Thalaba the Destroyer Part 43

_Tournefort._

[142] In these lines I have versified a pa.s.sage in Bishop Taylor's Sermons, altering as little as possible, his unimproveable language.

"For so have I known a luxuriant Vine swell into irregular twigs and bold excrescencies, and spend itself in leaves and little rings, and afford but trifling cl.u.s.ters to the wine-press, and a faint return to his heart which longed to be refreshed with a full vintage: but when the Lord of the vine had caused the dressers to cut the wilder plant and made it bleed, it grew temperate in its vain expence of useless leaves, and knotted into fair and juicy branches, and made accounts of that loss of blood by the return of fruit."

[143] My readers will recollect the Lenora. The unwilling resemblance has been forced upon me by the subject. I could not turn aside from the road because Burger had travelled it before. The "Old Woman of Berkely"

has been foolishly called an imitation of that inimitable Ballad: the likeness is of the same kind as between Macedon and Monmouth. Both are Ballads, and there is a Horse in both.

[144] How came Mohareb to be Sultan of this Island? Every one who has read Don Quixote knows that there are always Islands to be had by Adventurers. He killed the former Sultan and reigned in his stead. What could not a Domdanielite perform? The narration would have interrupted the flow of the main story.

[145] In this valley, we found plenty of provender for our cattle: rosemary bushes, and other shrubs of uncommon fragance, which, being natives of the desert, are still perhaps without a name. Though these scented plants are the usual food of the camel, it is remarkable that his breath is insufferably nauseous. But when he is pushed by hunger, he devours thistles and p.r.i.c.kles indiscriminately, without the least damage to his mouth, which seems proof to the sharpest thorns.

_Eyles Irwin._

[146] The hawk is used at Aleppo in taking the hare. "As soon as the hare is put up, one, or a brace of the nearest greyhounds are slipped, and the Falconer galloping after them, throws off his hawk. The hare cannot run long where the hawk behaves properly, but sometimes getting the start of the dogs, she gains the next hill and escapes. It now and then happens when the hawk is fierce and voracious in an unusual degree, that the hare is struck dead at the first stroke, but that is very uncommon; for the hawks preferred for hare hunting are taught to pounce and buffet the game, not to seize it, and they rise a little between each attack, to descend again with fresh force. In this manner the game is confused and r.e.t.a.r.ded, till the greyhounds come in.

_Russell._

The Shaheen or Falcon Gentle, flies at a more dangerous game. Were there not, says the elder Russell, several gentlemen now in England to bear witness to the truth of what I am going to relate, I should hardly venture to a.s.sert that with this bird, which is about the size of a pigeon, they sometimes take large Eagles. The Hawk in former times was taught to seize the Eagle under his pinion, and thus depriving him of the use of one wing, both birds fell to the ground together: but I am informed the present mode is to teach the Hawk to fix on the back between the wings, which has the same effect, only that the bird tumbling down more slowly, the Falconer has more time to come in to his Hawk's a.s.sistance; but in either case, if he be not very expeditious, the Falcon is inevitably destroyed.

Dr. Patrick Russell says, this sport was disused in his time, probably from its ending more frequently in the death of the Falcon than of the Eagle. But he had often seen the Shaheen take Herons and Storks. "The hawk when thrown off flies for some time in a horizontal line not six feet from the ground, then mounting perpendicularly with astonis.h.i.+ng swiftness, he seizes his prey under the wing, and both together come tumbling to the ground. If the Falconer is not expeditious the game soon disengages itself.

We saw about twenty antelopes, which, however, were so very shy, that we could not get near enough to have a shot, nor do I think it possible to take them without hawks, the mode usually practised in those countries.

The swiftest greyhounds would be of no use, for the antelopes are much swifter of foot than any animal I ever saw before.

