pertinent curiosity, where his fair patrons may uninterruptedly examine the effect of artificial tresses on Poupec of all complexions, and by a trial on themselves, blend the different tints with their own. "Relying on public favour, he confidently invites the whole fashionable world to an exhibition of unexampled taste and excellence.”—Star, Thursday August 1, 1799. Месса. "SOME latent motive, perhaps of superstition, must have impelled the founders of Mecca in the choice of a most unpromising situation. They erected their habitations of mud or stone, in a plain about two miles long and one mile broad, at the foot of three barren mountains: the soil is a rock; the water even of the holy well of Zemzem is bitter or brackish; the pastures are remote from the city, and grapes are transported above seventy miles from the gardens of Tayef."-GIBBON, | gods, and they will defend their house from injury and sacrilege.' The want of provisions, or the valour of the Koreish, compelled the Abyssinians to a disgraceful retreat; their discomfiture has been adorned with a miraculous flight of birds, who showered down stones on the heads of the infidels, and the deliverance was long commemorated by the æra of the elephant. The glory of Abdol Motalleb was crowned with domestic happiness; his life was prolonged to the age of 110 years, and he became the father of six daughters and thirteen sons. His best beloved, Abdallah, was the most beautiful and modest of the Arabian youth; and in the first night, when he consummated his marriage with Amina, of the noble race of the Zahrites, two hundred virgins are said to have expired of jealousy and despair. Mahomet, the only son of Abdallah and Amina, was born at Mecca, four years after the death of Justinian, and two months after the defeat of the Abyssinians, whose victory would have introduced into the Caaba the religion of the Christians."-Ibid. 4.D. 569, Abdol Motalleb. "THE grandfather of Mahomet was Abdol Motalleb, the son of Hashem, a wealthy and generous citizen, who relieved the distress of famine with the supplies of commerce. Mecca, which had been fed by the liberality of the father, was saved by the courage of the son. The kingdom of Yemen was subject to the Christian princes of Abyssinia: their vassal Abrahah was provoked by an insult to avenge the honour of the cross, and the holy city was invested by a train of elephants and an army of Africans. A treaty was proposed, and in the first audience, the grandfather of Mahomet demanded the restitution of his cattle: 'And why,' said Abrahah, ' do you not rather employ my clemency in favour of your temple, which I have threatened to destroy.' 'Because,' replied the intrepid chief, 'the cattle is my own: the Caaba belongs to the Flight of Mohammed, "THE Koreishites had long been jealous of the pre-eminence of the family of Hashem. Their malice was coloured with the pretence of religion in the age of Job, the crime of impiety was punished by the Arabian magistrate, and Mahomet was guilty of deserting and denying the national deities. But so loose was the policy of Mecca, that the leaders of the Koreish, instead of accusing a criminal, were compelled to employ the measures of persuasion or violence. They repeatedly addressed Abu Taleb in the style of reproach and menace. Thy nephew reviles our religion; he accuses our wise forefathers of ignorance and folly; silence him quickly, lest he kindle tumult and discord in the city. If he persevere, we shall draw our swords against him and his adherents, and thou wilt be responsible for the blood of thy fellow-citizens.' The weight and moderation of Abu Taleb eluded the violence of religious faction; the most helpless or timid of the disciples retired to Ethiopia, and the prophet withdrew himself to various places of strength in the town and country. As he was still supported by his family, the rest of the tribe of Koreish engaged themselves to renounce all intercourse with the children of Hashem, neither to buy nor sell, neither to marry nor to give in marriage, but to pursue them with implacable enmity, till they should deliver the person of Mahomet to the justice of the gods. The decree was suspended in the Caaba before the eyes of the nation; the messengers of the Koreish pursued the Musulman exiles in the heart of Africa: they besieged the prophet and his most faithful followers, intercepted their water, and inflamed their mutual animosity by the retaliation of injuries and insults. A doubtful truce restored the appearances of concord; till the death of Abu Taleb abandoned Mahomet to the power of his enemies, at the moment when he was deprived of his domestic comforts by the loss of his faithful and generous Cadijah. "Abu Sophian, the chief of the branch of Ommiyah, succeeded