‘The perillous and most unhappy voyages of John Struys, through Italy, Greece, Lifeland, Moscovia, Tartary, Media, Persia, East-India, Japan, and other places in Europe, Africa and Asia. Containing, I. Most accurate remarks and observations of the distinct qualities, religion, politie, customs, laws and properties of the inhabitants: II. A due description of the several cities, towns, forts and places of trust, as to their site and strength, fortifications by nature, or art, &c. with other things worthy of note: and III. An exact memorial of the most disastrous calamities which befell the author in those parts (viz) by ship-wrack, robberies, slavery, hunger, tortures, with other incommodities and hardships’ [‎117] (166/470)

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C h a p.- 1. The V oy ages of 117.
hardly able to draw one leg after the other." The Women have only an
old Rag j likeaPlad , thrown about their bodies , hardly fufficient VheUk
to hide their nakednefs , except a litle below their ears , to let the \l n e f r " s r<1
Worldknow, they have hair as well as other People > lb that they
look like fo many Gypfles newly come from the famous Peak of Darhy.
As for their Houfes they are but one degree beneath a Hog-fty and
thofe as full of tltenfils, as a Knave is full of Honefty. All that ever
I could fee was an earthen Pan or two, and thofe fo clean , that I had
rather faft a week than eat any thing,that has come out of them. Great
plenty of Cattel they have, and fuch as have three times as many feet
as they themfelves. As for Beds they have none but fuch as their
Oxen ly upon , for when they have ftuffed their Gutts , they ly
down upon the floor one after another, as the Nap lakes them. T heir
Diet is fuitable to all things elfe they have , for although they might
have Venifon for knocking on the Head , the Creature may live "till
Doomf-day before they will take thepains to lift a hand to kill it,unlefs
it be a loufe , which fometimes they crufh to death for change of
Diet. As for their Bread it is not much unlike owr NeTv-caJlle Coal for
colour,but how it is ofT aft I know no more than theMan in theMoon,
for neither my Appetite nor Curioiity could move me to it , Cab
bage they have in great abundance, which is of a T aft like Sorrel, but
clofe and white like ours, That and Cucumbers are the main ingre
dients whereof thefe People feem to be compounded , but more
efpecially the latter, for Ctimher attends them from the Womb to the
Tomb , being held in perpetual Slavery by their Lords. They are
conformable to no Laws, unlefs what they are forced to obferve by a
ftri£t aw , which their Lords impofe upon them, and injoyn them to.
They are by nature obtufe and dull , inclined to Necromancy and
Sorcery , but in the performance of an Exorcifm, fo palpably ri
diculous, that I wonder how they have obtained that repute they have
in the World among thofe r who ought to be wifer than to beleeve
fuch groundlefs Fiftions. They have no manner of Schools w herein
to educate their Children, that ever I could fee or hear of: neither
Churches or other Houfes for Religious ufe; fo that they are brought
up in the greateft Blindnefs and obfciirity that may be. Some of them,
'tis true, will needs be called Chriftians, but thofe are they that have
travelled as far as Rtra , which they think is the Head of the World r
P 3 yet