carried in the Womb who provided such convenient Food and innocent Diversions such pleasing Entertainments of their Senses and Fancy for the Teeming Women at that time that the Minds of the Children might participate thereby of those Delights might be chearful and serene and free from all dismal Impressions from their Parent and so their Lives afterwards might be composed and exempt from all anxious Thoughts from all turbulent Desires and vexatious Agonies of Spirit And from hence I will proceed to one of the last things I shall take notice of concerning the Bannians and that is their Burials As every Man 's coming into the World necessarily infers his going out of it and consequently a Separation of Body and Soul all the World therefore seems much concern'd what will become after Death of that other part of themselves in the Sepulture of their Bodies Five ways of disposing of the Dead And as there have been five ways of disposing of the Dead one to put them into the Ground another to cast them into the Water the third to leave them in the open Air the fourth to burn them the fifth to suffer them to be devoured by Beasts So of these Five two have principally obtain'd in the World that of committing their Bodies to the Earth and the other The Bannians burn the dead Bodies near the Water-side to the Flames The last of these is made choice of by the Bannians who carry their dead Bodies to a Pile of Wood near the Water-side not far from Suratt which is presently kindled after the Corps is laid upon it and when the Flame has reduced it to Ashes the Remains are thrown into the River They likewise if they are able Fragrant Wood burntt with the Corps burn some fragrant Wood of great Value with the Corps to sweeten the Air and mix its Perfumes with the black Exhalations Burning more honourable than burying And were it not for the Tyranny of Custom it seems more Honourable to have our Bodies consum'd by that lively Element than to have them devour'd by Worms and Putrefaction whereof Fire being an Enemy and the Emblem and most sensible Hieroglyphick of Immortality there can be no better Expedient to secure our Friends from Oblivion than that of burning their Bodies whereof we have either the Bones or Ashes Left which may be preserved whole Ages The several Nations of the World had Customs of their own Custom a second Nature which commencing upon uncertain Principles have been deriv'd to their Posterity and receiv'd with a Religious Fancy and they would rather die than do an Act of Violence to them and believ'd it the greatest Impiety in the World to break them Whereof Herodotus gives a full Instance in a Trial made by Darius to the Indians and Greeks He askt the Greeks what they would take to do as the Indians did who eat their dead Parents and Friends and accounted it the most honourable Burial They answered They would not do it at any Price And when he askt the Indians upon what Account they would be induced to burn the Bodies of their Fathers and not to eat them They desired him not to speak to them of any such horrid Impiety as to burn their Fathers Carkasses and to deny them the Honour of a Natural Burial in the Bowels of their dear Children This shews how Custom is the Spirit and Genius of a Man's Actions and introduces a Nature and Religion it self and were the Prejudice of that remov'd other civiliz'd Nations might doubtless be as zealous for burning their dead Friends as the Bannians are now-a-days Four ways of disposing of their Dead among the Siamese The Four Elements were formerly worshipped by the ancient Siamese who committed their Bodies when dead to what they ador'd when they were alive He therefore that worshipped the Earth made choice of that for his Interrment the Fire consum'd the Corps of its Adorers the Worshippers of the Air were expos'd to the Birds to devour them and those that reverenced the Element of Water were drowned in it at their Burial This Care of Mens Bodies after Death seems natural to Mankind All Nations take care of their Dead and almost universal which Osiris King of Egypt taking notice of made use of as an Encouragement to Vertue and an Argument for the practice of Morality among his People Those whose Vertues were Illustrious and whose Characters were unblemisht were appointed by him to be buried in Beautiful Fields near Memphis verdant with all manner of Flowers whilst the others were assign'd to places of Punishment and Ignominy whose lives had been Dissolute and Vicious The Gentiles of India The Corps Burnt sometimes before 't is quite dead as it they were weary of their Friends when alive and loath to harbour them when dead burn the Body sometimes before it is quite dead and when they think it past recovery A Bannian who was