the air upon them with flabellas, or fans, of stiffened leather, which keep off the flies from annoying them, and cool them as they lie. Thus taking their ease, they call for barbers, who very gently gripe their arms and fhoulders, and other parts they can in any meafure grafp, and they strike likewife very foftly thofe parts with the fides of their hands; it is very pleafing as they do it, and caufeth their blood to ftir in their veins; it is therefore very much used in thofe parts, to fuch as do not heat their blood by bodily motion.

For their pastimes within doors, they have gards, but much different from ours in the figures made in them, and in their greater number of fuits. Thofe cards I have often feen; and have been more often told that they have very good fkill in that moft innocent and ingenious game we call chefs.

They delight themfelves fometimes with the company of mountebanks and jaglets; for their mountebanks, they keep venomous fhakes in baskets, and will fuffer theinfelves to be bitten or ftung by them which part thus bit-ten, or ftung, prefently fwells, and immediately after that they cure themfelves again by oils and powders, which they apply unto the place, and then offer to fell them unto the people ftanding by.

Their juglers are the cunningeft that ever I faw, to do ftrange things by flight of hand; we in this trick I fhall here name; where I have

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obferved them to lay down fcuttles or broad open wicker baskets upon the ground, three or four one upon another, all of which appeared empty, as they laid them down, but taking them up again, one after the other, in the bottom of them would appear three or four. living turtle doves; which they would cover again with the fame fcuttles, and toffing and turning them as they took them off, and up the second time, none of those pretty creatures were to be feen any more. But how they firft conveyed them thither, and how after thence, we could not poffibly difcover.

For their pastimes abroad, they have hawks of divers kinds, greater and lefs, and part tridges and other choice fowl great fere to fly at. They have hares and antelopes, with other wild beafts to hunt, and thofe not a few. Their dogs for chafe are made fomewhat like oat grey-hounds, but much lefs, who never open in the pursuit of the game. They hunt likewife with leopards, train'd up and made fit for their sport, who by leaping feize on that they parfue; but by reafon of the heat of the coun try, thofe ports are not there much used. The Mogul when he hunts carries hawks and dogs, and all things befide with him, to make him pastime, that if one sport fail, he may be pleased with another.

They fay, that they have a curious device to take wild fowls that use the water, into

which a fellow goes with a fowl of that kind he defires to catch, whose skin is stuffed so artificially, as that with a noise he counterfeits of that fowl, it appears to be alive; the man keeps all his body but head under water, on which he faftens that counterfeit fowl to stand foreright on the top thereof; and thus coming amongst them, he plucks them (as they fay) by their legs under water at his pleasure. But this I have only by tradition.

For other paftimes abroad, this I am fure of, that when the weather is more temperate, they shoot much in their bows, and are very excellent markfmen, fomewhat like thofe lefthanded men spoken of Judg. xx. 16. And with their guns in which they shoot single bullets, (for they have not the use of small shot) they are somewhat long in taking their aim, but they will come very near the mark.

Others delight themselves very much in managing their excellent horfes; but fo fhall I not delight my reader, if I dwell too long in particulars. And therefore having spoken of their buildings, I shall now invite him, though not to eat or tafte, yet to take notice,

SECTION

SECTION X.

Of their Diet, their Cookery in dreffing it, &c.

A

ND though this country affords very much variety of excellent good provifions, yet the Mahometans feed not freely on any flesh But on that which is ftrange and forbidden of the Hindooes diet I shall speak afterwards; but for the Mahometans, they are à people, as I conceive, not much given to their palate, but are very careful of, and temperate in their diet, as having learn'd by experience, that full bellies do more opprefs than ftrengthen the body; that too much of the creature doth not comfort, but deftroy nature; it being a try'd truth, that gluttony reacheth, and kills thofe whom the fword cannot touch. All difeafes of the body, for the most part, being contracted to it by furfeits; in one kind or other, and therefore they keep themselves to a thin diet, and eat not to pamper and pleafe their appetite, but to fatisfy and fupport nature, which is contented with a little every where, but with lefs in hot countries, where mens digeftion of food is not fo quick and good; this being further a tried truth, that those bodies are most strong, active, and healthy, which are most temperate.

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Therefore, although they have abundance of flesh and fowl, and have fish too, yet are they temperate in all of them. For fwine's flesh, it is an abomination unto the Mahometans, and therefore they touch it not. And for other kind of flesh, they eat very little of them alone, to make their full meals of them, for they drefs no kind of flesh in great pieces, or whole joints, nor scarce any of their fowls whole,

For boiling of flesh in water, or baking or roafting any flesh, are pieces of cookery (if I obferved well) they know not, but they ftew all their flesh, as their kid and other venifon, &c. cut into fippets, flices, or little parts, to which they put onions, herbs, roots, and ginger, (which they take there green out of the earth) and other fpices, together with fome butter, which ingredients when they are well proportioned, make a food that is exceedingly pleafing to all palates, at their first tasting thereof moft favoury meat; happily that very dish which Jacob made for his father Ifaac, when he got the bleffing, Gen. 27.

With their flesh and herbs, &c. they sometimes stew hens and other fowl cut in pieces, which is like that the Spaniards call an Olio, but more toothfome.

But their common standing dish there is rice, which they boil with more art than wea for they boil the grain fo as that it is full, plump, and tender, but not broken in boiling;

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