Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-04-26
DEVILS WOrsslippers.

| Mr Layard, in his recently published work
on The Antiquities of Nlnevah, gives a very uu-
teres'ing account of strange people, who have
been lit.le known Nthe rest of The world, bul
ho have inhabited Mesopolamla and the neigh
boring countries time out of mind These arc
The YezidiS, or Worshippers of The Devil
We extract the following account from he last
number of the London Quarterly Review:
The third expidillon of Mr. Layard led him
among still more remarkable people, perhaps
IN their origin not only much older than the
HISTORIAN form Of Christianity, but even than
Christianity itself file is admitted into their
rites, almost into the inmosl sanctuary of that
singular race, who bear The i'll omened name
of Devil Worshippers. He is The first Euro
pean, we believe, who has received almost un-
reserved communication as 10 the nature Of
their lenels, though probably from the ignorance
OF The Yezldls themselves, he has by meaus
solved The problem either of The date or The
primal source OF their curious doctrines.
How extraordinary the vitality even Of the
widest and s,rangest forms of religious belief
Here are tribes prescribed for centuries, ALMOST.
perhaps, for thousands Of yaers, under the name
most odlous 10 all Other religious creeds--ha-
ted and prosecuted by the Christians, as if not
gully OF an older and more wicked belief, at
least infected by the most delested here.y,
ManIchelsn--,rampled upon, hunted down.
driven from place TO place by The Mus-elmen,
as being of those ldoIalers, The the people ruth
out a bank, towards whom the Koran itself JUS
uhes or commands implacable enmliy. Against
The Yezldls, even in the present day. the Mos
lem rulers most religously fulfil the preceprs Of
their piure-making razias among thein,
massacrelng the males, aud carrying off The
women, especially The female children, into
! their harems. That fanatic persecution, which
accidental circumstances suddenly and fatally
klndled against the Chadean Christians, has
been The wre,Che lot time out Of mind of the
Yezds. Towards The Christians The Koran
contained more merciful Iexts-towauds The
Devil Worshippers, none.
Yet here are they subsising in the nine
,een,h century nourishing tribes, industrious
tribes, ceanly beyond most Asialics--not fonnI
in one district alone, but scattered over a vide
circuit (some have lately taken refuge from
Mohammedan persecution under the Russian
government in Georgia) celebrating publicly
! their religious riles-with their sacred orders
and with The unviolaled Iumbs of their sheks,
their groves, and their temples. The manners
Of these tribes are full of the frank courteous
hosptabe freedom Of Asiaics-ibey are res
olure soldiers in eIf-defence-. and all least NOT
more given. in their best days, to marauding
habits than their neig ghbors, and only g0aded TO
them by the most cruel and unprovoked perse-
cullOn. Their morals, as far IA transpIres In
Mr.. Layard's trustworthy account, are much
above hose of the tribes around --they
are grateful for kindness, and by no means. at
least as far Mr.. Lsyard experienced. and we
may add some earlier travellers jealousy TN
communicative with Franks.
4
1t is this strange and awful reverence for the
E. Principle which is the peculiar tenet in
the creed, and has given its odiOus name 10 hi,
ancient and singular people. With them and
old Lear alone the sPrince of Darkness is a
use Of any word which sounds like Sheitan. or
Satan !; and they have the same aversion---
some sligh, touch of which might perhaps not
be unbecoming in the followers of a more true
and holy fai,h-.-lo the Arabic words accurSe
and aroused Satan, in their iheory, (which ap-
proaches that Of Origen) is the chief Of the an
gec host now suffering punishment for rebel
lion against the Divine wlll--bul TO be hefeaf-
ter admitted to pardon aud restored TO his high
estate He is called Melek Taous, King Pea
cock ; or MeIek el Kout The Mighty Angel
The peacock, according TO one account, is the
symbol as we'll as The appella1ive OF this inef-
fable being no nnftrine emblem Of pride.-
They reverence the Old Testament almost with
Jewish zeal Ia tenet absolutely Inconsistent
| with Manicheism } they receive. but with less
reverence, The Gospel and the Koran Their
notion of our Saviour is the MOhammedan, ex-
cept that he was an angel, not prophet.