ASSASSINS. 



235 



Carousel, the footway by tha railings of the Tuil- 

 leries, other footways, and the basin of the foun- 

 tain in Richelieu Street, have been coated with the 

 asphaltic cement, and it has been found to stand 

 equally well the " summer's heat and winter's 

 snow." The Belgians have begun also to use the 

 article extensively in public works. In several 

 parts of London, portions of the street for foot 

 passengers have also been laid with asphaltum, by 

 way of experiment, and on a late inspection by us, 

 it seemed to answer all the purpose of flag-stones. 

 Various artificial cements, in imitation of the na- 

 tural asphaltic, have been brought before the 

 public, but, on trial, they have been found to crack 

 in winter and to melt in summer in short, to be 

 totally inefficient in comparison. The asphaltic 

 cement has been used with success in joining stone 

 to stone, or metal to stone. As for its use in the 

 caulking of vessels, we are not aware what has 

 been the result of recent experiments on this point. 

 The induration which forms its chief value in 

 coating pavements and such places, might be in- 

 jurious in the case of vessels, but an additional 

 proportion of tar to the cement would probably 

 amend this fault, and render it useful there also. 



ASSASSINS. This term, applied in Europe to 

 a secret murderer, had its origin in the name of a 

 celebrated Mahommedan sect, who long devastated 

 the east. Under the head Ishmaelites (another of 

 their names) we have given a brief account of the 

 sect, but we propose to enter here somewhat more 

 largely into the subject, following the work of M. 

 Joseph von Hammer, a German author, who, from 

 sources purely oriental, has thrown much interest- 

 ing light upon it. See Foreign Quarterly Review, 

 vol. I. 



In the stormy period which succeeded the death 

 of Mohammed, numerous sects sprang up among the 

 believers of Islamism. One of these, the Mazdekee, 

 professed universal freedom and equality, the indif- 

 ference of human actions, and the community of 

 goods ; and, strange as it may appear, it numbered 

 among its adherents Cobad king of Persia. The 

 imprudence of this monarch cost him his crown, 

 and his sou Noosherwan, convinced of the perni- 

 cious influence of the sect, endeavoured to eradi- 

 cate it with fire arid sword. In this attempt he did 

 not completely succeed, and the immoral opinions 

 continued to exist in secret, until an opportunity 

 offered, when they were again publicly promul- 

 gated, and Persia became the scene of blood and 

 devastation. 



At this period there lived at Ahras, in the south 

 of Persia, a man named Abdallah, who had been 

 educated in the maxims of the ancient religion and 

 policy of Persia, and whose national animosity in- 

 duced him to attempt the overthrow of the faith 

 and the empire of the victorious Arabs. The only 

 path to ultimate success, he saw, was to undermine 

 them by secret means ; and to effect his purpose, he 

 enveloped his design in the veil of mystery, and in 

 imitation of the schools of India and Pythagoras, 

 communicated gradually his doctrines to his disci- 

 ples. These consisted of a denial of all religion, 

 with the belief that all actions are indifferent, and 

 that neither here nor hereafter will they be rewarded 

 or punished. With the greatest zeal, by means of 

 missionaries, he disseminated his opinions, and aug- 

 mented the number of his disciples, until at length 

 one of them was placed on the throne of Egypt, 

 and the new system was established in Africa. But 

 it contemplated farther triumphs, and its mission- 



aries overflowed Asia, in the hope of overturning 

 the throne of the caliphs of Bagdad. Lodges of 

 men and women were formed in different places, 

 and the principles of the sect were taught in regular 

 succession, according to the progress made by the 

 members, or the confidence placed in their discre- 

 tion. To believe nothing, and to dare every thing, 

 was the sum and substance of this doctrine. 



One of the converts to this system was Hassan 

 ben Sabah, who founded, some years after, the 

 society which, during a century and a half, filled 

 Asia with terror and dismay. Hassan was one of 

 those characters which appear from time to time in 

 the world, as if sent to operate some mighty change 

 in the destinies of mankind. Endued with mental 

 powers of the first order, conscious of his own su- 

 periority, filled with the most immoderate ambition, 

 and possessed of the courage, patience, and fore- 

 sight requisite for the accomplishment of his deep- 

 laid schemes, he had been sent by his father, whose 

 orthodoxy was suspected, to Nishaboor, to be edu- 

 cated by one of the most learned men of the East ; 

 and there he formed an acquaintance with several 

 noble youths, who afterwards raised themselves to 

 the highest dignities of the state. Even at this 

 early period, the ambitious mind of Hassan, and 

 his sanguine expectations of future advancement 

 and dignity, displayed themselves, and he was not 

 long of seeing them realised. He was taken notice 

 of by the Sultan Melek Shah, and was soon after 

 made his principal confidant. By one of those in- 

 trigues common in courts, he was, however, in a 

 short time deprived of the favour of his sovereign, 

 and was dismissed with disgrace. Burning with 

 rage and disappointment, he retired to Rei, and 

 thence to Ispahan, and after a short stay there, he 

 proceeded to Egypt, to join the grand lodge of the 

 Ismaelites, a name which the secret society had 

 assumed, and of which society ha had for a long 

 time been a member. 



Hassan, whose fame had preceded him, was re- 

 ceived in Egypt with the highest honours; but soon 

 after, happening to take an active part in a dispute 

 relative to the succession, his enemies prevailed 

 against him, and he was sent into banishment. He 

 disembarked in Syria, and spent several years in 

 travelling in the different nations of the East, 

 zealously spreading his doctrines, and acquiring pro- 

 selytes. His ambition now was to possess dominion 

 as well as power, and he fixed his eye on the castle 

 of Alamoot (the vulture's nest), a lofty and im- 

 pregnable fortress in the district of Roodbar, to the 

 north of Kasveen. This he gained partly by force, 

 and partly by stratagem. So soon as he got pos- 

 session of this hill-fort, Hassan changed his plans, 

 and instead of publicly treating all religious belief 

 as the effect of a disordered imagination, he deter- 

 mined to maintain among his followers the religious 

 discipline of Islamism in all its rigour. The most 

 minute observance of the most trivial ordinances 

 was exacted from those who, generally unknown 

 to themselves, were leagued for its destruction ; and 

 the veil of mystery behind which few were per- 

 mitted to enter, shrouded the secret doctrine from 

 the eyes of the major part of the society. 



The Ismaelite doctrine had hitherto been dissemi- 

 nated by missionaries and companions alone; a 

 third class was required, which, ignorant of the 

 secret doctrine, would blindly obey the orders of 

 their superiors. This class was named Fedavee, or 

 the Devoted. The members were clothed in 

 white, with red bonnets or girdles, and were armed 



