ANTIQUITIES OF NORTHUMBERLAND. 143 



mount Ebal, compofed of whole natural flones, or pillars plaif- 

 tered with plaifter, whereon they wrote the divine laws, in a 

 great and general aflembly of all Ifrael, of all the princes, great 

 officers, judges, and people of every rank and quality,, (hangers 

 and others^ old and, young (#,). 



Single pillars were alfo creeled by thcfe holy men over the 

 graves of ' the : ilhtftrious dead by fomc public and much fre- 

 quented road, to have their memories prcfervcd, and to put the' 

 traveller in mind of their exemplary virtue and piety, of his 

 own fhort continuance on the ftage of life, and to fit and make 

 himfelf worthy of fuch another honourable memorial at his 

 death, and of an eternal diadem. Thus Jacob- buried Rachel, the 

 folace and partner of his cares, who died with the birth of their 



foil Benjamin. " Rachel died and was buried in the way to. 



* c Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob fet a pillar on her 

 " grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day (vj." 



Perfbns of inferior condition and figure were buried under the 

 flaady 'oaks that flouriihed at the bottom of the mounts on which 

 the Bethels or temples flood. They were called the Oaks of Weep- 

 ing,-* " Deborah, Rcbekah's nurfe, died, and me was buried be- 

 " neath 'Bethel, under an oak: and the name of it Was called Al- 

 "~lon-backuth (*w)" 



Heaps of ftones, rudely caft together, were the tombs they 

 alligned to z&//-enemies after execution, even crowned heads, 

 in 'avenues and places of great concourfe, to be warnings to the 

 reft of mankind, how they rofe up againft the God of Ifrael, dif- 



(u) Jof. viii. ver. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 3?. (v) Gen. xxXV. Ver. 19, 20.' 



(w) Gen. xxxv. ver. 8. 



honoured. 



