1 MAKNERS OF THE MOOLLAHS.
2 affiurs. One of thew may oflen be seen, wiQi a large titrbui. Mid a
3 Wue liMidkeTchier, a couple of yank long, over his shoulder, parad.
4 ing the streets at the head of a dozen of his diadplca, with a long
5 staff in his hand, and a large law book under hb armj or sitting in the
6 houses of the rich, hfjranL'ninfr the company, enfordng his doctrines
7 with his tore hnger, and shaking his wide sleeve, or amusinp; the mas*
8 ter of the house with his jokes and stories, and handin<>; rouiul his
9 enrinuous snutf-box amon^ the rest of the party, Moollahs of this
10 sort are reckoned very pleasant companions ; thev are i^renf froquen-
11 ters of .Teergas, where indeed their knowledge gives the wliole order
12 much weight in civil matters.
13 One would expect that the Moollahs would be great enemies to
14 people of other religions, or at least would shun their society (as I
15 beHeve diey do in PefsU), but this is by no means the case : 1 have
16 had a gnalilMBiy acqnaiittuces among the Moollahs, and found some
17 of tlwm ynf ^teUigent and i^reeaUe. I was portjoaiailj woK ao^
18 quainted wfthtwo MooBaha, who were the sons of the Khaunee Oo>
19 loom (or loid of the kamed), one of the greatest of die Ulima of Ids
20 dme$ and I teid them die best mlbrmed and most liberal men I
21 evermet, eidMr In A^bMttistann or in Indii^
22 Itb not easy tosi^ wbedier theMoollahaaiv^Qa thewliole^aose-
23 fiil body, orodienris& Tbcrf ate of eminent ntditjr in moatpaits of
24 the eonntry, from their effect in moderathig the Tiolenoe of a» imgo-
25 veraed people, by the morality which they inculcate^ and from the
26 tendency of their habits to keep up the little science and literature
27 niddkis known : I beiiere the existence of their order is beneficial in
28 the present situation of the A%hauns; but it is more than probable
29 that it obstructs the transition to a better state of things, and it is cer-
30 tain that neither they nor their religion are at all adapted to a high
31 stage of civili'/ation, though well suited to the rude Arabs, for whom
32 that religion was first invented.
33 Besides the regular clergy, there are many persons who are revered
34 for their own sanctity, or that of their ancestors. Among the latter,
35 the most Ikmous are the Sijud», or descendants of Mahomet ; and the
36 F F 2