Part 3

I asked my uncle then what was meant by the word wilderness. He said, “The word occurs in a great many places, both in the Old and New Testament, where it sometimes means a wild, uninhabited desert, and sometimes only an uncultivated plain: the wilderness through which the Israelites were conducted, partook of both these descriptions, being partly rocky, and partly a sandy, unproductive district. It occupied the space between the two branches of the Arabian Gulf, which was sometimes called in Hebrew, and is indeed at this day in the Coptic language, the ‘Sea of Weeds.’”

“Why, then, do we give it the name of the Red Sea?”

“We have borrowed the term from the Greeks,” said my uncle: “from whence they derived it is not so easily answered; certainly not from the colour of the water, or of the sand at the bottom. The most probable notion is, that it was originally called the sea of _Edom_, as it washed the coast of that country; and that, as Edom signifies _red_ in Hebrew, the Greeks, not understanding the geographical allusion, simply translated it, just as the Romans and ourselves have done after them.”

A general conversation then ensued, about the passage of the Israelites through the sea; and I shall write here some of what I picked up, by way of exercise only, for I am sure, Mamma, that you are already well acquainted with all that is known on the subject.

The exact spot at which they quitted the Egyptian shore has been much contested among commentators; but the greatest number of opinions seem to be in favour of Clysma; a point several hours journey from the town of Suez, which stands at the head of the western gulf. The names that some of the places in the vicinity still retain, appear to confirm this supposition; for instance, the ridge of hills extending from the Nile to this part of the coast is called Ataka, which means _deliverance_; and the narrow plain to the southward of that ridge preserves the name of Wadi-et-tiheh, or the _Valley of the Wandering_. On the opposite shore of the Red Sea there is a headland called Ras Mousa, or the _Cape of Moses_; farther to the southward, Hammam Faraun, _Pharaoh’s Baths_; and the general name of this part of the gulf is Bahr el Kolsum, or the _Bay of Submission_. From these circumstances it may be concluded that the Israelites crossed the western arm of the Red Sea, about twelve or thirteen miles from Suez; and it appears from my uncle’s maps that the sea there is eight or nine miles broad.

My uncle says it is the opinion of some geographers that formerly the Red Sea did not stop at Suez; and modern travellers have described a large plain which is considerably lower than the surface of the sea, and which extends seven or eight leagues to the northward of that town. This plain is two leagues in breadth; and from the thick layer of salt, and the quantity of shells which are every where found under the soil, they say there can be no doubt that it was once the bed of the sea. I asked what could have driven the sea out, if ever it had been there? But he said there was no difficulty in that; for rivers and narrow seas are continually changing their boundaries by the sand which their tides and currents throw up; and as soon as ever the Red Sea had washed up a new barrier at Suez, evaporation in that climate would rapidly dry the part that had been cut off.

It has been asked, were there not ledges of rock lying across the Red Sea, on which, when the tide was out, the Israelites might have forded it. “But,” says my uncle, “if we do not believe the transaction to have been miraculous, we may as well not believe it all; for the event, as well as the miracle, rest on precisely the same authority. At the same time, do not suppose that I wish to discourage these inquiries; they are of considerable use;--they lead to the investigation of facts, and the more strictly the Bible is examined, the more we shall be satisfied of its truth. The attention of the celebrated travellers Niebuhr and Bruce was particularly directed to that question; and they distinctly assert that there are no rocks there whatever.”

My uncle concluded the conversation by saying, “Many of the Fathers have supposed it to have been the opinion of St. Paul, that the passage through the waters of the Red Sea was intended as a type of the Christian baptism, and of our conditional resurrection to eternal happiness. And it was this idea that probably induced the framers of our liturgy to introduce the history of that event into the service appointed for the day of our Lord’s resurrection.”

_19th._--We amused ourselves for some time after dinner this evening with our favourite question-play, animal, vegetable, and mineral; Marianne is well acquainted with it.

I thought of sponge as a good puzzling thing: however, it puzzled me not a little, in the progress of their questions, to describe it satisfactorily. In the first place, I had heard some one tell you that sponge was a vegetable production--but I have since read that it is a substance formed by some species of marine worm; so when I was forced to give distinct answers to the questions, was it animal, or was it vegetable, I was divided between those two ideas. Then came questions as to what part of the world it was found in; and I set them all wrong by saying, only in the Mediterranean. In short, I found that even in children’s plays people may have to blush for their ignorance.

