SS 2 
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fo happened that the fecond meafure was a true caco¬ 
phony, a difcordance of harlh founds, as difagreeabie to 
nice ears as it was enchanting to tliofe of the nniflulmans'. 
I noticed particularly, that the leader of the band inva¬ 
riably took up each of tire airs with all the importance 
and enthufiafm of an infpired impropifatore, and that,’ when 
his nerves appeared to be no longer able to fupport the 
energy of exprefiion he tried to beftow on it, the chorus 
came to his aid with the fame unvaried dilfonance. The 
violins, which were more tolerable, afterwards played an 
air, in the burden of which a (mall portion of melody was 
overcome by fuperfluous ornaments. The nafal twangs 
of an infpired finger were fuperadded to the-faftidious 
foftnefs of the femi-tones of the violins, which conftantly 
(banning the key-note, fell into the fecond of the key, 
and invariably terminated by the diefis, or imperfect fe- 
mi-tone immediately beneath the key-note, as in the Spa¬ 
nish feguidillas. This may be confidered as a proof that 
the relidence of the Saracens in Spain introduced 1 into that 
kingdom this fpecies of mufical compofition. After this 
couplet, the violins took up the Came (train with new 
variations, which the finger difguifed by a (harp move¬ 
ment, until he had entirely loft fight of the air, falling 
into the wild exprefiion of founds, without harmony, and 
without principle. This was what, however, charmed 
his auditory (till more and more. The dance which fol¬ 
lowed was of the fame defcripfion with the finging : it 
was not the exprefiion of joy, or of gaiety, but of an ex¬ 
travagant pleafure, which made halty (trides towards laf- 
civioufnefs; and this was the more difgufting, as the per¬ 
formers, all of them of the male fex, prefented, in the 
molt indecent way, (cedes which love has referv-ed for the 
two fexes in the fijence and myftery of the night.”—No¬ 
thing of the grand mufical inftruments fculptlived on the 
walls of their ancient temples, are now to be feen in any 
part of Egypt. 
The long relidence of the French in this country, and 
th'e opportunity afforded the principals of being intro¬ 
duced into the mod refpeftable families, gave Dencn an 
excellent opportunity of obferving the coftume o( the 
Egyptian females, wlio are kept very clofe in the harem, 
and never foffered to hold converlation with any male 
but the mafter of the family, nor to appear, in company, 
but during his prefence ; fo fenfible is he of the ready fub- 
miffion of the modem women to the embraces ot man : for 
which reafon they are never fuffered to appear in the (freet, 
without being fo completely muffled up as to expofe no 
part to view but the eyes. Yet the coquetry of the elder 
females, who are the mod fcrupulous in public on every 
point in which honour is concerned, often enables them to 
elude the mod watchful care of their hufband or keeper. 
The young girls who are not yet marriageable, and rela¬ 
tive to whom lefs ftrictnefs is in confequence obferved, 
bear a pretty general refemblanee to tiie forms of the 
Egyptian datues of the goddefs Ifis. T. he women ot the 
lower dalles, who take greater pains to conceal the nofe 
and mouth than any other part, difeover from time to 
time, not attractions, but fine (lender limbs, the (hape of 
which di(plays more. activity than grace. As.fdon as 
their'breads have attained their full growth, they begin 
to fall, and their gravitation is fuch, that it would be 
difficult to fay how low' home of them reach. The com¬ 
plexion of the.Ce won-fen is neither black n r white, but 
of a dulky brown. They dye of a black colour the eye¬ 
brows, eye-lids, and chin ; and (Vain the finger-nails ot a 
deep yellow. Few women, however, carry with more 
elegance a child, ayafe, or a bafket of fruit j or walk 
with greater cafe and fecurity, Their long drapery would 
be by no means unbecoming, were it not-that a veil, in 
the (hape of a (hip’s pendant, cads a gloom over the whole 
of their drefs, fo as to make it refetnbie the dilnval cof- 
nune of a nun of the order of penitents. 
