The Thousand and One Nights Volume I Part 18

I continued to weep, and to endeavour to excite his compa.s.sion, saying within myself, I will humble me before him, and address him with soft words, that he may at least refrain from killing me, though he take all that I possess;--but he cried out to the slave, Cleave her in twain; for she is no longer of any value to us.--So the slave approached me, and I now felt a.s.sured of my death, and committed myself to G.o.d; but suddenly the old woman came and threw herself at my husband's feet, and, kissing them, exclaimed, O my son, by the care with which I nursed thee, I conjure thee to pardon this damsel, for she hath committed no offence that deserveth such a punishment: thou art young, and I fear the effect of the imprecations that she may utter against thee:--and after she had thus addressed him, she wept, and continued to importune him, until, at length, he said, I pardon her, but must cause her to bear upon her person such marks of her offence as shall last for the remainder of her life. So saying, he commanded the slaves to strip off my vest, and, taking a stick cut from a quince-tree, he beat me upon my back and my sides until I became insensible from the violence of the blows, and despaired of my life. He then ordered the slaves to take me away as soon as it was night, accompanied by the old woman, and to throw me into my house in which I formerly resided. They accordingly executed their lord's commands, and when they had deposited me in my house, I applied myself to the healing of my wounds; but, after I had cured myself, my sides still bore the appearance of having been beaten with mi?ra'ahs. I continued to apply remedies for four months before I was restored, and then repaired to view the house in which this event had happened; but I found it reduced to ruin, and the whole street pulled down; the site of the house I found occupied by mounds of rubbish, and I knew not the cause.

Under these circ.u.mstances, I went to reside with this my sister, who is of the same father as myself, and I found with her these two b.i.t.c.hes.

Having saluted her, I informed her of all that had befallen me; to which she replied, Who is secure from the afflictions of fortune? Praise be to G.o.d who terminated the affair with safety to thy life!--She then related to me her own story, and that of her two sisters, and I remained with her, and neither of us ever mentioned the subject of marriage.

Afterwards we were joined by this our other sister, the cateress, who every day goes out to purchase for us whatever we happen to want.

CONCLUSION OF THE STORY OF THE LADIES OF BAGHDaD, &c.

The Kaleefeh was astonished at this story, and ordered it to be recorded in a book, as an authentic history, and deposited the book in his library. And he said to the first lady, Knowest thou where the Jinneeyeh[III_98] who enchanted thy sisters is to be found? She answered, O Prince of the Faithful, she gave me a lock of her hair, and said, When thou desirest my presence, burn a few of these hairs, and I will be with thee quickly, though I should be beyond Mount ?af.--Bring then the hair, said the Khaleefeh. The lady, therefore, produced it; and the Khaleefeh, taking it, burned a portion of it, and, when the odour had diffused itself, the palace shook, and they heard a sound of thunder, and lo, the Jinneeyeh appeared before them. She was a Muslimeh, and therefore greeted the Khaleefeh by saying, Peace be on thee, O Khaleefeh of G.o.d!--to which he replied, On you be peace, and the mercy of G.o.d, and his blessings![III_99]--She then said, Know that this lady hath conferred on me a benefit for which I am unable to requite her; for she rescued me from death, by killing my enemy; and I, having seen what her sisters had done to her, determined to take vengeance upon them; therefore I transformed them by enchantment into two b.i.t.c.hes; and, indeed, I had wished rather to kill them, fearing lest they should trouble her; but now, if thou desire their restoration, O Prince of the Faithful, I will restore them, as a favour to thee and to her; for I am one of the true believers.--Do so, said the Khaleefeh; and then we will enter upon the consideration of the affair of the lady who hath been beaten, and examine her case, and if her veracity be established, I will take vengeance for her upon him who hath oppressed her. The Jinneeyeh replied, O Prince of the Faithful, I will guide thee to the discovery of him who acted thus to this lady, and oppressed her, and took her property: he is thy nearest relation. She then took a cup of water, and, having p.r.o.nounced a spell over it, sprinkled the faces of the two b.i.t.c.hes, saying, Be restored to your original human forms!--whereupon they became again two young ladies.--Extolled be the perfection of their Creator![III_100] Having done this, the Jinneeyeh said, O Prince of the Faithful, he who beat the lady is thy son El-Emeen, who had heard of her beauty and loveliness:--and she proceeded to relate what had happened. The Khaleefeh was astonished, and exclaimed, Praise be to G.o.d for the restoration of these two b.i.t.c.hes which hath been effected through my means!--and immediately he summoned before him his son El-Emeen, and inquired of him the history of the lady; and he related to him the truth. He then sent for ?a?ees and witnesses, and the first lady and her two sisters who had been transformed into b.i.t.c.hes he married to the three mendicants who had related that they were the sons of Kings; and these he made chamberlains of his court, appointing them all that they required, and allotting them apartments in the palace of Baghdad. The lady who had been beaten he restored to his son El-Emeen, giving her a large property, and ordering that the house should be rebuilt in a more handsome style. Lastly, the lady-cateress he took as his own wife; he admitted her at once to his own apartment, and, on the following day, he appointed her a separate lodging for herself, with female slaves to wait upon her: he also allotted to her a regular income; and afterwards built for her a palace.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

