Among other Turkish customs at Smyrna, our Author tells us, that the women, both Turks and others, inftead of fwathing up their infants, as is cuftomary here, drefs them only in a light gown, leaving Nature at full liberty to direct their growth. And yet it is remarkable, that crooked 'perfons are much rarer in Turkey than in those nations "who value themfelves upon the knowlege of the human body. The women are alfo very careful to keep themselves neat and clean, and for that purpofe frequently make use of the bath; but this fo weakens the elafticity of the fibres, as to render their flesh foft, and often flabby. Corpulency is here in fuch high esteem, especially among the Turks, that fome, at certain times, and with fuperftitious ceremonies, fwallow a quarter of an ounce of Mercury, the fupreme beauty in all these parts being a large fat body, and prominent breasts. The Greek women at Smyrna make great ufe of paint, which odious custom has alfo got footing among the Franks. This paint, which is called Sullama, imparts a beautiful, redness to the cheeks, and gives the skin a remarkable gloss. This is, however, easily discovered by chewing a clove, and breathing on the perfon's face; which in this circumftance it immediately turns yellow. But this is not the only bad confequence attending the practice; for a confiderable quantity of Mercury making a part of this paint, the teeth ⚫ of those who use it foon fuffer remarkably; and thus for a falfe, they loose a real beauty, Greek girls often carry their decorations to a much higher pitch, especially on the day of their marriage; for they even gild their faces, which is here confidered as irrefiftibly, charming. I fhall conclude these remarks on the customs of the fair fex of Smyrna, with obferving, that when a Frank is defirous of having one of them for a concubine, he must first • addrefs himself to the Soubafci for a licence, and for which he pays a certain number of piafters; this licence fecures < him, for fhould any one, offer to moleft him, or intrude on his rights, the Soubafci would immediately. fecure him, as < an offender against the laws of the country; and fhould he happen to be furprized in his illegal amour, both the gentleman and his mistress, would be exhibited thro' all the • ftreets of the city upon an ass, unless he thought proper to buy off his punishment by a round fum of money. After visiting Conftantinople, and other places, our Au thor went up to Jerufalem; where he arrived about Eafter; having having thereby an opportunity of feeing the various ceremonies exhibited there at that season, by the Devotees of the Latin and Greek churches. We have felected the two following inftances, as the most remarkable of those, at which he was actually present. On Good-Friday, after fupping on fallad and eggs, with the Fathers of the convent, our Author, with his companions, retired into what is called the Chapel of the Apparition, where, foon after fun-fet all the candles were put out, the • doors locked, and one of the ecclefiafticks preached in Italian from these words: In ifta nox tenebrofa, &c. In this • dark night, &c. The reafon for putting out all the lights is, that they think darkness better adapted to religious worfhip, particularly the melancholy fubject now commemo• rated. Sermon being over, the candles were again lighted, and a wax taper given to every one of the audience, in order to affift at the proceffion now to be performed. Every one of the ecclefiafticks had alfo a book, containing the hymns ap⚫ pointed to be fung in every confecrated place. At the head of this proceffion was carried a large cross with the figure of a man nailed to it, ftreaked with blood, and the sculpture fo finely executed, that it reprefented, in a very lively manner, the melancholy fpectacle of our Sa'viour hanging on the crofs. This was followed by feveral • other crofles. The Father Guardian affifted at this pro• ceffion, dreffed in his mitre and crofier, as is common on ⚫ all great festivals. We next paffed by the place where our Saviour is faid to have appeared to Mary; and where he fhewed himself in the dress of a gardener to Mary Magdalene. We also paffed by feveral chapels, as that of the imprisonment of St. Longinus, &c. and at length ftopped before the chapel of the Divifion of the apparel. At each the proper hymns 'were fung, and the prayers read; and here an ecclefiaftic preached a fermon in French fuitable to the occafion. This Divine was at that time Prefident of the Holy Sepulchre, the next place in dignity to that of the Guardian, but is held only for three months; for the Fathers of the Holy Land confifting chiefly of three nations, France, Spain, and Italy, they must be equally'refpected; and in order to this, the Scuttoris, as it is called, confifts of the Father Guardian an Italian, the Father Vicar a Frenchman, and the Father Procurator a Spaniard and of three other Fa thers, thers, who have no dignity, and therefore called difcreti ; • a President is every three months chofen of a different nation; and who, in the abfence or fickness of the Father • Guardian, fupplies his place. The next ftop was at the chapel of the Pillar called Improperii. And here another French fermon was delivered, a monk ftanding by the preacher, holding in his hand a large cross. We now paffed by the chapel of St. Helena, near which is another dedicated to the Invention of the Crofs, and faid to have been built on the very spot where the true cross was found. We were now arrived at the foot of Mount Calvary, ⚫ and all afcended it barefooted, leaving our fhoes at the botC tom of the steps. Here the French Vicar preached before the altar, and stood on the very spot where our Saviour is faid to have been nailed to the crofs. Now the large cross, which had hitherto been carried at the head of the proceffion, was fixed in the hole where the true cross stood, while our Redeemer fuffered on it. • We next heard a very elegant and pathetic discourse in Italian; after which two ecclefiaftics, one representing Ni<codemus, and the other Joseph