the slaves he has enjoyed also, which is done after this manner: The husband being dead, the widow may, if she will (but few do), demand two or three months respite, wherein to order her affairs. The day being come, she mounts on horseback, dressed as for her wedding, and with a cheerful countenance says she is going to sleep with her spouse, holding a looking-glass in her left hand, and an arrow in the other; being thus conducted in pomp, accompanied with her kindred and friends, and a great concourse of people, rejoicing, she is at last brought to the public place appointed for such spectacles. This is a spacious square, in the midst of which is a pit full of wood, and adjoining to it a mount raised four or five steps, upon which she is brought and served with a magnificent repast; which being done, she falls to dancing and singing, and gives order when she thinks fit to kindle the fire. This being performed, she descends, and taking the nearest of her husband's relations by the hand, they walk together to the river close by, where she strips herself stark naked, and, having distributed her clothes and jewels to her friends, plunges herself into the water, as if there to cleanse herself from her sins; coming out thence, she wraps herself in yellow linen of eight and twenty ells long; and again giving her hand to this kinsman of her husband's, they return back to the mount, where she makes a speech to the people, and recommends her children to them, if she have any. Betwixt the pit and the mount there is commonly a curtain drawn, to screen the burning furnace from their sight, which some of them, to manifest their great courage, forbid. Having ended what she has to say, a woman presents her with a vessel of oil, wherewith to anoint her head and her whole body; which having done with, she throws it into the fire, and in an instant precipitates herself after. Immediately the people throw a great many billets and logs upon her, that she may not be long in dying, and convert all their joy into sorrow and mourning. If they are persons of meaner condition, the body of the defunct is carried to the place of sepulture, and there placed sitting, the widow kneeling before him, and embracing the corpse closely, and thus remains, while they build round them a wall, which so soon as it is raised to the height of the woman's shoulders, some of her relations come behind her, and, taking hold of her head, writhe her neck; and so soon as she is dead the wall is presently raised up and closed, where they remain entombed. The Gymnoso0 burnt. There was in the same country, something like this in their Gymnosophists; for not by constraint of phists voluntarily others, nor by the impetuosity of a sudden humour, but by the express profession of their order, their custom was, so soon as they arrived at a certain age, or that they saw themselves threatened by any disease, to cause a funeral pile to be erected for them, and on the top a stately bed, where, after having joyfully feasted their friends and acquaintance, they lay them down with so great resolution that, fire being applied to it, they were never seen to stir hand or foot; and after this manner one of them, Calanus by name, expired in the presence of the whole army of Alexander the Great. And he was neither reputed holy nor happy amongst them that did not thus destroy himself; dismissing his soul, purged and purified by the fire, after having consumed all that was earthly and mortal. This constant premeditation of the whole life is that which makes the wonder. Amongst our other controversies, that as to the word fatum is also crept in; and, to tie things to come, and even our own wills, to a certain and inevitable necessity, we are still upon this argument of time past: "Since God foresees that all things shall so fall out, as doubtless he does, it must then necessarily follow that they must so fall out." To which our masters reply, "That the seeing any thing should come to pass, as we do, and as God himself also does (for, all things being present with him, he rather sees than foresees), is not to compel an event; that is, we see because things do fall 1 Quint. Curt. viii. 9; Strabo, xv. 2 Plutarch, Life of Alexander, c. 21. out, but things do not fall out because we see; events cause knowledge, but knowledge does not cause events. That which we see happen does happen; but it might have happened otherwise; and God, in the catalogue of the causes of events, which he has in his presence, has also those which we call accidental and involuntary, which depend upon the liberty he has given our free-will, and knows that we shall do amiss, because we would do so." Now I have seen a great many commanders encourage their soldiers with this fatal necessity; for, if our time be limited to a certain hour, neither the enemy's shot, nor our own boldness, nor our flight and cowardice, can either shorten or prolong our lives. This is easily said, but see who will be so persuaded; and if it be so that a strong and lively faith draws along with it actions of the same, certainly this faith we so much brag of is very light in this age of ours, unless the contempt it has of works makes it disdain their company. So it is that to this very purpose, the Sieur de Joinville, as credible a witness as any other whatever, tells us of the Bedouins, a nation amongst the Saracens, with whom the king St. Louis had to do in the Holy Land, that they in their religion did so firmly believe the number of every man's days to be from all eternity prefixed and set down by an inevitable decree, that they went naked to the wars, excepting a Turkish sword, and their bodies only covered with a white linen cloth; and, for the greatest curse they could utter when they were angry, this was always in their mouth: "Accursed be thou, as he that arms himself for fear of death." This is a testimony of faith very much beyond ours. And of this sort is that, also, that two monks of Florence gave in our fathers' days.2 Being engaged in some controversy of learning, they agreed to go both of them into the fire, in the public square, to prove the faith of each in his 1 Mem. de Joinville, c. 30. 