'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.' [‎166] (207/1024)

The Persian Travels
Book IV,
Of the wanner of their Baptifm.
He Gaurs never ufe Circumcifion, but at the Birth of their Children p ra A r
(bmething like our Baptifm. For feme days after the Child is born, they wJ- 2
Water wherein certain Flowers are firft boyl’d j and during that dippj™ }
1 , who is prefent, makes certain Prayers. If the Child dye without that Wafoj ^
Eu ty do not believe but that it goes to Paradife j but they hold that the Parents (S
give an account for their negle&'of the Infant, becaufe that Wadiing increafesh'
favour and his merit in the fight of God.
Of their Marriages.
T He Religion of the Gaurs permits them* to have five Wives, if they can maintain I
them i nor is it laudable to repudiate any one but in cafe of an evident Adultery |
or that (he turn Mahometan j betides, it behoves her Husband to flay a whole yea r ’
to fee whether (he will repent or no. Iffhe come and acknowledge her fault tothe
Prieft, he enjoyns her Penance for three years j after which he remarries them, and j
they become man and wife again.
As to the Ceremony of Marriage, the Prieft, when the Couple come to him, asks the *
Man and the Woman in the prefence of Witnefles, whether they both confent; then
taking a little Water he fays a few Prayers over it, and then waftiing both their Fore-
heads he pronounces certain words, and there’s all. But they are not to marry within '
the third degree *, nor do they know what it means to defire a Difpenfation.
But you muft obferve by the way, that though they are allow’d five Wives, thereis r
but one which can be truly faid to be marry’d, with whom they are oblig’d tolyeat
leaft two nights in a week, Fryday and Saturday, and (he always goes before the reft, I
But if (he have no Children in feven years, the man is allow’d to marr^ another,but
not to repudiate the other, whom he is bound ftill to maintain according to his quality,
So foon as Women or Maids perceive the cuftom of Nature upon them, they pre-
fently leave their Houfes, and ftay alone in the Fields in little Hints made of Hurdles
or Watlings, with a Cloth at the entring in, which feives for a Door.While theyare
in that condition, they have Meat and Drink brought them every day jar^d when they
are free, they fend according to their quality, a Kid, or a Hen, or a Pigeon for an
Offering j after which they go to the Bath, and then invite fome few of thdr Kind
red to feme fmall Collation. 'V - a!
Of their Fajls, Feajis^ and principal Ceremonies.
T He Gaurs drink Wine both men and women, and eat Swines flefti, provided it he
of their own breeding and feeding. They are very careful left rheir Hogs eat
any ordure j for fhould they perceive that they had devour’d any thing of nadmefs,
they are ftri< 5 Hy forbid’n to eat them. They never pare their Nails - , fo that if by way
of difgrace, or by any misfortune they are conftrain’d to cut their Nails or their
Hair, they carry that which they cut off to fome place appointed without the Ciiy
for that purpofe.Five days in a year they abftain from Meat, Filh, Buffer, and Eggs;
and three other days they faft altogether ’till Evening. They have alfo thirty Holy-
days in honour of thirty of their Saints, which they keep very ftridily, no man dar
ing to work. But the day of the Birth of their Prophet is celebrated with an extra- ,
ordinary Pomp i betides, that then they beftow large Alms.
There is one day in the year when all the Women ofevery City and Village meet j
together to kill all the Frogs they can find in the fieldsand this is done by theCoin*
mand of their Prophet, who was one day very much annoy’d by them.
Their Priefts have fever al Books full of fmall Pidures in Water-Colours, ill done,
reprefentinghow the feveral Sins of Men fhall bepunifh’d in Hell, efpecially Sodomy,
which they abominate.
Of their Funerals.
' - * * 7‘: ^ --pr 7' •
W Hen the Gaurs are tick they fend for their Priefts, fo whom they make a
kind of Confeflion j whereupon the Priefts enjoyn them to give Alms, and
other good Works, to gain patdon of their Sins. They