NOTES TO CHAPTER THIRD.

NOTE 1.--_On the Uses of Palm-sticks in various Manufactures._ The kind of crate here mentioned is made of jereeds, or palm-sticks, which (being very soft, and easily cut and punched, in their fresh state, and very tough, difficult to break, and light, when dry,) are used in a great variety of manufactures. In making crates or baskets, and stools, bed-frames, coops, &c., a number of jereeds, being placed an inch or more apart, are fixed by two, three, or more, thicker ones, placed transversely. Round holes are punched in the latter, through which the former are inserted; and the whole becomes light and strong as soon as it is dry. Chests are made with thick jereeds placed close together, and others, pared thin, pa.s.sing transversely through them.

NOTE 2.--_Description of the Veils of Arab Women._ The modern izar or eezar (for the word is written in two different ways), of Arab women, is a piece of drapery commonly worn by them when they appear in public. It is about two yards or more in width (according to the height of the wearer), and three yards in length: one edge of it being drawn from behind, over the upper part of the head and the forehead, and secured by a band sewed inside, the rest hangs down behind and on each side to the ground, or nearly so, and almost entirely envelops the person; the two ends being held so as nearly to meet in front. Thus it conceals every other part of the dress excepting a small portion of a very loose gown (which is another of the articles of walking or riding apparel), and the face-veil. It is now generally made of white calico, but a similar covering of black silk for the married, and of white silk for the unmarried, is now worn by females of the higher and middle cla.s.ses, and is called a "?abarah."

It appears that the kind of face-veil mentioned in the same pa.s.sage (in Arabic, "?ina?,") is a piece of muslin, about a yard or more in length, and somewhat less in width, a portion of which is placed over the head, beneath the izar, the rest hanging down in front, to the waist, or thereabout, and entirely concealing the face. I have often seen Arab women, particularly those of the Wahhabees, wearing veils of this kind composed of printed muslin, completely concealing their features, yet of sufficiently loose fabric to admit of their seeing their way. But the more common kind of Arab face-veil is a long strip of white muslin, or of a kind of black c.r.a.pe, covering the whole of the face excepting the eyes, and reaching nearly to the feet. It is suspended at the top by a narrow band, which pa.s.ses up the forehead, and which is sewed, as are also the two upper corners of the veil, to a band that is tied round the head. This veil is called "bur?o'." The black kind is often ornamented with gold coins, false pearls, &c., attached to the upper part. It is not so genteel as the white veil, unless for a lady in mourning.

NOTE 3. "El-Mo?il" is the name of the city which Europeans commonly call "Mosul," "Mosoul," &c.; a city long famous for its fine stuffs. Hence our word "muslin," often termed, in Arabic, "Mo?ilee," signifying, "of the manufacture of El-Mo?il."

NOTE 4. The wine is mentioned in the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, but not in the edition of Cairo. The lady went to a Christian to purchase her wine because Muslims are not allowed to sell it.

NOTE 5. The "'Othmanee quinces" I suppose to be a kind so called after some person named 'Othman who introduced it, or was famous for its culture. The term "Sul?anee," applied to the citrons afterwards mentioned, signifies "imperial."

NOTE 6. A list of these sweets is given in my original, but I have thought it better to omit the names.

