CHAP. I. WITH THE HEBREW NATION. 



none were of silver, for that metal was nothing 

 accounted of in the days of Solomon," and in 

 short, " the King made silver to be as stones in 

 Jerusalem 1 ." 



After this short intimation of the store of silver 

 and gold accumulated by the Hebrew nation, it 

 may be more proper to defer to another branch 

 of the subject the consideration of the way in 

 which such a store of the precious metals may 

 probably have been collected under the reign of 

 Solomon. 



In proceeding from the sacred to the profane 

 writers of antiquity, the reader is naturally in 

 some degree surprised at the credulity, or at 

 least apparent credulity, with which the most 

 extraordinary and improbable tales are narrated. 

 This is most remarkable in Herodotus and Dio- 

 dorus, who are yet far from unworthy of con- 

 fidence, where nothing supernatural is concerned. 

 The Greek and Roman writers relate prodigies 

 which at this day we know not whether to attri- 

 bute to their own credulity, or to that of the 

 community for which they composed their works. 

 In either case it does not render them utterly 

 unworthy of credit, nor destroy their testimony 

 in matters of history, of geography, of manners, 

 of laws, or of government. 



The history of all ancient nations is filled with 



1 1 Kings, c. x. 



