A curious story is told among Persians of the wisdom of a certain cazi or magistrate. The story is a well-known one. A woman was claimed by two men as wife; one a peasant, the other a mirza or scribe. The two men each swore to the truth of his claim. The woman was silent. The cazi, failing to get any corroborative evidence, ordered the woman to remain for a time with his own wives, and next day handed her over to the mirza, ordering the peasant to be severely beaten. Then the woman broke silence for the first time, and praised the just judge. The lookers-on applauded the justice of the cazi, but failed to see the grounds for the verdict.
Said the cazi: “I told her to milk a cow, and she could not. I knew then she could be no peasant’s wife. Then handing her my writing-case, I told her to put it in order. She took the little silver spoon, and replenished my inkstand with water. Only the wife of a man who could write could have done this correctly. Hence my verdict.”
CHAPTER XVII.
ISPAHAN.
Cost of living—Servants—Our expenses—Price of provisions—Bargains—Crying off—Trade credits—Merchants—Civil suits—Bribery—Shopkeepers—Handicrafts—Damascening—Shoemakers—Other trades—Bankers—An Ispahani’s estimate of the honesty of his fellow-townsmen.
The cost of living in Persia is very low; and to give an insight into the actual expense of housekeeping, I may say that on about five hundred pounds a year I was able to live in Ispahan, keeping—
| Kerans. | ||
|---|---|---|
| A cook | 50 | a month. |
| A tableman | 40 | ” |
| An assistant ditto | 25 | ” |
| A farrash | 25 | ” |
| A platewasher | 20 | ” |
| A boy | 15 | ” |
| A head groom | 30 | ” |
| A second ditto | 20 | ” |
| A woman laundress | 25 | ” |
| An assistant ditto | 15 | ” |
| About £10, or | 265 | kerans. |
These servants all clothed themselves, and were not fed by me, save in sharing the remnants of the meals.
About fourteen pounds of tobacco was expended in my house, at a cost of eight kerans, each month.
A substantial breakfast of three or four courses was served at twelve, tea and a snack being taken on waking. And a solid meal of four courses and a dessert was taken at eight as dinner. Tea and cakes at four, previous to the daily ride.