NOTE 7. The "willow-flower-water" is prepared from the sweet-scented flowers of the Oriental willow, called "ban" and "khilaf" or "khalaf;" a twig of which is, among the Arabs, a favourite emblem of a graceful female.

NOTE 8.--_On the Vessels used for Sprinkling and Perfuming._ The sprinkling-bottle, here called "mirashsh," is more commonly called "?um?um," and has been alluded to in a former note, as having a spherical or wide body, and a long and narrow neck. It is generally about eight inches high, and of plain or gilt silver, or of fine bra.s.s, or china, or gla.s.s; and has a cover pierced with a small hole. This vessel is used in the houses of the rich to sprinkle a guest or visiter, before he rises to take his leave, with rose-water; after which ceremony, a page or servant presents to him a kind of censer, called "mibkharah," which is generally of one or other of the metals above mentioned, and about the same height as the ?um?um; and he wafts the smoke which rises from it towards his face, beard, &c., with the right hand. The body of the mibkharah, the form of which is nearly globular, surmounts a stem rising from the centre of a small circular tray; the upper half is a cover pierced with apertures for the escape of the smoke; and the lower half, in which some burning charcoal is placed, is lined, or half filled, with gypsum-plaster. Aloes-wood, previously moistened, or some other odoriferous substance, is placed upon the burning coals; and sometimes, in the houses of very wealthy persons, ambergris is used.

NOTE 9. This description of the outer door of a house in Baghdad is an obvious absurdity; but none of the copies of the original to which I have access authorizes my subst.i.tuting "gilt" for "plated with gold;"

all here agreeing in the use of words which have the latter sense.

NOTE 10. In their eagerness to obtain the earliest possible sight of the new moon which marks the period of the commencement of the Rama?an, lest they should not begin their fast as soon as the law requires, the Muslims often see the crescent one night earlier in this than in any other month. The comparison of an eyebrow to the new moon of Rama?an expresses, therefore, its extreme thinness, as well as its arched form.

To reduce its natural thickness, and to give it this form, scissors are often used.

NOTE 11. "The seal of Suleyman" is a name given by the Arabs to a six-pointed star formed by two equilateral triangles intersecting each other, and to the flower which we, also, call "Solomon's seal." I fear that the reader will not consider the comparison very apposite, unless the allusion be to a beautiful red berry which, I am informed, is borne by the flower here mentioned.

NOTE 12.--_Description of Apartments in Arab Houses._ Most of the descriptions of interior domestic architecture which occur in the present work, I may aptly ill.u.s.trate by availing myself of observations made in Cairo. In the houses of persons of the higher and middle cla.s.ses in this city, the different apartments generally resemble each other in several respects, and are similarly furnished. The greater portion of the floor is elevated about half a foot, or somewhat more, above the rest. The higher portion is called "leewan" (a corruption of "el-eewan"), and the lower, "dur?a'ah," from the Persian "dar-gah." When there is but one leewan, the dur?a'ah occupies the lower end, extending from the door to the opposite wall. In a handsome house, it is usually paved with white and black marble, and little pieces of red tile, inlaid in tasteful and complicated patterns; and if the room is on the ground-floor, and sometimes in other cases, it has, in the centre, a fountain which plays into a small, shallow pool, lined with coloured marbles, &c., like the surrounding pavement. The shoes, or slippers, are left upon the dur?a'ah previously to stepping upon the leewan. The latter is generally paved with common stone, and covered with a mat in summer, and a carpet over this in winter; and a mattress and cus.h.i.+ons are placed against each of its three walls, composing what is called a "deewan," or divan. The mattress, which is commonly about three feet wide, and three or four inches thick, is placed either on the floor or on a raised frame or a slightly-elevated pavement; and the cus.h.i.+ons, which are usually of a length equal to the width of the mattress, and of a height equal to half that measure, lean against the wall. Both mattresses and cus.h.i.+ons are stuffed with cotton, and are covered with printed calico, cloth, or some more expensive stuff. The deewan which extends along the upper end of the leewan is called the "?adr," and is the most honourable: and the chief place on this seat is the corner which is to the right of a person facing this end of the room; the other corner is the next in point of honour; and the intermediate places on the same deewan are more honourable than those on the two side-deewans.

