'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.' [‎170] (499/1024)

i no Travels in I n d i a,
are of opinion, that to take away the fears of deathjWhich naturally terrifiriT
manky, the Priefts do give her a certain Beverage to kupify and diforder
fenfes, which takes from her all apprehenhon ofher preparations for death 'T
for the Bramins interek that the poor miferable creatures fhould continue huh *
refolutions j for all their Bracelets as well about their legs as their arn^ the p
dents in their ears *, their Rings fometimes of Gold, fometimes of Silver • ( f 1 '
the poor wear only Copper and Tin,) all thefe belong to the Bramim who n*
for them among the Afhes when the party is burn’d. 3 raKe
I have feen Women burnt after three feveral manners, according to the difF
rence of the Countrey. In the Kingdom of Guz.erat, as far as Agra and £>
they fet up a little Hut above twelve foot fquare upon the bank of a Pond ’
River. ’Tis made of Reeds, and all forts of fmall Wopd,with which they m ,0r
gle certain pots of Oil and other Drugs to make it bum more vehemently Th*
Woman is plac’d in the middle of the Hut,in a half-lying-down pokure lean’ 6
her head upon a kind of a wooden Bolker, and reking her back againk’a Piii^
to which the Bramin tyes her about the middle, for fear/he fhould run aw*’
when Ihe feels the fire. In this pokure fhe holds the body ofher deceas’d
band upon her knees,chewing Betti all the while •• and when fhe has continu’d i
this pokure about half an hour, the Bramin goes out, and the woman bids them
fet fire to the Hut} which is immediately done by the Bramins^ and the kindred
and friends of the Woman ; who alfo cak feveral pots of Oil into the fire to nut
the Woman the fooner out of her pain. After the Woman is burnt,the Bramk
fearch the Afhes for all her Bracelets, Pendants and Rings,whether Gold Silver
Copper or Tin, which is all free booty to themfelves. ’ *
In Bengala they burn the Woman after another fafhion. In that Country
Woman muk be very poor that does not accompany the Body of her deceas’d
Husband to the Ganges to wafh his Body, and to be wafh’d her felf before fhe is
burnt. I have feen dead CarkafTes brought to the Ganges above twenty davs
journey off from the place, and fmelt’em to boot; for the feent of them has
been intollerably noyfom. There was one that came from the Northern Moun
tains neer the Frontiers of the Kingdom of Boutan^ with the body of her Huf-
band earn’d in a Waggon ^ fhe travePd twenty days a-foot, and neither eat nor
drank for 15 or 16 days together till fhe came to the where after fhe had
wafh’d the body that kank abominably, and had afterwards wafh’d her felf fhe
was burnt with him with an admirable conkancy. Before the Woman that is to
be burnt, goes the Mufick, confiking of Drums, Flutes and Hautboys, whom the
Woman in her bek Accoutrements follows, dancing up to the very Funeral-pile
upon which fhe gets up, and places hrfr felf as if fhe were fitting up in her Bed •
and then they lay a-crofs her the body ofher Husband. When that is done,her
Kindred and friends, fome bring her a Letter, fome a piece of Calicut, another
pieces of Silver or Copper, and defire her to deliver them to their Mother, or
Brother, or tome other Kinfman or Friend. When the woman fees they haveali
done, fhe asks the Standers-by three times, if they have nothing more of fer-
vice to command her; if they make no anfwer, Ihe ties up all fhe has got in a
piece ofTaffata, which Ihe puts between her' own belly, arid the body of her
Husband, bidding them to fet fire to dhe Pile} which is prefently done by the
Btamns and her Kindred. I have obferv’d, becaufe there is fcarcity of Wood
m Bengal that when thefe poor Creatures are half griddl’d, they call their
bodies into the Ganges, where the remains are devour’d by the Crocodiles.
» tank not forget a wicked cukom practis’d by the Idolaters of Bengala,
When a Woman is brought to bed, and the Child will not take to the Teat,
they carry it out of the Village, and putting it into a Linnen Cloath,which they
lalt n by the four Corners to the Boughs of a Tree, they there, leave it from
morning till evening. By this means the poor Infant is expos’d to be tormented
by the Crows, inibmuch that there are lome who have their eyes pickt out of
their heads: which is the reafbn that in Bengala you fhalllee many of thefe Ido-
laters that have but one eye, and fome that have lok both. In the evening they
etch the child away, to try whether he will fuck the next night; and if he kill
• u teat ’ carr y again to the fame place next morning; which they
0 tor three days together; after which,if the Infant after that refufes 19 fuck,they
* believe