Goliad

“ In the Horse Market, Castle Barnard, he is actually treated just like a duke, admiral, or any other public-house hero, for there the sign is entitled the Goliah Head. Some doubts, however, may be entertained whether by Golias or Goliah, (for the name is spelt both ways,) the Philistine giant and champion was always intended. Towards the end of the twelfth century there lived a man of wit, with the real or assumed name of Golias, who wrote the “Apocalypsis Goliæ,” and other burlesque verses. He was the leader of a jovial sect called Goliardois, of which Chaucer’s Miller was one. ”

“ In their journey over the sea of sand, our four adventurers formed part of a company of sixteen men and women, along with six or seven children.
All were the property of one man,—the huge and dusky sheik who had won Sailor Bill and the three middies at "desert draughts."
It soon became known to his white captives that his name was Golah, a name which Terence suggested might probably be an African abbreviation of the ancient name of Goliah.
Golah was certainly a great man,—not in bone and flesh alone, but in intellect as well. ”

“ I am very weary over my hard day in the saddle. But when I seat myself on the highest point of the bridge, and give myself up to reverie, I feel the flood of sentiment and rejoice. The moon is about one-half hour above the mountains of Gilead; a halo seems to gild the heights to the east and to the west. I am just above the Jordan; its rippling waters tell me of Abraham, of Jacob, of Joshua, of Saul, of David, of Elijah, of Elisha, of Naaman, of John the Baptist, and of Jesus of Nazareth. ”

“ A man with a gray moustache!—paddling in soap-suds like a washerwoman—it's as if I were to feed canaries!" added Goliath, shrugging his shoulders with disdain. "But now I've answered you, master, let me attend to the beasts' supper,"—and, looking round for something, he added, "where is the cleaver?"
After a moment of thoughtful silence, the Prophet said to Goliath, "You will give no food to the beasts this evening." ”

“ Goliath was nearly twice as tall as any man we ever saw, and he had a helmet on his head, and armour on his breast, and an enormous spear, and a shield, and a man carried a shield before him. He stood out, and called to know if any Israelite would fight with him. Then if Goliath conquered the Israelite, the Philistines should be the lords over the Israelites; but if an Israelite conquered Goliath, then the Israelites should be lords over the Philistines. ”

“ The poor sons of Israel, losing all presence of mind, and not being courageous, in any case, hid themselves in empty brandy-casks, in ovens, and even crawled under the skirts of their Jewesses; but the kazáks routed them out, wherever they were.
"Most illustrious lords!" shrieked one Jew, tall and thin as a stick, thrusting his sorry visage, distorted with terror, from among a group of his comrades, "most illustrious lords! suffer us to say a word, only one word. ”

“ Behind him rose the walls of the cathedral; to the right and left, and in front of him, advanced a hostile multitude. The groans uttered by the butcher, who had just been lifted from the ground covered with blood, augmented the fury of the populace.
This was a terrible moment for Goliath: still standing alone in the centre of a ring that grew smaller every second, he saw on all sides angry enemies rushing towards him, and uttering cries of death. ”

“ A ‘Goliardus’ was a clerk of loose life, who made a living by his coarse and satirical wit (on the derivation of the word see Wright, Latin Poems attributed to Walter Map, or Ducange, sub voce) . From this we have the pretended Bishop Golias, the burlesque representative of the clerical order, whose ‘Confession’ and ‘Apocalypse’ are the chief among the poems of this class attributed to Map. But Giraldus Cambrensis was familiar with the ‘Confession,’ and criticises its writer severely under the name of Golias ”

“ Others claimed that they had a perfect right to add him and his large family to the number of their slaves.
He was not an Arab, but an Ethiopian, like most of his following; and, as a slave, would bring a high price in any of the markets where men were bought and sold.
Those who argued thus were in the minority; and Golah was at length offered his wives and their children, with a couple of camels and his scimitar.
This offer the black sheik indignantly refused, much to the astonishment of those who had been so eloquent in his behalf. ”

