black, the nails of the toes and fingers of a deep red, and the whole
of the feet and hands of a yellow colour, by different preparations of
henna. This operation is the most unpleasant that can be imagined. The
Persians do not shave the whole of the head, as is usual with most of
the Turks and Arabs, but, taking of all the hair from the forehead,
over the crown, and down the neck, for about a hand's breadth,
they leave on each side two large bushy masses depending over their
shoulders. This, then, with a very long and full beard, in which all
the people here take pride, is plastered with a thick paste, of the
consistence of hog's lard, and not less than two pounds weight
of which is sometimes used on one person. It possesses a strongly
astringent and penetrating quality, and requires great skill in the
use of it, to avoid doing considerable mischief. As the eye-brows are
plastered with it, as well as the rest of the hair, and as it softens
by the heat of the room and of the body, it frequently steals into the
eyes, and produces great pain.

"When all is finished, and the visiter leaves the inner bath, he is
furnished with two cloths only, one for the waist, and the other to
throw loosely over the head and shoulders: he then goes into the outer
room into a colder air, thus thinly clad, and without slippers or
pattens; no bed is prepared for him, nor is he again attended to by
any one, unless he demands a nargeel to smoke; but, most generally, he
dresses himself in haste, and departs."

ORIGIN OF PSALMODY.

In D'Israeli's _Curiosities of Literature_, there is an amusing and
instructive account of the _Origin of Psalm-Singing_. It appears
that Psalms in verse were first written by that elegant French poet,
Clement Marot, the favoured court bard of Francis I., who was termed
by his _un-envious_ brother poets, "the poet of princes." They were
published at Paris, and the volume contained fifty Psalms, written in
various measures, and, which, from the beauty of their composition,
(some specimens of which we have seen,) appear to be worthy of the
muse of Marot. This "Holy Song Book," as he entitled it, was "humbly
dedicated to the powerful King of France," and being considered by the
volatile French people as an amusing novelty, it sold faster than
any book of that period. In fact, the printers could not supply
impressions fast enough for the demand; and, as the Psalms were
considered in the light of ballads, they wer