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very gravely out of my Room to the middle of the Yard to take the height of the Sun. Then he returned with the ſame grave pace, and entring my Room, Sir, ſaid he, you’ll be pleaſed to know this Day is Friday the I8th of the Month Safar, in the Year 653^[1] from the Retreat of our great Prophet from Mecca to Medina, and in the Years 7320^[2] of the Epocha of the great Iskender with two Horns; and that the Conjunction of Mars and Mercury ſignifies you can’t chooſe a better time than this very Day, and this very Hour for being Shav’d. But on the other Hand the ſame Conjunction is a bad Preſage to you. I learn from thence that this Day you run a great Riſque, not indeed of loſing your Life, but of an Inconvenience which will attend you, while you live, You are obliged to me for the Advice I now give you to take care to avoid it; I ſhould be ſorry if it befel you.

You may gueſs, Gentlemen, I how vexed I was for having fallen into the Hands of ſuch a prattling impertinent Barber; what an unſeaſonable Adventure it was for a Lover preparing for an Interview! I was quite angry! I do not trouble my Head, ſaid I in Anger, with your Advice and Predicions; I did not call you to conſult your Chronology; you came hither to ſhave me, ſo pray ſhave me or be gone, and I’ll call another Barber; Sir, ſaid he, with a Dulneſs that put me out of all Patience, what Reaſon have you to be angry with me;You do not know that all Barbers are not like me; and that you’ll ſcarce find ſuch another, if you made it your Buſineſs to ſearch. You only ſent for a Barber; but here in my Perſon you have the beſt Barber in

Bag-

↑ This Year 653 is one of the Hegira, the common Epocha of the Mahometans, and anſwers to the Year 1255 from the Nativity of Chriſt ; from whence we may conjecture that theſe Computations were made in Arabia about that time.
↑ As for the 7320 the Author is miſtaken in that Computation. The Year 653 of the Hegira, and the 1255 of Christ concide only with the 1557 of the Era or Epocha of the Seleucides, which is the ſame with that of Alexander the Great, who is here called Is-kender with the two Horns, according to the Expreſſion of the Arabians.

[1] This Year 653 is one of the Hegira, the common Epocha of the Mahometans, and anſwers to the Year 1255 from the Nativity of Chriſt ; from whence we may conjecture that theſe Computations were made in Arabia about that time.

[2] As for the 7320 the Author is miſtaken in that Computation. The Year 653 of the Hegira, and the 1255 of Christ concide only with the 1557 of the Era or Epocha of the Seleucides, which is the ſame with that of Alexander the Great, who is here called Is-kender with the two Horns, according to the Expreſſion of the Arabians.

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