'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.' [‎99] (770/1024)

Cities of Indoftan.
about the dead Corps, and the Widow in her loofe hair, looki ng pale, yet with dry
and fparkling Eyes, fitting and crying alfo aloud, and beating her Hands, as the re/l
with a kind of Cadency, upon the Feet of her Husband. The out-cry and rioife being
ended, I approach’d to this Company of people, and addreffing my felf to the Widov^
I gave her foftly to underftand, that I came from Vanecbmend-kgn i that he had appointed
a monthly Penfion of two Crowns, to each of her two Sons, but on condition that flie
fhould not burn her felf, to the end, that fire might take care of them, and breed them
up as was fit i that elfe we knew ways enow to hinder her from burning her felf, if (he
were obfiinate for it,and to make thofe repent,that fhould allure and incite her to fuch an
unreafonable refolution, efpecially fince none of her Kindred was fatisfied with it, and
that fhe would not be counted infamous, as thofe are that want the refolution to 5 burn
themfelves after the death of their Husbands, when they have no Children. I often
inculcated to her all thefe confiderations, without hearing a word of anfwer from her 5
though atlaft fhe faid, looking fiercely upon me : Well, if I am hindred to burn my {elf,
v 1 am refolved to break my head againft the Wall. Then faid 1 by my felf j What Di
abolical fury doth poffefs thee ? And ftfher l artfwer’d, full of indignation: Then take*
thy Children, thou unhappy Creature, and ait their Throats, and burn them with thee £
for they will be llarved, I being ndW ready t6 return to '&anecbmend-hgn> and to annuli
their Penfion. Thefe words beiifg fpoken by me, with the loudeft and moft menacing
tone 1 could, made impreffion upbrfthe fpifif of this Woman, and upon that of all the af-
fiftants : She prefently, without any reparty, let her Head (ink down upon her knees,
and mod of die old Women and Bracbmans went away. Whereupon her Relations, that
were come with me, entred and parlied with her. And I, thinking l had done enough,
took Horfe, and came away to my Lodgings, fuppofing they would do the reft well enough!
In fhort, about evening, when I was going to give an account to my Jgab of what I
had done, I met with her Parents, who thank’d me, and faid, that the dead Corps had
been burnt, and the Widow perfwaded to remain alive.
Concerning the Women that have adually burn’d themfelves,! have fo often been
prefent at fuch dreadful fpedfacles, that at length I could endure no more to fee it,
and I retain ftillfome honour when I think on’f. Yet I (hall reprefent to you fome of
them, but pretend not to exprefs to fhe life, with what courage and refolution thefe
poor Women atchieved fuch a direful Tragedy j for there is nothing but the Eye it felf
that can exhibit a right idea thereof.
When I was pafifing from Atnadevadto Agranovct the Lands of the Rajasjhzt are in
thofe parts, there dtme news to us in a Burrough, where the Caravane refted under
the {hade ( ftaying for the cool of the evening,* to march on in their journey) thafa
certain Woman was then upon the point of burning her felf with the Body of her Huf-
band. I prefently rofe and ran to the place where it was to be done, which was a
great Pit, with a Pile of wood railed in it, whereon I faw laid a dead Corps, and a
Woman, which at a diftance feem’d to me pretty fair, fitting near it on the fame Pile j
befides four or five Brachmans , putting the Fire to it from all fides * five Women
of a middle age, and well enough dretfed, holding one another by the Hand, and dan
cing about the Pit, and a great Crowd of People, Men and Women, looking on. The
Pile of Wood was prefently all on fire, becaufe ftore of Oyl and Butter had been thrown
upon it, and I faw at the fame time through the flames, that the Fire took hold of the
Cloaths of the Woman, that were imbued with well-fented Oyls mingled with Powder
of Santa! and Saffron. All this I faw , but obferved not, that the Woman was
at all difturbed \ yea , it was faid, that fhe Had been heard to pronounce with great
force thefe two words, Five,. ‘Two, to fignifie, according to the Opinion of thofe that
hold the SoulsTranfmigration, that this was the ^tb. time fhe had burnt her felf with the
fame Husband, and that there remain’d but two times for perfection 5 as if fhe had at that
time this Remembrance, or fome Prophetical Spirit. But here ended not this Infernal
Tragedy : I thought it was only by way of ceremony, that thefe five Women fung and
danced about the Pit *, but I was altogether furprifed, when I faw, that the flame having
taken hold of the cloaths of one of them, fhe caft her felf with her Head foremoft into
the Pit, and that, after her, another, being overcome by the flame andfmoak did the
like: And my aftonifhment redoubled afterwards, when I faw, that the remaining
three took one another again by the Hand, continued their dance without any apparent
fear, and that at length they precipitated themfelves, one after another into the fire, as
their companions had done. It troubled me fufficiently, that I knew not what that
\ meant >