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304
DRINKS.
at
first,
but
which
becomes
red
when
it
ripens
;
it
is
not
unlike
a
cherry,
and
is
very
good
to
eat.
Under
the
flesh
of
this
cherry,
instead
of the
stone,
is
found
the
bean,
or
berry,
which
we
call
coifee,
wrapped
round
in
a
fine
thin
skin.
The
berry
is
then
very
soft,
and
of
a
disagreeable
taste
;
but
as
the
cherry
ripens,
the
berry
in
the
inside
grows
harder,
and
the
dried-up
fruit
being
the
flesh
or the
pulp
of
it,
which
was
before
eatable,
becomes
a
shell
or
pod,
of
a
deep
brown
colour.
The
berry
is
now
solid,
and
of
a
clear
transparent
green.
Each
shell
contains
one
berry,
which
splits
into
two
equal
parts.
In
Abyssinia
coffee
appears
to
have
been
used
as
a
drink
from
time
immemorial.
Abd-Alkader,
a
learned
native
of
Medina,
writing
at
the
beginning
of
the
seventeenth
century,
gives
us
the
history
of
its
intro-
duction
into
Arabia.
A
certain
Sheikh,
notorious
for
his
piety
and
knowledge,
named
Jemal-Eddin,
brought
it
from
Persia
to
Aden.
He
was
wont
to
take
it
as
a
medicine
relieving
the
headache,
enlivening
the
heart,
and
preventing
drowsiness.
This
last
attribute at
once
recommended
it
to
the
various
imams,
muftis,
and
dervishes,
who
wished
to
remain
awake
for
the
per-
formance
of
religious
exercises
at
night.
The
ex-
amples
of
these
holy
persons
had
its
usual
influence
upon
the
people,
and
coffee
drinking
soon
became
a
common
custom.
Not,
however,
without
considerable
opposition
did
this
fashion
come
into
vogue
;
there
were
many
long
and
animated
disputes
about
the
legitimacy
of
drinking
coffee.
Its
defenders
alleged
its
medicinal
virtues,
its