Note (28) — CANTO THIRD.

“It is a religious precept,” says Tournefort in his voyage to the Levant, “among the Mussulmen, to make the little ablution with the face turned toward Mecca; to rinse the mouth thrice, and clean their teeth with a brush.” This shows how highly this custom is esteemed among a people, who formerly were forbidden, according to Menavius, to have a tooth extracted without permission from the emperor. Let children be taught by their parents the proper degree of care necessary for their teeth; they generally imitate them even in their sports:—here the agreeable lesson will be converted into a useful habit. (Duval, p. 75.)