Julfa

“ Glory to Julyan, faithful to the teachings of the druids. He knows that the creatures of the All-Powerful never die, and his pure and noble blood Julyan now offers up to Hesus. Glory, hope and happiness to Julyan! He has been good, just and brave. He will be re-born still happier, still juster, still braver, and ever onward, from world to world, Julyan will be re-born, his soul being ever re-incarnated in a new body the same as the body that here puts on new clothes. ”

“ His deadly foe, Alfonso XI. of Castile, took the field with great force, and laid siege to Gibraltar. Yusef reluctantly took up arms, and sent troops to the relief of the place. In the midst of his anxiety, he received tidings that his dreaded foe had suddenly fallen a victim to the plague. Instead of manifesting exultation on the occasion, Yusef called to mind the great qualities of the deceased, and was touched with a noble sorrow. “Alas!” cried he, “the world has lost one of its most excellent princes; a sovereign who knew how to honor merit, whether in friend or foe!” ”

“ I received you, Jugurtha, into my kingdom, when a little one, having lost your father, without hope and without fortune, thinking that I should not be less dear to you for these benefits than if I had begotten you. Nor did this thing deceive me, for to pass by other great and noble deeds of yours, having just returned from Numantia you did me and my kingdom honour by your glory, and by your valour hast made the Romans from mere friends most friendly to us. In Spain the name of our family is renewed. Lastly, what is most difficult amongst mortals, you have overcome envy by your glory. ”

“ But Hulda did not die. See what a good thing it is to be kind. The soft, warm air of the south revived her by degrees—so much, that by the end of the year she could walk in the public garden and delight in the warm sunshine; in another month she could ride with her father to see all the strange old castles in that neighborhood, and by the end of February she was as well as ever she had been in her life; and all this came from her desire to do good to the fairy by going to the south. ”

“ Sylvester, or New Year's Eve, is the next occasion to be observed during Yule [72] -tide. The former name was given in honor of the first pope of that name, and still retained by many. After the usual church service in the early evening, the intervening hours before midnight are spent in the most boisterous merriment. Fun of all sorts within the limit of law and decency prevails. Any one venturing forth wearing a silk hat is in danger of having his hat, if not his head, smashed. ”

“ Upon sunrise, the old woman arrived with the roses. Giulla received her cheerfully. Around the reed with the letter she arranged a bouquet more beautiful than the one Feristeno had made. She gave it to the old woman and words cannot express how much she admired its artistry. But she became as suspicious as before that if the King would become aware of Giulla's skill in this art, she could be deprived of her position. So, she returned to Feristeno with the bouquet from Giulla and took with her a small basket of roses, so that he could arrange one even more beautiful. ”

“ But during all the season of green leaves they must remain in Sobul, tilling the earth as Yulada wishes and roaming her mountains but never defiling her trees or wild things. If so, long life will be theirs, unless—unless—" Here Hamul-Kammesh hesitated, and something menacing came into his tone.—"Unless Yulada should not choose to revoke her old prophecy, but, for reasons which only she can fathom, should send some portent of her wrath." ”

“ Egil. What pliancy! what tenderness! what life!
O for the smiles of those who smile so seldom,
The love of those who know no other love!
Such he was, Egilona, who was thine.
Jul. While he was worthy of the realm and thee.
Egil. Can it be true, then, Julian, that thy aim
Is sovranty? not virtue, nor revenge?
Jul. I swear to heaven, nor I, nor child of mine,
Ever shall mount to this polluted throne. ”

“ Oh! Unhappy Asenath! What is life to thee now? He comes for toll of corn, and with toll of corn he will depart, and then——'
She swung herself prone upon the cushions and wept again most bitterly.
And Jusef entered into the palace of Putiphra, and all fell down and made obeisance before him,—all except Asenath, who remained hidden in her tower. When the slave-girls had washed Jusef's feet [129] they set food and wine before him, but on a table apart, for it was known in the land that Jusef the son of Jakub would not eat with the Egyptians, this being an abomination to him. ”

