770 Translation of the Mohit, [Sept, 



farsangs; the whole 8000 farsangs. An £^*1 is formed by 1? de- 

 grees*. Eight flj zams make one isbd, and again 4| #ams 

 one degree; 114? miles are one isbd, 14f miles are one zdm ; 

 one degree contains seven parts of the twelfth of the isbd; so 

 the whole circumference contains 210 isbd or 1680 zdms, the mid- 

 dle of two khans is 6 T | isbd; counting by degrees, 111 degrees; the 

 whole circle 210 isbd at our time, but in ancient times the middle 

 measure of each khan was 7 isbd, therefore the circle contained 224 

 isbd ; the first is the better computation which is proved by the 

 difference of the greatest and lowest height of lSj^j*^ which is but of 

 four isbds. Astronomers know that from the rising of Judda, that 

 is the polar star, to its setting, 6 degrees and 6 isbds are counted, 

 each isbd being 1 f degrees ; but the rising and setting of Judda is 

 not always the same because its motion follows that of the sky of the 

 fixed stars, by which, in the course of time, the distance of it from the 

 meridian becomes greater and sometimes smaller, according to the pole 

 of the world ; in our time it is so trifling that it makes no difference. 

 Be it also known that the isbd is of two species ; the one, that used 

 by the masters of the seas ; this is the fourth part of the distance be- 

 tween Capella and ^^ (the two Ursce) ; the masters measuring with 

 their instruments reckon this distance to be four isbd. If the mea- 

 surement is taken in **\=*- ( f 7 *i Leo) and that the measure is neither 

 too large nor too narrow. The distance between Capella and the two 

 Ursce is four isbd. The second species of isbd is not the nautical 

 but geometrical one, which is the breadth of six moderate grains of 

 barley ; according to the systems of the moderns, 24 isbd or inches 

 make one yard (P'jA) and 4000 yards one mile, and three miles one 

 far sang. 



The Fourth Section, explains the distance of the stars, which 

 are used to measure the khan from the meridians and from the pole. 



The distance of the polar-star is 861 degrees ; the distance of the 

 two calves (P 7) 77 degrees, th« distance of the first star of the square 

 of Ursa minor jJo >j£* 66 degrees; the distance of &ftL.*i* 52 

 degrees ; of Capella 45 degrees ; of Lyra 381 degrees ; of Arcturus 

 231 degrees; of the Pleias MJ degrees; of Aquila 7 degrees. All 

 these distances are northern. The southern ones are the following : 

 Solbar called also Mohannis, that is to 'say, the perjurer 61 degrees. 

 The reason of this denomination is because an Arabic tribe, having 

 taken its rising for that of Canopus, swore that it was Canopus ; which 

 * Should be 1° 36' 25" since 224 assaba = 360 degrees. 



