"The head-dress is composed of a cap, called talpoek, which is, in winter, of fine velvet em broidered with pearls or diamonds, and in summer of a light shining silver stuff. This is fixed on one side of the head, hanging a little way down, with a gold tassel, and bound on, either with a cir cle of diamonds (as I have seen several) or a rich embroidered handkerchief. On the other side of the head, the hair is laid flat ; and here the ladies are at liberty to show their fancies; some putting flowers, others a plume of heron's feathers, and in short what they please; but the most gen eral fashion is a large bouquet of jewels, made like natural flowers; that is, the buds of pearl ; the roses of different colored rubies; the jessa mines of diamonds; the jonquilles of topazes, etc., so well set and enameled, it is hard to imagine any thing of that kind so beautiful.
"The hair hangs at its full length behind, di vided into tresses braided with pearls or ribands. which is always in great quantity. I never saw in my life so many fine heads of hair. In one lady's I have counted a hundred and ten of these tresses, all natural ; but it must be owned that every kind of beauty is more common here than with us. They generally shape their eyebrows: and both Greeks and Turks have the custom of putting round their eyes a black tincture that, at a distance or by candle light, adds very much to the blackness of them. They dye their nails a rose color ; but I cannot enough accustom myself to the fashion to find any beauty in it." Letters xxix, xxxiii.
8. Bridegroom's Dress. We have elsewhere (see CROWN) bestowed some thoughts on the na ture and shape of the royal crown of the kings of the Jews, and we wish now to recall those thoughts to the mind of the reader.
(1) The Crown. We observed that the crown of king Saul was called nazer, or separated; but a very different word, othar, is used to express the cir clet with which the mother of Solomon encircled his head on the day of his mar riage. Our translation ren ders both these words by one English appellation.
crown; and the word othar is thus rendered, where, as ii seems, it gives incor rect notions of the sub ject intended. lu distin guishing the different forms of this part of dress, we consider the cap or crown (or both ideas in one, the crowned cap), in the annexed figure, as being the nazer, or "separated" cap of Scripture. This is a portrait of Tigranes, king of Armenia ; and it contributes, with others, to authorize our distinction. In addition, how ever, to these, we have also representations of a cap, the separations of which are very evident behind ; and one of these separated parts falls on each shoulder. down the back of the wearer.
This goes not only in corroboration of the pro posed distinction in the form and nature of the crowns of Jewish monarchs, but also strongly tends to establish the nature of the shebetz, or royal coat of close armor.
It was not, then, a royal cap of state with which the mother of Solomon decorated his head at his nuptials; that was probably made by a more professed artist : neither was it proper to be worn at such a personal ceremony, but only on state occasions; but if the queen mother had taken pains to embroider a muslin fillet ; if she had worked it with her own hands, and had em bellished it with a handsome pattern, then it was paying her a compliment to wish the daugh ters of Jerusalem should go forth to admire the happy effects of this instance of maternal atten tion and decorative skill.
(2) Royal Seat. The accompanying portrait of Nadir, Shah of Persia, from Frazer, shows his dress to abound in pearls, pre cious stones and golden embroid ery. The man lier of the king's sitting, and the kind of throne on which he sits, may perhaps give some hint of the manner of the Bride groom's sitting in the First Day. This is not the royal throne of state, the ntus nud of India; that is usually stationed in one place, where it is fitted up with all imaginable magnificence, and to which it is fixed; whereas, this seat, is movable, and is carried from place to place, as wanted. Some such settee was perhaps occupied by Solomon, when he visited his Bride; so that the king sal, while his ions stood on each hand of him, forming a circle. It is necessary to distinguish the kind of throne; because there are: ( I) The muszzud itsell, or throne of state. (2) This kind of "eat or settee. (3) A kind of palanquin (called takht revan, that is movine-throne), and others, of which are thrones; but their names and applications are not the same in the original text of Scripture.
(3) Jewels. This figure is copied from De la Valle, and is a portrait of Aurengzebe, the Mogul of India. Observe the pearls, etc., in his turban; the collets of pearls and gems hanging from his neck; the same at his v. rists; so the Bride says of her Prince, "his wrists, that is, his wrist-bands, the ornaments at his wrists, arc circlets of gold, full set with t pa ze s." topazes occupy the 'dace of the pearls in our 'figure.