After I had puzzled in and out of the question, and that our play was ended, my uncle told me that sponges, of which there are now known more than a hundred different species, are found in a multitude of places, on the shores of both the old and new Continents. “Those most valued in the arts,” said he, “are inhabitants of the Mediterranean, and part of the Indian Ocean; two small kinds of sponge thrive even on the frozen shores of Greenland; and forty species have been discovered on the coasts of Great Britain. They are found equally in places that are always covered by the sea, and in those which it leaves dry with the ebb tide. They adhere to rocks, and spread all over their surface; in some places they keep possession of the most exposed cliffs, but they thrive best in sheltered cavities, and are found lining the walls of submarine caves, attaching themselves indifferently to mineral or vegetable, or even to animal substances.

“The size to which sponge attains is very uncertain; I lately saw an account of one found at Singapore in the East Indies, which was shaped like a goblet, and measured round the brim fifty-one inches; the stem was seventeen inches, and it contained thirty-six quarts of water! Naturalists have agreed to seven general divisions of form; so as to make something like an arrangement of this most singular class of organized beings.”

I interrupted my uncle here, to ask whether, in calling them organized beings, he meant the substance of the sponge, or the insects that are supposed to form it.

“It is curious,” replied he, “that two thousand years ago, the Greeks were occupied with this very inquiry; some endeavouring to prove the vitality of sponge, and others, to shew that it was merely the work of certain worms: and even so late as the year 1752, Peysonnel, the naturalist, communicated to the Royal Society a paper in support of this last opinion.

“Most naturalists, however, now agree in regarding sponge as a _zoophyte_, or a kind of animal approaching nearly to the form and nature of a plant; and Linnæus himself, latterly, classed it amongst animals. As the large orifices appeared to be the only means of entrance to the internal canals, it was supposed that the nourishment of this animal was drawn in through them; but later discoveries have shewn that, besides those apertures, there are minute pores over the whole surface; that through these pores the water is imbibed, by which the creature is nourished; and that the large round holes convey a constant stream of water away _from_ the interior of the body. This stream carries off the particles of matter which are constantly separating from the interior, and which are not only perceptible by the assistance of the microscope, but may be occasionally seen by the naked eye, like small flakes. When a living sponge is allowed to remain a day at rest, in a white vessel filled with pure sea water, an accumulation of feculent matter is always found immediately under each orifice. If it is confined in the same basin of water for two days, the currents appear to cease; but, on plunging it again into water newly taken from the sea, they are renewed in a few minutes; and the continual circulation of water through the body, Dr. Grant, who appears to have studied this subject with great perseverance, says, he no longer doubts, forms one of the living functions of this animal.

“It would only burthen your memory,” continued my uncle, “were I to tell you all the various opinions which have been formed respecting the anatomy of the sponge. I will merely say, that Dr. Grant affirms, though in opposition to M. Cuvier, that the fibrous part of the sponge, which is insoluble in water, and forms a net work through every part of the body, is the skeleton of this zoophyte, serving, as in other animals, to give form to the body, and support to the softer organs.

“Sponge attaches itself sometimes to marine plants, so as to choak up their pores. Small bits of the same species will spread towards each other, and become one piece; and it is amusing to observe, says Dr. Grant, the growth of the young _Spongiæ parasiticæ_ on the back and legs of a species of crab, where they frequently collect to the number of forty or fifty, interrupting the motion of its joints, and spreading like a mantle over its back, or perhaps rising in fantastic ornaments upon its head, which the crab is unable to remove.”

_21st._--When I parted from Mrs. P. at Falmouth, my uncle, who was much pleased with her kindness to me, made her promise to pay a visit here in some little time. That time has, at last, come. We have her now actually in the house, and I have once more the pleasure of being with a friend who was so kind and tender to me when I left you, my beloved Mamma.--How many little circumstances are recalled to my mind by seeing her! She has just the same quiet composed look that she used to have; and, though always ready to converse and to impart the information she possesses, yet her countenance seldom loses a certain expression of sadness.

She arrived last night, and has promised to stay till after Christmas. I believe a few other friends are to be here also; but I am no longer such a fool about strangers.

Many a time, things which you have said to me, and which then I scarcely heeded, return to my mind. How often, for instance, you have told me that we lose much real enjoyment by that sort of fear or reserve which I used to feel at the sight of a new face; and now that I have learned to listen attentively to conversation, I see what amusement, as well as knowledge, one may gain from the mixture of characters to be met with in society. Indeed, every day shews me how much real goodness there is, though of various kinds, among people who at first sight seem only intent on their own affairs.

I am sure that I at least have received a great deal of kindness in my short life--and particularly since I have ceased to be what you used to call _farouche_.

_23rd._--This day has been remarkably cold and wet, and stormy; nothing could appear more dreary; and when I looked out, I persuaded myself that I felt quite melancholy. We had, notwithstanding, been all as cheerful as usual, and had contrived plenty of amusements for ourselves, in addition to shuttlecock, which warms one so comfortably; but this very dark and gloomy day we could scarcely distinguish our little feathery plaything after three o’clock.

