Thalaba the Destroyer Part 39

[98] And Babylon the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency shall be as when G.o.d overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the Shepherds make their fold there.

_Isaiah._ XIII. 19. 20.

[99] The stupid superst.i.tion of the Turks with regard to hidden treasures is well known, it is difficult or even dangerous for a traveller to copy an inscription in sight of those barbarians.

"On a rising ground, at a league's distance from the river Sh.e.l.liff, is _Memoun-turroy_, as they call an old square tower, formerly a sepulchral monument of the Romans. This, like many more ancient edifices, is supposed by the Arabs, to have been built over a treasure. Agreeably to which account, they tell us, these mystical lines were inscribed upon it. Prince _Maimoun Tizai_ wrote this upon his tower.

My Treasure is in my Shade, And my Shade is in my Treasure.

Search for it; despair not: Nay despair; do not search.

_Shaw._

So of the ruines of ancient Tubuna.

The Treasure of Tubnah lyeth under the shade of what is shaded. Dig for it? alas! it is not there.

_Shaw._

[100] The springs of bitumen called _Oyun Hit_, the _fountains of Hit_, are much celebrated by the _Arabs_ and _Persians_; the latter call it _Cheshmeh kir_, the _fountain of pitch_. This liquid bitumen they call _Nafta_; and the _Turks_, to distinguish it from pitch, give it the name of _hara sakiz_, or _black mastich_. A _Persian_ geographer says, that _Nafta_ issues out of the springs of the earth as ambergrise issues out of those of the sea. All the modern travellers, except Rauwolf, who went to _Persia_ and the _Indies_ by the way of the _Euphrates_ before the discovery of the _Cape of Good Hope_, mention this fountain of liquid bitumen as a strange thing. Some of them take notice of the river mentioned by _Herodotus_; and a.s.sure us, that the people of the country have a tradition, that, when the tower of _Babel_ was building, they brought the bitumen from hence; which is confirmed by the _Arab_ and _Persian_ historians.

_Hit_, _Heit_, _Eit_, _Ait_, or _Idt_, as it is variously written by travellers, is a great _Turkish_ town situate upon the right or west side of the _Euphrates_; and has a castle; to the south-west of which and three miles from the town, in a valley, are many springs of this black substance; each of which makes a noise like a smith's forge, incessantly puffing and blowing out the matter so loud, that it may be heard a mile off: wherefore the _Moors_ and _Arabs_ call it _Bab al Jehennam_; that is _h.e.l.l gate_. It swallows up all heavy things; and many camels from time to time fall into the pits, and are irrecoverably lost. It issues from a certain lake, sending forth a filthy smoke, and continually boiling over with the pitch; which spreads itself over a great field, that is always full of it. It is free for every one to take: they use it to chaulk or pitch their boats, laying it on two or three inches thick; which keeps out the water: with it also they pitch their houses, made of palm-tree branches. If it was not that the inundations of the _Euphrates_ carry away the pitch, which covers all the sands from the place where it rises to the river, there would have been mountains of it long since. The very ground and stones thereabouts afford bitumen; and the fields abundance of salt petre.

_Universal History._

[101] The Mussulmanns use, like the Roman Catholics, a rosary of beads called Tusbah, or implement of praise. It consists, if I recollect aright, of ninty nine beads; in dropping which through the fingers, they repeat the attributes of G.o.d, as "O Creator, O Merciful, O Forgiving, O Omnipotent, O Omniscient, &c. &c." This act of devotion is called Taleel, from the repet.i.tion of the letter L, or Laum, which occurs in the word Allah, (G.o.d), always joined to the epithet or attribute, as Ya Allah Khalick, O G.o.d, the Creator; Ya Allah Kerreem, O G.o.d, the Merciful, &c. &c. The devotees may be seen muttering their beads as they walk the streets, and in the interval of conversation in company. The rosaries of persons of fortune and rank have the beads of diamonds, pearls, rubies and emeralds. Those of the humble are strung with berries, coral, or gla.s.s beads.

_Note to the Bahar Da.n.u.sh._

The ninty nine beads of the Mohammedan rosary are divided into three equal lengths, by a little string, at the end of which hang a long piece of coral and a large bead of the same. The more devout, or hypocritical Turks, like the Catholics have usually their bead string in their hands.