“ The Jullab winds its solitary way through the desert for about ten miles south of Harrân, when it is increased by another stream formed by several springs rising near the shrine of Ibraheem Khaleel, and called Jullâb-oot-Toorkmân. Some hours farther south the united Jullâbs are joined by the Beleekh and flow into the Euphrates at Racca. Harrân is about thirty miles from Racca. ”

“ It is Christmas Eve. All nature is hushed. As the shepherds once sat around their fire upon the plains of Bethlehem, discussing, perchance, the strange portents attending the birth of the son of Zacharias, so to-night the peasants in their huts along the shores of the Baltic, or in the shadows of the Black Forest, sit before the Yule log, and talk of the birth of the Son of man. ”

“ There were no poor folk to be found in Yelvaland. The Empress Yelva governed her realm too well and wisely for that. Now it happened on one winter's day, when all the ground was white, Sweep noticed that the frost hung thick and glistened on the branches of the firs and cedars.
"It seems to me, my dear," said Sweep to Empress Yelva, "that it would be most suitable if we should build some houses for our little friends, the Red Caps, who are dwelling in our [Pg 213] forest. I fear me that they suffer greatly from the cold." ”

“ Now, all this appeared to me a most strange and needless complication of a simple matter, and, calling to mind certain words of Joseffa, I could not help wondering whether the cavalier held the same language to the mother as to the daughter. The allusions to the persecution which Joseffa was undoubtedly undergoing, out of deference to her mother’s foibles and prejudices, coming probably to an end when a certain vessel sailed for Spain, would seem to imply that in that vessel would also sail her tormentor ”

“ The next year King Yussef, leader of the Moors, came again to the siege of Valencia, this time with fifty thousand men. Small as was the force of the Cid as compared with this great army, he had no idea of fighting cooped up like a rat in a cage. Out once more he sallied, with but four thousand men at his back. ”

“ Pope Julius, who reigned from 337 to 352 A. D., after a careful investigation, considered it settled beyond doubt that Christ was born on or about the twenty-fifth of December, and by the end of the [22] fifth century that date was very generally accepted by Christians. The transition from the old to the new significance of Yule-tide was brought about so quietly and naturally that it made no great impression on the mind of the masses, so nothing authentic can be learned of the early observance of Christmas. ”

“ It has been conjectured that Julalpoor is the scene of Alexander’s battle with Porus, when he crossed the stream by a stratagem, and defeated that prince. There is much to favour the opinion; for, in the words of Quintus Curtius, we have “islands in the stream, projecting banks, and waters dilated.” Yet the mention “of sunken rocks” seems to point higher up the river, near the village of Jelum. The high roads from the Indus pass this river at two places, at Julalpoor and Jelum; but the latter is the great road from Tartary, and appears to have been the one followed by Alexander. ”

“ She did her best to listen to her mother asking for news of John, and to her aunt replying with the authentic history of Hilda’s engagement to an officer in the Indian Army, but she cast her mind alternately towards forest paths and starry blossoms, and towards pages of neatly written mathematical signs. When her mind took this turn her marriage seemed no more than an archway through which it was necessary to pass in order to have her desire. ”

“ With those who give it's not the same, From them we have no faith to claim: 'Tis we are wrong, if we give way." Of King Olaf's Presents at Yule. King Olaf gave a great feast at Yule, and many great people had come to him. It was the seventh day of Yule, that the king, with a few persons, among whom was Sigvat, who attended him day and night, went to a house in which the king's most precious valuables were kept. ”

“ It was the region long inhabited By all the race of Seth; and Jubal said, "Here have I found my thirsty soul's desire, Eastward the hills touch heaven, and evening's fire Flames through deep waters, I will take my rest, And feed anew from my great mother's breast, The sky-clasped Earth, whose voices nurture me As the flowers' sweetness doth the honey-bee." He lingered wandering for many an age, And, sowing music, made high heritage For generations far beyond the Flood For the poor late-begotten human brood Born to life's weary brevity and perilous good. ”

