and from which I was now to see it for the last time. hammedans. Our guide, Mohammed, immediately rode up to what he called the principal house: and such, indeed, it seemed to be; the centre part being built high, so as at a distance to give it the appearance of a tower: at the same time he sent some of the villagers to inquire for sheik Ibrahim, the head of the place. I found it difficult, however, to conceive myself entering the chief house of the village. I had, on dismounting, to pass through a wretched court yard; and, at the door, found the point of precedence disputed with me by asses, oxen, sheep, and goats, a very large company. As I paused for a moment to look into While the servants went on, I rode to a fair green spot, and turned my horse's head round, that I might enjoy a few moment's solitary meditation on the view before me! Surely no traveller would fail to snatch such a moment. With little bodily strength, and through a variety of scenes in which troubles had been anticipated, though none had been experienced, I have thus succeeded in accomplishing the pilgrimage to the holy city. "What good," I thought, "has my visit done here? Who will be the better for it? Here-where the Saviour bled-how have I re-a residence which appeared within to be scarcely quited His love?" These thoughts rapidly pass- habitable, these irrational tenants, not at all standed through my mind, raising such pensive feelings ing upon ceremony, but knowing well their preas I am no stranger to. "I feel that I have done scriptive title, herded downward into a sort of almost nothing and even if, humanly speaking, I lower chamber; while my guide, behind me, pointhad done much, yet I must before my Master ac-ed to four steps, which, if I would have the goodknowledge that I am an unprofitable servant. ness to mount them, would raise me so many deBut it is now too late to amend this visit; for the grees above the brute creation. I very reluctanttime is past, and I must bid farewell to Jerusalem. ly complied; and, at once, found myself on a large The noon-day sun shines strong and bright upon mud floor; which, with a small recess on one side the city, and seems to mock its base condition. for the females of the family, presented at one What a contrast between its aspect at this dis- view the whole interior of the best house in the tance, and its actual state! Here, the smaller village. The nether inhabitants of this dwelling objects not being minutely discernible, the glow-were now lifting up such an inharmonious chorus, ing strains of David seem as true and lively as as gave presage of a very uncomfortable night. they were when they first answered to the touch "What are we to do?" I said to my servant: "and of his instrument of ten strings-Beautiful for when will this uproar cease?" "When the catsituation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. tle have had their fodder," he replied; which hapStill, there seem to be her towers, her bulwarks, pily proved true: for, in less than ten minutes, all and her palaces challenging our admiration. But this disturbance yielded to a profound sleep, which I have now, for more than twenty days, known knew no interruption till the next morning light. that these are not the towers or the temple of an- The party below having thus supped and quieted cient times. At every step, coming forth out of themselves, the sheik and the men of the village the city, the heart is reminded of that prophecy, began to assemble on the upper floor, where I had accomplished to the letter, Jerusalem shall be trod-seated myself, near a large blazing fire; which, den down of the Gentiles.* All the streets are wretchedness; and the houses of the Jews more especially (the people who once held a sceptre on this mountain of holiness) are as dunghills." 66 but for the immense amount of animal heat already accumulated in the house, would have been very seasonable. The sheik, by way of compli ment and protection, sat by me, leaning on my baggage and bedding; an omen of unwelcome companions likely to be added to my party. A While I gazed, my eyes filled with tears till I could look no longer. The frequent ejaculation of the bishop of Nazareth came into my mind-large assembly gradually collected in the room, Lord, how long!" I thought, too, of those brethren, from whom I had just parted, and for whose sakes I had an additional motive to pray, Peace be within thy walls! I then suddenly broke off from this multitude of thoughts, which was growing too painful for me; and pursuing my journey, I felt by degrees as though my present mission was, in some sense, accomplished; and began to indulge, more warmly, the hope of returning to my family in peace. AIN YABROUD. In the evening, at sunset, we turned off from the road a little to the left, to sleep at Ain Yabroud; a poor village of about fifty houses, all Mo The author