CHAP. in.

PRECIOUS METALS.

119

entering into the possession of their conqueredterritory 1 , we find one half tribe of the Hebrewswas dismissed to their allotment “ with muchcattle and silver and gold, with brass and ironand much raiment j” and there can be no reasonto suppose them more wealthy than the rest oftheir brethren.

In the period which succeeded to the govern-ment of Joshua, whilst the Israelites were ruledby judges, though they were often oppressed,and, according to the custom of the age, plun-dered by those who defeated them, yet theyfinally came out of each conquest successfully,and made those who held a temporary dominionover them more than repay the precious metalsthey had extorted. Thus Gideon 2 , when he haddefeated the Midianites, collected the goldene ar-rings of the vanquished, which amounted to°ne thousand seven hundred shekels of gold,perhaps worth in our money five thousandpounds. In that period, too, we find some inti-mation of the precious metals in the possession°f private individuals. Thus 3 4 Abimelech, withSe venty shekels of silver, hired “ vain and lightPersons” to commit a massacre on his brethren ;a nd* Micah took from his mother eleven hun-

1 Joshua, cap. xxii. v. 9.

2 Judges, cap. viii. v. 26 .

3 Idem, cap. ix. v. 4.

4 Idem, cap. xvii. v. 2.