to be cenfured for want of candour than pitied for want of fenfibility. Of Paradife Regained, the genenow to be ral judgment teems right, that it is in many parts elegant, and every-where inftructive. It was not to be fapposed that the writer of Paradife Loft could ever write without great effufions of fancy, and exalted precepts of The bans of Paradife Regained is narrow; a dialogue without action can never please like an union of the narrative and dramatick powers. Had this poem been written not by Milton, but by fome imitator, it would have claimed and received univerfal praise. wildom. Of the Cuftoms and Characters of T RAVELLERS, in general, do not appear to have conceived a juft idea of the fituation of Women in many Eastern countries. They are, for the most part, confidered by them as of Imall confequence in the ft te: they are reprefented as mere flaves to the paifions of the ftronger fex: and because the great men keep many beautiful Circaffians locked up from public view, a proper di tinétion; does not feem always to have been made between them and free-born women. But an attention to the languages and cuftoms of Afia, will give us reafon to believe, that fuch indifcriminate obfervations are partial, fuperficial, and inconclufive. I have already thrown out fome ideas on this fubject: and fhall here offer a few more facts, which appear to ftreng- In Arabia, very early, we find or confent. To this confideration and weight, which property, by the laws and cuitoms of the Arabians, gave to the female fex, it may even perhaps be no extravagant ftretch of thought, to trace the fuccefs, if not the origin, of a religion, which, from the extenfivenets of its operations, may be confidered as one of the greateft events in the history of mankind, Poverty, as Cardinal de Retz juftly obferves, is the grave of many a great defign. And fo low in circumstances was Mohammed, in the early part of life, that had it not been for the weight and power which he derived from his marriage with a rich widow, his enthufiafm might, perhaps, have juft exifted and exHis father pired with himself. Abdallah was a younger fon of Abdollmotalleb, chief of the Koreifh tribe; but, dying young, he left Mohammed and his mother, for all their eftate, only five caan Ethiopian flave. When mels and D 4 When he arrived at man's eftate, his fortune was, of confequence, fo humble, that he was recommended by his uncle as factor to the widow Khadijah; who carried on an extenfive trade with Syria and other countries. This lady was of a noble family, and of the fame tribe. She had been twice married he had been largely left by both husbands: and had improved the whole by commerce. Her young factor was efteemed the handfoment man of his age: his genius was quick and his address infinuating. She made him her third husband; and, with her hand, he gave him the difpofal of her fortune. Being a man of birth, this raised him at once, from a menial station, to a level with the first nobles of Arabia; and gave him confequence, independence, and leifure, fufficient to prepare the plans for his future greatnefs. It was fifteen years after this marriage before he publicly affumed the prophetic character: and he then met with fuch vigorous oppofition, particularly from the leading men of his own tribe, that, nearly crushed as he often was, he must probably have been quite overwhelmed, had not his riches, by increafing his power, his importance, and his profelytes, furnished him with refources to overcome difficulties, which might otherwife have baffled all the vigour of his genius. The Prophet, at his death, left many widows: four of whom, whilft they lived, had confiderable weight in the councils of the Arabs. But the influence of Ayesha, whom they dignified with the title of Mother of the Faithful, was almost unbounded. Ali, as fon in-law and coufin-german to Mohammed, was generally confidered as his fucceffor: but he had incurred the difpleasure of Ayesha, whom he had once, with many others, accused of incontinence: and fhe never forgave him. Her father Abubeker owed his elevation to the Khalifat chiefly to her addrefs. Upon his decease, the fupported Omar. She was chief confpirator against Othman, the fucceffor of Omar. And when Ali, at length, fucceeded to the Khalifat, fhe headed a formidable rebellion against him. She took Bafrah; and gave him battle near that place. This famous action is called Yumu' l'jamal, the day of the camel, from a large white one, upon which the was mounted. She rode through the ranks; and, to animate her troops, fhe drove into the thickest of the battle. Seventy hands, it is faid, were ftruck off, in attempting to feize her bridle. And, when the legs of her camel were at length cut off, the carriage in which the fat resembled a porcupine, from the number of javelins aud arrows with which it was transfixed. The