red the hundred and fourth pfalm; and I fixed the barrel, at his request, to that, for his future amusement. February 8. On my arrival this morning at Gringomy houfe, I found avait concourfe of people affembled, I was received by Mayhou, who conducted me into a fpacious parade; on each fide of the entrance, were three human heads that had been cut off the night before; and in the centre was erected a lofty tent, fhaped like a fugar loaf, about fifty feet high and forty feet wide, it was open below, and refted on a circular range of fmall iron rails, through which the king could have a view of what paffed in the parade. He foon made his appearance, and feated himfelf (amidit the fhouts and acclamations of the people) under his tent, on an elegant armed chair covered with crimson velvet, and ornamented with carving and gilding. I was placed under the fhade of a large umbrella, fome Mallay traders on my right, and about thirty eunuchs, with each a bright iron rod in their hands, and dreffed like women, on my left hand after the mufic had played about half an hour, with the confufed noise of which, and the fhouts and fongs of the multitude, I was almost stunned, a droll Harlequin entertained the king with an odd fort of dance, and fired occafionally a blunderbufs with five barrels, which gave the king fo much fatisfaction that he fent him five cabefs of cowrics. The proceffion then began with a guard of an hundred and twenty men, carrying blunderbuffes, who marched out two a-breast: next, fifteen of the king's daughters, fine comely women in the bloom of life, attended by fifty female flaves: after them marched in regular order, one by one, feven hundred and thirty of his wives, bearing provifions and liquors for an entertainment in the market place: thefe were followed by a guard of ninety women under arms, with drums beating. A table was then laid, and I breakfasted, whilst the proceffion continued; fix troops advanced of feventy women each, a distinguished favourite walked under an umbrella at the head of each. She who led the van was fo univerfally refpected, as to be too facred to be feen; in fact, they fe cured her effectually from my fight with the umbrella, and certain long targets of leather, covered with red and blue taffata, with which they encompaffed her; in the last troop were two umbrellas, and four favourites, very fine women, who were faid to be in higher efteem with the king than any, except the lady beforementioned. All these entertained the king with their fongs and dances as they paffed, and the favourites went into the tent to pay their refpects, and received confiderable prefents of cowries from him. They were fucceeded by ten bands of his younger children, fifteen in each, from about feven to fifteen years old, each band confifting of thofe that were nearly of the fame age and size, Seven troops of fifty women each followed next, each troop preceded by two English flags: thefe, like the former, amufed his Majefty with their fongs and droll dances, four of them particularly engaged my attention, their drefs was too extravagant to be defcribed, and each had a long tail fixed to her rump, which feemed to be a flip of leopard's fkin, fewed up and ftuffed; which, by a dexterous wriggle of their hips they whirled round with furprifing velocity, like a fling. These likewife had a fhare of their master's bounty, and marched off loaden with cowries. Befides thefe, there were fifty or fixty women employed about his perfon, going on mellages, and diftributing prefents, which he dealt about him with a liberal hand. When the women had marched out out, the eunuchs began their fongs in the king's praife, enumerating his titles, and proclaiming his grandeur and actions, in terms of the moft fulfome adulation; which continued until the women had made the neceffary preparations for him in the market place: then the king retired, and the proceffion began in the following order. First, two coaches drawn by twelve men each; next, the fedan chair, and then three hammocs fcreened from the fun by large fumptuous umbrellas of gold and filver tiffue, and covered with canopies of the fame. Each of these was furrounded by a very ftrong guard, and the king was in one of them; but whether in coach, chair, or hammoc, would have been prefumptuous, even criminal, for any of the attendants to venture to guefs. My hammoc followed, and then five other hammocs belonging to the great officers of the state, accompanied by an immenfe crowd of attendants and fpectators. We proceeded through Ajawhee market, directly under five gibbets, with a man hanging to each, as defcribed before, who had been murdered in the preceding night for that purpofe. We then entered a large parade, inclofed with different kinds of cloth, extended on rails to keep off the populace; adjoining one end of it was a higher inclofure of finer cloth for the king. None came into the large parade but Tamegah, Mayhou, Eubigah, Agaow, and Jahou, and their attendants, except myfelf and fervants; and here I fat down to a dinner which would have ferved a hundred more. After I had dined, Tamegah, &c. attacked the remainder; and the crowd without were fo well fupplied with victuals and brandy, that every one of them was fully fatisfied: in the evening I had permiffion to vifit the king, and having paffed half an hour with him, returned to my quarters fufficiently tired with the noife and fatigue of the day. On my way I paffed by the place where I had feen the feven men and the like number of horfes tyed two days before: they were now gone, and, I was told, were murdered on the preceding night; but that those upon the gibbets, and the heads in the king's houfe, were none of them. Nothing material occurred on the three enfuing days, which