Chap. 4.] Sufferings of Travelers. 31 erection of fountains, who believe they can do no act more acceptable to God. This mode of expending their wealth, at the same time that it conferred real and lasting benefits on the public, was the surest way of transmitting to posterity the names of the donors. The pools of Solomon, might have preserved his name from oblivion had nothing else respecting him been known. These noble structures, in a land where every other work of art has been hurried to destruction, remain almost as perfect as when they were constructed, and Jerusalem is still supplied with water from them, by an earthen pipe about ten inches in diameter. "These reservoirs are really worthy of Solomon; I had formed no conception of their magnificence; they are three in number, the smallest between four, and five hundred feet in length." The waters are discharged from one into another, and conveyed from the lowest to the city. "I descended into the third and largest; it is lined with plaister like the Indian chunan, and hanging terraces run all round it." Lindsay's Trav. Let. 9. According to the moral doctrines of the Chinese, "to repair a road, make a bridge, or dig a well," will atone for many sins. Davis' China, ii, 89. The Hindoos, says Sonnerat, believe the digging of tanks on the highways, renders the gods propitious to them; and he adds, "Is not this the best manner of honoring the deity, as it contributes to the natural good of his creatures?" Vol. i, 94. SUFFERINGS OF TRAVELERS FROM THIRST. The extreme sufferings which orientals have been, and are still called to endure from the want of water, have been noticed by all modern travelers, from Rubriques and Marco Paulo, to Burckhardt and Niebuhr. Wells in some routes, are a hundred miles apart, and are sometimes found empty; hence travelers have often been obliged to slay their camels for the water these animals retain in their stomachs. Leo Africanus noticed two marble monuments in his travels; upon one of which was an epitaph, recording the manner in which those who slept beneath them had met their doom. One was a rich merchant, the other a water carrier, who furnished caravans with water and provisions. On reaching this spot, scorched by the sun and their entrails tortured by the most excruciating thirst; there remained but a small quantity of water between them. The rich man, whose thirst now made him regard his gold as dirt, purchased a single cup of it for ten thousand ducats; but that which possibly might have been sufficient to save the life of one of them, being divided between both, served only to prolong their sufferings for a moment, and they both sunk into that sleep from which there is no waking upon earth. Lives of Travelers, by St. John. Mr. Bruce, when in Abyssinia, obtained water from the stomachs of camels, which his companions slew for that purpose. Sometimes the mouths and tongues of travelers, from want of this precious liquid, become dry and hard like those of parrots; but these are not the only people who suffer from thirst. During the long continuance of a drought which prevailed over all Judea in Ahab's reign, every class of people suffered. 1 Kings, xvii and xviii. And such droughts are not uncommon. "The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst," (Isa. xli, 17,) in modern times as when the prophet wrote, and not the poor alone, for "the honorable men are famished," and, as well as the multitude, are "dried up with thirst." Isa. v, 13. a Com. Porter's Letters from Constantinople, i, 101. 32 Crusaders. [Book I. Mechanics in cities were not exempt. "The smith with the tongs, both worketh in the coals and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms, is hungry and his strength faileth, he drinketh no water and is faint." Isa. xliv, 12. 66 Dr. Ryers, who lived in the city of Gombroon, on the Persian Gulf, when describing the heat of the climate and the deficiency and bad quality of the water, observes that the heat made "the mountains gape, the rocks cleft in sunder, the waters stagnate, to which the birds with hanging wings repair to quench their thirst; for want of which the herds do low, the camels cry, the barren earth opens wide for drink; and all things appear calamitous for want of kindly moisture; in lieu of which hot blasts of wind and showers of sand infest the purer air, and drive not only us, but birds and beasts to seek remote dwellings, or else to perish here ;" and after removing to a village some miles distant, 'for the sake of water," by a metaphor, that will appear to some persons as bordering on blasphemy, he says, "it was as welcome to our parched throats, as a drop of that cool liquid, to the importunate Dives." Fryer, p. 418. Under similar circumstances, the Hindoos, night and day run through the streets, carrying boards with earth on their heads, and loudly repeating after the Brahmins, a prayer, signifying "God give us water." Even in Greece and Rome, where water was in comparative abundance, agricultural laborers considered the Frog an object of envy, inasmuch as it had always enough to drink in the most sultry weather. Lard. Arts Greeks and Rom. Vol. ii, 20. The ignorant and clamorous Israelites, enraged with thirst, abused Moses, and were ready to stone him, because they had no water. One of the most appalling facts that is recorded of suffering from thirst occurred in 1805. A caravan proceeding from Timboctoo to Talifet, was disappointed in not finding water at the usual watering places; when, horrible to relate, all the persons belonging to it, two thousand in number, besides eighteen hundred