. vi. 11-17). Our illustration presents an ancient soldier clad in a panoply, or in whole armour.

ROMAN SOLDIER DRESSED IN ARMOUR.

BRICK in the Hebrew is Lahvahn (Latin alb, from albus), to be white, from the colour assumed by clay on being subjected to heat. Bricks therefore were clay, either hardened in the sun, or burnt in kilns. We first read of brick in connection with the building of the tower of Babel:-'Let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly: and they had brick for stone' (Gen. xi. 3). In the last words, we have a proof that the book of Genesis was written by an inhabitant of a rocky country, such as was Palestine, where stone is supplied in abundance so great as to render the use of bricks in constructing edifices unnecessary. But in the alluvial regions