In the evening Mrs. P. taught us a new way of capping verses, which is a little more difficult, but I think much more amusing than the common method. Instead of each person being confined to a single line, as much of a poem is to be repeated as will complete the sense; and the succeeding quotations are all to allude, either to one general subject, or at least to something touched upon by the previous speaker.

I will give you a sample in which we all joined:--

UNCLE. “Heap on more coals: the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We’ll keep our merry Christmas still.”

AUNT. Still linger in our northern clime Some remnants of the good old time; And still, within our vallies here, We hold the kindred title dear.

FREDERICK. Decrepit now, December moves along The plashy plains.

CAROLINE. Phœbus arise, And paint the sable skies With azure, white, and red; Rouse Memnon’s mother from her Tithon’s bed, That she with roses thy career may spread.

BERTHA. Sad wears the hour! heavy and drear Creeps, with slow pace, the waning year; And sullen, sullen heaves the blast Its deep sighs o’er the lonely waste!

WENTWORTH. Who loves not more the night of June Than dull December’s gloomy noon; The moonlight, than the fog of frost? And can we say which cheats the most?

MRS. P. Mustering his storms, a sordid host, Lo! Winter desolates the year.

MARY. Yet gentle hours advance their wing, And Fancy, mocking winter’s night, With flowers, and dews, and streaming light Already decks the new-born spring.

_December 24th._--

’Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale, ’Twas Christmas told the merriest tale; A Christmas gambol oft could cheer The poor man’s heart through half the year.

How happy every one looks in these good Christmas times! Besides those feelings of gratitude and hope, which now come home to every Christian’s breast, it is delightful to see the satisfaction the rich feel in this country in sharing their comforts with the poor.

I need scarcely tell you, who know my uncle and aunt so well, how much they enjoy the pleasure of giving food and clothing and blankets to those who are in want; while to the cottagers who do not require such assistance, they make some useful present, such as a book, or some little article, which is sure to be highly valued, as it marks the approbation of their landlord. Of course the Franklins and our old basket-maker have not been forgotten. My aunt says she likes to make the poor more than commonly comfortable now, that they may remember the season with pleasure.

Farmer Moreland, and two or three other rich farmers in the neighbourhood, are very considerate of the comforts of their labouring men at this season; and they have joined with my uncle and aunt in trying, by giving them constant employment, to enable them to struggle on by their own exertions without applying to the parish for support. Many have large families, some of which are taught, even while very young, to help their parents; and it is to these people that my aunt distributes the largest portions of her Christmas bounty.

In speaking of Christmas, my uncle told me that in the heathen times of these countries, and of the northern parts of Europe, a festival took place exactly at this season, which was dedicated to the sun, the chief deity of our heathen ancestor; and when they were converted to Christianity, it was thought prudent that they should continue to have their festival, although the object of it was of course changed. It was called _Jol_ or _Yule_--a Gothic word, signifying a feast, and particularly applied to a religious one. Christmas is even still called Yule in many places in the north of England; and it is said that the custom of making a large fire on Christmas eve, on which great logs of wood are piled, is still kept up. These are called _Yule clogs_, and, before they are quite consumed, a fragment of them is taken out, and preserved safely for the next year.

This is probably one of the remnants, my uncle says, of the feasts of fire instituted by the worshippers of Bali, from whom there appears reason to think the Druids were directly descended; as a coincidence of customs, words, names, and ancient worship is in many instances observable.

Just as we had done tea this evening, while my uncle was talking on this subject, he was interrupted by a loud ringing at the hall-door, and it was scarcely opened, when there was such a noise in the hall, such singing, talking, laughing and dancing, that I was alarmed at first; but my aunt told me it was only the _Mummers_. We went to look at them, and I understood that they were acting St. George and the Dragon; but it was such a strange, confused medley, that I could only distinguish a word or two. They had all hideous masks, and were dressed up in the most grotesque way; and everybody was highly diverted except poor little Grace: she was so frightened by the bustle and strange figures, that my uncle was obliged to reason with her. A word or a look from him has unspeakable power over the minds of all the family, and indeed of all who know him.

The mummers’ song I could not understand, except one stanza, which they repeated always more distinctly than the rest, as a hint, I suppose, to my uncle:--

In Christmas time is found The best of stout old beer, And if it now abound We shall have dainty cheer; Then merrily dance we round, And so conclude the year.

My uncle good-humouredly gave them a few shillings to get their “stout old beer,” and they hurried off to visit some other house.

_25th._--We all met in health and cheerfulness this good Christmas morning, and in our heartfelt wishes for mutual happiness, yours, dear Mamma, was included as ardently, as if you had been present.

To the usual old fashioned expressions of kindness, my aunt added, in her impressive manner, a tender wish that we might receive such gracious aid from above, as would enable us to rejoice indeed on this great day.