camels, perished by thirst! Occurrences like this, account for the vast quantities of human and other bones, which are found heaped together in various parts of the desert. Wonders of the World, p. 246. While the crusaders besieged Jerusalem, great numbers perished of thirst, for the Turks had filled the wells in the vicinity. Memorials of their sufferings may yet be found in the heraldic bearings of their descendants. The charge of a foraging party 'for water,' we are told, “was an office of distinction;" hence, some of the commanders on these occasions, subsequently adopted water buckets in their coats of arms, as emblems of their labors in Palestine. Water Bougettes,' formed part of the arms of Sir Humphrey Bouchier, who was slain at the battle of Barnet, in 1471. Moules' Ant. of Westminster Abbey. Subject of WELLS continued-Wells worshipped-River Ganges--Sacred well at Benares-Oaths taken at Wells-Tradition of the Rabbins-Altars erected near them-Invoked-Ceremonies with regard to water in Egypt, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Rome, and Judea---Temples erected over wells---The fountain of Apollo---Well Zem Zem---Prophet Joel---Temple of Isis---Mahommedan Mosques---Hindoo temples ---Woden's well---Wells in Chinese temples---Pliny---Celts --Gauls---Modern superstitions with regard to water and wells---Hindoos---Algerines---Nineveh---Greeks---Tombs of saints near wells---Superstitions of the Persians---Anglo Saxons---Hindoos---Scotch---English---St. Genevieve's well---St. Winifred's well---House and well 'warming. In the early ages water was reverenced as the substance of which all things in the universe were supposed to be made, and the vivifying principle that animated the whole; hence, rivers, fountains, and wells, were worshipped and religious feasts and ceremonies instituted in honor of them, or of the spirits which were believed to preside over them. Almost all nations retain relics of this superstition, while in some it is practised to a lamentable extent. Asia exhibits the humiliating spectacle of millions of her people degraded by it, as in former ages. Shoals of pilgrims are constantly in motion over all Hindoston, on their way to the sacred Ganges;' their tracks stained with the blood and covered with the bones of thousands that perish on the road. With these people, it is deemed a virtue even to think of this river; while to bathe in its waters washes away all sin, and to expire on its brink, or be suffocated in it, is the climax of human felicity. The holy WELL in the city of Benares is visited by devotees from all parts of India; to it they offer rice, &c. as to their idols. From this sacred character of water, it very early became a custom, in order to render obligations inviolable, to take oaths, conclude treaties, make bargains, &c. at wells. We learn that when Jacob was on his way to Egypt, he came to the "well of the oath," and offered sacrifices to God. Josephus, Ant. ii, 7. At the same well, his grandfather Abraham concluded a treaty with Abimelech, which was accompanied with ceremonies and oaths. Gen. xxi. At the celebrated Puteal Libonis, at Rome, oaths were publicly administered every morning; a representation of this well is on the reverse of a medal of Libo. Encyc. Ant. 412. It was believed that the "oaths of the Gods" was also by water. Univer. His. Vol. iv, 17. The Rabbins have a tradition that their kings were always anointed by the side of a fountain. Solomon was carried by order of David to the fountain of Gihon,' and there proclaimed king. Joseph. Ant. vii, 14. The ancient Cuthites, says Mr. Bryant, and the Persians after them, had a great veneration for fountains and streams. ALTARS were erected in the vicinity of wells and fountains, and religious ceremonies performed around them. Thus Ulysses: Beside a fountain's sacred brink, we raised Iliad ii, 368. "there we "Wherever a spring rises, or a river flows," says Seneca, should build altars and offer sacrifices," and a thousand years before Seneca lived, the author of the 68th Psalm spoke of worshipping God from the "fountains of Israel." The Syracusans held great festivals every 333 34 Religious Customs. [Book I. year at the fountains of Arethusa, and they sacrificed black bulls to Pluto at the fountain of Cyane. Wells were sometimes dedicated to particular deities, as the oracular fountain mentioned by Pausanias, near the sea at Patra, which still remains nearly as he described it; and having been rededicated to a christian saint, "is still a sacred WELL." Divination by water, was practised at this well. A mirror was suspended by a thread, having its polished surface upwards, and while floating on the water, presages were drawn from the images reflected. Polynices, in Edipus Coloneus, swears "by our native fountains and our kindred gods." Antigone, when about to be sacrificed, appeals to the "fountains of Dirce, and the grove of Thebe." Ajax before he slew himself, called on the sun, the soil of Salamis, and "ye fountains and rivers here." Trag. of Sophocles lit. trans. 