"About eleven or twelve at night, the bridegroom is led in proceffion to the bride's

chamber, where he prefents her with a glass "of wine, in which the drinks to him, and he "returns the compliment: after this he is car"ried back again with the fame ceremony.

"The mufic, during the whole of the "time, continues to play, buffoons and other "of their diverfions are going forward, and "the house is ufually full of company 'till "the next day in the afternoon, when they "take their leave, all but a few intimate "friends, who fup with the bridegroom, and "about midnight leave him heartily fatigued "to retire to the bride's chamber.

"All thofe that have been invited to the "wedding fend prefents; and, for feveral days "after the marriage is confummated, quan"tities of flowers are fent to the bride by "all the women of their acquaintance'."

OBSERVATION LXXX.

Befides the voice of domeftic gladness and joy on nuptial occafions, inftead of the melancholy filence of defolation, which Jeremiah affured them fhould be heard again in that country, and which was to take place not only in Jerufalem, but in the other Jewish

cities, the prophet seems to me to affure them there fhould be a return of feasons of rejoicing on public occafions, fuch as victory over enemies; as also of the mufic and the fongs wont to attend the prefenting peace-offerings before God: "Again there fhall be heard in "this place the voice of joy and the "voice of gladnefs, (the voice of the bride

groom and the voice of the bride,) the "voice of them that fhall fay, Praise the "Lord of Hofts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever; and of them that "fhall bring the facrifice of praife into the "houfe of the Lord. Jer. xxxiii. 10, 11.

II.

There is fomething pleafing in this enumeration of particulars, if we confider them as expreffive of rejoicings on domeftic, public, and facred occafions.

It is certain that when Jehofaphat led forth Judah to affured victory, he made ufe of fuch a form of praife as we find in the middle of this verfe: " Upon Jehaziel, the fon of Ze

chariah, &c, came the fpirit of the Lord "in the midst of the congregation: And he "faid, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye in"habitants of Jerufalem, and thou king

Jehofaphat, Thus faith the Lord unto you, "Be not afraid nor difmayed, by reafon of "this great multitude; for the battle is not your's, but God's.-And when he (Jehofaphat) had confulted with the people, he appointed fingers unto the Lord, and that "fhould

"fhould praise the beauty of holiness', as they went out before the army, and to fay, "Praife the Lord, for his mercy endureth "for ever." 2 Chron. xx. 14-21. He and

his people, after the affair was actually accomplifhed, affembled together in or near the place where their enemies were flaughtered to praise the Lord, and afterwards went in folemn proceffion to Jerufalem, with joy it is faid, with pfalteries, and harps, and trumpets, unto the house of the Lord, ver. 26, 27, 28. And as no account is given of any new formulary of thanksgiving, probably the fame was made ufe of as in their firft outfet: "Praise the "Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever."

These founds of joy and gladness might as well be heard in the other cities of Judæa, as in Jerufalem, as well as thofe accompanying nuptial folemnities. Jehofaphat feems to have paffed through the cities of his country with mufic and with hymns to Jerufalem. So the women went out from their feveral cities to meet King Saul, when he returned from the flaughter of Goliath, with finging and dancing, with tabrets, with joy, and inftruments of mufic, 1 Sam. xviii. 6. But could the third fort, relating to the bringing the facrifice of praife into the house of the Lord, be heard

The Temple: which God honoured, as the place where he was found to be a prefent help in time of trouble, and which holy place was remarkable for it's beauty.

in the cities of Judah as well as in the streets of Jerufalem?

Such a fuppofition, I would anfwer, is not neceffary. It was fufficient if the founds of joy in general were heard from time to time through the country, without fuppofing that every fpecies of gladness fhould appear in every

town.

However it is not at all improbable, that the music and the hyinns attending the bringing the facrifice of praife to the Temple were heard in other cities, as well as in the streets of Jerufalem, and that the gladness of heart mentioned by Ifaiah, when people went with a pipe, to go into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty one of Ifrael, might be heard in the town from whence they fet out, and in the cities through which they paffed, as well as when they entered the holy city.

I do not remember that Lightfoot has given any account of mufic attending them, at any other time when they carried their oblations to the Temple, but when they paffed along the streets of Jerufalem; but when we confider how common the ufe of mufic is now in the Eaft, and what in particular is practifed there in their facred journies, I fhould fuppofe mufic and hymns attended their fetting out with oblations to the houfe of God, and that the like founds of joy and gladnefs attended them as they paffed through their

See ver. 10 of Jer. 33.

2 Ch. 30. 29.

towns,

towns, more especially if it was the facrifice of fome more eminent perfonage, or of fome confiderable body of people.

So Pitts tells us, that into whatsoever town of Barbary the caravan for Mecca enters, the leader is received with a great deal of joy, becaufe he is going about fo religious a work. He goes attended with flags; kettle-drums, and loud acclamations, do, as it were, rend the fkies'.

OBSERVATION LXXXI.

The mufic of great men in civil life, has been fometimes directed to perfons of a facred character, as an expreffion of respect, in the Eaft perhaps the playing of the minstrel before the prophet Elifha is to be understood, in part, at leaft, in fomething of the fame

manner 2.

When Dr. Richard Chandler was at Athens, the Archbishop of that city was upon ill terms with it's Vaiwode, and the Greeks in general fiding with the Vaiwode, the Archbishop was obliged to withdraw for a time; but fome time after, when Chandler and his fellowtravellers were at Corinth, they were informed that the Archbishop was returned to Athens; that the Bey or Vaiwode had received him kindly, and ordered his mujicians to attend him at his

• P. 85.

22 Kings 3. 11-15.

palace;