H YDE 
Is called in Italy and Spain. About half-pad five, the 
prince returned into the hall of audience, or fome other 
large apartment, where he placed himfelf in a balcony to 
fee°his troops exercife, and his cavalry defile before him. 
He was then, as in the morning, furrounded by fome of his 
friends or relations; and the fecretaries were bufied in 
reading letters, or writing. 
The" following mode of palling the evening at the 
court of Hyder is given by an eye-witnefs, who palled 
lome weeks" there a few years before Hyder’s death. As 
it was written on the fpot, we fit all give it in his own 
words: “ About half after fix, when the day doles in, a 
great number of manelfalgis, or bearers of flambeaux, ap¬ 
pear in the court of the palace, and falute the prince as 
they pafs on the fide of the apartment where he is. They 
illuminate all the apartments in a moment, efpecially that 
in which the prince is, with tapers in chandeliers of ex- 
quiiife workmanlhip, ornamented with feltoons of flowers 
of the utrnoft lightnefs and delicacy. Thefe chandeliers, 
on account of the wind, are covered with large (hades of 
Englilh glafs. There are likewile, in fome parts of the 
palace, large glafs lanthorns, painted with flowers of all 
colours. The great men, minifters, and ambafia'dors, 
vilit the prince only at night. They are ufually per¬ 
fumed with the moll coftly perfumes. Befides the men 
in power and employment, the apartments are filled with 
young nobility; and every body afl'umes the molt polite 
and engaging manners. After having faluted the prince, 
the falute is paid to his fons and relations, his minilters, 
and others, in an eafy, unaffected, manner. Among the 
young nobility, there are a certain number who have the 
title of arablhequi; which anlivers nearly to that of 
chamberlain in Germany. There are ordinarily four in 
waiting each day: they are diftinguilhed by their fab re, 
which they carry in their hand in the (heath, ufing it 
nearly as a walking-flick. All the other company leave 
their arms in the hands of their pages and other atten¬ 
dants, who are very numerous, and fill the avenues of 
the palace. The pages alone are permitted to enter: they 
follow their mailer, bearing his train, into the apartments, 
till they quit their flippers at their ileppingon the carpet; 
the pages then let fall the train, and put the flippers into 
-a bag. Hyder, who fets no great.value on thefe ceremo¬ 
nies, permits the Europeans to come in with their flioes 
on, though his apartments are commonly covered with 
white muflin, fpread upon the molt fuperb Perfla carpets. 
He has fuch a predileftion for white, that he caufes wain- 
fcoting, that is painted, gilt, and varnifiied, to be covered 
with white muflin ; and even chairs and lbphas of em¬ 
broidered velvet or gold dud'. There is, for the mod 
part, a comedy every night, that commences about eight 
in the evening, and lalts till eleven : it is intermixed 
with dances and longs. During this comedy, the arab¬ 
lhequi continue near the ftrangers, and politely inform 
them of every thing they may delire to know ; as the 
fubjecl of the comedy, the news of the day, &c. They 
are careful to alk if he choofes to drink or eat; in which 
cafe they oaufe lherbet, warm milk, fruits, or confec¬ 
tionary, to be prefented to him; but they feldom eat. 
If the liranger chooles to play chefs, they play with him, 
or propofe a party. Hyder, to whom the entertainments 
of the Itage are very indifferent, difcourles with his mi¬ 
nilters or ambafladors, fomethnes palling into a cabinet 
to l'peak with more fecrecy: and continues, as in the 
morning, to difpatch bufinefs, without feeming to be 
bufy. Almoft always before the end of the performance, 
flowers are brought to him in a balket of filigram, out of 
which he himfelf gives a few to the lords who are about 
him ; and afterwards the balket is carried into the apart¬ 
ments of the theatre, every one taking a fmall flower 
from them, and returning a profound reverence to the 
prince. This takes place even to the lowed fecretary. 
When Hyder wilhes to give a particular mark of his 
edeem, he himfelf makes a collar of jafmine-flower.5. 
