[248] Plato is supposed by the Muhammadans to have been not only a profound philosopher, but a wise physician. In short, it is too general an idea with them, that a clever man must be a good doctor.
[249] The langot or langoti is a piece of cloth wrapped or fastened round the loins, and tucked in between the feet. It barely conceals what civilization requires should be hid from the public view.
[250] Ma'jun is the extract from the intoxicating plant called charas or bhang, a species of hemp; it is mixed with sugar and spices to render it palatable. The inebriation it produces fills the imagination with agreeable visions, and the effects are different from those of wine or spirits.
[251] Six mashas amount to nearly a quarter of an ounce; a sicca rupee weighs eleven mashas.
[252] Literally, "a volume of a book."
[253] This exceedingly absurd story is of Rabbinical origin. I have a strong impression on my mind of having read something very like it long ago in the works of Philo Judaeus, the contemporary of Josephus.
[254] The Ismi A'zam, or the "Most Mighty Name" [of God] is a magic spell or incantation which the acquirer can apply to wonderful purposes. God hath, among the Muhammadans, ninety-nine names or epithets; the Ismi A'zam is one of the number, but it is only the initiated few who can say which of the ninety-nine it is.
[255] The word sawab strictly means, "the reward received in the next world for virtuous actions performed in the present state of existence."
[256] The veiled horseman who rescued the first and second Darweshes from self-destruction.
[257] A Persian proverb.