TOPOGJRAPHy^ KACES, EELlGIONSj LANGUAGES AND CUSTOMS. 4] 



■of them afterwards removed from Persia to Syria, where 

 they came in contact with the Crusaders and obtained 

 atiocious notoriety through their monstrous deeds. They 

 were bound imphcitly to carry out the commands of their 

 chief (commonly known at the time as " old man of the 

 mountain "), even to the extent of murdering any man, king 

 or peasant all over the Avorld, whom he might wish to dis- 

 pose of. Several potentates are said to have paid him black- 

 mail for safety's sake, but the Knights Templars had more of 

 a gallant spirit and defied his power. The Mongols made a 

 general massacre of the Persian branch of the order in 1256, 

 and Sultan Bibaris nearly rooted out the Syrian offshoot in 

 1270. Traces of them still remain in Persia, but they are 

 now a very insignificant sect in that country or Turkey. 

 Some etymologists derive the name of Assassin from Hasan 

 bin Sabah, but Voliiey believes it was derived from the 

 Turkish word "hassassin," to kill silently and hy surprise, 

 being equivalent to a night robber. From whence Volney 

 obtained this derivation in the Turkish language is more 

 than I can understand, as I do not know of such a word 

 meaning "to kill," I myself believe that it came from 

 Hasliaslteen, that is to say those who indulge in partaking 

 of, or smoking an intoxicating herb or drug called in India 

 "bhang" prepared from the powdered leaves of Cannabis 

 Sativa or common hemp. Many Indian and Persian despe- 

 radoes, when they wish to do some horrible deeds, deaden 

 what remains of conscience they possess and stimulate their 

 passions by means of this concoction. 



The only remaining sect in Syria is that of the Maronites, 

 but this term cannot really be considered a nationality but a 

 religious community, which though it has allied itself to the 

 Cliurch of Rome, still retains most of its original indepen- 

 dence and rituals. Their Patriarch styles himself Peter of 

 Antioch, and claims his spiritual descent to the Apostle St. 

 Peter. The name of Maronite they inherited from the 

 Syrian monk named Maro,* who lived on the bank of the 

 Orontes about A.D. 400, but other historians say that this 

 nomenclature was given to them from the name of one of 

 their patriarchs called Marunf or Maro,$ who was ruling over 

 the see of Antioch in A.D. 700. They are no doubt descended 

 from the ancient Arameans commonly called Syrians, and 



* Lord in Syriac, but not in Chaldean. , 



t Our Lord in Chaldean or Aramean. j Lord in Syriac. 



