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centrated. This is well understood in different parts of the East, where the brother has often more admitted authority in all that concerns the daughter of his mother than the father himself. We find an instance of this in the case of Tamar, (2Sam. 13,) and one still earlier in that of Simeon and Levi, (Gen. 34,) who arranged the terms of their sister's marriage, and who, to the deep grief of their father, horribly avenged upon the men of Shechem the injury their sister had received. In Deuteronomy 21. 15-17, we find an express law forbidding the father to disinherit the first-born, and give his rights to a more favoured son. Before this time the father might, as we see in Genesis, transfer the rights of primogeniture to a younger son; and it is very probable that what gave occasion to this law was the too frequent occurrence of instances in which the second and favourite wife had employed her ascendancy in intriguing for the benefit of her own children, and the jealousies and strifes which rose in families in consequence. See BIRTHRIGHT.

Such a law as the present seems a necessary result of polygamy, and very expressively points out one of the evils of a practice which the law of Moses seems rather to have tolerated than approved. In Mohammedan countries where polygamy prevails, the father may leave his property to which son he pleases. In Persia, if a man has more than one wife, and he may have four, all equally his wives in the eyes of the law, the son of the wife whose family is of the most distinction often obtains the preference over the others. Thus the late king of Persia Futteh Ali Shah, overlooked his eldest son, and nominated to the inheritance of the throne his second son, Abbas Meerza, merely because the mother of the latter was a highly-connected lady of his own tribe. Sir John Malcolm in his Sketches of Persia, relates an anecdote which strikingly illustrates this practice. During a journey in the north of Persia, he was entertained by a distinguished chief of one of those tribes in Persia called Eelauts, whose mode of life resembles that of the patriarchs of old, or the Bedouins of the present day. This chief in discoursing about his own domestic affairs, said, that he had six children, all of them except two by the same wife, who was the daughter of Futteh Ali Khan Afshar, a distinguished chief, who on the death of Nadir Shah aspired to the throne, and lost his life in the attempt to become king. IIe continued: "I married his orphan daughter, an excellent woman, but who carries her head rather high, as no doubt she has a right to do from recollections of her father's pretensions." "Look," said he, speaking softly, for the apartment was within hearing of the interior, "look at that youngster at the other end of the room, he is my son. His mother was the daughter of a jeweller at Ispahan. He is a fine lad, but I dare hardly notice him, and he is, you will observe, not allowed to sit within ten yards of the grandsons of Futteh Ali Khan Afshar!" He added, that "this was all very proper." In Persia, the son of a concubine is never placed on a footing with their legitimate offspring; any attempt made by parental fondness to do so would be resented by the relations of the legitimate wives, and outrage the feelings of a whole tribe. Second marriages during the life of the first wife are generally opposed by ladies of superior rank, whose relations, Morier tells us, considering such a step as an insult both to herself and her family, seize the first opportunity of revenge. How forcibly this illustrates what Laban said to Jacob, when he made an agreement with him on Mount Gilead: "If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man being with us, (to avenge our insulted honour,) see, God is witness betwixt me and thee." (Gen. 31. 50.)

