plan. Wildness of imagination, fabulous machinery, and unnatural
scenes ever pervade the compositions of Oriental authors,--even in
most serious works on history and ethics. Be it remembered, that
_jinns_, demons, fairies, and angels, form a part of the _Muhammadan_
creed. The people to this day believe in the existence of such beings
on the faith of the _Kur,an_; and as they are fully as much attached
to their own religion as we are to ours, we ought not to be surprised
at their credulity.

I have rendered the translation as literal as possible, consistent
with the comprehension of the author's meaning. This may be considered
by some a slavish and dull compliance; but in my humble opinion we
ought, in this case, to display the author's own thoughts and ideas;
all we are permitted to do, is to change their garb. This course has
one superior advantage which may compensate for its seeming dulness; we
acquire an insight into the modes of thinking and action of the people,
whose works we peruse through the medium of a literal translation,
and thence many instructive and interesting conclusions may be drawn.

To the present edition numerous notes are appended; some, with a
view to illustrate certain peculiarities of the author's style, and
such grammatical forms of the language as might appear difficult to a
beginner; others, which mainly relate to the manners and customs of the
people of the East, may appear superfluous to the Oriental scholar who
has been in India; but in this case, I think it better to be redundant,
than risk the chance of being deficient. Moreover, as the book may
be perused by the curious in Europe, many of of whom know nothing of
India, except that it occupies a certain space in the map of the world,
these notes were absolutely necessary to understand the work. Finally,
as I am no poet, and have a most thorough contempt for the maker of