652 
N A Z 
of their poffeffions; and, when no longer able to pay the 
tribute exacted from them, no alternative remained, but 
that of going to Acre to work in his fortifications, or to 
flee their country. The town was in the molt wretched 
JLate of indigence and miferyj the foil around might bid 
defiance to agriculture; and to the profpeCt of ftarvation 
were added the horrors of the plague. Thus it feemed 
deffined to maintain its ancient reputation; for the Na¬ 
thanael of his day might have inquired of a native of 
Bethfaida, whether any good thing could come out of Naza¬ 
reth? A party of Djezzar’s Troops, encamped in tents 
about the place, were waiting to feize even the femblance 
of a harveft which could be collected from ail the neigh¬ 
bouring diftriCt. In the valley, appeared one of thofe 
fountains, which, from time immemorial, have been the 
jhalting-place of caravans, and fometimes the feene of 
contention and bloodffied. The women of Nazareth were 
pafling to and from the town with pitchers upon their* 
heads. We flopped to view the groupe of camels, wfith 
their driveis, who were there repofing; and, calling to 
mind the manners of the mod remote ages, we renewed 
the folicitation of Abraham’s fervant to Rebecca, by the 
Well of Nahor. In the writings of early pilgrims and 
travellers, this fpring is denominated “ the fountain of 
the Virgin Mary;” and certainly, if there be a fpot, 
throughout the Koly Land, that w'as undoubtedly ho¬ 
noured by her prefence, we may confider this to have 
been the place ; becaufe the fituation of a copious fpring 
Is not liable to change; and becaufe the cuftom of re¬ 
pairing thither to draw water has been continued among 
the female inhabitants of Nazareth, from the earlieft 
period of its hiftory. 
“ After leaving this fountain, we afeended to the town, 
and were conducted to the houfe of the principal Chrif- 
tian inhabitant of Nazareth. The tremendous name of 
Djezzar had fucceeded in providing for us, in the mid fie 
of poverty, more fumptuous fare than is often found in 
wealthier cities ; but we had reafon to fear, that many 
poor families had been pinched to fupply our board. All 
we could do, therefore, as it was brought with cheerful- 
nefs, was to receive it thankfully; and we took efpecial 
care that thofe from whom we obtained it fliould not go 
unrewarded. 
“ Scarcely had we reached the apartment prepared for 
our reception, when, looking from the window into the 
court yard belonging to the houfe, we beheld two women 
grinding at the mill, in a manner moft forcibly illuftrating 
the faying of our Saviour.” This feene has been ex¬ 
plained under the word Mill, vol.xv. p. 324. 
“ The convent of Nazareth, fituated in the lower part 
of the village, contains about fourteen friars of the Fran- 
eifean order. Its church (erebled, as they relate, over 
the cave wherein the Virgin Mary is fuppofed to have 
refided) is a handfome edifice; but it is degraded, as a 
fanftuary, by abfurdities too contemptible for notice. 
The other objects of veneration in Nazareth, at every 
one of which indulgences are fold to travellers, are, 
1. The work-fhop of Jofeph, which is near the convent, 
and was formerly included within its walls; this is now 
a fmall chapel, perfe&ly modern, and lately whitewafbed. 
2. The fynagogue, where Chrift is laid to have read the 
Scriptures to the Jews; at prefent a church. 3. A pre¬ 
cipice without the town, where they fay the Mefliah 
leaped down, to efcape the rage of the Jews, after the 
offence his fpeech in the fynagogue had occalioned. Here 
they (how the impreflion of his hand, made as he fprang 
from the rock. From the defeription given by St. Luke, 
the monks affirm, that anciently Nazareth flood eaftward 
of its prefent fituation, upon a more elevated fpot. The 
. words of the evangelifl: are, however, remarkably explicit, 
and prove the fituation of the ancient city to have been 
precifely that which is now occupied by the modern town. 
Induced, by the words of the Gofpel, to examine the 
place more attentively than we fhould have otlierwife 
done, we went, as it is written, out of the city, unto the 
N A Z 
Irow of the hill whereon the city is built, and came to a pre¬ 
cipice correfponding with the words of the evangelifl:. 
