'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.' [‎235] (268/1024)

V
Chap. XIV. of Monfieur Tavernier.
35
Cv.
a Dodor of the Law, and detire him to open the A l-com an, and to tell them the Aleman is the
ifllie of their buhnefs. ^ Thereupon the Dodor muttering fome Orange words, Book of the
opens the Book, and if he meets with affirmative commands, he declares the , foenti -
undertaking (hall profper. If negatives, he diiTwades from the enterprize. I re- ^ forits €X -
member a Gardiner belonging to the Capuchin Friers, would needs go to one of we^the Bi-
thofe Moullab's > to ktiow whether he ffiould get by an Ox that he was about to ble.
buy. Whereupon the Moullah aflur’d him he ihould reap great pr ofit by his bar
gain : but quite contrary, the Ox dy’d upon his hands within three days, to the
great alionilhment of the Gardiner. When a Capuchin tax’d the Moullab for the
falfities of his pretended Art, the Moullah replyM, that God kne v that the Gar
diner would fpend his Money upon lewd Women, and therefore took from liim
the means and fupport of his debauchery. v
They alfo ufe afort of divination, which is call’d by even or odd, the
Mahers of which myftery, call’d Kammals, keep Shops on purpoCe to delude 5 the
people. When they fee people coming, they have perfons fuborn’d on purpofe i
who holding out their hands (hut, ask the Ramiral what he thinks they have in '
their hands. The Ramrnal at fir ft Teems to be at a ftand i throwing certain Dice,
• call’d Kiabetain, the fpecks whereof are fome even, fome uneven *, but when there’
are people anough gathered together, he tells point by point how many fpeckshis
fdlow*Cheat has in his hands. Who counterfeiting aftonifbment, encouraged the
poor hlly creatures that ftand gazing, to fpend ion ething fora lye which they fell
them.They alio make ufe oi the f aals which is to open a Book,and by numbers even
or odd, to prognofticate good or bad fortune. In their interpretation of dreams,
the Intefpreter foretells the future to him that enquires conformable ;o what he
fays he faw in his dream. He has a great Book lying before him, full oflittle
Pidures and Grotcfco-woxk, wherein he ftrives to (hew the people fome Fantafm or
Apparition, which they will tell you they faw in the night. Thele cheats are
ufually pradis’d about the Palace, where all the idle people flock together i as al
fo upon the Road to Zutyha, where they lye upon the Road to catch the filly
Palfengers. - f | : • /
T\\t Ferfians are mightily addided to ill language, and foul-mouth’d reproaches.
So that when two men fall out, inftead of fighting with their fifts^ they fight with ' '
their tongues, and curfe one another. But they never bkfpheme God : for if
they (hould hear one fwear, or wiih themfelves at the Devil, they would cry out
in an aftoniffimenf^ Is not that Fellow a fool to give himfelf upon ttufi to theDevif
and renounce Paradife? When they would affirm any thing* to be true, all their
Oaths are Ser-azire-fha^ By the King s beloved bead j or, Krva pigumbir, by the
Spirit^ of the Prophet. I remember once at Galata, walking with fome of the
Frencu Eriibaffador’s Servants, we faw two Turfy at Cuffs => after they werd par;-
ted, one of them gave the other a thoufand curies * to which, the other jeply’d
no more than only this i I wiffi, faidhe, thy Soul may have no moretepofe in
Paradife, than the Hat of a Frencb-man has in this World, alluding to our manner v
of falutation, and putting off our Hats fo often as we do.
The Perjians are naturally great Diffemblers and Flatterers *, and they make it
their ftudy to acquire efteem and applaufe. They love to give and receive Pre-
fenfs: more efpecially to prefent the King. Which Prefents are valu’d, andac-^
cording to the eftimate, they muft fend, ten per cent, to the Serjeant Porter, and
hve^er cent.^ to his Deputy: which, if they do not pay willingly, they are forc’d / >
to pay: which I law the Deputy of the Company forc’d to do.
The Luxury and the Expences-ofthc Perfans is exceffive, as I have in feveral
p aces obferv’d. And though it be againft the Law of to make ufe of
old or Silver-plate, which lets aiide that metal only for Commerce and for Mo
neys none but the poor obferve that Law, for the rich make no fcruple to tranf-
greis it. ' ■•'/■' * i
f ^ Perfians are very much accuftom’d to make mutual Vifits one to another at
' e ir o emn Feftiyals, and to wiffi one another good cheer, and a merry feafon.
th^ h° re n °ble fort flay at home to expedl the Vifits of their,Inferiors i after
Vift- 1 u €t 3 anc ^ re{urn The continue their
HalW n u Ym hn & an< ^ t0 l he Noble-mens Houles, flay in the great
i tney cbme out of their Harams. Whither, when the Noblemen come,
• , . . ' c . ' ' Ff ' . they