air
and how pleasant art thou, O Love, for delights: thy stature is like a Palm
tree_. And the Psalmist for an encouragement to holiness, says, [9]_that
the righteous shall flourish like the Palm tree_: for the Palm was supposed
to rise under a weight; and to thrive in proportion to its being
[10]depressed. There is possibly a farther allusion in this, than may at
first appear. The antients had an opinion, that the Palm was immortal: at
least, if it did die, it recovered again, and obtained a second life by
renewal. Hence the story of the bird, styled the Phoenix, is thought to
have been borrowed from this tree. Pliny, in describing the species of
Palm, styled Syagrus, says, [11]Mirum de ea accepimus, cum Phoenice Ave,
quae putatur ex hujus Palmae argumento nomen accepisse, iterum mori, et
renasci ex seipsa. Hence we find it to have been an emblem of immortality
among all nations, sacred and prophane. The blessed in heaven are
represented in the Apocalypse by St. John, [12]as standing before the
throne in white robes, with branches of Palm in their hands. The notion of
this plant being an emblem of royalty prevailed so far, that when our
Saviour made his last entrance into Jerusalem, the people took branches of
Palm trees, and accosted him as a prince, crying, [13]_Hosanna--blessed is
the King of Israel_.

The title of Phoinic seems at first to have been given to persons of great
stature: but, in process of time, it was conferred upon people of power and
eminence, like [Greek: anax] and [Greek: anaktes] among the Greeks. The
Cuthites in Egypt were styled Royal Shepherds, [Greek: Basileis Poimenes],
and had therefore the title of Phoenices. A colony of them went from thence
to Tyre and Syria: hence it is said by many writers that Phoenix came from
Egypt to Tyre. People, not considering this, have been led to look for the
shepherd's origin in Canaan, because they were sometimes called Phoenices.
They might as well have looked for them in Greece; for they were equally
styled [14][Greek: Hellenes], Hellenes. Phoenicia, which the Greeks called
[Greek: Phoinike], was but a small part of Canaan. It was properly a slip
of sea coast, which lay within the jurisdiction of the Tyrians and
Sidonians, and signifies Ora Regia; or, according to the language of the
country, the coast of the Anakim. It was a lordly title, and derived from a
stately and august people. All the natives of Canaan seem to have assumed
to themselves great honou