would here add, that he has, subsequently, very often meditated on that phrase: and he can with truth aflirm, that no expression could have been invented more descriptive of the visible state of Jerusalem, than this single phrase, trodden down-furnished by the most lively and descriptive of all writings extant, the Bible. not fewer than fifteen venerable, bearded men, all with huge dirks at their sides-which, as they sat down, they drew out and laid before them on the floor; but whether as a compliment, or merely for their own convenience, I could not divine. To prevent their troublesome curiosity in asking after my purposes, I made many inquiries into their affairs, and learned that this house is indeed the castle of the village, and has served that end many times in their quarrels with their neighbors. They described to me who were their friends, and who their enemies. As far, as Beer, a town which I had passed, about an hour and a half to the south of Ain Yabroud, they have friends: but, on the other side of Beer, to Jerusalem, and in all that region, enemies; their head sheik, Ishmael, being at war with the celebrated Abu Goosh, who lives between Jerusalem and Ramla. In consequence, they cannot go to Jerusalem: and having lately sold oil, the produce of their land, to persons living there, they cannot themselves carry it; but the purchasers are obliged to come from Jerusa lem, to fetch it. On the other side, to the north, they are at war with Sangyl. Thus they are be enough illustrates a verse of Scripture. It was a family returning from their work in the field, bringing wood home for fuel. Several of them were young girls; the youngest a child not above four years of age, which the others were continually scolding for not keeping up with them, although it was manifestly struggling under a very disproportionate share of the family burden. This might explain the latter clause of Lamentations v. 13-"They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood." set on all quarters. I began to point out the unnatural troubles of war; reminding them that they were all of one blood, and that they themselves felt the inconveniences of this bad system: from all which the chief sheik, Ibrahim, drew back with evident marks of distaste. I could not help thinking, how much more readily do most men welcome a fomenter of quarrels, than a peacemaker! Had I brought them some evil news of their neighbors, something to rouse their bad passions, they would have been better pleased than they were with these abstract reasonings. The Arriving fatigued in the evening at Nablous, I sheik, unable to withstand my remarks, retorted only sent my letters, without waiting on the gothe argumentum ad hominem; asking whether vernor; he immediately sent his secretary, who, the case was not the same exactly with the Chris- it appeared, was the son of the chief of the Satians at Jerusalem, and he supposed in other coun- maritans. The father, now in years, formerly tries also. I said, "But such are not true Chris-filled the office. I was lodging, as before, at the tians: for our religion commands us to love one another; and they who violate this rule, cease to be Christians." My servant, perceiving the sheik and his wide circle considerably dissatisfied with the turn of the conversation, would interpret for me no further. If my remarks should have left no good impression on the minds of these Arab peasants, may they convey a lesson to those who read these lines! By our fruits will men judge of our faith. Thus, in fact, have professing Christians been judged in Palestine; and thus will Protestant missionaries be judged who shall go thither. Having signified my desire of rest, the party broke up; but about ten remained, with whom I had to sleep upon the floor: so we all lay, stretched out, foot to foot, or head to head. RETURN TO NABLOUs. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 1823.-Left Ain Yabroud at eight o'clock in the morning, and passed Sangyl in two hours and a half; arriving at Khan Leban in one hour more: here I rested a while. to An hour after, on the way to Nablous, we met with the first insult, and indeed the only one, experienced by me in all this journey. A man ran after us, some distance, with a long staff in his hand, announcing another who soon followed, carrying a gun: he was the sheik of the district. We halted, to know his pleasure. His pleasure was, first, to know who and what we were, who presumed to pass without paying tribute which the answer was short-that I was an Englishman, and the bearer of two letters from the governor of Jerusalem to the governor of Nablous. He said, he acknowledged no governor; that his village had always been free and independent; that a man of Jerusalem had come to buy oxen of him, to the value of two hundred piastres, and by night had driven away the oxen without payment; that