'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.' [‎134] (175/1024)

The Persian Travels Book Hi,
them, they fetch out.tfteir dri’dOheefe, which they tall Korirm, and breakingH
into little Bits, eat it with freih Butter. At their Feafts they fometimes kill old
Sheep, fometimes old Goats. But for their Horfes they never kill them but at the
Funerals of their Kindred, at the Birth of a Child, or at their Marriage-Feafts, or
laftly, when their Friends return laden with Spoil from any incurfion, and arefior’d
with Slaves. They never drink any thing but Mares-Milk or Cows-Milk, and when
they can get neither, they will endure thirft for three or four days together before
they will drink water, being always grip’d with a terrible Colick when they drink
it. They never eat any Salt, being of an opinion that it is naught for the Eyes,
They live long, and are very ftrong, and feldom fick j nor do they refufe any Diet
but Swines-fie(h.
Their Countrey is very level-, only for fome few Hills in fome places. They
have great Bore of Paflure-grounds, and every Tribe has their peculiar Wells to
water their Cattle. In the Winter they lodge upon the banks of great Rivers, near
to Woods an,d Marifhes, fuffering their Herds to feed at liberty. When the Snow
is very deep, the Cattel ferape it away with their feet to come at the Grafs,
though they meet with very little elfe but Reeds and Bufhes. In the mean whilethe
men cut down the Woods, make great Fires, and employ themfelves in Filhing.
There are fome parts of thefe Rivers where the leaft Fifb they take is about four or
five foot longy and fome there are above ten or twelve foot in length. Some they
dry in the wind, and preferve againft'Summerfome they fmoke in holes which they
make in the Earth: As for the imaller fort, they boil them, and eat them without
Salt or any other feafoning. When they have eafn their Fifli, they fcoop up a large
wooden Ladel full of the Fifh-water and gulp it down. As for Bread, there is no
talk of it in their Countrey.
When they are not at Wars, or are but newly tetum’d from any Incurhon,
they fpend their time in Hunting, but cannot endure any other Hounds except
Greyhounds: So that he muft be a very poor Tartar indeed that do’s not keep
a Greyhound. Take notice however by the by, that thefe petty concerning
whom I have laft difeours’d, are certain people adjoyning to Comaniay which the
Titrks-> Perfians and Mengnlians call Nogates who may be well reckon’d among the
number of the petty Tartars^ in regard they are all under one Prince, whom the
Grand Signor appoints King over all Petty Tart ary > and who receives his inveftituie
at Conftantinople,
Thefe Tartars are zW'Mahumetans. Nor have they any Phyfician among themi
making uie only of certain Simples of which they have a traditional knowledge.
When the fik perfon lies in any extremity, they fend for a Moullah, who comes with
the Alcoran^ which he opens and (huts three times, faying certain Prayers, and lay
ing it upon the fick perfon’s face. If by chance the fick perfon recover, they at
tribute his recovery to the §an&i(y of the Alcoran^ and prefent the Moullah with
a Sheep or a Goat: If he di>, all his Kindred meet and carry him to the Grave with
great Tefiimonies ofSadnefs, crying continually Alla^ Alla. When he is intend,
the Moullah muttexs certain Prayers ov’r the Grave, and is paid for his pains accord
ing to the wealth of the Heirs. For the poor he generally fpends three days and three
nights in that exercife for the riclr he as ufually fpends a Month, never flirring all
the while from the Grave *, and fpmetimes fev’n or eight.
When any one of them is woubded, they ufe no other Salve but only boil’d Flefli,
which they apply hot to the wound. If the wound be deep, they thruft in a piece
of Fat as hot as the wound can endure it* and if the perfon be able to kill a Horfe,
the wound is cur’d fo much the fooner i for the Flelh and Fat of a Horfe are much
more medidnable than the Flefh of any other Creature.
Were it not the Cuftom of the Tartars to buy their Wives when they marry, there
would be fewer Whores. But in regard there are an abundance of poor young men
that have not wherewithal to buy Wives, they never marry at all. This is that which
makes fo many Souldiers among them, and emboldens ’em to invade their Neigh
bors, and to get fomething whereby they may be enabl’d to buy them a Wife. For
the Virgins they are nev’r to be defil’d, being always (hut up in their waggons : But
for the women they are oft’n debauch’d, appointing their private Meetings, when
they go to fetch water for their Cattel, when their Husbands are a-hunting, or look
ing after their Herds. Nor is it a hard thing to conceal it from their Husbands, i 11
regard the Tartars are not in the lead prone to Jealoufie. ^