'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.' [‎154] (195/1024)

The Persian Travels Book IV.
Upon the North-Front of the Mydam ate made under the Fertm's fe^tat^ s
for Chambers, that look upon the Fiazza, where people go to imoak Tobacco anj
drink Coffee. The Seats of thofe Rooms are plac d as in fo many Atr.plnthejtm
and in the midft of every one Bands a large Veffel hill ofrunning Water, wherewith
theirPipes be cleans’d when they are over-toul. All the Perfians mat have any (pare time
fail not every day to refort to thofe places between feven and eight in the Morning
where the Owner of the Room prefently brings them every one their Pipe and
their Difo of Coffee* But the Great Sba>Abas, who was a man of a great under.
Banding, finding thofe places were only fo many Meeting-houfes, where men alTem-
bl’d to talk and prattle of State-affairs, a thing which no yvay pleas d him •, to break
the neck of thofe petty Cabals, he order’d that a MoulUb Biould be fure tobe ■
betimes at every place before the refi of the People came thither, and that he fliould
entertain thofe Tobacco-whiffers,and Coffee-quaffers, fometimes with a point of the
Law,fometimes with HiBory,{pmetimes with Poetry .This cufiom is Bill obferv’d:fo
that after this entertainment has laBed two or three hours, the Moullah rifingu^
crys to every one in the Coffee-Room, Csme my Maflers , in good time^ let s all now
retire every man to b'vs bufinefs. Straight every one retires upon the Mouliahs words,
who is liberally entertain’d all the while by the Society. ...
In the midB of the North-Front Bands a great Portal, with a large Dial over it,
which Sba-Abaf brought from Ormus when he took it from the Tortugals.MihV\.
al is of no ufe, not is ever like to be. Round the Tower of that Portal runs an op n
Gallery, with a kind of a Gieling over head fupported with Pillars > from whence
every Evening about Sun-fet, and at Midnight, a noife of Drums and Trumpets is
to be heard through the whole City. Though the truth is, the Mufick would ne*
ver charm a curious Ear. Out of fome parts of the Gallery are contnv d little Dormi-
tories, where the chiefefl of the Court lye. In all the Cities where the /Gmefide
is the CuBora of making this ratling noife of Drums and Trumpets obferv’d, and
not elfewhere. , > > „ . v f T n
On each fide of the Portal,under the Horologe, are five or fix Banks of jewellers,
who there put to fale certain parcels of Pearls, Emralds, Granats, and Turquoifes,
which are not of any great value i every parcel being fet by it {elfin a Di(h, and
the whole Stall cover’d with a filk Net, to prefervethe Stones from being (loin.
Tufl againB the fame Portal, going toward the South-Front, you meet with two
little Goals five or fix Foot high,and fev’nor eight diflant one from the other. Hfrc
the men play at Pall-mall on horfe-back, the Horfe-man being to firike the Ball run-
ning at full fpeed, between the two Goals. ill
Through that Portal you enter into an Enclofure much like the place where the
Fair of St. Germans is kept, and there it is that the Merchants of Gold and Si ver-
Tiffues and other rich Stuffs, with all your finefi forts of Calicuts and Lmnens, keep
^The^Coutt fide of the Meydan, which is upon theEafi, and which anfwers tothe
grand Front where the King’s Houfe Bands, is thus appointed. In the middle hands
a Vuomo cover’d with a kind of bak’d Earth, and as welUhe Duomo zs Portal,
which is very high, are all varnifh’d over. You afeend nine or ten Beps, t e or
of Haly facing it on the other fide of the Piazza. From the end of the Forms
that touch the North-fide of the Mofquee, live the Shop-keepers that fell lowing*
Silk, and fmall Manufactures of Silk, as Ribands, Laces, Garters, and other t mgs
of the fame nature. From the Mofquee to the other end, are all Turners, t a ma
Cradles for Children, and Spinning-Wheels. There are alfo fome Cotton-be? e ,
that make quilted Coverlets. Without the Portico’/ are none but Smiths, t a
Scyths,Hammers,Pincers,Nails, and fuch like things*, with fome few
This is all that can be faid of Iftahan, and that great Piazza, which tome pc •
haps have fet out in better colours. But I have reprefented all things as t ey ar,
being one that have feen them oftner, and beheld them a longer time than ever
Frank that Travell’d into Afia.
J i.
CHAP-
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