Page 87. Shieks, cadis
Shieks are the chiefs of the societies of derviches: cadis are the magistrates of a town or city.
Page 87. Asses in bridles of riband inscribed from the Koran
As the judges of Israel in ancient days rode on white asses, so amongst the Mahometans, those that affect an extraordinary sanctity, use the same animal in preference to the horse. Sir John Chardin observed in various parts of the East, that their reins, as here represented, were of silk, with the name of God, or other inscriptions upon them. Budeke Expos. brevis, p. 49. Chardin’s MS.cited by Harmer.1
Page 89. Eblis
D’Herbelot supposes this title to have been a corruption of the Greek Διαβολος diabolos. It was the appellation conferred by the Arabians upon the prince of the apostate angels, and appears more likely to originate from the Hebrew , hebel, vanity, pride. – See below the note 1 ‘creatures of clay.’
Page 89. compensate for thy impieties by an exemplary life
It is an established article of the Mussulman creed, that the actions of mankind are all weighed in a vast unerring balance, and the future condition of the agents determined according to the preponderance of evil or good. This fiction, which seems to have been borrowed from the Jews, had probably its origin in the figurative language of scripture. Thus, Psalm lxii. 9.Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity: and, in Daniel, the sentence against the King of Babylon, inscribed on the wall: Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting.
Page 90. Balkis
This was the Arabian name of the Queen of Sheba, who went from the south to hear the wisdom and admire the glory of Solomon. The Koran represents her as a worshipper of fire. Solomon is said not only to have entertained her with the greatest magnificence, but also to have raised her to his bed and his throne. Al Koran, ch. XXVII. and Sale’s notes. D’Herbelot, p. 182.
Page 92. Ouranbad
This monster is represented as a fierce flying hydra, and belongs to the sam class with the rakshe whose ordinary food was serpents and dragons; th scham, which had the head of a horse, with four eyes, and the body of flame-coloured dragon; the syl, a basilisk with a face resembling the human but so tremendous that no mortal could bear to behold it; the ejder, an others. See these respective titles in Richardson’s Persian, Arabic and English Dictionary.1
Page 92. Creatures of clay
Nothing could have been more appositely imagined than this compellation. Eblis, according to Arabian mythology, had suffered a degradation from his primeval rank, and was consigned to these regions, for having refused worship Adam, in obedience to the supreme command: alledging in justification of his refusal, that himself had been formed of etherial fire, whilst Adam was only a creature of clay. Al Koran, c. 55, &c.
Page 93. the fortress of Aherma
In the mythology of the easterns, Aherman was accounted the Demon of Discord. The ancient Persian romances abound in descriptions of this for -tress, in which the inferior demons assemble to receive the behests of their prince; and from whom they proceed to exercise their malice in every part of the world. D’Herbelot, p. 71.
Page 93. the halls of Argen
The halls of this mighty dive, who reigned in the mountains of Kaf, contained the statues of the seventy-two Solimans, and the portraits of the various creatures subject to them; not one of which bore the slightest similitude to man. Some had many heads; others, many arms; and some consisted of many bodies. Their heads were all very extraordinary, some resembling the elephant’s, the buffalo’s and the boar’s; whilst others were still more monstrous. D’Herbelot, p. 820. Some of the idols worshipped to this day in the Hindostan answer to this description.
Ariosto, who owes more to Arabian fable than his commentators have hitherto supposed, seems to have been no stranger to the halls of Argenk, when he described one of the fountains of Merlin: –
Era una delle fonti di Merlino
Delle quattro di Francia da lui fatte;
D’intorno cinta di bel marmo fino
Lucido, e terso, e bianco piû che latte.
Quivi d’ intaglio con lavor divino
Avea Merlino immagini ritratte.
Direste che spiravano, e se prive
Non fossero di voce ch’ eran vive.
Quivi una Bestia uscir della foresta
Parea di crudel vista, odiosa, e brutta,
Che avea le orecchie d’asino, e la testa
Di lupo, e i denti, e per gran fame asciutta;
Branche avea di leon; l’ altro, che resta,
Tutto era volpe.1
Page 93. holding his right hand motionless on his heart.
Sandys observes, that the application of the right hand to the heart is the customary mode of eastern salutation; but the perseverance of the votaries of Eblis in this attitude, was intended to express their devotion to him both heart and hand.
