dignity, among the great men of this country, to have their nails of great
length; more especially their thumb nails, which are sometimes of
sufficient length to be wrapped round the hand. The beauty, and even the
rank of their women is supposed to consist in the smallness of their feet;
for which reason, mothers bind up the feet of their daughters when young,
to prevent them from growing large.

[1] This seems an ill-digested account of a pagoda, or idol temple, of
great extent and magnificence, richly gilt, similar to those of which
we have splendid views in the relation of the embassy to Ava, by
Colonel Symes.--E.

SECTION XIX.

_Of the Old Man of the Mountain_.

Proceeding on my travels towards the south, I arrived at a certain pleasant
and fertile country, called Melistorte[1], in which dwells a certain aged
person called the Old Man of the Mountain. This person had surrounded two
mountains by a high wall, within which he had the fairest gardens, and
finest fountains in the world, inhabited by great numbers of most beautiful
virgins. It was likewise supplied with fine horses, and every article that
could contribute to luxury and delightful solace; on which account it was
called by the people of the country the terrestrial paradise. Into this
delightful residence, the old man used to entice all the young and valiant
men he could procure, where they were initiated into all the delights of
the earthly paradise, in which milk and wine flowed in abundance, through
certain hidden conduits. When desirous of assassinating any prince or
nobleman, who had offended him, the old man would order the governor of his
paradise to entice into that place, some acquaintance or servant of the
prince or baron whom he wished to slay. Allowing this person to take a full
taste of the delights of the place, he was cast into a deep sleep by means
of a strong potion, in which state he was removed from paradise. On
recovering from his sleep, and finding himself excluded from the pleasures
of paradise, he was brought before the old man, whom he entreated to
restore him to the place from whence he had been taken. He was then told,
that, if he would slay such or such a person, he should not only be
permitted to return into paradise, but should remain there forever. By
these means the old man used to get all those murdered, against whom he had
conceived any displeasure; on which account all the kings and princes of
the east s