'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.' [‎79] (750/1024)

Cities of Indoftan.
Amongft thefe Houfes I have been fpeaking of, that are tolerable, there is alfo a pro
digious riumber of other fmall ones, that are only made up of Earth and Strata, where
all the (imple Cavaliers, and their Servants, and all thofe little people of the Market,
that follow the Court and the Army are lodged.
It is from thefe thatched Houfes that t>ebli is fo fubjedi: to Fires. This Jail: year there
were burnt above fixty thoufand fuch, at two or three times that they took Fire, when
there blew certain impetuous Winds, that rife chiefly in Summer. The Fire was fo
quick and fo violent, that it furprifed the Houfes, and matiy Horfes alfo that could not
be time enough loofened > and there were even fomeof thefe poor Women burnt, that
never had been out of t\\z Seraglio, and that are fo weak and ftlamefaced when they fee
people) that they know nothingelfe but to hide their Faces.
And it is upon the account of thefe pitiful Houfes of Earth and Straw, that I look upon
f)ehli almoft no otherwife than as many Villages joyned together, and ( which I have
already faid in another place ) as a Camp of an Army, a little better and more commo-
dioufly placed, than in the Field.
As to the Houfes of thcOmrahsi that are alfo up and down in this City, and princi
pally upon the River, and even in the Suburbs: You are to know that in thefe hot
Countries, to entitle an Houfe to the name of Good and Fair, it is required itfhould be
commodious, feated in a Place well aired, and capable to receive the Wind from all
fides, and principally from the North) having Courts, Gardens, Trees, Confervatbries,
and little jets of Waters in the Halls, or at leafl at the Entry > furnilhed alfo with good
Cellars with great Flaps to tfh the Air, for repofing in the frefti Air from twelve till
four or five of the Clock, when the Air of thefe Cellars begins to be hot and fluffing: or
having in lieu of Cellarage certain that is, little Houfes of Straw, or rathet
of odoriferous Roots, thatare very neatly made, and commonly placed in the midfl of a
Vamm near fome Confervatory, that fo the Servants may eafily, with their Pompion-
bottles, water them from without. Moreover it is required for the beauty of an Houfe,
that it be feated in the midfl: of fome great Parterre, that it have four great Divans or
Ways raifed from the ground to the height of a man, or thereabout, and expofed to the
four Parts of the World, to receive the Wind and the Cold from all the Parts it may
come from. Laflly, it is requifite fdr a good Houfe to have raifed Terrajfes, to fleep up-
oivin the night, fuch as are of the fame Floor with fome great Chamber, to draw in
ones Bed-ftead upon occafion *, that is to fay, when there comes fome Tempeft ol Rain
or Duft, or when that roufing freflinefs of the break of day awakens you, and obliges
vou to look for a Covering: or elfe when you apprehend that fmall and light Dew ol the
morning, which pierceth, and caufeth fometimes benumming and paralitical Symptoms
ip the Limbs.
As to the interior part of an Houfe, it is requifite that the whole Floor be covered
with a matterefs of Cotton four inches thick, covered with a white fine linnen Sheet
during Summer, and with apiece of filk Tapeftry in Winter : That in the mofleonfpi-
cuous part of the Chamber, near the Wall, there be one or two cotton Quilts, with
fine flowered Coverings, and fet about with fmall and fine embroidery of Silk,wrought
with Gold and Silver, for the Mafler of the Houfe, or Perfons of Quajty coming in, to
fit upon i and that every Quilt have its crofs Board, purfled with God, to lean upon :
that roundabout the Chamber, along the Walls, there befeveral of thefe crofs Boards,
as I juft now mentioned, handfomly covered with Velvet or flowred Sattin, for By-
flanders alfo to lean upon. The Walls five or fix foot from the Floor, muft be almoft
all with Niches, or little Windows, cut in an hundred different manners, orfhapes, ve
ry fine, well meafured and proportioned to one another, with fome porcelain Veflels
and Flower-pots in them > and the Ground muft be painted and guilded, yet without
any figure of Man or Beaft, their Religion not allowing thereof.
This is as near as I know, the Idea of a handfom and convenient Houfe in thefe
Parts: And as there is a good number of them inVehli, that have all thefe Qualities
mentioned, or at leaft in part, accorditig to which they are more or lefs fair and gal
lant: I believe one may fay, without any injury toourTowns, that Vehli is not with
out Houfes thatare truly handfom, although they be not like ours in Europe.
Concerning the Appearance and Riches of the Shops, ( which is the thing that com
tributeth molt to the beauty of our Towns in Europe) although Debli he the Seat of a ve-
*y potent and magnificent Court, and confequently the refort of infinite quantities and
varieties of rich Wares > yet we are not to imagine, that you (hall find there our Streets
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