2 On the 7th April, 1498. tory of the famous Jerome in the Mem. of Comines, See the his- Guicciardini, iii.; Bayle, at the word Savonarola; Sismondi, Republiques Italiennes, c. 98, vol. xii. arguments; and all things were prepared, and the thing just upon the point of execution, when it was interrupted by an unexpected accident. A young Turkish lord, having performed a notable exploit in his own person in the sight of both armies, that of Amurath and that of Huniades, ready to join battle, being asked by Amurath, who, in so tender and inexperienced years (for it was his first sally in arms), had inspired him with so brave a courage, replied that his chief tutor for valour was a hare; "For being," said he, "one day a hunting I found a hare sitting, and though I had a brace of excellent greyhounds with me, yet methought it would be best for sureness to make use of my bow; for she sat very fair. I then fell to letting fly my arrows, and shot forty that I had in my quiver, not only without hurting, but without starting her from her form. At last I slipped my dogs after her, but to no more purpose than I had shot. By which I understood that she had been secured by her destiny; and that neither darts nor swords can wound without the permission of fate, which we can neither hasten nor defer." This story may serve to let us see, by the way, how flexible our reason is to all sorts of images. A person of great years, name, dignity, and learning, boasted to me to have been induced to a certain very important mutation in his faith, by a strange, whimsical incitement, and otherwise so very inconclusive, that I thought it much stronger the contrary way; he called it a miracle, and I too, but in another sense. The Turkish historians say that the persuasion those of their nation have imprinted dation of the cour- in them of the fatal and unalterable prescription of their days does manifestly conduce to the giving them great assurance in dangers. And I know a great prince who makes a very fortunate use of it; whether it be that he does really believe it, or that he makes it his excuse for so wonderfully hazarding himself; may fortune be not too soon weary of her favour to him. The common foun age of the Turks. There has not happened in our memory a more admirable effect of resolution than in those two who conspired the death of the Prince of Orange.1 'Tis to be wondered at how the second that executed it, could ever be persuaded into an attempt wherein his companion, who had done his utmost, had had so ill success; and after the same method, and with the same arms, to go attack a prince, armed with so recent cause of distrust, powerful in followers and bodily strength, in his own hall, amidst his guards, and in a city wholly at his devotion. He assuredly employed a very resolute arm and courage, inflamed with furious passion. A poniard is sure for striking home; but, by reason that more motion and force of hand is required than with a pistol, the blow is more subject to be put by and hindered. That this man went to a certain death I make no doubt; for the hopes any one could flatter him withal could not find place in any sober understanding; and the conduct of his exploit sufficiently manifests that he had no want of that, any more than of courage. The motives of so powerful a persuasion may be diverse, for our fancy does what it will both with itself and us. The execution that was done near Orleans was nothing like this; 2 there was in that more of chance than vigour; the wound was not mortal if fortune had not made it so; and the attempt to shoot on horseback, and at a distance, and at one whose body was in motion by the moving of his horse, was the attempt of a man who had rather miss his blow than fail of saving himself, as was apparent by what followed after; for he was so astonished and stupefied with the thought of so high an execution, that he totally lost his judgment, both to find his way and govern his tongue. What needed he to have done more than to fly back to his friends and cross the river? 'Tis what I have done in less dangers, and I think of very little hazard, how broad soever the river may be, provided your horse have good going in, and 1 The founder of the Republic of Holland. On the 18th March, 1582, he was wounded with a pistol-shot by a Biscayan, named Tean de Jaureguy. Recovering from this, he was killed on the 10th July, that you see on the other side 1584, by a pistol-shot, in his house at Delft, by Balthazar Gerard, a native of Franche-Compté. 2 The assassination of the Duke of Guise, by Poitrot. |