The Sun.
London, England, 1806-09-06 00:00:00

THE- JEWS:

Enquiry into the Political and---ReligiOits State of-the-je.wsi
iru,ai Moses 49 the present is,)

At the beginning. of the eighth century, the
I •
Caliph. 4bcl7al-Melec reigned iu • the East; :.and.
treated both'the Jews and'the .Christians with great
indulgence. In general they had no. reason to con-
plain of the Abassides, who succeeded the dynasty
of the.-Ounmades. However, the Intati diafa, sur-
named the Just, disliked them; he even declared,
that all those who would-become i\lussulmen should
iriherit:the; whole property of their, families. This,
law was enforced with the utmost 'rigour, and this
new kind of perseCution caused great nurnbers to
abjUre their religion.' Soon afterwards, 'a Jew,
sent by the ,most powerful Monarch' in Christen-
dom, arrived in Arabia, from Eurtipe-; • it was about
theyear 786. Harun, surnamed the• Just, one of the
greatest Princes the Arabs ever had, and one'of the
greatest men the East ever beheld, shad just been
raised to the Calipbat: Charlemagne, who reigned'
in France, ,had beard all 'that fame reported, or that
' Prince ; be_resolved to send him an embassy, at the
head of which be placed the Jew Isaac, The•
commission was important and' delicate ; nothing
less than to form an alliance with Harm), and pre-
vail 'upon him to make:a diversion in the East, so as
to prevent any one from disputing with Charle-
magne the possesSion' of. the- West, which he had
conquered. Isaac condu&ed himself with such
dexterity, that he was completely successful in his
undertaking.- • At the moment when Charlemagne
caused himself to be crowned Emperor of the 'West,
at-Rome, Hamm advanced to the frontiers of the
Empire, and drew upon himself the arms of Con-
stantine, who was on the point of attacking the new
Emperor. This appears •to have been 'the most
important ,part aced by the Jews since their dis—
persion, • .
• The Jews were sometimes in such favour with the
successors ok Harun, that they administered their
finances ; but,, at others, they were ill treated. Mo-
taknvel obliged them to wear a leathern girdle, and;
prohibited their riding, unless on asses or on mules
a species of humiliation which the Turks still con
tinue to.entbree. From that time the JeiVS devot-,
.ed themselves to mercantile speculations,' which
they are- reproached with haking 'appropriated too
much to themselves among us. According to the
statement.. of Historians, ,Abciallah, When be made:
:war upOn the Christians, had in his suite a consider-:
able number of 'hem, to whom'lie .sold the vessels,.
belonging to the churches, and all the other articles

of plunder. have-no certain- account of them
about this.period, either:in Italy or in Spain. In
France,-Charlemagne took themluto favour. Some
Of them enjoyed the confidence of Louis le Debon-
naire to such a degree, that the courtiers sought
their proteaion. They maintained their influence
under Charles the Bahl. The famous Sedecias, a
magician, Physician of Louis le Debonnaire, and of
Charles the 'Bald, and who poisoned the latter, was
likewise of their Nation.. . •
In the i oth'century, whilst Europe was in the
most profound ignorance, civilization made fresh
progress in Asia. The Jews there had caught from
the Arabs a taste for science and literature, and cult-
tivated them. But disputes arising .amongst them
on account of the multiplicity of their doarines,.
their academies decayed, and soon disappeared.—
Filially, the Crusaders ec.)ming, from Europe, de-
stroyed a great. tiumber,:and When the Turks sub-
stituted Sultans for Caliphs,. they were persecuted
and driven to the west.
The Wars which at that time diyided,Spain,,alloW-
ed the Jews.to breathe there; they had then,many
celebrated Rabbis ; one ()Edwin:Samuel Levi, hay--
„ing become Secretary and Minister of. State to the
King of VeLada; did, not .fail to use his influence
ta.proted his brethren. But another Rabbi, wish-
ing to convert the Mitssulmen, the King.of Grenada
had him hung; and for this, as well as because the
JeWs had amassed great Wealth, 'he began to perse-
cute. the fifteen hundred families •of them who re-
sided in his dominions.",
Ferdinand having declared war: against the. Sara-
cens,
his people supplicated him to pqt 'all the Jews
to,the sword before he went to the caMpaign he
was about to consent, when the Spanish Bishops :op-
_posed it so strongly; that they prevented this horri-.
ble massacre. Pope Alexander the Second wrote
to them to congratulate theM on their conduti.--
Alplionso, wholly_ occupied with. repelling the
Moors, favoured the Jews, from whom he drew
large stnris.- He even went so far as to make diem.
Judges over the Christians,„ and for his injustice,
drew on himself the reproaches of Gregory the
Seventh.

