708 
P E R 
fupport thofe vague dreams abroad, which attradfied fo 
myfterious an intereft about the enthuftaft in his cell. 
Moft of the Sooffee prof'efTors kept within the fornval pale 
of the eftablifhed religion, for the fake of fecurity, and 
the facility of making profelytes. They avowed them- 
felves believers in one God, that Mahomet was his pro¬ 
phet, and Ali the legitimate fucteffor of the prophet, to 
the exclufion of Omar. So far they were perfectly ortho¬ 
dox according to the Perfian rule of faith ; but the creed 
was only from their lips, while their real tenets were as 
much calculated to charm a vivid imagination as to mif- 
lead it into confequences unfufpeffted and dangerous. 
The Softs of the prelent day are often confounded with 
the Dervifes of Turkey, whom in Some particulars they 
refemble. Their dodlrine and practices are (fill covered 
with profound myftery. A Soft, according to the idea to 
be formed of him from the works of the Perfian poets, is 
a pious man living in feclufion from the world, whofe 
morality is pure; whofe doctrine is mild and tolerant; 
whofe foul is plunged into the depths of tnyfticifin ; who 
fpiritualizes all the ceremonies of" religion, and coriftantly 
keeps a vigilant eye overhimfelf. Universal indifference, 
the extinition of every worldly wi(h and defire, the pre- 
fumptuous hope of an imaginary perfection, constitute 
the efience of his contemplative life. It was in this ac¬ 
ceptation of the term that Saadi, Senai", Hafiz, Djelal- 
eddin, and Djami, afpired to the rank of Sofi; ■ but myf- 
ticifm approaches too near to the illufions of fanaticism 
for the mind topaufeat any middle point; and, when the 
imagination has once pa (fed that point, it fets ho hounds 
to its extravagance. Thus there aroSe in Per-fia, a parti¬ 
cular fe6f of Sofis, which were called impious, and who 
derived no other fruit for their crude meditations than 
the belief that there is no God. They gleaned from tlife 
Mahometan religion, the relics of theGrecian philosophy, 
and the reveries of the Indian gymnofophifls, materials 
for an infenfate doCtrine, which rather encouraged than 
checked the paSTions. Thefe Sofis have a book called 
Guljhen raz, the Mylferious Garden, containing their 
opinions on theology, philofophy, and morals. As fe- 
crecy is the firft precept of the order, it is difficult to af- 
certain its principles. It is faid, however, that their doc¬ 
trine is founded on that of Pythagoras; that they ac¬ 
knowledge one only' eSTence, and believe in the tranfmi- 
gration of fouls. They repeat among theriifelves this 
aiftich, which they ftyle the myffery of the Sofis: “There 
is only one efience, but there are a thoUfand forms or 
figures ; And, how numerous foCver thefe forms may be, 
they are not worthy of engaging our attention.” There 
is a ftriking referriblahce between th'is diftich and the fol¬ 
lowing paflage of the Baghavat of India : “ He wiio con- 
fiders all the different fpecies of being's as forming but a. 
fingle efience diverfified to infinity, that man knows 
Brahma.” It would not be difficult to prove that thefe 
fefifsof Perfian Sofis derived tnoft Of their dodfirines and 
practices from India 1 . ^ 
But the Reviewer we have quoted above is of opinion, 
that the philofophy of the Sofis is Chaldean, not Perfian 
or Indian, in its origin; and of a far higher antiquity 
than the doctrines of Zo'i'oaftef. “ The opinions of the 
fedt are precifely thofe tif the Jewiffi Cabalifts ; who, in 
common with the Sofis, m ain't aided the exiltence of one 
pure and perfect fubftance oiily; denying the entity of 
matteras diltinct from' fffirit, and believing that whatever 
exifts is of the fame efience as fhe Deity, has emanated 
from him, and muff at lerfgtlY be re-united with him. 