The Levitical law punished proved adultery with death. But as cases would frequently occur in which the husband might suspect adultery without being able to prove it, the law provided for this by instituting a trial, by which the innocence or guilt of the woman might be established beyond question; this was callel the "law of jealousies." (See Deut. 5. 11-31; also art. ADULTERY.) This was the only form of trial by ordeal among the Jews. The trial of a case of suspected guilt and incapable of proof, could not be other than an ordeal, and no one who pays attention to this awful process can doubt that it must have had a powerful effect for the intended purpose, or believe that any really guilty woman could go through it, or brave its results. It must have been an awful thing even to the innocent, who knew that the result would clear their character from suspicion; and this perhaps was intended, in order that their conduct might not only be free from actual guilt, but that they might avoid all conduct calculated to give cause for suspicion. We read no instance in which the trial took place, and if the administration of the ordeal were really unfrequent, we may regard that as an evidence of its practical utility. It would seem that the trial and its results were so dreadful, that the guilty rather confessed their crime as they were earnestly exhorted to do, than go through it. We might practically expect this, if the Rabbins are right when they say that a woman who confessed in such circumstances was not put to death, but only divorced without dowry. The Jews say, that this form of trial continued in use till towards the end of the second temple; for they were of opinion, that the bitter water would have no effect if the husband himself were guilty of a similar crime to that with which he charged his wife, and they add, that the adulteries of men became so common, that the ordeal ceased to distinguish the guilty woman from the innocent. It will be observed, that this ordeal was such as at all events to be harmless to the innocent, which is more than can be said of many that have been or are in use in different countries in all parts of the world, in which the innocent only escape by accident, and the danger is equal to both. A few were so far favourable to the innocent as to be incapable of doing harm except by accident to either innocent or guilty. Of this kind is one which was in use among our Saxon ancestors, and which has in some respects a striking analogy to that which now engages our attention. The suspected party had to swallow a bit of bread or cheese, which had previously been consecrated with many ceremonies. If the person was guilty, it was believed that the sacred morsel would stick in his throat and choke him, but that he would readily swallow it if innocent.

There is still a strong impression entertained among the inhabitants of Africa and some Asiatic countries, that the full force of a charm, or prayer, or curse, is obtained by having it written, and by washing the writing off in water and drinking the draught. Travellers, particularly African travellers, abound in instances of their being applied to for written charms, by drinking the words of which the applicants believed that they would obtain some desired good, some security from evil, or a remedy for disease. One instance from Mungo Park will suffice. "Ab Koolkorro, my landlord, brought me his writing-board that I might write him a saphic to protect him from wicked men. I wrote the board full from top to bottom on both sides, and my landlord, to be certain of having the whole force of the charm, washed the writing from the board into a calabash with a little water, and having said a few prayers over it, drank this powerful draught, after which, lest a single drop should escape, he licked the board until it was quite dry."

WIFE.

The law of Moses is by no means peculiar in awarding the punishment of death to a breach of the matrimonial contract. (Deut. 20. 10.) Those who consider this law very severe will do well to consult the vindication of it which Michaëlis gives in art. 260 of his Commentaries. His leading, but by no means only argument, is that in the point of view in which the crime is usually regarded by Orientals, and was regarded by the Hebrews, no punishment short of death would have been effectual, in preventing the introduction and prevalence of selfrevenge by assassination.

The Koran is not very distinct on the punishment for adultery, but the Mischab-ul-Masabih makes it perfectly clear. It there appears that Mohammed was at all times reluctant to adjudicate on cases of adultery, but whenever he did so, he in all instances directed the woman to be stoned, and the man also if he were married, but if single, he was punished with eighty stripes. Accordingly we find, that adultery is at this day almost invariably punished with death in Mohammedan countries. The crime is seldom made a matter of judicial inquiry and conviction, but the injured person avenges himself with his own hand. A woman almost never escapes. Among the Bedouin Arabs, and the Eelauts of Persia, her paternal family is considered more dishonoured by her misconduct than her husband, and hence she usually receives her death from the hand of her father or brother, although her husband, or even her son may inflict it. The Eelauts exact the penalty of death rather more inexorably than the Bedouins, who sometimes, when the guilty parties succeed in eloping to another camp or tribe, are prevailed upon to forego their claim for blood, in consideration of certain payments, which are generally so heavy as to be ruinous to the seducer.

The punishment of death for this crime is not confined to the Mohammedan countries, but generally prevails throughout Asia. In India, the Gentoo law on this subject is very complicated, and very minute in its distinctions. The punishments are various, and graduated according to the caste of the guilty parties; fine, confiscation, infamy, mutilation, and death, are among the number. The capital punishment, generally by burning, is seldom resorted except when the man is of an inferior caste to the woman. Stoning was the capital punishment of the Jews, and it seems from John 8. 7, to have been in actual operation as the punishment for adultery so late as the time of Our Saviour.

