'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.' [‎158] (179/448)

if.
158 Jmeniam Tenents..gmgknrmiferies,
thev baptize with two fingers and figa the Infant with the Crofs, as, glorying in that Hie-
roalvphick which Jews and Muffulmen efteem fo ignominiouily of. They are gteat lo
vers of Tradition ^ pray not for the dead, imagining that till the general day of doom
thev are without either joy or torment. Five Sabbaths every year they abftain from
Mi fifli, cheefe and butter *, in memory of thofe five Ages wherein their Gentile fore
fathers ufed to immolate their Children to the old red Dragon: Wednefdays and Fri
days (except 'twixt Eafter and Afrenfion) they faftV and by what I have obferved, {
fuppofe that no other Chrifiians are ftrider Lent-obfervers: For, they not onely refraia
their Wives during that time, but abitain from flefli, fifh, milk, eggs and butter-, thofe
forty days tceding upon oyl, bread, hony, dates, cucumbers, melons, herbs, and the
like, and drink onely but at other times eat.fleih of all kinds; yea, can dif.
penfe with Hogs flelh and acK)unt it a dainty. Flowbeit, before the three great FeftL
vals they fall: twelve days. They marry oft-times at nine or twelve years of age; the
Laity twice, Ecdefiafticks but once*, Trigamy to all v is hateful. The Presbytery are ho
noured. Images in Churches they approve not of, condemning the therein *, but
in their Houfes can endure the pidures of Fenw and Priapm. The Crols they regard,
but worlhip not v nor do the / believe there is a Purgatory. Their Temples are but mean.
Obedience and relped to the better and elder fort they pradife: theft and adultery they
punilh. In fome things they are but refined Idolaters ; For, in Burials they have a cu-
ftom to lead about the Church an unlpotted Lamb, which they divide and diftribute to
each a bit; as a fymbol obliging one another to love and charity: Peradventure this cu-
ftom is derived from that of the Hebrews, who ufed to divide a calf, as Mofes records
in Gen. 15 .9. and as Jeremiah-, chap. 34. v. 18, 19. On Good-Friday they reprefent the
Paffion and Burial of our Saviour, during which they exprefs forrow in their faces. On
Eafter day they joyfully celebrate the kefiirredion by a reprefentative body, ufmg that
morning ( as do the Greeks) the old Saho, He is rifen indeed: an Angelical note they call
it. That day they celebrate as a great Feftival, the Mahometans nor Jews not daring (as
not being permitted)to mingle among them: the King allows them that priviledge. They
faft upon the Nativity. The J elites have been induftrious to knit them unto Rome, but
in vain. They inlift much upon Antiquity, and have a Catalogue of two hundred Bi-
fhops llnce their firft Cbnverlion *, fome were noble Martyrs: but of late years, the re
port of an envious Doeg that they had fubmitted to Rome and acknowledged the Voye
their Head, made Abbas cauflefly jealous of their loyalty, which could receive no
qualification without the facrifice of fome of their lives, made an offering to his
cruelty. Upon which the reft implore help from the Tnrkj which raifed a bloody
Icene of eniuing troubles. Lodovic Grangter a Jesuit 'tis reported lately croft the Black-
Sea into Mengrtllia, where Threbis-chawn entreated him civilly *, and that by his inftru-
dion they are much purged from fuperftition: Which if fo, his Name fhould be of
more fame amongft them. In the year 1211. over-run they were by the favage Tartar.
Mengrellia (part of Armenia) was of old called Colchis, after that La^orum Regie: Dia-
fenrias was the Metropolis', once fo famous and confiderable, that Tmofthenes, and Pirn,
lib. 6. c. 5. fpare not to report, how that three hundred feveral Languages were fpoken
there, fo as the Roman affairs in thofe parts were managed by nolefsthan a hundred and
thirty Interpreters: whence it probably came to pafs that Mithridates King of fonm
fpake twenty fix feveral Tongues, having had his education firft, and after that a free
commerce and alliance with that his neighbouring Countrey. Upon this confideration
it was that the Romans in their Monarchick growth, endeavoured to impofe the Latin
Tongue upon all Nations. Romani Linguam fuam toto orhi imponere conantur, ( faith Viws)
& rem frofetto pulch err imam meditantur- Nam (S. Angufl. in Civitate Dei lib. 19. c. 7. &
Pirn. lib. 7.) nihil eft quod hominem ita alienat ah homine ut Linguarum variety, & faciliM
fm animalia muta etiam diver/igeneris quam homines diverfarum Linguarum fociantur'-, etenm
commercta, neceffitudo, focietas, confiliorum communicatio inter gentes, confervantur, &c. A
very noble defign. For (as St. Auguft. in his City of God, and Pliny in his Natural Hi-
Itory fay) There is nothing more eftranges one Man from another than differing Lan
guages : It being eafier to difcourfe with brute Beafts than Men of unknown tongues,
ror by unaerftanding one another, not only commerce,but affairs, fociety, and commu
nication or one Nation with another, is preferved.
, ^ rme ™ ans xtiis day are the greateft travellers Eaft and Weft of any Apatickl-
delire or gain and aftedation after novelties inducing them: Albeit indeed ihe advan
tage they have in their fcituation, fo near neighbouring the Seas Cathian, Euxine,
iterranean and the Palm Meotis, give them more than ordinary encouragement
whence it comes, that at this day the generality more incline to Merchandize than
Ma rs >