CAS 



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Casbiri. in conversing with him, admitted him several times 

 "'V^ to his own table, presented him with a sum of money 

 to enable him to visit Oxford and Cambridge, grant- 

 ed him a pension of three hundred pounds, and no- 

 minated him to two prebends, one at Westminster, 

 and the other at Canterbury. Casaubon was not un- 

 grateful ; and he seems to have expressed his grati- 

 tude in a way most agreeable to the feelings of James, 

 namely, by flattering his literary vanity, and humour- 

 ing his silly prejudices. In the letters which he 

 wrote, by the direction of James, to De Thou re- 

 specting his history, and which, it is not improbable, 

 were inspected by the royal eye, he eulogises the 

 king in the most fulsome manner for his learning and 

 his virtue, and actually talks of him as a kind of 

 miracle or prodigy. He also remonstrates with De 

 Thou on that part of his history which affected the 

 character and conduct of the king's mother, and in 

 James's name demands satisfaction for the injuries 

 which he had done to her reputation. This remon- 

 strance produced some effect ; and by these and simi- 

 lar compliances with the temper of James, Causabon 

 contrived at once to make his acknowledgments for 

 past'favours, and to lay a foundation for future claims. 

 His object was not lost. So much was his majesty 

 pleased with him, that he wrote to the queen re- 

 gent of France, through whose indulgence Casaubon 

 had been permitted to come to England, begging 

 her to allow him to prolong his stay in this country, 

 and the royal favour seemed to promise him dis- 

 tinctions and .preferment ; but a painful distemper 

 soon closed these flattering prospects, and put an end 

 to his life. He died July 1, 1614-, in the 55th year 

 of his age, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. 

 His character, religious as well as literary, has been 

 variously represented ; but there appears to be good 

 reason for believing, that in both these views he was 

 highly respectable. That he was a Protestant, there 

 can be no reasonable doubt, though the contrary has 

 been insinuated, and though he entertained, along 

 with Grotius and other eminent men, the foolish 

 project of forming an union between the Catholic 

 and reformed churches. The probity and correctness 

 of his moral deportment have never been disputed. 

 Of his extensive learning, he has left a multitude of 

 satisfactory proofs in the various editions of Greek 

 and Latin authors, and other works which he pub- 

 lished in the course of his life. A large volume of 

 his Letters was published, from which a tiJerably 

 correct idea, both of his temper and classical attain- 

 ments, may be derived. A complete list of his wri- 

 tings is given in the Biographia Britannica, art. 

 CASAUBON. Besides that article, and the Lettets 

 above mentioned, ( Almeloveen's Edition, containing 

 a life of Casaub <n, ) see Niceron, Memoirs pour se.rv. 

 a I' hist, des Horn. Illuat. torn, xviii ; and La Vie de 

 M. de Thou in Durand's Hist, du xvi. Siecle torn, 

 vii. (r) 



CASEIN, CASVIN, or CAXWIN, supposed to be 

 the ancient Arsacia, a city of Persia, in the province 

 of Irak-ajami, situated in an extensive plain of the 

 same name, surrounded with mountains at some miles 

 distance. Casbin, which is now a complete mass of 

 ruins, was formerly about six miles in circumference, 

 and contained 12,000 houses, and 100,000 inhabi- 



tants ; but, in consequence of the civil wars with 

 which the country has been agitated, it has been 

 greatly reduced both in magnitude and opulence. It 

 walls and palaces are completely destroyed, and it 

 is at present defended neither by forts ror garrisons. 

 An earthquake, according to Morier, within no dis- 

 tant period, threw down the buildings which were 

 in the Tottie, and made cracks in almost every wall. 

 A large mosque, erected by the Abbasses, has been 

 in many places rent in its thick walls, and totally 

 ruined. The Royal Piazze, or Hippodrone, was 

 no less than 700 paces long, and 250 broad. The 

 Khan is a very large building. The Bason is remark- 

 able for its agreeable construction ; and the principal 

 mosque is well built. 



The following interesting account of Casbin is 

 given by Hanway, which we are obliged to present 

 to our readers in his OWH words, as we have no means 

 of ascertaining whether or not the buildings which 

 he describes are now in existence. 



" The houses are, for the most part, below the 

 surface of the earth, as are many of the gardens 

 joining to them, to obtain the conveniency of water, 

 which is brought to them from a considerable dis - 

 tance in channels ; for, as we usually bring water up 

 to our houses, they level their houses to the water, 

 which, however, are not the less agreeable in hot 

 weather. They are generally built with sun-dried 

 bricks, and their cement is a strong lime. The 

 roofs are flat ; so that it is easy and familiar to sleep 

 on the house tops. These buildings are enclosed with 

 a mud wall : they consist of two divisions ; the outer 

 stands in a large area, and consists of a spacious 

 room, one side of which is open, and supported with 

 pillars. In these they dispatch their business, and 

 also eat, when they do not retire to the women's a- 

 partment. There are niches in the wall, which an- 

 swer the purpose of tables ^ the floors are covered 

 with large worsted carpets ; and on the sides of the 

 room are felts, about a yard broad, and are generally 

 two or three yards long. These are called ncemets, 

 as already mentioned ; and are made either with wool 

 or camel's hair ; and, being very thick and soft, are 

 used for sitting upon. In the wings of this apart- 

 ment there are smaller rooms for lodging. In the 

 same yard there are apartments for the servants, and 

 also their stables. On the back part of this build- 

 ing is another, likewise enclosed by a wall, which, 

 for the sake of privacy, is generally entered by two 

 turnings. Here is the women's apartment, into 

 which .no man is suffered to enter, except the master 

 of it. 



I then went to see the new palace which Nadir 

 Shah had built in this city, adjoining the old one. 

 The entrance of it is formed by an avenue of lofty 

 trees, near three hundred yards long, and fifteen or 

 twenty broad. The wall round it is about an Eng- 

 lish mile and a half in circumference ; it is thick and 

 lofty, having only one entrance, which is an arched 

 gate. The top of this gate projects, and is formed 

 into many small squares. Within are four large 

 squares, with lofty trees, fountains, and running wa- 

 ter, which makes the place .awful and majestic. The 

 apartments are raised about six feet from the ground* 

 The Aivau, or open hall, is in the centre, and shuts 



Casein. 



