'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎45] (66/448)

Surrafi "Bannyans. ij
Arack, &c. There are withal many little Boys or Pe-unes, who for four-pice a day
(two-pence of our Money) are ready to ferve you either to interpret, run, go errands,
or the like: thefe will not eat or drink with a Chriftian, nor out of the fame leaf they
drink their Toddy: tiizBannyan andother Indian Females after the Oriental mode are
feldom vifible*, for their jealous Husbands mew them up. But here we fee Elephants
and Horfes, but 'twixt Swalley and Surrat Oxen do molt labour-, for 'twixt Towns Men
ufually travel in Chariots drawn by Oxen, but in Towns upon PaUmheens^ and with Snm-
hreros de Sol over them. The currant Coyns here, are Vice, Mammoodees^ Roopees, and
Dyrtaes Pice are heavy round pieces of Brafs, 30 make our Shilling; the Mammoody and
Kooyee are good Silver, round, thick, and (after the Saracenic fort who allow no Ima
ges) ftamped with ArabicJ ^Letters, importing the King and Mahomet, a Mammoody is
our Shilling, zRoopee two Shillings and three-pence^ a Pardow four Shillings*, the Dma
is a piece of Gold worth thirty Shillings*, but Spanift Rials, Piftolets and PerfianLzr-
rees, Abaflees, and Englijh Gold (each Twenty-Ihilling-piece in Per/ia going for twenty-
fix Shillings)' are here currant. Again (as I have been told by Merchants) a hundred
thoufand Roopees make one Leck^, a hundred Leckjnake one Cron-, ten Crou (or Carrors)
one Areh : Again, in Silver, fourteen Roopees make a Majfe, 1150 Majfe make a hundred
T oils *, ten Tolls of Silver value one of Gold: In Brafs, thirty T acks or Pice make one Roo~
pee in weight; the Batman is eighty two Pounds Englifa but fifty five of their Pounds:
the Mmnd as much *, howbeit,as in Perfia, the Mawndy Shaw and Tabriz, differ, even as
our Troy and Haverdupois *, fo in all parts of the World where wealth and traffick is, are
fuch diltinguifhments: in a word, the Bannyans (as crafty, the Proverb goes, as the De
vil) by a moderate outfide and excefs in fuperftition make many fimple Men loie them-
felves, when by a heedlefs admiration of their plain dealing, or rather hypocrifie, they in-
tangle themfelvesby crediting their fugred words in way of Trade or Complement, baitf
pleafingly fwallowed when one contemplates their moral temperance. They are gene
rally good Arithmeticians, till of late have little elfe than number of the Mathematicks
fave in the Art of Dialling ^ concerning which, fome report that the here had
a Clock that ftruck 64 times in 24 hours. The Day and Night they divide into four, and
fub^divide that into eight, and fome little skill they have in Navigation; great admirers
they are of Nature, and laith Seneca-, Quid aliud eft JSfatura quam Dem ? Reafbn to the na- '
tural Man being the Face of God, like as was the Law unto the Jem, and Gofpeltothe
Chrifiians,
The Bannyans (or Vany arts') are olevafter or of a tawny complexion, for the molt
part fpare of body. They let their Hair grow long, and yet according to the Country
mode their Head is wreathed with a Imall Shafh which ufually is white ^ their Habit is
a long Coat commonly of white quilted Calicoe of the Dalmatick fort; their Shoos va
rious in colour and falhion * 7 fome being checker'd and ingraled in elegant order,
wrought according to each Mans ingenious fancy *, without Latchets, iharp and turning
up at the Toe, thin Soal'd, highHeel'd, furroundedwith Steel, faft and durable : The
Women are of a whiter colour than the Men, not expofing themfelves fo to the Sun, yet
want the fanguine mixture to adorn them, which they neverthelefsfupply by Art, there
being found the belt Vermilion: they likewife wear their Hair long and difheveled *, al
beit part be obfcured by a fine thin Lawn, through whofe tranfparency it feems more
lovely *, their Ears, Nofes, Arms, and Legs are loaden with many Manillios or voluntary
Rings and Fetters of Brafs, Gold, and Ivory *, their behaviour is filently modeft, but full
gorg'd (as fotne fay) with libidinous fantafies. Marriage is here fo honoured that
moft times they- contrad at feven, and at ten years old are often Parents, which puts
me in mind of that which Pliny in his 6. and 8. lib. ch. 17. and 14. writes concerning the
Calin^mhom hie places hereabouts, and would have us believe that the Women are
pregnSk at five and ieldome live above eight*, but this is certain, that if an Infant dye
ere he be married his Parents procure a Virgin (to whom they give fome Dynaes o?
Gold) to be his Bed-fellow of Wife for one Night,, to avoid the reproachful Proverb,
He dyed unmarried*