Broker to the English was thus hurried away to the burning Place as he was just expiring but being happily met by the English Surgeon who felt his Pulse and gave some hopes of Recovery some kinder Friend among the rest disswaded the Company from proceeding and in a little time by the application of a few Cordials he was recover'd to his Health and by that Miraculous chance evaded an untimely end The Corps is carried upon a Bier The manner of carrying the Dead to be Burnt according to the Custom of the Moors attended by Friends and Relations who as they pass along the Road are incessantly repeating Ram Ram that is in their Language God! God! For Ram they say was formerly the name of a mighty Prince among them and is now invoked by them as if he were God or the name translated to the Almighty Shaving the Hair a token of deep mourning If a Rajah dies his Subjects and Dependants cut off all their Beards and shave their Heads as tokens of the deepest Mourning for his Decease which is such a solemn sign of Grief and extraordinary Sorrow that this nakedness and want of Nature's Covering and Ornament of the Head and Face is never shown but for a Prince a Parent or some nearest Relation Funeral expences costly Upon the Death of any Friend the Bannians are not sparing of their Cost but spend profusely in Banqueting and Feasts which are kept publickly for the two or three days following then they observe upon the same account the Twelfth the Twentieth the Thirtieth and the Fortieth besides once each Quarter of the succeeding Year ' til the Annual Solemnity returns And he who at these times is parsimonious and endeavours to contract his Expences is accounted if he be a Man of Wealth the most sordid Miser in the World The Impious Opinion which the Indians formerly entertain'd The Reason which the Indians had for burning themselves of having a power over their own Lives as they were Masters of themselves caus'd many of
the Sea repeating their Exclamations Our Padres Our Padres A sudden Joy sprung up in the Faces of the Priests upon the sight of our English Merchants from whom they assured themselves of some Relief and Release from the Confinement they were under and with sorrowful Accents represented to them the unhappy Minute they set forward for Tunchal but withal the Hopes they had that their coming on Board would prove favourable to their Misfortune The Commander who heard all this and reflecting upon the extreme Inconvenience attending the English upon this occasion resolved to send them all on Shore to remove that Disturbance which he saw was otherwise unavoidable for he thought the Priests would be as useless to him at Sea as they commonly are at Land and a Burthen to either Element The Priests dismiss'd and so dismiss'd them all to their great Satisfaction After this we stood off from Shore fill'd our Sails and without any Ceremonious Adieu either to the Governour or the Fort we left the Island For 't is easier to depart than to be admitted into the Harbour All Ships examin'd that come to the Harbour Because when any Ship arrives there two or three of the Inquisitors who wear the Sacred Garb are sent to examine it about any Sickness or other Objection which might hinder the Liberty of Traffick and not suffering any Sailer's setting his Foot on Shore till they pronounce the Ship healthful By a kind Providence our speedy sailing that Day did occasion a greater Deliverance to us from the French Our escaping two French Men of War than what the Abbot and Vicar had from us Within Forty Hours after our Departure two French Men of War of good Force arrived in the same Port who no sooner dropt their Anchor but they weighed again in Chace of our Ship and shaped their Course directly towards the Canaries where some gave out we were design'd But leaving the Island Palmo on the East we steer'd directly to St. Jago a Capital Island of Cape Verde whereby we happily defeated their pursuit Our Departure from Madeira So the Cerne Atlantica as the Ancients called it being in a fortunate Minute left by us we arrived with Safety at this Port. In our way we were entertain'd with an unusual prospect which to fresh Navigators was very divertive Flying Fish which was several winged Fish which took Flight in the Air while their Finns were moist but dropt into the Ocean as soon as they grew dry and thereby unactive Their Wings are always spread while they move in the Air where they sometimes sustain themselves the space of a Furlong When they drop into the Ocean the watchful Dolphins are generally ready to devour them whose Swiftness in the Water equals almost the Flight of the others in the Air. And as timorous Animals at Land seek for Shelter from Men when they find themselves in apparent