DAN AND BENJAMIN. © 95

was thankfully accepted by the Levite, and they all went
together to the old man’s house. Notwithstanding the
kindness of their host, they got little peace under his
roof. The wicked men of the place beat at the door,
and succeeded in getting the wife of the Levite away
with them. They injured her so much that she died.
When her husband opened the door in the morning, he
saw her lying dead. He lifted up her body, put it on an
ass, and journeyed homeward. Then, instead of bury-
ing the remains of his poor wife, he divided her into
twelve pieces, and sent a piece to each tribe of Israel.

Marianne. What a horrible thing for the man to do,
grandfather ; why did he do it ?

Grandfather. You must remember that I told you at
this time there was no king in Israel; there was no
one to punish offenders; and it was not right that
offenders so notorious as these Benjamites should pass
unpunished. As there was neither king nor judge to
whom the Levite could appeal for justice, his only plan
was to engage all the people of Israel to espouse his
cause.

Marianne. But he might have sent to tell them about
it without sending a piece of his wife’s body ; that was
such a horrible thing.

Grandfather. It certainly does seem so to us, but it
was agreeable to the customs of the times. It was
common, when one wished to bind other persons in an
engagement to assist him, to send to each of these per-
sons a piece of a dead body; those who accepted of a