3 20 SIMILARITY WITH BIBLICAL CUSTOMS. 



mdnitra hita-maso — " the god seen by the eye," the visible 

 divinity. 



When passing the chief entrance of the palace-yard, and 

 noticing the crowd of people and officials sitting at the gate- 

 way, I have often been reminded of the Eastern custom of 

 suitors for any favour or office " sitting at the king's gate " 

 (2 Sam. xi. 9 ; Esth. ii. 1 9). This is not only seen at the 

 royal gateway, but also at the entrance of the houses of the 

 highest officers of state ; people are there " watching daily at 

 his gates, waiting at the posts of his doors" (Pro v. viii. 34). 

 And just as in the East, those who seek to have justice done 

 to them in any law-suit, have to wait and waylay the great 

 men, and by their very importunity force them to attend 

 to their cause (see Luke xviii. 1-5), so have we known 

 women who have sat for days together at the palace gate, for 

 the purpose of pressing their case upon the attention of the 

 high Government officers as they went in and out from the 

 presence of the Queen. 



There is also in Madagascar a custom that if, on any royal 

 progress, a criminal can contrive to put himself in the way of 

 the sovereign, so as to be seen and looked upon by her, he 

 can claim pardon for his offence. (Malagasy offenders are 

 not, as a rule, kept in prison, but have light fetters put upon 

 them, so that they can walk about and get employment in 

 various out-door work. When, therefore, the sovereign goes 

 abroad, orders are issued that all convicts (gddra lava) must 

 keep out of the way.) This is strikingly like Eastern 

 customs, for there are numerous passages which show that to 

 " look upon," or to " regard," &c, are expressions equivalent 

 to gaining favour and compassion (see Exod. ii. 25, iv. 31 ; 

 1 Sam. i. 1 1 ; 2 Sam. xvi. 1 2). 



When a Malagasy sovereign goes on a journey to any dis- 

 tant portion of her dominions, she is always accompanied by 

 an immense crowd of her subjects, including all the upper 

 classes of the people, with their bearers and attendants. Like 

 the Queen of Sheba, she goes " with a very great train," " a 

 very great company, she and her servants" (1 Kings x. 2). 

 On recent royal " progresses " the number of these followers 

 has amounted to as many as from 20,000 to 30,000 people ! 



