f the weather, and invoke her
for such as they want. They assemble for the celebration of her
worship at full and change constantly. No inclemency of the
weather prevents them. And their behaviour at those times is indeed
very astonishing. They throw their bodies into a thousand different
distortions, and make mouths and faces strangely ridiculous and
horrid. Now they throw themselves flat on the ground, screaming
out a strange, unintelligible jargon. Then jumping up on a sudden,
and stamping like mad (insomuch that they make the ground shake),
they direct, with open throats, the following expressions, among
others, to the moon: '_I salute you; you are welcome. Grant us
fodder for our cattle and milk in abundance_.' These and other
addresses to the moon they repeat over and over, accompanying
them with dancing and clapping of hands. At the end of the dance
they sing '_Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!_' many times over, with a variation of
notes; which being accompanied with clapping of hands makes a
very odd and a very merry entertainment to a stranger." [201] In
reality they hold a primitive watch-night service; their welcome of
the new moon being very similar to our popular welcome of the new
year. Nor should it be omitted that the ancient Ethiopians
worshipped the moon; and that those who lived above Meroe
admitted the existence of eternal and incorruptible gods, among
which the moon ranked as a chief divinity.

Descending the Nile and crossing the Mediterranean, we come to
Greece.

"The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece
Where burning Sappho loved and sung,
Where grew the arts of war and peace,
Where Delos rose, and Phoebus sprung
Eternal summer gilds them yet,
But all, except their sun, is set." [202]

Yes, Pericles and Plato, Sophocles and Pheidias, are dust; and much
of their nation's pristine glory has "melted into the infinite azure of
the past": but the sun shines as youthful yet as on that eventful day
when unwearied he sank in ocean, "loth, and ere his time:

"So the sun sank, and all the host had rest
From onset and the changeful chance of war." [203]

Where Phoebus sprang, sprang Phoebe also--the bright and beautiful
moon. To a people addicted to the idolatry of perfect form and
comeliness, no object could be more attractive than the queen of the
night. When Socrates was accused of innovating upon the Greek
religion, and of ridiculing the Athenian deities, h