17.

Bismillah-"In the name of God;" the commencement of all the chapters of the Koran but one, and of prayer and thanksgiving.

27.

Then curl'd his very beard with ire.

Or live like scorpion girt by fire. Page 112, line 7. Alluding to the dubious suicide of the scorpion, so placed for experiment by gentle philosophers. Some maintain that the position of the sting, when turned towards the head, is merely a convulsive Page 113, line 37. movement; but others have actually brought in the Mussulman. In 1809, the Capitan Pacha's whisA phenomenon not uncommon with an angry verdict, "Felo de se." The scorpions are surely kers, at a diplomatic audience, were no less lively interested in a speedy decision of the question; as, with indignation than a tiger cat's, to the horror of if once fairly established as insect Catos, they will all the dragomans; the portentous mustachios probably be allowed to live as long as they think twisted, they stood erect of their own accord, and proper, without being martyred for the sake of an were expected every moment to change their color, hypothesis. but at last condescended to subside, which, probably, saved more heads than they contained hairs.

18.

When Rhamazan's last sun was set.
Page 112, line 23.
The cannon at sunset close the Rhamazan. See
note 8.

28. Nor raised the craven cry, Amaun. Page 113, line 47. "Amaun," quarter, pardon. 29.

I know him by the evil eye.

Page 113, line 56. The "evil eye," a common superstition in the Levant, and of which the imaginary effects are yet very singular, on those who conceive themselves af

fected.

Bright as the jewel of Giamschid. Page 112, line 54. The celebrated fabulous ruby of Sultan Giamschid, the embellisher of Istakhar; from its splendor, named Schebgerag, "the torch of night;" also, "the cup of the sun," &c.-In the first edition, "Giamschid was written as a word of three syllables, so D'Herbelot has it; but I am told Richardson reduces it to a dissyllable, and writes "Jam- of rank. shid." I have left in the text the orthography of the one with the pronunciation of the other.

21.

Though on Al-Sirat's arch I stood.

30.

A fragment of his palampore.

Page 113, line 111. The flowered shawls, generally worn by persons

31.

His calpac rent-his caftan red.

The "calpac" is the solid the head-dress; the shawl is forms the turban.

32.

Page 114, line 29. cap or centre part of wound round it, and

A turban carved in coarsest stone.

Page 112, line 58. Al-Sirat, the bridge of breadth less than the thread of a famished spider, over which the Mussulmans must skate into paradise, to which it is the Page 114, line 36. only entrance; but this is not the worst, the river The turban, pillar, and inscriptive verse, decorate beneath being hell itself, into which, as may be ex- the tombs of the Osmanlies, whether in the cemepected, the unskilful and tender of foot contrive to tery or the wilderness. In the mountains you fretumble with a "facilis descensus Averni," not very quently pass similar mementos; and, on inquiry, pleasing in prospect to the next passenger. There you are informed, that they record some victim of is a shorter cut downwards for the Jews and Chris- rebellion, plunder, or revenge. tians.

22.

And keep that portion of his creed.

Page 112, line 63.

33.

At solemn sound of "Alla Hu!"

Page 114, line 47. A vulgar error: the Koran allots at least a third "Aila Hu!" the concluding words of the Muezparadise to well-behaved women; but by far the zin's call to prayer from the highest gallery on the greater number of Mussulmans interpret the text exterior of the minaret. On a still evening, when their own way, and exclude their moieties from the Muezzin has a fine voice, which is frequently heaven. Being enemies to Platonics, they cannot the case, the effect is solemn and beautiful beyond discern "any fitness of things" in the souls of the all the bells in Christendom. other sex, conceiving them to be superseded by the Houris.

Beneath avenging Monkir's scythe. Page 114, line 62. Monkir and Nekir are the inquisitors of the dead, before whom the corpse undergoes a slight novitiate and preparatory training for damnation. If the answers are none of the clearest, he is hauled up with a scythe and thumped down with a red-hot mace till properly seasoned, with a variety of subsidiary probations. The office of these angels is no sinecure; there are but two, and the number of orthodox deceased being in a small proportion to the remainder, their hands are always full."

36.

To wander round lost Eblis' throne.
Page 114, line 64.
Eblis, the Oriental Prince of Darkness.

37.

Harold, Canto 2d. I was at some pains to question the man, and he described the dresses, arms, and marks of the horses of our party so accurately, that, with other circumstances, we could not doubt of his having been in "villainous company," and ourselves in a bad neighborhood. Dervish became a soothsayer for life, and I dare say is now hearing But first, on earth, as vampire sent. more musketry than ever will be fired, to the great Page 114, line 69. refreshment of the Arnaouts of Berat, and his naThe Vampire superstition is still general in the tive mountains.-I shall mention one trait more of Levant. Honest Tournefort tells a long story, which this singular race. In March, 1811, a remarkably Mr. Southey, in the notes on Thalaba, quotes, about stout and active Arnaout came (I believe the tenth these "Vroucolochas," as he calls them. The Ro- on the same errand) to offer himself as an attendmaic term is "Vardoulacha." I recollect a whole ant, which was declined: "Well, Affendi," quoth family being terrified by the scream of a child, he, "may you live!-you would have found me usewhich they imagined must proceed from such a visi-ful. I shall leave the town for the hills to-morrow, tation. The Greeks never mention the word with- in the winter I return, perhaps you will then receive out horror. I find that "Broucolokas" is an old me."-Dervish, who was present, remarked, as a legitimate Hellenic appellation-at least is so ap- thing of course, and of no consequence, "In the plied to Arsenius, who, according to the Greeks, mean time he will join the Klephtes," (robbers,) was after his death animated by the Devil.-The which was true to the letter.-If not cut off, they moderns, however, use the word I mention. come down in the winter, and pass it unmolested in some town, where they are often as well known as their exploits.