To a superior, and often to an equal, the master or mistress yields the chief place. The corners are often furnished with an additional mattress, of a square form, just large enough for one person, placed upon the other mattress, and with two additional (but smaller) cus.h.i.+ons to recline against. The walls are, for the most part, plastered and white-washed, and generally have two or more shallow cupboards, the doors of which, as well as those of the apartments, are fancifully constructed with small panels. The windows, which are chiefly composed of curious wooden lattice-work, serving to screen the inhabitants from the view of persons without, as also to admit both light and air, commonly project outwards, and are furnished with mattresses and cus.h.i.+ons. In many houses there are, above these, small windows of coloured gla.s.s, representing bunches of flowers, &c. The ceiling is of wood, and certain portions of it, which are carved, or otherwise ornamented by fanciful carpentry, are usually painted with bright colours, such as red, green, and blue, and sometimes varied with gilding; but the greater part of the wood-work is generally left unpainted.

The word in the original text which I translate "saloon," is "?a'ah."

This term is applied to a large and lofty apartment, commonly having two leewans, on opposite sides of the dur?a'ah. One of these is, in most instances, larger than the other, and is held to be the more honourable part. Some ?a'ahs, containing three leewans, one of these being opposite the entrance, or four leewans composing the form of a cross with the dur?a'ah in the centre, communicate with small chambers or closets, or have elevated recesses which are furnished in the same manner as the leewans. That part of the roof which is over the dur?a'ah rises above the rest, sometimes to nearly twice the height of the latter, and is generally surmounted by a lantern of wooden lattice-work to admit the air.

NOTE 13. In the Cairo edition, the couch is described as being in the _midst_ of the saloon; but this is inconsistent with what follows.

NOTE 14.--_Of_ Babil, _and the Angels_ Haroot _and_ Maroot. Babil, or Babel, is regarded by the Muslims as the fountain-head of the science of magic, which was, and, as most think, still is, taught there to mankind by two fallen angels, named Haroot and Maroot,[175] who are there suspended by the feet in a great pit closed by a ma.s.s of rock.

According to the account of them generally received as correct, these two angels, in consequence of their want of compa.s.sion for the frailties of mankind, were rendered, by G.o.d, susceptible of human pa.s.sions, and sent down upon the earth to be tempted: they both sinned; and, being permitted to choose whether they would be punished in this life or in the other, chose the former; but they were sent down not merely to _experience_ temptation, being also appointed to tempt others by means of their knowledge of magic; though it appears that they were commanded not to teach this art to any man "until they had said, Verily we are a temptation; therefore, be not an unbeliever."[176]--The celebrated traditionist Mujahid is related to have visited them, under the guidance of a Jew. Having removed the ma.s.s of rock from the mouth of the pit, or well, they entered. Mujahid had been previously charged by the Jew not to mention the name of G.o.d in their presence; but when he beheld them, resembling in size two huge mountains, and suspended upside-down, with irons attached to their necks and knees, he could not refrain from uttering the forbidden name; whereupon the two angels became so violently agitated that they almost broke the irons which confined them, and Mujahid and his guide fled back in consternation.[177]

NOTE 15. The meaning conveyed by this comparison is "tall and slender."

NOTE 16. In the MS. from which the old translation was made, it appears that this lady is called Zubeydeh (which was the name of the daughter of Ja?far the son of El-Man?oor, and wife of Er-Rasheed); the portress, ?afiyeh; and the cateress, amineh; but no names are given to them in any of the copies of the original to which I have access.

NOTE 17. Literally, "two nu?fs." "Nu?f," vulgarly p.r.o.nounced by the Egyptians "nu??," and signifying "half," is the name of a small Egyptian coin made of a mixture of silver and copper, and now equivalent to something less than a quarter of a farthing; but this name was originally given to the half-dirhems which were struck in the reign of the Sul?an El-Mu-eiyad, in the early part of the ninth century of the Flight, or of the fifteenth of our era. In the Calcutta edition of the first two hundred nights, and in the edition of Breslau, we read here "two dirhems," instead of "two nu?fs." [The coin here mentioned still bears the name "Mu-eiyadee," or, vulgarly, "Meiyadee." In the latest coinage, copper has been subst.i.tuted for the mixed metal. ED.]

NOTE 18. The "menareh" is the tower of a mosque, commonly called by English writers "minaret," which generally rises from a square base.

