316 
THE NOWROOSE, 
The 21st of March, the impatiently anticipated day of the 
most joyous festival of Persia, at last arrived. It is called the 
feast of the Nowroose, or that of the commencement of the new 
year ; and its institution is attributed to the celebrated Jemsheed, 
who, according to the traditions of the country, and the frag¬ 
ments yet preserved of its early native historians, was the sixth 
in descent from Noah, and the fourth sovereign of Persia, of 
the race of Kaiomurs, the grandson of Noah. To Jemsheed the 
Persians ascribe their best laws, the origin of their useful arts, 
and the establishment of their chief cities. In short, they give 
him a reign of seven hundred years. During which period, he 
plants vineyards, and becomes the inventor of wine ; he divides 
his people into classes ; he institutes holy festivals ; and becomes 
so prosperous in all his deeds, that he forgets he owes his good 
fortune to any superior being than himself j and arrogating the 
powers of a God, he commands his people to worship him. In 
consequence of this impiety, Divine vengeance pursues him ; he 
is driven from his throne ; and at last dies at the feet of a ruth¬ 
less conqueror. All this is a great confusion of real events, 
falsely attributed to one man ; but which we find recorded in the 
sacred and profane histories of the countries which once formed 
the great Persian empire, not of one prince, but of a variety of 
persons, from Noah until Alexander. This preposterous mis¬ 
take may, however, be easily accounted for, when we recollect 
the exaggerating genius of the people ; and that all their present 
records of those times arise from tradition, and a few scattered 
remnants of former annals, compiled into heroic verse by the 
imagination of a poet, who lived four hundred years after the 
archives had been destroyed by the jealousy of the Mahomedan 
conquerors of Persia; and, consequently, the present narrators 
