ON DIVERS

Paffages of Scripture.

Placing many of them in a Light altogether new;
Afcertaining the Meaning of feveral not determinable by the Me-
thods commonly made ufe of by the Learned;

Propofing to Confideration probable Conjectures on others, different
from what have been hitherto recommended to the Attention
of the Curious;

And more amply illuftrating the Reft than has been yet done,
by Means of Circumstances incidentally mentioned

IN BOOKS

OF

VOYAGES AND TRAVELS

INTO THE EAST:

IN TWO VOLUMES.

Anthoma. Harm

VOL. II, RELATING TO

VI. The Eastern Methods of doing Perfons Honour.
VII. Their Books.

VIII. The Natural, Civil, and Military State of Judæa.

IX. ÆGYPT.

X. Mifcellaneous Matters.

THE THIRD EDITION,

Corrected with Care, and enlarged with many new Obfervations ;
Numbers of them taken from fome MS. Papers of the celebrated

SIR JOHN CHAR DI N.

Impellimur autem Naturâ, ut prodeffe velimus quamplurimis imprimifque docendo,
Itaque non facile cft invenire, qui quod fciat ipfe, non tradat alteri.
Cic. de fin. lib. iii.

LONDON:

Printed for J. JOHNSON, No. 72, St. Paul's Church-yard,

1797.

Tappan Presb. Uss

3-28-1932

[ 1 ]

CHAP. VI.

Of the Eaftern Methods of doing Perfons Honour.

OBSERVATION I.

F these the presenting gifts is one of the moft univerfal; and the use of them was, as well as is, much more extenfive in the East than with us.

Such as are prejudiced against the Sacred Hiftory, and unacquainted with Eaftern cuf toms, may be ready, from the donations to the Prophets, to imagine they were a mercenary set of people, and rudely to rank them with cunning-men and fortune-tellers, who will not from principles of benevolence reveal thofe fecrets, or foretell thofe future events, of the perfect knowledge of which they are fuppofed to be poffeffed, but demand of the anxious enquirer a large reward. This, however, will make impreffions on none but those who know not the oriental ufages, which Maundrell long fince applied, with fuch clearness and force, to one of the moft exceptionable paffages of the Old Teftament, that he has fufficiently fatisfied the mind VOL. II.

B

upon