replied: “There is no such thing as a whip; it is merely ideal; thou art only thinking of some illusion:” after which the steward repented and restored the horse. In another tale it is recorded that a Samrádián, having obtained in marriage the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, she, on finding out her husband’s creed, proposed to have some amusement at his expense. One day the Samradian brought in a bottle of pure wine, which during his absence she emptied of its contents and filled it up with water; when the time for taking wine came round, she poured out water instead of wine into a gold cup which was her own property. The Samrádián having observed, “Thou hast given me water instead of wine,” she answered, “It is only ideal; there was no wine in existence.” The husband then said: “Thou hast spoken well; present me the cup, that I may go to a neighbour’s house and bring it back full of wine.” He therefore took out the gold cup, which he sold, and concealing the money, instead of the gold vase brought back an earthen vessel full of wine. The wife, on seeing this, said, “What hast thou done with the golden cup?” he replied, “Thou art surely thinking about some ideal golden cup:” on which the woman greatly regretted her witticism. As to those sectaries who assert that the world exists only in idea, the author of this work saw several in Lahore, in the year of the Hejirah 1048, A. D. 1637. The first was _Kám Jóí_, who composed the following distichs on _Faríraj_: “Thou knowest that every thing is ideal, If the Almighty has given thee illumination! The mention even of ideality proceeds from idea; The very idea itself is nothing more than ideal.” It is to be noted that _Samrád_ and _Samwád_ are applied to fancy or idea. _Ismail Sufi_, of _Ardistan_[375] has poetically expressed himself to the same purport in what is styled the mixed Persian: “I am about to mention something although remote from reason; Listen carefully: but if not, mercy still awaits thee: This world is ideal; and ideality itself is but idea: This existence which I call ideal, that likewise is idea.” The second person treated of in the Samrad Namah of Kámkár was _Nék Khoy_; the third was _Shád Késh_; and the fourth, _Máhyár_: they were all engaged in commercial pursuits, and styled Moslem or true believers. [373] Mahmud, the son of Sebekteghin, was the first monarch of the dynasty of Ghiznah, the foundation of which had been laid by his father. During a reign of 33 years (from 997 to 1030, A. D.) he made twelve expeditions to India, and established his domination in the western part of this country, out of which he possessed a still greater empire, which to the north-west extended over the whole of Persia, and was limited on the north-east by the river Oxus.――A. T. [374] See about it hereafter the sixth chapter, which treats of the religion of the Musulmans.