Lane, in his account of the manners and customs of the modern Egyptians, tells us, that "though the women have a particular portion of the house allotted to them, the wives, in general, are not to be regarded as prisoners, for they are usually at liberty to go out and pay visits, as well as to receive female visitors almost as often as they please. The slaves indeed, being subservient to the wives, as well as to their master, or, if subject to the master only, being under an authority almost unlimited, have not that liberty. One of the chief objects of the master in appropriating a distinct suite of apartments to his women, is to prevent their being seen by the male domestics and other men, without being covered in the manner prescribed by their religion. I believe that in I believe that in Egypt, the women are under less restraint than in any other country of the Turkish empire. Still it might be imagined that the women of the higher and middle classes feel themselves severely oppressed, and are much discontented with the state of seclusion to which they are subjected; but this is not commonly the case; on the contrary, an Egyptian wife who is attached to her husband, is apt to think if he allows her unusual liberty, that he neglects her and does not sufficiently love her,

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and to envy those wives who are kept and watched with greater strictness.

"It is not very common for an Egyptian to have more than one wife, or a concubine-slave; though the law allows four wives, and, according to common opinion, as many concubine-slaves as he may choose. But, though a man restrict himself to a single wife, he may change as often as he desires; and there are certainly not many persons in Cairo, who have not divorced one wife if they have been long married. The husband may, whenever he pleases, say to the wife, 'Thou art divorced;' if it be his wish, whether reasonable or not, she must return to her parents or friends. This liability to an unmerited divorcement is the source of more uneasiness to many wives than all the other troubles to which they are exposed; as they may thereby be reduced to a state of great destitution, but to others who hope to better their condition it is exactly the reverse. It is nevertheless, considered very disgraceful for a man to divorce his wife if she has borne him a child, unless he can show the strongest reasons for so doing.

"The wives, as well as the female slaves, are not only often debarred from the privilege of eating with the master of the family, but also required to wait upon him when he dines or sups, or even takes his pipe and coffee in the harem. They frequently serve him as menials, fill and light his pipe, make coffee for him, and prepare his food, or at least certain dainty dishes, and if I may judge from my own experience, I should say that most of them are excellent cooks; for when a dish has been recommended to me, because made by the wife of my host, I have generally found it especially good. The wives of men of the higher and middle classes make a great study of pleasing and fascinating their husbands by unremitted attentions, and by various arts. Their coquetry is exhibited even in their ordinary gait, when they go abroad, by a peculiar twisting of the body.

"In the presence of the husband they are usually under more or less restraint, and hence they are better pleased when his visits, during the day, are not very frequent or long; in his absence they often indulge in noisy merriment.

"The care of their children is the primary occupation of the ladies of Egypt; they are also charged with the superintendence of domestic affairs, but in most families, the husband alone attends to the household expenses. Their leisure hours are mostly spent in working with the needle; particularly in embroidering handkerchiefs, head-veils, &c., upon a frame called 'menseg,' with coloured silks and gold. Many women, even in the houses of the wealthy, replenish their private purses by ornamenting handkerchiefs and other things in this manner, and employing a 'delláleh' (or female broker,) to take them to the market or to other hareems for

"The Egyptian ladies are very seldom instructed either in music or dancing; but they take great delight in the performances of professional musicians and public dancers, and often amuse themselves and their guests, in the absence of better performers, and better instruments, by beating the drum and tambourine, though seldom in houses so situated that many passengers might hear the sounds of festivity.

"When the women of the higher or middle classes go out to pay a visit, or for any other purpose, they generally ride upon asses. They sit astride, upon a very broad and high saddle, which is covered with a small carpet, and each is attended by a man on one or each side. Generally all the women of a hareem ride out together, one behind another. Mounted as above described, they present a very singular appearance.

