SOLOMON'S HORSE-DEALING. 291 



and really has a great deal to say well worth hearing. 

 The human biped gets many a hard hit while appar- 

 ently only hearing about the quadruped, in gratitude 

 to which Sir Francis submits to the consideration of 

 the public what he terms " imperfect observations ap- 

 plicable to all living creatures." Sir Francis, instead 

 of quoting the common saying, "A merciful man is 

 merciful to his beast," gives the words of Solomon, " A 

 righteous man regardeth his beast." As Solomon had no 

 less than " 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 

 12,000 horsemen," it is pleasant to know that in this 

 instance, at least, the royal preacher observed his own 

 precept, and that "his officers provided victual for 

 King Solomon, barley also and straw for the horses and 

 the dromedaries. " Knowing how frequent is the use of 

 barley as food for the horse all over the East, we have 

 often wondered at its little employment in this country 

 for the like purpose. 



The mention of Solomon " in this connection," as 

 some folk oddly express themselves, has induced us to 

 look into his horse-dealing business, and the result is 

 that we ascertain that it was on a great scale, and so 

 profitable as to excite the envy of many a dealer in our 

 modern horse-markets. This royal couper* " had horses 

 brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn : the king's mer- 

 chants received the linen yarn at a fixed price. And 

 they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt, a 

 chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse 

 for a hundred and fifty ; and so brought they out horses 

 for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of 

 Syria, by their means" (2d Chronicles, i. 17). It is not 

 easy to understand how a people so " learned " as the 

 Egyptians should allow such a formidable neighbour as 

 Solomon to acquire a large force of cavalry, and enrich 

 himself by a monopoly in the trade of their horses. 

 The German commentator Michaelis is of opinion that 

 " the fixing of the price of the horses has the look of a 

 * Anglice, horse-dealer. 



