Quos donis amplis ditavit, et qui cum eo morari voluerunt
libenter et honorifice detinuit. Alii vero ad patriam reversi sunt." - In
common with Marsden and Yule, I have no doubt that the Arbre Sec is the
Chinar. Odoric places it at Tabriz and I have given a very lengthy
dissertation on the subject in my edition of this traveller (pp. 21-29),
to which I must refer the reader, to avoid increasing unnecessarily the
size of the present publication. - H. C.]
[1] "Daz dritte Dier was ein Lebarte
Vier arin Vederich her havite;
Der beceichnote den Criechiskin Alexanderin,
Der mit vier Herin vuer aftir Landin,
Unz her die Werilt einde,
Bi guldinin Siulin bikante.
In Indea her die Wusti durchbrach,
Mit zwein Boumin her sich da gesprach," etc.
[2] It is odd how near the word Emausae comes to the E. African Mwezi;
and perhaps more odd that "the elders of U-nya-Mwezi ('the Land of the
Moon') declare that their patriarchal ancestor became after death the
first Tree, and afforded shade to his children and descendants.
According to the Arabs the people still perform pilgrimage to a holy
tree, and believe that the penalty of sacrilege in cutting off a twig
would be visited by sudden and mysterious death." (Burton in F. R.
G. S. XXIX. 167-168.)
[3] "The River Buemar, in the furthest forests of India," appears
to come up in one of the versions of Alexander's Letter to Aristotle,
though I do not find it in Mueller's edition. (See Zacher's
Pseudo-Callisthenes, p. 160.) 'Tis perhaps Ab-i-Amu!
[4] It is right to notice that there may be some error in the reference
of Paulin Paris; at least I could not trace the Arbre Sec in the MS.
which he cites, nor in the celebrated Bodleian Alexander, which
appears to contain the same version of the story. [The fact is that
Paulin Paris refers to the Arbre, but without the word sec, at the
top of the first column of fol. 79 recto of the MS. No. Fr. 368
(late 6985). - H. C.]
[5] Trees.
[6] Opobalsamum.
[7] A recent traveler in China gives a perfectly similar description of
sacred trees in Shansi. Many bore inscriptions in large letters. "If
you pray, you will certainly be heard." - Rev. A. Williamson,
Journeys in N. China, I. 163, where there is a cut of such a tree
near Taiyuanfu. (See this work, I. ch. xvi.) Mr. Williamson describes
such a venerated tree, an ancient acacia, known as the Acacia of the
T'ang, meaning that it existed under that Dynasty (7th to 10th
century). It is renowned for its healing virtues, and every available
spot on its surface was crowded with votive tablets and inscriptions.
(Ib. 303.)
CHAPTER XXIII.
