'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.' [‎78] (627/1024)

7 8 A Relation of the Grand Seignors Seraglio.
recommendable in them, that their great purfuance of pleafures does not ever
make them ncgleif the Divine Worfhip, and that, fetting all things slide
they are careful to perform what the Law requires of them, upon that acccounn
They are exa£t and pundthal, even to fnperffidon, in all their exercifes of Piety,
in their ways of wafhing themfelves, in their Prayers, in their Faffs, in their Alms'
and in their Pilgrimages 5 which are tl e Five principal Articles of the Mabmetan
Religion. /
The regulated It is a thing fufficiently well known to all people, that the go to their Pray-
times of their ers, or Devotions, five times a day, that is, in the fpace of a natural Day, which
Devotions. amounts to four and twenty hours. For the performance of this work, there are no
certain hours appointed, and it is according to the Sun’s being above the Horizon.
Upon which account, there is a greater interval between their feveral Offices, in the
Summer-time, than there is in the Winter, and they place the principal part of their
Devotion upon oblervations of that nature. The firft exercifeis to be perform’d at
the break of day, before Sun-rifing; the fecond at Noon; the third, between that
time and SunTet; the fourth, immediately after his fetting ; and the laff, about an
hour and an half after Night: in all which, unlefs ficknefs intervene, they are very
punctual, fo that nothing ofbufinefs, how important foever, fhalldivert them.
Their fewm Nay, on the contrary, fome are fo zealous, and their fervour is fo remarkable,
Motion! °* De ~ t ^ at ^ e ^ n g once fi xt ln their Prayers, they could not be put out of them, though
’twere to force back an Enemy, who were entering into the City, or that word
♦ fhould be brought them, that the houfe wherein they are, was on fire. They are
moreover of a perfwafion, that it is a great fin, for them to put their hand to any
part of the body, to fcratch* themfelves, if there fhould .be occafion ; and they
would have the external part to be anfwerableto the internal, and correfpondenc
to that abjedtion, which ought to be the ffate of the Soul, in the pretence of
God, during their Exercifes of Devotion.
The Grand Nor does the Grand Seignor himfelf defire to be difpens’d from the obligation
Seignors 0 rdR of performing thefe adts of Devotionjany more than the meanefi of his Subjedts; but,
mry Employ- on the contrary, he is very religious in that obfervance of their Law, and he always
begins the day with the Offices appointed for that part of it; We need fay no
more, than that he rifes at the break of day, nay fometimes he is up before, and
goes into the Bath to wafh himfelf, efpecially when he has lain with one of his
Wives, or Concubines. Having tinifh’d his Prayers, he diverts himfelf in
(hooting with the Bowe, or more commonly in looking after his Horfes, and
riding fome of them: and fometimes he Tecs himfef in a Gallery, where he
v cannot be feen by any, and contents himfelf with the diverfion of feeing fome
exercifes perform’d by his Pages. If an one of them does fomething that he is
much pleas’d withal, he fends him a Veft, or fome other thing of value, as an
encouragement for his doing better another time, and to raife an emulation in his
Companions. Upon Council-days, he comes through the clofe Gallery, to the
Window, which looks into the Divan Hall, to fee what they are doing there ;
and upon the rifing of the Council, he returns to his own Quarter, where his
Dinner is brought up to him.
The Services of * n fervices of his Table, there is not any great var itey, or delicacy, the Difh-
hu Table. J cs that are ferv’d up, being anfwerable to the Bill of fare, wich I have given you
in the Chapter, where I treat of the Kitchins. He takes his refcdh’on, fitting,
crofs-leg’d, as Taylors do amongft us, being furroiinded with fumptuous Bro
cade-cuftil on s, which keep from him the dampnefs of the Walls, and upon the
Carpets which cover the Scaffold, or Balcony, where he is fcated, they fpread
others ofS/^#-Leather, left the former fhould be prejudic’d by any thing of greafl-
nefs, which might fall on the Table-cloath, and {oak through it. This Cl oath.
Which is laid over the S^z/^-Leather-Caipet, is of thofe fiimptuous painted Cloaths,
which are made in the Indies, and embroider’d all about : and as for Napkins,
there are not anyufed amongft the ‘jfurkj, who are neat, and cleanly at their Meals,
and if (ometimes there be any occafton of wiping, kis done with a little hand
kerchief, At their refections, they ufe'the right hand only, and when they have
done, there is a Baftn of warm water and foap brought up, for them to wafh,
e takes out his Handkerchief from under his Saich, or Girdle, to
and every one
wire his hands and nioue
Nor mu ft you expect in 7 'nrkev to find Knives and