“ A burst of frightful roaring shook the loft, and interrupted Goliath.
"Hark to them!" he exclaimed; "hunger has driven the beasts wild. If I could roar, I should do as they do. I have never seen Judas and Cain as they are to-night; they leap in their cages as if they'd knock all to pieces. As for Death, her eyes shine more than usual like candles—poor Death!"
"So these girls are lodged in the building at the end of the court-yard," resumed Morok, without attending to the observations of Goliath. ”

“ Thereupon the Jew wagged his head and spread out his fingers. "Aï, what an imposing aspect! A colonel, as God is my witness, a regular colonel! Another finger's breadth and he'd be a colonel. The noble lord ought to mount a stallion, one as fleet as a fly, and drill the regiments!"
The heyduke arranged the lower story of his moustache, and his eyes grew very merry.
"What a warlike people!" went on the Jew. "Ah, woe is me, what a fine race! All cords and metal disks... they shine like the sun; and the pretty girls, whenever they behold warriors—Aï, aï!" Again the Jew wagged his head. ”

“ Why should the man be listening? Not to note the approach of his companion, for that should be expected without suspicion, as his attitude would indicate. He might be asleep, reasoned Golah. If so, Fortune seemed to favor him, and with this reflection he steadily moved on towards the prostrate form.
Though the latter moved not, still Golah was not quite sure that the sentry was asleep. Again he paused, and for a moment fixed his eyes on the body with a piercing gaze. If the man was not sleeping, why should he allow an enemy to approach so near? ”

“ Choose ye a man who shall come and fight with me. If he slays me, then will the Philistines be your servants, but if I slay him, then shall ye be the servants of the Philistines.”
Then were the Israelites dismayed, and no man dared go forth to fight with Goliath.
Every night and every morning for forty days, Goliath came forth and challenged the army of Israel, and no man dared go forth to fight him.
At this same time, away off among the hills of Bethlehem, there was a young man named David, who was tending his father’s sheep. He was a shepherd lad, but ruddy, and of a beautiful appearance. ”

“ The new-comer, who was more than six feet high, and gifted with herculean proportions, had been well-named Goliath. He was hideous. His squinting eyes were deep set beneath a low and projecting forehead; his reddish hair and beard, thick and coarse as horse-hair, gave his features a stamp of bestial ferocity; between his broad jaws, armed with teeth which resembled fangs, he held by one corner a piece of raw beef weighing ten or twelve pounds, finding it, no doubt, easier to carry in that fashion, whilst he used his hands to ascend the ladder, which bent beneath his weight. ”

“ In a guarded way he had made some inquiries at Goleen, where he was for the moment domiciled, but only to learn that people on the east side of the peninsula are conscious of no interest whatever in the people reputed to live on the west side. They are six or eight Irish miles apart, and there is high land between them. No one in Goleen could tell him anything about a beautiful dark young woman with a broad, black hat. He felt that they did not even properly imagine to themselves what he meant. In Goleen the young women are not beautiful, and they wear shawls on their heads, not hats. ”

“ Is there not a cause for my coming to the camp, when my father sent me? Is there not a cause for my resenting the injury done to Israel's honour by Goliath's challenges?" He had right and reason on his side, and knew it, and therefore did not render railing for railing, but with a soft answer turned away his brother's wrath. This conquest of his own passion was in some respects more honourable than his conquest of Goliath. He that hath rule over his own spirit is better than the mighty. It was no time for David to quarrel with his brother when the Philistines were upon them. ”

“ The men were all Arabs—none of them being slaves. They were well armed, and carried no merchandise. They had lately come from the northwest, for what purpose Golah knew not: since the account the stranger sheik had given of himself was not satisfactory.
Though very short of provisions, Golah resolved not to leave the well that day; and the Krooman learnt that this resolution was caused by his fear of the strangers.
"If he is afraid of them," said Harry, "I should suppose that would make him all the more anxious to get out of their company." ”

