jamin of Tudela describes the remains of an ancient Ammonitish temple which he saw at Gebal, containing a stone image richly gilt seated on a throne. On either side sat two female figures, and before it was an altar on which tlie Ammonites anciently burned incense and offered sacrifice {Early Travels in Palestine, p. 79, Bohn). By these chapels Lightfoot explains the allusion in Amos V, 26 ; Acts vii, 43, to " the tabernacle of Molech ;" " these seven chapels (if there be truth in the thing) help us to understand what is meant by Molech's taber- nacle, and seem to give some reason why in the prophet he is called Sikkuth, or the Covert Gorf, because he was retired within so many Cancelli (for that word Kimchi useth) before one could come at him" (Comm. on Acts vii, 43). It was more probably a shrine or ark in ■which the figure of the god was carried in processions, or which contained, as Movers conjectures, the bones of children who had been sacrificed, and were used for magical pur- poses. The crown of Malcham, taken by David at Kabbah, is said to have had in it a precious stone (a magnet, according to Kimchi), which is described by Cyril on Amos as transparent and like the day-star, whence Molech has groundlessly been identified with the planet Venus (Vossius, Be Orig. Idol, ii, c. 5, p. 331). A legend is told in Jerome's Quwstiones Hehraic(E (1 Chron. xx, 2) that, as it was unlawful for a Hebrew to touch anything of gold or silver belonging to an idol, Ittai the Gittite, who was a Philistine, snatched the crown from the head of Milcom, and gave it to David, who thus avoided the pollution.
Many instances of human sacrifices fire found. in an- cient writers, which may be compared -with the de- scriptions in the Old Testament of the manner m which Molech was worshipped. The Carthaginians, accord- ing to Augustine {De Civit. Dei, vii, 19), offered children to Saturn, and by the Gauls even grown-up persons were sacrificed, under the idea that of all seeds the best is the human kind. Eusebius (Prwjj. Ev. iv, 16) col- lected from Pori)hj'ry numerous examples to the same effect, from wliich the following are selected. Among the Ehodians, a man was offered to Kronos on the 6th of July; afterwards a criminal condemned to death was substituted. The same custom prevailed in Salamis, but was abrogated by Diiphilus, king of Cyprus, who substituted an ox. According to Manetho, Amosis abol- ished the same practice in Egypt at Heliopolis sacred to Juno. Sanchoniatho relates that the Phoenicians, on tlie occasion of any great calamity, sacrificed to Saturn one of their relatives. Istrus says the same of the Cu- retes, but the custom was abolished, according to Pal- las, in the reign of Hadrian. At Laodicea a virgin was sacrificed yearly to Athene, and the Dumatii, a people of Arabia, buried a boy alive beneath the altar each year. Diodorus Siculus (xx, 14) relates that the Car- thaginians, when besieged by Agathocles, tyrant of Sic- ily, offered in public sacrifice to Saturn 200 of their no- blest children, while others voluntarily devoted them- selves to the number of 300. His description of the statue of the god differs but slightly from that of Mo- lech, ■which has been quoted. The image was of brass, with its hands outstretched towards the ground in such a manner that the child, when placed upon them, fell into a pit full of fire. — Smith; Kitto.
4. Literature.— E. F. Rivinus, Be reKvoBvaig. Judceo- rum (Lips. 1735) ; M. F. Cramer, Be Molocho (Viteb. 1720); N. W. Schroeder, Be tahernac. Molochi et stella dei Remphan (IMarb. 1745) ; P. Viret, Bes sacrifices d'en- fans faits a Moloch (in his Vraye et fausse religion, 1682, "p. 599) ; H.Witsius, Be cultu Molochi (in his Mis- cell, sac?: i, 485) ; J. Braun, Selecta Sac7-a, p. 449 sq. ; Deyling, Observ. sac?: ii, 444 sq. ; Dietzsch and Ziegra, in Ugolini T/iesaur.xoL xxiii; Movers, Phd)2ic. p. 65 et al. ; Creuzer, Symbol, ii, 431 sq. ; Buttmann, Mythol. ii, 28 sq.; Buddei Histor. eccl. V. T. i, 609; llug, in the F?-eib. Zeitschr. vii, 82 sq.; Gesenius, Thes. Ileb. p. 794; J. G. Kotch, Molocholatria Judmorum (Lips. 1689) ; C. T. Zieger, De immolatione libero?-um (Viteb. 1684);
MOLESWORTII
440
MOLTXA
Schwab, De Moloch et Remphan (Yiteb. 1667; also in the Thes. Theol. Philol. ii, 444 sq.). See Saturn.
Molesworth, Sir William, an English states- man and cikbrateJ writer on philosophy and political economy, was born in Surrey in 1810. He was at an early age reach' for college and sent to Cambridge Uni- versity, where, however, he failed to complete his course of study, because of a quarrel in which he en- gaged with one of his tutors, whom he even challenged to a duel. He finally continued his studies at the Uni- versity of Edinburgh, and subsequently went abroad, and studied for some time in the high-schools of (Jer- many. In 1831 he became prominent in the political affairs of liis iiative country, and soon rose to distinction in Engli-li jiarliamontary society. He also largely iden- tified liimself witli literary labors, and in 1834 founded the London Rirhn-, sliortly after merged into the West- minster Revieir, (if wliirli he was for many years an ed- itorial associate with the late John Stuart Mill (q. v.). Sir William was alc3 the intimate friend of James Mill and of Hentham, and was generally regarded as the par- liamentary representative of the '• philosophical Radi- cals." He is, however, of particular interest to us as the student of Hobbes, whom Sir William greatly ad- mired. He accumulated materials for a life of the "Philosopher of IMalmesbury," which remain in IMS. luicompleted. He was more successful in the publi- cation of an edition of llobbes's works — which he com- menced in ]83',), and carried to completion at a cost of many thousand pounds — consisting of a reprint of the entire miscellaneous and voluminous writings of Hobbes (Lond. 1842-45, 11 vols. 8vo), and constituting a valual)le contribution to the republic of letters. By Sir William's munificence the works of Hobbes were placed in most of the university and provincial put)lic libraries. The publication, however, did him great dis- service in public life, his opponents endeavoring to iden- tify him with the freethinUing opinions of Hobbes in re- ligion, as well as with the great pbiloso|ihers conclusions in favor of despotic government; yet he continued a par- liamentary career of the greatest energy and usefulness. Indeed, even for his political connections he deserves our notice. He was the first to call attention to the evils connected with the transportation of criminals, and as chairman of a parliamentary committee brought to light all the horrors of the convict system, and by untiring labors remedied this abuse, as well as the dis- orders generally in colonial administration. In 1855 he became secretary of state for the colonies, and no doubt would have greatly distinguished himself by his wholesome measures, but he died soon after, Oct. 22, 1855. The London Times called him the '-liberator and re- generator of the colonial empire of Great Britain." See Kiiiilish Cyclop, s. v. ; Fraser's Mitf/azine, xvii, 338 ; Lond. (I'l-ntli-iiian's Mor/iizine, 1845, pt. ii, p. 645 ; Bliick- wood'a Mdijdziiie, xx.xviii, 506; xliii, 519; xliv, 625. See also IIonuES. (.1. H.W.)