'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.' [‎237] (270/1024)

Chap- XVI- of Monfieur Tave r ni er.
Baths after they have been with their Wives j and there are fotnfe fo fnperftitious
ag to go there every day. Thefe Baths are round Chambers, fo clofe, that there
i-s no light, but what comes from little round windows made in the top of the
roof. In the firft place, there is the Krafine,. which is a Chamber (even or eight
foot fquare •, where, in the middle of the Room, is agreat Copper plate, in the
form of a flat Bifon, and underneath they make a lire of Brufhes or Horfe-dung :
fo that the Plate heats all the water which is in the Chamber ; When it is hot
enough, a fervant belonging to the Bath goes up to the Terras, arid winds a horn,
to give notice to them that have a mind to come. Should a Perfian or a Maho
metan mik once in eight days, he would fed an itching all over his body not to be
endui’d. For the pores, which the heat of the Bath had open’d, coming to be
Ihut, the vapours of the body not able to get out, prick and tickle the skin. The
Men go early in the morning, and hay till two hours after Sun-riling; At theen- <
try of the Bath is the place where they undrefs-, and when they are ftript all
but the fecret parts, which they cover with a napkin, they pour hot water upon
their (boulders: and then comes a man and rubs off all the fweat and lilth of the
Body with a coarfe Cloath j after which they plunge themfelves into aRefervato-
ryof hot water, which they call Kolletain. But thefe common Baths are very
dangerous, and many people of both Sexes have got the foul Difeafe, who were
never addi&ed to impurity.
There are alfo in Perfia hir’d people, which they call Sakas^ whole buGnefsit is
to give water to the people as they go along the Streets. Their Barbers are very
neat, and furpafs ours for lightnefs of hand * for a man Cm hardly feel their Ra
te. They have alfo a Knife to pare the nails of the hands and feet, which they
do very dextroufly. As for their Beards, thofe that belong to the Law cut it with
Seiflers, but they leave it not fo long as the Turkf do, by much. But the Courtiers
and Souldlers (have all off, except from their upper-lips, where they take it for a
mark of great honour to wear long Mojiaches^ which they fay is the ornament of
the face.
The habit of the Perfianris z Robe which they call that comes down
a little below their knees. This is of very fine quilted Cloath* well cotton’d in
the Winter, but much thinner in the Summer. Thefe Linnens would be very
cheap, but that the Perfons of Quality change their Robes' every day. Their
Sleeves are lopg, and clofe to their arms, and reaching as far as the wrift. The
Robe is fit to their-Bodies as far as the Waft i but then it is made wide and loofe*
Over this they wear a poble Girdle of Silk, adorn’d at the end with flowers of
Gold, over which they wear another Girdle of fine Kerman wool. The richer
fort are fo vain as to wear three Girdles, two of Silk, and one of Kerman-wool)
which is ty’d uppermoft. Under the Robe or Vaft they wear a (hort Waftcoat of
flowed Fuftion quilted, their Shirts being of Silk of divers colours. They ule
as little Soap in Perfia as they can f for Soap is very rare in Perfia. When we
come out of the Indies^ we are forc’d to bring with us Linnen enough to ferve us
for fix months, and then carry it back again i for they wafh much better in In
dia then in Perfia. Their breeches being of Silk, come down to their Ankles,
without any codpieces. Their Sejfe, or Bonnet, which we call a furhan^ is made
of a piece of fine Silk mingl’d with Gold, being in form much like our large
Pompions: the top thereof is a little flat •, and here it is that the end of the
Silk being garnKh’d with flowers of Gold and Silver, ends in a kind of Pofie.
Thefe Bonnets are very heavy, efpecially thofe that are for the moft part nothing
but Gold and Silver. The meaneft of thofe is worth 200 Crowns 5 but there are
fome which the King and the great Lords wear, that are worth four or five
hundred. You fhajl ftldom meet an Officer of any Quality thatdoes not wear a
rich Jewel in his Bonnet. The Courtiers and Souldiery wear their Daggars upon
their ftomachs, ftuck in their girdles. The meaneft Sculdier inlays the handle and
(heath of his Dagger 5 but the Grandees have them all befet with Pearls. There
was in the handle of Sha-Abhns the Second’s Dagger, a Diamond of above fixty
Carats, which, with fome other Stones that belong’d to it, was valu’d at 13000
Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ^ or 200000 Crowns. Over their Veft they wear a juftieoar, much like
fcurs. It is faften’d at the top with a button : and moft ufually they have nine
tufted buttons before fet by three and three at an equal diftance : but they only
.' F f 2 ferve