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Ladies never walk abroad unless they have to go very short distance. They have a slow and shuffling gait, owing to the difficulty of retaining their slippers upon their feet. Whether walking or riding they are regarded with much respect in public, no well-bred man stares at them, but rather directs his eyes another way. They are never seen abroad at night, if not compelled to go out or return at that time, by some pressing and extraordinary necessity; it is their usual rule to return from paying a visit before sunset. The ladies of the higher orders never go to a shop, but send for whatever they want; and there are numerous dellálehs who have access to the hareems, and bring all kinds of ornaments, articles of female apparel, &c., for sale. Nor do these ladies in general visit the public bath unless invited to accompany thither some of their friends, for most of them have baths in their own houses." A.

WILDERNESS. See PALESTINE and DESERT.

WILL, is that faculty of the soul whereby we freely choose or refuse things. It is of the nature of the will to will freely whatsoever it wills, for the will cannot be compelled; but it is unable till it be changed by grace to move itself toward God, and to will any good thing pleasing to him. (Psalm 110. 3.) Simply to will anything is of nature, but to will what is good is of grace; our will being free in respect of sinful acts, but bound with respect to good works until it is made free by Christ. (John 8. 36,) "If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." And in John 15. 5, "Without me ye can do nothing." And in Phil. 2. 13, "It is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." St. Austin says, " Voluntas libera quia libertas; libera ad peccatum serva serva ad justitiam." That doctrine, therefore, which teaches that when grace is offered we may refuse it if we will; and if we will we may receive it, is to be looked upon as contrary to the Scriptures.

The will of God is taken, first for this absolute will, which nothing can withstand. (Rom. 9. 19,) "For who hath resisted his will?" Secondly, for his purpose and decree. (Eph. 1.11,) "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will," that is, as he has most wisely and freely decreed. Thirdly, for his laws and commands. (Matt. 7. 21,) "He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." So in Romans 12. 2, "That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." This is his revealed will contained in his word, which is called good because it enjoins only what is for our benefit; it is acceptable, by obedience thereunto we shall be accepted; and it is perfect, the observance thereof will make us perfect. (2Tim. 3. 17.) A.

WILLOW, gnarabim, a small, well-known tree, growing in low and wet places, occurs Leviticus 23. 40; Job 14. 22; Psalm 137. 2; Isai. 15. 7; 44. 4. The white willow is pre-eminently the willow of the brook; and its large branches are well adapted for the purpose enjoined in Leviticus, where, along with the boughs of other thick trees, the Israelites are commanded to make of them tabernacles in which they were to celebrate one of their most solemn feasts.

The children of Israel still present willows annually in their synagogues, bound up with palm and myrtle, and accompanied with a citron. And it is a curious fact, that during the Commonwealth of England, when Cromwell, like a wise politician, allowed them to settle in London, and to have synagogues, the Jews came

hither in sufficient numbers to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in booths, among the willows on the borders of the Thames.

The disturbance of their comfort from the innumerable spectators, chiefly London apprentices, called for some protection from the local magistrates.

Not that any insult was offered to their persons, but a natural curiosity, excited by so new and extraordinary a spectacle, induced many to press too closely round the camp, and perhaps intrude upon their privacy. This public celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles has never been renewed, and in our time, the London Jews of rank and education content themselves with their own houses; while the Jews who hold more to the letter of the law, construct a tabernacle either in a garden or court-yard, or on a house-top, with planks covered with trellis, so as not to shut out the stars, and decorated with boughs of willows of the brook, and other thick trees, to which are hung citrons, apples, pears, and other dried fruits, gilt over, and intermixed with artificial flowers.

Those who have no space to erect a tabernacle are generally invited by some hospitable neighbour to eat at least once during the feast in an open dwelling.

