88 TRANSCAUCASIA. 



allowed to fall loosely down the back, tliey give a man the 

 appearance of Touchstone in the play, but the native oftener 

 binds the ends up into a happy combination of a fool's-cap 

 and turban. The Mingrelian cap is a small oval-shaped 

 piece of cloth, or with the higher classes of embroidered 

 velvet, stuck on the back of the head, and fastened by strings 

 under the chin. It is about the size of a fashionable lady's 

 bonnet, and I am disposed to think that some Parisian 

 milliner must have been thus far, and carried home the 

 idea for future use. 



A curious legend, illustrating the thievish character of 

 the race, even in the first century, is recounted at Kutais, 

 as an explanation of the origin of this peculiar headpiece. 

 The story runs thus : — St. Peter, who is said to have visited 

 the Black Sea shores, and first preached the Gospel there, 

 was one day travelling through the Mingrelian forest. 

 The saint was on foot, the heat was great, and the road 

 long; he threw off his hat and shoes, and, lying down 

 under the shade of a spreading beech-tree, fell fast asleep. 

 Before long two natives, a Mingrelian and an Imeritian, 

 rode by. They observed the sleeping saint, and the first 

 idea which suggested itself to their profane minds, was to 

 see what they could get out of him. He had no silver 

 belt, not even a dagger, but the discarded hat and shoes 

 offered an obvious booty. The Mingrelian secured the 

 hat, the Imeritian the shoes, and the pair hurried off. 

 Some time afterwards St. Peter awoke, and discovered the 

 robbery of which he had been the victim. Finding his 

 property irretrievably lost, he had recourse to the natural 

 consolation of cursing the thieves, which he did in the 

 following form : ' May the posterity of him who has taken 

 my shoes go for ever barefoot ! May no son of the man 

 who has got my hat ever wear one on his head ! ' From 

 that time no Imeritian peasant has ever had a pair of 