It is above the Maronite church, and probably the precife 
fpot alluded to by the text of St. Luke’s Gofpel.” Clarke's 
Travels, Part II. 
NAZ'ARETH, a town of France, in the department 
of the Scheldt, and chief place of a canton, in the diffriCt 
of Gand ; containing 4574 inhabitants. 
NAZ'ARETH, a beautiful poll-town of North America, 
in Northampton-county, Penniylvania, inhabited by Mo¬ 
ravians, or United Brethren ; fixity-three miles north-by- 
welt of Philadelphia. It is fituated on the central part 
of a tra£t of land, containing.about ~ 5000 acres, bought 
by the brethren, near a fmall creek, which lofe» itfelf in 
the ground about one mile and a half eaft of the town; 
and conlifts of two principal ftreets that form a fquare. 
The principal building, called Nazareth-hall, contains a 
place of worfhip and a fchool: and near this is another 
elegant edifice, inhabited by the (ingle fifters; another 
building is appropriated to the (ingle brethren. The 
ordinary dvvelling-houfes are generally conftruCted of 
lime-ffone, and inhabited by tradefmen and mechanics, 
chiefly of German extraction. The town is fupplied with 
water by pipes from an excellent fpring in its vicinity. 
The fituation of the town, and the falubrity of the cli¬ 
mate, render this an agreeable place. 
NAZ'ARF.TII, a river of Africa,which runs into the 
Atlantic near Cape Lopez Gonfalvo. 
NAZ'ARITE, f. [from the Hebew “fifj, to diftinguifli, 
or feparate; in which it differs from Nazarean, or Na- 
zarene, an inhabitant of the country call Nazareth, 
which comes from to fave, or preferve.] A perfon 
diftinguiffied and fet apart for particular duties. 
The Nazarites were of two forts ; viz. fuch as were by 
their parents devoted to God in their infancy, or even 
fometimes before they were born; and fuch as devoted 
themfelves. The former are called Nazarai nativi, and 
w'ere Nazarites for life; and the latter Nazarai votivi, 
who ordinarily bound themfelves to obferve the laws of 
the Nazarites only for a limited time. In the number of 
perpetual Nazarites, were Samfon, Samuel, and John the 
Baptift. (Judg. xiii. 5. 1 Sam. i. 11. Luke i. 15.) Thefe, 
or the Nazartei nativi, were not bound to the fame ffriCt- 
nefs as the votivi: they were only to abffain from wine, 
and to let their hair grow. 
The Nazareei votivi, or thofe who bound themfelves by 
a vow to obferve the law of feparation for a time, were, 
like the nativi, not to (have their heads, nor to drink any 
wine or ftrong drink; (and it was extremely wicked to 
offer them any; Amos- ii. 12.) But, befides this, they 
were not to attend a funeral, or to come near a dead 
body on any account: and, if they accidentally contracted 
any uncleannefs in this way, or by any other means 
broke their vow, they had the time and duty of Nazarite- 
fliip to begin again. They fliaved off all their hair on 
the feventh day, and offered unto the Lord two turtle¬ 
doves or pigeons, the one for a fin-offering, and the other 
for a burnt-offering, and a lamb for a treipafs-offering. 
When their vow was finiflied, Nazarites presented them¬ 
felves at the door of the tabernacle or temple, with an 
lie-lamb for a burnt-offering, a (he-lamb fora lin-offering, 
and a ram for a peace offering, with their refpeftive meat¬ 
offerings and drink-offerings, and a balket full of cakes 
of unleavened bread, and wafers anointed with oil. After 
thefe were offered, the Nazarite fliaved his hair at the 
door of the fanCtuary, and burnt it under the pot in 
which the fiefli of his peace-offering was boiled. The 
pried: then put into his hand the roalted (houlder of the 
ram of peace-offering, with a cake and wafer of unleavened 
bread. Thefe he returned to the prieft, who waved them 
to and fro, dedicating them to the all-prefent God of 
every end of the earth; and fo the vow was finiffied. As 
the oblations at the breach of the vow atoned for the 
fame, the offerings at the finifliing of it were defigned to 
expiate the unknown breaches of it, and to render God 
thanks 
r 
