fave him to his own Ruin, well knowing, when it was pait recalling, he would be foon convinced of the Neceffity of the Thing, and be comforted.

This we think the moft rational Way of accounting for Joab's Behaviour on this Occafion; fi ce it is plain, he could not do it for Intereft, being fure to have no Thanks for his Pains; as little could he be imagined to have been influenced by Malice, fince he was fo far from bearing Abfalom any Ill-will, that he was the very Perfon vho fetched him back from Gehur, after the Murder of his Brother Amnon; neither could it proceed from Envy, that young Man not being likely to interfere with him in any Cafe; his only Motive then must be, a Zeal for the public Good, and his being impelled thereto by the Hand of Heaven.

In effect, it is very remarkable, though Joab is twice highly blamed in Scripture for the Murder of Abner and Amafa, first by David on his Death. Bed, and then by Solomon; nay, though David actually injoined his Son, to revenge thofe Murders upon Joab, and though Solomon, actually did fo, yet we do not find him blamed by either of them for killing Abfalom; an evident Sign, we think, he was known to be the Divine Inftrument on that Occafion.

To pafs on from facred to profane Hiftory, we can almost match this Inftance of the higheft Ingratitude and Wickedness in Abfalom from the Chronicles of our own Country; only that the Prince who was guilty thereof, did not die a violent Death, though he mifcarried in his Defign, and was cut off untimely by the Hand of Providence : In short, bating that the Parallel fails in this Point, in most others it answers pretty well; both of thefe were the Sons of indulgent Parents; both of them

repayed

repayed their Indulgence with Ingratitude, and even with Rebellion; and both of them were fhamefully defeated, and disappointed in their

Aim.

This young Prince, whofe Name was Henry, eldeft Son to our King Henry the Second, and Grandfon to Maud the Emprefs, not contented with being admitted by his too indulgent Parent to a Partnership in the Throne, ufed his utmost Endeavours to difpoffefs him of the whole; and indeed his Father had but little Reafon to expect otherwife, fince, even at his Coronation Feaft, the old King waiting upon him thereat, and the Archbishop of Canterbury telling him that few Princes had fuch a Servant to attend them, he proudly answered, Where is the mighty Matter, that he, who was only Son to an Earl, should wait upon me who am Son to a King? This he faid in Difparagement of the old King, who came to the Crown in Right of his Mo ther the Emprefs Maud, and was begotten upon her by Geoffry Plantagenet, Earl of Anjou, her fecond Husband.

It was no Wonder then, we fay, that one who could behave thus to his Father, the very Day of his Coronation, fhould attempt to dethrone him afterwards; it was no more than what he had great Caufe to look for; and indeed he was in fome measure obliged to his Son for giving him Warning by fo infolent a Speech, to be upon his Guard against him. Whether old Henry took it in this Light, or not, we cannot determine, Hiftory not giving us any Insight into this Matter; but be that as it will, it is very certain he always took Care to be fufficiently armed against all his Enterprizes; though the Son was fupported therein openly by the King of France, and underhand by the Machinations of fome traiterous Nobles, and of his Mother Queen Eleanor, who hating the King her

Husband,

Husband, on account of his Intrigue with Fair Rofamond, the Lord Clifford's Daughter, would willingly have helped to depofe him.

In vain, however, were all their joint Attempts to this Purpose; after many Battles fought abroad, and many inteftine Disturbances at home, after a Sea of Blood fhed, in spite of all foreign Enemies, domeftic Traitors, unnatural Sons, and a perfidious Wife, the old Monarch, who was the greatest Prince of his Time, ftill maintained his Ground, and obliged the afpiring and ungrateful young King, humbly to fue for Peace, which he generoufly and indulgently granted.

Nevertheless, though his earthly Father had thus forgiven the Wickednefs and Ingratitude of an ambitious Son, it is reafonably to be fuppofed, his heavenly Father did not; but that, however he might deal with him in the next World, he was determined to chastile him in this; and that in fuch a Manner, that he might read his Sin in his Punish-. ment, and might ferve as an Example to deter others from treading for the future in his Footsteps. In effect, as he had been fo impatient to enjoy the Crown, that he could not wait the appointed Time, but must endeavour to feize it beforehand, neither was he fuffered to enjoy vital Air the ufual Term, but was fnatched away prematurely: As he had gaped after his Father's Death, fo was he overtaken by his own; and, as long Life is promifed in the Fifth Commandment to thofe that honour Father and Mother, fo was it evidenced in him, that the contrary is implied to thofe who do the reverse.

