152 CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 



entirely free from her cough, and was grown so hardy by 

 bathing, riding, and walking as to bear the air during the late 

 windy weather without inconvenience. Still I cannot help 

 being rather sollicitous on her account ; for winter in the 53 d 

 degree of latitude, you know, must be tedious and may be 

 severe. 



I have consulted Le Clerc's comment on the passages in 

 the books of Judges and Samuel that mention the deriving 

 presages or omens from accidental events and words spoken 

 without premeditation. He takes notice of the custom in 

 both places, and refers to the 24 th chapter of Genesis, where 

 Abraham's servant finds Rebecca to be the person he is in 

 search of, by her drawing water for him and his camels and 

 mentions as parallel passages the omen given to Priam (Iliad, 

 24. 308 &c.), and the prayer of Anchises (^Eneid, 2. 689), 

 which I think are rather signs requested and obtained imme- 

 diately from heaven than presages drawn from incidental 

 events, of which nevertheless the Greek and Roman writers 

 are full. The following story, which, whether true or false, is 

 taken from oriental authors, shews that the same ideas have 

 been prevalent in Persia and Tartary. Scheik Sefi, the pro- 

 phet here mention'd, lived near Ardebil in Media, at the time 

 that Tamerlane (Timour) overran Asia; he was celebrated for 

 his sanctity and miracles, and was an ancestor of Ismael 

 Sophi, the first prince of the family that possess'd the throne 

 of Persia from about 1500 to 1722, when that country was 

 conquer'd by Maghmoud the Afghan. 



Tamerlane, after his victory over Bajazet, was passing thro' 

 Media, and was much persuaded to pay a visit to this Scheik, 

 who lived the life of a hermit in a desert. 



" Omnium autem cum esset rituum religionum, nationumq. 

 tolerans, ac superstitionibus astrologicis maxime addictus, mi- 

 raculis tamen segre tribuisse fidem, vel ex hoc liquet ; quod a 

 familiaribus suis vix induci potuerit : ut ad visendum sa3culi 

 oraculum paucis parasangis a via deflecteret ; quoniam ipsum 

 impostorem esse, qui imperitiam vulgi luderet, firmiter sibi per- 

 suasum erat. Ad explorandam veritatem dum viam ingreditur, 

 animo tacitus proponit, crediturum se pietati hominis, si is sibi 



