Aside from these troubles, we know but little of the latter days of David.  After the death of Absalom, it would seem that he reigned ten years, on the whole tranquilly, turning his attention to the development of the resources of his kingdom, and collecting treasure for the Temple, which he was not to build.  He was able to set aside, as we read in the twenty-second chapter of the Chronicles, a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver,—­an almost incredible sum.

If a talent of silver is, as estimated, about L390, or $1950, it would seem that the silver accumulated by David would have amounted to nearly two billion dollars, and the gold to a like sum,—­altogether four billions, which is plainly impossible.  Probably there is a mistake in the figures.  We read in the twenty-ninth chapter of Chronicles that David gave to Solomon, out of his own private property, three thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents of silver,—­together, nearly $74,000,000.  His nobles added what would be equal to $120,000,000 in gold and silver alone, besides brass and iron,—­altogether about $194,000,000, which is not incredible when we bear in mind that a single family in New York has accumulated a larger sum in two generations.  But even this sum,—­nearly two hundred million dollars,—­would have more than built all the temples of Athens, or St. Peter’s Church at Rome.  Whether the author of the Chronicles has exaggerated the amount of the national contribution for the building of the Temple or not, we yet are impressed with the vast wealth which was accumulated in the lifetime of David; and hence we infer that the wealth of his kingdom was enormous.  And it was perhaps the excessive taxation of the people to raise this money, outside of the spoils of successful wars, that alienated them in the latter days of David, and induced them to rally under the standards of usurpers.  Certain it is that he became unpopular in the feebleness of old age, and was forced to abdicate his throne.

David’s premature old age presented a sad contrast to the vigor of his early days.  He was not a very old man when he died,—­younger than many monarchs and statesmen who in our times have retained their vigor, their popularity, and their power.  But the intense labors and sorrows of forty years may have proved too great a strain on his nervous energies, and made him as timid as he once was bold.  The man who had slain Goliath ran away from Absalom.  He was completely under the domination of an intriguing wife.  He showed a singular weakness in reference to the crimes of his favorite son, so as to merit the bitter reproaches of his captain-general.  “Thou hast shamed this day,” said Joab, “the faces of all thy servants; for I perceive had Absalom lived, and all of us had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.”  In David’s case, his last days do not seem to have been his best days, although he retained his piety and had conquered all his enemies.  His glorious sun set in clouds after a reign of thirty-three years over united Israel, and the nation hailed the accession of a boy whose character was undeveloped.