ITS WALLY, OR GOVERNOR. 
567 
place in his nervous system and is daily undermining his exis¬ 
tence, (namely, a dread of being murdered in some way ;) and 
this secret of all his other complaints arises from a series of 
violent acts he has long been in the practice of committing; 
murdering and poisoning in every direction, till he fears there 
may be many in his dominions, and some near his person, well 
disposed to do him the like office. Indeed, so strong are his 
apprehensions, he will not trust even his own wives to prepare 
his food, or mix his medicines, without the severest precautions. 
The former is always brought to him under the seal of her in 
whom he thinks he dare place the most confidence. He then 
obliges her to eat part of it, also her brother, his prime minister, 
and five or six of his own nearest relations; so that, should poison 
have been mixed in it, they must all share the same fate with 
himself. If his indisposition require the application of a lave¬ 
ment, he first causes two or three of his women (whose occupation 
has been to prepare it,) to receive, in his presence, a part of it, 
and if no ill effects arise, he uses the remainder on himself 
Whenever he takes any medicines of his Persian doctors, he 
obliges them first to eat or drink a part of every dose before 
him, and then putting his own seal on the remainder, it is care¬ 
fully deposited in his harem, till he sees what effect it produces 
on the prescribers; and when all appears to have been right, 
he then safely swallows the rest. His breakfast generally con¬ 
sists of a pretty large bowl of soup, and the instant he has 
satisfied his appetite, he makes the nearest relation of the 
woman whose turn it was to prepare the mess, devour the re¬ 
mainder to the last drop. At dinner, his vizier always mixes 
the sherbet, and presents it himself to his master, accompanied 
with an empty basin, into which the prince immediately pours 
