Stories of the Olden Time Part 7

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EARLY EASTERN RECORD.

_XIX.--SENNACHERIB._

1. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d of Israel, that which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of a.s.syria I have heard.

2. This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

3. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

4. By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the mult.i.tude of my chariots, I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar-trees thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

5. I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

6. Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pa.s.s, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

7. Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the gra.s.s of the field, and as the green herb, as the gra.s.s on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

8. But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

9. Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

10. And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

11. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

12. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of Mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

13. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of a.s.syria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with s.h.i.+eld, nor cast a bank against it.

14. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.

15. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

16. And it came to pa.s.s that night, that the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the a.s.syrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

17. So Sennacherib king of a.s.syria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

_II Kings, xix, 20-36._

THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB.

1. The a.s.syrian came down like a wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

2. Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, That host with its banners at sunset was seen; Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

3. For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed on the face of the foe as he pa.s.sed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still.

4. And there lay the steed, with his nostrils all wide, But through them there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

5. And there lay the rider, distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail, And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

6. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.

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_Byron._

_XX.--GLAUCON._

1. When Glaucon, the son of Ariston, attempted to harangue the people, from a desire, though he was not yet twenty years of age, to have a share in the government of the state, no one of his relatives, or other friends, could prevent him from getting himself dragged down from the tribunal and making himself ridiculous; but Socrates, who had a friendly feeling toward him on account of Charmides, the son of Glaucon, as well as on account of Plato, succeeded in prevailing on him, by his sole dissuasion, to relinquish his purpose.

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2. Meeting him by chance, he first stopped him by addressing him as follows, that he might be willing to listen to him: "Glaucon," said he, "have you formed an intention to govern the state for us?" "I have, Socrates," replied Glaucon. "By Jupiter," rejoined Socrates, "it is an honorable office, if any other among men be so; for it is certain that, if you attain your object, you will be able yourself to secure whatever you may desire, and will be in a condition to benefit your friends; you will raise your father's house, and increase the power of your country; you will be celebrated first of all in your own city, and afterward throughout Greece, and perhaps, also, like Themistocles, among the barbarians, and, wherever you may be, you will be an object of general admiration." Glaucon, hearing this, was highly elated, and cheerfully stayed to listen. Socrates next proceeded to say: "But it is plain, Glaucon, that if you wish to be honored, you must benefit the state." "Certainly," answered Glaucon. "Then, in the name of the G.o.ds," said Socrates, "do not hide from us how you intend to act, but inform us with what proceeding you will begin to benefit the state." But as Glaucon was silent, as if just considering how he should begin, Socrates said: "As, if you wished to aggrandize the family of a friend, you would endeavor to make it richer, tell me whether you will in like manner also endeavor to make the state richer?" "a.s.suredly," said he. "Would it then be richer, if its revenues were increased?" "That is at least probable," said Glaucon.

"Tell me then," proceeded Socrates, "from what the revenues of the state arise, and what is their amount; for you have doubtless considered, in order that if any of them fall short, you may make up the deficiency, and that if any of them fail, you may procure fresh supplies." "These matters, by Jupiter," replied Glaucon, "I have not considered."

3. "Well, then," said Socrates, "if you have omitted to consider this point, tell me at least the annual expenditure of the state; for you undoubtedly mean to retrench whatever is superfluous in it." "Indeed,"

replied Glaucon, "I have not yet had time to turn my attention to that subject." "We will therefore," said Socrates, "put off making our state richer for the present; for how is it possible for him who is ignorant of its expenditure and its income to manage those matters?"

4. "But Socrates," observed Glaucon, "it is possible to enrich the state at the expense of our enemies." "Extremely possible, indeed,"

replied Socrates, "if we be stronger than they; but if we be weaker, we may lose all that we have." "What you say is true," said Glaucon.

5. "Accordingly," said Socrates, "he who deliberates with whom he shall go to war, ought to know the force both of his own country and of the enemy, so that, if that of his own country be superior to that of the enemy, he may advise it to enter upon the war, but if inferior, may persuade it to be cautious of doing so." "You say rightly," said Glaucon.

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6. "In the first place, then," proceeded Socrates, "tell us the strength of the country by land and sea, and next that of the enemy."

"But, by Jupiter," exclaimed Glaucon, "I should not be able to tell you on the moment, and at a word." "Well, then, if you have it written down," said Socrates, "bring it, for I should be extremely glad to hear what it is." "But, to say the truth," replied Glaucon, "I have not yet written it down."

7. "We will therefore put off considering about war for the present,"

said Socrates, "for it is very likely that on account of the magnitude of these subjects, and as you are just commencing your administration, you have not yet examined into them. But to the defense of the country, I am quite sure that you have directed your attention, and that you know how many garrisons are in advantageous positions, and how many not so, what number of men would be sufficient to maintain them, and what number would be insufficient, and that you will advise your countrymen to make the garrisons in advantageous positions stronger, and to remove the useless ones."

8. "By Jove," replied Glaucon, "I shall recommend them to remove them all, as they keep guard so negligently, that the property is secretly carried off out of the country." "Yet, if we remove the garrisons,"

said Socrates, "do you not think that liberty will be given to anybody that pleases to pillage? But," added he, "have you gone personally and examined as to this fact, or how do you know that the garrisons conduct themselves with such negligence?" "I form my conjectures,"

said he. "Well, then," inquired Socrates, "shall we settle about these matters also, when we no longer rest upon conjecture, but have obtained certain knowledge?" "Perhaps that," said Glaucon, "will be the better course."

9. "To the silver-mines, however," continued Socrates, "I know that you have not gone, so as to have the means of telling us why a smaller revenue is derived from them than came in some time ago." "I have not gone thither," said he. "Indeed, the place," said Socrates, "is said to be unhealthy, so that when it is necessary to bring it under consideration, this will be a sufficient excuse for you." "You jest with me," said Glaucon. "I am sure, however," proceeded Socrates, "that you have not neglected to consider, but have calculated, how long the corn which is produced in the country, will suffice to maintain the city, and how much it requires for the year, in order that the city may not suffer from scarcity unknown to you, but that, from your own knowledge, you may be able, by giving your advice concerning the necessaries of life, to support the city and preserve it." "You propose a vast field for me," observed Glaucon, "if it will be necessary for me to attend to such subjects."