No. 142.-ESTHER i. 9.

Feast for the women.

CHARDIN says, "it is the custom of Persia, and of all the East, for the women to have their feasts at the same time (with), but apart from the men.”

HARMER, vol. i. p. 354.

No. 143.-v. 6. Banquet of wine.] Olearius (p. 709.). thus describes an entertainment at the Persian court. "The floor of the hall was covered with a cotton cloth, which was covered with all sorts of fruits and sweetmeats in basons of gold. With them was served up excellent Schiras wine. After an hour's time the sweetmeats were removed, to make way for the more substantial part of the entertainment, such as rice, boiled and roasted mutton, &c. After having been at table an hour and an half, warm water was brought, in an ewer of gold, for washing, and grace being said, they begun to retire without speaking a word, according to the custom of the country." The time for drinking wine was at the beginning, not at the close of the entertainment.

HARMER, vol. i. p. 389.

No. 144. vi. 1. The book of records.] In these diaries (which we now call journals) wherein was set down what passed every day, the manner of the Persians was, to record the names of those who had done the king any signal service. Accordingly, Josephus informs us, "that, upon the secretary's reading of these journals, he took notice of such a person, who had great honours and possessions given him, as a reward for a glorious and remarkable action; and of such another, who made his fortune by the bounties of his prince for his fidelity but that when he came to the particular

story of the conspiracy of the two eunuchs against the person of the king, and of the discovery of this treason by Mordecai, the secretary read it over, and was passing forward to the next, when the king stopped him, and asked if that person had any reward given him for his service." This shews a singular providence of God, that the secretary should read in that very part of the book, wherein the service of Mordecai was recorded, vide Jewish Antiq. lib. xi. cap. 6.

No. 145.-vi. 7-9.] PITTS gives an account (p. 198.) of a cavalcade at Algiers upon a person's turning Mohammedan, which is designed to do him, as well as their law, honour. "The apostate is to get on horseback on a stately steed, with a rich saddle and fine trappings; he is also richly habited, and hath a turban on his head, but nothing of this is to be called his own; only there are given him about two or three yards of broad cloth, which is laid before him on the saddle. The horse, with him on his back, is led all round the city, which he is several hours in doing. The apostate is attended with drums and other music, and twenty or thirty serjeants. These march in order on each side of the horse, with naked swords in their hands. The cryer goes before, with a loud voice giving thanks to God for the proselyte that is made." The conformity of custom in the instance now cited, and the passage alluded to in Esther, must appear remarkable. HARMER, vol. ii. p. 102.

No. 146. vii. 8. They covered Haman's face.] The majesty of the kings of Persia did not allow malefactors to look at them. As soon as Haman was so considered his face was covered. Some curious correspondent examples are collected together in Poole's Synopsis, in loc. From Pococke we find the custom still continues, speaking of the artifice by which an Egyptian bey was taken

off, he says, (Travels, vol. i. p. 179.) "A man being brought before him like a malefactor just taken, with his hands behind him as if tied, and a napkin put over his head, as malefactors commonly have, when he came into his presence, suddenly shot him dead."

HARMER, vol. ii. p. 96.

No. 147.-ix. 19. Sending portions.] The eastern princes and people not only invite their friends to feasts, but it is their custom to send a portion of the banquet to those that cannot well come to it, especially their relations, and those in a state of mourning." (MS. Chardin.) Thus when the grand emir found it incommoded M. d'Arvieux to eat with him, he desired him to take his own time for eating, and sent him from his kitchen, what he liked, and at the time he chose. (Voy. dans la Pal. p. 20.) (Nehem. viii. 10. 2 Sam. xi. 8-10.)

HARMER, vol. i. p. 353.

No. 148.-JOB vi. 4.

The arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit.

It appears that the art of poisoning arrows was very ancient in Arabia. The venenate sagitta, poisoned arrows, of the ancient Mauri or Moors in Africa, are mentioned by Horace, (lib. i. ode 22. line 3.) and we are informed that "the Africans were obliged to poison their arrows, in order to defend themselves from the wild beasts with which their country was infested. This poison, Pliny tells us, was incurable." (Dacier's and Francis's note.) And that poisoned arrows were anciently used by other nations, besides the Mauri, may be seen in Grotius, de Jure Belli et Pacis, (lib. iii. cap. 4. § 16.); in Freinshemius's note on Curtius, (lib. ix. cap. 8. § 20.); in Justin, (lib. xii. cap. 10. § 2.); and Berneccerus's note there; and in Virgil (Æn. xii. lin. 857.)

But perhaps no passage in any heathen author so clearly shews the antiquity and make of poisoned arrows, as what we read in Homer concerning Ulysses, that he went to Ephyra, a city of Thessaly, in order to procure deadly poison for smearing his brazen pointed arrows, from Ilus, the son of Mermerus, who is said to have been descended from Medea and Jason, (Odyss. i. line 260.)

No. 149.-vi. 6. Can that which is unsavoury be eaten. without salt?] The eastern people often make use of bread, with nothing more than salt or some such trifling addition, such as summer-savory dried and powdered. This, RUSSELL says (Hist. of Aleppo, p. 27.) is done by many at Aleppo. The Septuagint translation of this passage seems to refer to the same practice, when it renders the first part of the verse, will bread be eaten without salt? HARMER, vol. i. p. 238.

No. 150.-vii. 12. Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?] Crocodiles are very terrible to the inhabitants of Egypt; when therefore they appear, they watch them with great attention, and take proper precautions to secure them, so that they should not be able to avoid the deadly weapons afterwards used to kill them. To these watchings, and those deadly after-assaults, I apprehend Job refers, when he says, am I a whale, (but a crocodile no doubt is what is meant there) that thou settest a watch over me?" Different methods," says Maillet, "are used to take crocodiles, and some of them very singular; the most common is to dig deep ditches along the Nile, which are covered with straw, and into which the crocodile may probably tumble. Sometimes they take them with hooks, which are baited with a quarter of a pig, or with bacon, of which they are very fond. Some hide themselves in the places which they know to be frequented by this creature, and lay snares for him." Lett. ix. p. 32.

HARMER, Vol. iv. p. 286.

No. 151.—ix. 25. My days are swifter than a post.] The common pace of travelling in the East is very slow. Camels go little more than two miles an hour. Those who carried messages in haste moved very differently. Dromedaries, a sort of camel which is exceedingly swift, are used for this purpose; and Lady M. W. Montague asserts, that they far out run the swiftest horses. (Lett. ii. 65.) There are also messengers who run on foot, and who sometimes go an hundred and fifty miles in less than twenty-four hours; with what energy then might Job say, my days are swifter than a post. Instead of passing with a slowness of motion like that of a caravan, away my days of prosperity have disappeared with a swiftness like that of a messenger carrying dispatches. HARMER, vol. i. p. 438.