be a son, the midwife rushes outside, and beats the thatch on the roof three times, and exclaims aloud, "A male child! a male child! a male child is born!" Should the infant be a female, not a word is said, and the father knows what is the state of the case.

When a person conducts himself in an unmanly way, the people ask, "Did they beat the roof for you? Was it not said to your father, A male child is born ?"

XXII. 24.-" As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah

the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet

upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence. (Haggai ii. 23. "O Zerubbabel- I will make thee as a signet.")

The SIGNET is always worn on the little finger of the right hand. Things which are dear are spoken of as that ornament. "O my child, you are as my signet." "We are like the ring-seal, and the impression;" meaning, the child resembles the father. "Never will I see him more; were he my signet, I would throw him away." "I do that? rather would I throw away my ring-seal."

XXIII. 1.—“The pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep."

The heathen priests are never called pastors; the term would be a disgrace to them, as the occupation is only followed by the lowest orders of the people.

25.-"I have heard what the prophets said, that pro

phecy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

Exactly in the same way do the heathen priests and devotees impose on the people at this day.

profitable speculation which requires the

Have they some

sanction of the

gods, they affect to have had a visit from them, and they generally manage to relate some secret transaction (as a

proof) which the individual concerned supposed was only known to himself.

XXIV. 6. "For I will set mine eyes upon them for

good."

The eye is spoken of as the source, and also as the cause, of a blessing. Thus, has a person been sick, and is he asked, how did you recover? he replies, "The gods fixed their eyes upon me." Does a man promise a favour, he says, “ I will place my eyes upon you." Does he refuse, he says, “I will not put my eyes on you."

XXV. 10. "I will take from them

the candle."

the light of

The people of the East, who can afford it, have always a lamp burning in their room the whole of the night. It is one of their greatest comforts; because, should they not be able to sleep, they can then look about them, and amuse themselves. "Evil spirits are kept away, as they do not like the light !” Lechymy, the beautiful goddess, also takes pleasure in seeing the rooms lighted up. But that which is of the MOST importance is, the light keeps off the serpents and other poisonous reptiles.

It

XXXI. 19.—I repented; and after that I was in

structed; I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed.” (Ezek. xxi. 12. " Cry and howl, son of man :

smite therefore upon thy thigh.")

appears to have been the custom, when a person was in sorrow, to smite his thigh.. Is it not interesting to know that the people of the East, when in similar circumstances, do the same thing at this day? See the bereaved father; he smites his right thigh, and cries aloud, " Iyo! Iyo!" alas! alas!*

* "Achilles saw it, smote his thigh, and said."

Cowper.

XXXIV. 3.- "And thou shalt not escape out of his

hand, but shalt surely be taken and delivered into

his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon."

To say, your eyes shall see the eyes of another, implies pleasure or pain. Thus, to comfort one who greatly desires to see another, but who fears he shall not have that pleasure, it is said, "Fear not, your eyes shall see his eyes." But, should a person have committed some crime, it is said to him, in order to make him afraid, "Yes; your eyes shall see his eyes," i. e. of the person who has been injured, and who has power to inflict punishment.

XLI. 8. 66
-

Slay us not; for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, of oil, and of honey." This refers to stores they had concealed, as is clear from the mentioning of "the oil and honey." During the time of the Kandian war many prisoners received lenient treatment; because of the assurance that they had treasures hid in the field, and that they should be the property of their keepers. In some cases there can be no doubt there were large sums thus acquired by certain individuals.

XLII. 2.—" Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee." The margin has this, "Let our supplication FALL before thee.”

"O my lord," says the suppliant, "let my prayers be prostrate at your feet." "O forget not my requests, but let them ever surround your feet." "Allow my supplications to lie before you." "Ah! give but a small place for my prayers." "At your feet, my lord, at your feet, my lord, are all my requests."

XLIV. 17.-"To burn incense unto the queen of heaven." (Deut. xvii. 3. "Or moon, or any of the host of heaven.")

Siva

When the new moon is first seen, the people present their hands in the same form of adoration, and take off the turban, as they do to other gods. If a person have a favourite son or wife, or any friend with whom he thinks himself fortunate, he will call for one of them on that night, and, after looking at the new moon, will steadfastly look at the face of the individual. But if there be no person of that description present, he will look at his white cloth, or a piece of gold. In the temple of Siva, when the poosy to the lingam is going on, an offering of incense is presented to a representation of the sun and moon.* wears the crescent on his head; and Pārvati, his consort, wears the sun and moon. Sometimes, however, these emblems are worn mutually. An ornament, in imitation of the new moon, is also placed on the left side of the head of a courtesan of the temple; and another, representing the sun, on the right. Similar figures are also described over the doors of houses, each bearing a relative position. After a marriage ceremony is performed, the bride and bridegroom worship Arunthuthe, i. e. the star Beta in Ursa Major.

XLVI. 11.-"In vain shalt thou use many medicines,

for thou shalt not be cured."

Physicians in England would be perfectly astonished at the numerous kinds of medicine which are administered to a patient. The people themselves are unwilling to take one kind for long together, and I have known a sick woman swallow ten different sorts in one day. Should a patient, when about to take his medicine, scatter or spill the least quantity, nothing will induce him to take the rest; it is a bad omen; he must have the nostrum changed.

L. 38. 66

They are mad upon their idols."

Fully to understand this passage, a person must see the phrensy of the heathen when they get a sight of their idols.

On the SUNDAY, those who are afflicted with the ophthalmia worship the sun!

Thus, when the gods are taken out in procession, the multitudes shout, and the priests mutter and rave. The gestures are all distorted, and the devotees are affected with alternate sorrow or joy.

LI. 14.
self."

"The Lord of Hosts hath sworn by him

Siva is said to swear by himself, En-āni, i. e. my oath. The inferior gods swear by their superiors.

27.-"Cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillars." "I will fill thee with men as with caterpillars."

Some think locusts are meant, instead of caterpillars; and one reason assigned is, that they "have the appearance of

horses and horsemen." Others translate, "bristled locusts."

There are bristled caterpillars in the East, which at certain seasons are extremely numerous and annoying. They creep along in troops like soldiers, are covered with stiff hairs or bristles, which are so painful to the touch, and so powerful in their effects, as not to be entirely removed for many days. Should one be swallowed, it will cause death: hence people, at the particular season when they are numerous, are very cautious in examining their water vessels, lest any should have fallen in. In the year 1826, a family at Manipy had to arise early in the morning to go to their work, and they therefore prepared their rice the evening before. They were up before daylight, and took their food: in the course of a short time they were all ill, and some of them died during the day. The rice chatty was examined, and there were found the remains of the micutty, the rough caterpillar.*

* Dr. Hawkesworth says, of those he saw in the West Indies, "their bodies were thick set with hairs, and they were ranging on the leaves side by side, like files of soldiers, to the number of twenty or thirty together. When we touched them, we found their bodies had the qualities of nettles."