'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.' [‎103] (774/1024)

Gentiles of Indoftarii
God alone knows whether there be any truth in it, and whether in this foiitude and
fading the imagination debilitated, may not fuffer it felf to be carried away into thef-
r'dTV „° r u Wh l th rn h J ey bC ‘ hat k ‘ nd of natural R^Ptures, into which Cardan
faid he fell when he lifted i and this the rather, becaufe 1 fee, there is ufed fome Art
in what they do, forafmuch as they prefcnbe to themfelves certain Rules by little and
little to bind up their Senfes,: For they fay, for Example, that after they have faded
many days uhng nothing but Bread and Water, ’tis requifite hrd to keep themfelves
alone retired from all company^ direding the Eyes fkadily towards Heaven for a while
then gently cadmg them down again, and then fixing them both foas to look atone’
and the fame time upon the tip of their Nofe equally, and as much on one fide as the
other Twhich is troublefome enough) and remaining firm and intent in that podure
until fuch a Light do come, Whatever the matter be, I know, that thefe Raptures’
and thefe ways of falling into them, make the great Mydery of the Cabala of fauauvs
as ihzSoufis&a alfo. I call it Mylhry, becaufe they keep it very fecret amongd them \
and if it had not been for this Tendet or Indian Do&or, ts> whom Vanecbmend-kan zzve
a Penfion, and who durd hide nothing from him j and if alfo Vanecbme 'nd-kan had not
known the Myderies of theC^/^ of the I diould not havedifeover'd fo much
of it. I know befides, that as for the extremity of Poverty, of Fadings and Auderi-
ties, that alfo can do much to it. We mud not think (or I am much deceived^ that
any of our Religious Fryars or Eremites go in this point beyond thofe Men, nor gene
rally beyond all the Afiatick Monks i witnefs the Life and Fadings of the Armenians*
Copthtbes^ Greeks, Neftorians^ Jacobites^ and Maronites. We mud rather avow, that we
are but Novices, when compared with thofe Religious Men: But then we mud alfo
acknowledge, according to what I have experimented, in refped: of thofe of the Indies^
that they can much more eafily bear hunger than we can in our colder Climates.
There are others very differing from thofe, but very drange Men like wife * they are
almod perpetually travelling up and down, they deride all, take care of nothing, Men
that brag of fecrets, and who, as the people fay, know no lefs than to make Gold,
and fo admirably to pepare that a grain or two of it taken every morning re-
doreth the body to perfect health, and fo drengthens the Stomach, that it feeds gree
dily *and digeds with eafe. This is not all : When two of thefe Jauguis, that are emi
nent, do meet, and you dir them up in the point and power of their knowledge or
Jtmguifme, you (hall fee them do fuch tricks out of fpight to one onother, that I khow
not whether Simon Magus could have out-done them. For they divine what one think-
eth, make the Branch of a Tree bloflbme and bear fruit mlefs than an hour, hatch Eggs
in their bofome in lefs than half a quarter of an hour, and bring forth fuch Birds as
you demand, which they make fly about the Chamber, and many fuch other prodigies.
1 mean, if what is faid of them be true i for I remember, that one day my Agahfent for
one of thefe famous Diviners, and when he was come, agreed with him to give him the
next day 300 Rcupies, which is about 150 Crowns, if helhouldtellhim, as he faid he
would, his prefent thought, which he was to write before him upon a paper : As alfo,
that I my felf made a bargain with the fame,to give him 25 Roupies, if he fliould ^mne
mine * but the Prophet failed us, as alfo did at another time one of thofe pretended
producers of Birds, to whom I had alfo promifed 20 Roupies. I am ftill to be under
flood, if it be true what is faid of them. For, as for me, 1 atrrwith all my curiofity
Hone of thofe happy Men, that are prefent at, and fee thofe great feats i and if I fliould
chance to fee any of fuch things as are thought ftrange, lam always confidering and
Peeking, whether the thing may not be done by fome Juggle, Art, or Trick of Leger
demain ; and I am fometimes even fo unhappy, or, if you will, fo fortunate, as to
find out the cheat, as I did him, that made a Cup run, to difeover who it was, that had
fiolen money from my Agah.
Laflly, there are fome in many places, that are quite of another way than all thofe I
have dilcourfed of. Their Life and their Devotion is more meek and more poliflit * they
go over thefireets bare-foot and bare-headed, girt about with a S^arfe hanging down
to their Knees, and having a white Sheet which pafleth under their right Arm, and
comes out over their left Shoulder like a Cloak, without other Cloaths under it. They
are always very clean and neat in all things, and commonly go two and two together
with great modefty, holding in their Hand a fmall Earthen Trevet with two handles,
very neat. They do not go goflfiping from Shop to Shop, as many of the other Fakires
do. They go freely every wherfe into the Houfes of the Gentiles, where they are wel-