(Elliot,
III. 34, 93.)
The price mentioned by Polo appears to be intended for 500 dinars, which
in the then existing relations of the precious metals in Asia would be
worth just about 100 marks of silver. Wassaf's price, 220 dinars of red
gold, seems very inconsistent with this, but is not so materially, for it
would appear that the dinar of red gold (so called) was worth two
dinars.[5]
I noted an early use of the term Arab chargers in the famous Bodleian
copy of the Alexander Romance (1338):
"Alexand' descent du destrier Arrabis."
NOTE 8. - I have not found other mention of a condemned criminal being
allowed thus to sacrifice himself; but such suicides in performance of
religious vows have occurred in almost all parts of India in all ages.
Friar Jordanus, after giving a similar account to that in the text of the
parade of the victim, represents him as cutting off his own head before
the idol, with a peculiar two-handled knife "like those used in currying
leather." And strange as this sounds it is undoubtedly true. Ibn Batuta
witnessed the suicidal feat at the Court of the Pagan King of Mul-Java
(somewhere on the const of the Gulf of Siam), and Mr. Ward, without any
knowledge of these authorities, had heard that an instrument for this
purpose was formerly preserved at Kshira, a village of Bengal near Nadiya.
The thing was called Karavat; it was a crescent-shaped knife, with
chains attached to it forming stirrups, so adjusted that when the fanatic
placed the edge to the back of his neck and his feet in the stirrups, by
giving the latter a violent jerk his head was cut off.
