art thou, my love, for delights: thy stature is like a palmtree, and thy bosom like clusters of grapes.' FORBES'S Oriental Memoirs, vol. i. p. 29. MAL. i. 6. Offer it now to thy governor.] This is designed as a reproof to Israel for offering such sacrifices for the service of God's altar as were imperfect; and such as, if offered to a superior, would not be accepted. Presents in general are acceptable; but circumstances in the East make a considerable difference on this head, as to the ideas which would be attached by those people to gifts, and those which are commonly entertained in this part of the world. Presents were indispensably necessary to obtain the favour of the great. Frequently, indeed, the royal revenue was paid in the necessary articles of subsistence; so also was that of individuals; of course such persons would be particularly careful to have what was good and perfect, and would disdain to receive what was otherwise. Agreeable to this statement, Mr. BRUCE (Travels, vol.i. p. 353.) tells us, that "the present governor of Dahalac's name is Hagi Mahomet Abd-el-Cader. The revenue of this governor consists in a goat brought to him monthly by each of the twelve villages. Each vessel that puts in there pays him also a pound of coffee, and every one from Arabia a dollar or pataka." CHARDIN observes, that "it is the custom of the East for poor people, and especially those in the country, to make presents to their lords of lambs and sheep, as an offering or tribute." The ambassador " was apprised of the hour when he might make his obeisance to the prince, inform him of the object of his mission, and offer his presents: for it is an established custom in the East never to appear before a superior without bringing presents. His were six pieces of camlet of Cyprus, I know not how many ells of scarlet, forty sugar loaves, a peregrine falcon, two crossbows, and a dozen of bolts.” Travels of BertranDON DE LA BROCQUIERE in 1432, p. 185. Presents to men, like offerings to God, expiate offences. JOLLIFFE'S Letters from Palestine, p. 142. CHAP. VIII. AMUSEMENTS. EXOD. XV. 20. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and with dances.] Lady M. W. MONTAGU, speaking of the Eastern dances, says, "Their manner is certainly the same that Diana is said to have danced on the banks of Eurotas. The great lady still leads the dance, and is followed by a troop of young girls, who imitate her steps, and, if she sings, make up the chorus. The tunes are extremely gay and lively, yet with something in them wonderfully soft. Their steps are varied according to the pleasure of her that leads the dance, but always in exact time, and infinitely more agreeable than any of our dances." Letters, vol. ii. p. 45. This gives us a different apprehension of the meaning of these words than we should otherwise form. Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her, with timbrels and dances. She led the dance, and they imitated her steps, which were not conducted by a set well known form, but extemporaneous. Probably David did not dance alone before the Lord when the ark was removed, but led the dance in the same authoritative kind of way. 2 Sam. vi. 14. Judges, xi. 34. 1 Sam. xviii. 6. A remnant of the ancient custom of dancing publicly on the celebration of some happy event is still preserved in Egypt, where women celebrate by dances the annual rising of the Nile, and the openings of the canals to water the country. "We were awakened from our first sleep by the sounds of tinkling instruments, accompanied by a chorus of female voices. I looked out of the window, and saw a band of thirty damsels, at least, come tripping towards us, with measured paces, and animated gestures. The moon shone very bright, and we had a full view of them, from their entering the gate of our street, until they reached our house. Here they stopped, and spreading themselves in a circle before the door, re. newed the dance and song with infinite spirit, and recalled to our minds the picture which is so fully given of these dancing females in Holy Writ. After they had favoured us a few minutes with their lively performance, they moved on to the hakeem's house, and serenading him with an air or two, this joyous band quitted our quarter, and went, as the dying sounds informed us, to awaken the other slumberers of the town to melody and joy. We were impatient to know the cause of the agreeable disturbance we met with last night, and learned from one of our guard, that the dancing girls observe the ceremony we were witness to on the first visible rise of the Nile. It seems that they took our house in the way to the river, where they went down to bathe at that late hour, and to sing the praises of the benevolent power who yearly distributes his waters to supply the necessities of the natives." IRWIN's Voyage up the Red Sea, p. 229. By the timbrels which Miriam and the other women played upon when dancing, we are to understand the tympanum of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which instrument