While, of the other two, one grasped the trunk; burnt with it. By the side of the body are placed the various implements of the deceased - his plough, knife, flute, bow and arrows, and lastly an empty gourd. The latter is to serve as drinking-vessel during the journey to the unseen world. And tell their wondrous tales. Our God is one. friends gather from every side around the Early in the morning of the next day He drew the beast. Six monsters stood revealed Just so the six religious learned of God, Men talk of penance, charms, and streams, Make pilgrimage to temples, offer gifts, sacred corpse. Then the male relations join hands and slowly circle round the bier, to the sound of the music of flute and drum. Gradually the music becomes faster, and with it the dance. Soon the men fly round as fast as nature permits, and the scene becomes one of frenzied excitement. They are supposed to accompany the parted soul in its long journey. So far the ceremony is much like many others, but now commence the more interesting and touching rites. Yet are they doomed to sorrow's deepest pain. To them that fully know the heavenly truth - unclean or purely clean. To them there is no good to come from fast Or penance pains. To them the earth has nought For hope or fear, in thought, or word, or deed. They hear the four great Vedas shout aloud The heart can have no place for fear or shame, For caste, uncleanness, hate or wandering thought. Impure and pure are all alike to him. Space only permits the quotation of one more piece, which will be thought by many the most interesting in the whole collection. It is the property of a mountain tribe known as the Badagas, who form the mass of the Hindu inhabitants of the Neilgherry Hills. It has long been known that they possessed high musical and poetic talent, but the language is so archaic, when compared with the better known Dravidian dialects, that very few persons had the power, and less the inclination of giving the songs the attention they deserve. I am indebted to the Rev. F. Metz, a devoted German missionary, who has long laboured among the Hill tribes, for the original translation of this and other Badaga songs. The following exhibits an almost literal translation in a form as closely approximating to the original as I can effect. It is the dirge, or funeral song, employed at every Badaga cremation, and is therefore most strictly a popular piece. The ceremonial commences shortly before death, but it would be out of place here to describe any rite that is not connected with the song. Suffice it to say, that the corpse is at length laid on a cot, carried out of the house, and placed under a wooden canopy or car, which is to be soul, and this by a very beautiful descrip-1 tion of the progress of the pardoned spirit. It winds up by a solemn expression of assurance that the deity will not refuse to forgive the man for whom the whole tribe has thus prayed. No sooner has the chief finished, than the person next in dignity steps forward and repeats the confession again, placing his hand upon the head of the calf. A second time, therefore, are the sins of the deceased placed on the scape-calf. A third time is it done. Then the calf is led to the outskirts of the assembly and turned loose. It has become sacred, and may never be called the property of any man, or feel the yoke upon his neck. The usual fate of the scape-calf is, doubtless, to become the prey of the tigers that abound on the hills. The song is chanted by the performer. The portions marked as chorus are repeated by all the people, so that there is a continual chant and refrain, in which the assembly becomes as one man: — BADAGA DIRGE. Invocation. In the presence of the great Bas sava Who sprung from Banigè the holy Cow! Confession. The dead has sinned a thousand 202 times. - E'en all the thirteen hundred sins That can be done by mortal man May stain the soul that fled today. Stay not their flight to God's pure feet. Chorus. Stay not their flight. He killed the crawling snake. Chorus. It is a sin. The creeping lizard slew. Of brothers he told tales. Chorus. It is a sin. The landmark stone he moved. Chorus. It is a sin. Called in the Sirca's aid. Chorus. It is a sin. Put poison in the milk. Chorus. It is a sin. To strangers straying on the hills He offered aid but guided wrong. Chorus. It is a sin. His sister's tender love he scorned And showed his teeth at her in rage. Chorus. It is a sin. He dared to drain the pendent teats Of holy cow in sacred fold. Chorus. It is a sin. The glorious sun shone warm and bright He turned his back towards its beams. Chorus. It is a sin. Ere drinking from the bubbling brook He made no bow of gratitude. Chorus. It is a sin. His envy rose against the man Chorus. It is a sin. He bound with cords and made to plough The budding ox too young to work. Chorus. It is a sin. While yet his wife dwelt in the house He lusted for a younger bride. The hungry begged he gave no meat; The cold asked warmth no fire. Chorus. It is a sin. he lent He turned relations from his door, Yet asked the stranger home instead. Chorus. It is a sin. The weak and poor called for his aid He gave no alms, denied their woe. Chorus. It is a sin. When caught by thorns, in useless rage He tore his cloth from side to side. Chorus. It is a sin. The father of his wife sat on the