NOTE 19. It is a common custom in the East to seal the doors of store-houses with a lump of clay, lest the lock should be picked.

NOTE 20. I here deviate a little from the Cairo edition, in which the cateress is described as having drunk three cups of wine successively before she handed any to her sisters. My reason for this will presently be seen.

NOTE 21. Thus in two editions. In the Cairo edition, "tukellimuhu" is put for "telk.u.muhu."

NOTE 22. _On Wine, Fruits, Flowers, and Music, in Ill.u.s.tration of Arab Carousals._ I here pa.s.s over an extremely objectionable scene, which, it is to be hoped, would convey a very erroneous idea of the manners of Arab _ladies_; though I have witnessed, at private festivities in Cairo, abominable scenes, of which ladies, screened behind lattices, were spectators. Can the same be said with respect to the previous carousal?

This is a question which cannot be answered in a few words.

The prohibition of wine, or, rather, of fermented and intoxicating liquors, being one of the most remarkable and important points of the Mohammadan religion, it might be imagined that the frequent stories in this work, describing parties of Muslims as habitually indulging in the use of forbidden beverages, are scandalous misrepresentations of Arab manners and customs. There are, however, many similar anecdotes interspersed in the works of Arab historians, which (though many of them are probably untrue in their application to particular individuals) could not have been offered to the public by such writers if they were not of a nature consistent with the customs of a considerable cla.s.s of the Arab nation.

In investigating this subject, it is necessary, in the first place, to state, that there is a kind of wine which Muslims are permitted to drink. It is properly called "nebeedh" (a name which is _now_ given to _prohibited_ kinds of wine), and is generally prepared by putting dry grapes, or dry dates, in water, to extract their sweetness, and suffering the liquor to ferment slightly, until it acquires a little sharpness or pungency. The Prophet himself was in the habit of drinking wine of this kind, which was prepared for him in the first part of the night; he drank it on the first and second days following; but if any remained on the morning of the third day, he either gave it to his servants or ordered it to be poured out upon the ground.[178] Such beverages have, therefore, been drunk by the strictest of his followers; and Ibn-Khaldoon strongly argues that nebeedh thus prepared from dates was the kind of wine used by the Khaleefehs Haroon Er-Rasheed and El-Ma-moon, and several other eminent men, who have been commonly accused of habitually and publicly indulging in debauches of wine properly so called; that is, of inebriating liquors.[179]

Nebeedh, prepared from raisins, is commonly sold in Arab towns, under the name of "zebeeb," which signifies "raisins." This I have often drunk in Cairo; but never could perceive that it was in the slightest degree fermented. Other beverages, to which the name of "nebeedh" has been applied (though, like zebeeb, no longer called by that name), are also sold in Arab towns. The most common of these is an infusion of licorice, and called by the name of the root, "'er?-soos." The nebeedh of dates is sold in Cairo with the dates themselves in the liquor; and in like manner is that of figs. Under the same appellation of "nebeedh" have been cla.s.sed the different kinds of beer now commonly called "boozeh,"

which have been mentioned in former pages. Opium, hemp, &c., are now more frequently used by the Muslims to induce intoxication or exhilaration. The young leaves of the hemp are generally used alone, or mixed with tobacco, for smoking; and the capsules, without the seeds, enter into the composition of several intoxicating conserves. Some remarks upon this subject have been inserted in a former note.

By my own experience I am but little qualified to p.r.o.nounce an opinion respecting the prevalence of drinking wine among the Arabs; for, never drinking it myself, I had little opportunity of observing others do so during my residence among Muslims. I judge, therefore, from the conversations and writings of Arabs, which justify me in a.s.serting that the practice of drinking wine in private, and by select parties, is far from being uncommon among modern Muslims, though certainly more so than it was before the introduction of tobacco into the East, in the beginning of the seventeenth century of our era; for this herb, being in a slight degree exhilarating, and at the same time soothing, and unattended by the injurious effects that result from wine, is a sufficient luxury to many who, without it, would have recourse to intoxicating beverages merely to pa.s.s away hours of idleness. The use of coffee, too, which became common in Egypt, Syria, and other countries, besides Arabia, a century earlier than tobacco, doubtless tended to render the habit of drinking wine less general. That it was adopted as a subst.i.tute for wine appears even from its name, "?ahweh," an old Arabic term for wine; whence the Turkish "?ahveh," the Italian "caffe," and our "coffee."

