the rest answer, Blessed be he who has heaped his favours on us, and by his goodness has now fed us. Thus both Jews and heathens at their meals-the former both before and after, the latter always before and sometimes after-acknowledge the great Source of all good; it is reserved for countless numbers that bear the Christian name, to neglect or condemn the reasonable service.g h Public entertainments in the east, are not all conducted in the same way. At Aleppo, the several dishes are brought in one by one; and after the company has eaten a little of each, they are removed; but among the Arabs, the whole provisions are set on the table at once. In Persia, where the last custom is followed, the viands are distributed by a domestic, who takes portions of different kinds out of the large dishes in which they are served up, and lays four or five different kinds of meat in one smaller dish; these are set, furnished after this manner, before the company; one of these smaller dishes being placed before two persons only, or at most three. The same practice obtains at the royal table itself. It is not improbable that the ancient Egyptians treated their guests in a similar way; and in the entertainment given by Joseph to his brethren, we may discover many points of resemblance. The Persians were placed in a row on one side of the room, without any person before them; a distinct dish, with different kinds of food, was set before every guest; circumstances which entirely correspond with the arrangement of Joseph's entertainment. The great men of the state are always by themselves, f Odyssey, lib. iii, 1. 330–344. * The Arabs uniformly follow the same becoming practice. Shaw's Trav. vol. i, p. 419. h Russel's Hist. vol. i, p. 173. in the feasts that are made for them, and they are treated with greater profusion; their part of each kind of provision being always double, triple, or a larger proportion of each kind of meat. In Greece, those guests that were entitled to particular respect, or for whom the entertainer felt a more than ordinary regard, were helped to the best parts, and very often to a larger share than the rest of the company. Thus in the Odyssey, Eumæus gives the chine, which they esteemed the chief part, to Ulysses; and Agamemnon, in the Iliad, gives the same part to Ajax, as a reward for his services in the war.k And Sarpedon, one of the Lycian kings, is honoured with the first seat, the best share of meat, and full cups: Εδρη τε κρεαςιντε, ιδε πλείοις δεπάεσσιν. Il. lib. xii, 1. 311. This will enable us to form a more distinct and correct idea of the arrangements at the feast which Joseph made for his brethren: "They set on" provision" for him," as being at the head of the government, "by himself; and for them by themselves; and for the Egyptians that did eat with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians," as it is in modern times among the Persians, Arabians, and Hindoos, to eat with strangers; "and they sat before him," Joseph at the upper end of the hall, his brethren at the bottom, and the Egyptians by the sides, or as formerly remarked, the Hebrews on one side of the hall, and the Egyptians on the other. · As a mark of his hospitality, and a token of his regard, “he took and sent messes unto them from before him; but i Forbes's Orient. Mem. vol. iii, p. 189. Potter's Grecian Antiq. vol. ii, p. 387. j Lib. xiv, 1. 436. * Lib. vii, 1. 321. See also Odyssey, lib. viii, 1. 475. Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs," that is, he had five times as much of every thing as any of his brethren. He seems to have distributed to every man his portion, or commanded what should be set before them; a custom which was probably general in Egypt, and which still maintains its ground at oriental entertainments. We discover evident traces of it in the conduct of Samuel to the son of Kish: "And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, set it by thee. And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul." "m At public entertainments in the courts of eastern kings, many of their nobles have a right to a seat, others are admitted occasionally by special favour. In this sense Chardin understands the dying charge of David to his successor, to shew kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and to let them be of those that should eat at his table. He means not that they should eat at his table at every meal, or on every day, but only on days of public festivity. In the same light, he views the conduct of the king of Babylon to the captive monarch of Judah: "Evil-Merodach spake kindly to Jehoiakim, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; and changed his prison garments, and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life."" He received a daily allowance from the king suitable to his high station, and the value which Evil-Merodach had for him; besides this, he had a seat at all the public entertainments of the court. The eastern custom explains * Harmer's Observ. vol. ii, p. 100-105. 1 Forbes's Orient. Mem. vol. iii, p. 187. m 1 Sam. ix, 23, 24. n 2 Kings xxv, 28. • This custom is still followed in the Persian court, where princes of high the reason that David was not expected at Saul's table, till the day of the new moon; he did not sit at the king's table every day, but according to established usage, he had a right, and was expected to be present in his allotted seat on the day of a public and solemn festival. In the same manner, though Mephibosheth was to sit at David's table on all public occasions, yet he wanted the produce of his lands for food at other times. It was therefore very proper to mention the circumstances to Ziba, that he might understand it would be necessary for him to bring the produce of the lands to Jerusalem, and in sufficient quantity to support Mephibosheth in a style suitable to the dignity of one who had a right by the royal grant, to appear at court, and sit at the king's table on public occasions: "Thou, therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have foot to eat; but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table."" The Jewish people, degenerating by degrees into luxurious and expensive habits, displayed towards the close of their national state, great magnificence in their feasts and public entertainments. The prophet Amos was directed to lift his warning voice against their criminal profusion, in these pointed terms: "Woe to them that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of rank, although needy and without power, are always treated with great respect. They receive a daily allowance from the king, as Jehoiakim did; and they obtain a high rank in society, as the same monarch did in the court of the king of Babylon. "This," says Mr. Morier, "is in the true spirit of Asiatic hospitality." Trav. vol. i, p. 143. P Harmer's Observ. vol. ii, p. 105, 106. 2 Sam. ix, 11. the midst of the stall, that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph."4 No person in Greece and Italy appeared at an entertainment in black, because it was a colour reserved for times of mourning; but always in white, or some other cheerful colour, which corresponded with the joyous nature of the occasion. Such were the garments of salvation in which the people of Israel celebrated their festivals, or entertained their friends. When Solomon brought up the ark of the Lord from the city of David, and placed it between the cherubim in the most holy place, the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and Jeduthun, and their brethren, who conducted the songs in the temple, stood at the east end of the altar, arrayed in vestures of fine linen, the chosen emblem of purity and joy." The few faithful witnesses that remained in Sardis, and had not defiled their garments, were promised the distinguishing honour of walking with their Saviour in white. And to encourage them in their steadfast adherence to the cause of God and truth, it is added, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment." On the mount of transfiguration, the raiment of Christ became white as the light; and in the same garb of joy and gladness the angels appear at his resurrection." While the entertainment was going on, the master of the family, to shew his respect for the company, and to 1 Amos vi, 4, 5, 6. Potter's Gr. Antiq. vol. ii, p. 383. $ 2 Chron. V, 12. t Rev. iii, 4. Adam's Rom. Antiq. p. 413. |