'A second journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople, between the years 1810 and 1816. With a journal of the voyage by the Brazils and Bombay to the Persian Gulf. Together with an account of the proceedings of His Majesty's embassy under Sir Gore Ouseley, Bart. K.L.S. With two maps, and engravings from the designs of the author.' [‎265] (316/516)

ILLUSTRATION OF SCRIPTURE.
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one who appeared absorbed in a book, and who would not stir, not
withstanding the orders of our Mehmandar, but when it was found
that lie was reading the Koran, he was permitted to continue un-
molested.
The most conspicuous building in Hamadan is the Mesjid Jumah, a
large mosque now falling into decay, and before it a or square,
which serves as a market place. Here we observed every morning be
fore the sun rose, that a numerous body of peasants were collected with
spades in their hands, waiting as they informed us, to be hired for the
day to work in the surrounding fields. This custom, which I have
never seen in any other part of Asia, forcibly struck us as a most happy
illustiation of our Saviour's parable of the labourer in the vineyard,
in the 20th chapter of Matthew ; particularly when passing by the same
place late in the day, we still found others standing idle, and remem
bered His words. Why stand ye here all the day idle? as most applicable
to their situation ; for in putting the very same question to them, they
answered us. Because no man hath hired us.
Neai to the JVIesjid Jumah, in a court filled with tombs, stands a
building called the Sepulchre of Esther and Mordecai. It is built of
brick, and consists of two chambers, one of which is merely an entrance
or anti-room to the other, and appears to be modern, compared with the
rest of the sti ucture. But the whole does not look of greater antiquity
than the first ages of Mahomedanism. It is crowned by a cupola, which
partakes of the elliptical form of those erected at the present day in
Peisia, and its architecture in other respects has all the features of an
origin, not earlier at the farthest than the Saracen invasion. Sir Gore
Ouseley copied and translated an Hebrew inscription *, rudely carved on
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