502 
Talk,” speaks rather maliciously. 
“«They present you (says he,) with a 
cup, and_you must drink of a slab- 
by stuff; but the meaning is, you 
must give them money ten times more 
than itis worth.” Mumming, or mask- 
ing, was also much practised; and 
Stow has preserved an account of a 
remarkable mummery in the manor 
of Kennington, ‘made by the citizens 
for the disport of the young Prince 
Richard, sonne to the Black Prince.” 
Tt is too long for insertion. 
These are a few of the most re- 
markable holidays growing out of 
national causes, and of which the anti- 
quity is so remote that it is almost 
impossible to trace their origin. ‘The 
great festivals of Christmas and Easter 
being connected with religion, an 
account of them is purposely omitted. 
One custom more it may be proper to 
notice, as it will show that charity, ‘as 
well as feasting, occasionally made up 
a part of the entertainment of our an- 
cestors. When any honest man had 
fallen into poverty, he was set up 
again by the contributions of his friends 
at a feast called Bid-ale, from the 
Saxon word Bidden, to pray or suppli- 
cate. It was most used in the west of 
England, and in some counties called 
a Help-ale. At christenings, in the 
north, it is still customary among poor 
people to make collections from the 
guests, to defray the expense of the 
entertainment. 
A good treatise on popular sports 
and games is a desideratum. Mr. 
Bourne’s “‘ Antiquitates Vulgares” is a 
very defective work, and the recent 
addenda to each chapter, by Mr. 
Brand, have by no means supplied its 
deficiencies. ‘The subject requires to 
be treated with some discernment, by 
a mind capable of distinguishing be- 
twixt customs originating in ignorance, 
and those which might be made sub- 
servient to the most beneficial pur- 
poses, ‘The working people, depressed 
by labour, require intervals of relaxa- 
tion ; their daily toil, even in the opi- 
nion of Mr. Malthus, is too intense 
and long continued, and doubtless the 
modern attractions of the gin-shop and 
pot-house would be advantageously 
exchanged for the more healthy diver- 
sions of former ages. ‘‘ Worse prac- 
tices within doors, it is to be feared,” 
as old Stow observed, have succeeded 
the more “‘ open pastimes” of the olden 
time. A revival, therefore, of some 
The Modern Persians and Turks compared. 
[July 1, 
of the ancient sports might be a real 
improvement, and to the writer of this, 
at least, it does not appear 
————That dancing is a Jezabel, 
And barley break the ready way to hell ; 
The Morrice idols, Whitsun-ales, can be 
But prophane relics of a jubilee : 
These,ina zeal t’ express how much they do 
‘The organs hate, have silenc’d bagpipes too; 
And harmless May-poles are all rail’d upon 
As if they were the tow’rs of Babylon. 
RANDOLPR’s POEMS, 1646. 
— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
MANNERS of the MODERN PERSIANS and 
TuRKS described, and a COMPARISON 
of the PERSIANS with the TURKS; in a 
LETTER f7om a@ MODERN TRAVELLER. 
N seeing the Turks for the first 
time, the European is_ struck, 
but he is not astonished ; his imagina- 
tion is prepared for contrasts. But it 
is not thus, when, having quitted the 
Turkish frontier, he enters the Persian 
territory. At the first village he finds 
every thing so changed as to excite 
his strongest surprize. He can scarce- 
ly conceive that there exist as much 
difference and opposition between 
two nations having the same religion, 
the same despotic system of govern- 
ment, and which are in the same state 
of demi-civilization, as there can be 
between the inhabitants of Vienna 
and those of Constantinople. It would 
be difficult to point out the real cause 
of this; I shall therefore leave it to 
those who are abler than myself to re- 
solve this interesting question; and 
shall only draw, with as much exact- 
ness as I can, a parallel between 
these two nations. 
The Turk is ferocious and con- 
stantly animated with a religious ha- 
tred against every thing which is not 
Mussulman. The foreigner, of what- 
ever nation he may be, is, throughout 
the whole extent of Turkey, regarded 
with contempt and disdain. Inhospi- 
table and proud, the Turk treats the 
tributary subjects of the empire with 
arrogance, and even with brutality. 
He is base and cringing towards those 
above him, supple if you do not fear 
him, and insolent if he sees that you 
stand in awe of him, or are without 
protection. The Persian, on the con- 
trary, is polite to an excess, obliging 
towards strangers ; he in general loves 
to exercise the duties of hospitality ; 
caressing and insinuating, he is ser- 
vile to his equals as to his superiors, 
and always shows a mild and affable 
disposition. 
