fons of men might hence learn, that there is no true and perfect content to be found in any kingdom, but in that of Heaven: For while we are here, trouble and peace, mourning and joy, comfort and difcontent, come all of them by courfes and fucceffions, fo that there is no weeding up of thofe tares, no removing of those annoyances from the life of man.

And fo having observed what is truth, and what is enough to be faid of the inconveniencies and annoyances, as well as of the commodities and contentments which are to be found in those parts, I come now to speak of the people that inhabit there. And because many particulars will neceffarily fall within the compass of this part of my obfervations, which would more weary my reader if they should be presented unto him in one continued discourse, I shall therefore (as I have begun) break this into fections, and proceed to speak

SECTION V.

Of the Inhabitants of Eaft-India, who they are, of their most excellent Ingenuity expressed by their curious Manufactures, their Markets at Home to buy and fell in, and their Trade Abroad.

T

HE inhabitants in general of Indostan were all antiently Gentiles, called in general Hindoes, belonging to that very great

number

number of thofe which are called Heathens, which take up almoft two thirds of the number of the people who inhabit the face of the whole earth: But of this more hereafter. There are some Jews (but they are not many) here and there scattered and loft, as it were, in those other great numbers of people; the greatest company of Jews now to be found together in any one place of the world (as I have been made to believe from the obfervation of others) are to be seen at Grand Cairo, in Egypt, whither they are returned, and where fettled, to take their fill of their forefathers flesh-pots. For the inhabitants of Eaft-India, ever fince they were fubdued by Tamerlane, they have been mixed with Mahometans, which though they be by far in refpect of their number lefs than thofe Pagans, yet they bear all the fway, and command all in those countries.

There are befides thefe, now become as it were natives there, a great number of Perfians and Tartars, who are Mahometans by religion, that there inhabit, very many of which the Mogul keeps for foldiers to ferve on horseback, called there Haddees: There are of both these many daring, ftout, hardy, and valiant men. For the Perfians, there are of them many comely perfons, not fo fwarthy as those of Eaft-India. But for the Tartars I have there feen, and I have feen many of them, they are

more

more to be commended for their valour than beau ty, a square, ftout, ftrong people, having platter faces, and flat nofes. There are many Armenians and fome Abiffins amongst them, who wear the livery of Chrift, in being called Chriftians, the greatest part of whofe Christianity lies in their name. Those Armenians there make some wine to fell, of raifins, fugar, and other ingredients, that is ftrong, heady, and luscious, tafted too much by many Chriftians that come thither, as by thofe too that make it. Of the green grapes there, though they have abundance, and they great, fweet, and good, yet they make no wine at all. The Mahometans, in obedience to a precept of Mahomet's which forbids wine, neither make nor drink it, and others are not fuffered there to make it of thofe green grapes, for fear, as I fuppofe, they fhould make and drink too much of it.

To thofe I have named of other nations, (that are to be seen in Eaft-India) there are befides fome few almost of every people in Afia, and many Europeans of divers parts, (that ufe to ftir from their own fires) to be found amongst them; and among that great variety of people and nations there to be obferved, I have taken 'fpecial notice of divers Chinese and Japanese there, and those I have feen of them for the generality, are a people of no large ftature, with little eyes, and nofes fomething flatted, de tribus Capillis, with a few

black

black hairs that stand scattered on their upper lips, which make them as handsome beards as are to be seen on our hares or cats.

There are fome Jews here (as I before obferved) whofe ftubbornnefs and rebellion, long ago, caufed almighty God to threaten them, that they should be after fifted, and fcattered among all the nations of the world. So the prophet Jeremy fpeaks, Jer. xxiv. 9. that God would deliver them "to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their hurt, to be a reproach, and a proverb, and a taunt, and a curfe, in all places whither he shall drive them." And Jer. xlii. 18. they were threatened to be made "an execration and an aftonishment, &c." and fo after it came to pafs, for," there is no word of the Lord that hall fall to the ground unfulfilled." And fince thefe prophefies, that antient imprecation of their own, fpoken against themselves in derifion of our bleffed Saviour, Mat. xxvii. 25. "his blood be on us, and on our children," follows them clofe all the world over, they being every where strangers, but no where beloved; though they be a people that get wealth wherefoever they come, yet this frees them not from a proverb (as was long before prophefied) of contempt and reproach.

Those antient fatyrifts, Perfius and Juvenal, after that most horrid act committed by them in crucifying our bleffed Saviour, (though not in respect to that most cruel action, for

they

they were Heathens) yet they call htem Verpos, that is, circumcifed worms, vermin. Tacitus after gives them a moft unfavoury epithet, calling them fætentes Judæos, ftinking Jews. Marcus the Emperor obferving them well, concluded that they were a generation of men worse than favages or canibals, to be even the worst of men, as if they were the very refuse and dregs of mankind.

How ufual is that proverb, that when men are fufpected to do otherwife than they fhould, to answer, "what, am I a Jew, that I fhould do fo and fo?" I have obferved fomething to this purpose, from the people of East-India, who are very valiant at tongue- fights, though not fo with their weapons, (as you will hear afterward) that people I fay, who have a very nimble but a base quality in railing at and mifcalling one another, and their language is fo full and fignificant, that they can call a man in it two or three base things in one word; but when they come to call him whom they mifcall fudeo, Jew, they believe (as I have been often told) that they can go no higher, efteeming that, above all other terms, the highest name of obloquy.

Yet we do believe (becaufe the Lord hath promised it) that he will find a time to call home this people again to himself, when they fhall receive honour above all the contempt they have been long under, after they shall fee with forrow, and with the eye of faith, Him

whom