floor, Yet he reclined on bench or couch. Chorus. It is a sin. He cut the bund around a tank, Prayer. What though he sinned so much, What though the sins' long score Oh! let them every one Chorus. Open all their doors. The thorny path is steep, Finial. Oh, let us never doubt That all his sins are gone Chorus. Let all be well. Need we stay to point out how vividly all this recalls at least two scenes in Jewish history the scape-goat and the blessings and the cursings on Ebal and Gerizem? There can hardly be conceived any more striking way of impressing upon a nation the great laws of morality and social goodness than this solemn rehearsal of sin at each cremation. One wonders, too, where both ceremonial and song can I AT the meeting of the French Academies the Minister of Public Instruction, who presided, stated that owing to the exertions of the two committees appointed at the beginning of the siege of Paris to take measures for the preservation of the works of art and literature in and near the city, none of the collections or monuments were at all injured during the siege. The civil conflict however which followed, was more disastrous: "It destroyed to the last leaf several of our great collections of books the library of the Louvre, those of the Hôtel de Ville, Prefecture of Police, and of the Council of State. We have lost at the Gobelins magnificent tapestries executed after Raphael, Boucher, Lancret and sev- Ir is pretty well known to students of German eral modern masters. Two hundred and art that Lucas Cranach, the most prolific of Saxtwenty-two ancient tapestries, monuments of on painters, lived and died at Wittenberg, where that art in which we have so few rivals, have he was in such esteem as to be twice elected to disappeared in the flames. Lastly, the direc- the office of burgomaster. Less known is the tors of the Observatory inform us of the destruc- fact that Lucas Cranach kept an apothecary's tion of two instruments of geodesy and an shop. This shop, ealled the " Adler," was at astronomic 1 clock. The great equatorial has the south-west corner of the market-place of been considerably damaged, but not in the most Wittenberg, and was first opened by Cranach in essential portions. A broken 1520. The house above the shop, restored to window and the disappearance of a few articles something of its original state in 1723, was that do not forbid us from saying that we have saved in which Lucas Cranach lived; it was also that entire the Museum of Medals. The manufac- in which his son, Lucas Cranach the younger, tory of the Gobelins, which at first was believed burgomaster of Wittenberg, died in 1586. On to have been destroyed, and which has suffered the 26th of September a fire broke out in the cruel losses, has been able to resume its opera-"Cranach" house and reduced it to ashes, and tions, and is to-day in full activity." so one more of the classic edifices of the time of the Reformation is lost to us. Respecting projects of restoration he added: под most CHAPTER XV. A VERDICT ON THE JURY. As to the second inquest, I promised furnished these things in a handsome mauner, from his own great house some five miles distant. But in spite of the custom of the country, I was for keeping away from it all, upon so sad an occasion. And one or two more were for holding aloof, although they cast sheep's-eyes at it. However, the Crowner rubbed his hands, and sate down at the top of the table, and then the foreman sate down also, and said that, being so much upset, he was half inclined to take a glass of something weak. He, was recommended, if he felt like that, whatever he did, not to take it weak, but to think of his wife and family; for who could say what such a turn might lead to, if neglected? And this reflection had such weight, that instead of mixing for himself, he allowed a friend to mix for him. "If you please, sir, they are all stretched out, and I am not afraid of them;" he said to me as I went to console him: The Crowner said, "Now, gentlemen "father cannot look at them; but mother in the presence of such fearful trouble and and I are not afraid. They are placed ac-heavy blows from Providence, no man has cording to their ages, face after face, and foot after foot. And I am sure they never meant it, sir, when they used to kick me out of bed and oftentimes I deserved it." I thought much less of those five great corpses than of the gentle and loving boy who had girt up his heart to conquer fear, and who tried to think evil of himself for the comforting of his brethren's souls. But he nearly broke down when the jurymen came; and I begged them to spare him the pain and trial of going before the Coroner to identify the bodies, which I could do as well as any one; and to this they all agreed. When we returned to the long oak parlour, we found that the dignity of the house was maintained in a way which astonished us. There had been some little refreshment before, especially for his- Honour; any right to give the rein to his own feelings. It is his duty, as a man, to control his sad emotions; and his duty as a family-man, to attend to his constitution." With these words he lit a pipe, and poured himself a glass of Hollands, looking sadly upward, so that the measure quite escaped him. "Gentlemen of the jury," he continued with such authority, that the