Danger from a merciless Persecutor so the Flying Fish will betake themselves to our Ships and fall upon our Decks and Shrouds upon a hot pursuit of the destructive Dolphin Here likewise we were affrighted with a Turnado which A Turnado without Care and speedy handing of our Sails might have endanger'd our Ship It came suddenly without any previous signs of its approach till a quarter of an hour before it came 'T is a violent surprizing Storm of Rain and Wind and that which adds to render it more formidable is its unexpected Rise at such times as the Weather is sedate and temperate but its precipitant Motion renders it less tedious being as soon a dying as it is short in it's Growth and Increase THE ISLAND OF St. JAGO THE Islands of Cape Verde are distant from the Main of Africa 150 Leagues they extend themselves in a Body from 13½ unto the 19th in Latitude Ten of these Islands are considerable tho' not inhabited and are rang'd in Form of a Crescent of which the Convex Part regards the Continent and the Two points the Ocean St. Jago The Night before we came to an Anchor we espied this Island of St. Jago which is the greatest and principal of all the Isles of Cape Verde and is dignify'd with a Bishop's Seat in a City of the same Name They borrow their Appellation of Cape Verde from the Cape or Prominence of Land in Africa which is the nearest Main Land to them from whence several Africans come here to inhabit These by the Ancients were call'd Gorgades and Hesperides who feigned the Orchards with Golden Apples which were kept by a Dragon were placed here In this Island are various Ports It s Chief Port. the most noted of which we anchor'd in named Praya where by the Blessing of Heaven we escaped an eminent Danger The Danger which we escap'd which arose from a violent Storm in the Night-time and was so outragious that the Ship dragg'd her Anchor and our Ruine had been inevitable had it been much fiercer because we rid so near St. Jago which was on one side and Hay Island which lay on the other The Island at our approaching it lookt very desolate and naked It s Barrenness without any apparent Verdure either of Grass or Leaves And the reason for this upon our Examination was very plain because in Three Years space before that Day we came thither they had not been refreshed with one Shower of Rain which occasion'd an extreme Drought and Stelitity and gave it the Face rather of the Desarts of Arabia than of a plentiful Country A Comparison of it with Madeira The Air is neither so healthful nor the Place so pleasant as Madeira which has so many Houses and delightful Inclosures that it seems to be a Garden of Pleasure Neither is it so mountainous as that Island which makes it apt enough for Plantations and yet here are but very few Vines and those incompetent for affording any Wine most of which that is drunk is imported to them from Madeira Its Products In the Valleys are Grains Vines Fruits Sugar-Canes Mellons Bononoes better than those at Madeira Dates Coco-Nuts They abounded not with Cattle but of Fowl they had plenty for which or for any other of their Commodities we traded with them for old Cloaths and cast Garments a staple sort of Merchandise with these Portuguese whose Humour which generally is vain and haughty will make them vaunt themselves like Fidolgoes when they are only thus apparell'd But that which is meaner in them much than strutting in the over-worn Garments of Sailers and other Men Many Natives poor and thievish they are strangely addicted to pilfering and stealth and one or two of them will entertain you in Discourse whilst the third takes off your Hat or snatches away the Sword from your side And if they meet any Stranger at a Distance from any Town they seldem fail of stripping him naked They are ignorant here in the Huswifery of making either Butter or Cheese which are
Europe again than upon the Confines of scorcht Africk Such was the Beauty of the pleasant Fields and fruitful Valleys the Gayety of the Woods and diversity of Inclosures cut out by Nature rather than cultivated by Art that it would almost foil the Pencil of a Painter to outdo the Original but surely it would afford him Ground for an admirable Landskip The Fertility of this populous Climate which lies within the Torrid Zone has quite confuted the Opinion of blind Antiquity which could not discern the Life of either Man or Vegitable there I could not behold any great Plenty of Corn or Grain but this proceeded rather from the Native Laziness than from the Penury of the Soil whose Native Turf seem'd well prepar'd for Fertility and Production but it abounds with store of Fruits particularly Coco-Nuts and the most fragrant Pine-Apple which carries the Precedence from all the rest whose