'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.' [‎76] (747/1024)

7 6
I , • l.
Monfieur deh M 0 T H E k VAT E R,
WRITTEN
At D E H LI, fVLr u i
C O N T A IN I N G
The 'Defcription of DEHLI and AGRA , and divers (particu
lars difcovering the Court and Genius of the Nlogols md
Indians.
SIR,
Know that one of the firft Queftions you are like to ask me, at my return in
France, will be. Whether Debit and Agra are Cities as fair and large, and as well
peopled as Farit. Concerning its Beauty, I ftiall tell you by way of Preface, that
1 have fometirties wonder’d to hear our Europeans, that are here, defpifing the
Towns of the Indies, as not coming near ours, in refpedt of the Edifices. Certainly
they ought not to refemble them i and if Paris, London, and Amfterdam, flood in the
place where Vehli is, the greateft part of them muft be thrown down, to build them
after another manner. Our Cities indeed have great Beauties and Embelliftiments, but
they are fuch that are proper to them, and accommodated to a coldClimat. Debit alfo
may have its Beauties peculiar to it, and futable to a very hot Climat: For you are to
know, that the heat here obligeth all People, even the great Lords, and the King him-
felf, to go without Stockings, in a kind of Slippers only, a fine and flight Turbant on
their Heads, and the other Garments accordingly i that there are months in the Sum
mer fo exceflively hot, that in the Chambers one can hardly hold ones hands againfl a
Wall, nor ones head on a Cufliion: And that People are oblig’d for the fpace of more
than fix months to lie without covering, at the door of their Chamber, as the Rabble
doth in the open Streets, or as the Merchants, and other People of feme Quality do, in
feme airy Hall or Garden, or upon fomeTerrafs well watered at Night: thence you
may judge, whether if there were fuch fireets as that of St. Jacques, or St. Denis, with
their Houfes Chut, and of fo many Stories high, they would be habitable ? And whether
in the Night, efpecially when the heats are without wind and fluffing, it would bepof-
fible to fleep there ? And who is there (I pray ) that would have a mind in Summer,
when he returns on Horfeback from the City half dead, and in a manner ftifled of the
heat and duft, and all in a Sweat, ( for fo it is ) to go climbing up an high pair of Stairs,
which often is narrow and dark, to a fourth or fifth Story, and to abide in this hot and.
fuffocating Air? On fuch occafions they defire nothing,but to throw down into the Sto
tnack a Pint of frefli Water, or Lemonade, to undrefs, to wafli the Face, Hands and
Feet, to lie down in fome cool and fhady place all along, having a Servant or two to
fan one by turns, with their great Panbat, or Fans. But, to leave this, we fliall now
endeavour to entertain you with the reprefentation of Vehli as it is, that fo you may
judge, whether it be truly faid, that it is a fair City.