jury were almost ready to think that they must have begun to be gentlemen- till they looked at one another; "gentlemen of the jury, life is short, and trouble long. I have sate upon hundreds of poor people who destroyed themselves by nothing else than want of self-preservation. I have made it my duty officially to discourage such shortcomings. Mr. Foreman, be good enough to send the lemons this way; and when ready for business, say so." Crowner Bowles was now as pleasant but now all these things were cleared as he had been grumpy in the morning; away, and the table was spread with a and finding him so, we did our best to noble sight of glasses, and bottles, and keep him in that humour. Neither was it silver implements, fit for the mess of an long before he expressed himself in terms admiral. Neither were these meant for which were an honour alike to his heart show alone, inasmuch as to make them and head. For he told us, in so many useful, there was water cold and water hot, words though I was not of the jury also lemons, and sugar, and nutmeg, and aj now, nevertheless I held on to them, and great black George of ale, a row of pipes, having been foreman just now, could not and a jar of tobacco, also a middling keg be, for a matter of form, when it came to of Hollands, and an anker of old rum. At glasses, cold-shouldered, worthy Crownfirst we could hardly believe our eyes, er Bowles, I say, before he had stirred knowing how poor and desolate, both of many slices of lemon, told us all, in so food and furniture, that old grange had many words- and the more, the more always been. But presently one of us hap- we were pleased with them that for a pened to guess, and Hezekiah confirmed it, thoroughly honest, intelligent, and hardthat the lord of the manor had taken com- working jury, commend him henceforth passion upon his afflicted tenant, and had' and as long as he held his Majesty's sign manual, to a jury made of Newton parish | moving; and Simon backed further and and of Kenfig burgesses! further away, without any power to gaze We drank his health with bumpers elsewhere. Then Evan Thomas turned round, every man upon his legs, and then three cheers for his lordship; until his clerk, who was rather sober, put his thumb up, and said "Stop." And from the way he went on jerking with his narrow shoulders, we saw that he would recall our thoughts to the hall that had no door to it. Then following his looks, we saw the distance of the silence. This took us all aback so much, that we had in the witnesses-of whom I the head-man was there already- and for fear of their being nervous, and so confusing testimony, gave them a cordial after swearing. Everybody knew exactly what each one of them had to say. Bnt it would have been very hard, and might have done them an injury, not to let them say it. The Coroner, having found no need to charge (except his runner), left his men for a little while to deliberate their verdict. "Visitation of God, of course it must be," Stradling Williams began to say; "visitation of Almighty God." Some of the jury took the pipes out of their mouths and nodded at him, while they blew a ring of smoke; and others nodded without that trouble; and all seemed going pleasantly. When suddenly a little fellow, whose name was Simon Edwards, a brother of the primitive Christians, or at least of their minister, being made pugnacious by ardent spirits, rose, and holding the arm of his chair, thus delivered his sentiments; speaking, of course, in his native tongue. 66 6 for what can be clearer than eyesight? Many things, too, which brave seamen have beheld, and can declare; but as for Head-man, and brothers of the jury, I- landsmen's superstitions, I scarcely cared I-I do altogether refuse and deny the good- to laugh at them. However, strange ness of that judgment. The only judg-enough it is, all black Evan said came ment I will certify is in the lining of my true, Simon Edwards first went off, by hat, Judgment of Almighty God, for falling into Newton Wayn, after keeping rabbiting on the Sabbath-day.' Hezekiah it up too late at chapel. And after him Perkins, I call upon thee, as a brother the other five, all within the twelvemonth; Christian, and a consistent member, to stand on the side of the Lord with me." His power of standing on any side was by this time, however, exhausted; and falling into his chair, he turned pale, and shrunk to the very back of it. For over against him stood Evan Thomas, whom none of us had seen till then. It was a sight that sobered us, and made the blood fly from our cheeks, and forced us to set down the glass. The face of black Evan was ashy grey, and his heavy square shoulders slouching forward, and his hands hung by his side. Only his deep eyes shone without some in their beds, and some abroad, but all gone to their last account. And heartily glad I was, for my part (as one after other they dropped off thus), not to have served on that second jury; and heartily sorry I was also that brother Hezekiah had not taken the luck to behold the white horse. Plain enough it will be now, to any one who knows our parts, that after what Evan Thomas said, and the way in which he withdrew from us, the only desire the jury had was to gratify him with their verdict, and to hasten home, ere the dark should fall, and no man to walk by him |