to the principality of the republic of Mecca. A zealous votary of the idols, a mortal foe of the line of Hashem, he convened an assembly of the Koreishites and their allies, to decide the fate of the apostle. His imprisonment might provoke the despair of his enthusiasm ; and the exile of an eloquent and popular fanatic would diffuse the mischief through the provinces of Arabia. His death was resolved; and they agreed that a sword from each tribe should be buried in his heart, to divide the guilt of his blood and baffle the vengeance of the Hashemites. An angel or a spy revealed their conspiracy, and flight was the only resource of Mahomet. At the dead of night, accompanied by his friend Abubeker, he silently escaped from his house: the assassins watched at the door, but they were deceived by the figure of Ali, who reposed on the bed, and was covered with the green vestment of the apostle. The Koreish re | spected the piety of the heroic youth; but some verses of Ali which are still extant, exhibit an interesting picture of his anxiety, his tenderness, and his religious confidence. Three days Mahomet and his companion were concealed in the cave of Thor, at the distance of a league from Mecca; and in the close of each evening, they received from the son and daughter of Abubeker a secret supply of intelligence and food. The diligence of the Koreish explored every haunt in the neighbourhood of the city; they arrived at the entrance of the cavern, but the providential deceit of a spider's web and a pigeon's nest is supposed to convince them that the place was solitary and inviolate. 'We are only two,' said the trembling Abubeker.' 'There is a third,' replied the prophet, it is God himself.' "No sooner was the pursuit abated, than the two fugitives issued from the rock, and mounted their camels; on the road to Medina they were overtaken by the emissaries of the Koreish; they redeemed themselves with prayers and promises from their hands; in this eventful moment, the lance of an Arab might have changed the history of the world."-GIBBON. Arrival at Medina. "MEDINA, or the city known under the name of Yathreb, before it was sanctified by the throne of the Prophet, was divided between the tribes of the Charegites and the Awsites, whose hereditary feud was rekindled by the slightest provocations: two colonies of Jews, who boasted a sacerdotal race, were their humble allies, and without converting the Arabs, they introduced the taste of science and religion, which distinguished Medina as the City of the Book. Some of her noblest citizens, in a pilgrimage to the Caaba, were converted by the preaching of Mahomet; on their return they diffused the belief of God and his Prophet, and the new alliance was ratified by their deputies in two secret and nocturnal interviews equal, though various merit of the Moslems was distinguished by the names of Mohagerians and Ansars, the fugitives of Mecca and the auxiliaries of Medina. To eradicate the seeds of jealousy Mahomet judiciously coupled his principal followers with the rights and obligations of brethren, and when Ali found himself without a peer, the prophet tenderly declared that he would be the companion and brother of the noble youth. The expedient was crowned with success; the holy fraternity was respected in peace and war; and the two partics vied with each other in a generous emulation of courage and fidelity. Once only the concord was slightly ruffled by an accidental quarrel; a patriot of Medina arraigned the insolence of the strangers, but the hint of their expulsion was heard with abhorrence, and his own son most eagerly offered to lay at the Apostle's feet the head of his father." on a hill in the suburbs of Mecca. In the enemy of your foes.' www Nile, "LE Nil-tantot fleuve tranquille, il suit lentement le cours que la nature et l'art lui ont tracé; tantot torrent impétueux, rougi des sables de l'Ethiopie, il se gonfle, franchit ses bords, domine sur les campagnes, et couvre de ses flots un espace de deux cents lieues."-SAVARY. Lotus.1 “LE Lotus est une nymphée particulière à l'Egypte, qui croît dans les ruisseaux et au bord des lacs. Il y en a de deux espèces, l'une à fleur blanche, et l'autre à fleur bleuâtre. Le calice du lotus s'épanouit comme celui d'une large tulippe, et répand une odeur suave, approchante de celle du lis. La première espèce produit une racine ronde, semblable à une pomme de terre. 1 The reader is referred to R. DUPPA's Illustrations of the Lotus of the Ancients, and Tamara of India.-J. W. W. Les habitans des bords du lac Menzale s'en Palm. "LE superbe dattier dont la tête flexible se penche mollement comme celle d'une belle qui s'endort, est couronné de ses grappes pendantes."