Salmagundi; or, The whim-whams and opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, esq. [pseud.] and others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding and Washington Irving. Printed from the original ed., with a preface and notes by Evert A. Duyckinck.

5-1: SALMAGUNDI.
mitted to go abroad! surely the region of beauty, the valley of
the graces, can contain nothing so inimitably fair!
But, notwithstanding the charms of these infidel women, they
are apt to have one fault, which is extremely troublesome and
inconvenient. Wouldst thou believe it, Asem, I have been
positively assured by a famous dervise, or doctor, as he is here
called, that at least one-fifth part of them-have souls! Incredible as it may seem to thee, I am the more inclined to believe
them in possession of this monstrous superfluity, from my own
little experience, and from the information which I have derived
from others. In walking the streets I have actually seen an
exceedingly good-looking woman, with soul enough to box her
husband's ears to his heart's content, and my very whiskers
trembled with indignation at the abject state of these wretched
infidels. I am told, moreover, that some of the women have
soul enough to usurp the breeches of the men, but these I suppose are married and kept close; for I have not, in my rambles,
met with any so extravagantly accoutred: others, I am
informed, have soul enough to swear!-yea! by the beard of
the great Omar, who prayed three times to each of the one hundred and twenty-four thousand prophets of our most holy faith,
and who never swore but once in his life-they actually
swear 1
Get thee to the mosque, good Asem! return thanks to our
most holy prophet, that he has been thus mindful of the comfort
of all true Mussulmans, and has given them wives with no more
souls than cats and dogs, and other necessary animals of the
household.
Thou wilt doubtless be anxious to learn our reception in this
country, and how we were treated by a people whom we have
been accustomed to consider as unenlightened barbarians.