After some general conversation, my uncle explained to us the 45th Psalm, which is appointed for the service of Christmas-day; and which, he says, like many of the other psalms, is constantly read and but little understood.

“It appears,” said he, “to be a song of congratulation upon the marriage of a great king; but, from a consideration of all the subjects on which it touches, there is no doubt that it prophetically alludes to the mystical wedding of Christ with his church. This was the unanimous opinion of all the Jewish expositors--for though prejudice prevented them from discovering the completion of the prophecies in our Saviour, yet they well understood their meaning, and all allowed that this psalm related to Him, and not to any earthly prince.

“This figure, of the union of a husband and wife, has been consecrated by our Lord himself, to signify his own union with his church, in the parable of the king making a marriage for his son. Some commentators have imagined that the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter was the subject of the 45th Psalm; but it is in many respects wholly inapplicable to that king. The hero of the poem is a warrior, who reigns at length by conquest over his vanquished enemies: Solomon, on the contrary, enjoyed a long reign of uninterrupted peace. He is also distinguished by his love of righteousness; whereas Solomon, during the latter part of his reign, fell far short of the excellence here described. But, above all, the king is addressed by the title of God in a manner which is never applied to any earthly king.

“The Psalmist begins with our Lord’s first appearance in the human form, and passing rapidly through the different periods of Christianity, makes them the groundwork of this mystic and inspired song, which may be divided into three parts.

“The first three verses describe our Lord on earth in the days of his humiliation. The second section consists of the five following verses, which relate to the propagation of the gospel by our Lord’s victory over his enemies; and this includes the whole period, from his ascension to the time, not yet arrived, of the fulfilling of the _Gentiles_. The sequel alludes to the re-marriage--that is, to the restoration of the converted _Jews_ to the bosom of the true church.

“‘Thou art fairer than the children of men.’ Though we have no account in the gospels of our Saviour’s person, yet it is evident, from many circumstances, that there must have been a peculiar dignity in his appearance. But it was the sanctity of his manners; his perfect obedience to the will of God; the vast scope of his mind, which comprehended all knowledge; his power to resist all temptation, and to despise shame and to endure pain and death, to which that expression alludes--this was the beauty with which he was adorned beyond the sons of men.

“‘Full of grace are thy lips.’ This is put figuratively, for that perfect doctrine which he delivered, and which, if sincerely adopted, was to sustain the contrite, to console the afflicted, and to reclaim the guilty.

“‘The king’s enemies’ are the wicked passions of mankind, against whom he wages a spiritual war; and, the ‘sword and arrows,’ St. Paul tells us, mean ‘the sword of God.’

“The seventh and eighth verses shew the King seated on the throne of his mediatorial kingdom, where he is addressed as God, whose throne is everlasting, and as a Monarch whose heart is set upon justice and righteousness.

“In the first dispensation of the law through Moses, the perfumed garments of the priest were typical of the graces and virtues of the Redeemer, and of the excellence of his word; so the Psalmist describes the King, of whom the high priest was the representative, as scented with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.

“In the figurative language of scripture, ‘king’s daughters’ express peoples and nations, and here mean, that the empires converted to the faith of Christ will shine in the beauty of holiness, and will be united to the Messiah’s kingdom.

“The ‘Queen’ evidently represents the Hebrew Church, re-united by conversion in the fulness of time. The restoration of Israel to the situation of consort in the Messiah’s kingdom is the constant strain of prophecy; whole chapters might be quoted; but I think it will be an interesting employment to some of you to search for them yourselves. I will only remind you of that passage in the epistle to the Romans, where St. Paul says, that blindness is _in part_ only happened to Israel, till the time shall arrive for the fulness of the Gentiles to come in; and then all Israel shall be saved.

“The Queen’s ‘vesture of gold’ denotes those real treasures, of which the church is the depository, the written word, and the dispensation of its gracious promises to mankind.

“‘Forget thine own people, and thy father’s house.’ This applies to the ancient Jewish religion, and its typical ceremonies and sacrifices, now no longer necessary. The remainder of the psalm alludes to the churches established under ‘the King’; to the simplicity and excellence of the Christian dispensation; and closes with an assurance that the children of the Queen Consort, that is, the church, after collecting the lost sheep of Israel, shall be, as their fathers were, God’s peculiar people.”

My uncle concluded by saying, that this beautiful psalm, which is written in such majestic language, and presents such cheering hopes to Christians, Jews, and Gentiles, has been a constant subject of discussion amongst our learned divines; and advised us to read with attention the excellent commentaries on it by Bishop Horne and Bishop Horsley.

_26th._--This day is so calm and bright that it is not like winter; it almost brings to my mind some of our own days at home. Oh! mamma, if you were but here, all would be delightful.