THE ORIGIN OF MECCA, Sec. 387 



The worship of the dove seems to have been pe- 

 culiar to India, Arabia, Syria, and Affyria. We read 

 of Semiramis being fed by doves in the desart; and 

 of her vanishing at last from the sight of men, in 

 the shape of a dove ; and according to the Purdnds, 

 Capo'te'si, or the dove, was but a manifestation of 

 Sami-Ra'ma', 



The dove seems to have been in former times the 

 device of the Affyrian, as the eagle was of the Roman 

 empire ; for we read in Isai as *, u And the inhabi- 

 " tants of this country shall say in that day, such was 

 " our expectation ! behold whither we wanted to fly 

 <l for help from the face of the dovey but how could 

 " we have escaped V* 



I have adhered chiefly to the translation of Tre- 

 m ell i us, which appears the most literal, and to 

 be more expressive of the idea which the prophet 

 wished to convey to the Jews, who wanted to fly to 

 Egypt and Ethiopia, to avoid falling into the hands of 

 the AJfyrians ; but were to be disappointed by the 

 fall of these two empires. 



All commentators have unanimously understood 

 AJfyria by the Dove, and have translated the above 

 passage accordingly. Capo'te'si, or the Assyrian Dove, 

 was also mentioned in a song, current in these coun- 

 tries, and which seems to refer to some misfortune 

 that had befallen the Ajfyrians. The 56th Psalm is 

 directed to be sung to the tune of that song, which 

 was known to every body ; and for this purpose the 



* Isai as, cap. xx. in fine, 



C c 2 first 