fuperior generalship of Ali prevailed; her army, though more numerous, was routed; and the fell into the hands of the Khalif. When brought before him, he faid, "What doft thou think of the work of God to thee?" She answered, Thou has conquer"ed, O Ali! be merciful." The generous Ali did fhow her mercy. He fent her to Medina, attended by feventy women in men's apparel; where he was ordered to confine herself to her house, and to meddle no more in ftate affairs. On the death of Ali, however, the recovered her influence; and, many many years afterwards, when Moawiyah wished to make the Khalifat hereditary in his family, he thought it neceffary to secure her intereft, by a prefent of bracelets valued at 150,000 dinars, near 70,000l. The Arabian women of rank feem indeed to have taken a very active concern both in civil and military affairs, At the battle of Ohod, where Mohammed was defeated by the Pagan Meccans, the referve, we find, was led on by Henda, the wife of Abu Sofian, a man of the first rank. She was accompanied by fifteen other wo men of distinction; who, with mufic and exhortations, animated the troops. By their spirit and reproaches they were repeatedly rallied, when retiring before Mohammed and by them, in a great measure, was the fortune of the day decided. One of the moft confiderable of the prophet's oppofers, was a lady called Forka; who feems to have answered exactly the defcription of a feudal peerefs in the middle ages of Europe. She was poffeffed of territory, of a caftle, and of great riches and confideration. Her troops had checked the inroads of the Prophet's marauding parties; and Zeid, one of his chief generals, was sent to reduce her to obedience. The defence of her caftle was obftinate: but it was at length taken by ftorm: and the lady, with part of her garrison, were killed. Amongst other captives was Forka's young daughter and heiress; who, with all her wealth, became the prize of the conqueror. Many other examples might be given; but it may be fufficient, for the prefent fubject, to obferve in general, that the dignified be haviour, which diftinguished the Arabian women, long before and after Mohammed, points clearly to a consciousness of their own importance: to which an habitual flavery and fubjection could never poffibly have given birth. Numberless inftances of the confequence of women might be brought alfo from Perfia, Tartary, and other Eaftern countries. But I must again beg the reader to remember, that the limits of these fketches will not permit me to enter into details; or to prefent to his attention any thing but mere outlines. It is certain, among other privileges, that they poffeffed the right of fucceffion to the throne; and often acted as regents during the minority of their fons. Touran dokht and Azurmi dokht, the daughters of Khofrou Parvis, were fucceffively the reigning queens of Perfia, a few years before the Mohammedan conqueft.-About the beginning of the tenth century, queen Seidet was regent, during the non-age of her fon, and governed with much wisdom. When he took the reins of government, he appointed the famous phyfician Avicenna to be his vizir. public affairs being managed with much imprudence, the queen mother, finding herself treated with indignity, retired from court; and, raifing an army, defeated her fon: whom, nevertheless, the restored to the throne; and affifted, from that time, with her councils. The kingdom flourished whilft fhe lived: but on her death, the powerful Sultan Mahmoud of Ghezna, who had ever treated her with much refpect, attacked her diffipated fon, and annexed Perfia to his empire. But, According According to Abulgazi Khan, by the ancient laws of the Moguls, a prince could not reign till he was thirty years of age: on which occafions, the queen mother acted always as regent. He gives an inftance, in this place, of a princefs, named Alcana, (from whom Jengiz Khan derived defcent) who governed her people, for many years, during the minority of her fon. Turkhan Khatun, a Tartar lady, mother of Mohammed, Sultan of Kharezmé, was a princess of uncommon abilities, and had fuch an afcendancy over her fon, that he, in a great measure, governed the kingdom; which, before the invafion of Jengiz Khan, was confidered as the most powerful in the Eaft: and the court the most mag. nificent and polite. Yet ladies of the first diftinction thought it not inconfiftent with the delicacy of their fex to take the field against the Moguls. They made alfo many fallies during the fiege of the capital; which held out, near twelve months, against a prodigious army commanded by three of Jengiz Khan's fons. And, when it was taken at laft by affault, the inhabitants, male and female, retired, fighting, from house to house, and from street to ftreet; till, according to the lowest computation, above a hundred thoufand were killed. The