_Jackson's Journey over Land._

The Persians train their hawks thus. They take the whole skin of a stag, of the head, body, and legs, and stuff it with straw to the shape of the animal. After fixing it in the place where they usually train the bird, they place his food upon the head of the stuffed stag, and chiefly in the two cavities of the eyes, that the Bird may strike there. Having accustomed him for several days to eat in this manner, they fasten the feet of the stag to a plank which runs upon wheels, which is drawn by cords from a distance; and from day to day they draw it faster, insensibly to accustom the Bird not to quit his prey; and at last they draw the stag by a horse at full speed. They do the same with the wild boar, the a.s.s, the fox, the hare, and other beasts of chase.--They are even taught to stop a horseman at full speed, nor will they quit him till the Falconer recalls them and shows them their food.

_Tavernier._

As the Persians are very patient and not deterred by difficulty, they delight in training the Crow in the same manner as the Hawk.

_Tavernier._

I do not recollect in what history or romance there is a tale of two dogs trained in this manner to destroy a Tyrant. But I believe it is an historical fiction. The farmers in Norway believe that the Eagle will sometimes attack a deer, in this enterprize he makes use of this stratagem; he soaks his wings in water, and then covers them with sand and gravel, with which he flies against the deer's face, and blinds him for a time; the pain of this sets him running about like a distracted creature, and frequently he tumbles down a rock or some steep place, and breaks his neck; thus he becomes a prey to the eagle.

_Pontoppidan._

[147] I saw this appearance of death at a bull-fight--the detestable amus.e.m.e.nt of the Spaniards and Portugueze. To the honour of our country, few Englishmen visit these spectacles a second time.

[148] They have a beast called an Ounce, spotted like a Tyger, but very gentle and tame. A horseman carries it, and on perceiving the Gazelle lets it loose: and tho' the Gazelle is incredibly swift, it is so nimble that in three bounds it leaps upon the neck of its prey. The Gazelle is a sort of small antelope, of which the country is full. The Ounce immediately strangles it with its sharp talons, but if unluckily it misses its blow and the Gazelle escapes, it remains upon the spot ashamed and confused, and at that moment a child might take or kill it without its attempting to defend itself.

_Tavernier._

The Kings of Persia are very fond of the chase, and it is princ.i.p.ally in that, that they display their magnificence. It happened one day that Cha-Sefi wished to entertain all the Amba.s.sadors who were at his court, and there were then ministers there from Tartary, Muscovy and India. He led them to the chase, and having taken in their presence a great number of large animals, stags, does, hinds and wild boars, he had them all dressed and eat the same day, and while they were eating an Architect was ordered to erect a tower in the middle of Ispahan, only with the heads of these animals: the remains of it are yet to be seen. When the Tower was raised to its proper height, the Architect came exultingly to the King who was then at the banquet with the Amba.s.sadors, and informed him that nothing was wanting to finish the work well, but the head of some large beast for the point. The Prince in his drunkenness, and with a design of showing the Amba.s.sadors how absolute he was over his subjects, turned sternly to the Architect--_You are right_, said he, _and I do not know where to find a better head than your own_. The unhappy man was obliged to lose his head, and the royal order was immediately executed.

_Tavernier._

[149]

A serpent which that aspidis Is cleped, of his kinde hath this, That he the stone n.o.blest of all The whiche that men carbuncle call, Bereth in his head above on high.

For whiche whan that a man by slight The stone to wynne, and him to dante, With his carecte him wolde enchante, Anone as he perceiveth that He leyth downe his one ear all plat Unto the ground, and halt it fast, And eke that other eare als faste He shoppeth with his taille so sore, That he the wordes, la.s.se or more Of his enchantement ne hereth.

And in this wise himself he skiereth, So that he hath the wordes wayved, And thus his eare is nought deceived.

_Gower._

Does not "the deaf adder, that heareth not the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely," allude to some snake that cannot be enticed by music, as they catch them in Egypt?

