'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.' [‎93] (642/1024)

A Relation of the Grand Seignors Seraglio. q o
Since I have mentioned the Emperour of Java, I fhall, by the way, inlert here ^ curious Re«
an obfcrvation, which l made at the time of my being in that /Hand, which was, °f tb *
That the eldeft Son of that Emperour, who regin’d in the year 1648, had
fix fingers on each of his hands, and fix toes one each foot, and all of equal J
length. r y> _ '
The Kings or Perfta, Vifapour and Golconda follow the 5 e£l of Halt ; and the Kings following
Kings of the mountains of Tart ary. With fome others, have alfo their particular tbe y Do ^ neo f
Se&s. Befides, it is to be obferv’d, that if we except the Grand Seignor, the la
King-of Perfia, the Arabian Princes, and the Cham of Great Tartary, all the other
Kings, whom I have named, have only Idolaters to their Subje&s, and all the
meaner fort of people is involv’d in the darknefs ofPaganifm. But as to the
Grand Seignor’s, with all hij Militia, they follow the Law of Mahomet.
In Africa, there is a Mahometan King, whofe Territories lie ail along the Coaft
of Akx, which is towards Arabia Felix, as far as the Cape of Guardafu, and his
Jurifdi&ion extends over the Red Seay and the Ocean. The Governours, whom
the Grand Seignot* employs in Egypt, aud in the /{lands of the Red Sea, and thofe
others, whom hd has elfablifh’d all along the Coaft of Barbary, at Tripoli, Tunis,
and Argun> who afTnme the Title of Kings, are alfo Mahumetans ; and, in fine,
the King of Fez and Morocco follows the fame Law.
All thefeKihgn and Princes, are principally unanimous in this Point, That they
acknowledg themielves oblig’d to fend every year fome Prefent to Mecha,which ordi
narily Con lifts in rich Carpets, to be put upon Mahomet's Sepulchre. Sometimes thefe ne Great Mch
Prefents are made upon a particular Vow 5 and it happen’d in one of my Voyages gul\r Royal
to Agra, that the Great Mogul, by way of thankfulnefs to the Prophet, for the re- f ent t0 Mecha.
covery of his health, fent to Mecha, an Akoron, valued at four hundred thoufand
Crowns, which had, in the mid ft of the Cover, a Diamond, of three hundred
Carats 5 the reft of it being garnifk’d with feveral precious Stones on both fides.
The occafion of this Prefent was, the fright which d certain Bramtn, put him into,
upon his telling him, That he fhould die before the year was expir’d, which
happen’d not accordingly. But the King being extremely incens’d at that direful
Predition, and, upon the fmart Interrogatory he put to the Bramere, to wit.
Whether he knew alfo the time of his own death, having receiv’d this AnfWer,
That it fhould be within three days; which really happen’d upon the third day,
there was a fufficient ground for him to be frightned, and to conceive an appre-
henfion, that the like accident might happen to himfelf, before the time limited.
Twas that induc’d him to fend a Prefent of fo great value, to Mahomet's Sepulchre,
to acknowledge the favour he had done him, in not fullering the Predi&ron of the
Branterc to take eifeCt, the King having not had as much as any indilpofitiony
during all that time.
When I gave an account of the Pilgrimage of Mecha, ftpon occafion of the The feveral
Teat and Carpet, which the Grand Seignor fends thither every year, I made ^ays whereby
no mention of the feveral ways which the Caravans take, according to the feveral the Mallume ~
parts of the World, from whence great multitudes of Mahumetans do every year fhe Sepulchre of
take their progrefs thither. ^ their Prophet/
In thy firft place, the Ambaffadon, whom the Kings of the Iflands, whereof I
nave given you the names, and the Kings of the Indies, on this fide the Ganges, fend
to the Sbecl^ot Mecha, with their Prefents come by Sea, to Mocha, a Maritime City
of Arabia Felix, and from thence they travel to Mecha by Land, by the conveniency
of Camels.
The Per fans, who inhabit all along the Sea-fide make their defeent from Omus,
or to Bandar, and having pafs’d over the Gulf, which, at that place, is not above
twelve or thirteen Leagues in breadth, are forc’d to crofs Arabia ere they can get to
the Prophet’s City. But the Inhabitants of the upper-parts of Per fa, towards the
Cafpian Sea,and all the Tartars, come to Tauris, and from Tauris to Aleppo, from which
Phce, the great Caravans, which take their progrefs through the Defarts, fee forth,
jtod bring the Pilgrims to Mecha. Some take the way of Babylon, but very feldom.
01a his Subjefts to cake that Rode, thinking himfelf not inferiour to the Tmh.
- ( N 2. )
Some