Tower

TOWER, Turris; in Greek, Pyrgos; in Hebrew, Migdal.¹ The Scripture mentions several Towers, of which we have hinted something under the Article MIGDAL.

The Tower of Strato. This is the Place where afterwards was built the City of Cæsarea of Palestine. See STRATO.

The Tower of Siloam. ‘Twas probably near the Fountain of that Name, to the East of Jerusalem.

The Tower of the Flock, or the Tower of Ader. ‘Tis said this Tower was in the Neighbourhood of Bethlehem, Gen. xxxv. 21. and that the Shepherds, to whom the Angel revealed the Birth of our Saviour, were near to this Tower, where afterwards a Church was built. Many Interpreters assert,² that the Passage of Micah, wherein mention is made of the Tower of the Flock; And thou tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, stood for the City of Bethlehem, out of which our Saviour was to come. Others maintain, that the Prophet intended it for the City of Jerusalem. See the Commentators upon this Passage.

2 Kings xvii. 9: xviii. 8:The Tower of the Watchmen. We often find this Form of speaking in the Scripture. From the Tower of the watchmen to the fenced city, to express in general all the Places of the Country, from the least to the greatest. The Towers of the Watchmen, or of the Shepherds, stood alone in the midst of the Plain, to lodge the Shepherds and Herdsmen, who look’d after the Flocks, or to set Watchmen in. King Uzziah caused several Towers to be built for the Shepherds in the Desart, and made many Cisterns there, because he had a great number of Flocks. The Tower of the Flock 2 Chron. xxvi. 10. Isaiah v. 2.mentioned before, and that which Isaiah takes notice of, which was built in the midst of a Vineyard, were of the same kind.

The Scripture speaks of the Tower of Phanuel, of that of Succoth, of Shechem, and of some others, which were kind of Citadels and Fortresses of these Cities. The Tower of Babel, of which we have spoken under Babel, was also as it were the Fortress of Babylon. Faciamus Civitatem & Turrim, Gen. xi. 4, 5. St. Jerome observes, Hieron. ad Princ.that the Septuagint often make use of the Greek Word Baris, which is a Word proper to Palestine, where they called by this Name Houses that were shut up on all sides, and made in the manner of Towers. And this is probably what he would express in the Chronicles, when he says, Jehoshaphat built in Judah Houses in the Form of Towers. Ædificavit in Judah Domos ad instar turrium. The Hebrew has Biranioth, which comes from the Chaldee Word Bira, a Palace.

Mention is also made of several other Towers of the City of Jerusalem, which may be seen in the Plan of this City, of which generally the true Situation is but little known. Wherefore we shall not venture³ venture to determine here any thing of that matter.

Ezekiel, in two Places,⁴ speaks of the Tower of Syene: A turre Syenes, usque ad terminos Æthiopiæ. But we have shewn, under the Article SYENE, that the Hebrew ought to be thus translated; From Migdol, or Magdolum, a City in the Lower Egypt, to the City of Syene, which is at the Extremity of Egypt, and upon the Frontiers of Ethiopia.

The Tower of Babel. See BABEL, before. The Septuagint read in Isaiah,⁵ Did not I take the Country which is above Babylon, and Chalaneh, where the Tower was built? The Greek Fathers,⁶ who made use of this Version, and thought it to be agreeable to the Hebrew, were really persuaded that this famous Tower was built above Babylon, and that Chalaneh was the Place where it was raised. But the Hebrew Text implies, Is not Calaneh as Carchemish, Hamath as Arpud, and Samaria as Damascus? Have not I subdued all these Cities?

The Tower of Shechem. This Tower was as a Citadel or Fortress, standing upon higher Ground than the rest of the City, and capacious enough to receive above a Judg. ix. 46, &c.thousand Persons. After Abimelech had taken and razed the City of Shechem, he endeavoured also to take possession of this Tower, to which a great part of the Inhabitants of the City had retired; but as he could not take it, because it was extremely strong, he resolved to set it on fire. To this purpose, he went to the neighbouring Mountain, cut down an Arm of a Tree, and laid it upon his Shoulders, and commanded all his People to follow his Example. They therefore brought with them a great Quantity of Fewel, filled the Ditch with it, and set it on fire: So that all those who had taken refuge in the Tower, either perished by the Flames, or were stifled by the Smoke.

Observations upon the taking of Shechem, and upon the burning of the Tower of that City, wherein many of the Inhabitants had shut up themselves, Judges ix. 45, 46.

We need not be very particular concerning the taking and destroying the City of Shechem, because Examples of this are so obvious, both in ancient and modern History, that we cannot be surprized at it. The City of Shechem was strong, yet Abimelech, in the Heat of the Victory which he had just obtained over the Shechemites; in this Heat, I say, which generally makes us blind to all Danger, he stormed the City; that is, he scaled the Walls, and having taken it Sword in Hand, he killed all the Inhabitants, and demolished it in such a manner, that he sowed Salt on the Place where it had stood. The Salt which the Conqueror scattered upon the Ruins of this City, was rather (as Father Calmet says) to shew the Indignation of Abimelech, and the Desire he had that the City should for ever be uninhabitable, if possible, than really to make the Soil barren and accursed. History will furnish us with many Examples of a Vengeance of this kind. In the Year 1162, the City of Milan was besieged, taken by Storm, sacked, burnt, and totally demolished. Sigonius says,⁷ that the Plough was drawn over it, and that Salt was sown upon it. Brantome reports, that formerly in France, they sowed Salt in the House of a Man that was declared a Traitor to his King, as was done in that of the Admiral de Chatillon.