Excellencies are center'd there and exert themselves in its incomparable Taste and Smell Abundance of well-grown Deer are ranging in the Fields and Pastures whose Fatness is very apt to make them almost a Prey to a nimble Footman without the Assistance of any Hound But Horses and black Cattle are not many We were not yet come to an Anchor which continued the scarcity of our Water notwithstanding the former shower and made us prize it almost equal with our Wine with which we were well stockt from the fruitful Island of Madeira but on a sudden we were more concern'd and affrighted at the sight we had of that Element than we were refresh'd by it A Spout at Sea For we espy'd very near us a mighty Mass of Water drawn up into the Air from the Surface of the Ocean in fashion of a large round Pipe incircled with a hoary Mist or grey Cloud it rose gradually and for some time hover'd there till at length it fell in such a Cataract such a Torrent and mighty Flood that no Ship was able to sustain its fall but would sink and founder by its Weight This Spout which is a kind of Aqueduct between the Clouds and the Ocean put us in a great Fear of its ruinous Descent upon us had we not industriously steered from it and kept to Windward But if there is no avoiding the likelihood of being driven under it there are two ways prescrib'd for breaking its pendulous resting in the Air before a Ship comes too near it The first which is seldom used by any Protestant prevents its Danger by a kind of Charm When they espy a Spout at Sea at some distance from them the Master of the Ship or any one else a-board kneels down by the Mast with a Knife in his Hand which has a black Handle and reading in St. John the Verse of our Saviours Incarnation Et verbum Caro facta est habitavit in nobis he turns towards the Spout and with the Inchanted Knife makes a Motion in the Air as if he would cut it in two which he says breaks in the middle and lets the inclosed Water fall with a Noise into the Sea The way of breaking a Spout Another Method for preventing all Peril that might arise from this Mass of Water suckt up from the Ocean is to fire a Cannon or two when they are near it which immediately shakes and dissolves its threatning Suspension aloft and this softer Thunder and Lightning scatters and dissolves it from its unnatural Position What the Quality of this Water is which is thus powerfully exhaled whether fresh or mixt with Saline Particles those that had the Fate to try had scarce the Happiness to discover but sure the Phaenomenon is very stupendous and unaccountable that such a vast Body of Water should by a forcible extraction out of the Sea bubble and mount upwards like a small Rivulet springing up into the Air. And indeed the Works of the Almighty are inscrutable and these may be some of his Wonders in the Deep which the Royal Prophet extolled and was amazed at Having arrived within four Leagues of the Shoar Eight Negroes came towards us in a Canoo who stood upright as they rowed and looked forward contrary to our Proverbial Observation The Shaft of their Oars was framed out of a long piece of Timber and a thin broad square board resembbling a wooden Trencher served for the Blade They had caught in their Boat a Shark A Shark called a Shovel-Mouth of a different shape from the common Fish of that Name and of a different appellation for on each side of his Mouth grew a large piece of Fish six Inches broad in form of a Shovel which gave it the Name of Shovel-mouth and at the extremity of those parts were the Eyes placed as Centinels at the Out-Guards to preserve the Body With these came two of the Principal Men of the place one of them appertaining to the King the other a Retainer to the Mafoucko or General Upon their Heads they wore Caps very Curious and Costly Curious Caps made in Africa the Work of the Natives wrought with so much Ingenuity and Art of the Needle that they are not only valued there but admired in all the parts whither the Europeans carry them Their Expence in Cloathing is otherwise small The Cloaths of the Natives as the Garb is that they put on which only consists in a Clout about the middle to hide their Nakedness and the Furs of an Hare or some such Animal which hangs down before them between their Leggs which they value as the richest Ermin or Sables Their frizled Hair was tyed up in a Bunch upon the Crown of the Heads of some of them others wore it neatly braided behind Some cut their Hair in the figure of a Cross others were shaved all bare excepting a small Tuft above like a Mahometan Lock as each Man's Humour or Fancy led him Their Ornaments On each side of their Temples and on their Fore-heads the Skin was raised as if it were with the pricking of a Pin in Figures of