354 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IV. 



But not only did the children of Ifrael, in that early age, miiki- 

 ply fo much, but it appears that the people, who poffefied Canaan 

 before the Ifraelites conquered it, had multiplied exceedingly: For 

 we have an enumeration of the kings of the country, whom the 

 Ifraelites fubdued, amounting altogether to the number of 31*. 

 Thefe kingdoms, governed each by a feparate king, muft have been 

 fmall. But in fmall kingdoms, or ftates, people multiply mod : 

 Whereas great kingdoms and empires do necelTarily diminifli the 

 numbers of tlie people. And it appears, that, before that time, there 

 were flill more kings in Canaan; for one of thofe kings, Adoni- 

 bezek, had, as he fays, three/core and ten kings, having their thumbs 

 and their great toes cut otT, who gathered their meat under his table f;. 

 -—But to return to the Ifraelites. 



After they had got poflelTion of the land of Canaan, and had kept 

 it for fome hundreds of years, it is amazing how they increafed; 

 and, indeed, if it were not fo well attefted it would appear altogether 

 incredible. Thefe numbers were taken in confequence of a very 

 accurate furvey of the country, which took up the time of nine 

 months and twenty days J : And as this numeration of the peo'ple- 

 v/as a very important event, being the caufe of a peftilence, which 

 djeftroyed 70,000 men, we muft fuppofe that it is very accurately 

 recorded. The numbers amounted to 800,000 valiant men that 

 drew the fword in Ifrael, and 500,000 in Judah § : So that the 

 number of lighting men, in Ifrael and Judah, were altogether 

 1,300,000. The women, who were grown up, muft have been at 

 leaft as numerous as the fighting men; and the children, male and 

 female, muft have been at leaft three times as numerous as the fight- 

 ing men: So that, I hold, the whole number of the people muft have 

 been four times the number of the fighting men; that is to fay, they 



muft 



*■ Jofhua, chap. xii. v. 24. f Judges, chap. i. v. 7. 



\ Second Samuel, ch^p. lafl, v. 8» § Ibid. v. g. 



