440

Addison’s west barbary.

h e fea, the other with the mountains, which from December to the latter end of Februaryare covered with fnow ; at the refolution of which, fuch rivers are caufed, that in fomeplaces the channels will yield water the whole fummer enfuing.

The inhabitants live long, and are generally healthy; the difeafes, when they happen,are fluxes, after the feafon of fruits; and calentures, when they immoderately travel inthe fun. And what feems herein remarkable, the winter (which feafon confifts of greatrains) is moil mortal amongft them.

The lues venerea, or fouldifeafe (which the Moors call bubes) is incident to thofewho accompany with variety of women : and though this may feem to confine that dis-temper to thofe Moors who live after a more rude and roving manner, yet it is noftranger to thofe of a more refined and fettled life, the grandees of late having hereinexceeded the peafants.

As to the plague, they obferve no fet time of its return, the tenth and fifteenthyear of its coming being worn out of remarks; and in this laft century it has happenedvery feldom, but in no parts it doth rage more furioufly than in Barbary : and whenthey are vifited, the inhabitants take little or no care to avoid it, holding it to be in-evitable.

In cure of fickneffes, they ufe very plain medicines, and whatever be the difeafe,cauterizing is firft praftifed, which they do with more art or curiofity than with a knifered hot to gafh and cut the place where the pain lies. To cure the head-ach, they takethe root tauz argent and rofemary, burning them in an earthen pot, over which thedifeafed holds his head for the fume; then binding the fame in a cloth about the head,prefent eafe is given. This tauz argent is a root much celebrated for an excellent andlafting perfume: there is great llore thereof about Sally, which is white within, withoutdufkifh and ftreaked. The Moors ufe it in airing and perfuming their rooms, but thefcent is much lefs durable than has been reported.

The people when fick cure themfelves with herbs, in whofe virtues the commonpeople have a traditional knowledge. By this they fupply the want of apothecaries andphyficians, of which profeflion none are found, except a few mountebank ignorantJews .

The Moors have an herb called la halis, which, mingled with honey, they makeup into balls as big as piftol bullets, and of thefe they fwallow five or fix at a time,which they find to procure appetite, further digeftion, and to make frolick, amorous, andwitty. Opium is much ufed by all forts, rather for diet then phyfic ; and a Moor willfooner buy a pill of opium than a cake of bread, if his flock be too little to buy both.And in many places they are fo accuftomed to this ftupefactive, that the want thereofproves fatal.

In former times the people were fo exquifite in mingling poifons, that they had fomewould kill by fmell: of late they are acquainted only with two kinds which they callrahalh and zehim. The former is either white or pale, and more quick in difpatchingthe perfon who takes it. But zehim (fignifiying any thing that is contrary to the palateor liking) is cured with incefiant fpitting. As for that poifon which once they had theart to communicate in letters, to kill thofe who read them, they are thereof at prefenttotally ignorant,

Muley Mahumed having out of politic ends prohibited printing *, made therebywriting of a more Angular ufe and efteem; and the Moors of old were noted to be veryexcellent at the pen, but now in this, as in all- other learning, they are much deficient

* Invented 800 years after his time ! Edit.

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