Of the willows on the banks of the Jordan, a singular use has been, and still is, made. A divining rod was, in ancient times, a necessary implement of both priest and physician, nay of every head of a house, and these rods were generally of willow. (The rods of Moses and Aaron, and of the Egyptian soothsayers, were certainly divining rods, and as traditional customs are apt to outlive even written history, the divining rods wherewith the miners of France and Cornwall detect the existence of metals under ground, and the German adept finds out the water-springs in the barren field, are indisputably descended from the divining-rods of Egypt and Arabia.) It is difficult to say at what period the custom began among the Jews, whether they carried it with them from the land of Canaan, or whether they adopted it in Egypt.

The present customs of those Jews who profess to adhere the most closely to their ancient traditions, show the willow staff to have been a divining wand in truth. At the Feast of Tabernacles each person has a bunch of willow branches in full leaf, one of which he strikes against some part of the house so as to shake off the leaves; if they all, or nearly all fall at once, he augurs that his sins are forgiven; if not, he lives in fear of misfortunes, or even death, until another year brings a fresh divining season. Some use the willows to inquire whether such or such an event as they wish shall come to pass; and some preserve them carefully, and by the falling off of the leaves divine concerning the duration of the lives of those who are dear to them. In the preface to Sale's Koran some curious facts are stated concerning the customs of the Arabs, who, like the Jews, cut willows with which they divined, and which they kept for a year, drawing various prognostics from the state in which the rods continued. This practice is spoken of in the apocryphal Gospels, where we are told that when the virgins brought up in the Temple were marriageable, the unmarried me of the tribe they belonged to were commanded to bring their willow rods to the high-priest, and lay them on the altar, where a prayer of consecration was said over them, and the rod which appeared freshest after the prayer entitled the owner to the principal virgin. Now, when the Virgin Mary was of age, and the rods of the young men of the tribe of Judah had been offered, that of Joseph, the most advanced in years, appeared to have budded and broken into leaf, upon which the priest performed the

WILLOW

ceremony of marriage; and Joseph received Mary, while the other men of the tribe broke their rods for spite and envy.

The Salix viminalis, or "osier," is most probably the willow of the Book of Job, wherewith he says Behemoth is compassed about. (Job 40. 22.)

The osier, as well as the white willow, is common on the banks of the Jordan, and it must have been of considerable importance while the offerings of first-fruits were yearly carried to the Temple, because the lawful vessels for such offerings were baskets, which the people generally wove of peeled osiers, while the rich and ostentatious conveyed their offerings in baskets of silver.

The beautiful Salix Babylonica, or "weeping willow," was surely that on which the people of the Captivity

The Willow.

hanged their harps, as the Psalmist sings in the most touching elegy that ever was indited. (Psalm 137.) On the banks of the Babylonian rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, there are no woods or forest, or any considerable trees beyond the cultivated date-palm. But these rivers are in some parts rather extensively lined with a growth of tall shrubs and bushes, interspersed with some small and a few middling trees, among which the willow is to this day the most frequent and remarkable.

As to the Tzafzafa (mentioned in Ezekiel 17. 5, and translated "willow") it is said to be common in Syria and Palestine, by Bruce and other travellers, particularly Hasselquist, who says that, like our sallow (which the modern Jews prefer to other willows for their ceremonies), it grows in dry and sandy places, as well as by

the water.

Maundrell says that the flat grounds on both sides of the Jordan, which probably formed the ancient bed of the river, is so covered with thickets of oleander, tamarisk, and willow, that you do not discover the

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river itself until close upon it. quist also talk of the willows of Jordan, and mention that at the annual pilgrimage made to its banks, the pilgrims cut staffs of them.

Two places on the river are yearly visited, one by the Latin, the other by the Greek Christians, both caravans being protected by Mohammedan soldiers.

The Latin Christians have pitched upon a spot as being that where St. John baptized Christ, where the river is so rapid that those who bathe in it are obliged to hold fast by the willows that they may not be carried away, while the weaker sort content themselves with standing on the bank, and procuring pitchers of water to be poured over their heads.

