deo 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 207. 



Comparing the initiatory undertaking or co- 

 Tenant of the Druses, as represented by Col. 

 Churchill in his very important disclosures (Le- 

 lanon, ii. 244.), with the original Arabic, and the 

 German translation of Eichhorn {Bepertorium fib' 

 Bill, unci Morgeidand, lib. xii. 222.), I find that 

 the following additions made by Col. Churchill (or 

 De Sacy, whom he follows) are not in the Arabic, 

 but appear to be glosses or amplifications. For 

 example : 



" I put my trust and confidence in our Lord Hakcm, 

 the One, the Eternal, without attribute and without 

 number." 



" That in serving Him he will serve no other, 

 whether past, present, or to come." 



" To the observance of which he sacredly binds him- 

 self by the present contract and engagement, should he 

 ever reveal the least portion of it to others." 



" The most High, King of Kings, [the creator] of 

 the heaven and the earth." 



« Mighty and irresistible [force]." 



Col. Churchill, although furnishing the amplest 

 account which has yet appeared of the Druse re- 

 ligion, secretly held under the colour of Maho- 

 metanism, has referred very sparingly to the cate- 

 chisms of this sect, which, being for the especial 

 instruction of the two degrees of monothelsts, 

 constitute the most authentic source of accurate 

 knowledge of their faith and practices, and which 

 are to be found- in the original Arabic, with a 

 German triinslation in Elchhorn's llepei-torium 

 (xii. 155. 202.). In the same work (xiv. 1., xvii. 

 27.), Bruns (Kennicott's colleague) has furnished 

 from Abulfaragius a biography of Ilamsah, the 

 Hakem ; and Adler (xv. 265.) has extracted, from 

 Tarious oriental sources, historical notices of the 

 founder of the Druses. 



The subject is peculiarly interesting at the 

 present juncture, as it is probable that the Chinese 

 religious movement, partaking of a peculiar kind 

 ©f Christianity, may have originated amongst the 

 Druses, who appear from Col. Churchill to have 

 been in expectation of some such movement in 

 India or China in connexion with a re-appearance 

 of the Hakem. T. J. Buckton. 



Birmingham. 



rOLK LORE. 



Legends of the County Clare. — How TJssheen 

 (^Ossian) visited the Land of " Thiemah Ogieh^' (the 

 Country of perpetual YoutK). — Once upon a time, 

 when Ussheen was in the full vigour of his youth, 

 it happened that^atigued with the chace, and sepa- 

 rated from his companions, he stretched himself 

 vnder a tree to rest, and soon fell asleep. "Awaking 

 with a start," he saw a lady, richly clothed and of 

 ■lore than mortal beauty, gazing on him ; nor was it 



long until she made him understand that a warmer 

 feeling than mere curiosity had attracted her ; nor 

 was Ussheen long in responding to it. The lady 

 then explained that she was not of mortal birth, 

 and that he who wooed an immortal bride must 

 be prepared to encounter dangers such as would 

 appal the ordinary race of men. Ussheen, with- 

 out hesitation, declared his readiness to encounter 

 any foe, mortal or immortal, that might be opposed 

 to him in her service. The lady then declared 

 herself to be the queen of "Thiernah Ogieh," 

 and invited him to accompany her thither and 

 share her throne. They then set out on their 

 journey, one in all respects similar to that under- 

 taken by Thomas the Rhymer and the queen of 

 Faerie, and having overcome all obstacles, arrived 

 at " the land of perpetual youth," where all the 

 delights of the teri-estrial paradise were thrown, 

 open to Ussheen, to be enjoyed with only one 

 restriction. A broad flat stone was pointed out 

 to him in one part of the palace garden, on which 

 he was forbidden to stand, under penalty of the 

 heaviest misfortune. One day, however, finding 

 himself near the fatal stone, the temptation to 

 stand on it became irresistible, and he yielded to 

 it, and immediately found himself in full view of 

 his native land, the existence of which he had 

 forgotten from the moment he had entered the 

 kingdom of Thiernah Ogieh. But alas ! how was 

 it changed from that counti'y he had left only a 

 few days since, for " the strong had become weak," 

 and " the brave become cowards," while oppres- 

 sion and violence held undisputed sway through 

 land. Overcome with grief, he hastened to the 

 the queen to beg that he might be restored to 

 his country without delay, that he might endea- 

 vour to apply some remedy to its misfortunes. 

 The queen's prophetic skill made her aware of 

 Ussheen's transgression of her commands before 

 he spoke, and she exerted all her persuasive 

 powers to prevail upon him to give up his desire 

 to return to Erin, but in vain. She then asked 

 him how long he supposed he had been absent 

 from his native land, and on his answering " thrice 

 seven days," she amazed him by declaring that 

 three times thrice seven years had elapsed since 

 his arrival at the kingdom of Thiernah Ogieh; 

 and though Time had no power to enter that land, 

 it would immediately assert its dominion over him 

 if he left it. At length she persuaded him to 

 promise that he would return to his country for 

 only one day, and then come back to dwell with her 

 for ever ; and she gave him a jet-black horse of 

 surpassing beauty, from whose back she charged 

 him on no account to alight, or at all events not 

 to allow the bridle to fall from his hand. She 

 farther endued him with wisdom and knowledge 

 far surpassing that of men. Having mounted his 

 fairy steed, he soon found himself approaching his 

 former home ; and as he journeyed he met a man 