The Attack of the Castle of Shechem, or, to speak more properly, of the Fortress, because so great a number of the Inhabitants had retired thither, was with much more Difficulty than that of the City. For the sacred Author says expressly, that this Place was exceeding strong. To take it by Storm, as he had done the City, was an Enterprize by no Means practicable, as well upon account of the Strength of the Place, as of the Number of those that defended it, and who were become desperate. To block it up, and to starve it out, would have drawn the matter to too great a Length. Abimelech therefore thought of an Expedient of greater Dispatch. He and all his People went up to Mount Zalmon; he cut down an Arm from a Tree with an Ax, laid it upon his Shoulder, and said to his Companions, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

This Stratagem was not difficult to be put in execution; and, provided the Wind be but favourable, it seldom fails of Success, especially against a Tower or Fort that takes up no great Space. As witness the Example of Plataa. The Lacedæmonians besieged it; but not being able to carry it, by means of the Valour of the Besieged, and the Skill of their Commanders, “ they despaired of forcing the “ place, (as Thucydides informs us), and “ therefore resolved to change their Siege “ into a Blockade. But first they attempted to put fire to it, thinking they might easily burn it because of its Smallness, by taking the opportunity of some high Wind: For they tried all Ways imaginable to become Masters of it as soon, and at as little Expence as was possible. They therefore threw Fascines between the Platform and the Wall, and soon filled up this Space by the multitude of Hands they employed. They did the same in several Places of the Ditch, where the Height of the Ground afforded them the greatest opportunity of doing it, so that they might set it on fire in several Places at once. Then they lighted it with Pitch and Sulphur, which on a sudden made such a Conflagration, that the like had not been seen before, except perhaps in some Mountains, which take fire sometimes by the Violence of the Wind, that makes the Trees justle against one another. This Contrivance did not succeed, and the City withstood this, as well as all other Attacks: For in many Places they could not approach to it, and if the Weather had been as favourable as the Besiegers expected, the Place must have been quite destroyed. But a great Shower of Rain happened just at that instant, which quenched the Fire.”

This Example is however remarkable, and beyond that of the Tower of Shechem. Here is another which I shall also relate, and which in nothing gives place to that of Plataea, which is taken out of Quintus Curtius, at the Attack of a craggy Rock, whither the Persians had retired, as to an impregnable Fortress, after the Defeat of Satibarzanes. “This Rock was steep and Quint. Curt. l. 6.craggy, (as the Author says) towards the West, but Eastward had an easy Ascent, which was all covered with Trees and thick Brambles, and from whence there ran down a large quantity of Water. It was thirty Furlongs round, with a Plain on the top, which was only Fields, where the Barbarians disposed such People as were not able to fight; and as for the rest, which were thirteen thousand armed Men, they intrenched themselves upon the Avenues, with Trunks of Trees, and with Pieces of the Rock. The King left Craterus here to block them up, and betook himself to pursue Satibarzanes, till being informed that he was already got at too great a distance, he turned short to the Siege of the Mountain, where he first cleared away whatever might hinder his Approaches. But after this, when he found nothing but Precipices and steep Rocks, it seemed as if he had been infatuated thus to endeavour to force Nature. However, as his Courage always grew more resolute as the Difficulties increased, seeing it was impossible to advance any farther, and very dangerous to go back, he considered in his Mind upon all sorts of Expedients, which he rejected as fast one after another, as is commonly the case of Irresolution. And in this Perplexity, Fortune brought that about which Ingenuity could not attain. A tempestuous Wind arose from the West; and it happened that the Soldiers, in order to open themselves a Way through the Rocks, had cut down much Wood, which the Sun had dried. So that he commanded them to heap up Logs upon Logs, which soon became as high as the Mountain itself, and then they set fire to them, which spread itself every where presently, even to the neighbouring Forests. The Wind carried the Flame directly into the Faces of the Barbarians, together with so thick a Smoke, that they could no longer either see or breathe; so that to avoid a greater Calamity, they endeavoured to fly where the Flame was least violent: But no sooner had they escaped through the Flames, but they met with the Enemy; and thus they all perished miserably, though in different Manners.”

Abimelech was not equally fortunate at the Tower of Thebez, as he had been before at that of Shechem. He endeavoured to carry it by Storm, being in the middle of the City, of which he had made himself Master, though the sacred Author does not expresly say so. He was at the foot of the Tower, fighting valiantly, and coming near to the Gate, he attempted to set fire to it. At the same time a Woman that was above threw down a piece of a Millstone upon him, which broke Abimelech’s Head, insomuch that his Brains came out. He presently called his Armour-bearer, and said to him, Draw your Sword, and kill me, that it may not be said, I was slain by a Woman. The Armour-bearer did as he bid him, and flew him outright. I know not whether a Man when he has received such a Wound as Abimelech had, is in a condition to speak to his Armour-bearer to rescue him from the Disgrace of being killed by the hand of a Woman. And supposing him to be so, could he know whether he had received this Wound from a Man or from a Woman? King Pyrrhus had a like Fate with this of Abimelech: He was killed by a Tyle that a Woman threw at him from the top of a House, without knowing from what Hand he had received his Deaths Wound. And had he known it, he would have had no other Concern about it, than how to cure it. For it happens every Day, that the bravest Men often fall by the Hands of the most contemptible Adversary.

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