The Greeks have chosen a place four or five miles nearer the Dead Sea, where the river is less rapid and a good deal wider. Both parties are accompanied by numbers of Jews, who gladly avail themselyes of the opportunity to visit Jordan in safety; and it is curious that Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans are alike eager to provide themselves with staffs from the willows of the holy river.

The willow, in all countries and in all times, has been most useful to man. Its tough yet pliable nature renders it fit for wattling the hut of the savage. Baskets to carry and contain his food and other possessions, were indispensable.

The ancient people on the banks of the Tigris and. Euphrates framed wicker boats, and covered them with skins; such are even now found occasionally at the ferries on those rivers; and such were the first boats employed by our own ancestors, whose " 'coracles," for so these boats were named, are now and then occasionally dug up from the mud at the bottoms of our rivers, and show one of the ingenious uses to which our forefathers applied the willow.

The bark of the willow contains a good deal of tannin, and is used in dressing some kinds of leather; the delicate white wood is invaluable to the cabinetmaker, not only in its natural state, but dyed. It takes an artificial colouring, and is much used, where ebony would be too expensive, for inlaying. The charcoal of willow is said to be the best to employ in making gundowder; and the whole plant yields a salt called salicine, which is said to be equally efficacious with quinine for the cure of fevers and agues.

But it is not only for its domestic uses that this beautiful tree has been celebrated, The poets, in all times and nations, have done it honour. It appeared among the coronals of the heathen deities, and with us it garlands the despairing lover. So Shakspeare's Desdemona died singing of it; and so the willow growing "across the brook" helped on poor Ophelia's fate.

But we will not dwell upon the willow of the heathen farther, but again refer our readers to the poetical passages in the Book of Job, and the Prophets, to which we have already alluded. A.

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WIMPLES occurs in Isaiah 3. 22, and is there mentioned as forming part of the apparel of which the "daughters of Zion" were to be deprived as a punishment for their pride. What our translators understood by a "wimple" was a sort of hood, which fitted to the head, and came down behind to near the middle of the back, covering also the shoulders. The descending parts of this hood distinguished it as a wimple. It was also called a veil. Thus Spenser describes Una shading her beauty,

Under a veil that wimpled was full low. Such a hood is still worn by some kinds of nuns, and is

a common article of out-door dress in the south of Italy and in Malta, where it is generally of black silk. Although we do not think that "wimples" correctly interprets the original word, we believe it does well distinguish its use as an enveloping article which the women wore out of doors. This is in the East like a sheet, black, white, striped, or plaided, and of silk or cotton, according to the circumstances of the wearer; and which being fastened to the head by a ribbon sewed inside, falls to the ground, and with the face-veil, completely envelopes the whole person from head to foot. The word used here is the same which describes the veil worn by Ruth, (3. 15,) in which she carried away the six measures of barley which Boaz gave her. Under this external wrapper, ladies usually wear a capacious silk robe (called tob), with long and loose sleeves; and this, but of coarser materials, serves women of the lower orders for an external walking garment. A.

WIND. The Hebrews, like us, acknowledge four principal winds. (Ezek. 42. 16-18.) The east wind is called in Hebrew Kadim; the north wind Tzaphon; the south wind, Darom; and the west wind, or from the Mediterranean Sea, Rouach-Hajam. Solomon says in Proverbs 25. 23, that the north wind disperses the clouds and the rain; but other interpreters translate it, it produces rain. See WHIRLWIND and EUROCLYDON. A.