_Tavernier._

[102] "The Mahummedans believe that the decreed events of every man's life are impressed in divine characters on his forehead, tho' not to be seen by mortal eye. Hence they use the word Nusseeb, anglice stamped, for destiny. Most probably the idea was taken up by Mahummud from the sealing of the Elect, mentioned in the Revelations."

_Note to the Bahar-Da.n.u.sh._

"The scribe of decree chose to ornament the edicts on my forehead with these flourishes of disgrace."

_Bahar-Da.n.u.sh._

The Spanish physiognomical phrase, _traerlo escrito en la frente_, to have it written on the forehead, is perhaps of Arabian origin.

[103] Zohak was the fifth King of the Pischdadian dynasty, lineally descended from Shedad who perished with the tribe of Ad. Zohak murdered his predecessor, and invented the punishments of the cross, and of fleaing alive. The Devil who had long served him, requested at last as a recompence, permission to kiss his shoulders, immediately two serpents grew there, who fed upon his flesh and endeavoured to get at his brain.

The Devil now suggested a remedy, which was to quiet them by giving them every day the brains of two men, killed for that purpose: this tyranny lasted long, till a blacksmith of Ispahan whose children had been nearly all slain to feed the King's serpents, raised his leathern ap.r.o.n as the standard of revolt, and deposed Zohak. Zohak, say the Persians, is still living in the cave of his punishment, a sulphureous vapour issues from the place, and if a stone be flung in there comes out a voice and cries, why dost thou fling stones at me? this cavern is in the mountain of Demawend, which reaches from that of Elwend, towards Teheran.

_D'Herbelot. Olearius._

[104] "I shall transcribe a foreign piece of Superst.i.tion, firmly believed in many parts of France, Germany and Spain. The account of it, and the mode of preparation, appears to have been given by a judge: in the latter there is a striking resemblance to the charm in Macbeth.

_Of the Hand of Glory, which is made use of by housebreakers, to enter into houses at night, without fear of opposition._

I acknowledge that I never tried the secret of the Hand of Glory, but I have thrice a.s.sisted at the definitive judgment of certain criminals, who, under the torture, confessed having used it. Being asked what it was, how they procured it, and what were its uses and properties? they answered, first, that the use of the Hand of Glory was to stupify those to whom it was presented, and to render them motionless, insomuch that they could not stir, any more than if they were dead; secondly, that it was the hand of a hanged man; and thirdly, that it must be prepared in the manner following.

Take the hand, left or right, of a person hanged and exposed on the highway; wrap it up in a piece of a shroud or winding sheet, in which let it be well squeezed, to get out any small quant.i.ty of blood that may have remained in it; then put it into an earthen vessel with Zimat saltpetre, salt, and long pepper, the whole well powdered; leave it fifteen days in that vessel; afterwards take it out, and expose it to the noontide sun in the dog days, till it is thoroughly dry, and if the Sun is not sufficient, put it into an oven heated with fern and vervain.

Then compose a kind of candle with the fat of a hanged man, virgin wax, and sisame of Lapland. The Hand of Glory is used as a candlestick to hold this candle, when lighted. Its properties are, that wheresoever any one goes with this dreadful instrument, the persons to whom it is presented will be deprived of all power of motion. On being asked if there was no remedy or antidote, to counteract this charm, they said the Hand of Glory would cease to take effect, and thieves could not make use of it, if the threshold of the door of the house, and other places by which they might enter, were anointed with an unguent composed of the gall of a black cat, the fat of a white hen, and the blood of a screech owl, which mixture must necessarily be prepared during the dog days.

_Grose. Provincial Glossary and Popular Superst.i.tions._

[105] The habitations of the Saints are always beside the sanctuary, or tomb, of their ancestors, which they take care to adorn. Some of them possess, close to their houses, gardens, trees, or cultivated grounds, and particularly some spring or well of water. I was once travelling in the south in the beginning of October, when the season happened to be exceedingly hot, and the wells and rivulets of the country were all dried up. We had neither water, for ourselves, nor for our horses; and after having taken much fruitless trouble to obtain some, we went and paid homage to a Saint, who at first pretended a variety of scruples before he would suffer infidels to approach; but on promising to give him ten or 12 shillings, he became exceedingly humane, and supplied us with as much water as we wanted; still however vaunting highly of his charity, and particularly of his disinterestedness.

