TRAVELS IN BARBARY. 
is difficult to say how men are raised to the cha* 
racter of saints ; any extraordinary qualification, 
any remarkable crime, sometimes pure idiotism, 
raise them to this rank. Several of the emperor's 
horses were saints ; one in particular was held in 
such reverence by that monarch, that any person 
who had committed the most enormous crime, or 
even killed a prince of the royal blood, if he took 
hold of the sainted horse, was perfectly secure. 
Several of the captives had saved their lives by this 
manoeuvre. It is judged a peculiar favour, if, after 
the emperor and the horse have successively drunk, 
the bowl is handed to any third person. The su- 
perstitions prevalent in this country are extremely 
various. One of the most general is that of " evil 
" eyes," which seems, indeed, to exist more or less 
in almost every nation. The emperor of Morocco 
is said to have kept a favourite son constantly shut 
up, lest he should be exposed to this fatal influ- 
ence. When rain is wanting, they endeavour to 
extort it by pure clamour and importunity. The 
children run about the streets, often for eight suc- 
cessive days, screaming with their whole might. If 
they fail, the saints and learned men join in the 
cry, and at last the emperor unites his voice. 
Should all these vociferations fail, they then thrust 
the Jews out of the town, with injunctions not to 
return, unless accompanied by rain ; arguing, that 
their importunities will be so noisome, as must 