-Dafard el Hadad. SA VARY. Sycamore Fig-tree of Egypt.2 et salutaire; des cassiers, dont les branches flexibles se parent de fleurs jaunes, et portent une silique connue dans la médecine; des orangers, des citronniers que le ciseau n'a point mutilés, et qui étendant leurs rameaux parfumés forment des voûtes impenétrable aux rayons du soleil: voilà les principaux arbres que l'on rencontre dans le Delta. L'hiver ne les dépouille point de leurs feuilles. Ils sont parés toute l'année comme aux jours du printemps."-Ibid. Women Swimming. "LES filles descendent du village pour laver leur linge et puiser de l'eau. Toutes font leur toilette. Leurs cruches et leurs vêtemens sont sur le rivage. Elles se frottent le corps avec le limon du Nil, s'y pré"LE sycomore d'Egypte produit une fi- cipitent et se jouent parmi les ondes. Plugue qui croit sur le tronc de l'arbre, et non sieurs sont venues à la nage autour de notre à l'extrémité des rameaux. On la mange, bateau en nous criant ia sidi at maïdi. mais elle est un peu sèche. Cet arbre de-Seigneur, donne-moi un medin. Elles navient fort gros et très touffu. Rarement il gent avec beaucoup de grace. Leurs ches'élève droit. Ordinairement il se courbe veux tressés flottent sur leurs épaules. et devient tortueux. Ses branches s'étend- Elles ont la peau fort brune, le teint hâlé, ant horizontalement et fort loin donnent un mais la plupart sont très-bien faites. La bel ombrage. Sa feuille est découpée, et facilité avec laquelle elles se soutiennent son bois imprégné d'un suc amer n'est point contre la rapidité du courant, fait voir comsujet à la piqûre des insectes. Le sycobien l'exercice donne de force et de soumore vit plusieurs siècles."-SAVARY. plesse aux personnes les plus délicates."-S. Islets of the Nile. "Nous voguons entre des iles dont l'herbe est très-haute, et où l'on mène paître les buffles. Un berger assis sur le cou du premier de la troupe, descend dans le fleuve, fait claquer son fouet, et dirige la marche, tout le troupeau suit à la file, et nage en meuglant vers le lieu du pâturage. Ils vomissent l'onde de leurs larges naseaux. Ces animaux vivent dans le Nil pendant les chaleurs. Ils s'y plongent jusqu'aux épaules, et paissent l'herbe tendre le long de ses bords. Les femelles donnent en abondance un lait gras, avec lequel on fait d'excellent beurre." Egyptian Groves. "LES environs de Hellé offrent de spacieux enclos, où les orangers, les citronniers, les grenadiers plantés sans ordre, croissent fort hauts et fort touffus. Leurs branches entrelacées forment de riants berceaux, au dessus desquels les sycomores et les palmiers élèvent leur feuillage d'un verd foncé. Des ruisseaux y coulent parmi des touffes de basilic et de rosiers. Je ne puis vous exprimer combien il est doux. Lorsque le ciel est embrâsé des feux de la canicule, de respirer un air frais sous ces ombrages enchantés. C'est une volupté qui se sent mieux qu'on ne peut la décrire. L'odeur de la fleur d'orange mêlée aux suaves émanations des plantes balsamiques, réveille doucement les sens engourdis par la chaleur, et fait couler dans l'âme les plus agréables sensations. mia sur le bord de la fosse où ses neveux avoient été jettés après la défaite de Beder. "N'ai-je pas assez pleuré sur les nobles fils des Princes de la Mecque! "A la vue de leurs os brisés, semblable à la tourterelle cachée dans la forêt profonde, j'ai rempli l'air de mes gémissemens. "Mères infortunées, le front prosterné contre terre mélez vos soupirs à mes pleurs. Et vous, femmes qui suivez les convois, chantez des hymnes funèbres entrecoupés de longs sanglots. Que sont devenus à Beder, les princes du peuple, les chefs des tribus? "Le vieux et le jeune guerrier y sont couchés nuds et sans vie. "Combien la Mecque aura changé de face! "Ces plaines désolées, ces déserts sauvages, semblent eux-mêmes partager ma douleur."-Savary. www The Custom of Florida. THE first-born male is sacrificed there. An European is settled and married among the Floridans; his child is to be sacrificed. There may be a struggle between superstition and maternal love in his wife. They escape together. Will this make a play? Edwy. ELGIVA'S sufferings. Dunstan and Priest villainy. Here also the after-story is the best. THE Conquest of Lisbon. The Battle of Aljubarrōta. Edmund Ironside, Dirge of Ommia. "LES Moals sont des chants élégiaques, où l'on pleure la mort d'un héros, ou les malheurs de l'amour. Abulfeda nous a conservé la fin d'un Moal chanté par Om "Le basilic en Egypte croit trois fois aussi haut qu'en France, et forme des touffes agré. ables odoriférantes." The Destruction of the Dom Danael.1 THAMAMA, the child whose mother perishes with the Adite in the garden of Irem, This is the original sketch of the poem. For particulars the reader is referred to the Preface of the collected Edition. Dom, or Don |