“ One of the rich natives, (fays Denon,) who was un¬ 
der Come obligations to me, by way of telfifying lus gra¬ 
titude, invited me to his houfe. On account of my ad- 
r V T. 
vanced age, and of my being a foreigner, lie thought tha# 
he might allow' his wife to be of the bteakfad party, and 
thus contribute more to iny entertainment. As he was 
engaged in mercantile purfuits, he (poke a little Italian, 
and adted as interpreter between rnyfelf and the lady, 
whofe beauty was accompanied by a foft tinge of melan¬ 
choly. She was finely formed, and her hands uncom¬ 
monly delicate and handfome. On my admiring them, 
die held them out to me. We had very little to fay to 
each other; and to make up for this filence, I kiffed her 
hands, which, as die was perplexed to know what die 
diould afterwards do to intereft me, die did not offer to- 
withdraw. On my fide, I dared not let them go, for fear 
(lie diould imagine that I was tired of them. I am at a 
lofs to conjecture how this feene would have terminated, 
if refrefhments had. not been brought to relieve us from 
our embarraffment. They were handed to her, and (he 
prefented them to me in a very particular manner, and 
with fome degree of grace. I fancied I could perceive 
that her negligent and penfive air was merely the affecta¬ 
tion of a great lady, who perfuaded herfelf that, by ad. 
fuming it, (he diould become fuperior to all the magnifi¬ 
cence by which die was furrounded and covered. Her 
engaging manners, in the occafional abfence of her huf¬ 
band, attracted other lovers, on whom die contrived to 
beftow her favours. The plague breaking out in the 
city, the lady caught it of her ehamorata, beftowed it 
very faithfully on her hufband, and they-all three died.”' 
Infidelity, in countries where many women are kept as 
prifoners in the harem for the lufeivious gratification of 
one man, is certainly more pardonable than under thofe 
governments where polygamy is not allowed. Perhaps 
the (ingle reflection of fo many women being made fub- 
fervient to the fenfual delight of one man, may be a con- 
ftant fpur to them, from parity of reai'oning, to feek a 
fimilar gratification from a plurality of males. However 
this be, it is a well-known fad,.that the extreme watch¬ 
ful hefs of the grand feignor himfelf, cannot keep the 
women chafte even within the impervious walls of his 
harem, in the feraglio of Coiiftantinople; as witnefs the 
frequent punifhment of the polluted, by cruelly drowning 
them in lacks. See the article Constantinofle, vol. v, 
p. 119, 1 20. 
Denon has fiwnifiied us with tire coftume of the Egyp¬ 
tian harem, illufirated with an elegant engraving, which 
we fiiall here annex. When the hufband, who is fupreme, 
is difpofed to give an entertainnient in his harem, to 
pleafe any of his wives who may be pregnant, or who has 
juft given him a fon, or perhaps one whom he has newly 
purchafed, he fends for the almees, or dancing girls, to 
perform voluptuous dances, whilft he is fmoking his pipe. 
The favourite wife is here reprefented reclining with her 
head ofi his knees ■, and the alui-ees alternately dance, fing, 
and play upon inftruments, while the other wives are m 
waiting on the fofa. In front is a fumigating vefiel of 
rich perfumes, and to the right a candleftick after the 
faftiion of the country ; the inlfrument played on by the 
laft performer to the right, is a f'mall drum of baked 
earth, which is (truck by the fingers with more or lefs 
force, and produces a very good etfeCt in keeping time to 
the inufic; the dancers have generally caftanets in their 
hands, which are in the form of final 1 cymbals of the dia¬ 
meter of a crown piece. Two of thefe dancing girls were 
extremely handfome. Their forms were difplayeu through 
coloured gauze fattened by a falh, which they tightened 
from time to time negligently, and with an air of levity 
by no means difagreeabie, and foinewhat a la Fran^aije. 
They had brought with them two inftruments, a pipe and 
tabor, and the kind of drum above deferibed. The two 
handlomeft of them began dancing,, while the others fung, 
with an accompaniment of the caftanets. The movement 
they difplayed in (inking them againff each other, gave 
infinite grace to their fingers and wrifts. At the cum. 
'menceinent the dance was voluptuous:, it foon after be¬ 
came lafeivious,. and expreifed, in the groffeft and moft 
1 indecent 
