Imatges de pàgina
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extenfion of her hips, inquired if that fhape was peculiar to the women of England: to which the lady replied, that the English women did not differ in fhape from those of other countries; and, by explaining to her the nature of the drefs, convinced the Sultanefs, that the and her companions were not really fo deformed as they appeared to be.

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Anecdote of Sir Philip Calthrop and
John Drakes.

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(at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth) was the trunk breeches or flops, which were gradually fwelled to an enormous fize: thefe breeches, we are told, were ftuffed out with rags, wool, tow, or hair, and fome times, indeed, with articles of a more cumbrous nature, if the story frelated by Holingshed be founded upon fact; wherein a man is faid to have exhibited the whole of his bed and table furniture, taken from thofe extenfive receptacles. The ladies alfo, on their parts, extended their garments from The propenfity of perfons of low the hips with foxes' tails and bum-rolls, eftate to imitate the fashions of thofs as they are called; but, finding that, above them, has been adverted to seby fuch moderation, they could keep veral times in the courfe of this chapno pace with the vast protuberance of ter; and now, by way of conclufion, the trunk flops, they introduced the 1 fhall add a fhort ftory from Camgreat and ftately vardingales, or far- den, in which this propenfity is very dingales, which fuperfeded all formed properly ridiculed. "I will tell you,' inventions, and gave them the power fays the venerable antiquary," how of appearing as large as they pleafed. "Sir Philip Calthrop purged John The vardingale afforded the ladies "Drakes, the fhoemaker of Nora great opportunity of difplaying "wich, in the time of Henry the their jewels, and the other ornamen- "Eighth, of the proud humour which tal of their drefs, to the utmost parts our people have to be of the genadvantage, and, for that reafon, Itleman's cut.-This knight bought prefume, obtained the fuperiority" on a time as much fine French' over the clofe habits and the more 66 tawny cloth as fhould make him a fimple imitations of Nature; and what, indeed, was the court-drefs very lately, but the vardingale differently modified, being compreffed before and behind, and proportionably extended at the fides? Bulwer, to whom I have feveral times had occafion to refer, gives us the following anecdote relative to this unnatural habit :- When Sir Peter Wych was ambaffador to the Grand Seignor from King James the Firft, his lady was with him at Conftantinople; and the Sultanefs, having heard much of her, defired to fee her; whereupon, Lady Wych, accompanied with her waiting women, all of them neatly dreffed in their great vardingales, which was the court drefs of the English ladies of that time, waited upon her Highness. The Sultanefs received her with great refpect; but, wondering much at the of cuts as thy fhears can make it.”

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"gown, and fent it to his taylor's to "be made. John Drakés, a fhoe"maker, of that town, coming to the

faid taylor's, and feeing the knight's "gown-cloth lying there, and liking "it well, caused the taylor to buy "for him as much of the fame cloth, " at the like price, to the fame intent ; " and, further, he bad him make it "in the fame fashion that the knight "would have his made of. Not long "after, the knight coming to the

taylor to take meafure of his gown, "he perceived the like gown cloth "lying there, and afked the taylor

whofe it was. "It belongs," quoth "the taylor, " to John Drakes, who "will have it made in the felf-fame "fashion that yours is made of.""Well," faid the knight, "in good "time be it: I will have mine as full

"" It fhall be done," faid the

taylor. Whereupon, because the "time drew near, he made hafte to "finish both their garments. John "Drakes had no time to go to the "taylor's till Christmas-day, for ferving of his cuftomers, when he had "hoped to have worn his gown; perceiving the fame to be full of cuts, "he began to fwear at the taylor for 66 making his gown after that fort. "I have done nothing," quoth the 66 taylor, "but what bad me; "for, as Sir Philip Calthrop's gown ❝ is, even fo have I made yours." "By my latchet," quoth John "Drakes, "I will never wear a gen. "tleman's fashion again.*"

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Minstrels and Players. Minstrels and players were for-, merly retainers in the houses of the nobility: they wore the livery and badges of the mafter to whom they belonged; and, under that fanction, travelling from place to place, exhibited their performances for hire. In the reign of Queen Mary, a remonftrance from the privy council was prefented to the lord prefident of the north, stating, " that certain lewd," that is, diffolute or ignorant, "perfons, "to the number of fix or feven in a "company, naming themselves to be "the fervants of Sir Francis Lake, and wearing his livery, or badge, "upon their fleeves, have wandered "about these north parts, reprefent❝ing certain plays and interludes, re"flecting on her Majefty and King "Philip, and the formalities of the ❝ mass.”

-Thefe, according to Warton, were “family minitrels, or play"ers, who were constantly diftinguished by their master's livery, or "badge."-Ia confequence of the above remonstrance, Sir Francis Lake was enjoined to correct his fervants fo offending.

Ed. Mag. Jan. 1800.

