'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.' [‎234] (267/1024)

The Persian Travels Book V.
only to get money. But they are torbid to deal fo by the trankj i and 1 have
pafs’d by them, when they have fatd nothing to me. > ,• .
Their Govemmentln relation to Belly-timber is the bed in the world. For there
is a Mobtefib, who is the chief of the Government, whofe bufinefs it is to fet a
rate upon all forts of Provilion, being aflilted by three or four more Affeffors.
Every firft day of the week there is a publick Proclamation of tax upon the
weight of every thing. Which Affeffors in the evening advife together again!!
the next day whether to raife or abate the price before fet. This order was eila-
bliih’d by the great Shi-Abbx, and was in his reign more pun&ually obferv’d
then it has been fince. By the by obferve, that all provihons of belly-timber are
fold by weight and not by meafure : fo that you may fend a Child to Market;
for if the Commodity be not weight, ’tis-well if the buyer be fatisfy’d with having
his money again- For if the feller be difeover'd to fell by falfe weights, they are
led about the ftreets with a or aBonnet like a Bee-hive upon their heads,
and a Bell about their necks to expofe ’em firft to the laughter of the people; alter
that they are fin’d, and receive fo many drubs upon the foies of their
feet* ~
If this good order were not obferv’d in Verfia, the poor would fuffer very much.
For the handicraft tradefmen that work all day in (hops remote from their houfes,
where their wives are continually (hut up, eat nothing at noon but a little fruitin
fealbn : and then in the evening when they leave work, they go to the Market
and buy for their Families boyl’d or roaft meat, of which there is great plenty.
Therefore are they fo exadt, left fo many poor labouring men (hould be de-
Cel One day a Baker of the City came to the Kan, complaining that the Judge of
the Government had fet too Iowa price upon bread, fo that he (hould be a great
lofer. To whom the Kan made anfwer, that ’twas not his bufinefs to alter the
price: bidding him go to the Magiftrate that was concern’d. But the Baker belie
ving the Kan could do any thing, fent him a prefent of fifty Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . The Kan
feeing the ill defign of the Baker to opprefs the poor people, and the ill opinion he
had of him as a feller of Juft ice, commanded him to be carri’d to the Piazza, ind
there to be drub'd upon the foies of his feet till he pay’d the other fifty Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ,
which the Kan forthwith diftributed to the poor, and caus’d the price ofbread
to be abated inftead of railing it.
i
CHAP. XIV.
Of the Manners and Cujiomes of the Perfians.
T He Manners and Cuftoms of the people are ufually correfpondeut to their
Religion. The Perfians never preferve the name of their Predeceffors, bkt
like the Jews, for diftin&ion fake, (ay» fuch a one, the Son of fuch a one. When
they Circumcife a Child and give him a Name, they write three or four Names
like Lots in Paper, which are drawn by a Child, and which the Child draws, that
is the Name of the Child. The women that are barren, fwallow that which is
cut from the Child, believing it will make them conceive.
The Perfians are generally very inquifitive after the time to come, confultwg
their Aftrologers like Oracles: The King has always two or three by him, to tell
him the good or bad hour. There is an Almanac which is fold every year in IV
fia, which they call Tacuim \ but is indeed an Ephemerides, containing the Longi
tudes and Latitudes of the Planets, the Conjunctions and Oppofitions ? and other
fuch things. This Tacuim is full of predictions about War, Sicknefs and Famin.
Itfctsthe proper feafons to-put on new cloathes, to let blood, to Purge, or tra
vel, with many other inftru&ions of the fame nature. They give great credit to
this Ttfcww, and they that can get one, govern themfelves in all things according
to the Rules there fet down. Others to know the fuccefs of their affairs, go t°