Creation, according to rhe Chbafifts, is a development 
and modification of the divine nature, while deftruffion 
is the removal of the forms communicated to things 
created, and the re-abforption of the portion of Deiry 
which refided in them. The pious Sofi, who is influenced 
by this faith, (if ablolute Spirtoziirn can be regarded as 
faith,) beholds around him the wonders of the vifible 
world, and profeffes to difcover God in all that he fees, 
and all that furrounds him. We are, however, much in¬ 
s' I' A. 
clined to doubt whether the difavowal of individual re- 
fponfibiliry for good or evil actions can be ftridfiiy charge¬ 
able on the whole fedfi; for we believe that the doftrine of 
an affinal union with God, from which the prefent author 
j uftly deduces the moft pernicious confequences, has been 
profefied only by madmen or impoftors. The better clafs 
of Sofis, according to an extract from one of their own 
works, inferted by fir John Malcolm in vol. ii. of his 
Hiftory of Perfia, confine the high elf privileges of their 
faints, during this life, to the contemplation of God’s 
efience, and a perfect knowledge of his will 5 a dreadful 
tenet, if it were practically influential; for no fpiritual 
power which the world has yet witnefled, could be more 
dangeroufly operative on the mind ot man than that of 
teachers pretending to be the (ole depofitaries of the will 
of the Almighty. It fortunately happens, however, 
that the innate feelings of mankind triumph over abfurd 
tenets of theology ; and that common fenfe, as well as 
the neceffities ot human affairs, counteraffis the influence 
of wild and pernicious opinions. The Sofis appear for 
the moft part to be a harmlefs race of enthufiafts ; and the 
afcetic exercifes of their devotion have had the good ef¬ 
fect at lead of detaching them from worldly ambition. 
As abeunt /India in mores, and it is almoft impoflible for 
men not to become at laft what they have long affedfied 
to be, their exterior humility and felf-denial are, we 
make no doubt, for the greater part fincere and ge¬ 
nuine.” M. R. as above. 
Yet the devout Mahometans charge the Sofis with athe- 
ifm ; while the latter not only deny the accufaticn, but 
pretend to hold intercourfe with God : they aflemble at 
night and perform the exercifes of turning round, jump¬ 
ing and (houting, till they drop down from weaknefs and 
exhauliion. Owing to thefe practices, they are obnox¬ 
ious to the Perfians, who, hating every thing Turkifli, 
confound them with the Dervifes of that country, whole 
habits of whirling round are well known. 
But our objedfi was to lliow that toleration is not ex¬ 
tended to every fe£t, and at all times, in this country. The 
following is the tranflation of a letter add relied by Feth 
Ali Shah to one of his governors, enjoining him to pu- 
nilh two Sofis accufed ot having endeavoured to excite 
("edition : “ Whereas for feme tune the Sofis have fpread 
their opinions in a truly alarming mariner, and gained a 
great number of credulous and filly profelytes, who 
blindly adopt the faith and the habit of thofe preachers; 
as nothing can be more hollile to the interefts of the true 
religion; as the fubjedft has been deemed worthy of the 
attention of our wlie'll counlellors, and you have your- 
felf addreffed to us your obfervations upon it; we have 
deemed it advilable to take this matter into confideration, 
and to write to our governors and officers to punilh thefe 
Sofis, unlefs they amend their conduct; to take from 
them what they have craftily obtained from the credulous 
and people of weak minds; and, in cafe the owners of 
thefe tilings cannot be dilcovered, to dillribute them 
among the poor. VVe liave laftly ordered this fe< 5 t to be 
extirpated and dejirmjed, that the true faith may flourilh. 
Aga Melidy and Mirza Mehdy have milled the people in 
the neighbourhood of Hamadan, where they were re¬ 
garded as holy dexfiors-; they have been fent prifoners 
into our prelence. We now deliver them into your 
hands conffdering you as the molt learned, the wifeft, 
and the molt virtuous, of the doctors of this kingdom.. 
Put them to death, imprifon them, or punifh them in any 
manner molt agreeable to the laws of our holy religion.” 
The two unfortunate Sofis were immediately put to 
death by “ the molt learned, the wifeft, and the moft 
virtuous, of the doctors of this kingdom.” 
Climate, Soil, Produce, Population ;' Manners 
and Customs, Dress, Amusements, &c. of the 
Modern Persians. 
The climate of this country varies confiderably accor¬ 
ding to its fituation ; fome parts being parched with in- 
fufferable 
