THE LOCUST. 217 



their dead and corrupted bodies, upon that long extended coast, 

 which produced a most insupportable and poisonous stench. This 

 soon brought on a pestilence, which affected every species of ani- 

 mals ; so that birdsj and sheep, and cattle, and even the wild beasts 

 of the field, perished in great numbers; and their carcasses, being 

 soon rendered putrid by the foulness of the air, added greatly to 

 the general corruption. The destruction of the human species 

 was horrible ; in Numidia, where at that time Micipsa was king, 

 eighty thousand persons died; and in that part of the sea coast 

 which bordered upon the region of Carthage and Utica, two hun- 

 dred thousand are said to have been carried off by this pestilence. 



The immense number in which locusts migrate, is spoken of by 

 several travellers of respectability. Mr. Brown, in his travels in 

 Africa, says, 'An area of nearly two thousand square miles might 

 be said to be literally covered by them.' Mr. Forbes states, that 

 when at Barodha, in India, where the locust is not near so perni- 

 cious as in Africa and Arabia, he saw a flight of them extending 

 above a mile in length, and half as much in breadth ; they appear- 

 ed, as the sun was in the meridian, like a black cloud at a distance. 

 As they approached from the east, the density of tjie host obscured 

 the solar rays, cast an awful gloom, like that of an eclipse, over 

 the garden where he was, and caused a noise like a rushing of a 

 torrent. They were near an hour in passing over the spot. In 

 Kirby and Spence's Entomology it is said, that one of the swarms 

 which entered Transylvania, in August, 1748, was several hundred 

 fathoms in width (at Vienna the breadth of one of them was three 

 miles), and extended to so great a length as to be four hours in 

 passing over the Red Tower ; and such was its density that it to- 

 tally intercepted the solar light, so that when they flew low, one 

 person could not see another at the distance of twenty paces. 



These extracts, which might be greatly multiplied, will show the 

 propriety of the Scripture references to the numerical strength of 

 the locust armies. See Judg. vi. 5; vii. 12; Psalm cv. 34; Jer. 

 xlvi. 23; Nah. iii. 15, &c. ; for although our translation has 'grass- 

 hopper' in some of these passages, the locust is no doubt the crea- 

 ture intended by the original. 



But the most particular description of the locust in the sacred 

 writings, is that in Joel ii. 3 10. * A fire devoureth before them ; 

 and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of 

 Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness ; yea, 

 nothing shall escape them, &c. 



This is, perhaps, one of the most striking and animated pictures 

 to be found in the whole compass of prophecy. The contexture 

 of the passage is extremely curious; and the double destruction to 

 be produced by locusts, and the enemies of which they were the 

 harbingers, is painted with the most expressive force, and describ- 

 ed with the most terrible accuracy. We may fancy the destroying 

 army moving before us while we read, and the desolation spread- 

 ing while we turn over the pages. 

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