"The manners of the East, amidst all the changes of govern ment and religion, are still the same; they are living impressions from an original mould; and at every step some object, some idiom, some dress, or some custom of common life, reminds the traveller of ancient times; and confirms, above all, the beauty, the accuracy, and the propriety of the language and the history of the Bible."

MORIER'S Second Journey through Persia. Preface, p. 8.

ORIENTAL CUSTOMS.

CHAPTER I.

HOUSES AND TENTS.

GEN. Xviii. 1, 2. He sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.] Those who lead a pastoral life in the East, at this day, frequently place themselves in a similar situation. "At ten minutes after ten we had in view several fine bays, and a plain full of booths, with the Turcomans sitting by the doors, under sheds resembling porticoes; or by shady trees, surrounded by flocks of goats." CHANDLER's Asia Minor, p. 180.

Mithridates, as he sat before the door of his house, perceived the Dolonci passing by; and as by their dress and spears they appeared to be foreigners, he called to them on their approach, he offered them the use of his house, and the rites of hospitality: they accepted his kindness, and being hospitably treated by him, revealed all the will of the oracle with which they entreated his compliance. HERODOTUS, lib. vi. c. 35. In Japan, it is usual for the landlord to go to meet the traveller part of the way, and with every token of submission and respect bid him welcome. He then hurries home to receive his guests at his house in the same manner. THUNBERG'S Travels, vol. iii. p. 100. KAEMPFER'S Japan, v. ii. p. 443.

"He ordered his mat to be brought to him, seated himself close before the door of his house, and invited me to sit down." BELZONI's Researches, p. 75.

"Passing along near an Indian settlement, I ob

B

served," says 66 BARTRAM, some elderly people reclined on skins spread on the ground, under the cool shade of spreading oaks and palms that were ranged in front of their houses they arose, and eyed me as I passed; but perceiving that I kept on without stopping, they resumed their former position. They were civil, and appeared happy in their situation." Trav. p. 90.

Exod. xxvi. 36. Thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent of blue, and purple and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.] "We passed Lahar, close to a small valley, where we found several snug encampments of the Eelauts, at one of which we stopped to examine the tent of the chief of the obah, or family. It was composed of a wooden frame of circular laths which were fixed on the ground, and then covered over with large felts, that were fastened down by a cord, ornamented by tassels of various colours. A curtain, curiously worked by the women, with coarse needlework of various colours, was suspended over the door. In the king of Persia's tents, magnificent perdahs, or hangings of needlework, are suspended, as well as on the doors of the great mosques in Turkey; and these circumstances combined will, perhaps, illustrate Exodus, xxvi. 36." MORIER's Second Journey through Persia, p. 251.

Exod. xxxiii. 8. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door.] The situation as well as the superior elegance of the tent of a chief, was one mode by which he was honoured. "The basha's tent, pitched near Cairo, was a very lovely tent, and reckoned to be worth ten thousand crowns: it was very spacious, and encompassed round with walls of waxed cloth. In the middle was his pavilion of green waxed cloth, lined within with flowered tapestry, all of one sort; within the precincts behind, and on the sides of his pavilion, were chambers and offices for his women ; round the pale of his tent, within a pistol shot, were above two hundred tents, pitched in such a manner that

the doors of them all looked towards the basha's tent; and it ever is so, that they may have their eyes always on their master's lodging, and be in readiness to assist him if he be attacked.' THEVENOT, Trav. part ii. P. 148. PORTER'S Travels in Persia, vol. ii. p. 299.

"In Africa the cheyk's tent is always known by its situation in the centre of the dow-war, or wandering camp, and he by his garments, which are commonly longer and finer than those of the rest; and his office is to rule over, judge, and take care of his little commonalty. These inferior cheyks are subject to a higher, styled either cheyk-el-gibbeer, great lord, or elder; or else emeer, prince, who has a number of dow-wars under him, according to the numerousness of the tribe over which he presides." Modern Part of Univ. Hist. vol. xiv. p. 54. "In all barbarian armies, the generals ever place themselves in the centre, looking upon that post as the safest on each side of which their strength is equally divided: and if they have occasion to give out any orders, they are received in half the time by the army." XENOPHON, Expedition of Cyrus, b. i. ARRIAN tells us, that Darius placed himself in the centre of his army at the battle of Issus, according to the custom of the kings of Persia.

DEUT. XX. 5. What man is there that hath built a new house?] "The manzil mubarek, or tokens of felicitation, are usually sent to those who occupy a new place of residence. On such an occasion Lady Ouseley received little presents of sweetmeats, flowers, fruit, and loaves of sugar." Sir WILLIAM OUSELEY'S Travels in the East, vol. iii. p. 141.

JUDGES iii. 24, 25. The doors of the parlour were locked: they took a key and opened them.] The wooden locks commonly used in Egypt "consist of a long hollow piece of wood, fixed in the door, so as to slide backwards and forwards, which enters a hole made for it in the door-post, and is there fastened by small bolts of iron wire, which fall from above into little orifices made for them in the top of the lock. The key is

a long piece of wood, having at the end small pieces of iron wire of different lengths, irregularly fixed in, corresponding in number and direction with the bolts which fall into the lock: these it lifts upon being introduced into the lock, which it then pulls back. The bolts of wire differ in number from three to fourteen or fifteen, and it is impossible to guess at the number a lock contains, or at the direction in which they are placed." TURNER'S Tour in the Levant, vol. iii. p. 496.

JUDGES V. 28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window.] "The method of building both in Barbary and the Levant seems to have continued the same from the earliest ages. All the windows open into private courts, if we except sometimes a latticed window or balcony towards the street. It is only during the celebration of some Zeenah, or public festival, that these houses and their latticed windows are left open: for this being a time of great liberty, revelling, and extravagance, each family is ambitious of adorning both the inside and outside of their houses with the richest part of their furniture; while crowds of both sexes, dressed out in their best apparel, and laying aside all modesty, ceremony, and restraint, go in and out where they please. The account we have, 2 Kings, ix. 30., of Jezebel's painting her face, tiring her head, and looking out at a window, upon Jehu's public entry into Jezreel, gives us a lively idea of an Eastern lady at one of those solemnities." SHAW'S

Travels, p. 273. fol.

JUDGES, XVI. 27. There were upon the roof about three thousand men and women.] The Eastern method of building may assist us in accounting for the particular structure of the temple or house of Dagon (Judges xvi.), and the great number of people that were buried in the ruins of it, by pulling down the two principal pillars. We read (ver. 27.) that about three thousand persons were upon the roof to behold while SAMSON made sport. Samson must therefore have been in a court or area below them; and consequently the temple will be of the same kind with the ancient Teμévy, or sacred inclosures, sur