'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎130] (171/1024)

The Persian Travels Book IH.
fit down and eat a Bit or two: Then they call the Lord of the Town, and if there
be any other Lord, they come both together,^ with fome oth^r or the v Seniors olthe
Parifh» who being fet down, eat up one oftne Beads, which the old men had ft
apart for them •, the red is divided among the people, fitting upon the ground.
There are Lome Villages where you Hull have fifty Goats and Sheep, or La^s
and Kids, kill’d together at one time. As for their Bofa, there are Lome that bri n ?
above 200 Pints i others more or lefs, according to their quality. All the day long
they eat and drink, and fing and dance to their Flutes a dozen together, which are
in Lome meafure harmonious, as confiding of feveral parts, and decieadng propo^
t ion ably from the Treble to the Bafe. When the old men have folacM themfelvcs
with eating and drinking, they go home, and leave the young people, Men and Wo
men, Boys and Girls to be merry by themfelves.^ They day as long as there is any
Drink v and the next day they go early to Mowing.
They have other Ceremonies particular only to their Families. Once a year in
every Houfe they make a Crofs after the Form'of a Mallet, about five Foot high,
the two Sticks that compofe the Crofs, being as bigas a man’s Arm. This the Mahe^
of the Houfe fets in the Evening near the Door in his Chamber, and calling all his
Family together, gives them every one a lighted Wax-Candle. Then fird he fixes
his own to the Crofs, next his Wife dicks hers, and fo all the Children and Servants:
Jf the Children be fo young, that they cannot do it themfelves, the Father and Mo
ther do it for them. If one of the Candles burn out before it be put out, 3 tis a Pro-
gnodick that he or die that fix’d it there, (hall not live out their year. If the Can
dle falls, then he whofe Candle it was, fhall be robb’d, or be forc’t to fly for his
Life.
If it thunders, all the people run out of the Village, and the young people of
both.Sexes (et themfelves to fingihg and dancing in the prefence of their Elders:
And if any one be Thunder-druck, they bury that perfon honourably, believing him
to be a Saint. Befides that, they fend over all the Country for a white Goaf,
which they breed up and keep in the Village where it happen’d to thunder, having it
in great veneration, till thundring in another place, the people fend for it thither
alfo. tf the Thunder fall upon any of their Houfes, though it kill neither Man,
.Woman, Child, nor Bead, all that Family (hall be kept upon the publick dock all
that year, without being ty’d to any Labour but of Singing and Dancing. Thefe
people, during that time, go from Village to Village Dancing and Singing at peoples
Doors, but never going into their Houfes ^ for which the Inhabitants are bound to
bring them out fomething to eat.
Irfiere is a day in the Spring, when all that have been drbck’n with Thunder, meet
together in the Village where the white Goat is kept i who has always a Cheefe hang
ing about his Neck as big as a Parma Check. This Goat they take and carry to the
Vitlage of the chief Lord of the Countrey. They never go in, but the Lord with
all the red of the Village coming out, they all together proftrate themfelves before
the Goat. Having faid feme Prayers, Aey take away his Cheefe, and immediately
put'another in its place. The Cheefe which was taken a way, is at the fametimecut
into little pieces, and didributed among the people. After that, they give the
Strangers to eat, and bedow their Alms upon them * fo that by this wandring from
Village to Village, they get good bore of Money.
. They have among them but only one Book i and it is as big as one of our largeft
FqIio% and it lies in rhe hands of an old man, who has only the priviledge to touch it.
When that old man is dead, they choofe another old man to keep the Book i whofe
Duty it is to go from Village to Village, where he hears of any fick people. He
carries the Book with Kim, and after he has lighted up a Wax-Candle, and put the
people out of the Room, he lays the Book upon the Stomach of thejick perfon,
opens it, and reads in it, then blows over it fev’ral times, fo that the Breath palfes
toward the mouth of the Party: Then he caufes the party difeas’d to kifs the Book
feveral times, and as often lays it upon his head, which is a Ceremony of half an
hour. When the old man goes away, one gives him a Beef or a Heifer *, another gives
him a Goat *, every one according to their Quality and Edate.
They have alfo Old Women that take upon them to cure the Sick. Thefe women (
feel the body of the tick party, all over,but more particularly they handle and grope
that part where the didemper lies; during which time they let go feveral belches out
of