_Chenier._

[106] No nation in the world is so much given to superst.i.tion as the Arabs, or even as the Mahometans in general. They hung about their children's necks the figure of an open hand, which the Turks and Moors paint upon their ships and houses, as an antidote and counter-charm to an evil eye: For five is with them an unlucky number and five (fingers perhaps) in your eyes, is their proverb of cursing and defiance. Those who are grown up, carry always about with them some paragraph or other of their Koran, which, like as the Jews did their phylacteries, they place upon their breast, or sow under their caps, to prevent fascination and witchcraft, and to secure themselves from sickness and misfortunes.

The virtue of these charms and scrolls is supposed likewise to be so far universal, that they suspend them upon the necks of their cattle, horses and other beasts of burthen.

_Shaw._

The hand-spell is still common in Portugal, it is called the _figa_, and thus probably our vulgar phrase "_a fig for him_" is derived from a Moorish amulet.

[107] In the Vision of Thurcillus Adam is described as beholding the events of the world with mingled grief and joy; his original garment of glory gradually recovering its l.u.s.tre, as the number of the elect increases, till it be fulfilled.

_Matthew Paris._

[108] The arabian horses are divided into two great branches; the _Kadischi_ whose descent is unknown, and the _Kochlani_, of whom a written genealogy has been kept for 2000 years. These last are reserved for riding solely, they are highly esteemed and consequently very dear, they are said to derive their origin from King Solomon's studs, however this may be they are fit to bear the greatest fatigues, and can pa.s.s whole days without food, they are also said to show uncommon courage against an enemy, it is even a.s.serted, that when a horse of this race finds himself wounded and unable to bear his rider much longer, he retires from the fray and conveys him to a place of security. If the rider falls upon the ground his horse remains beside him, and neighs till a.s.sistance is brought: the _Kochlani_ are neither large nor handsome but amazingly swift, the whole race is divided into several families, each of which has its proper name. Some of these have a higher reputation than others, on account of their more ancient and uncontaminated n.o.bility.

_Niebuhr._

[109] In travelling by night thro' the vallies of Mount Ephraim, we were attended, for above the s.p.a.ce of an hour, with an Ignis Fatuus, that displayed itself in a variety of extraordinary appearances. For it was sometimes globular, or like the flame of a candle; immediately after it would spread itself and involve our whole company in its pale inoffensive light, then at once contract itself and disappear. But in less than a minute it would again exert itself as at other times, or else, running along from one place to another with a swift progressive motion, would expand itself, at certain intervals over more than two or three acres of the adjacent mountains. The atmosphere from the beginning of the evening, had been remarkably thick and hazy, and the dew, as we felt it upon our bridles, was unusually clammy and unctuous. In the like disposition of the weather, I have observed those luminous bodies, which at sea skip about the masts and yards of ships, and are called Corpusanse[i] by the mariners.

_Shaw._

[i] A corruption of Cuerpo Santo as this meteor is called by the Spaniards.

[110] The _Hammam Meskouteen_, the Silent or Inchanted Baths, are situated on a low ground, surrounded with mountains. There are several fountains that furnish the water, which is of an intense heat, and falls afterwards into the Ze-nati. At a small distance from these hot fountains, we have others, which upon comparison are of as an intense a coldness; and a little below them, somewhat nearer the banks of the Ze-nati, there are the ruins of a few houses, built perhaps for the conveniency of such persons, who came hither for the benefit of the waters.

Besides the strong sulphureous steams of the Hammam[j] Meskouteen, we are to observe farther of them, that their water is of so intense a heat, that the rocky ground it runs over, to the distance sometimes of a hundred foot, is dissolved, or rather calcined by it. When the substance of these rocks is soft and uniform, then the water by making every way equal impressions, leaveth them in the shape of cones or hemispheres; which being six foot high and a little more or less of the same diameter, the Arabs maintain to be so many tents of their predecessors turned into stone. But when these rocks, besides their usual soft chalky substance, contain likewise some layers of harder matter, not so easy to be dissolved, then, in proportion to the resistance the water is thereby to meet with, we are entertained with a confusion of traces and channels, distinguished by the Arabs into Sheep, Camels, Horses, nay into Men, Women and Children, whom they suppose to have undergone the like fate with their habitations. I observed that the fountains which afforded this water, had been frequently stopped up: or rather ceasing to run at one place, broke out immediately in another, which circ.u.mstance seems not only to account for the number of cones, but for that variety likewise of traces, that are continued from one or other of these cones or fountains, quite down to the river Zenati.