But it was not in this Son alone, that Henry II was unhappy; the others, Richard, Geoffry, and John, refembling him too much, and privately abetting him in his male Practices, though they did not proceed fuch Lengths as Henry, nor fo often attempt

to

Comines, our Hiftorian, who was also a Person of Condition, and had a confiderable Poft under him, was ordered, in Conjunction with fome other Noblemen, to make this Propofal to the Son, and to report his Anfwer. It was as follows: He would fooner throw his Father into a Well, and leap himfelf after him, than agree to any fuch Conditions; adding, that bis Father having been Duke forty-four Years, it was now Time for him to fucceed. In effect, all that this unnatural Reprobate could be brought to agree to, was, That he would allow his Father a yearly Penfion of three Thousand Florins, on Condition he hould depart the Country directly, never more to return. Would any one believe it poffible, a Person of his Rank could be fo savage a Monster ?

But Heaven did not fuffer fo unnatural a Barbarian to go unpunished! Having left the Duke of Burgundy's Court foon after in Difguife, with Intent to return to Guelderland, and being come to a Ferry near Namur, he paid the Man who carried him over a Guilder for his Paffage: This uncommon Liberality, creating a Sufpicion in a Priest, who happened to be prefent, he viewed him narrowly, and in a fhort Time recollected him; whereupon he was taken Prifoner, and carried to Namur, where he remained under Confinement till the Duke of Burgundy's Death. Whilft he continued thus in Cuftody, the old Duke oeparting this Life, utterly difinherited him, and bequeathed all his Effects to others more deferving, and the Sovereignty of his Dominions to the Duke of Burgundy. Thus was this unnatural Savage, who would not confent to al、 low his aged Father one fmall Town to refide in during Life, and a moderate Penfion, utterly deprived of the whole Dutchy, and all his Effects to a confiderable Value, even after his Deceafe; when they would otherwise have defcended to him regularly. But this was not all, the Hand of Heaven purfued him yet farther; for though, after the

Duke

Duke of Burgundy's Deceafe, the Inhabitants of Ghent procured his Enlargement, and carried him with them to the Siege of Tournay, it was only to haften his End; for he was there flain foon after in a Skirmish; receiving thus the juft Reward of his monftrous Ingratitude, Cruelty, and Difobedience..

Another Inflance of unnatural Barbarity, fimilar hereto, and equally aftonishing and productive of Horror, is to be met with in the Perfian Hiftory, and is as follows: Scander, the Sovereign of Georgia, a fmall Kingdom lying on the Borders of the Cafpian Sea, contiguous to Perfia, and Tributary to that Crown, had three Sons, Scander, Trebeg, and Coftandel, all educated in the Chriftian Faith, whichis the established Religion of that Country; but the two younger, for the Sake of Preferment, confented to be circumcifed, and turned Mahometans, Trebeg entering into the Service of the Turks, and Coftandel of the Perfians.

This latter was naturally deformed, but of fuch great Vivacity and Spirit, that, in Confideration thereof, his bodily Imperfections were overlooked, nor would they ever have been urged against him, had he not afterwards fhewn himself more crooked in Mind than in Perfon. Some Time after his being in the Service of the Perfians, Sha Abbas, Sophi of that Kingdom, being incensed against the Turks, gave Orders to Aly Can, his General, to invade their Dominions; upon which, Coftandel, who, as hath been already obferved, wanted neither for Spirit nor Wit, thinking this a proper Opportunity to put in Practice a hellish Scheme he had laid, managed Matters fo well, that, after much Sollicitation, he got himself joined in Commiffion with him.

The next Thing he contrived, was to get the Rout of the Army appointed thro' Georgia, where being arrived, under the fpecious Pretence of Duty, L

he