JOB 



defigp. of the poem h, therefore, to teacli men, that having 

 a due rcfpctt to the corruption, infamity, and ignorance o}' 

 human niitiire, as well as to the inlliiite wifdom and majelly 

 of God, they are to rcjeft all conlidencc in their bwii 

 ftrength, in their own righteoiifncfs, and to prcferre on all 

 occalions an unwavering and unfiiUieJ faith, and to fubmit 

 with becoming reverence to his decrees. 



The wholeliiftory detailed in the book of Job, taken to- 

 gether, contains nn example of patience, together with its 

 reward. 



Our author next proceeds to inquire whether the poem of 

 Job be poflefTcd of the peculiar properties of the Greek 

 drama : and after confidering a variety of circumftances, he 

 affirms without hefitation, that the poem of Job contains no 

 plot or aftion whatever, not even of the moft fimple kind : 

 it uniformly exhibits one conftant ftate of things, v.-ithcut 

 the fmallell chanjn: of feature from the hegiiir.ing to the end ; 

 and contains nearly a reprefentation of thofe manners, paf- 

 iions, and fentiments, which mig'it aftually be expedted in 

 fuch a lituation. The very nature of the fiibjeft excludes 

 even the poffibility of a plot or aftion. Upon tlie whole, 

 pur author concludes, that the poem of Job cannot pro- 

 perly be brought into comparilon with any of the Greek 

 tragedies. But though it has no claim to the merit of a 

 perfetl drama, o.ir author does not widi to derogate from 

 its merits. That cenfure will rather apply to thofe who, 

 by criticiiing it according to foreign and improper rules, 

 would make that compofition appear lame and impcrfeft, 

 which, on the contrary, is in its kind moft beautiful and 

 perfect. If indeed the extreme antiquity of this poem, the 

 obfcurity asd the difficulty that neceflarily cnfue trom that 

 circumllauce be confidered ; and if allowance be made for 

 the total want of plot and action, we fliali have caufe to 

 v,(onder at the c!?garce and interell which we find in its 

 form, conduct, and economy. The arrangement is perfeftly 

 regular, and every part is admirably adapted to its end and 

 deiign. The antiquary or the critic, who has been at the 

 pains to trace the hiftory of the Grecian drama from its firll 

 weak and iraperfeft efforts, and has carefully obferved 

 its tardy progrefs to perfeftion, will fcarcely, without 

 allonilhment, contemplate a poem produced fo many ages 

 before, fo elegant in its defign, fo regular in its ftrutture, 

 fo animated, fo affefting, fo near to the true dramatic 

 model : while, on the contrary, the united wifdom of 

 Greece, after ages of ftudy, was not able to produce any 

 thing approaching to perfedion in this walk of poetry be- 

 fore the time of ^Efchylus. But liov.-ever this be — whatever 

 rank may be affigned to Job, in a comparifon with the 

 poets of Greece, to whom we mud at leall; allow the merit 

 of art and m.elhod ; amongff the Hebrews, it muft ccrtairdy 

 be allowed, in this refpeft, to be unrivalled. It is of little 

 confequence whether it be efteemed a didactic or an ethic, a 

 pathetic cr dramatic poem ; only let it be affigned a diftinft and 

 confpicuous ftation in the higheil rank of the Hebrew poetry. 

 The moft fplendid examples, fays our author, of every 

 beauty and elegance of fentiment, of imagery, and of dic- 

 tion, meet the eye of the attentive reader in every part of 

 the poem. Let it fufficc to fay, that the dignity of the 

 ftyle is anfwerable to that of tlie fubje^l ; its force and 

 energy to the greatnefs of thofe paffions which it defcribes : 

 and as this production excels all the other remains of the 

 Hebrew poetry in economy and arrangement, fo it yields to 

 Done in fublimity of llylc, and in every grace and excellence 

 of compofition. Among the principal of thefe may be ac- 

 counted the accurate and perfectly poetical conformation of 

 the fentences, which ii indeed generally moft obfervable in 

 the moil ancient of the poetical coBijtoAtions of the He- 



J O B 



brews. Here, Iiowsver, ns is natural and proper in a poem 

 of fo great length and fublimity, the vvn'ter's frcill is dif- 

 playcd in the proper adjuftment of the period, and in the 

 accurate diilribution of the members, rather than in the 

 antitheils of words, or in any laboured adaptation of the pa- 

 rallelifms. 



