D R U 



163 



DRY 



Druses, in fact, more formidable to the Turks in future, since 

 ^T*"" it placed the whole power of the tribe in the hands of 

 one man : their hostilities, indeed, were secret, but 

 they were carried on with great activity, and generally 

 with success. Their power was at its greatest height 

 about the beginning of the 17th century. At this time 

 Emir Fakerebideir, commonly called Fakardeir, was 

 their chief. He ingratiated himself into the confidence 

 and favour of the Turkish government, by making war 

 upon the Arabs, who infested the plain of Balbec. Of 

 this district, as well as of several adjoining districts, he 

 made himself master, till at length the Turkish go- 

 vernment began to be alarmed at his rapid and exten- 

 sive progress, and made preparations to crush him ; he 

 did not, however, think it prudent to await the attack ; 

 but having previously formed connections in Italy, he 

 resolved to go thither himself, either for the purpose of 

 refuge till the stonii was over, or in the hopes of gain- 

 ing assistance, whicli might enable him to repel it. It 

 was at this period that the hypothesis concerning the 

 origin of the Druses from the Crusaders took its rise ; 

 and Fakardeir finding it favourable to his hospitable 

 reception in Italy, rather countenanced it. After a 

 stay of nine years in this country, the Turks having 

 been repulsed by his son Ali, he returned to resume 

 his government; but attempting to introduce the luxu- 

 ries of Europe, the Druses became dissatisfied ; the 

 Turks invaded the country, to whom in a short time he 

 was betrayed and delivered up : he was carried to Con- 

 stantinople, and strangled about theyear 1 63 1 . Nothing 

 important occurs in their history from this time till the 

 year 1770, when they suffered considerably in conse- 

 quence of having been prevailed upon to take part in 

 the war between Ali Bey and the Emir Yousef. 



The great majority of the Druses have in fact no re- 

 ligion, being equally indifferent to Christianity and Ma- 

 'oiiH'tanism. They do not consider it necessary to fast 

 or pray, to practise circumcision, or to make the pil- 

 grimage to Mecca. They eat pork, drink wine, and 

 consider marriage between brothers and sisters as lawful. 

 But there is one class of men who profess very singular 

 religious opinions, and whose religious customs are 

 very peculiar. There are various orders of this class : 

 the highest requires celibacy. They consider them- 

 selves as so pre-eminently pure, that if one not of their 

 order eat off their plate, or drink out of their cup, they 

 break them. On this account, vessels with a kind of 

 cock, which may be drank out of without touching them 

 with the lips, are very common among the Druses. 

 They have some sacred books, filled with mystic jar- 

 _><>i>, but which also treat of another life, and describe 

 several degrees of perfection to which they are to ar- 

 rive by successive trials. The whole tribe of the Dru- 

 ses are divided into two classes, the common people, 

 and the Shaiks or the descendants of princes : all cul- 

 tivate the land. The common produce is the mulberry 

 and vine : in some places, tobacco, cotton, and grain 

 are grown. When their crop of silk is over in Leba- 

 non, a great many of them leave the mountains, and 

 go into the plains to assist in getting in the harvest. 

 Their chief, called Hakem, possesses both the highest 

 civil and military powers. The dignity is transmitted 

 cither from father to son, or from one brother to ano- 

 ther. On failure of the male line, the government 

 devolves on him who, to the greatest number of suf- 

 frages, can add the protection or approbation of the 

 Turks. The 1'acha is paid a certain portion of the 

 tributes ; the rest belongs to the Hachern. This tri- 



bute is imposed on the different productions of the Druses 

 country : the shaiks and emirs are not exempted from II 

 it. No troops are kept, either by the chief or the emirs. ^^ 

 When hostilities commence, every person is called upon 

 to march : he brings along with him a bag of flour, a 

 musket, some bullets, and powder. Such an army can;, 

 not be formidable; they are all on foot, except the 

 shaiks and emirs : cavalry, however, from the nature 

 of the country, are of little service. The number of 

 men able to bear anns is about 4-0,000, which supposes 

 a population of 120,000; and as the whole country con- 

 tains only 110 square leagues, there must be 1090 per- 

 sons on every league. This excessive popidation is sup- 

 posed to arise from the freedom which they enjoy, their 

 great frugality, and the emigration of Christian fami- 

 lies from the Turkish provinces. The character of the 

 Druses is elevated, energetic, and active; their acti- 

 vity, indeed, partakes of restlessness ; and they are 

 bjave, even to temerity. These features in their cha- 

 racter evidently proceed from their enjoying a consi-- 

 derable share of civil and personal freedom, and from 

 the comparison which they naturally and proudly make 

 between their own condition and that of their neigh- 

 bours. Like most barbarous nations that are bold and 

 daring, they are strongly averse to the forgiveness of 

 injuries ; no people are more nice with respect to the 

 point of honour, or the sense of insult : hence, in their 

 manners, they are scrupulously attentive, and even po- 

 lite to a degree not usual among peasants. Their no-- 

 tions of the obligation and extent of hospitality are as 

 delicate ; every suppliant or passenger is entertained 

 with lodging and food ; and when they have once con- 

 tracted with their guest the sacred engagement of 

 bread and salt, nothing can induce or compel them to 

 violate it. They are permitted by their laws, their re- 

 ligion, or the custom of their nation, to marry several 

 wives ; but of this permission few avail themselves, 

 except the emirs. They live in general a very retired 

 life, the men cultivating their lands, and the women 

 making the bread, roasting the coffee, and performing 

 all domestic duties. In the evening, the men usually 

 assemble either in the house or area of the chief of the 

 village or family ; where, seated in a circle, with their 

 legs crossed, pipes in their mouths, and poinards in 

 their belts, they converse about their respectives la- 

 bours and employments, the amount of taxes, the con- 

 duct of the emir, &c. &c. The only education, (if 

 education it can be called), which their children re- 

 ceive, is derived from listening to these evening dis- 

 courses of their fathers ; they are never taught to read.- 

 The language of the Druses is very pure Arabic. See 

 Niebuhr's J'oyaget, torn. ii. p. 354-7; Volney's Travels, 

 torn. ii. chap. 2-t. (w. s.) 



DRYANDRA, a genus of plants of the class Ti- . 

 trandria, and order Monogynia See Brown's Prodro- 

 mus PlatU. Nov. Holl. &c. p. 396 ; and BOTANY, p. 

 130, and 339. 



DRYAS, a genus of plants of the class Icosandria, 

 and order Polygynia. See BOTANY, p. 232. 



DRYDEN, JOHN, the Poet, was born in the parish 

 of Old Winkle, All Saints, on or about the 9th of Au- 

 gust 10'.:J'2. His family had been distinguished for 

 puritanism, and his father -had acted as a justice of 

 peace during the usurpation Our poet is supposed to 

 nave received the rudiments of his education at Tich- 

 marsh, and was admitted a king's scholar at Westmin- 

 ster under the tuition of the celebrated Dr Busby. 

 Having obtained a Westminster scholarship, he was 



