I was quite satisfied with the meaning and moral of my friend's quotations, though I confess I have looked in vain over the pages of Sâdee to discover them in his volumes. But the Hajee, like many of his countrymen, has such a deference for that inimitable author, that he ascribes all sentiments that appear just to him, as the sole source of human wisdom. FOOTNOTES: [77] Persian groom. [78] The ancient Hyrcania. [79] In Persia the term rood-khâneh, or the bed of a stream, is the common word for a river--an idiom which has probably arisen from the fact stated. [80] Some of these mirrors exceeded eight feet in length. [81] Mr. Randall, who is here alluded to, was a very ingenious carpenter, who had been in an English man-of-war employed in discoveries. He had been in the habit of mixing with the natives of the places he visited and was on this occasion of great use; for the Persian artizans, employed under his directions, worked with more zeal and readiness from his dressing like them and living amongst them. [82] Fermân means a command, signifies here a letter or mandate addressed by a superior to an inferior. [83] The minarets of the Mahomedan mosques are, like the steeples of our churches, of all sizes; those we visited were of ordinary dimensions. [84] I have been informed by one who had personal means of making the comparison, that he considered the general condition of the Persian peasantry to be fully equal if not superior to that of the same class in Russia or Poland. [85] Moobid is the Persian term for a priest of the fire-worshippers. [86] The name of one of the months in the ancient Persian calendar. [87] Religious mendicant. [88] Ei dereeghâ, ei dereeghâ, oo ei dereegh! kih hem-choo mâh pinhân shoodzeer-e-meegh. CHAPTER XIV. Cashan--Scorpions--Câshânee Youth--Village of Sinsin--Plundering Expeditions of the Tûrkûmâns--Account of that Tribe--Wandering Tribes--Visit to the Dwelling of Mihrâb Khan Afshâr--Account of his Family and Adherents--Anecdote of Kerreem Khan. Cashan, to which we went from Nethenz, is situated on the verge of a desert, and no city can present a more uninviting aspect. We were, however, accommodated in the Bâgh-e-Fin, an excellent house and garden, through which there is a clear stream, which, while it refreshes the latter, gives an ample supply of water to the marble-baths belonging to the small but delightful royal residence. "May you be stung by a scorpion of Cashan," is a common malediction in Persia; and all are agreed that this city is famous for producing the largest and most venomous species of this reptile. We were however assured, that, partaking of that spirit of hospitality which distinguishes the Persian nation, they never sting a stranger.