a Diamond cut which with them is not only a Badge of Honour and Character of Greatness but is esteem'd a sort of Cosmetick to the Face and admired as Fucus and Black Patches are with us Coral Beads Coories or Indian-shels and Black Jet Beads are wore as Ornaments about their Necks and about their Wrists ten or twelve Wreaths of Brass Iron or Copper Ill Language not allowed of These Africans are by Nature apprehensive of the least Affront tho' it proceeds no farther than Ignominious Expressions Scurrility and reproachful Words are so detestable that a Penalty is imposed on all foul and abusive Language according to the quality of the Offender and the Person abused The Scandalum Magnatum is in force among these Heathens For since Urbanity and good Words are things so pleasant in themselves and so easily attainable and a pleasant Look and Expression may as soon be given as what are Sowre and Offensive they
pleasant Colours being refresh'd by Nature's Seminal Juice the plentiful Showers that descended in the time of the Mussouns Wherein several Trees by quenching their Thirst with such a large Draught at that Season maintain a flourishing Verdure all the Year round Green Trees all the Year round and full of Moisture And what is more remarkable some of those Trees will yield each Night a Quart of Tary or Toddy tho it be at eight Months distance from the falling of the Rains the greedy Soil imbibed at that time such a quantity of this pure Liquor when it fell upon the Earth This gives India the lovely Aspect of those Blessed Seats which are sweetly described by the Poet Quas neque concutiunt venti neque nubila nimbis Aspergunt neque nix acri concreta Pruina Cana cadens violat semperque innubilus Aether Contegit late diffuso lumine ridet But at Bombay September and October September and October unhealthful Months at Bombay those two Months which immediately follow the Rains are very pernicious to the Health of the Europeans in which two Moons more of them die than generally in all the Year besides For the excess of earthy Vapours after the Rains ferment the Air and raise therein such a sultry Heat that scarce any is able to withstand that Feverish Effect it has upon their Spirits nor recover themselves from those Fevers and Fluxes into which it casts them And this the Indians remark concerning the excessive Heats at this time An Observation of the Indians that they say 'T is September 's Sun which causeth the black List upon the Antilope 's Back Thus I leave this Description of the Season and Nature of the Mussouns and return to Bombay which is only a small Island situate in about Nineteen Degrees of North Latitude not eminent for any thing so much as its Fort and Harbour Plenty of Coco-nuts but not of Cattle They have here abundance of Coco-nuts which bring some Advantage to the Owners but very little either of Corn or Cattle but what is imported from the adjacent Country and these not in great Plenty nor of very good Growth A Sheep or two from Suratt is an acceptable Present to the best Man upon the Island And the Unhealthfulness of the Water bears a just Proportion to the Scarcity and Meanness of the Diet and both of them together with a bad Air make a sudden end of many a poor Sailer and Souldier An unhealthful Air. who pay their Lives for hopes of a Livelihood Indeed whether it be that the Air stagnates for the Land towards the Fort lies very low or the stinking of the Fish which was used to be applied to the Roots of the Trees instead of Dung or whatever other Cause it is which renders it so very unhealthful 't is certainly a mortal Enemy to the Lives of the Europeans And as the Ancients gave the Epithet of Fortunate to some Islands in the West because of their Delightfulness and Health so the Modern may in opposition to them denominate this the Vnfortunate one in the East because of the Antipathy it bears to those two Qualities We arrived here as I hinted before at the beginning of the Rains Above 35 buried out of the Ship in less than 4 months and buried of the Twenty Four Passengers which we brought with us above Twenty before they were ended and of our own Ship 's Company above Fifteen And had we stay'd till the end of the next Month October the rest would have undergone a very hazardous Fate which by a kind Providence ordering our Ship for Suratt's River-mouth was comfortably avoided A fortunate Escape indeed because neither the Commander nor my self were in any Hopes of surviving many Days neither Temperance the most Sovereign Medicine nor the safest Prescriptions in the Physical Art could restore the Weakness of our languishing decay'd Natures And that which thoroughly confirm'd to us the unhealthfulness of the place we had lately loosed from was the