I employed in purchafing fome flaves and ivory; but on the 12th I was fummoned again to court to attend another festival: only four human heads were placed at the king's door upon this occafion. The dances and the proceffion were nearly the fame as before, except that the dreffes and ornaments of the women were much more fhowy: the variety and abundance of rich filks, filver bracelets, and other ornaments, coral, and a profufion of other valuable beads, exceeded my expectation; befides, there was added another troop of forty women with filver helmets, and there was a difplay of the king's furniture and trinkets, moft of the women carrying fomething or other of his, fome of them fine fwords, others filvermounted guns; above a hundred of them held either gold or filver-headed canes in their hands; and that none might be unprovided, fome carried a candlestick, and others a lamp, perhaps fifty at least of each, with many other articles, which were all held up for the gaping multitude to admite. We dined as before, in the market place; and in the evening when I went to wait on the king, a female dwarf was introduced to dance before him, in which fhe acquitted herfelf very well: the feemed to be about thirty years old, and measured only two feet feven inches high, was without any deformity, and tolerably well shaped. G2 I fhould I fhould have fet off on my return to Whydah early in the morn ing of the 16th of February, which was the last day of the Annual Cuf toms, on which the king diftributes a profufion of prefents among his people; but I was prevailed upon to remain till evening, at the request of my attendants, who hoped to pick up fomething in the fcramble of the day. On this occafion a large ftage is erected near one of the palace gates, adorned with flags and umbrellas, and furrounded with a fence of thorns, to keep off the rabble; on this are piled heaps of filefias,. checks, callicoes, and a variety of other European and Indian goods; a great many fine cotton cloths that are manufactured in the Eyo country, and a prodigious quantity of cowries. When all is ready the king comes upon the stage, accompanied by any of the governors or captains of fhips that may be there, and attended by Tamegah, Mayhou, and a few others of his head men; to each of thefe he gives, according to their rank, the choice of an Eyo cloth, and a firing of coral beads; his fubordinate officers are then called over from among the crowd below,, and receive each a piece of cloth,, and fome cowries, as a mark of their mafter's approbation and regard. The king then throws a bunch of cowries with his own hands among the crowd, on which his women begin to fling the remainder of the goods indifcriminately among the multitude; in which the white men, if they pleafe, and Tamegah and his companions afliff; and finally, as fome cruelty muft accompany all their exhibitions, a man tied neck and heels, an alligator muzzled, and a couple of pigeons, with their wings clipped, are thrown off the flage among the crowd, where a confufion, greater if poffible than what has preeded, enfues, in fcrambling for the heads of cach, to the great amufe ment of the king; and whoever ar lucky enough to carry off the prizes, which confift of the heads of the victims, are each rewarded with a handfome prefent. This is the last human facrifice at the Cuftoms, and is a part of the ceremony which the Whites never stay to fee performed; but, if report may be credited, the carcafe of the human victim is almost wholly devoured, as all the mob below. will have a taste of it. I reached Agrimee, on the borders of the wood, that night. The next day, February 18, 1772, I returned fafe to my factory; and here my narrative fhould conclude but I am tempted to waste some additional pages, in relating a few circumftances that occurred in my fubfequent journies to Dahomy. I had occafion to vifit Abomey again in December 1773: the king was then infirm, and finking under years, as well as difeafe: he was confined to his room, but would fee me, which gave me an opportunity of infpect ing his private apartment. He had. a neat detached room for fleeping in, which was feparated from the court, in which it flood by a wall about breaft high, the top of which was ftuck full of human lower-jaw bones; and the little area within it was paved with fkulls, which, I understood, were thofe of neighbouring, kings,. and other perfons of eminence and diftinction, whom he had taken prifoners in the courfe of his wars; and had been placed there, that he might enjoy the favage gratification of trampling on the heads of his enemies, when he pleafed. He did not long furvive this interview, but lingered on to the 17th of May 1774, when he died aged about feventy years, of which he had reigned about forty, and was fucceeded by his fon Adaunzou. A horrid fcene commences in the palace the moment the king expires, which continues until Tame gah that event to his fucceffor, and till he takes poffeffion of it: this he lofes no time in doing, that he may put an end to the mischief going on there. The wives of the deceafed begin with breaking and destroying the furniture of the houfe, the gold and filver ornaments and utenfils, the coral, and in fhort, every thing of value that belonged either to themfelves, or to the late king, and then murder one another. gal and Mayhou have announced the palace gate, which he broke down, and taking poffeffion of it, put a stop to the carnage; but, before he could accomplish this, a great part of the furniture, &c. was deftroyed, and two hundred and eightyfive of the women had been murdered. The fedan chair, however, remained entire, and Ahadee was interred in it, accompanied, it is faid, by fix of his wives, who were buried alive with him, as