There is an Arabic work of some celebrity, and not of small extent, ent.i.tled "?albet el-k.u.meyt,"[180] apparently written shortly before the Arabs were in possession of the first of the above-mentioned subst.i.tutes for wine, nearly the whole of which consists of anecdotes and verses relating to the pleasures resulting from, or attendant upon, the use of wine; a few pages at the end being devoted to the condemnation of this practice, or, in other words, to prove the worthlessness of all that precedes. Of this work I possess a copy, a quarto volume of 464 pages. I have endeavoured to skim its cream; but found it impossible to do so without collecting, at the same time, a considerable quant.i.ty of most filthy sc.u.m; for it is characterised by wit and humour plentifully interlarded with the grossest and most revolting obscenity; yet it serves to confirm what has been above a.s.serted. The mere existence of such a work (and it is not the only one of the kind), written by a man of learning, and I believe a ?a?ee, a judge, or one holding the honourable office of a guardian of religion and morality,[181]--written, too, evidently with pleasure, notwithstanding his a.s.sertion to the contrary,--is a strong argument in favour of the prevalence of the practice which it paints in the most fascinating colours, and then condemns. Its author terminates a chapter (the ninth), in which many well-known persons are mentioned as having been addicted to wine, by saying, that the Khaleefehs, Emeers, and Wezeers, so addicted, are too numerous to name in such a work; and by relating a story of a man who placed his own wife in pledge in the hands of a wine-merchant, after having expended in the purchase of the forbidden liquor all the property that he possessed. He excuses himself (in his preface) for writing this book, by saying that he had been ordered to do so by one whom he could not disobey; thus giving us a pretty strong proof that a great man in his time was not ashamed of avowing his fondness for the prohibited enjoyment. If, then, we admit the respectable authority of Ibn-Khaldoon, and acquit of the vice of drunkenness those ill.u.s.trious individuals whose characters he vindicates, we must still regard most of the anecdotes relating to the carousals of other persons as being not without foundation.

One of my friends, who enjoys a high reputation, ranking among the most distinguished of the 'Ulama of Cairo, is well known to his intimate acquaintances as frequently indulging in the use of forbidden beverages with a few select a.s.sociates. I disturbed him and his companions by an evening visit on one of these occasions, and was kept waiting within the street-door while the guests quickly removed everything that would give me any indication of the manner in which they had been employed; for the announcement of my (a.s.sumed) name, and their knowledge of my abstemious character, completely disconcerted them. I found them, however, in the best humour. They had contrived, it appeared, to fill with wine a _china_ bottle, of the kind used at that season (winter) for water; and when any one of them asked the servant for water, this bottle was brought to him; but when I made the same demand, my host told me that there was a bottle of water on the sill of the window behind that part of the deewan upon which I was seated. The evening pa.s.sed away very pleasantly, and I should not have known how unwelcome was my intrusion had not one of the guests with whom I was intimately acquainted, in walking part of the way home with me, explained to me the whole occurrence. There was with us a third person, who, thinking that my antipathy to wine was feigned, asked me to stop at his house on my way, and take a cup of "white coffee," by which he meant brandy.

Another of my Muslim acquaintances in Cairo I frequently met at the house of a mutual friend, where, though he was in most respects very bigoted, he was in the habit of indulging in wine. For some time he refrained from this gratification when I was present; but at length my presence became so irksome to him, that he ventured to enter into an argument with me on the subject of the prohibition. The only answer I could give to his question, "Why is wine forbidden?"--was in the words of the ?ur-an, "Because it is the source of more evil than profit."[182]

This suited his purpose, as I intended it should; and he asked, "What evil results from it?" I answered, "Intoxication and quarrels, &c."--"Then," said he, "if a man take not enough to intoxicate him there is no harm;"--and finding that I acquiesced by silence, he added, "I am in the habit of taking a little; but never enough to intoxicate. Boy, bring me a gla.s.s."--He was the only Muslim, however, whom I have heard to argue against the absolute interdiction of inebriating liquors.

