fallen." "I am going to my koburam," says the man who is going to his powerful friend.

18.

"The lot causeth contentions to cease." (See on

1 Chron. xxvi. 13, 14, 15, 16.)

In nearly all cases where reason cannot decide, or where the right of several claimants to one article has to be settled, recourse is had to the lot, which "causeth contentions to cease." Though an Englishman might not like to have a wife assigned to him in such a way, yet many a one in the East has no other guide in that important acquisition.

Perhaps a young man is either so accomplished, or so respectable, or so rich, that many fathers aspire to the honour of calling him son-in-law. Their daughters are SAID to be beautiful, wealthy, and of a good family: what is he to do? The name of each young lady is written on a separate piece of olah; and then all are mixed together. The youth and his friends then go to the front of the temple; and being seated, a person who is passing by at the time is called, and requested to take one of the pieces of olah, on which a lady's name is inscribed, and place it near the anxious candidate. This being done, it is opened, and she whose name is written there becomes his wife!!!

Are two men inclined to marry two sisters, a dispuse often arises as to whom the YOUNGEST shall be given. To cause the "contentions to cease," recourse is again had to the lot. The names of the sisters and the disputants are written on separate pieces of olah, and taken to a sacred place: those of the men being put on one side, and the females on the other. A person then, who is unacquainted with the matter, takes a piece of olah from each side, and the couple whose names are thus joined together become man and wife. But sometimes a wealthy father cannot decide betwixt two young men who are candidates for the hand of his daughter: "what can he do? he must settle his doubts by lot." Not long ago, the son of a medical man, and another youth, applied for the daughter

of Sedambara-Suppiyan, the rich merchant. The old gentleman caused two "holy writings" to be drawn up, the names of the lovers were inscribed thereon: the son of Kandan, the doctor, was drawn forth, and the young lady became his wife. Three Brahmins, also, who were brothers, each ardently desired the hand of one female; and, after many disputes, it was settled by lot, which "causeth contentions to cease," and the youngest of the three gained the prize.

But medical men are also sometimes selected in the same way. One person tells the afflicted individual such a doctor has far more skill than the rest: another says, "He! what is

he but a cow-doctor? how many has he killed! Send for such a person, he will soon cure you." A third says, "I know the man for you; he had his knowledge from the gods; send for him."* The poor patient at last says, "Select me one by lot; and as is the name, so is the doctor." But another thing has to be settled; the medical gentleman intimates that there are two kinds of medicine which appear to him to be equally good, and therefore the lot is again to decide which is best. "The lot causeth contention to cease."

XIX. 12.-"His favour is as dew upon the grass." "The favour of my friend is as the refreshing dew." "The favours of that good man are continually DROPPING upon us." "He bathes me with his favours."

XX. 10." Divers weights, and divers measures.”

(Micah, vi. 11. “The bag of deceitful weights.") Here we have a true view of the way in which nearly all travelling merchants deal with their customers. See that Mahometan pedlar with his BAGS over his shoulder: the one contains his merchandise, the other his DECEITFUL weights. He comes to your door, throws his bags on the ground, and is willing either to buy or to sell. Have you any old silver,

*He is the most dangerous of all the practitioners; he will not allow any suggestions; for his nostrums must be right.

gold, jewels, precious stones, iron, or lead, he is ready to be your customer; but he only buys with his own weights, which are much heavier than the standard. Should you, however, require to purchase any articles, then he has other weights by which he SELLS; and you may often see him fumbling for a considerable time in the BAG before he can find those which are less in weight than the regular standard.

29.- "The beauty of old men is the

grey head."

Should a youth despise the advice of a grey-headed man, the latter will point to his hairs. When young men presume to give advice to the aged, they say, "Look at our grey hairs." Do old people commit things unworthy of their years, the young ask, "Why have you these grey hairs?" intimating they ought to be the emblem of wisdom.

XXI. 4.—“An high look, and a proud heart, and the

plowing of the wicked, is sin." The margin has,

instead of plowing, light; "The light of the wicked." The Tamul translation has the lamp of the wicked. In Eastern language, as well as in the Scriptures, the word lamp is often used to denote the life of man: but in this passage it means the PROSPERITY of the wicked.

"Look at Valen, how brightly does his lamp burn in these days!"—"Yes, his lamp has now a thousand faces." Thus the haughty eyes, the proud hearts, and the PROSPERITY of the wicked were alike sinful before God. The lamp (i. e. prosperity) of the wicked is sin.

9. "It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house."

The termagants of the East are certainly not inferior to those of their own sex in any part of the world: in some respects, the females are perhaps more timid and retired than those of Europe; but let them once go beyond the prescribed bounds, and let their powers be brought fairly into action,

and they are complete furies. Has any one caused a woman's child to cry, does a neighbour intimate that she is not what she ought to be, or that some of her friends are no better than they should be, the whoop is immediately sounded, and the brawl begins. She commences her abuse in her best and highest tone of voice: vociferates all the scandal she can think of, and all she can INVENT. Sometimes she runs up to her antagonist, as if about to knock her down: again she retires, apparently to go home; but, no! she thinks of something more which ought not to be lost, and again returns to the contest. At intervals (merely to vary the scene) she throws up dust in the air, and curses her opponent, her husband, and her children. Should the poor woman not have been blessed with a progeny, that will not be overlooked, and a thousand highly provoking and indecent allusions will be made. See her fiery eyes, her dishevelled hair, her uplifted hand, and she is more like a fury from another region than a human being.

An Eastern sage says, "Should one woman scold, the whole earth will shake; should two! commence, the sign Pisces will fall; if three join in the brawl, the sea will dry up; but if four try their powers, what will become of the world?" In the Scanda Purana it is said, " It is better for any one to fall into hell, than to perform the duties of householder with a woman who will not respect her husband's word. Is there any other disease, any other Yama*, than spending life with such a woman?"

One of their philosophers describes some of the defects in young females which ought to deter any man from marrying them. "Those who love to be at the houses of other people, who are great sleepers, who love dancing and other sports, who are wounded by the arrows of Cama (Cupid), who love before their fathers betroth them, who have voices like thunder, who have tender, or rolling, or cat eyes, who have coarse hair, who are older than yourself, who are full of smiles, who

The deity of death and hell.

are very athletic, who are caught in the hell of useless and strange religions, who despise the gooroo, and call the gods statues; have nothing to do with them."

Solomon says in another place, "The contentions of a wife are a continual dropping;" and the Tamul proverb has it, "She is like the thunder of the rain, and is ever dropping."

XXIII. 5.-" Riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away."

A husband who complains of the extravagance of his family, says, "How is it that wings grow on all my property? not many days ago I purchased a large quantity of paddy, but it has taken the wing, and flown away. The next time I buy anything, I will look well after the wings." "You ask me to give you money, and I would, if I possessed any."-" Possessed any! why! have wings grown on your silver and gold?" "Alas! alas! I no sooner get things into the house, than wings grow on them, and they fly away. Last week I began to clip wings; but they have soon grown again."

6, 7,

8. "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up."

Many references are made in the Scriptures to an EVIL EYE. Sometimes they mean anger or envy; but in the passage cited an allusion appears to be made to the malignant influence of an evil eye: "The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up." The kan-nuru, evil eye, of some people is believed to have a most baneful effect upon whatsoever it shall be fixed. Those who are reputed to have such eyes are always avoided, and none but near relations will invite them to a feast. "Your cattle, your wives, your children, your orchards, your fields, are all in danger from that fellow's eyes. The