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they make a circular incifion behind the ears, then taking hold of the head at the top, they gra dually flay it, drawing it towards them. They next foften it in their hands, removing every fleshy part which may remain, by rubbing it with an ox's hide; they afterwards fufpend it, thus prepared, from the bridles of their horfes, when they both use it as a napkin, and are proud of it as a trophy. Whoever poffeffes the greater number of thefe is deemed the most illuftrious. Some there are who few together several of these portions of human skin, and convert them into a kind of fhepherd's garment. There are others who preferve the skins of the right arms, nails and all, of such enemies as they kill, and use them as a covering for their quivers. The human skin is of all others certainly the whitest, and of a very firm texture; many Scythians will take the whole skin of a man, and having ftretched it upon wood, use it as a covering to their horses.

LXV. Such are the customs of this people: this treatment, however, of their enemies heads, is not univerfal, it is only perpetrated on those whom they most deteft.-The fcull, below the eye-brows, they cut off, and having cleansed it thoroughly, if they are poor they merely cover it with a piece of leather; if they are rich, in addition to this they de

and ferves greatly to corroborate the hypothefis; that America was peopled originally from the northern parts of the old continent.-T.

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corate the infide with gold; it is afterwards ufed as a drinking cup. They do the fame with refpect to their nearest connections, if any diffenfions have arifen, and they overcome them in combat before the king. If any ftranger whom they deem of confequence happen to vifit them, they make a display of these heads ?, and relate every circumftance of the previous connection, the provocations received, and their fubfequent victory: this, they confider as a teftimony of their valour.

LXVI. Once a year the prince or ruler of every district mixes a goblet of wine, of which those

"Display of these beads. Many inftances may be adduced from the Roman and Greek hiftcrians, of the heads of enemies vanquished in battle being carried in triumph, or expofed as trophies; examples also occur in fcripture of the fame cuftom. Thus David carried the Philistine's head in triumph; the head of Ifhbotheth was brought to David as a trophy; why did Jael mite off the head of Sifera, but to prefent it triumphantly to Barak? It is at the prefent day practifed in the East, many examples of which occur in Niebuhr's Letters. This is too well known to require further difcuffion; but many readers may perhaps want to be informed, that it was alfo ufual to cut off the hands and the feet of vanquished enemies.The hands and feet of the fons, of Remmon, who flew Ifhbofheth, were cut off and hanged up over the pool of Hebron.-See alfo Lady Wortley Montague, vol. ii. p. 19.

"If a minister displeases the people, in three hours time he is dragged even from his master's arms: they cut off his hands, head, and feet, and throw them before the palace gate with all the refpect in the world; while the fultan, to whom they all profefs unlimited adoration, fits trembling in his apartment."

T.

Scythians

236

72

Scythians, drink who have deftroyed a public enemy. But of this they who have not done fuch a thing

** Thofe Scythians drink.]-Thefe, with many other cuftoms of the ancient Scythians, will neceffarily bring to the mind of the reader various circumftances of the Gothic mythology, as: represented in the poems imputed to Offian, and as may be seen defcribed at length in Mallet's Introduction to the Hiftory of Denmark. To fit in the Hall of Odin, and quaff the flowing goblets of mead and ale, was an idea ever prefent to the minds of the Gothic warriors; and the hope of attaining this glorious diftinction, inspired a contempt of danger, and the most daring; and invincible courage. See Gray's Defcent of Odin :

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See alfo in the Edda, the Ode of king Regner Lodbrog. "Odin fends his goddeffes to conduct me to his palace.—I am going to fit in the place of honour, to drink ale with the gods.The hours of my life are paffed away, I die in rapture." Some of my readers may probably thank me for giving them a fpeci men of the original stanzas, as preserved by Olaus Wormius, 25.

Pugnavimus enfibus

Hoc ridere me facit femper
Quod Balderi patris fcamna
Parata fcio in aula.

Bibemus cerevifiam

Ex concavis crateribus craniorum
Non gemit vir fortis contra mortem
Magnifici in Odini domibus

Non venis defperabundus

Verbis ad Odini aulam.

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a thing are not permitted to tafte; thefe are
obliged to fit apart by themselves, which is confidered
as a mark of the greatest ignominy 73. They who
have killed a number of enemies, are permitted on
this occafion to drink from two cups joined toge-
ther.

LXVII. They have amongst them a great number who practise the art of divination; for 232 this purpose they use a number of willow twigs in this manner: They bring large bundles of

74

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Greatest ignominy.]-Ut quifque plures interemenit, ita apud eos habetur eximius, cæterum expertem effe cædis inter opprobria vel maximum.-Pomp. Mela. 1. ii c. 1.

74 Willow twigs.]-Ammianus Marcellinus, in speaking of the Huns, fays, " Futura miro præfagiunt modo; nam rectiores virgas vimineas colligentes, eafque cum incantamentis quibufdam fecretis præftitutó tempore difcernentes, aperte quid portendatur norunt.-Larcher, in quoting the above paffage, remarks, that he has fomewhere in the country feen fome traces of this fuperftition practifed. There is an animated fragment of Ennius remaining, in which he expreffes a moft cordial contempt for all foothfayers: as it is not perhaps familiar to every reader, I may be excufed inferting it.

Non

thefe together, and having untied them, difpole
them one by one on the ground, each bundle at a
distance from the reft. This done, they pretend to
foretell the future, during which they take up the
bundles feparately, and tie them again together.
-This mode of divination is hereditary amongst
them. The enaries, or "effeminate men," affirm
that the art of divination 75 was taught them by the

252 goddefs Venus. They take alfo the leaves of the

lime-tree, which dividing into three parts they
twine round their fingers; they then unbind it, and
exercise the art to which they pretend.

Non vicinos arufpices, non de circo aftrologos,
Non Ifiacos conjectores, non interpretes fomnium,
Non enim funt ii aut fapientia aut arte divina
Sed fuperftitiofi vates, impudentefque harioli,
Aut inertes, aut infani, aut quibus egeftas imperat.

A fimilar contempt for diviners, is expreffed by Jocafia, in
the Edipus Tyrannus of Sophocles:

Eμs' mansoor, y pal' even' 851001
Βροτείον εδεν μαντικής εχον τέχνης.

Let not a fear perplex thee, Edipus ;
Mortals know nothing of futurity,

And thefe prophetic feers are all impoftors.-T.

15 Art of divination.]-To enumerate the various modes of divination which have at different times been practised by the ignorant and fuperftitious, would be no eafy task. We read of hydromancy, libaromancy, onyetomancy, divinations by earth, fire, and air: we read in Ezekiel of divination by a rod or wand. To fome fuch mode of divination, in all probability, the following paffage from Hofea alludes: "My people afk counfel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them."

VOL. II.

R

LXVIII.

32

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