During theeleVenth century the Jews of Spain
made some steps-towards civilization. Mete were
amongst them many learned Rabbis., who permitted
them to study the sciences and foreign languages;
In -,Germany the JewS• rapidly increased ; they
had Synagogues at Treves, at Cologne, at Mayence ;
and were to be- found in Bohemia, •Franconia, and
Hungary. At the time of the Crusades they suf.;
fereda geheral persecution, to which many became
viEtinis. • In the, following—Century Benjamin De.
Tudele; a celebrated man among them, tindertoblt'a
Journey to hislirethren of the East and of the W." esf
His objea was to ascertain their numbers; andithe
following is the result of his inquiries. On' the
borders of the Euphrates he found 'the Syna-
gogue' 'of Esdras in ancient Nineveh be met.
with • seven thousand of his brethren.; at Bagdad
they lived tranquilly under the proteaion of the
Caliph nil-tang-ed. He assures us, that even in
their bondage they held a Chief, though this dig-
nity was abolished a 'hundred years 'before ; but this
Chief held all his authority from the. Caliph. A
number Of Jews lived abotit Babylon; they shewed
Benjamin the palace of Nebuchadnezzar; deserted
and abandoned`to reptile's. Benjamin then went to
Egypt, where he found them very numerous;
also visited the land of Gesseti ; he met therestill,
more of his brethren, and thought he perceived
some traces of.the abode of his forefathers. Jerusa-
lem, however, did not contain .more than 'about
two hundred Jews ;
,and. in the whole of the Holy
Land there were scarcely more. In Greece there
were two hundred, who had retired. to 'Mount Par-
nassm,, and who lived there, on some vegetahles
which they cultivated. There were sortie of theal
at Corinth and at Thebes; who were employed in
making. tied dying silks. Constantinople ,contained
two thousand, and "five hundred Caraites banished
into the tawn of Pen: When Benjamin arrived at
Rome, the Jew Jekiel Was, superintendant of the
finances.of the Pape. Many 4. them were spread
over ail Italy, at 'Captia, Naples, and even .into Si-
cily. ; He found in Gerrhany also those who wait
the coming of the Messiah ; in short, he found many
Synagogues in. France, at Lund, Arles; Marseilles,
and Paris. lt appears that at 'this time all the
Jews began to be affliaed on account'of the non-
appearance of tho Messiah.----However; towards the
end of the eleventh Cent tuy, the -Jews of France-
wereithe property of the Lords; they .were attached
to their denaesoes; .and paid them great homage ; .
they bought them and sold them again; they mort-
gaged' them to their creditors.; .and Marl actions
against those who molested therfr. At Paris, as at,
Rome, they confined them to distin& quarter,
which, for- this reason, was 'Called Jews' quar-
ter. Philip the First gave then particular, Judges,
who decided the differences which arose between
them and the Christtans, and the ProVost of
Paris waS-alWays' one of these Judges. , Matters
remained in this state under Louis Le Gros amid
Louis
.Scone; but 'they began to be, alarmed at
their riches under the reign of Philip Augustus.'
Usury had already subjected to them the lands and
portions of 'a :great part of the Christians. , On ac-
count Of the general want ofmoney, occasioned by
the Crusades, they found,. in every class, borroWers,
who did not hesitate to Mortgage to them all their
posessions... As we have, seen the cultivators of
'who had fled from persecaitiOn,.becorde the
prey of their usury, coMplifints then were preferred
to' Philip AugUstus from every part of ,France„ He
banished 'then), confiscated" their good, le-esta-
blished his subjeEts in the possession of' the property
they had alienated, and discharged' them from the
payment of the sums they owed to the Jews,' on con-
dition that they. should pay a fifth partof. it into his
treasury. But some years after, the exigencies. of,
the State obliged him to accept a large sum ofEired
to obtain their re-establishment, and to alloWthem
two Synagogues at Paris. Philip Augustus, by
law, fixed the bounds of the 'usury of Jews, and
appeared to countenance it. lt was., also in the ,
twelfth century that St. Bernard defended the Jews , •
against the fury of.the Crusaders ; they were also
prOteaed by, the.. Popes Innocent the Second and
Alexatider4o Third ; but in the kingdoin of Leon
• Alphouso the Eighth persecuted them. They were
banished from 'Eligland at the beginning of the 1
L.,4 t th-'century, and this exile is' one' of those from:it

