'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] (749/1024)

*
Dehli dnd Agra cafital
men are the Oracles, but rather the Affronters of the Vulgar, to whom they pretend to
give, for one Paytfa, that is, a penny, good Luck i and they are they, that looking up
on the Hands ana the Face, turning over their Books, and making a (hew of Calculati
on, determine the fortunate moment when a Bufinefs is to be begun to make it fuccefs-
fuL The mean Women, wrapt up in a white Sheet from Head to Foot, come to find
them out, telling them in their Ear their moff fecret Concerns, as if they were their
Confeffors, and ( which fmells very flrongly of Stupidity and Folly ) entreat them to
render the Stars propitious to them fuitable to their Defigns > as if they could abfolutely
difpofe of their Influences.
The mofl ridiculous of all thefe Aflrologers, in my opinion, was that mongrel Fom*
guefe, fugitive from Goa, who fate in that Place with much Gravity upon his piece otTa-
peflry, like the refl, and had a great deal of Cuftom, though he could neither write nor
read, and asfor Inftruments and Books, was furnilhed with nothing elfe but an old Sea-
Compafs, and an old Komijh Prayer-Book in the Portu^uefe Language, of which he
(hewed the Pidures for Figures of the Zodiack: AtalBejtias, tal Ajlrologuo : For (uch
Beads, fuch Aflrologer, faid he to the Reverend Father Faze, a Jefuit, who met him
in that Place.
I here fpeak only of the pitiful Aflrologers of the Bazar *, for there are others in thefe
Parts, that are in the Courts of the Grandees, and are confidered as great Clerks, and
are very rich j whole Afia being overfpread with thisSuperftition. The Kings and the
great Lords, who would not undertake the lead: things without confulting them, allow
them great Salaries, that they may read to them what is written in the Heavens, ( for
fo they fpeak here ) and take out for them that fortunate moment, I waS lately fpeaking
of j or find out, at the opening of the Alcoran^ the decihon of all their Doubts.
To return j thefe two principal Streets, which I faid do anfwer to the two Gates of
the Fortrefs, and to the Place, may have twenty five or thirty common paces in breadth,
and they run in a flreight line as far as you are able to fee : Yet that which leads to the
Gate of Labor, is much longer than the other j but they are both alike as to the Houfes.
There is on both Gdes nothing but Arches, as in our Place Royal j yet with this diffe
rence, that they are but of Bricks, and that there is not any Building upon them, but
only theTerrafs. There is alfo this difference, that they are not continued Galleries.
Thefe Arches are generally fevered by Rails that make Shops which are not to be (hut,
where Tradef-men work in the day, where Bankers fit for their Bufinefs, and where
Merchants fet out their Wares, which at night they lock up in a Magazin, the little
Door of which, to be (hut, is in the bottom of every Arch.
It is upon this Magazin, which is in the back-part of the Arches, that the Houfes of
Merchants are built and raided, which make a Shew good enough towards the Street,
and are alfo pretty convenient, being well aired, out of the way of the duft, and ha
ving for their floor the terraffes of the Arches, upon which they can walk to look out
upon the Street, and to deep at night in frefco. But excepting thefe Houfes of the chief
Streets, and a few others, there are not many of thefe fair Houfes, that are thus raided
upon Terraffes •, nor are even thefe two Streets univerfally furnilht with them, there be
ing mofily upon the Magazin, or on the fide, nothing but a fmall Building, not feen
from the Street, the great Merchants having their Houfes fomewhere elfe, whither they
retire at night.
Befides thefe principal Streets, there are yet five others, which indeed are not fo
long nor fo flreight, but for the reft are altogether like them. There are alfo a great
many other Streets eroding thofe on all fides, whereof there are alfo dome furniflit witn
Arches > but becaufe they have been built piece-meal by fuch particular perfons, as have
not obferved the Symmetry that was requifite, they are, for the moft part, neither fo
large nor fo (freight, nor fo well built as the others.
Amongft all thefe Streets are fpread every where the Houfes of the Manfebdarr^ or
little Omrabs, and thofe of the men of the Law, as alfo of many great Merchants, and
other private men j of which there is a good number that are paffable. It is true, there
are but few that are all of Brick or Stone, and there is even a good number of thefe, that
are made all of Earth only, and thatched > but for all that, they are convenient, becaufe
they are generally airy, being furniftied with Courts and Gardens. Nor are they dif* -
greeable within, forafmuchas befides the fine moveables, thefe thatched Coverings are
fupported by a layer of certain long Canes, that are hard and ftrong, and very pretty,
and becaufe alfo thek earthen Walls are plaftered over with very fine and very white
Chalk. . ^ongft