[3]. “Hindí” is an Indian Moslem as opposed to “Hindú,” a pagan, or Gentoo.
[4]. The orig. Persian word is “Sháh·púr” = King’s son: the Greeks (who had no sh) (preferred Σαβὼρ); the Romans turned it into Sapor and the Arabs (who lack the p) into Sábúr. See p. x. Hamzæ Ispahanensis Annalium Libri x.: Gottwaldt, Lipsiæ mdcccxlviii.
[5]. The magic horse may have originated with the Hindu tale of a wooden Garuda (the bird of Vishnu) built by a youth for the purpose of a vehicle. It came with the “Moors” to Spain and appears in “Le Cheval de Fust,” a French poem of the thirteenth Century. Thence it passed over to England as shown by Chaucer’s “Half-told tale of Cambuscan (Janghíz Khan?) bold,” as
The wondrous steed of brass
On which the Tartar King did ride;
And Leland (Itinerary) derives “Rutlandshire” from “a man named Rutter who rode round it on a wooden horse constructed by art magic.” Lane (ii. 548) quotes the parallel story of Cleomades and Claremond which Mr. Keightley (Tales and Popular Fictions, chapt. ii) dates from our thirteenth century. See Vol. i., p. [160].
[6]. All Moslems, except those of the Máliki school, hold that the maker of an image representing anything of life will be commanded on the Judgement Day to animate it, and failing will be duly sent to the Fire. This severity arose apparently from the necessity of putting down idol-worship and, perhaps, for the same reason the Greek Church admits pictures but not statues. Of course the command has been honoured with extensive breaching: for instance all the Sultans of Stambul have had their portraits drawn and painted.
[7]. This description of ugly old age is written with true Arab verve.
[8]. Arab. “Badinján”: Hind. Bengan: Pers. Bádingán or Badilján; the Mala insana (Solanum pomiferum or S. Melongena) of the Romans, well known in Southern Europe. It is of two kinds, the red (Solanum lycopersicum) and the black (S. Melongena). The Spaniards know it as “berengeria” and when Sancho Panza (Part ii. chapt. 2) says, “The Moors are fond of egg-plants” he means more than appears. The vegetable is held to be exceedingly heating and thereby to breed melancholia and madness; hence one says to a man that has done something eccentric, “Thou hast been eating brinjalls.”
[9]. Again to be understood Hibernice “kilt.”