1837. "At Peneus' fount Aristeus stood and bowed with woe, Georgics L. iv, 365. The fountain of Aponeus, (now Albano) the birth place of Livy, was an oracular one. That of Pirene at Corinth, was sacred to the muses. Eneas invoked "living fountains" among other "Ethereal Gods." And old Latinus 64 Sought the shades renowned for prophecy, En. vii, 124. Cicero says, the Roman priests and augurs, in their prayers, called on the names of rivers, brooks, and springs. Vessels of water were carried by the Egyptian priests in their sacred processions, to denote the great blessings derived from it, and that it was the beginning of all things. Vitruvius says they were accustomed to place a vase of it in their temples with great devotion, and prostrating themselves on the earth, returned thanks to the divine goodness for its protection. Book viii, Proem. In the celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries, those who entered the temple, washed their hands in holy water, and on the ninth and last day of the festival, vessels of water were offered with great ceremonies, and accompanied with mystical expressions to the Gods. Those who were initiated were prohibited from ever sitting on the cover of a well. Sojourners among the Greeks carried in the religious processions, small vessels formed in the shape of boats; and their daughters water pots with umbrellas. Rob. Ant. Greece. Plutarch says, "fishes were not eaten of old, from reverence of springs." Among the ancient Peruvians, certain Indians were appointed to sacrifice "to fountains, springs, and rivers." Pur. Pil. 1076. Holy water was placed near the altars of the Mexicans. Ibid, 987. Tlaloc was their God of water; on fulfilling particular vows they bathed in the sacred pond Tezcapan. The water of the fountain Toxpalatl was drank only at the most solemn feasts: no one was allowed to taste it at any other time. Clavigero, Lon. 1786, vol. i, 251 and 265. The Fontinalia of the Romans, were religious festivals, held in October, in honor of the Nymphs of wells and fountains; part of the ceremonies consisted in throwing nosegays into fountains, and decorating the curbs of wells with wreaths of flowers. The Jews had a religious festival in connection with water, the origin of which is not clearly ascertained. It was kept on the last day of the feast of tabernacles, when they drew water with great ceremony from the pool of Siloah and conveyed it to the temple. It is supposed, the Sa a Uni. Hist. i, 607. Chap. 5.] Relating to Wells. 35 vior alludes to this practice, when on "the last day, that great day of the feast, he stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters." John, vii, 37. One of the five solemn festivals of the people of Pegu, is the feast of water,' during which, the king, nobles and all the people throw water upon one another.' Ovington's Voy. to Surat. 1689. 597. The superstitious veneration for wells, induced the ancients to erect temples near, and sometimes over them; as the fountain of Apollo, near the temple of Jupiter Ammon; the well Zemzem in the temple of Mecca, &c. In accordance with this prevailing custom, we find the prophet Joel speaks of a fountain which should come forth out of the house of the Lord, and water the valley. iii, 18. And when Jeroboam built a temple, that the ten tribes might not be obliged to go to Jerusalem to worship, and there be seduced from him, Josephus tells us, that he built it by the fountains of the lesser Jordan. Antiq. viii, cap. S. In the temple of Isis, at Pompeii, the sacred well' has been found. Pompeii, i, 277, 279. The ancient custom of enclosing wells in religious edifices was adopted by both Christians and Mahommedans. Among the latter it is still continued, and it is not altogether abandoned by the former. "This afternoon," says Fryer, speaking of one of the mosques in India, "their sanctum sanctorum was open, the priest entering in barefoot, and prostrating himself on one of the mats spread on the floor, whither I must not have gone, could his authority have kept me out. The walls were white and clean but plain, only the commandments wrote in Arabic at the west end, were hung over a table in an arched place, where the priest expounds, on an ascent of seven steps, railed at top with stone very handsomely. Underneath are fine cool vaults, and stone stairs to descend to a deep tank." As it was formerly death to a christian who entered a mosque, we shall add a more recent instance. In 1831, Mr. St. John disguised himself, like Burckhardt, in the costume of a native, and visited the mosques of Cairo. In that of Sultan Hassan, he observes, "ascending a long flight of steps, and passing under a magnificent doorway, we entered the vestibule, and proceeded towards the most sacred portion of the edifice, where, on stepping over a small railing, it was necessary to take off our babooshes, or red Turkish shoes. Here we beheld a spacious square court, paved with marble of various colors, fancifully arranged, with a beautiful octagonal marble fountain in the centre." Egypt and Mohammed Ali, ii, 338. It is the same in Persia. Tavern. Trav. Lon. 1678. 29. The temples of India says Sonnerat, have a sacred tank, deified by the Brahmins. The figures of gods are sometimes thrown into a tank or well.' Voy. i, 111, 132. In old times, churches were removed from other buildings, and were surrounded with courts, in the centre of which there were fountains, where people washed before going to prayers. Moreri Dic. In one of the old churches at Upsal, is an ancient well, that had formerly been famous for its miraculous cures.' Woden's well is still shown in the same city. It was in the vicinity of the old temple of that great northern deity. De la Mortraye's Trav. ii, 262. Van Braam noticed a well in one of the large temples of China. Journ. ii, 224. 'Sacred springs,' are mentioned by Juvenal. 3 Sat. 30. Pliny speaks of fountains and wells of water as very 'wholesome and proper for the cure of many diseases;' to which, he says, there is ascribed some divine power, insomuch that they give names to sundry gods and goddesses, xxxi, 2. The Celts venerated lakes, rivers, and fountains, into which they threw gold. |