" The'poetry of the book of Job," fays Dr. Blair, " is 

 rjot only equal to that of any other of the facred writings, 

 but is fuperior to them all, except thofe of Haiah alone. 

 As Ifaiah is the moft fublime, David the moft pleaiing and 

 tender, fo Job is the moft defcriptive of all the infpired 

 poets. A peculiar glow of fancy, and ftrength of defcrip- 

 tion, characterize this author. No writer whatever abounds 

 fo much in metaphors. He may be faid, not to defcrlbe, 

 but to render vifible, whatever he treats of. Inftances every 

 where occur ; particularly in the l8th and 20th chapters, 

 in which he paints the condition of the wicked." Schultens 

 and Le Clerc's Prsf. ad Con-ment. in Job. Lowih de 

 Sac. Poef. Prseleclioncs 32 — 34. Gregory's Tranf. with 

 Michaelis's Notes. Peter's Ciit. Differt. Dupin. Heath, 

 Scott, and Grey on Job. Blair's Left. vol. iii. Dr. Stock, 

 bifliop of Killala, in his trauflation and notes, concurs with 

 thofe who refer this bcok- to a late period ; not earlier than 

 the B^ibylonidi captivity. 



JoB's'7':-<irj, in Botuny. See CoiX. 



Job, St., in Geography, a town of Hungary, near which 

 are a celebrated abbey, and au old caftle ; 24 miles S.E. of 

 Debreczin. 



JOBAK, a town of Hindooftan, in the Gurry Mun- 

 delah ; 30 miles S. of Gurrah. 



JOBBER, a perfon who undertakes jobs, or fmall piecef 

 of work. 



In fome ftatutes, jobber is ufed for a perfon v.ho buys and 

 fells cattle for others. See Broker. 



JOBBING, Stock, denotes the praftlce of trafficking 

 in the public funds, or of buying and felling ftock, with a 

 view to its rife or fall. The term is commonly apphed to 

 the illegal praftice of buying and felling ftock for tim.e, or 

 of accounting for the differences in the rife or fali of any par- 

 ticular ftock for a ftipulated time ; whether the buyer or feller 

 be poffeffed of any fuch ftock or not. See Sioch Brokers. 



.I0BBING, in Rural Economy, a terra ufed by farmers for a 

 petty kind of buying and felling, or dealing in cattle, or any 

 other fort of farming-ftock. Men of this kind are alfo fre- 

 quently employed by the larger dealers. It has been ob- 

 ferved, that " if a midland Varmer goes to a fair, he is 

 a:1iamed to return without having ' dofie fome bufinefs :' he 

 niuft cither buy or fell, or he lofes his credit as a market 

 man. Hence, probably, the quantity of bufinefs done at 

 the midland fairs, compared with thofe of other diftrift?, 

 wiiere one-third, or perhaps half, the fleck is frequently 

 unfold, is very confiderable, while here, the whole aiir may 

 be faid to be generally transferred." 



JO BENT Nails. See N.ails. 



JO BERT, Lewi.s, in Biography, a Frecph Jefuit, diftin- 

 guiflied as well by his antiquarian kaowledgc, as by his 

 pulpit talents and eloquence, was born at Paris in the year 

 1637. He was a teacher of the feveral branches of polite 

 literature, and performed the duties of his ftation with diftin- 

 guilhed ability. He died in 1719, leaving behind him many 

 works, but the moft imporT.ant was an elaborate treatife on. 

 " Medals," which was jfchliftied in two volumes, izmo., in 

 the year 1692. This work poffeffes great merit, and met 

 with a very favourv.bie reception. It has gone through 

 many editions at Pv'S> Amftcrdam, Leipfic, and Nurem- 

 burg. The mf/'^uorreft is faid to be that of Paris in 1 739, 

 witUi>.dditior.::Vv'M. Jofcph Bimard de la Baftie. Moreri'. 

 " ^ T t i JOBIE^, 