.w!tich they, appeiti;Ab hay 'sitiferect triasL When
King Richard ascended the throne, great Rtimberi
returned; but ,a 3 'they were:beheved topp,-sprsern
eri, they Wrerelforbidden to remain In '1.4-otidOn dar-
ing the coronation: ManY;influenced by curiosity,
ori,sOme other moth-c, having remainedthere se•
cretly, were discovered, and massacred by the:peo-
ple
When the King was goingj to the. crusade,
they imagined to secure theirsitranquilliiy nnder
yelp, by. bringing a great quantity of 'Money tb. the
Treasury ; but the ,Kirg could not restrain' theltie6-
pie, who, at the moment of his departure', rdade7i
general execution. - -

- •We have not; as yet, con'sided the decrees arid
ordinances of the Councils and PrindeS with respe6
to the Jews, which, hol.veyer, are deserving of 139-.
tice. The Prince§ and the councils, in 'the
sures they took, alWays had the donble objea of de
fending the Christian Religion' frOM injury
enemies, and also to prevent. the Christians froth
coming Jews ; for' not withstarlding the hatred the
l'i.€4,'rsons of these -two religions entertained for each
caller, in those days efiigtiorance, it,often happened
that the:Christians_borrowed-some ceremonies tiaras
'the jews, and Confounded-the kinds of worship'
in their•praelice. -ThuS-a COuncil of Chatead-Gern
thier prohibited the Jews, under pain Of baniShinant,,
from speaking ill of the Christian Religion that of
Macon forbade their working, publicly on Sandays'
,and holidays.; that of Vielma, held at the end ‘oltht,
13th century, forbade, their shutting their -windows
When they heard- -the, hell 'of the consccrited hest
passing through the street:. At'the • same tiMe, tit()
Christian; were expressly prohibited frgro commas=
-niCating with them, on' account of the facility
which many persons had been -converted to the
Jewish Religion. The Church also was employed
about the usury "of the Jews ;. the Council of Late-
ran prohibited all commc-ree between them and the
Christians, till they had repaired the loss they -had
caused the latter. Thirty years after,•that of Beziers"
denounced excommunication abriainq the Christians
who • Should violate thatlaw".".: Those of Alby and.
Montpelier discharged the Christians from the.debts'
they had Contraded with the Jews, whenever they
could prove they-Were- the result of usurir.' But- the-.
Princes -could not put these decrees in execution, and.,
the jeWS- and the 'Christians eluded theni intoncert;
as, in order to lite, the former must lend, and' the
latter borrow. '

In the 13th eentury, a new- tYrasecution compitt=•-
edlhe ruin of This:nation in the East. Religion Was
the pretext, but tbemealth of the Jews was the trail:
cause. - When- the Mamelukes. came into Egypt, We. 4
do not-well know what-became of the Jews under
their empire: The Tartars.treatcd them Well. -•

A soldier belonging to the 6i it 'nighland Regi-
ment, on his furlough,- slept at the White.Liou, at
Maidstone, on the night oiTuegclarsennigfar.and
rested quietly till two o'clock the next morning, at
which hour he rose in his sleep, deliberately opened
the window, a ndatot -oiit, from.l.vbence he .fell atito
-the street, a distance of thirty feet, broke one of hi's
thighs in three places, dislocated his shoulder, broke
an arid and two ribs, and-,was- otherwise dreadfully •
bruised; He was taken up without any signs of-life,
buf:afterwards recover4id so far as.-to- 'be able to in-:.
foirn Iris attendants at the. depot hospital,- that lies
had beenin the habit of walking in his sltepi, and
that- previous _to, and -at the time he arose, he .bad.
been dreaming that hews on his „journey home:----:
,The unfortunate Man.lingered.-„for somehours, anti.
died in extreme agony. •

SHIP Iv &14-s.

GRAVES6ND, SIFT, 4.

