324 SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY. 



and hence its varieties are extremely numerous. The figures pro- 

 duced by these combinations are sometimes very curious ; but in 

 some instances the variations are suspected to be the work of art. 

 One is mentioned in the church of St. Mark, at Venice, which had 

 the representation of a king's head, surrounded by a diadem. On 

 another was represented a man in the attitude of running. But the 

 most remarkable of all, says Bingly, seems to have been one which 

 contained a representation of the nine Muses, with Apollo in the 

 midst of them ! 



In Isa. liv. 12, and E/ek. xxvii. 16, our translators have rendered 

 another, and a different word (bedecked) by agate : bishop Lowth 

 thinks it is the ruby, and Mr. Park hurst the pyropus ; the latter ver- 

 sion seems best to correspond with the Hebrew name, which is from 

 a root signifying to propel, dart forth. 



ALABASTER, 



THIS is a kind of sulphat of lime, or of lime in combination with 

 sulphuric acid, which has a shining and glittering texture ; and m 

 of white color, tinged with grey or red, and sometimes stripped, 

 veined, or spotted. Being considerably softer than marble, it is 

 more easily worked, and was used by the ancients, as by ourselves, 

 for the manufacture of vases and other ornamental vessels. Such 

 is sometimes the transparency of alabaster, that it has been employ- 

 ed for windows ; and at Florence, there is now a church which 

 receives its light through the medium of this substance. 



Alabaster is mentioned only in Matt, xxvk 6, 7, and the parallel 

 passages : * Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Si- 

 mon the leper, there cmne unto him a woman having an alabaster 

 box of very precious ointment, arid poured it on his head as he sat. ? 

 Mark adds, 'she brake the box,' which circumstance has given rise to 

 some discussion. Dr. A. Clarke translates the clause, * she brake 

 the seal; 1 remarking, that this is the best translation he can give of 

 the place, and that he gives it for these reasons : First, it is not like- 

 ly that a box, exceedingly precious in itself, should be broken to 

 get out its contents ; Secondly, the broken pieces would be very in- 

 convenient, if not injurious, to the head of our Lord, and to th 

 hands of the woman ; Thirdly, it would not be easy effectually to 

 separate the oil from the broken pieces ; and, Fourthly, it was a 

 custom in Eastern countries to seal the bottles with wax that held 

 the perfumes, so that, to come at their contents, no more was ne- 

 cessary than to break the seal, 'which this woman appears to have 

 done ; and when the seal was thus broken, she had no more to do 

 than to pour out the liquid ointment, which she could not hav 

 done had she broken the bottle. The bottles which contain th 

 attar of roses, which come from the East, lie adds, are sealed in 

 this manner. 