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In former times, fays an author who wrote in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 66 a nobleman's houfe was a " commonwealthe in itselfe; but fince "the reteining of these caterpillers," meaning the vagrant players, "the "credite of noblemen hath decaied, "and they are thought to be covet"ous, by permitting their fervants, "which cannot live of themfelves, "and whome, for neernefs, they will "not maintain, to live at the devo❝tion or almes of other men, paffing "from countrie to countrie, from one "gentleman's house to another, of"fering their fervice; which is a kind "of beggarie; who, indeede, to "fpeake more trulie, are become beg

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gers for their fervants: for, com"monlie the good will men beare to "their lordes makes them drawe the

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ftringes of their purfes to extend "their liberalities to them, where "otherwise they would not."

Under the appellation of minstrels, no doubt, was included all fuch perfons as ftudied mufic profeffionally, and performed for pay. It seems certain, that fome peculiar kind of dress was generally adopted by these melodious itinerants; and, from seeing them frequently depicted in habits altogether different from those in common usage, I am led to conclude that, in addition to their musical talents, they often exhibited certain tricks of buffoonery, to which the quaintnefs of their drefs was accommodated; we may then confider them as a kind of mimics; and probably they were the primitive introducers of the ftrange difguifements that make up the medley of a modern mafquerade; and, by fuch a double exhibition, the exertions of a fingle minftrel might afford no fmall degree of merriment to minds unprepared for any fuperior species of entertainment. We frequently find them in company with other drolls, whofe performanF.

*** Camden's Remains, page 198."

or

ces confifted of dancing, of tumbling, or of balancing, to the mufic*. It appears, indeed, that dancing and tumbling, in former times, differed but little, if at all, from each other; at leaft, they feem to be often con, founded a remarkable inftance occurs to my memory. In a fplendid manuscript, written and illuminated at the commencement of the thir

teenth century †, which contains a fhort Bible hiftory, embellished with many curious paintings, there is one picture reprefenting the daughter of Herodias in the prefence of Herod ; but, instead of dancing, according to our acception of the word, he is li terally tumbling, or making a fomerfault, with her hands upon the ground.

EXTRACTS FROM SONNINI'S TRAVELS IN UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT.

Account of Baths at Sicut. DURING my day at Siout I conftantly frequented the baths, to which I had taken a great liking, and which appeared to me to have a very falutary effect. These baths are nei ther fo handsome, nor kept in fuch good order as thofe at Cairo. Befides the different manners of kneading the flesh, of fuppling the limbs, and of rubbing the body, the Sybarites of this part of the country take great pleasure in having the foles of their feet rubbed, in their own houses, with pieces of pumice-ftone. The fort that is the most efteemed for this ufe is of a blackish caft; it is fhaped like a fhuttle cut with a feather-edge on one fide, and a flat furface is left on the other. This fhape is the most convenient for the hand of the perfon who applies the friction. The flat fide, or the bottom, is ftriped with deep denticulations, which give it the roughness of a large file, and which fcrape the foles of the feet in a fuperior manner.

The pieces of pumice-ftone thus formed are called in Arabic el bakkē The best are said to come from Palef

tine. The operation of having the foies of the feet roughly rubbed is one of the chief pleasures of the Egyptians; but at first it is infupportable to Europeans, and occafions involuntary motions and startings, which are excited by the fenfibility of the parts. After a certain time, these too delicate fenfations are no longer felt ; and at length this operation becomes agreeable, efpecially when it is performed by an experienced hand.

Intoxicating quality of Hemp.

Hemp is cultivated in the plains of thefe countries; but it is not spun into thread as in Europe, although it might probably answer for that purpofe. It is, nevertheless, a plant very much in ufe. For want of intoxicating liquors, the Arabs and Egyptians compofe from it different preparations, which throw them into a fort of pleafing inebriety, a state of reverie that infpires gaiety, and occafions agreeable dreams. This kind of annihilation of the faculty of thinking, this kind of flumber of the foul, bears no refemblance to the intoxication produced by wine or ftrong liquors,

and

Reprefentations of all these performances frequently occur in the illuminated MSS. whence feveral examples are given in the firft and fecond volumes of the Manners and Cuftoms of the English.

+ In Bibl. Harl. infig. 1527.

Another painting, reprefenting a girl tumbling upon her hand to the music, occurs in a MSS. in the Cotton Library, marked Domitian, A II.; which is nearly as ancient as that above mentioned.

terms by which it can be expreffed. The Arabs give the name of keif to this voluptuous vacuity of mind, this fort of fafcinating ftupor.

and the French language affords no comparison of this hemp with that of Europe, it may be remarked, that its talk is not near fo high; that it acquires in thickness what it wants in height; that the port or habit of the plant is rather that of a shrub, the ftem of which is frequently more than two inches in circumference, with numerous and alternate branches adorning it down to the very root. Its leaves are alfo not fo narrow, and lefs dentated or toothed. The whole plant exhales a ftronger fmell, and its fructification is fmaller, and at the fame time more numerous than in the European fpecies.

