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GOVERNMENT.

spirit evinced for the general welfare; in the greatest mea-sure possible of his exertions to serve the people, whomhe was laudably ambitious to govern. However, this appearsto have been the principle on which the first monarchnamed in the Israelitish history obtained the suffrage of hispeople. There we are told that “ Nimrod was a mighty“ one on the earth, and that he was a mighty hunter before“ the Lord. The beginning of his kingdom w r as Babel, and“ Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”Gen. x. 8, 9, 10.

Now his hunting, it should appear,—(but that these cir-cumstances are not mentioned, because the writers rathertoo often put a part only for the whole, which circumstancerenders their meaning often obscure to the turgid imagina-tions of Europeans, entirely strangers to their modes of life,and their highly figurative expressions; also the sacred re-cords were written for other purposes than mere historicalresearch.)—But from what little is said of Nimrod , we canreadily collect that his hunting did not in the least resemblethe exercise now known in Britain bearing the same deno-mination. (But, upon that subject, vide the article Chase.)Suffice it, for the present, to sav, he had secured to himselfthe gratitude of his people. Yet, let it be added, that inthose days the earth was grievously infested with ferociousanimals, and with fierce and savage men; both of whomwere intolerable annoyances to the peaceably disposed ofhumanity, and to their domesticated animals. Thereforethe chase and destruction of savage animals first devolvedupon the noble, spirited, courageous, and generous-mindedof our species; with great personal risk, and frequently to thedestruction of the individuals themselves.

The season for hunting those animals usually commencedabout, or a little after, the autumnal equinox. The land beingfreed from them, the chase for murderers, robbers, and othermiscreants, began. Now we are to view the character underconsideration as successful in both respects: he was, there-fore,from gratitude in the people, advanced to the regal dignity.Likewise, as in part embracing the former proposition, andtaking in one proposed, at length, by Dr. Paley. “ There“ might have existed that respectful and grateful veneration“ for the memory of the grandfather of Nimrod , the antedilu-“ vian Noah, who unquestionably was most entitled to their“ veneration, not only from his being the common parent of“ all then living, but also, because from him they received“ those blessings they then enjoyed of the produce of the earth,

“ and those arts which would render their existence less dis-