still bears in the East the name that it has in Hebrew, namely, doff or diff, whence is derived the Spanish adufe, the name of the Biscayan tabor. NIEBUHR describes this instrument in his Travels, part i. p. 181. It is a broad hoop, with a skin stretched over it; on the edge there are generally thin round plates of metal, which also make some noise, when this instrument is held up in one hand and struck with the fingers of the other hand. Probably no musical instrument is so common in Turkey as this; for when the women dance in the harem, the time is always beat on this instrument. We And the same instrument on all the monuments in the hands of the Bacchante. It is also common among the negroes of the Gold Coast and Slave Coast. VOGEL, in his account of his Ten Years' Voyage in the East Indies, (p. 463.) says, "They fetched from the neighbourhood four girls, with their instruments, which are called rabannen, and made them play. But these rabannes are nothing more than a kind of drum of the shape of ours, but not so high, measuring only a span, on which the girls played with one hand, singing at the same time, and dancing in their manner, and throwing themselves into all kinds of attitudes." **"The Almai form a very famous class in this country; to be admitted into which it is necessary to possess beauty, a fine voice, eloquence, and be able to compose and say extempore verses, adapted to the occasion. The Almai know all new songs by rote; their memory is stored with the best funeral and love songs; they are present at all festivals, and are the chief ornament of banquets. They place them in a raised orchestra or pulpit, where they sing during the feast; after which they descend and form dances, which no way resemble ours. They are pantomimes that represent the common incidents of life love is their usual subject. The suppleness of these dancers' bodies is inconceivable, and the flexibility of their features, which take impressions characteristic of the parts they play at well, astonishing. The indecency, however, of their attitude is often excessive. They are admitted into all harems. They teach the women the new airs; recount amorous tales; and recite poems in their presence, which are interesting by being pictures of their own manners." SAVARY on Egypt. : NUMB. XXI. 17. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it.] "The Eleusinian women practised a dance about a well, which was called callichorus, and their dance was also accompanied by songs in honour of Ceres. These songs of the well are still sung in other parts of Greece, as well as in Syria. DE Guys mentions them. He says that he has seen the young women in Prince's Island, assembled in the evening at a public well, suddenly strike up a dance, while others sung in concert to them. Lett. on Greece, vol. i. p. 220. Lond. 1781. The ancient poets composed verses which were sung by the people while they drew the water, and were expressly donominated songs of the well. ArisTOTLE, as cited by Winkelmann, says, "the public wells serve as so many cements to society, uniting the people in bands of friendship, by the social intercourse of dancing so frequently together around them. This may serve to explain the cause of the variety of beautiful lamps, pitchers, and other vessels of terra cotta, which have been found at the bottom of wells in different parts of Greece." CLARKE's Travels, vol. iii. p. 430. 1 SAM. xvi. 17. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.] This command of Saul might originate in a desire to obtain such a person as might by his skill in playing equally contribute to his gratification and state. It seems to have formed a part of royal Eastern magnificence to have had men of this description about the court. "Professed story-tellers," it may also be observed, are of early date in the East. Even at this day men of rank have generally one or more, male or female, amongst their attendants, who amuse them and their women, when melancholy, vexed, or indisposed; and they are generally employed to lull them to sleep. Many of their tales are highly amusing, especially those of Persian origin, or such as have been written on their model. They were thought so dangerous by Mohammed, that he expressly prohibited them in the Koran." RICHARDSON'S Dissert. on the Manners of the East, p. 69. In Persia, "where any place does present a little more room than ordinary, or under the covered ways attached to the shops, we generally find one of the national storytellers, surrounded by groups of people: some well clad, others in rags, and not a few nearly naked, attending with the most lively interest to tales they must have heard a thousand times before. He recounts them with a change of gesticulation, and a varied tone of voice, according to his subject: whether it be the loves of Khosroo and Shireene, the exploits of Rustum, their favourite hero, or any number of historic couplets from Ferdoussi, the Homer of their land; from the humblest peasant to the head that wears the diadem, all have the |