Von. X. No. 690, 
R-ALI. ’ 6 17 
knotting them with filk as he eonverfes, which he’himfeif 
adjuds round the neck-of the happy mortal to whom he 
gives this glorious mark of his edeem and favour. He 
has feveral times conferred this honour on the chiefs of 
his Europeans, knowing'well that the French, above all 
nations, edeem themfelves well paid by this fort of money. 
He, who has received this honour, is viiited the following 
day by the fird people of the court to compliment him. 
“ If a battle has been gained, or any other glorious 
event has happened in favour of the prince, the poet of 
the court arrives, announcing himfelf at his fird entering 
the apartments, by the pompous and extravagant titles 
he bellows on the prince f as “ Health to the greatell king 
on earth, whofe name alone caules his enemies to trem¬ 
ble,” See. All the world, at the voice of the poet, be¬ 
comes filent and attentive. The comedy or dance is 
interrupted; the poet enters, feats himfelf in the place 
immediately oppollte the prince, and recites a poem, 
which every body affefls to hear with the utmod atten¬ 
tion, except the prince, who feems at that time to be 
more particularly bufied in convening with his miniders. 
The poet ufually, after (peaking of the prince, proceeds 
to his relations, and the generals or principal officers; 
not forgetting the miniders and favourites. 
“ We cannot fpeak of their public entertainments, 
without mentioning the bayaderes, of whom the abbe 
Raynal has drawn fo advantageous a portrait in his Hif- 
toire Philofophique. The court of Hyder is the mod 
brilliant in India; and his company of performers is 
without contradiction the fird, as well on account of its 
riches, as becaufe the bayaderes are the,women to whom 
he gives the preference. Being lovereign of part of Vifa- 
pour, he has every facility of procuring among this clafs 
of women thofe who are moll remarkable for their beauty 
and talents. The comedians of the court are all women. 
A direftrefs, who is likewile manager, purchafes young 
girls at the age of four or five years, who are chofen on 
account of their beauty. She caufes them to be inocu¬ 
lated, and then provides them with mailers both for 
dancing and mulic. They are taught every: accomplish¬ 
ment that can infpire the prince and his court with the 
love of pleafure; and their luccefs is'fuch, that they de¬ 
light and feduce the mod infenfible of men. They begin 
to appear in public at the age of about ten or eleven 
years. They have generally' the mod delicate features, 
large dark eyes, beautiful eyebrows, fmall mouth, and 
the fined teeth; their cheeks are dimpled, and their black 
hair hangs in flowing trefles to the ground; their com¬ 
plexion is a clear brown, not fuch as that of the mulatto 
women, who are incapable of blulhing; but like that .of 
a country-girl in the- flow of health, who has prelerved 
the rofes, after differing the lilies to fade. Thefe are the 
yellow women, that the Orientals prefer to all others: they 
give themfelves that tinge by painting their cheeks of a 
jonquil colour, in the fame manner as the French women 
ufe rouge. Their habit is always a fine gauze, very 
richly embroidered with gold ; and they are covered with 
jewels: their head, their neck, their ears, their breads, 
their arms, fingers, legs, and toes, have their jewels; and 
even their nole is ornamented with a fmall diamond. 
Tile comedies are all pieces of intrigue. They' perfor.ate 
either women who league together to deceive, a jealous 
-hulband, or young girls that confpire to deceive their 
mother. It is impoflible to play with more art, or with 
more natural eafe. Their fongs are gay and agreeable. 
The words that are lung by a Angle voice are almoll 
always the complaint of a lover; thole which are lung 
in chorus are much gayer; but they have no fecond 
parts, and are always in unifon. No bayadere of the 
prince's company is more than feventeen y r ears old. At 
this age they are difmifled, and either travel over the 
province, or attach themfelves to the pagods. Befides 
the prince’s company, there are feveral others in the town 
where the court is kept, and in the armies There are 
7 S even 
