M A R O N I T E S. 
S96 
Have' been compelled to abide by their treaties. The fub- 
jeftidn of tlie Maronites, therefore, only conAfts in the 
payrheht of a tribute to the pacha of Tripoli, of whom 
they hold their country, which he annually farms out to 
one or more flieiks, that is, perfons of eminence and pro¬ 
perty, who afiign their refpeiStive (hares to the diftfifVs 
arid village's. This impoft is levied chiefly on the mul¬ 
berry-trees and vineyards, which are almoft the foie ob¬ 
jects of culture. The form of government is founded, 
not on any exprefs convention, but merely on ufages and 
cuftoms. This inconvenience would long ere this have 
produced difagreeable effects, if they had not been pre¬ 
vented by many fortunate circumftances. The principal 
of thefe is religion, which, placing an infurmountable 
barrier between the Maronites and the Mahometans, has 
precluded ambitious men from leaguing themfelves with 
foreigners to enflave their countrymen. The fecond is 
the nature of the country, which every-where affording 
ftroiig defences, enables every village, and almoft every 
family, to oppofe, by its Angle force, all ufurpation of 
fovereign power. A third realon may be derived even 
from the weaknefs of this fociety, which, having been al¬ 
ways furrounded by powerful enemies, has only been able 
to re A ft them by maintaining union among its members, 
which union can only fubfift by abftaining from oppreff- 
ing each other, and by reciprocally guarding the fafety 
of each other’s perfon and property. Thus the govern¬ 
ment preferves a natural equilibrium ; and, cuftoms fup- 
plying the place of laws, the Maronites are, to this day, 
equally ftrangers to the oppreffions of defpotifm and the 
diforders of anarchy. 
The nation maybe conAdered as divided into two clafles, 
the common people and the flieiks; by which rnuftbe un- 
derftood the moft eminent of the inhabitants, who, from 
the antiquity of their families, and the opulence of their 
fortunes, are fuperior to the ordinary clafs. They all live 
cTifperfed in the mountains, in villages, hamlets, and even 
detached houfes ; which is never the cafe in the plains. 
The whole nation confifts of cultivators. Every man im¬ 
proves the little domain he poffeffes, or farms, with his 
own hands. Even the flieiks live in the fame manner, 
arid are only diftingnifhed from the reft by a bad pelice, 
a horfe, and a few flight advantages in food and lodging. 
They all live frugally, without many enjoyments, but alfo 
with few wants, as they are little acquainted With the in¬ 
ventions of luxury. In general, the nation is poor, but 
no one'wants neceflaries ; and, if beggars are fometimes 
feen, they come rather from the fea-coaft than the coun¬ 
try itfelf. Property is as facred among them as in Europe, 
nor do we fee there thofe robberies and extortions fo fre¬ 
quent with the Turks. Travellers may journey there, 
either by night or day, with a fepurity unknown in any 
other part of the empire ; and the ftrahger is received with 
hofpitality, as among the Arabs. Conformably to the 
doffrines of Chriltianity, they have only one wife, whom 
they efpoufe frequently without having feen, and always 
without having been much in her company. Contrary to 
the precepts of that fame religion, however, they have ad¬ 
mitted, or retained, the Arab cuitoin of retaliation ; and 
the heareft relation of a murdered perfon is bound to 
avenge him. From a habit founded on diftruft, and the 
political ftate of the country, every one, whether fheik or 
peafant, walks continually armed with a mufket and po¬ 
niards. This is, perhaps, an inconvenience; but one ad¬ 
vantage refults from it, that they have no novices in the 
ufe of arms among them, wlien'it is neceffary to employ 
them again ft the Turks. As the country maintains no 
regular troops, every man is obliged to join the army in 
time of war; and, if this militia were well conduced, it 
would be fuperior to many European armies. From ac¬ 
counts taken of late years, the number of men At to bear 
arms amounts to 35,000. According to the ufual mode 
of computation, this would imply a population of about 
165,000 fouls ; and, if we add the priefts, niO'nks, and 
jtuhs, difpeifed in upwards of t Wo hundred convents, and 
the'inhabitants of the maritime towns, fuch as Djebail, 
Batroun, Sec. we cannot fuppofe it lefs than 115,000* 
This number, compared with the extent of the country, 
which is about a hundred and Afty leagues fquare, gives 
feven hundred and Axty inhabitants for each fquare league; 
which will not appear a final! population, when we con- 
Ader that great part of Lebanon confifts only of barren 
rocks, and that the foil, even where it can be cultivated, 
produces very little. 