he should, therefore, take | Mohammed into custody till the money was sent him from Jerusalem, unless I was willing to pay down the 200 piastres. As we were only three hours from Nablous, we agreed that Mohammed should be detained, and I go on to the governor with my letters. Upon this our assailant dropped his high pretensions, and finally suffered us to go, without gaining a single para, and with no other inconvenience to us than the delay. A little further on, my servant directed my attention to a common circumstance, which aptly house of the Greek priest. He insisted on serving up coffee, to which the Samaritan, with some reluctance, assented. I was not at all pleased with the ill compliment paid to him, and, through him, to the government of Nablous, by the Greek priest who sipped the coffee before he presented it to him, a ceremony which I have never before witnessed in any house that I have yet visited in the east; but which, if report speaks true, of foul deeds lately done in this city, was not a superfluous, or unmeaning act. Close adjoining to the house of the priest, and in a manner part of it, was the church. It was the eve of Saint Saba, and the Christian people were assembling to divine service. I counted thirty-six men present, a large proportion of the male Christian population of this modern Sychem; but in the narrow anti-room, where females stand, there was but one woman-a perfect contrast to the occasional religious services of our own country! but easily to be accounted for. Here, public devotion being in an unknown language, assumes more the appearance of a mere task; and, consequently, men, are expected to attend it as if transacting some work of business, while their wives are enduring heavy drudgery at home. In England, our week day services, better adapted to touch the heart, are attractive to the more feeling sex; while the men excuse their non-attendance, on the plea of ever-urgent occupation. FROM NABLOUS TO BEIROUT. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 1823.-On leaving Nablous, we found that heavy rain had fallen in the night, and more was likely to fall: I had, therefore, good reason to press on without any delay to Beirout. I returned by the same stages as those by which we came : nothing remarkable occurring on the way; unless I were to notice that the Latin convent at Nazareth had been, in this interval, much deserted, there being only six friars left in it-the others were gone either to Bethlehem or Acre. Between Acre and Tyre, I met a very respectable elderly person in black Frank clothes, who informed me that he was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, and had vowed, or as he expressed it, had made a promise to God, that he would go all the way on foot to Jerusalem; and, having thus far kept his promise, voyages of course excepted, he will probably hold on, till his feet stand within the gates of the holy city. I was in such urgent haste to escape the rain, and reach my destination before night-fall, that I could not stop to converse with him as I wished.* As it was, I was under the necessity of halting short of Tyre, and sleeping in a most miserable hut, not water-proof-the rain dropping through on my bed-at Ras el Ain. All the rest of the way to Beirout, I was occasionally incommoded by stormy weather; but happily nothing like illness detained me before my arrival in that city, which took place late on Monday night, the 22d of December. Nahoura to Acre Ain Yabroub to Jerusalem 61 The time from Acre to Nazareth was increased by perhaps two hours, from the guide not being well acquainted with the road. Here, to my great joy, I found Mr. and Mrs. Bird, Mr. and Mrs. Goodell, and Mr. King, occupying a house, and giving a new missionary attraction to the place. I have reason to record A traveller, on horseback, and unincumbered with especial gratitude, the many acts of Christian with baggage, would perform most of these diskindness which I experienced under the hospitable tances, especially in fine weather, in a shorter roof of our American friends. These offices of time. love were, indeed, most seasonable; as my stay in Beirout, which it was supposed would not exceed a week or two, was unexpectedly protracted to fifty days, during which anxious period the effect of my journeying developed itself in a painful illness which fell upon me, but which providentially spent its force before my departure. NOTES TO THE JOURNAL A. ILLUSTRATIONS OF SCRIPTURE. HOUSE OF THE DEAD. An opportunity for Alexandria, at length, offered on the 9th of February, 1824; when I quitted Syria with such emotions of thankfulness, as might well arise in the breast of one who, after performing in past years several almost solitary journeys, had spent nearly all the last five months in the so- WHILE walking out one evening, a few fields' ciety of missionary brethren and