Passed by-'-the Hartford, 13e-rry, from. Stockholm ; Loaisv
Margirctta, Furst, front Demerara ' • Ceres, 13,3inett. frot`n.
Gibraltar ; Fox, Cotkerill, from Quebec; lord- Fi-n-bes;
Sisk, William and Henry, Duell, and Eli4abeth,Steven,
;son froth ramaica. • - .•.
.

. . , .
Sailed --the 14,yd, Langliton, for St. Domingo'; 13°1 Esil- ...
rant :+, Laurenco, for Matlemk, alid 104e.10]1411, • Pra.,. ior
Celt wyck. . . .

if•
OrrTuesclay last, the Lady of J. 13:-Trevanion; gsq. efQ
Daughter.

?11AR R L 1 Ii

.. . ;
..
: Last week, at Portsmouth, Samuel' Mander, Esq. to Miss
Ilndircn,' (I;nuJiter of William 13udden, Esq.
.of 131ackfriar.s,
Road, London.

. .
On SatUrclay last, at, Exeter, Wirttringham Lescornbe,
ESq. Captain in the igth Regiment of Foot, to Miss C. Rub-
sell, daughter of P.. Russell, Esq. of that City.
_On Monday, Ruben Wilmot; Esq..: eldest son of Sir Ro-
bert kViltnot,-. Bart. to MisS Horton, ,daughter of.
,EusebiuS
Horton,
_Esq: of Calton, 'in DerbYoire.
•On- the 271h'uly. iu "C.::,,tk.• Huntley, Perthshire,' Lieu-
tenant,C.qonel of the Edinburgh blilit a, to Miss
Charlotte Elizabeth Ainslie, second daughter. of the law 54r
Phihp Ainslie; of Pilton.
• Oh theiSth' ult. in Edinburgh, Lieutenant Henry Spry,
of the RoyatfMarines, to Miss Fullertona- Frances. Craw,
daughter of the late John Cats, Esq. of Haddington.
-Yeterdav, at St. Mary-fe-hOne, the Rev. I,:hn Hole,
.Rector of ‘Vooffordisworthy and Broadwobd Kelly,. Devon,
to Mis's Sophia Bratsen second daughter of the late Nadia-
nicl brassey, Esq.

DIED.. .
On Thursday, at Kentish Town, in the 68th year of her
age, Mrs. Leigh, widow of Eilwaul Leigh, Esq.• late .of
Took's-court, but formerly of Lispham-I-1411, in the County
of Lancaster.

On the 2.701 ult. at Jersey, in the 95th-year of his age, still
possessing his faculties in a very eminent degree,. Charles
Lampriere, • Esit,. of Kozel, who for•inany years held the of- ,
fice of Chief Magistrate of that. I s laud. •
On Monday sc'nnight, after a long illness, in the 47th -Pat/
of his age, Mr. John Gregory, Printer of the Leicester jour-
nal.

Last week, in George's-square, Edinburgh., Mrs. Carie,
relictmt the late John Carte, e:!•ai. ... ,
Lately, Mrs. Pute, of Ettw'!iton,:tincolnshire. &he was
'returning from Nottingham Market: the preceding evening,'
and lost her lite by a drunken monster riding turiousl3‘..alotri
the road, who literally rode his horse-over her, by which her
head was crushed in such a clreacilui manner as to occasion her
death'the next day.. '

rk/r:•F i

vLsrz

,

OCXS
RDA Y.
I iitiia Stdelt.
I okita BOndS, fs. 2s. dis.
New Ann.
Ex,!-INquer Bins, ts. dis.
pteni.
Ownitun; 7 7 g
I invcriA 3 per Cent. 63
Ditto Ann.,
Cr.m. fur gth Oct. 63

Bank Stock, shut
mivy s Cent •9i
s per Cent. 4797, shut
1 rfsh s per. Cent. shut
4 per cut. -shut
; iaer Cel4.-.ljeci...si•ut
; iler Cent Cun Oz 63 1
6,311
831Itc. L.. Ann shut
I)itto friio:CAntr. :;hut

HIGIOVATLR AT LONIY)N BRIDGE TO-MOR.
ROW.

Morpitig, 31 Min, after 9. .‘“teraoon, 23 min. after so.
iri NIONDA`I.
Morning, 14 min. after t•Aitonoon, so nil:). after xi.