"She brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order upon the roof."

DEUT. xxii. 8.

"When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence."

1 SAM. ix. 25.

"Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house."

2 SAM. xi. 2.

"And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house; and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon."

2 SAM. xvi. 22.

"They spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house."

NEH. viii. 16.

"So the people went forth, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house."

PROV. XXI. 9.

"It is better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house."

ISA. xv. 3.

"On the tops of their houses...every one shall howl." ISA. xxii. 1.

"What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the house-top?"

ZEPH. i. 5.

...Them that worship the host of heaven upon the house-top."

MATT. X. 27.

“What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon house-tops."

ACTS X. 9.

"Peter went up upon the house-top to pray."

the

The top of the house, which is always flat, is covered with a strong plaster of terrace, from whence it has attained the name of the terrace. This is usually surrounded by two walls, the outermost whereof is partly built over the street, partly makes the partition with the contiguous houses; being frequently so low, that one may easily climb over it. The other, which I shall call the parapet wall, hangs immediately over the court, being always breast-high, and answers to what we render battlements, in Deuteronomy xxii. 8.

* During the earthquake in 1822, multitudes saved their lives by passing from roof to roof by the terraces; while those who went down into the streets were crushed to death by the falling houses.

"Instead of this parapet wall, or battlements, some terraces are guarded, like the galleries, with balustrades only, or latticed work; in which fashion, probably, was the net, or lattice, as we render it, that Ahaziah* might be carelessly leaning over, when he fell down from thence into the court. For upon these terraces, several offices of the family are performed, such as the drying of linen and flax, the preparing of figs and raisins; where, likewise, they enjoy the cool refreshing breezes of the evening, converse with one another, and offer up their devotions. In the feast of tabernacles, booths were erected upon them."-SHAW's Barbary, vol. i. pp. 380, 381.

"As we passed through the town (Tiberias), we observed some of the inhabitants rising from their beds, which had been spread on the top of the house."-Narrative of a Mission of Enquiry to the Jews, p. 295.

"A number of the houses at Beyrout have a kind of tent on the top, made of reeds, &c., in which they sit, and I believe, sleep."-PAXTON's Letters from Palestine, p. 7.

"The roofs of the houses in Persia are flat, and terraced over with earth. Stout timbers are first laid across the walls, about two feet apart. These are covered over with small split sticks of wood, at intervals of perhaps three inches, on which are spread rush mats, like those I have mentioned as used on the floors. Then succeeds a thick layer of a rank thorny weed, which grows abundantly on the mountains, in a bushy, globular form, a foot or two in diameter. This weed is so resinous as not soon to decay, is an excellent article of light fuel, and is much used for burning brick, heating ovens, &c. It may be that "grass of the field, which to-day is, and to

This incident proves the necessity of the law for the formation of battlements for the roof, which God graciously gave from Mount Sinai, which furnishes a beautiful example of his paternal care and goodness. These battlements are the low walls or parapets mentioned above.

morrow is cast into the oven," as mentioned by our Saviour. Upon the thick layer of this weed is spread a coat of clay mortar, and trodden down; and next, a stratum of dry earth, six or eight inches deep, over which is plastered a layer of the mixed straw and mud. An occasional depression on the back edge of the roof, furnished with a spout a few feet long, conducts off the water. The soil is so tenacious in all parts of Persia, that there is little danger that a roof thus constructed will be pervious to the rain, if kept in a state of good repair. It should be annually plastered over with the straw and mud, which will be worn and washed off by the exposure of a season; and snow must be thrown off with a shovel as soon as it falls. These flat roofs are pleasant promenades for summer evening walks; and the natives usually sleep upon them during the warm season, for the sake of the cool air and freedom from vermin. There is no exposure in thus sleeping out, as there is no dew in Persia. The roofs should be secured with balustrades, that one family may not gaze upon the other's premises. Persian law sanctions the stoning, without trial or mercy, of all who are guilty of such an offence; and the reader will recollect the sad misfortune and sin into which king David fell, in consequence of indulging an idle curiosity while walking upon the ter."-PERKINS' Residence in Persia, &c. p. 155.

race.

"The custom of drying corn and other articles on the roofs of houses here (Saphet), appears to be as common as it was in the days of Rahab. The houses in the streets have their flat roofs so connected, that nothing could be easier or more natural, in case of any alarm, than to walk along the whole length of the street on the house-top without coming down. Indeed, there are some yet remaining, where the roofs of the lower row of houses form the pathway of the row above. This was very generally the case in Saphet before the earthquake, and in reference to it, a well-known story is current among the inhabitants. A camel-driver passing along

the street, suddenly observed his camel sink down. It had been walking on the roof of a house, and the roof had given way. The owner of the house was filled with alarm and anger at seeing the animal descend into his apartment. He carried the case to the Cadi, claiming damages for the broken roof of his house. But he was met by the camel-driver claiming damages from him for the injury his camel had sustained by the fall, owing to the roof not being kept in good repair. We did not hear the decision of the Cadi in this difficult case."Mission of Enquiry to the Jews, pp. 274, 275.

"I have often been reminded by a venerable man with long beard and flowing garments prostrate in prayer on the top of his house, of St. Peter's vision on the housetop at Joppa."-Rev. J. N. ALLEN's Sinde and Affghanistan, pp. 183, 184.

"I have in view two of the houses where, last Sunday, marriages took place. The court-yard, and the tops of the houses are again crowded with guests."

"The expression, that preach ye upon the housetops,' appears nothing unnatural to those who daily see these houses. They are low and flat-roofed, and would give an opportunity to speak to many on the house, and many in the court below." JOWETT's Researches in Syria, p. 95.

Eusebius, in his Church History (ii. 23), tells us, that the Pharisees who had a design upon the life of St. James, the brother of our Lord, and bishop of Jerusalem, persuaded him to preach to the people, when assembled at the passover, from the battlements of the temple alluding to this custom of proclaiming from the house-top whatever was to be made known far and wide.

Isaiah, in chapter xxii. 1, is describing the state of a city on a sudden alarm. Mr. Hartley says, "Accidental fires have ever been common in Turkish towns. It is customary in Turkey, on every alarm of fire, for all persons instantly to resort to the top of the house, in