sisters. With distance from Deir el Kamr, with Hanna Doomathese, already become eight in number, I had often ni, the son of my host, to see a detached garden experienced the blessing spoken of in those ex-belonging to his father, he pointed out to me, near pressive words "We have fellowship one with another; and, truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ." it, a small, solid, stone building, apparently a house; very solemnly adding, " Kabbar beity,”— "the sepulchre of our family." It had neither door nor window. He then directed my attention to a considerable number of similar buildings, at a distance: which, to the eye, are exactly like houses; but which are, in fact, family mansions for the dead. They have a most melancholy appearance, which made him shudder while he explained their use. They seem, by their dead walls, which must be opened at each several interment of the members of a family, to say, "This is an unkindly house, to which visiters do not willingly throng: but, one by one, they will be forced to enter; and none who enter ever come out again." Joab "was * The account which we afterward heard of the progress of this pilgrim was as follows:-Having arrived at Nazareth, he heard that there were so many difficulties likely to be met with, if he proceeded on foot to Jerusalem, that he determined to return to Acre, and thence take a passage in a boat Perhaps this custom, which prevails particularly to Jaffa. In the mean time a rumor of the plague at Deir el Kamr, and in the lonely neighboring at Tiberias induced the pacha of Acre to establish parts of the mountain, may have been of great a quarantine in that city. The Irish priest, while antiquity; and may serve to explain some Scriphe remained in Nazareth, attended with the greatest ture phrases. The prophet Samuel was buried humanity to a dying Italian, from whom every body else fled, supposing him to be infected with the in his house at Ramah : 1 Sam. xxv. 1: it could plague. Unacquainted with the horror which that hardly be in his dwelling-house. apprehension inspires in persons accustomed to the buried in his own house in the wilderness:" 1 Levant, he seemed astonished at the selfishness of Kings ii. 34. This was "the house appointed for their fears, and himself alone supported the lan- all living :" Job xxx. 23. guishing patient many hours in his arms. The Carpzovius remarks, "Vix credendum est secase was, however, of a consumptive nature; the pulchra in ipsis ædibus sub tecto fuisse... qualife of his attendant would otherwise, in all proba- propter rectius intelligitur id omne quod ad dobility, have been forfeited. He, after this, returned to Acre; but, quarantine having been established, mum pertinet, eidemque cohæret; ac proin etiam was not permitted to enter; and himself suffered area, vel hortus, in cujus forte angulo exteriori much from the inclemency of the season. He finally tale quoddam extruxerunt monumentum." The reached the holy city in safety-" his vow com-view of these sepulchral houses at Deir el Kamr pleted." puts the matter beyond conjecture. Prov. xi. 21. The figure in Isaiah lü. 10, "The Lord hath made bare his holy arm," is most lively for the loose sleeve of the Arab shirt, as well as that of the outer garment, leaves the arm so completely free, that, in an instant, the left hand passing up the right arm makes it bare; and this is done when a person-a soldier, for example, about to strike with the sword-intends to give his right arm full play. The image represents Jehovah as suddenly prepared to inflict some tremendous, yet righteous judgment-so effectual, "that all the ends of the world shall see the salvation of God." When we had finished our meals, in the family in which I resided at Deir el Kamr, and were risen, the mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law, The other point illustrated occurs in the second who had been waiting at the door, came in, and verse of the same chapter: where the sense of partook of what remained. Thus it is in Syria: the last expressions is, to an oriental, extremely and thus it has been, probably, ever since Abra-natural-" Shake thyself from the dust-ariseham, a Syrian ready to perish, traversed these re- sit down, O Jerusalem." It is no uncommon gions, dwelling in tents: when Sarah, having pre- thing to see an individual, or a group of persons, pared an entertainment for three divine strangers, even when very well-dressed, sitting, with their did not present it, that being Abraham's office; feet drawn under them, upon the bare earth, pasbut stood at the tent-door, which was behind him. sing whole hours in idle conversation. EuroSo Rebekah prepared food for her husband to eat, peans would require a chair; but the natives here and sent it in by the hand of Jacob. prefer the ground. In the heat of summer and autumn, it is pleasant to them to while away their time in