Page 93. In my life-time, I filled, &c
This recital agrees perfectly with those in the Koran, and other Arabian legends.
Pae 95. Carathis on the back of an afrit
The expedition of the afrit in fetching Carathis, is characteristic of this order of dives. We read in the Koran that another of the fraternity offered to bring the Queen of Saba’s throne to Solomon, before he could rise from his place, c.27.
Page 97. Glanced off in a whirl that rendered her invisible
It was extremely proper to punish Carathis by a rite, and one of the principal characteristics of that science in which she so much delighted, and which was the primary cause of Vathek’s perdition and of her own. The circle, the emblem of eternity, and the symbol of the sun, was held sacred in the most ancient ceremonies of incantations; and the whirling round deemed as necessary operation in magical mysteries. Was not the name of the greatest enchantress in fabulous antiquity, Circe,2 derived from Κιρκος, a circle, on account of her magical revolutions and of the circular appearance and motion of the sun her father? The fairies and elves used to arrange themselves in a ring on the grass; and even the augur, in the liturgy of the Romans, whirled round, to encompass the four cardinal points of the world. It is remarkable, that a derivative of the Arabic word (which corresponds to the Hebrew 7,76, and is interpreted scindere secare se in orbem, inde notio circinandi, mox gyrandi et hinc à motu versatili, fascinavit, incantavit) 3 signifies, in the Koran, the glimmering of twilight; a sense deducible from the shapeless glimpses of objects, when hurried round with the velocity here described, and very applicable to the sudden disappearance of Carathis, who like the stone in a sling, by the progressive and rapid increase of the circular motion, soon ceased to be perceptible. Nothing can impress a greater awe upon the mind than does this passage in the original.
Page 97. They at once lost the most precious gift of heaven – Hope
It is a soothing reflection to the bulk of mankind, that the commonness any blessing is the true test of its value. Hence, Hope is justly styled ‘the most precious of the gifts of heaven,’ because, as Thales long since observed – 1 – it abides with those who are destitute of every other. Dante’s inscription over the gate of hell was written in the same sense, and perhaps in allusion to the saying of the Grecian sage: –
Per me si va nella città dolente:
Per me si va nell’ eterno dolore:
Per me si va tra la perduta gente.
Giustizia mosse ’I mio alto fattore:
Fecemi la divina potestate,
La somma sapienza, e’l primo amore.
Dinanzi a me non fur cose create,
Se non eterne ed io eterno duro:
Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che ’ntrate.
CANTO III.1
Strongly impressed with this idea, and in order to complete his description of the infernal dungeon, Milton says,
–– where ––
–––hoe never come
That comes to all.
Paradise L. 1. 66
.
THE END
SATIRES
I
From Biographical Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters, London, 1780
ALDROVANDUS MAGNUS1
This illustrious artist was one of the first who brought the art of painting in oil to a degree of perfection. It is well known, that Hubert and John Van-eyck2 in a manner discovered this admirable secret, the finding of which occasioned almost as much trouble as the researches after the philosopher’s stone; but though the Van-eycks succeeded to the admiration of all Europe, still the most experienced colourists unanimously allow Aldrovandus to have exceeded them in every respect. His varnish (composed chiefly of nut-oil) gave a superior glow to his paintings, rendered the tints more mellow, and the nice strokes of his pencil far more discernable than those of the Van-eycks: this circumstance alone is sufficient to give the preference to our artist, had not his knowledge of the demi-tints raised him above all his predecessors. Bruges claims the honour of his birth, which happened on St Simon’s day, 1473.3 His parents, wealthy merchants trading to the Levant, intended to send him into those countries, that he might acquire the language and be serviceable in their commerce. Every thing was agreed upon, and the day fixed for his departure. Fortunately for the arts, Jean Hemmeline,4 a disciple of the Van-eycks, chanced to pay a visit to the old Aldrovandus, his beloved friend, on the eve of his son’s departure. Observing a number of loose papers covered with sketches of animals and figures, scattered about the apartment, Hemmeline was tempted to take up some of them, and sitting down began to examine them with attention. He had not long contemplated them, before he broke out into exclamations of surprize, and enquired hastily for their author.
