de of
him, chanted the lesson of the day in a loud voice: the book was then
replaced in the sanctuary, and the service concluded. The women are not
admitted into the synagogue, but are permitted to view the ceremonies
from a grated gallery set apart for them. However, they seldom attend,
as it seems they are not accounted equal to the men either in body or
soul, and trouble themselves very little with matters of religion.

The house of Rabbi A----, with whom I was acquainted, answered exactly
to Sir Walter Scott's description of the dwelling of Isaac of York. The
outside of the house and the court-yard indicated nothing but poverty
and neglect; but on entering I was surprised at the magnificence of the
furniture. One room had a silver chandelier, and a great quantity of
embossed plate was displayed on the top of the polished cupboards. Some
of the windows were filled with painted glass; and the members of the
family, covered with gold and jewels, were seated on divans of Damascus
brocade. The Rabbi's little son was so covered with charms in gold cases
to keep off the evil eye, that he jingled like a chime of bells when he
walked along; and a still younger boy, whom I had never seen before, was
on this day exalted to the dignity of wearing trousers, which were of
red stuff, embroidered with gold, and were brought in by his nurse and a
number of other women in procession, and borne on high before him as he
was dragged round the room howling and crying without any nether garment
on at all. He was walked round again after his superb trousers were put
on, and very uncomfortable he seemed to be, but doubtless the honour of
the thing consoled him, and he waddled out into the court with an air of
conscious dignity.

The learning of the rabbis is now at a very low ebb, and few of them
thoroughly understand the ancient Hebrew tongue, although there are Jews
at Jerusalem who speak several languages, and are said to be well
acquainted with all the traditions of their fathers, and the mysterious
learning of the Cabala.

There is in the Holy Land another division of the children of Israel,
the Samaritans, who still keep up a separate form of religion. Their
synagogue at Nablous is a mean building, not unlike a poor Mahometan
mosque. Within it is a large, low, square chamber, the floor of which is
covered with matting. Round a part of the walls is a wooden shelf, on
which are laid above thirty manuscript _books_ of the Pentateuch wr