WINDOW. In the East the windows look from the front chambers into the court, from the female apartments into the garden behind the house. Occasionally the traveller sees a window which looks towards the street, but it is guarded by a trellis, and is thrown open only on public festivities. (Judges 5. 28; Prov. 7. 6; 2Kings 9. 30; Cantic. 2. 9.) The windows are large, extending almost to the floor. Persons sitting on the floor can look out of them. They are wide, not set with glass, but latticed. It was doubtless out of such a window that Jezebel was thrown by command of Jehu. In the winter these windows are protected by very thin veils, or by valves, through which the light is admitted by means of an orifice. Over the windows are nails fastened into the walls. They are adorned with beautiful heads, and not only sustain curtains by the aid of a rod extended from one to the other, but are of themselves considered a great ornament. These large windows admit the light and breeze into spacious apartments. In the houses of the fashionable and gay, the lower parts of the walls are adorned with rich hangings of velvet or damask, tinged with the most lively colours, suspended on nails or hooks, and taken down at pleasure. A correct idea of their richness and splendour may be formed from the description which the inspired writer has given of the hangings in the royal garden at Shushan, the ancient capital of Persia; "where were white, green, and blue hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble." (Esther 1. 6.) In the days of Jeremiah the prophet, when the profusion and luxury of all ranks of Judea were at their height, their chambers were veiled with fragrant and costly wood, and painted in the richest colours. Of this extravagance the indignant seer loudly complains. "Woe unto him that saith I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion." (Jerem. 22. 14.)

Windows, however, very different from those we have described are common in parts of the East. They look into the street, are very high and narrow, and defended

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by lattice-work, as they are only intended to allow the cloistered inmate a peep of what is passing without, while he remains concealed behind the casement. This kind of window the ancient Hebrews called “arubah,” and is the same term which they used to express those small openings through which pigeons passed into the cavities of rocks, or into those buildings which were raised for their reception. Thus the prophet demands, "Who are those that fly as a cloud, and as the doves (el arubothehem) to their small or narrow windows?" The word is derived from a root, which signifies to lie in wait for the prey; and is very expressive of the concealed manner in which a person examines through that kind of window an external object. Irwin describes the windows in Upper Egypt as having the same form and dimensions; and says expressly, that one of the windows of the house in which they lodged, and through which they looked into the street, more resembled a pigeonhole than anything else. See articles, HOUSE; UPPER ROOM, &c. A.

WINE. The account given of wine by Paxton is so complete, that we think we shall be best benefiting our readers by taking it from his Illustrations of Scripture.

"The liquid on which men of all countries, and in all ages, have set the highest value, is wine. Different sorts of wines are produced in Syria and Palestine, some of which are very indifferent, and others, as the wine manufactured from the grapes of Eshcol, of a very superior taste and flavour. The unrivalled excellence of the wine produced in the vineyards of Lebanon is well known, and Mr. Buckingham, who was treated to some of it even at Nazareth, pronounces it not inferior to the best wines of France. Sweet wines are much esteemed in the East, because they are grateful to the taste, very exhilarating, and will keep, some of them a long time. They were, therefore, preferred by those addicted to drinking, and commonly selected for the table of kings. The prophet Joel accordingly describes a state of great prosperity, by the mountains dropping down sweet wine. Their inebriating quality is alluded to by the prophet Isaiah in that awful threatening:-'I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine.' The privation of this enjoyment is placed by the prophet Micah among the judgments which God threatened to bring upon his ancient people for their iniquity: Thou shalt tread the vintage of sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.' (Micah 6. 15.) The prophet Joel uses the same word, when he threatens to cut off the new, or rather the sweet wine, from the mouth of the drunkards in Israel:-- Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new (or as it should be rendered, sweet) wine, because it is cut off from your mouth.' (Joel 1. 5.) The original term (asis) sometimes denotes must, or the newly expressed juice of the grape, before it has undergone the vinous fermentation; but in these passages, it must denote wine, and not must; for the latter does not inebriate, but produces a very different effect. In former times this generous and grateful liquor was appropriated to the use of kings and princes, and persons of the first distinction. The Septuagint renders the phrase in the first chapter of the book of Esther, which is, in our translation, royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king,' much and sweet wine, such as the king himself drank. If this idea be well founded, it suggests a reason for the conduct of the soldiers who guarded the cross of our suffering Redeemer; it was, perhaps, in ridicule of his

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