THE TOWER OF BABEL. 
309 
mality of court ceremonies would ill agree with the freedom of 
my purposed movements. I do not deny that their groups were 
eminently picturesque, and, from their magnificent or wildly 
various Asiatic costume, mingled more harmoniously with the 
character of this venerable wonder of the East, than the garb of 
a European stranger; but yet their presence was discordant to 
me ; for, perhaps, that strange European garb covered the only 
breast present, which felt the solemn import of that still existing 
pile, up whose acclivities he was slowly ascending ; and amidst 
whose awfully striken summits he found the Turkish commander, 
quietly seated amongst his officers, smoking his pipe, while 
awaiting the coffee his servants were preparing in another part 
of the stupendous ruin ! The moment I appeared before him, 
he rose and welcomed me; declaring, with all the pomp of 
oriental compliment, that “ though he had accorded me a per¬ 
sonal guard for short excursions, he valued my life too highly, 
to permit its being exposed to the dangers of the desert, without 
an escort adequate to his friendship, — himself! Of course, 
I duly thanked him, though in far humbler language; and, 
probably, therefore much nearer the level of his real motive, 
which, I suspect, was curiosity, rather than such superabundant 
zeal in my service. It is a common idea with the Turks here, 
that the true object with Europeans, in visiting the banks of the 
Euphrates, is not to explore antiquities, as we pretend, but to 
make a laborious pilgrimage to these almost shapeless relics of 
a race of unbelievers more ancient than ourselves ; and to per¬ 
form certain mysterious religious rites before them; which excite 
no small curiosity amongst the Faithful, to pry into. However, 
nothing of this was shewn, by either my illustrious escort or any 
of his body-guard ; and, after civilly enduring an hour’s delay in 