fpirit, indeed, of the Kharezmian women, has induced fome writers to confider them as the defcendants of the ancient Amazons. into four claffes, at the head of which he places the Women: and oblerves, that much of his fuccefs will depend upon the manner in which he conducts himself towards them. The first clats that claims your notice, fays he, are the principal Women: the next; the King's Sons; after them, the great Omras: and, last of all, the inferior Minifters. Altun Tash, continues the Vizir, was the first Omra of the Divan, in the reign of Sultan Mahmoud of Ghezna. When the government of Kharezmé being vacant, he folicited the appointment. As he was efteemed the chief pillar of the throne, the court was furprized, that he should have accepted it. And a friend begging of him to know, what could induce him to refign the power he had over fo vaft an empire, to take the charge of a Altum Tafh replied, "By the corner: now disclose to you I have not revealed to any living foul. It "was the enmity of Jemila Kan"dahari, and that only, which "made me give up the power I had over this great empire. "For, many years have the affairs "thereof been under my manage ment: and, in that time, what"ever I tied the unloofed; and "whatever I unloofed the tied. "What the refolved upon I was incapable of oppofing; and "whatever the oppofed it was in "vain for me to attempt. Vexed The Vizir Nezam gives many "with being continually foiled, inftances of the political influence "and enable to apply a remedy, of the Women in Eaftern courts; "the world appeared dark in my and is at infinite pains to advise "eyes; and I voluntarily threw his fon to pay to them the highest myfelf into this retirement, attention. He divides the court" where I truft in God I fhall be " "fafe : fafe from the effects of her re"fentment." We must not fuppofe, that this female influence was thus powerful in the court of a weak or a diffipated prince: for Mahmoud was one of the greateft monarchs that ever reigned: almost the whole of his great empire he had conquered himfelt; and it was governed intirely under his own inspection. Jemila Kandahari appears to have been the first lady of the bed-chamber to Mahmoud's Sultana: and her refentment againft Altun Tafh, was owing to his opposition to the Vizir Ahmen Haffan, whom the patronized. Gallantry, at the lame time, does not appear to have had any concern in her operations for Nezam obferves, that, though her favourite Ahmed correfponded with her often, they did not fee one another perhaps once in twelve months. Marriage fettlements and portions given with daughters, or fifters, appear to be of great antiquity in Arabia: for, long before Mohammed, they had refined fo much upon them, that it became common, where two men were obliged to give great fortunes with their female relations, to evade payment, by making a double marriage; one efpoufing the daughter or fifter of the other; and giving his daughter or fifter in return. This practice, which they called Shigar, probably with the view of encouraging alliances among different tribes, or preventing too much wealth from accumulating in particular families, Mohammed declared to be illegal in the Alcoran.-The feparate property, or paraphernalia, which the wife enjoyed, feems to have been the produce of fuch prefents as the bride received from her friends or from her future husband, before marriage. Those of the bridegroom, which were called Nukl, had no fixed medium; being proportioned to his affection, to his fortune, and often to his oftentation: for it was customary to fend thofe prefents, a day or two before the nuptials, with great pomp, from his houfe to the dwelling of the bride. And although the whole might have been carried, perhaps with ease, by one or two camels, horfes, or fervants, they would frequently make a procefiion of ten, twenty, thirty, or more: every one bearing fomething, fet off with ornaments, in a gay fhewy manner. Their marriage ceremonies, in the Eat, feem indeed to have been, in all times, attended with much feftivity and public parade. All the friends of both families affembled: and, where the fortune or the vanity of the bridegroom, or father of the bride, were confiderable, they were in general very expenfive. The nuptials of perfons of high rank, were astonishingly fplendid. The marriage of the Khalif Almamoun with the daughter of Haffan Sahal, governor of Babylonian Irak, was attended with almost incredible expence. Slaves of both fexes, with other rich prefents, were fent by the governor to every grandee. He defrayed the expence of the whole court and of the Khaliff's guards, during that prince's refidence at Fommalialeh, where Haflan Sahal generally lived. The roads from thence to Baghdad, for near a hundred miles, were covered with mats of gold and filver ftuff: and the bride's head drefs was adorned |