[413] By an arithmetical operation called in Persian Abjad; as Persian letters have arithmetical powers, the letters which compose the words Bagh O Bahar added up, produce the sum 1217.  From the inscription on most Muhammadan tombs, and those on the gates of mosques, the dates of demise and erection can be ascertained.  We had the same barbarous custom in Europe about the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; see the Spectator (No. 60,) on this ridiculous subject, which was considered as a proof of great ingenuity.

[414] A pun on the word Bahar, which means spring, when flowers are in full bloom; but the French word printemps conveys more exactly the compound signification; for Bahar not only means spring, but an agreeable spring.  The Persians are as fond of these double entendres as any other people; their poetry is strewed with them, and so is their prose.  It is not, however, to be considered as a model of pure taste.