58 COSMOS. 



ment are a faithful reflection of the character of the country 

 in which they were composed, of the alternations of barren- 

 ness and fruitfulness, and of the Alpine forests by which the 

 land of Palestine was characterized. They describe in their 

 regular succession the relations of the climate, the manners 

 of this people of herdsmen, and their hereditary aversion to 

 agricultural pursuits. The epic or historical narratives are 

 marked by a graceful simplicity, almost more unadorned than 

 those of Herodotus, and most true to nature ; a point on which 

 the unanimous testimony of modern travelers may be received 

 as conclusive, owing to the inconsiderable changes effected in 

 the course of ages in the manners and habits of a nomadic 

 people. Their lyrical poetry is more adorned, and develops a 

 rich and animated conception of the life of nature. It might 

 almost be said that one single psalm (the 104th) represents 

 the image of the whole Cosmos : " Who coverest thyself with 

 light as with a garment : who stretchest out the heavens like 

 a curtain : who layeth the beams of his chambers in the wa- 

 ters : who maketh the clouds his chariot : who walketh upon 

 the wings of the wind : who laid the foundations of the earth, 

 that it should not be removed forever. He sendeth the springs 

 into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink 

 to every beast of the field : the wild asses quench their thirst. 

 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, 

 which sing among the branches. He causeth the grass to 

 grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man : that he 

 may bring forth food out of the earth ; and wine that maketh 

 glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and 

 bread which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the 

 Lord are full of sap ; the cedars of Lebanon which he hath 

 planted ; where the birds make their nests : as for the stork, 

 the fir-trees are her house." " The great and wide sea" is 

 then described, "wherein are things creeping innumerable, 

 both small and great beasts. There go the ships : there is 

 that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein." The 

 description of the heavenly bodies renders this picture of na- 

 ture complete : " He appointed the moon for seasons : the sun 

 knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is 

 night ; wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. 

 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat 

 from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, 

 and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his 

 work and to his labor unto the evening." 



We are astonished to find, in a lyrical poem of such a lim 