The preparation moft in ufe from this hemp is made by pounding the fruits with their membranous capfules; the paste refulting therefrom is baked, with honey, pepper, and nutmeg, and this fweetineat is then fwallowed in pieces of the fize of a nut. The poor, who footh their mifery by the ftupefaction produced by hemp, content themfelves with bruifing the capfules of the feeds in water, and eating the pafte. The Egyptians alfo eat the capfules without any preparation, and they likewife. mix them with tobacco for fmoking. At other times they reduce only the -capfules and piftils to a fine powder, and throw away the feeds. This powder they mix with an equal quantity of tobacco, and fmoke the mixture in a fort of pipe, a very fimple, but coarse imitation of the Perfian pipe. It is nothing more than the fhell of a cocoa-nut hollowed and filled with water, through which a pungent and intoxicating fmoke is inhaled. This manner of fmoking is one of the most ordinary paftimes of the women in the southern part of Egypt.

All these preparations, as well as the parts of the plant that ferve to make them, are known under the Arabic name of hafchisch, which properly fignifies herb, as if this plant were the herb, or plant of plants. The hafchifch, the confumption of which is very confiderable, is to be met with in all the markets. When it is meant to defignate the plant it felf, unconnected with its virtues and its ufe, it is called baflé.

Although the hemp of Egypt has much refemblance to ours, it, neverthelefs, differs from it in fome characters which appear to conflitute a particular fpecies. On an attentive

Miraculous Statue.

In the mofque (at Tomich) there is fhown a camel in one, which is feen to turn towards Mecca at the time when the caravan of pilgrims fets out from Cairo, and to turn back towards Cairo when it leaves Mecca. Such is the fable related by the inhabitants of Tomich; and this gives fome celebrity to their town. I had not an opportunity of examining this miraculous ftatue.

Fertility of the Soil in Upper Egypt-
Its Agriculture.

There is certainly no country in the world where the foil is more productive than in Egypt. However, when, as fome ancient and modern authors have affirmed, its produce in wheat is carried to one hundred, two hundred, and even as far as three hundred, for one, it is extended far beyond the common average. On the other hand, those who have afferted that a measure of corn, fown in the ground, produced only tenfold, have stopped far fhort of the truth. On this fubject I collected and compared the most accurate information; the refult was, that, one year with another, a crop of corn yields from five and twenty to thirty for one. And it is important to obF 2

ferve,

ferve, that it is not here meant to count the number of grains contained in an ear, produced from a parti. cular fingle feed, but that I am fpeaking of the entire harveft, of the mafs of corn that it furnishes in a given diftrict; fo that each measure fown, yields a crop of from five and twenty to thirty measures. In extraordinary years, favoured by circumftances, the land laid down in corn gives a produce of fifty for one. At Néguadé I was even afsured that, fix or feven years previous to my arrival, a cultivator had reaped a hundred and fifty times the feed fown; but this obfervation, fuppofing it to be correct, applying only to a folitary and particular fact, cannot be included in the general eftimate. For fome years the inhabitants had been complaining of the fcantinefs of their crops; neverthelefs, during thefe very years, which they confidered as times of dearth, the land had produced twenty for one.

Such a fertility, which had no need of exaggeration to appear aftonifh ing, is ftill fufceptible of increase. Ignorant and lazy, the Egyptian cul. tivators knew not how to derive the greatest advantage from the moft fruitful foil; and the procefs of watering, which vegetation requires in fo warm a climate, was neglected, or in a great measure forgotten.

However, if it be confidered that vegetation has no where more ftrength and activity than in the foil of Upper Egypt; if it be remarked that no fpecies of culture long occupies the ground, and that feveral are feen to fucceed each other, and thrive in the fame year, the inexhaustible mine of abundance which this ancient land contains in its bofom, cannot fail to be a fubject of aftonishment.

And this incomparable fertility is ftill more brilliant in the fouth than in the north of Egypt. The Thebais, which borders upon the torrid zone, would seem, from the heat of

the fun by which it is warmed, from the maffes of rocks by which it is furrounded, and which reflect and concentrate the heat, and from its elevated fituation, more difficult to irrigate, to be deftitute of verdure and incapable of yielding rich crops: it is, neverthelefs, infinitely more fertile than the moift foil of the Delta. Its produce of every kind is more furprifing. It is fhaded by a greater number of fruit trees, forming, in fome measure, forefts not very closely planted, which maintain a conftant coolnefs, and under the shade of which the traveller may either take repose, or proceed on his way.

Befides the vegetative ftrength of a privileged foil, the manner in which the Egyptians fow corn is also one of the caufes of its great multiplication. It is obvious that the method of fowing thick, perhaps neceffary in cold and compact ground, would be prejudicial in a warm foil exuberant with vegetation. Accordingly, the feed is very fparingly fcattered in the fields of Egypt. The fower walks behind the plough, and ftrews in the fmall furrow it makes, a portion of grain barely neceffary, which the plough covers in tracing another fur

row.

In this manner there is no feed loft; there is none that, as in our country, feems to be thrown purposely to feed the birds. The ftalks, arranged in drills, and at a proper diftance from each other, as well as the roots that fupport them, eafily receive the impreffions of the air and the fun; and the ears, being neither confined nor fmothered, are healthy and ftrong; the grains with which they are filled foon become plump and luxuriant, and none of them ever prove abortive or difeafed. Neither are the fields overrun by a great number of plants which, under the generic name of weeds, are, in the greater part of our fields, a real fcourge to the harvefts. The corn is

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