"قاموس، فارسي، عربي، إنجليزي، مع أطروحة عن لغات أمم المشرق وآدابها وعاداتها" [و‎‎٣‎٢] (١٨٢٦/٦٨)

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DISSERTATION.
xlvii
to see the earth seven times filled with creatures, and
seven times a perfect void ; that the age of Adam
would be seven thousand years ; when the race of
man w’ould be extinguished, and their place sup
plied by beings of another form and more perfect
nature, with whom the earth would end ; that she
had then seen twelve great periods of seven
thousand years, but was denied the knowledge of
the duration of her own existence. Those beings,
who inhabited the globe immediately before the
creation of man, they call Vans and Dives ; and
they form a perfect contrast. The Paris are de
scribed as beautiful and benevolent; and though
guilty of errors which had offended Omnipotence,
they are supposed, in consequence of their peni
tence, still to enjoy distinguished marks of divine I
favour. The Dives, on the contrary, are pictured
as hideous in form, and malignant in mind ; dif
fering only from the infernal demons in not being
confined to hell ; but roaming for ever around the
world to scatter discord and w T retchedness among
the sons of Adam. In the Pans w T e find a wonder
ful resemblance to the Faeries of the European
nations ; and the Dives or Genies differ little from
the Giants and Savages of the middle ages: the
adventures of the Eastern heroes breathe all the
wildness of achievement recorded of the knights
in Gothic romance; and the doctrine of enchant
ments, in both, seems to claim one common
source. The various creatures who preceded
Adam, were supposed to have been governed by a
succession of seventy-two Sulaymans ; the last of
whom is surnamed Jan bin Jan. This monarch
had offended Omnipotence ; and the angel Haris
was sent from heaven to chastise him. A war
ensued, which terminated in the defeat of the
pre-adamite king ; and Haris governed in his room.
But this angel becoming also intoxicated with
power, Adam was created ; and all the earth
ordered to obey him. Haris, composed of the
element of fire, scorned submission to a clay-form
ed creature: he rebelled against the divine will,
and was joined in his revolt by the Dives ; but the
Paris, acquiescing in the mandates of Heaven,
became from that time the friends of mankind.
Haris, with his chief followers, were cursed by
God, and doomed to a long period of torment in
the infernal regions; but the other Dives were al
lowed to range over the earth, as a security for the
future obedience of man. The residence of those
ideal beings was imagined to be on the mountain
of Kaf; which in the East was long supposed to
surround the earth, as a ring does the finger ; the
globe being fancied to rest on one great emerald
or sapphire; the reflection from which gave the
azure appearance to the sky; whilst its movements
were productive of volcanoes, earthquakes, and
all the convulsive phenomena of nature. -The
w r hole of this visionary country is called Jinnistan ;
and the respective empires are divided into many
kingdoms and cities. Those of the Paris bear the
names of Sbadulcani (pleasure and desire), Jawhat'-
abad (the city of jewels), Amberctbcid (the city of
ambergris): and the metropolis of the Dives is
called Ahermdndbdd (the city of the principle of
evil); where the enchanted castle, palace, and
gallery of the Dive king Arzshank is the subject
of much fable. The Paris and Dives are supposed
to be formed of the element of fire : they live long,
but are subject to death ; and though possessed of
superhuman powers, have in many respects the
sentiments and passions of mankind. They w r age
incessant w^ar ; and when the Dives make prisoners
of the Paris, they shut them up in iron cages, and
hang them on the highest trees, to expose them to
public view, and to every chilling blast. Here
they are visited by their companions, who bring
them the choicest odours. Perfume is the only
food of the Paris ; and whilst it serves as nourish
ment to the captives, it has also the virtue of
keeping at a distance the insulting Dives, whose
malignancy of nature can endure nothing fra
grant. 88
When the Paris are in danger of being over
powered by their foes, they always solicit the
assistance of some mortal hero; which furnishes a
wonderful fund of fanciful machinery for Eastern
poetry and romance. To put the knight on a