What is "dervises"

Usage examples of "dervises".

A crowd of dervises visited the tents, to instil the desire of martyrdom, and the assurance of spending an immortal youth amidst the rivers and gardens of paradise, and in the embraces of the black-eyed virgins.

Some of the doctors of the S/ORBONNE\ (who are altogether as positive as the dervises of C/ONSTANTINOPLE\) thinking it a pity, that the poor T/URK\ should be damned for want of instruction, solicited M/USTAPHA\ very hard to turn Christian, and promised him, for his encouragement, plenty of good wine in this world, and paradise in the next.

Duncan, in his historical remarks on the coast of Malabar, speaking of the conversion of a king of that country (during the lifetime of Mahomet) says, on the authority of a native historian, "that it was effected by a company of dervises from Arabia, who touched at Crungloor or Cranganore (then the seat of government in Malabar) on their voyage to visit the Footstep of Adam, on that mountain in Ceylon which mariners distinguish by the name of Adam's Peak.