sudden Desertion of our Diseases and return of Health The healthfulness of a good Air. before half the Voyage to Suratt was finisht In the middle of which Passage we manifestly perceiv'd in our Bodies as evident an alteration and change of Air for the best as our Palates could distinguish betwixt the Taste of Wine and that of Water An Invitation for the Author to stay here The Deputy-Governour Mr. George Cook a pleasant and obliging Gentleman sollicited me upon the account of my Function to reside with him upon Bombay and invited me with all the Proposals of a frank and generous Civility to wave my Voyage and continue with him there because they were then destitute of a Minister And indeed the Deference I bore to such kind Expressions and to the Duty of my Calling were invincible Arguments for my Stay had I not been satisfied of the immediate infallible sad Fate I was under like that of my Predecessors one of whom was interred a Fortnight before this time and three or four more had been buried the preceding Years Which common Fatality has created a Proverb among the English there An English Proverb at Bombay that Two Mussouns are the Age of a Man This is much lamented by the East-India Company and puts them upon great Expences for supplying the Island with fresh Men in the room of those that are taken away and providing able Surgeons furnish'd with Drugs and Chests from Europe to take care of the Infirmaries and all that are sick But there seldom happens any great Defect in the Natural World The great wickedness that reigned upon the Island without some preceding in the Moral and the Springs of our Miseries and Misfortunes rise higher than meerly from Second Causes For I cannot without Horror mention to what a Pitch all vicious Enormities were grown in this place when the Infection was most outragious nor can I but think that the Divine Justice interposed and forwarded these fatal Infelicities which are not wholy imputable to an impure Contagion of the Air or the gross Infection of the Elements These were made use of as Fatal Instruments of the direful Excision but the true Cause of the Malady lay deeper Their Principles of Action and the consequent evil Practices of the English forwarded their Miseries and contributed to fill the Air with those pestilential Vapours that seized their Vitals and speeded their hasty passage to the other World Luxury Immodesty and a prostitute Dissolution of Manners found still new Matter to work upon Wickedness was still upon the Improvement and grew to such a Perfection that no Vice was so detestable as not to be extremely vicious whereby Satan obtain'd a more Despotick Authorty in the Hearts of the Christians than he did among the Gentiles in the Pageantry of Heathen Worship And when the Seeds of Avarice and Prophaneness of Envy and Injustice and a thousand other black Infernal Vices grew up and flourish'd
the Right of the Portuguese to those Lands and Estates which the Favour and Civility of the English allowed them to enjoy upon the Island and therefore this Padre and his Associates are more likely to suffer a disseizing of what they had than the English as they design'd This breeds no small Heat and Fury in the Breasts of the turbulent Jesuites who upon this have rais'd some strong Commotions it has excited their Revenge and makes them sometimes threaten in a passionate Rage the retaking of their Lands by Force Few Men can enjoy very peaceable Lives The Jesuites growing Power in India who have any fair Possessions near the Convents of these men For even in the Indies they have gain'd that Ascendant over the Tempers and Estates of the People that a pleasant Seat and a fruitful Plantation can hardly escape their gaining Which renders that Society a Burden insupportable to all the rest of that Religion who are seated there The Incomes of that Church whereof this Padre is chief shews in some measure their growing Wealth for they are said to amount to the value of a Pound of Gold a Day THE ISLAND OF ELEPHANTA AT three Leagues distance from Bombay is a small Island called Elephanta The reason of the Name from the Statue of an Elephant cut in Stone in equal proportions to one of those Creatures in his full Growth This Figure is placed in the middle of a Field An Elephant and Horse well Cut here conspicuous to any Passenger that enters upon that part of the Island Here likewise are the just dimensions of an Horse Carved in Stone so lively with such a Colour and Carriage and the shape finisht with that Exactness that many have rather Fancyed it at a distance a living Animal The Design of the Figures than only a bare Representation These Figures have been Erected not barely for displaying the Statuary's Skill or gratifying the Curiosity