38.

41.

This superstition of a second-hearing (for I never The circumstance to which the above story remet with downright second-sight in the east) fell lates was not very uncommon in Turkey. A few once under my own observation.-On my third years ago the wife of Muchtar Pacha complained to journey to Cape Colonna early in 1811, as we passed his father of his son's supposed infidelity; he asked through the defile that leads from the hamlet be- with whom, and she had the barbarity to give in a tween Keratiar and Colonna, I observed Dervish list of the twelve handsomest women in Yanina. Tahiri riding rather out of the path, and leaning They were seized, fastened up in sacks, and drownhis head upon his hand, as if in pain. I rode up ed in the lake the same night! One of the guards and inquired. "We are in peril," he answered. who was present informed me, that not one of the "What peril? we are not now in Albania, nor in victims uttered a cry, or showed a symptom of terthe passes to Ephesus, Messalunghi, or Lepanto; ror at so sudden a "wrench from all we know, from there are plenty of us, well armed, and the Choriates all we love." The fate of Phrosine, the fairest of have not courage to be thieves."-"True, Affendi, this sacrifice, is the subject of many a Romaic and but nevertheless the shot is ringing in my ears.' Arnaout ditty. The story in the text is one told "The shot! not a tophaike has been fired this of a young Venetian many years ago, and now morning."-"I hear it notwithstanding-Bom- nearly forgotten. I heard it by accident recited by Bom-as plainly as I hear your voice."-"Pshaw." one of the coffee-house story-tellers who abound in "As you please, Affendi; if it is written, so will it the Levant, and sing or recite their narratives. be."-I left this quick-eared predestinarian, and The additions and interpolations by the translator rode up to Basili, his Christian compatriot, whose will be easily distinguished from the rest by the ears, though not at all prophetic, by no means rel-want of Eastern imagery; and I regret that my ished the intelligence. We all arrived at Colonna, memory has retained so few fragments of the origiremained some hours, and returned leisurely, say-nal.

ing a variety of brilliant things, in more languages For the contents of some the notes I am indebted than spoiled the building of Babel, upon the mis- partly to D'Herbelot, and partly to that most easttaken seer; Romaic, Arnaout, Turkish, Italian, ern, and, as Mr. Weber justly entitles it, "sublime and English were all exercised, in various conceits, tale," the "Caliph Vathek." I do not know from upon the unfortunate Mussulman. While we were what source the author of that singular volume contemplating the beautiful prospect, Dervish was may have drawn his materials; some of his incioccupied about the columns. I thought he was de- dents are to be found in the "Bibliotheque Orienranged into an antiquarian, and asked him if he had tale; but for correctness of costume, beauty of become a 'Palaocastro' man: "No," said he, "but description, and power of imagination, it far surthese pillars will be useful in making a stand;" passes all European imitations; and bears such and added other remarks, which at least evinced his marks of originality, that those who have visited own belief in his troublesome faculty of fore-hearing. the East, will find some difficulty in believing it to On our return to Athens, we heard from Leone (a be more than a translation. As an Eastern tale, prisoner set ashore some days after) of the intended even Rasselas must bow before it; his "Happy attack of the Mainotes, mentioned, with the cause Valley" will not bear a comparison with the "Hall of its not taking place, in the notes to Childe of Eblis."

THE BRIDE

BRIDE OF
OF ABYDOS;

A TURKISH TALE.

Had we never loved so kindly,
Had we never loved so blindly,
Never met or never parted,

We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

BURNS.

ΤΟ

THE RIGHT HONORABLE LORD HOLLAND,

THIS TALE IS INSCRIBED,

WITH EVERY SENTIMENT OF REGARD AND RESPECT, BY HIS GRATEFULLY OBLIGED
AND SINCERE FRIEND,

KNOW ye the land where the cypress and myrtle
Are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime,
Where the rage of the vulture, the love of the turtle,
Now melt into sorrow, now madden to crime?
Know ye the land of the cedar and vine,
Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever
shine;

Where the light wings of Zephyr, oppress'd with
perfume,

Old Giaffir sat in his Divan:

Deep thought was in his aged eye;
And though the face of Mussulman
Not oft betrays to standers by
The mind within, well skill'd to hide
All but unconquerable pride,

His pensive cheek and pondering brow
Did more than he was wont avow.

III.

the chamber be clear'd."-The train disappear'd

"Now call me the chief of the Haram guard." With Giaffir is none but his only son,

Wax faint o'er the gardens of Gúl1 in her bloom;"Let
Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit,
And the voice of the nightingale never is mute;
Where the tints of the earth, and the hues of the sky,
In color though varied, in beauty may vie,
And the purple of ocean is deepest in dye;
Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine,
And all, save the spirit of man, is divine?
'Tis the clime of the East; 'tis the land of the sun-
Can he smile on such deeds as his children have
done? 2

Oh! wild as the accents of lovers' farewell

Are the hearts which they bear, and the tales which they tell.

II.

Begirt with many a gallant slave,
Apparell'd as becomes the brave,
Awaiting each his lord's behest
To guide his steps, or guard his rest,

And the Nubian awaiting the sire's award.
"Haroun-when all the crowd that wait
Are pass'd beyond the outer gate,
(Wo to the head whose eye beheld
My child Zuleika's face unveil'd!)
Hence, lead my daughter from her tower;
Her fate is fix'd this very hour:
Yet not to her repeat my thought;
By me alone be duty taught!"

"Pacha! to hear is to obey."

No more must slave to despot say-
Then to the tower had ta'en his way,
But here young Selim silence brake,
First lowly rendering reverence meet;

1