The Sun.
London, England, 1835-07-03 00:00:00

rate ; but if what we have said should have the effect
of sending -our.readers to the perusal- of the novel it-
self, we feel confident they will thank us for our re-
commendation.

THE HISTORY OF THE ASSASSINS.
DERIVED FROM ORIENTAL SOURCES.
RP TILE CHEVALIER JOSEPH VON HAMMER, TRINSLATISIJ

FROM THE GEB2I4X, BY OSWILD CIUBLEB WOOD, IF, D,
London Smith and Elder. 1835.
The lovers of Oriental Literature in this country
owe a debt of gratitude to the translator of this work.
The rich sources from whence Von Hammer derived his
knowledge of the leading events in the second most
important epoch in the history of the Moslems, were
unknown to many of the most distinguished scholars in
Europe, before he presented the Western world with a
part of their treasures in the history of the Ottoman
Empire, and still more fully in the work before us.
His example led the way to other enquirers equally
diligent and laborious ; and the result has been that
within the last few years the study of Oriental Literature
has rapidly progressed in most of the European Uni-
versities. The perusal of this volume will impress the
careful and judicious reader with one important fact--
namely, that up to the present time we have lived in
utter ignorance of the very existence of the most
striking events in Oriental history. Even now we but
catch a glimpse of the immense stores of historical.
literature, of which the libraries of the East are th sole
depositories. In the last paragraph of his work the
author observes :—" In writing this history, we have
set two things before us as our obje•:A, to have attain-
ed which is less our hope than our wish. In the
first place to present a lively picture of the pernicious
influence of secret societies in weak Governments, and
and of the dreadful prostitution of religion to the horrors
of unbridled ambition. Secondly, to give a view of
the important, rare, and unusual historical treasures
which are contained in the rich magazine of Oriental
Literature." He must be a fastidious reader indeed,
who will not acknowledge that the author has attained
this double object. In the course of his narrative of
the origin, rise, and progress of Ismailites or Assas-
sins, he carefully and distinctly traces the various
causes which contributed to their ultimate greatness.
He shows how formidable the smallest number of
persons may become in a State when bound together
by the ties of secresy, community of interest, and a
determination to act in concert for the promotion of
any scheme, however much opposed to the will
of the community. He points out the fatal
influence on the mind of a habit of blind
obedience ; and demonstrates, in the most forci-
ble way, how easily religion may be made an in-
strument for perverting the feelings, confounding the
reason, corrupting the moral sentiments, and hardening
the heart. As to Von Hammer's desire to give
Europeans an idea of the vast magazine of Oriental
Literature, we will merely observe that he does that,
even in his notes and. index, to an extent hitherto un-
attempted by any writer with whose works Englishmen
are familiar.
We regret that the translator—for whose labours we
are sincerely grateful---was not more careful in the
choice of his style, which is occasionally obsctre, and
often very inelegant. This must always happen when
the translator does not allow himself a requisite de-
gree of freedom, but confines himself to following the
original, word for word. In poetry, translators can-
not be too literal ; as any liberty taken by the
translator is apt to represent the idea in a point of
view never intended by the author ; but in his-
tory this rule will not hold good. Here the translator's
first duty is to give the facts as they are before him ;
and as there is less danger of falsifying a fact than in
misrepresenting or destroying a sentiment, every lati-
tude, with regard to style, ought to be taken for the
purpeene of giving perspicuity to the narrative.
Thelollowing account of the internal Government
of the " Order of the Assassins," is alike curious and
.
original
" The grand master was called Sidna ( Sidney) our lord,
and commonly Sheikh al Jebal, the Sheikh, the old man or
supreme master of the mountain ; because the order always
possessed themselves of the castles in the mountainous regions,
both in Irak, Kuhistan, and Syria, and the ancient of the
mountains, resided in the mountain fort of Alamut, robed in
white, like the Ancient of Days in Daniel. He was neither
king nor prince in the usual sense of the word, and never as-
sumed the title either of Sultan, Melek, or Emir, but merely
that of Sheikh, which to this day the beads of the Arab
tribes and the superiors of the religious order of the sofis and
dervishes bear. His authority could be no kingdom or prin-
cipality, but that of a brotherhood or order ; European histo-
rians, therefore, fall into a great mistake in confounding the
empire of the Assassins with hereditary dynasties, as in the
form of its institution it was only an order like
