r of laughter, if it was intended to try what
credulity could swallow; for, if it could swallow Jonah and the whale it
could swallow anything.

But, as is already shown in the observations on the book of Job and of
Proverbs, it is not always certain which of the books in the Bible are
originally Hebrew, or only translations from the books of the Gentiles
into Hebrew; and, as the book of Jonah, so far from treating of
the affairs of the Jews, says nothing upon that subject, but treats
altogether of the Gentiles, it is more probable that it is a book of
the Gentiles than of the Jews, [I have read in an ancient Persian poem
(Saadi, I believe, but have mislaid the reference) this phrase: "And now
the whale swallowed Jonah: the sun set."--Editor.] and that it has been
written as a fable to expose the nonsense, and satyrize the vicious and
malignant character, of a Bible-prophet, or a predicting priest.

Jonah is represented, first as a disobedient prophet, running away from
his mission, and taking shelter aboard a vessel of the Gentiles, bound
from Joppa to Tarshish; as if he ignorantly supposed, by such a paltry
contrivance, he could hide himself where God could not find him. The
vessel is overtaken by a storm at sea; and the mariners, all of whom are
Gentiles, believing it to be a judgement on account of some one on board
who had committed a crime, agreed to cast lots to discover the offender;
and the lot fell upon Jonah. But before this they had cast all their
wares and merchandise over-board to lighten the vessel, while Jonah,
like a stupid fellow, was fast asleep in the hold.

After the lot had designated Jonah to be the offender, they questioned
him to know who and what he was? and he told them he was an Hebrew;
and the story implies that he confessed himself to be guilty. But these
Gentiles, instead of sacrificing him at once without pity or mercy, as a
company of Bible-prophets or priests would have done by a Gentile in the
same case, and as it is related Samuel had done by Agag, and Moses by
the women and children, they endeavoured to save him, though at the risk
of their own lives: for the account says, "Nevertheless [that is, though
Jonah was a Jew and a foreigner, and the cause of all their misfortunes,
and the loss of their cargo] the men rowed hard to bring the boat
to land, but they could not, for the sea wrought and was tempestuous
against them." Still however they were unwilling to put the fate of the
lot