The father, who was writing at his desk by the fire side, paid little attention to his friend’s enthusiasm, and it was not till Hemmeline had pulled him three times by the sleeve that he cared to give any answer. Being of a very phlegmatic disposition, he replied coolly, ‘that they were his son’s scratches, and that he believed he would ruin him in paper were he to live much longer in such an idle way.’ ‘Truly,’ said his mother, who was knitting in a great chair opposite to his father, and who was resolved to put in her word, ‘our child is very innocently employed, and although he doth marr a little paper, or so, there is no need of snubbing him as you always do.’ ‘Woman,’ answered old Aldrovandus, ‘cease thy garrulity, our son will be shipped off to-morrow, so there needs no farther words.’ Upon this the mother burst into tears, and, as she was always averse to her son’s voyage, took this opportunity to give vent to her sorrow, and with a piteous voice cried out, ‘You will,
then, barbarous man! Father without bowels! you will, then, expose our first born to dwell amongst a parcel of brutal circumcised Moors and infidels. You will, then, have him go over sea and be shipwrecked without christian burial. O Lord! O Lord! why cannot folks live every one under his own figtree, without roving and wandering through perils and dangers, that make my blood run cold to think of. And all this for the lucre of gain! Are we not blessed with a competence at home, without looking for superfluities abroad? Yes, my precious baby, you shall not be torn from me. Here take my ruby cross, my gold bodkins1, and all my parafernalia, leave me but Anthony my son… Anthony, my son,… 0!’ – The poor lady pronounced these last words with such vehemence, that, her spirits failing her, she fell into a swoon; and whilst proper assistance was called for, Hemmeline, touched with her situation (for he was full of sensibility) drew his chair near old Aldrovandus, and held the following discourse: ‘You know, my dear friend, that Providence has been bountiful unto me, and that under its protection my talents have procured me an affluent fortune, to which I have no heir; for to say truth, I have had no time to beget children, and matrimony I have always regarded as a gilded pill, fair to the eye and bitter to the palate; therefore I have been several times on the very point of making you a proposition, which perhaps may not be disagreeable.’ There was a solemnity in this harangue very suitable to the genius of Aldrovandus; the mention of affluence too and fortune tickled his ears, and the proposition not yet explained rouzed his attention. So conveying his pen into his wig, and twirling his thumbs round each other, the merchant turned a very placid countenance towards Hemmeline, who continued: ‘In good truth, I have fixed upon an heir; I have cast on Anthony the eyes of adoption, and if you will but consent, I will defray the expences you have incurred in equipping him for the voyage, then I will take him home, nourish him with parental tenderness, and next I will teach him the principles of my art; for his capacity is capacious, and if the blossoms of his genius are duly cultivated, they will produce such fruit as will astonish the world. After my death he shall inherit all my possessions. Go then unto his mother, and comfort her, for she is grievously afflicted.’ That I may not detain my readers with unnecessary details, I will briefly acquaint them, that Anthony Aldrovandus was, after some deliberation, placed under the care of Hemmeline, and the project of his voyage abandoned. Those who, after having been restrained in their warmest inclinations, find themselves on a sudden free, may conceive the joy of young Aldrovandus, when he found himself at liberty to pursue his beloved studies.2 He now applied himself with such intenseness, that the kind Hemmeline was obliged to check an ardour, which might have proved prejudicial to his health; but nothing could hinder our young artist from giving four hours in a day to chemistry, his favourite science. Hemmeline was very assiduous in the laboratory, and had some part
in the discovery of many admirable compositions, which contributed to the perfection of Aldrovandus’s colours, ever famous for their splendour and durability. The judicious Hemmeline, marking the progress of his disciple, thought him sufficiently grounded in his art to give his paintings to the public, and purposely to make his talents known quitted the village of Dammé which had been their residence for eight years, and travelled to Ghent, where they arrived the 6th of Sept. 1492. Hemmeline immediately hired a house and furnished it with his own and Aldrovandus’s paintings, which soon attracted the admiration of the curious, who flocked in crouds to behold them. Adam Spindlemans, a rich burgher of Ghent, purchased five of the most capital performances, which he sent as presents to the Dukes of Parma and Placentia, princes who delighted in the encouragement of arts, and whose cabinets began to be filled with the choicest productions of the pencil. Such a genius as Aldrovandus could not long remain in obscurity.
