BETWEEN INDIAN AND JEWISH IDEAS AND CUSTOMS. 99 
Chains, or, as the margin says, sweet balls, which I cannot 
understand, are common enough. Mufflers, said to be spangled 
ornaments, are worn on the dress, shoes, etc., in great profusion. 
The bonnets are described in the new version as being head 
tires, which have already been described. The headbands may 
be seen in the portraits of the Palmyra ladies ; in Etruscan ; 
and even in modern African jewellery, and perhaps in the 
head covering or Mathabana of Parsi women. 
The earrings are attached to all parts of the ear, and very 
heavy specimens are supported by chains which cross the head, 
or they are simulated by pendants which hang over the ear. 
Rings are worn from both nostrils, and even from the cartilage 
between them. The nath or nose-ring is sometimes four inches 
in diameter. It is the sign of a married woman whose husband 
is alive. Tablets, or “ Houses of the Soul,” as the margin has 
it, are amulet cases. They are of many forms, as cylindrical 
cases or flat boxes in which are placed written papers with some 
protective holy sentence or cabalistic writing upon them. 
They are worn from the neck or arms. The Jews must have 
been very familiar with them, as they were used by the 
Egyptians in particular in enormous quantities, as well as by 
all the nations of antiquity. The charms are supposed to 
protect against every ill, bodily as well as spiritual, as, for 
example, against diseases and the evil-eye, which is devoutly 
believed in all over the East. 
The new version of the Bible differs somewhat from the old. 
Pendants take the place of chains ; this is immaterial, because 
pendants of several kinds are in common use, especially in the 
form of amulet cases. Ornaments of the legs are called ankle 
chains, and the head-bands “sashes,” which is hardly an 
improvement. Perfume boxes and amulets take the place of 
tablets and earrings. Many of the so-called charm boxes are 
indeed perfume boxes, as they are frequently perforated and 
contain cotton-wool which is saturated with some strong oil or 
essence as of sandalwood or roses. 
Jeremiah says, “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride 
her attire ? ” Isaiah says, “ He hath covered me with the robe 
of righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with orna- 
ments, and as a bride decketh herself with her jewels.” How 
well these words are understood in the East. 
Phylacteries were frontlets of inscribed parchment, wrapped 
in leather and strapped to the forehead. They are amulets. 
Great was the care of the Jew to preserve the purity of his 
family and tribe. The Hindu is equally solicitous to preserve 
