the fame fteps, as we had done in the bufinefs of the circumcifion, and a faadi came to my apartment, accompanied by a prieft of his fect. The prieft carried in his bofom a large ferpent of a dufky green and copper colour, which he was continually handling; and after having recited a prayer, he delivered it to the faadi. I obferved, that the teeth of the reptile had been extracted; it was, however, very lively.

With a vigorous hand, the faadi feized the ferpent, which twisted itself round his naked arm. He began to appear agitated; his countenance was difcompofed; his eyes rolled; he uttered terrible cries, bit the animal in the head, and tore off a morfel, which we faw him chew and fwallow. On this his agitation became convulfive; his howlings were redoubled, his limbs writhed, his countenance affumed the features of madness, and his mouth, diftended by terrible grimaces, was all in a foam. Every now and then he devoured a fresh morfel of the reptile. Three men endeavoured to hold him, but he dragged them all three round the chamber. His arms were thrown about with violence on all fides, and ftruck every thing within their reach. Eager to avoid him, Mr. Forneti and I were obliged fometimes to cling to the wall, to let him pafs, and escape his blows. We could

have

have wifhed the madman far away. At length the priest took the ferpent from him; but his madness. and convulfions did not ceafe immediately; he bit his hands, and his fury continued. The priest then grasped him in his arms, paffed his hand gently down his back, lifted him from the ground, and recited fome prayers. By degrees his agitation diminished, and fubfided into a state of complete laffitude, in which he remained a few mo

ments.

The Turks, who were prefent at this ridiculous and difgufting ceremony, were firmly perfuaded of the reality of this religious fury: and it is very certain, that, whether it were reality, or imposture, it is impoffible to fee the tranfports of rage and madness exhibited in a more ftriking manner, or have before your eyes a man in a state more calculated to inspire terror.

The great number of these ferpent-eaters has led fome to believe, and in particular Dr. Shaw, that they feed upon these reptiles. According to this English traveller, there are more than four thousand perfons, in Cairo and it's environs, who live wholly on ferpents.* This, however, is a mif

* Shaw's Travels, vol. ii.

take.

take. Serpents make no difh at the tables of the faadis; and though in their ceremonies they devour a few raw and alive, they by no means use them as food. In Egypt thefe men are much refpected; but they are only laughed at by the Turks in other parts of the Ottoman empire.

I had an opportunity of converfing with a fheik, or prieft, of this fect, who was a man of great candour; for, while he affured me, that several of them had an extraordinary power over ferpents, he confeffed, that he had not the leaft claim to it, but, on the contrary, was much afraid of them. From this priest I learned a few particulars, which I fhall relate. That they may have ferpents always ready when wanted, they keep them in their houfes; but they take the precaution, to extract their teeth. If any perfon be bitten by a ferpent, he runs to a faadi, who fays a few words over the wound, fcarifies the part with a razor, and, after having filled his mouth with lemon-juice, fucks out the blood repeatedly. Thefe men cure likewife the ferpent's breath, a name which they give to certain inflammatory puftules, to which thofe who fleep in the open air with any part of the body uncovered are liable, and which they pretend, are accafioned by the peftilential breath of a ferpent. The remedy they employ is cerufe mixed

with oil of fefamum. With this liniment they rub the puftules, never failing at the fame time to mumble out certain words, without which no application would have any effect. Such is the lot of human kind, that there is not a people in the univerfe, of whofe hiftory many pages are not occupied by fuperftition.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXIV.

Winter-Eel of the Nile-Turtle-Birds-The Nightingale-Bird of Prey-The little Owl— White Wagtail-Kingfishers — Heron — Purple Gallinule-Spur-winged Plovers-Hoopoes-Te

nebrio-Orange-trees-Onions-Garlic-Lettuce Colocafia - Ichneumon· -Ichneumon-Thaleb- Manner in which the Africans diftinguish Men-Rats and Mice -Sheep-Goat-Preparations for quitting Rofetta -Meteorological Obfervations-Gales of Wind from the South.

F there be any thing capable of confoling us

for the errors that torment mankind, and are fo frequently the cause of mifery to them, it is unqueftionably the contemplation of nature. In my frequent vifits to the country round Rofetta, I forgot the abfurdities and evils, which tyrannize over every fociety of men, and the gloomy fhades of melancholy, that occupied my mind, gave way to more pleafing thoughts.

The end of December was now arrived, which is the depth of winter in this country. The winds

raged