The poetry as well as prose of the Arabians is well known, and has been so often discussed by learned men, that it would be irrelevant here to expatiate on the subject; but as the following description of the noblest passion of the human breast cannot but be interesting to the generality of readers, and without any exception to the fair sex, I will transcribe it. “Love (العشك) beginneth in contemplation, passeth to meditation; hence proceeds desire; then the spark bursts forth into a flame, the head swims, the body wastes, and the soul turns giddy. If we look on the bright side of love, we must acknowledge that it has at least one advantage; it annihilates pride and immoderate self-love: true love, whose aim is the happiness and equality of the beloved object, being incompatible with those feelings. “Lust is so different from true love (العشك), and so far from a perfection, that it is always a species of punishment sent by God, because man has abandoned the path of his pure love.” In their epistolary writing, the Arabs have generally a regular and particular style, beginning and ending all their letters with the name of God, symbolically, because God is the beginning and end of all things. The following short specimen will illustrate this: Translation of a letter written in the Korannick Arabic by Seedy Soliman ben Mohammed ben Ismael, Sultan of Marocco, to his Bashaw —— of Suse, &c. &c. “Praise be to the only God! for there is neither power, nor strength, without the great and eternal God.” [L.S. containing the Emperor’s name and titles, as Soliman ben Mohammed ben Abdallah, &c. &c.] “Our servant, Alkaid Abdelmelk ben Behie Mulud, God assist, and peace be with thee, and the mercy and grace of God be upon thee! “We command thee forthwith to procure and send to our exalted presence every Englishman that has been wrecked on the coast of Wedinoon, and to forward them hither without delay, and diligently to succour and attend to them, and may the eye of God be upon thee!” 26th of the lunar month Saffer, year of the Hejira 1281. (May 1806.)[170] The accuracy of punctuation in the Arabic language is a matter that ought to be strictly attended to; thus they maintain writing to be the first qualification of a scholar, and that, from a want of a due knowledge of punctuation, the Christians have misunderstood the word of God, which says, “I have begotten thee, and thou art my son.” This passage, they say, first stood as follows, (which if the Scriptures had been originally written in Arabic would have had some plausibility.) “I have adopted thee, and thou art my prophet.” The difference of punctuation in one word makes all this difference in signification, for— ٮٮ punctuated thus بن signifies _son_, and ٮٮ punctuated thus, نب signifies _prophet_.