Accumulation of Wealth with the Hebrew Nation. 1 39 



earth hatli dust of gold*." Though living in a country which 

 yields none of the precious metals, he was thus famiharly ac- 

 quainted with the fact, that silver was found in veins, and gold 

 commonly in small particles. 



Among the people with whom Job was connected, silver 

 seems to have passed from hand to hand by weight, as money ; 

 whilst gold was appropriated like the onyx, the sapphire, crys- 

 tals, pearls, topazes, and other jewels, as ornaments for the per- 

 son. At the conclusion of that beautiful poem, the restored 

 wealth of Job is reckoned up in cattle, not in money ; and 

 though his visiters brought each a piece of money, probably sil- 

 ver, yet each of them brought also an ear-ring of goldf. 



Of the Accu7nula(ion of the precious Metals, from the most 



remote Ages to the establishment of the Imperial Governme^it 



in Rome. 



There are no intimation in the Sacred Writings (Hebrews) 

 which afford any means of forming an estimate of the whole 

 quantity of the precious metals which had been collected in the 

 patriarchal days. We must, therefore, rest satisfied with the 

 scanty accounts with which they furnish, and proceed to later 

 periods, when the relations of the several accumulations are more 

 frequent, though not marked with any such precision as can 

 inspire implicit confidence. 



In the history of the reign of Solomon, as recorded in the 

 Book of Kings and in the Chronicles, we find statements of the 

 quantities of the precious metals used in the royal palace and the 

 holy temple erected by that monarch. We read, that " he over- 

 laid the house within with pure gold : and he made a partition 

 by the chains of gold before the oracle, and he overlaid the ora- 

 cle with gold. And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until 

 he had finished the whole house : also the whole altar, that was 

 by the oracle, he overlaid with gold J." 



The quantity of gold which Solomon collected in a single 

 year, is stated to be (1 Kings x. 14), six hundred threescore 

 and six talents, or perhaps about L. 300,000 in value at the 

 present moment. That with which he covered the sanctum 

 sanctorum, at the same rate, would amount to above L. 230,000. 



• Job xlii. 11. and 12. f 1 Kings vi. 20, 21, and 22. 



t Job xxviii. 1 and 6 ; also 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 



