'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.' [‎227] (260/1024)

Chap. XL of Mon fieur Tavernier.
There belongs alio to every Mofquee a Montevelf who looks alter the repairs
of the Building, and the Provitlon of what belongs to the Mofquee'-, together
with a Mouazen, who cries morning and evening from the fop of a Tower, That
there if hut one God, andthat Mahomet if his Prophet,
Colledges, the Perfians call Medrefe', where there are a great number of Scholars
bred up at little charge, out ot the Legacies left to the Foundation*. They al
low therma Chamber without any Furniture, they being to provide a Coverlet
and a for themfelves, They have no certain Matters, but fometimes
they go for their inftru&ions to one, fometimes to another, feldom to the Princi
pal of the Golledg, who is call’d Monderes, and is generally the greatett Block
head of them all. But there arc feveral other perfons in every good City
that are forward to teach the Sciences to purchafe honour to thcmfelves.
For which reafon they are very liberal, to get a great company of Fol
lowers together^ who areas fo many Trumpets to publitti the wifdom of their
Akroom or Dodtor. But when their Liberality ceafes, the Trumpets want breath at
the fame time. v
Now as to their manner of ftudying, the Student firft reads two or three lines,
and then the Dodfor Expounds. Then another reads two or three lines more, and
fo one after another*, every one riling up out of refpedi after he has done reading,
and (landing upright till the Dodfor bids him fit down again. One of thefe
Do&ors (hall teach all manner of Sciences in one day *, for he is not learned that
cannot talk of all. And certainly had the Perfians thofe advantages of Books, and
that method of ttudy which we have in Europe^ they would prove to be men of
great underftanding: for with thofe little helps they have, they will give a good
account of their owr> Theology, of Logick, Phyfick, and the Mathematicks,
wherein they ftrive to reach the bottom of things as deep ts they can. Their
Books are for the moft part the works of an ancient Perfian Author, whole name
was Kodgia Nefir in the City of Thoufs^ in the Province ot Korajfan, ' 'Tis very
probable he was well skill’d in the Greekjind Arabic!^ having tranflated into ?er-
fm feveral Books out of thofe two Languages. They have fome pieces of Ari-
fiotle which are accounted thebeft in the Weft; The Altuageftes of Ptolemy, which
they call Mageffi , fome tradfotes of Euclide, fome fragments of Archimedes :
the Optickj of Ebne, Heifter, and other excellent Books. Some have affirm’d
that they have been skill’d in the dodfrrin of Sines and Tangents tor above this 800
years; and indeed they are very curious at this day in MathematicalInttruments.
They have alfo a great inclination to Poetry, the chief grace whereof they be
lieve to confift in dei/gn of accidents, and high comparifons obfevving thime as we
do. As for Phyfick, they have Galen, whom they call Gaknous *, Averroes, whom
they call Aboualt, or great Father b and Hermes Trifmegifhts, whom' they call Or-
The moft confiderable of their Hiftorians is Konze el Sapha, who wrot a
Chronology from the Creation of the World to his time \ wherein there are
abundance of fables, but little truth. He fays that the World was inhabited by
Devils for an infinite number of years before the Creation of Adam, and that God
for their enormities depriv’d them of their power upon earth, and give it to man
to manage. Their Books, though deer,are very common, and every Trades-man
buys ’em, being very ambitious to learn the Sciences themfelves, and to encou
rage their children to do fo too. They fend them betimes to the School, which
they call Meklebe, oi which there are feveral in every Quarter. They make a
hideous noife in their Schools, repeating their Leffons alltogether aloud, while the
Mailer corredb every Boy that does not keep along with the Cry. As for the
children of perfons of Quality, they have Tutors at home, never ftirring out
of doors till they are 18 years of age, unlefs it be to go a hunting or a (hoot
ing now and then. Hence it comes to pafs, that the Children are difcrcet, civil
and modeft ^ fo that you (hall never hear an ill word come out of their
mouths.
In the Chamber of Accounts are many Officers, whom I look upon as Gown-
tnen. All the Books and Regifters pafs through their hands, particularly fuch Pa
pers as concern d the King’s Revenue. All which are regifter’d in the Chamber of
Accounts at IJpahan, which is call’d Defter Krone. As to the Fee-Lands call’d
Moulhgrbar, which belong to particular perfons, they owe to the King a certain
E e annual