in the evening, two or three messes of stewed meat, vegetables, and sour milk. To me, the privilege of a knife, and spoon, and plate was granted; but the rest all helped themselves immediately from the dish—in which it was no uncommon thing to see more than five Arab fingers at one time. Their bread, which is extremely thin, tearing and folding up like a sheet of paper, is used for the purpose of rolling together a large mouthful, or sopping up the fluid and vegetables. When the master of the house found in the dish any dainty morsel, he took it out with his fingers, and applied it to my mouth. This was true Syrian courtesy and hospitality; and had I been sufficiently well bred, my mouth would have opened to receive it. On my pointing to the plate, however, he had the goodness to deposit the choice morsel there. I would not have noticed so trivial a circumstance, if it did not exactly illustrate what the Evangelists record of the Last Supper."— JOWETT's Christian Researches, p. 284.

EGYPTIAN MEALS.

The Egyptians are very hospitable in inviting strangers to eat with them. A round tray of tinned copper, or sometimes of brass, serves as a table, being placed upon a stool, about fifteen inches high. If the party be numerous, the tray is placed in the middle of the room, and they sit round it with one knee on the ground, and the other (the right) raised; and in this manner, as many as twelve may sit round a tray three feet wide. Each person bares his right arm to the elbow, or tucks up the hanging end of his sleeve. Before he begins to eat, he says, In the name of God.'* This is generally said in a low but audible voice, and by the master of the house first; and is both a grace and an invitation to partake of the meal. The master of the house first begins to eat, and the guests follow his example. Nei

* In allusion to a similar custom, St. Paul may have exhorted Christians to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus.

ther knives nor forks are used, but the thumb and two fingers of the right hand serve instead; but spoons are served for soup or rice, and both hands may be used in particular cases. When there are several dishes upon the tray, each person takes of any that he likes, or of every one in succession; when only one dish is placed on the tray at a time, each takes from it a few mouthfuls, and it is quickly removed to make place for another. To pick out a delicate morsel and hand it to a friend, is esteemed polite. This manner of eating with the fingers is more delicate than may be imagined by those who have not witnessed it. Each person breaks off a small piece of bread, dips it in the dish, and then conveys it to his mouth, together with a small portion

of the meat, or other contents of the dish ; or he merely sops his morsel of bread in the dish. The piece of bread is generally doubled together, so as to enclose the morsel of meat, &c., and only the thumb and the first and second fingers are commonly used.-See LANE'S Modern Egyptians, vol. i. pp. 177-179.

When Mr. Morier was in Persia, himself and his friends were invited to an entertainment by one of the chief men of the state. He writes," On the day appointed, as is usual in Persia, a messenger came to us about five o'clock in the evening to bid us to the feast. I might make use of scriptural language to commence my narration : A certain man made a great supper, and bade many and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.' The difficulty which infidels have made to the passage, of which this is the commencement, arises from the apparent harshness of asking people to an entertainment, and giving them no option, by punishing them, in fact, for their refusal. Whereas all the guests to whom, when the supper was ready, the servant was sent, had already accepted the invitation, and were, therefore, already pledged to appear at the feast at the hour when they might be summoned. They were not taken unprepared, and could not, in consistency or decency, plead any prior engagement. On alighting at the house, we were conducted through mean and obscure passages to a small square court, surrounded by apartments, which were the habitations of the women, who had been dislodged on the occasion; and as we entered into a low room, we there found our host waiting for us, with about a dozen more of his friends. The ambassador (from England, whom Mr. Morier accompanied) was placed in the corner of honour, near the window, and the host next to him, on his left hand. The other guests were arranged around the room, according to their respective ranks..

"When a Persian enters an assembly, after having

left his shoes without, he makes the usual salutation of 'Peace be unto you,' which is addressed to the whole assembly, as it were saluting the house, and then measuring with his eye the degree of rank to which he holds himself entitled, he straightway wedges himself into the line of guests, without offering any apology for the general disturbance which he produces. It may be conceived that, among a vain people, the disputes which arise on matters of precedence are numerous; and it was easy to observe, by the countenance of those present, when any one had taken a higher seat than that to which he was entitled. The Persian scribes are remarkable for their arrogance in this respect; and bring to mind the caution that our Saviour gave to the Jews against their scribes, whom among other things he characterises as loving the uppermost rooms at feasts.' The master of the entertainment has, however, the privilege of placing any one as high in the ranks of the assembly as he may choose, and we saw an instance of it on this occasion; for, when the assembly was nearly full, the Governor of Kashan, a man of humble mien, though of considerable rank, came in, and had seated himself at the lowest place, when the host, after having testified his particular attentions to him by numerous expressions of welcome, pointed with his hand to an upper seat in the assembly, to which he desired him to move, which he accordingly did. What a strong analogy is here between the manners of the Jews and those of the Persians!" MORIER'S Second Journey through Persia, pp. 142-144.

GOVERNOR OF THE FEAST.

JOHN ii. 8-10.

"And (Jesus) saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast....When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,...the

*Matt. x. 12.

governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him,...Thou hast kept the good wine until now."

The " governor of the feast” was the person to whom

the charge of everything concerning it was committed. He was "the husband's friend, and commissioned to conduct the order and economy of the feast. He gave directions to the servants, superintended everything, commanded the tables to be covered, or to be cleared of the dishes, as he thought proper. He tasted the wine, and distributed it to the guests. The author of Ecclesiasticus thus describes his office (ch. xxxii). 'If thou be made the master of a feast, lift not thyself up, but be among them as one of the rest; take diligent care of them, and so sit down. And when thou hast done all thy office, take thy place, that thou mayest be merry with them, and receive a crown for the well ordering of the feast.""-CALMET.

PORTIONS SENT FROM THE TABLES OF GREAT MEN.

GENESIS xliii. 34.

"And he took and sent messes unto them from before him but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs...."

It is still regarded as a distinction of value to have any portion from the table of a monarch, or of a great man. When a celebrated traveller dined in the presence of an Eastern sovereign, he was thought to be greatly honoured, because the king tore off a handful of meat from the joint and sent it to him. A Dutch ambassador, in similar circumstances, mentions it as a mark of great honour that some bones of mutton, with half the meat gnawed off them, were sent him from the table of the emperor. Sir J. Chardin observes that the great men of the state are always by themselves, and are served with great profusion, their part of each kind of provision being always double, treble, or a larger proportion