“ December in Judea is a cold, dreary month, with penetrating storms of rain and sleet. It may even snow; and sometimes the drifts lie knee-deep on that highroad from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. So they hasten their steps, these footsore travelers who have come all the way from distant Galilee at the command of their Roman rulers; for darkness is coming on, and this night, of all [Pg 63] nights, they must find a safe, warm resting-place. ”

“ JUL, OR CHRISTMAS Jul is the great festival in Sweden. The festivities begin on Christmas Eve—Julafton—and continue for thirteen days. Since early autumn everyone has been sewing and embroidering beautiful presents. Amongst young girls there is a custom that for one night before Jul they should sit up the whole night and sew. ”

“ Jul at the present day, as in olden times, is a great festival with the Swedish peasantry. They have a special reverence for this season. No work that can be avoided will be done on this day.
“There is a belief which has existed for ages that, during Christmas, there is a second of time when not only the sun itself, but everything movable in creation, becomes stationary, and in consequence, at that particular moment, which no one can foretell, if a person should be occupied in any way, that which he is then about is sure to go wrong.” ”

“ Certainly, it seemed to suit the pleasure of Yulada that I should linger here indefinitely. The way to the outer world was still unknown; no visitors came to Sobul, and in my wanderings among the mountains I had discovered no sign of human life and no road that gave promise of leading toward civilization. Not that I would have left if I could; to go away without Yasma would have been unthinkable; and to go with her would have been as difficult as it was dangerous. Yet I kept wondering if I was to spend my remaining days in this primitive valley ”

“ Hardly had he ascended the pyre, when again the harps and cymbals struck up, and the bard chanted:
"Who is this? He is a brave man! It is Julyan the laborer; Julyan of the family of Joel, the brenn of the tribe of Karnak! He fears the gods, and all love him. He is good, he is industrious, he is brave. He killed Armel not in hate but in a contest, in loyal combat, buckler on arm, sword in hand, like a true Breton Gaul, who loves to display his bravery and does not fear death. Armel having departed, Julyan, who had pledged brotherhood to him, wishes to depart also and join his friend. ”

“ In every part of Spain song and dance form an important part of the festivities of Yule-tide, which lasts two weeks, although the laboring class observe but two days of pleasure. At the palace the King holds a reception on New Year's, not for the public generally, but for the diplomats and grandees.
The higher circles of society observe New Year as a time of exchanging calls and visiting, feasting and merrymaking. ”

“ Often and often, since I left the Spanish main, in rough dark middle watches, as well as in soft and balmy nights, when my ship stole through a waveless and shining sea, have I flown in fancy back to those bright days of hope and love—often have I meditated and pondered, until the very image of Joseffa has seemed to waver in the air and smile upon me, until the well-remembered tones of her voice have sounded audibly in mine ear amid the dash of waves, or the rustle of the swelling canvas. ”

“ IX Having given him this advice, he dismissed him with the following letter to Micipsa:—“Your nephew Jugurtha has highly distinguished himself during the siege of Numantia; which, I am sure, will give you great joy. His great merit has made him dear to me; and I shall use my endeavours that he be so to the senate and people of Rome. I congratulate you, indeed, on this occasion, as my friend; for in him you have a man worthy of yourself, and of his grandfather Masinissa.” ”

“ But the Welsh gwyl may itself be derived from the same root as yule, which, to our ears, now only signifies, as Brand says, "Christmas," or the festive season. Heulo, in modern Welsh, means to "shine as [58] the sun." In India the term Huli festival is applied to the ceremonies attendant upon the sun's entering into the spring quarter at the vernal equinox.
In ordinary life we meet with very few persons who are aware of the fact that the practice of regarding the first of January as the commencement of a new year is of very modern origin, in England, at least. ”