Histories tell us that some of the early followers of the Prophet indulged in wine, holding the text above referred to as indecisive; and that Mo?ammad was at first doubtful upon this subject appears from another text, in which his followers were told not to come to prayer when they were drunk, until they should know what they would say;[183]

an injunction somewhat similar to one in the Bible;[184] but when frequent and severe contentions resulted from their use of wine, the following more decided condemnation of the practice was p.r.o.nounced:--"O ye who have become believers, verily wine and lots and images and divining-arrows are an abomination of the work of the Devil; therefore, avoid them, that ye may prosper."[185] This law is absolute: its violation in the smallest degree is criminal. The punishment ordained by the law for drinking (or, according to most doctors, for even tasting) wine or spirits, or inducing intoxication by any other means, on ordinary occasions, is the infliction of eighty stripes in the case of a free man, and forty in that of a slave; but if the crime be openly committed in the course of any day of the month of Rama?an, when others are fasting, the punishment prescribed is death!

The prohibition of wine hindered many of the Prophet's contemporaries from embracing his religion. It is said that the famous poet El-A?sha, who was one of them, delayed to join his cause on this account, until death prevented him. A person pa.s.sing by his tomb (at Menfoo?ah, in El-Yemameh), and observing that it was moist, asked the reason, and was answered, that the young men of the place, considering him still as their cup-companion, drank wine over his grave, and poured his cup upon it.[186] Yet many of the most respectable of the pagan Arabs, like certain of the Jews and early Christians, abstained totally from wine, from a feeling of its injurious effects upon morals, and, in their climate, upon health; or, more especially, from the fear of being led by it into the commission of foolish and degrading actions. Thus, ?eys the son of 'a?im, being one night overcome with wine, attempted to grasp the moon, and swore that he would not quit the spot where he stood until he had laid hold of it: after leaping several times with the view of doing so, he fell flat upon his face; and when he recovered his senses, and was acquainted with the cause of his face being bruised, he made a solemn vow to abstain from wine ever after.[187] A similar feeling operated upon many Muslims more than religious principle. The Khaleefeh 'Abd-El-Melik Ibn-Marwan took pleasure in the company of a slave named Na?eeb, and one day desired him to drink with him. The slave replied, "O Prince of the Faithful, I am not related to thee, nor have I any authority over thee, and I am of no rank or lineage: I am a black slave, and my wit and politeness have drawn me into thy favour: how then shall I take that which will plunder me of these two qualities; and by what shall I then propitiate thee?" The Khaleefeh admired and excused him.[188]

It was the custom of many Muslim princes, as might be inferred from the above anecdote, to admit the meanest of their dependants to partic.i.p.ate in their unlawful carousals when they could have no better companions; but poets and musicians were their more common a.s.sociates on these occasions; and these two cla.s.ses, and especially the latter, are in the present day the most addicted to intoxicating liquors. Few modern Arab musicians are so well contented with extraordinary payment and mere sweet sherbet as with a moderate fee and plenty of wine and brandy; and many of them deem even wine but a sorry beverage.

It was usual with the host and guests at wine-parties to wear dresses of bright colours, red, yellow, and green;[189] and to perfume their beards and mustaches with civet, or to have rose-water sprinkled upon them; and ambergris or aloes-wood, or some other odoriferous substance, placed upon burning coals in a censer, diffused a delicious fragrance throughout the saloon of the revels.

The wine, it appears, was rather thick; for it was necessary to strain it:[190] it was probably sweet, and not strong; for it was drunk in large quant.i.ties. Frequently, perhaps, it was nebeedh of dry raisins kept longer than the law allows. It was usually kept in a large earthen vessel, called "denn," high, and small at the bottom, which was partly imbedded in the earth to keep it upright. The name of this vessel is now given to a cask of wood; but the kind above mentioned was of earth; for it was easily broken.--A famous saint, Abu-l-?oseyn En-Nooree, seeing a vessel on the Tigris containing thirty denns belonging to the Khaleefeh El-Mo?ta?id, and being told that they contained wine, took a boat-pole, and broke them all, excepting one. When brought before the Khaleefeh to answer for this action, and asked by him, "Who made thee Mo?tesib?"[191]

he boldly answered, "He who made thee Khaleefeh!"--and was pardoned.[192]--Pitch was used by the Arabs, as it was by the Greeks and Romans, for the purpose of curing their wine; the interior of the denn being coated with it. A smaller kind of earthen jar, or amphora,[193]