this manner, under the shade of a tree. Richly-adorned females, as well as men, may often be seen thus amusing themselves. As may naturally be expected, with whatever care they may, at first sitting down, choose their place, yet the flowing dress by degrees gathers up the dust: as this occurs, they, from time to time, arise, adjust themselves, shake off the dust, and then sit down again. The captive daughter of Zion, therefore, brought down to the dust of suffering and oppression, is commanded to arise and shake herself from that dust; and then, with grace and dignity and composure and security, to sit down; to take, as it were, again, her seat and her rank amid the company of the nations of the earth, which had before afflicted her, and trampled her to the earth. The expression though hand join in hand, may bear a slight correction; conformable both to the original Hebrew, and also to the custom actually prevailing in Syria. The original simply signifies, hand to hand. And this is the custom of persons in the east, when they greet each other, or strike hands, in token of friendship and agreement. They touch their right hands respectively; and then raise them up to their lips and forehead. This is the universal eastern courtesy: the English version, and the devices grounded upon it, give the idea of hand clasped in hand, which is European, rather than oriental. The sense, therefore, is, Though hand meet hand-intimating, that heart assents to heart in the perpetration of wickedness-yet shall not the wicked go unpunished. Isaiah xiv. 8. As we passed through the extensive forest of fir-trees situated between Deir el Kamr and Ainep, we had already heard, at some distance, the stroke of one solitary axe, resounding from hill to hill. On reaching the spot, we found a peasant, whose labor had been so far successful, that he had felled his tree and lopped the branches. He was now hewing it in the middle, so as to balance the two halves upon his camel; which stood patiently by him, waiting for his load. In the days of Hiram, king of Tyre, and subsequently under the kings of Babylon, this romantic solitude was not so peaceful: that most poetic image in Isaiah, who makes these very trees vocal, exulting in the downfall of the destroyer of nations, seems now to be almost realized anew-"Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.” Isaiah lii. 2, 10. The use of the oriental dress, which I now wear, brings to the mind various Scriptural illustrations, of which I will only mention two. It may be proper to notice that bishop Lowth gives another rendering—Arise, ascend thy lofty seat-and quotes eastern customs, to justify the version but I see no necessity for the alteration, although to English ears it may sound more appropriate. A person of rank in the east often sits down upon the ground, with his attendants about him. Matt. vi. 3, and Prov. vi. 13. The manner in which the Samaritan priest desired me, on parting, to express our mutual goodwill, was by an action, than which there is not one more common in all the Levant. He put the fore-finger of his right hand parallel to that of his left, and then rapidly rubbed them together, while I was expected to do the same, repeating the words. "right, right;" or, in common acceptation, "together, together." It is in this manner that persons express their consent on all occasions; on concluding a bargain, on engaging to bear one another company, and on every kind of friendly agreement or good understanding. May not this serve to explain the phrase in Matt. vi. 3: "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth ?" that is, "Let not thy heart consent to its own good thoughts, with a sinful self-applause." So much is said, in the Old females at Deir el Kamr, and in all the adjacent Testament, of speaking with the eyes, hands, and region of Mount Lebanon. In the cities on the even feet, that it is scarcely understood by Eng-sea-coast it is not so frequently seen. It is called lishmen. They should see the expressive and in- Tantoor; and is set on the forehead, projecting numerable gesticulations of foreigners when they like a straight horn. It is from fifteen to twenty converse: many a question is answered, and inches long; in its thickness gradually diminishmany a significant remark conveyed, by even ing; having its diameter at one extremity about children, who learn this language much sooner four inches, at the other about two. It is hollow, than their mother tongue. Perhaps the expres-otherwise the weight would be insupportable to sion of Solomon, that the wicked man speaketh the stiffest neck; and it is tinselled over, so as to with his feet, (Prov, vi. 13,) may appear more na- give it a silvery appearance. The end with the tural, when it is considered that the mode of sit- larger diameter rests on the forehead, where it is ting on the ground in the east brings the