;hat of the
knights of St. John, the Teutonic knights, or the Templars—
the latter of these, besides the grand-master and grand-priors,
and religious nuncios, had also some resemblance to the Assas-
sins in their spirit of political interference and secret doctrine.
Dressed in white, with the distinctive mark of the red cross on
their mantles, as were the Assassins with red girdles and caps,
the Templars had also secret tenets, which denied and abjured
the sanctity of the cross, as the others did the commandments
of Islamism. The fundamental maxim of the policy of both
, was to obtain possession of the castles and strong places of the
adjacent country, and thus without pecuniary or military
means, to maintain an imperium in imperzo, to keep the nations
in subjection as dangerous rivals to princes.
" The flat part of a country is always commanded by the
more mountainous, and the latter by the fortresses scattered
through it. To become masters of these by stratagem or
force, and to awe princes either by fraud or fear, and to arm
the murderer's hand against the enemies of the order, was
the political maxim of the Assassins. Their internal safety
was secured by the strict observance of religious ordinances ;
their external, by fortresses and the poniard. From the pro-
per subjects of the order, or the profane, .was only expected
the fulfilment of the duties of Islamism, even of the most aus-,
tere, such as refraining from wine and music : from the de-
voted satellites was demanded blind subjection and the faithful
use of their daggers. The emissaries, or initiated, worked with
their heads, and led the arms in execution of the orders of the
Sheikh, who, in the centre of his sovereignty, tranquilly di-
rected, like an animating soul, their hearts and poniards to the
accomplishment of his ambitious projects.
Immediately under him the grand-master, stood the Dail-
kebir, grand recruiters or grand-priors, his lieutenants in the
three provinces to which the power of the order extended,
namely, Jebal, Kuhistan, and Syria. Beneath them were
the Dai, or religious nuncios, and political emissaries in ordi-
nary, as initiated masters. The fellows (Refik) were those
who were advancing to the mastership, through the several
grades of initiation into the secret doctrine. The guards of
the order, the warriors, were the devoted murderers ( Fedavie)
and the Lassik (aspirants) seem to have been the novices or
lay brethren. Besides this seven fold gradation from Sheikh
(grand master,) Dailkebir (grand-prior,) Dai (master,) Refik
(fellows,) Fedavie (agents,) Lassik (lay brothers,) down to
the profane or the people, there was also another seven-fold
gradation of the spiritual hierarchy, who applied themselves
exclusively to the before-mentioned doctrine of the Ismailis
concerning the seven speaking and seven mute Imams, and
belonged more properly to the theoretical frame-work of the
schism, than to the destruction of political powers. According
to this arrangement, there live, in every generation, seven
persons distinguished from each other by their different grades
of rank : Ist. The divinely appointed Imam ; 2nd. The proof
Hudshet, designated by him, which the Ismalis called Esas,
(the seat;) 3rd. The Sumassa, who received instruction from
the Hudshet, as they did from the Imam; 4th. The Mission-
aries (Dai;) sth. Mesuni (the Freed) who were admitted to
the solemn promise or oath ( Ahd;) 6th. Mukellebi, the dog-
like, who sought out subjects fit for conversion for the mis-
sionaries, as hounds run down the game for the huntsman ;
7th, Mumini, the believers, the people. On comparing these
two divisions, we perceive that, according to the first, the in-
visible Imam, in whose name the Sheikh claimed the obedience
of the people, and in the second, the guard, of which he made
use against the foes of the order, are wanting ; but that, in
other respects, the different grades coincide. The proof was
the grand-master; the Sumassa, the grand-prior; the fellows
were the freed; and the dog-like the lay-brethren ; the fourth
and seventh, that is the preachers of the faith and the be-
lievers, the cheating missionaries, and the duped people, are
the same in both."

WOEFUL EFFECTS OF CORPORATION REFORM.
—The subordinate tools who hold situations under the Corpo-
ration of Boston all calculate upon resigning office on the 25th
of October—one of the most facetious of the small fry said
the other day the going out of office would be nothing, if Lord
J. Russell's accursed Bill did not hold out a certainty of
keeping them out when they are out. Another said he might
have been a respectable man now if be had not joined the
corporation in his oung days. During the renowned days of
civic gluttony which were put a stop to by the " Toll Bill,"
and the " Reform Bill," it has been calculated that upwards
Of 20 butts of port and sherry found their way down the
pipes of the two oldest officers of this corporate body 1 Twenty
butts would be a stock not to be despised by the most re-
spectable commercial inn in the county.—Bosto3 Gazette,