In religious matters, the Maronites are dependent on 
Rome. Though they acknowledge the fupremacy of the 
pope, their clergy continue, as heretofore, to eleft a head, 
with the title of Batrak, or Patriarch of Antioch. Their 
priefts marry, as in the firft ages of the church; but their 
wives tnuft be maidens, and not widows, nor can they 
marry a fecond time. They celebrate mafs in Syriac, of 
which the greateft part of them comprehend not a word. 
The Gofpel, alone, is read aloud in Arabic, that it may 
be underftood by the people. The communion is admi- 
niftered in both kinds : the hoft is a fmall round loaf, un¬ 
leavened, of the thicknefs of a Anger, and fomething larger 
than a crown-piece; on it is the impreflion of a feal, which 
is eaten by the prieft, who cuts the remainder into fmall 
pieces, and, putting them into the cup, adminifters to 
each perfon with a fpoon, which ferves every body. Thefe 
priefts have not, as among us, beneftces or dated revenues; 
but fubftft on the produce of their maffes, the bounty of 
their hearers, and the labour of their hands. Some of 
them exercife trades, others cultivate a fmall piece of 
land, and are all induftrioufly employed for the mainte-' 
nance of their families and the ediftcation of their flock. 
Their poverty is recompenfed by the great refpedl which 
is paid them; whoever approaches them, whether rich or 
poor, great or fmall, is anxious to kifs their hands, which 
they fail not to prefent; nor are they pleafed that the 
Europeans withhold this mark of reverence, fo repugnant 
to our manners, though not thought humiliating by the 
natives, who are accuftomed to it from their infancy. In- 
other refpefts, the ceremonies of the catholic religion are 
not performed more publicly, or with lefs reftraint, itt 
Europe than in the Kefraouan. Each village has its cha¬ 
pel and its prieft, and each chapel its bell: a thing un¬ 
heard of in any other part of Turkey. The Maronites 
are vain of this privilege, and, that they may not be de¬ 
prived of it, will not fuffer a Mahometan to live among 
them. They afluine to themfelves, alfo, the privilege of 
wearing the green turban, which, except in their territo- 
ries, would coft a Chriftian his life. 
I11 the fmall country of the Maronites there are reckoned 
upwards of two hundred convents for men and women. 
Thefe religious are of the order of St. Anthony, whofe 
rules they obferve with an exatftnefs which reminds us of 
earlier times. The drefs of the monks is made of brown 
coarfe woollen fluff, and refembles that of the Capuchin 
friars in Europe. Their food is the fame as that of the 
peafants, with this exception, that they never eat flefh. 
They obferve frequent fafts, and make long prayers at 
ftated hours in the night as well as the day; the remainder 
of their time is employed in cultivating the earth, or break¬ 
ing the rocks to form the walls of the terraces which fup- 
port their vineyards and mulberry-plantations. Each 
convent has a brother fhoemaker, a brother taylor, a bro¬ 
ther weaver, a brother baker; in a word, an artift of every 
neceflary trade. We almoft always And a convent of wo¬ 
men clofe to one of/nen; yet it is rare to hear of any 
fcandalous report. Thefe women themfelves lead a very 
laborious life; and it is this activity, doubtlefs, which 
fecures them againft all the mifehiefs attendant on idle- 
nefs. The moft remarkable of the houfes of the Maro- 
nite monks is Kozhaia, Ax hours journey to the eaft of 
Tripoli. There they exorcife, as in the Arft ages of the 
chbrch, thofe who are poAfefled with devils; for fuch per¬ 
fons are If ill to be found in thefe countries. From the 
account,' fays Volney, given me by intelligent oblervers, 
ifappears that thofe pod'dled are no other than perfons 
1 afflicted 