George Podebrac, Duke of Bohemia,1 formerly the patron of Hemmeline, desired him to send his disciple to his court, at the same time promising the most ample encouragement. An offer like this was not to be rejected, especially as Hemmeline was under such obligations to the Bohemian monarch that he could hardly have refused it with decency. Besides he had other reasons, of no less consequence to his disciple’s advancement. Aldrovandus was not insensible to the charms of the fair sex, and Ann Spindlemans, whose beauty and coyness had been fatal to many lovers, held him in her chains. In vain he presented her with eastern curiosities, which his mother had privately procured him. In vain he laid a pair of silk stockings at her feet, at that period a valuable rarity. Not all his assiduity could procure him the least favour, so far was he from hoping ever to garter his present above the knee. It is incredible what elegant closet2 pictures he lavished upon this haughty beauty. It was for her he finished so exquisitely the adventure of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus,3 a fable the very reverse of his own unhappy situation. It was at her desire he impiously changed the sacred story of Bell and the Dragon, began for the Benedictines, into the garden of the Hesperides,4 guarded by a more sagacious monster. This trait scandalized his master, whose chastity had taken the alarm at several other of his proceedings, and, under pretence of visiting his parents, he found means to snatch him from the allurements of Ann Spindlemans; nor was it till after he had left Ghent ten leagues behind, that he perceived the deceit. Such are the reveries into which love-lorn passion plunges his votaries! – Hemmeline, who accompanied his disciple, tried by sage discourses to set his conduct in its proper
light, and told him with his accustomed gravity, that what was right could not be wrong, and vise versa. He added, ‘that youth was the season of folly, and that
passion was like an unbridled horse, a torrent without a dike, or a candle with a thief in it, and ended by comparing Ann Spindlemans herself to a vinegar-bottle, who would deluge the sallad of matrimony with much more vinegar than oil.’ He continued for two long hours in this figurative style, when observing his disciples’ eyes nearly closed, he gave another fillip to his imagination, and attempted to excite his attention by more splendid ideas. Now he represented to him what golden advantages would spring from his residence at Prague, what honours, what emoluments; and next he brought to view Duke Podebrac, with great solemnity appointing him his painter, and holding forth chains and medals decorated with costly gems, as the reward of his labours. These chains and medals the sagacious painter took great care to wave frequently before the eye of his fancy, and this lessened, in some measure, the acuteness of his sorrow. These flattering dreams served to alleviate his grief during the journey, and before he arrived at Prague had almost effaced Ann Spindlemans from his memory. How inconstant is youth, how apt to change, how fond of roving! But let us return to our artists, who met with the most honourable reception from the Duke. He immediately gave them an apartment in his palace, appointed them a magnificent table, and officers to attend them.
Aldrovandus, delighted with the generous treatment he had received, resumed his employments with double alacrity, and began an altar-piece for the cathedral, in which he may be said to have surpassed himself. The subject, Moses and the burning bush, was composed in the most masterly manner, and the flames represented with such truth and vivacity, that the young Princess Ferdinanda Joanna Maria being brought by the Duchess, for a little recreation, to see him work, cried out, ‘La! Mamma, I won’t touch that bramble bush for fear it should burn my fingers!’ This circumstance, which I am well aware some readers will deem trifling, gained our painter great reputation amongst all the courtiers, and not a little applause to her Serene Highness, for her astonishing discernment and sagacity. All the nurses and some of the ladies-in-waiting declared, she was too clever to live long, and they were not mistaken, for this admirable Princess departed this life Jan. 23d, 1493, and it was unanimously observed, that had she lived, she would have been indubitably the jewel of Bohemia. This may seem a digression; but as it was her Serene Highness who first gave her spotless opinion of our artist’s merit, I could not dispense with mentioning these few words in relation to her, and consecrating a tear to her memory. Aldrovandus was sensibly afflicted at her loss, and painted her apotheosis with wonderful intelligence. He represented the heavens wide open, and the Blessed Virgin in a rich robe of ultramarine, seated, according to custom, on the back of the old serpent, whose scales were horribly natural. Mercury, poetically habited, was placed judiciously in the off-skip, with an out-stretched arm, receiving the royal infant from the city of Prague. She was draped in a saffron stole, which seemed to float so naturally in the air, that a spectator might have sworn the wind blew it into all its beautiful folds. Above were gods and goddesses, saints and angels. Below were forests and gilded spires, nymphs, fauns,
Vathek and Other Stories Page 23