were alfo all those who had been killed in the affray. Adaunzou, upon being nominated king, hattened with his retinue to Concerning the Greek Characters of Francis I. ufed by Robert Stephan, from an Hiftorical Effay prefixed to Accounts and Extracts of the M. SS. in the Library of the King of France.' By M. de Guignes. FRANCIS I. it is well known, culcated." The fame author ac not only loved and protected letters and arts, but was alfo very learned himself; which occafioned a foreign writer, Hubert Thomas, of Liege, who travelled in France, in 1535, to fay, I do not know I ever was at a table fo learned as Francis the Firft's was the readings which they made, the matters which were treated of, the converfations * held there, were fo inftructive, that even the most learned might be ⚫ improved; the moft intelligent military man, as well as the learned, might there profit. I dare affirm, *if it is permitted me to enter into 'particulars, that the artist, the gardener, and the labourer, might acquire additional knowledge from the king's difcourfe." Belon, who lived about the fame period, Lays, His court appeared as a fine academy, or ancient school of philofophy, in which the theory and 'practice of every virtue were in L quaints us, that this prince had fent fome learned. men into the East, to collect Greek manufcripts: he names, among others, Jufte Tenelle *. Francis I. who equally loved the arts, a much greater admirer of grand defigns than any other," fays Belon again, would deliberately have caufed a coloffal Hercules to be caft, and would actually have done it, if he had not been prevented by death: for the model has long remained at Paris, which was between fifty-two and fifty-three feet high. He collected artists, and had very able ones of every kind. He erected a monument, lefs gigantic,. but more useful, which does not fail to record his name to pofterity throughout Europe. These are the puncheons and matrices of thofe beautiful Greek characters which he caufed to be engraved by Garamont, the most able artist of his time; a work which is still admired by connoiffeurs. He had collected, at Fountainbleau, a cabinet of antiquities, where there were two fphinxes, which he had caft in imitation of those at Rome. noiffeurs. This beautiful monument, cis I. "O mirificam regis noftri op buried in fome degree under ruins for more than a century, again re-appears. This we owe to the protection his prefent majefty grants to let ters. John Cheradam, in 1527, pubJifhed fome effays on the Greek grammar, under the title of, "Joannis Cheradami Sagienfis introductio fané quam utiles Græcarum Mufarum adyta compendio ingredi cupientibus Parifiis, 1527, in ædibus Egidii Gormontii." The following year, 1528, Robert Etienne gave a Greek and a Hebrew alphabet. About the year 1538, William Poftel published alfo, as I have before said, a Greek and a Hebrew alphabet. The Greek, in these three works, is fmall, thin, of a difagreeable shape, and engraved by a workman of little ability in this way it fhews us only the infancy of the art. The affection Francis I. had for letters, determined him to cause three fonts of thefe characters to be engraved, the elegance and beauty of which aftonith us. The celebrated Garamont, under the direction of the most learned men of the age, was employed in this work. Thefe beautiful characters appeared about twenty years after the alphabet of bad Greek, published by Robert Etienne. We are aftonifhed, in comparing the Greek of Cheradam and Robert Etienne, of 1526 and 1527, and that of Poftel, in 1538, with the New Teflament, in folio, of Robert Etienne, and his fmail New Teftament, printed in 1549. The art, in thefe new characters, is carried to the highest degree of perfection. Robert Etienne made ufe of them again in 1550, to publifh three Greek alphabets; "Alphabetum Græcum regius trium generum Caracteribus poftremo excufum, Lut. ex officina, Roberti Stephani, 1550." In the New Testament, in twelves, is the following eulogium of Fran timi et præftantiffimi principis liberalitatem. Minutiores etiam Characteres Græcos quis defiderari fenferat ad libros quam vis magnas in anguftum fpatium contrahendos exfculpi voluit, prioribus illis licet omnium pulcherimis elegantia pares." Thus it is to the liberality of Francis I. we are indebted, as well for two magnificent fonts of large Greek characters, as for a fmaller font, which is not lefs beautiful than the other two. Those who engraved Greek cha rafters formerly, under the direction of learned men, having applied themfelves to imitate the most beautiful mauufcripts, found fome fine joining ftrokes, & fome abbreviations, which, being placed at certain diftances, feem defigned to attract the attention of the readers. This Garamont has done for the characters of Francis I. and this is feen in the beautiful editions of Etienne. In the latter times, our engravers and printers endeavoured to avoid these abbrevi= ations, by printing all the letters, as being much easier for the reader. It is on this plan they have publifhed in England a fine edition of Homer: but, it must be confeffed, these characters appear thin, when at full length; and, as they have fuppreffed the abbreviations, all the lines, which are of equal length, feem without variety; our modern artifts, notwithftanding their efforts and pretenfions, not having yet equalled Garamont. Francis I. perfuaded that a work fo well executed ought not to be trufted in the hands of printers, caufed all the puncheons of the three fonts to be depofited in the chamber of accounts, in boxes ornamented with velvet. As to the matrices, which were often wanted to caft new types, Robert Etienne had them in his cuftody and it appears that they remained afterwards in his family; |