[FN#375] The “’Ashshar,” or Tither, is most unpopular in the Nile-valley as in Wales; and he generally merits his ill-repute.  Tales concerning the villainy of these extortioners abound in Egypt and Syria.  The first step in improvement will be so to regulate the tithes that the peasants may not be at the mercy of these “publicans and sinners” who, however, can plead that they have paid highly for appointment to office and must recoup themselves.

[FN#376] Arab. “’Ammir"=cause to flourish.

[FN#377] Arab.  “Afkah,” a better Fakih or theologian; all Moslem law being based upon the Koran, the Sayings (Hadis) and Doings (Sunnat) of the Prophet; and, lastly, the Rasm or immemorial custom of the country provided that it be not opposed to the other three.

[FN#378] If the number represent the days in the Moslem year it should be 354=6 months of 29 days and the rest of 30).

[FN#379] The affirmative particle “kad” preceding a verb in the past gives it a present and at times a future signification.

[FN#380] A danik, the Persian “Dang,” is one-sixth of a dirham, i.e. about one penny.  See vol. ii. 204.

[FN#381] It would mightily tickle an Eastern audience to hear of a Tither being unable to do any possible amount of villainy.

[FN#382] i.e.  The oath of triple divorce which is, I have said, irrevocable, and the divorcee may not be taken again by her husband till her marriage with another man (the Mustahill of The Nights) has been consummated.  See vol. iv., 48.

[FN#383] i.e. thousandfold cuckold.

[FN#384] Arab.  “Wadi’ah"=the blows which the Robber had given him.

[FN#385] Arab.  “Sindiyan” (from the Persian) gen. used for the holm-oak, the Quercus pseudococcifera, vulgarly termed ilex, or native oak, and forming an extensive scrub in Syria, For this and other varieties of Quercus, as the Mallul and the Ballut, see Unexplored Syria, i. 68.

[FN#386] Hibernice

[FN#387] Lit.  “In the way of moderation"=at least, at the most moderate reckoning.

[FN#388] Arab.  “Rasmal,” the vulg.  Syrian and Egyptian form of Raas al-mal=stockin-trade.

[FN#389] Usually a ring or something from his person to show that all was fair play; here however, it was a watchword.

[FN#390] Arab.  “Ya Madyubah,” prob. a clerical error for “Madyunah,” alluding to her many debts which he had paid.  Here, however, I suspect the truly Egyptian term “Ya Manyukah!"=O thou berogered; a delicate term of depreciation which may be heard a dozen times a day in the streets of Cairo.  It has also a masculine form, “Ya Manyuk!”

[FN#391] About=100 lb.  Mr. Sayce (Comparative Philol. p. 210) owns that Mn is old Egyptian but makes it a loan from the “Semites,” like Sus (horse), Sar (prince), Sepet (lip) and Murcabutha (chariot), and goes to its origin in the Acratan column, because “it is not found before the times when the Egyptians borrowed freely from Palestine.”  But surely it is premature to draw such conclusion when we have so much still to learn concerning the dates of words in Egyptian.