“ The same tendencies which prompted their association required that they should have a patron saint. But as the confraternity was anything but religious, this saint, or rather this eponymous hero, had to be a Rabelaisian character. He was called Golias, and his flock received the generic name of Goliardi. Golias was father and master; the Goliardi were his family, his sons, and pupils. Familia Goliae, Magister Golias, Pueri Goliae, Discipulus Goliae, are phrases to be culled from the rubrics of their literature. ”

“ Probably the goliardic literature arose in France, rather than in England with Walter Mapes, the attribution to whom of many of the poems is perhaps due to a confusion of G [olias] with G [ualterus] in the MSS. Giraldus Cambrensis (ob. 1217) , Speculum Ecclesiae, says ‘Parasitus quidam Golias nomine nostris diebus gulositate pariter et leccacitate famosissimus ... in papam et curiam Romanam carmina famosa ... evomuit’: but the following note points to a much earlier origin for Golias and his pueri, and this is upheld by W. Scherer, Gesch. d. deutsch. Dichtung im 11. und 12. Jahrh. 16. ”

“ This giant, clad in armour from head to foot, came daily out, morning and evening, from the Philistine camp, and challenged any one of the Israelites to meet him in single combat, saying: “Give me a man, and let him fight with me hand to hand. If he be able to kill me, we will be servants to you; but if I prevail and kill him, you shall serve us.”
This went on for forty days, and there was no one found in all Israel to accept the challenge of Goliath. ”

“ Some of the Arabs would have killed them on the instant; but were prevented by the old sheik, who, although himself wild with rage, had still sufficient reason left to tell him that the unfortunate women were not answerable for the acts of their husband. Our adventurers found reason to regret the misfortune that had befallen their new masters; for they could not but regard with alarm the returning power of Golah.
"We shall fall into his hands again," exclaimed Terence. "He will kill all these Arabs one after another, and obtain all he has lost, ourselves included. ”

“ DAVID REX PIUS. Immortal glory to thee, most heavenly King,
For that thou hast given continual victory
To me thy servant ever since my annointing,
And also before, by many conquests worthy.
A bear and lion I slew through thy strength only.
I slew Golias, which was six cubits long.
Against thy enemies thou madest me ever strong.
My fleshly frailness made me do deadly wrong,
And clean to forget thy laws of righteousness. ”

“ Goliah's conditions of combat, were likewise the same with those of Wood: if he prevail against us, then shall we be his servants. But if it happens that I prevail over him, I renounce the other part of the condition; he shall never be a servant of mine; for I do not think him fit to be trusted in any honest man's shop. ”

“ He had stolen into the water; and with only his woolly occiput above the surface, had approached within a few yards of the spot where the Arab sentry turned upon his round.
In the darkness of the night, at the distance of twelve or fifteen paces, he might have been discovered had a close survey been made of the shining surface. But there was no such survey, and Golah watched the sentinel, himself unseen.
The attention of the Arab was wholly occupied in looking for the approach of a foe from the land side ”

“ Notwithstanding that Golah’s brother-in-law, who had formerly been a freeman, was now a slave, he seemed well satisfied with the change in his circumstances.
He made himself very useful to his new masters in looking after the camel, and doing all the other necessary work, which his knowledge of Saaran life enabled him effectually to execute.
When the Arab caravan came to a halt on the evening of his first day’s journey along with it, he assisted in unloading the camels, putting the hobbles on them, pitching the tents, and doing anything else which was required to be done. ”

“ We have seen that in later manuscripts variations occurred of a far more serious type. In the story of Goliath, as we read it in Hebrew and in English, two narratives are mixed up together which differ in essential particulars. The one is not a mere supplement to the other, but if one is true the other must be regarded as containing serious errors. In that case, and in the similar case of the history of David's estrangement from Saul, we still have direct evidence from the Greek that one of the two inconsistent stories has inferior authority and came into the text at a late date. ”