[150] As for the wax it is the finest and whitest that may be had tho'

of bees: and there is such plenty as serves the whole empire. Several provinces produce it, but that of Huquam exceeds all the others, as well in quant.i.ty as whiteness. It is gathered in the province of Xantung upon little trees; but in that of Huquam upon large ones, as big as those of the Indian PaG.o.ds, or chesnut-trees in Europe. The way nature has found to produce it, to us appears strange enough. There is in this province a creature, or insect of the bigness of a flea, so sharp at stinging, that it not only pierces the skins of men and beasts, but the boughs and bodies of the trees. Those of the province of Xantung are much valued; where the inhabitants gather their eggs from the trees, and carry them to sell in the province of Huquam. In the spring, there come from these eggs certain worms, which about the beginning of the summer they place at the foot of the tree, whence they creep up, spreading themselves wonderfully over all the branches. Having placed themselves there, they gnaw, pierce, and bore to the very pith, and their nourishment they convert into wax as white as snow, which they drive out to the mouth of the hole they have made, where it remains congealed in drops by the wind, and cold. Then the owners of the trees gather it, and make it into cakes as we do, which are sold about China.

_Gemelli Careri._

Du Halde's account is somewhat different from this, the worms, he says, fasten on the leaves of the tree, and in a short time form combs of wax, much smaller than the Honey Combs.

[151] It being notorious that fire enters into the composition of a Devil, because he breathes smoke and flames, there is an obvious propriety in supposing every Witch her own tinder-box, as they approximate to diabolic nature. I am sorry that I have not the Hierarchie of the Blessed Angels to refer to, otherwise by the best authorities, I could show that is the trick of Beelzebub to parody the costume of religion, the inflammability of Saints may be abundantly exampled.

It happened upon a time, before St. Elfled was chosen Abbesse, that being in the Church at mattins, before day, with the rest of her sisters, and going into the middest according to the custome, to read a lesson, the candle wherewith she saw to read, chanced to be put out, and thereupon wanting light, there came from the fingers of her right hand such an exceeding brightnesse upon the suddaine, that not only herselfe, but all the rest of the Quire also might read by it.

_English Martyrologe._ 1608.

Dead Saints have frequently possessed this phosphoric quality like rotten wood or dead fish. "St. Bridget was interred at the towne of Dunne in the province of Ulster, in the tombe, togeather with the venerable bodyes of S. Patricke and S. Columbe, which was afterward miraculously reveyled to the Bishop of that place, as he was praying one night late in the church, about the yeare of Christ 1176, over which, there s.h.i.+ned a great light."

_English Martyrologe._

So when the nurse of Mohammed first entered the chamber of Amena his mother, she saw a coruscating splendour, which was the light of the infant prophet, so that Amena never kindled her lamp at night.

_Maracci._

Another Mohammedan miracle of the same genus is no ways improbable. When the head of Hosein was brought to Couffah, the Governor's gates were closed, and Haula the bearer took it to his own house. He awoke his wife and told her what had so speedily brought him home. I bring with me, said he, the most valuable present that could possibly be made to the Caliph, and the woman asking earnestly what it could be, the head of Hosein, here it is, I am sent with it to the Governor. Immediately she sprung from the bed, not that she was shocked or terrified at the sight, for the Arabian women were accustomed to follow the army, and habituated to the sight of blood and ma.s.sacre. But Hosein by Fatima his mother was grandson of the prophet, and this produced an astonis.h.i.+ng effect upon the mind of the woman. By the Apostle of G.o.d, she exclaimed, I will never again lie down with a man who has brought me the head of his grandson. The Moslem who according to the custom of his nation had many wives sent for another who was not so conscientious. Yet the presence of the head which was placed upon a table prevented her from sleeping, _because_ she said _she saw a great glory playing around if all the night_.

_Marigny._

After Affonso de Castro had been martyred in one of the Molucca Islands his body was thrown into the sea. But it was in a few days brought back by Providence to the spot where he had suffered, the wounds fresh as if just opened, and so strange and beautiful a splendour flowing from them, that it was evident the fountain of such a light must be that body, whose spirit was in the enjoyment of eternal happiness.

The Moors interpreted one of these phosphoric miracles with equal ingenuity to favour their own creed, a light was seen every night over the tomb of a Maronite whom they had martyred, and they said the Priest was not only tortured with fire in h.e.l.l, but his very body burnt in the grave.

_Vasconcellos._