feet into strapped to, by one strap passing behind the head, view, nearly in the same direct line as the hands; and another passing under the chin: the horn itthe whole body crouching down together, and the self protrudes straight forward, inclining upward, hands, in fact, often resting upon the feet. at an angle of about twenty or thirty degrees. Over the farther extremity they throw the veil, which thus serves the double purpose of modesty and shade. Matt. xxvi, 23, and John xiii. 25-27. I could hear no account of the origin of this unicorn costume. In its style it differs materially from the horns described by Bruce in Abyssina, and by other travellers; which have been considered as illustrating those passages in Scripture, Lift not up your horn on high...... Thine horn hast thou exalted, &c. For, here it is the females that wear it; and not the men, as in Abyssinia: it has no appearance of strength, nor indeed to me of beauty; although, doubtless, among the females of Mount Lebanon there may be as much vanity in their mode of adjusting and bearing this article of dress, as is to be found at any European toilet. Some, indeed, though very few, wear this monstrous ornament, protruding from one side of the face instead of the front: but I could obtain no satisfactory account of this heretical fashion, any more than of the orthodox position of the Tan toor. To witness the daily family habits, in the house in which I lived at Deir el Kamr, forcibly reminded me of Scripture scenes. The absence of the females at our meals has been already noticed. There is another custom, by no means agreeable to a European; to which, however, that I might not seem unfriendly, I would have willingly endeavored to submit, but it was impossible to learn it in the short compass of a twenty days' visit, There are set on the table, in the evening, two or three messes of stewed meat, vegetables, and sour milk. To me, the privilege of a knife and spoon and plate was granted: but the rest all helped themselves immediately from the dish; in which it was no uncommon thing to see more than five Arab fingers at one time. Their bread, which is extremely thin, tearing and folding up like a sheet of paper, is used for the purpose of rolling together a large mouthful, or sopping up the fluid and vegetables. But the practice which was most revolting to me was this: when the master It is not worn by the Druse women only. The of the house found in the dish any dainty morsel, servant of the house where I lived at Deir el Kamr he took it out with his fingers, and applied it to my wore one: so also did a young woman whose marmouth. This was true Syrian courtesy and hos-riage I there witnessed; several likewise of the pitality; and, had I been sufficiently well-bred, virgins, that were her fellows, and bore her commy mouth would have opened to receive it. On pany, wore this head-dress. All these were Chrismy pointing to my plate, however, he had the tians. Hanna Doomani told me that it is used goodness to deposit the choice morsel there. I would not have noticed so trivial a circumstance, if it did not exactly illustrate what the evangelists record of the last supper. St. Matthew relates that the traitor was described by our Lord in these terms "He, that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me:" xxvi. 23. From this it may be inferred that Judas sat near to our Lord; perhaps on one side next to him. St. John, who was leaning on Jesus' bosom, describes the fact with an additional circumstance. Upon his asking, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop, Satan entered into him:" xiii. 25-27. B. THE TANTOOR, A FEMALE HEAD DRESS IN The most extraordinary oriental costume which chiefly by the lower orders; at least that those who have been brought up at Damascus, or at the principal cities, would not think of wearing it. In other words, probably, it is the true ancient female mountaineer's costume; but what is its degree of antiquity, it may be difficult to discover. In examining various critics for the oriental sense of the word "horn," the following passages occurred, which may serve, in a collateral manner, to illustrate the costume of the Tantoor. These passages refer to a drawing, with which almost every child is familiar, who has seen the old picture books, representing the person of Moses. By a vulgar error, he is often depicted as having a horn projecting from his forehead, or a ray of glory beaming forth in that form. The origin of this is referred by the critics to a too servile rendering, in the Vulgate, of the original Hebrew. Glassius (Philologia Sacra, p. 819,) after giving various metaphorical senses of the word "horn," adds this signification, in conclusion: "In modum cornuum radios diffundere, coruscare, radiare, splendere, significat. Exodus xxxiv. 29, 30, 35. Übi de Mosis facie splendescente sermo est. Chald. |