of Arimathea, approached the cross, with the greatest marks of veneration, in order ⚫ to take down the body; but previously crowned it with a filver diadem, reprefenting a crown of thorns; when every ⚫ one climbed up to kiss the ftatue. The ecclefiaftics now, in ⚫ order to make a greater fhew of devotion, began all to fmite heavily on their breafts, and every one applied himself with alacrity to draw the nails out of the cross. This statue was fo artfully formed, that when the nails ⚫ were drawn out of the hands and feet, every part of it was moveable, and reprefented exactly a human corpfe, except in fize, which was confiderably lefs than a man. The place, indeed, was not high enough to admit a crofs of the natural bigness. This ceremony I have defcribed with all poffible accuracy. It was inftituted to inflame the devotion of all who vifited the holy places, by conveying the moft lively idea <of of the paffion of our Saviour. Now the two ecclefiaftics reprefenting Nicodemus and • Jofeph of Arimathea, wrapped up this ftatue in fine linnen, on which were embroidered the arms of Jerufalem, being a red crofs, furrounded with four smaller." This being performed, we defcended from Mount Calvary, greatly affected with the folemn manner of their chanting the hymns. The ftatue was alfo brought down. to the ftone of unction, where our Saviour's body is faid to • have been anointed. Here the Father Guardian anointed the fuppofed body with fragrant balfams, while the ecclefiaftics perfumed the • ftone and audience with the fmoke of their incenfe. After which one of them preached in Arabic; but as we did not ‹ understand him, we thought his discourse tedious. The whole proceffion now followed this anointed ftatue: to the holy fepulchre, into which the reprefentatives of Nicodemus and Jofeph carried it, the Father Guardian alfo going in with them. Here a Spanish ecclefiaftic delivered a fermon in his own language, which put a period to this ⚫ mournful ceremony, which lafted till after midnight.' On the fixth day after Eafter, was celebrated a kind of feftival; the Greeks and Armenians being taught to believe, that on that day is to be feen in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and ifiuing out of the grave itself, a holy fire, a folemnity, which, like many others of the fame kind, feems to owe its original to policy, and to be fupported by avarice; for the bifhops not only fuffer the people to remain in this belief, but cherifh it, in order to draw the greater number of Pilgrims to Jerufalem, and thus enable them to defray thofe enormous expences with which they are oppreffed by the Turks. Nay, the intereft of the latter is concerned in maintaining this miracle, by reafon of the great profits accruing to them, from the vaft numbers of foreigners, whom curiofity draws hither. Some hours before the folemnity begins, a stranger cannot but be highly entertained with the flrange grimaces and gefticulations usual on thefe occafions; and as no pilgrim would fail of being prefent, the church is a fcene of confufion. We were feated in a gallery facing the entrance of the holy fepulchre, with the Fathers of the Romifh church, (who, by the bye, are faid to do all they can to explode this pretended miracle) and fome Turks of the Pafcha's retinue, who alfo came hither on this occafion. The whole church refounded with the noife and vociferations of a vast multitude of people, who feemed fran ་ tic, running after one another, and playing fuch pranks as would be more fuitable at a carnival, and were, certainly quite inconfiftent with the facredness of the place, and the pretended miracle. Among others, I obferved a man counterfeiting a dead perfon, poffibly intending to imitate our Saviour, being carried feveral times round the grave. and then disappeared. Some carried others on their shoulders, and let them fall on the crowd; others again tumbled about the grave, like tumblers on a ftage, performing a thousand antics and poftures, which continually afforded new subject of laughter and noify applaufe. In a word, nothing can be imagined more grotesque, wild, and fantastical, than 'what we saw here, in any place, and on an occafion which fhould naturally have raifed ferioufnefs in those who believed it. At laft the Greek clergy made their appearance, but it was with great confufion, that among this multitude of people, they went through the proceffion. The Armeninians, Syrians, and Coptics, at that time did not join in the proceffion. After this a Greek Bifhop, followed by the Patriarch of Armenia, and the Syrian and the Coptic priefts, • went into the holy fepulchre, near which, at the fame time, the Epitropos, or Vicar of the Greek Patriarch, placed • himself, possibly to inftruct the others how they must act, or to fecure the door, whilft three or four Turks ftood be⚫fore the holy fepulchre, with whips and ftaves, to keep off the people who thronged for admittance. About half a quarter of an hour after the abovementioned ecclefiaftics entered, the Greek Bishops came out with a bunch of wax candles tied together, which had been lighted at the holy fire; then was the height of the tumult, for every one thrufting to be the firft to light his candle at that of the Bifhops, they being all firmly perfuaded, that the first fire is the most holy and pure; and that whatever it touches, it does not burn. Whilft every one was thus expreffing his devout zeal for being poffeffed of this fire or light, the Turks laid about them without diftinction. But at that time no ftrokes were felt, the raptures at that time taking away all fenfation; and those who were behind furioufly leaped on the fhoulders of the foremost, that they might alfo get their candles lighted. The conclufion was, that fome of the busy zealots among them, lifted the Bishop on their fhoulders, and thús carried him, with great rejoicings, to their church. With the Armenian Bifhop, or Patriarch, matters did not fuccced fo well; for he no fooner made his appearance with his wax lights, than the people crowded fo violently about him, |