Egypt and Mohammed Ali Author:James Augustus St. John Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 29 infers that such viands were unknown in those early ages. But the natives of Eilithyias were not quite so simple in their taste; for w... more »e see the sportsman returning from the chase, with his bow and quiver in his hand, and a well filled game-bag slung across his shoulder. Next comes the feast. Women, according to some historians, had in ancient Egypt, as at Sparta, the most complete ascendancy over their husbands, whose houses and fortunes they governed despotically. Here both sexes, though not seated together, appear to be on terms of perfect equality ; the male guests, sixteen in number, being ranged on chairs, on one side of the apartment, while the women, likewise sixteen, occupy the other. The master of the house, who mingles not with his guests, occupies a throne at one end of the apartment, and beside him, on the same seat, is his wife, with her right arm about his neck. Before them are several domestics awaiting their orders, among whom are two female musicians ; one, seated on the ground, playing on a harp of seven strings, which rests upon her knees ; while the other touches a four-chorded crescent-shaped instrument, held awkwardly on the shoulder. In the middle of the banquetting room, on a large table, piled with provisions, we observe a bul1's head, cooked with the horns on ; and beside it a whole quarter of the same animal; from which it is quite clear that the Egyptians ate the relations of their god Apis, though they might not choose to devour the divinity himself. Piles of fruit of various kinds are on the table for the dessert. The men, 30 DEATH SCENE. attended upon by two female slaves, have each a lotus in their hand, and appear exceedingly grave; but their more vivacious moieties, who are honoured with ten attendants, seem, in m...« less