340 
PLURALITY OF WIVES AND HUSBANDS. 
sporting like naiads amidst the crystal stream, and glowing with 
all the bloom and brilliancy which belongs to Asiatic youth. 
In such a bath-court, it is probable that Bathsheba was seen by 
the enamoured king of Israel. As he was “ walking at evening- 
tide on the roof of his palace,” he might undesignedly have 
strolled far enough to overlook the anderoon of his women ; where 
the beautiful wife of Uriah, visiting the royal wives, might have 
joined them, as was often the custom in those countries, in the 
delights of the bath. 
Love of women appears to have always been one of the most 
dominant passions in the East; and, what it was in the earliest 
times, it remains now, next to ambition for power, the master- 
passion in the heart of man. In those countries, a plurality of 
wives was tolerated every where, whether amongst Jews or 
Heathens. Christianity alone restricted man to one female 
helpmate; while Mahomed, limiting the number also, ex¬ 
tended it to four legal wives ; but granted slaves and concu¬ 
bines, to the will of the keeper. These supernumeraries are 
counted proofs of the owner’s consequence; hence, vanity may 
sometimes fill a harem ; but, in general, the motive is too con¬ 
stantly, the old frailty of the climate. The young beauties from 
all parts of Asia, who belong to the present Shah, in this charac¬ 
ter, (I have been given to understand,) are not to be equalled 
in number, and variety of charms, by the harems of any other 
prince in the East. 
Before the caliphs had extended their principles, with their 
power, over every part of this country, the reverse of this system 
of polygamy was prevalent in Atropatia, (now restored to its more 
ancient name of Azerbijan ;) for there, the ladies estimated their 
dignity according to the number of husbands they could boast. 
