[FN#378] Arab.  “Fakih” = a divine, from Fikh = theology, a man versed in law and divinity i.e. (1) the Koran and its interpretation comprehending the sacred ancient history of the creation and prophets (Chapters iii., iv., v. and vi.), (2) the traditions and legends connected with early Moslem History and (3) some auxiliary sciences as grammar, syntax and prosody; logic, rhetoric and philosophy.  See p. 18 of “El-Mas’udi’s Historical Encyclopaedia etc.,” By my friend Prof.  Aloys Springer, London 1841.  This fine fragment printed by the Oriental Translation Fund has been left unfinished whilst the Asiatic Society of Paris has printed in Eight Vols. 8vo the text and translation of mm.  Barbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille.  What a national disgrace!  And the same with the mere abridgment of Ibn Batutah by Prof.  Lee (Orient.  Tr.  Fund 1820) when the French have the fine Edition and translation by Defremery and Sanguinetti with index etc. in 4 vols. 8vo 1858-59.  But England is now content to rank in such matters as encouragement of learning, endowment of research etc., with the basest of kingdoms, and the contrast of status between the learned Societies of London and of Paris, Berlin, Vienna or Rome is mortifying to an Englishman—­a national opprobrium.

[FN#379] Arab.  “Maydan al-Fil,” prob. for Birkat al-Fil, the Tank of the Elephant before-mentioned.  Lane quotes Al Makrizi who in his Khitat informs us that the lakelet was made abot the end of the seventh century (A.H.), and in the seventeenth year of the eighth century became the site of the stables.  The Bresl.  Edit. (iv. 214) reads “Maydan al-’Adl,” prob. for Al-’Adil the name of the King who laid out the Maydan.

[FN#380] Arab.  “Ashab al-Ziya’,” the latter word mostly signifies estates consisting, strictly speaking of land under artificial irrigation.

[FN#381] The Bresl.  Edit. (iv. 215) has “Chawashiyah” = ’Chiaush, the Turkish word, written with the Pers. “ch,” a letter which in Arabic is supplanted by “sh,” everywhere except in Morocco.

[FN#382] Arab.  “Zawiyah” lit. a corner, a cell.  Lane (M.  F., chapt. xxiv.) renders it “a small kiosque,” and translates the famous Zawiyat al-Umyan (Blind Men’s Angle) near the south-eastern corner of the Azhar or great Collegiate Mosque of Cairo, “Chapel of the Blind” (chapt. ix.).  In popular parlance it suggests a hermitage.

[FN#383] Arab.  “Takht,” a Pers. word used as more emphatic than the Arab.  Sarir.

[FN#384] This girding the sovereign is found in the hieroglyphs as a peculiarity of the ancient Kings of Egypt, says Von Hammer referring readers to Denon.

[FN#385] Arab.  “Mohr,” which was not amongst the gifts of Solomon in Night dcclx.  The Bresl.  Edit. (p. 220) adds “and the bow,” which is also de trop.

[FN#386] Arab.  “Batanah,” the ordinary lining opp. to Tazrib, or quilting with a layer of coton between two folds of cloth.  The idea in the text is that the unhappy wearer would have to carry his cross (the girl) on his back.