'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.' [‎296] (319/448)

The Perfian mode conce
but fhort hair at fome time and in fome places was a fymbol of fervitude. Befides, it ap
pears by the effigies at Chil-mymr (where I touched a little upon this fubject) that melt
of the Monarchs of old wore their hair very long and crifped, and as particularly inftari-
ced by Plutarch in the defcription of Jfiyages. A comet with a bulh appearing in rejp^
fians reign, and by fome Aftronomers judged to portend his death, he wittily made this
reply, That bulhy ftar points not at me who am bald, but rather at the comet-like locks
of my brother the King of Tarrhia. The Gauls alfo of old were denominated from their
hair, Comati y Neque enim fa erat Vrancor urn regihm com am tender e, fed a yueritia intonfi
manebantj adeo tit a tergo crines defiuant 5 nam a fronte difcriminati utrinqyfernntur^ Car an-
ciennement tousles INoblcsportoient de longs chcveux , O*c» lays a French hiltorian* In a
word, Cxfaries fignum crat nohilitatis* And the JBritainSy our Anceftors, of old, as now,
imitated their tranfmarine neighbours, as appears by antique Coins and otherwife. So
that albeit the Monks from a Tradition lhave the upper part of their head by way of
diftindion from the Laity and for dedication, yet therein they differ from the Levitical
Priefthood, who (except in lamentations, as in Jfa. 15. 2.) were not luffered to make
bald parts upon their head, ihave their beards, or make incifions in their fleih, Levit.u,
5. which laft is now pradtifed amongft Mahometans^
But not to run into extreams: as amongft the primitive Chriitians it was a reproach to
wear long hair, fo was it to be bald ; therefore to avoid that contempt, fuch as had
Ihort hair wore raifed caps, fuch as lhaved wreathed their heads with rolls of linnen not
onely for ornament but to expel the Suns piercing rayes, and for defence againft an
Enemy *, for undoubtedly thofe large Turbants the Turks wear over a flat-crown'd quil
ted cap is a very ferviceable head-piece. Thofe in Perfia are exceffive large and valuable,
albeit commonly of Callico; for the fuperiour fort of people have them woven with
Silk and Gold with a rich fringe or talfel of Gold and Silver at the end : but at feafts,
entertainments and gaudy-dayes 1 have feen them wreath their Shafhes with ropes of
orient Pearl and chains of Gold fet with precious ftones, of great value. That which
the King himfelf has on differs not in lhape from others, unlels it exceed for magnitude :
all the difierenee I could obferve was that he wore it the contrary way and more ered
than others. Which put me in mind of that which Plutarch mentions concerning Jrta-
xerxes, who in his old age caufing his Son Cyrus to be proclaimed King, gave him the
royal prerogative of wearing the pico or top of his Cydaris upright^ not permitted any
fubjed- Some glimple of that head-tire or Tiara we have in Plut. vita Antonii ; which
noble Roman gave order for a high and rich Tribunal to be ereded in the molt publick
place of Alexandria, where he and Cleopatra feated themielves in Chairs of burnifhed
Gold: two of a leffer fize were fet for their two Sons *, the eldeft was called Alexander,
to whom for his fhare of the world he affigned Media-, and Armenia, who that
day wore upon his head a rich Tiara which refembled a high-crown'd Hat, and upon
his ihoulder a long Veil: according to the royal Robe of Perfia : but Ptolomy the younger
(to whom he bequeathed Macedon and other parts of Greece) upon his head had a broad-
brimm'd Hat, about which was a fillet or band richly fet with ftones, upon his ftioulder
a long Cloak after the Macedonian cut, and upon his feet were embroidered fandals.
With thefe Shalhes the Per fians go covered all day long, not excepting the prefence*
of the King, nor their fet times of devotion : for to bare or uncover the head is held
irreverent. Now as the Enropaans in their falutes ufually take off their Hats in prefence
of their betters to bare their heads, the Mahometans fignifie the fame onely by a mode
rate deflexion of the head and direding their head towards their heart, by which they
ufually exprefs their complement, as noted hyQCurt. But this cuftomecame in with the
Alcoranbefore which, the Oriental people. Per pans and others wore a fort of Hat
and Bonnet, as yet continued in Chinay where unlefs by the late invafion of the Tartars,
Mahomet is not acknowledged : yea, both at falutations and in prefence of fuperiours
they were uncovered. So fay Euftathim and Dionyfm two credible witneffes : and Plutarch
attefts the like, for faith he. Contra Hofes Caput tegimus, Amicis nudamm 9 \n fight we cover
the head againft our Enemies, but fainting our Friends are uncovered. A pradice not
onely commended but commanded by S. Paul, 1 Cor. 11. 4. where it is faid That at the
exercife of Religious Duties to be covered the head thereby is diihonoured for, that a
man ought not to cover his head at thofe times, appears by the feventh Verfe: but as to
the other fex, it is otherwife. Now how rigid foever the Turk may feem in abhorring
the moving his Turbant, efpecially towards a Chriftian in falutationsthe Perfians ne-
verthelefs have more generofity: for with them it is a Maxim, and might be fo with others,
That fingularity is difcommendable, as being an humour either fleighting order and de
grees of men (allowed Angels,) or otherwife the civil cuftomes and good manners of
Countreys