Ohfervations &c. 277 



built over the Street, partly makcth the Partition with the 

 contiguous Terraces , being frequently fa low that one may 

 cafily climb over It. The other, or the Parapet Wall, as we 2:> p^-^;,,., 

 may call It, hangeth immediately over the Court, being always '^''^• 

 Breafthigh, and anfwereth to the ^?V'^ {Vulg. Lorica,) which we 

 render the Battlements in the H. Scriptures '. Inltead of this 

 Parapet Wall, fome Terraces are guarded, in the fame manner 

 the Galleries are, with Balluftrades only or Latticed-Work : 

 in which Fafhion probably, as the Name feems to import, was 

 the [ni3':f,] Net or Lattice ^ as we render it , that Ahaziah 

 {z Kings I. 2.) might be carelefly leaning over, when he fell 

 down from thence into the Court. For upon thefe Terraces, 

 feveral Offices of the Family are performed ; fuch as the drying 

 of Linnen ; preparing of Figs and Raifms ; where likewife they 

 enjoy the cool refrefhing Breezes of the Evening"; converle 

 with one another and offer up their Devotions ^ When one 

 of thefe Cities is built upon a Plat of level Ground, we can 

 pafs from one End of It to another, along the Tops of the 

 Houfes, without coming down into the Street. 



Such is the Manner and Contrivance in general of theEaftern^'-'' ^"f' "^ 



Tt r A 1 -r- 1 r 1 1 • ^"^ Paral}tic 



Houles. And 11 it may be preiumed that our Saviour, at the^'f'"^"'"'- 

 healing of the Tarafytic , was preaching in an Houfe of this 

 Fafliion, we may, by attending only to the Structure of It 

 give no fmall Light to oneCircumftance of thatHiftory, which 

 hath lately given great Offence to fome Perfons. For among 

 other pretended Difficulties and Abfurdities relating to this 

 Fa6l, it hath been urged % that " as tke uncovering or hreak. 

 " ing up of the Roof, Mar. 2. 4. or the letting a Terfon down 

 '^ through it, Luk. y. 1 9. fuppofes the breaking up of Tiles, Spars, 

 *" Rafters ^x. fo it was well," (as the Author goes on in his 

 ludicrous Manner,) "\i Jejus and his Difciples efcaped with 

 '' only a broken Pate, by the falling of the Tiles, and if the 

 " reft were not fmothered with Duft." But that nothing of 



I When thou buUdeft a new Houfc, then thou fl^alt make a. Battlement ["Pi^O] for thy Roof, 

 that thou bring not blood upon thine Hottfe, if any Man fall from thence. Dcut. 22. 8. Hp'i' inde 

 •^py^j quod fecundum Rabbi David in libro R^dicum, erat iEdificium cjuod faclebant in 

 ciicuitu tecti (i. partis fuperioris domus quse erat plana) ne quis inde caderct : & crat alti- 

 tiidinis decern D'nciy (i. palmarum) quae eft menfura quatuor digitorum fiiper (e pofitorum 

 vcl amplius. v.F^^w.Lex. 1 And it came to pafs in anevening Tide,thatDavid rofc from off hisBed, 

 and ti^alked upon the Roof of the Kings Houfe. 2 Sam. xi. 2. So theyfpread Abfolom a Tent upon 

 the Top of the Houfe. V. xvi. 22. Samuel communed with Saul upon the Top of the Houfe. 

 I Sam. Tx. 25-. Samuel culled Saul to the Top of the Houfe. V. 26. 3 They that worfiip the 

 Hofi of Heaven upon the Houfe Top. Zeph. i. y. Peter went up upon the Houfe Top to pray. 

 A&i 10. 9. 4 Vid. H'uoljion's 4 Difc. p. 5-7. 



A a a a this 