of the Sight but by their admirable Workmanship were more likely design'd to win upon the Admiration and thereby gain a kind of Religious Respect from such Heathens as came near them But that which adds the most Remarkable Character to this Island A Famous Pagode described is the fam'd Pagode at the top of it so much spoke of by the Portuguese and at present admir'd by the present Queen Dowager that she cannot think any one has seen this part of India who comes not Freighted home with some Account of it The Derivation of Pagode A Pagode is the Heathens Temple or a place Dedicated to the Worship of their False Gods and borrows its Name from the Persian Word Pout which signifies Idol thence Pout Gheda a Temple of False Gods and from thence Pagode At the Ascent of an High Hill upon this Island Elephanta is therefore a very large Indian Pagode cut out of the very Heart of a hard Rock whose Dimensions are about an Hundred and Twenty Foot Square and in Height about Eighteen besides several Out-Rooms appertaining and adjoining to it At sixteen Foot distance from one another are sixteen Pillars of Stone Cut out with much Art and Ingenuity whose Diameters are three Foot and an half design'd as it were for the Support of this weighty Building whose Roof is a lofty Broad Rock Out of the sides of this Pagode thus Beautified with these lovely Columns and curious Arches are Figures of Forty or Fifty Men Variety of strange Figures each of them Twelve or Fifteen Foot High in just and exact Symetry according to the Dimensions of their various Statures Of these Gigantick Figures some had six Arms and others three Heads and others of such vast Monstrosity that their very Fingers were larger than an ordinary Man's Leg. Upon some of their Heads were Ornamental Crowns neat and Artificially wrought whilst others near them held Scepters in their Hands and above the Heads of others are multitudes of little People represented in a posture of Devotion some I observ'd leaning upon Women and others upon the Head of a Cow an Animal most venerable in India Here are some taking an Amiable Charming Lady by the Chin and there the horrid Prospect of others hewing in pieces little Children and generally above the Heads of all are abundance of diminutive Folk hovering in the Air represented with chearful Aspects and in lively Figures This variety of pleasant and monstrous Images I lookt upon as no other than the several Objects of the Gentiles Worship as each Adorer's Fancy led him to his several God either of Terror or Delight There is nothing of Beauty in the Frontispiece of this Pagode The Heathens Fancy concerning Giants or of Ornament at the Entrance into it The Figures of these Gigantick Men to which the Heathen have paid a profound Veneration and Reverenc'd as Heroes or Demi-Gods formerly for this Island is at present in the Possession of the Potuguese are the representation of the first Race of Mortals which according to the Account of their Chronicles were all Gyants but dwindled by degrees into lesser proportions and at length thro' the degeneracy of Manners which caused an Universal decay of Humane Nature they shrunk into these small proportions in which they appear now in the World So that the present smallness of our Stature according to them derives its declension and Decay from the Excess of Vice and the small remains of Vertue that are left And because the Forming of a Temple out of such hard Matter requir'd Incredible endless Pains therefore they would Insinuate that these Giants here expressed were only capable of such Performances which seem now to exceed that ordinary strength we have now to go thro' with such a Work The breaking up of the Mussouns About the middle of September 1690. when the Mussouns were broken up we were order'd for Suratt which was very agreeable to all on Board In our Passage we met with a puny sort of Pirates called Sanganians who finding us a Ship of Force durst not attempt upon us But a Fortnight before this time The Fight of an English Ship with the Sanganians a small English Ship of no Countenance was encounter'd by two of these Sanganians and Boarded by them This the English Master scarce resisted because he had fitted his Ship for a close Fight and therefore withdrawing his Men from the Decks prepared them with small Fire-Arms and put the Powder Chests in order on purpose to receive them The Sanganians who fancied all their own easie Purchase were so warmly entertain'd that as soon as they entered they were repulsed and speedily withdrew betaking themselves to the Water to evade the fury of the Fire on Board In a little time we happily arriv'd at Sualy-bar and the Tide serving Sualy came to an Anchor very near the Shoar Here the Europe Ships are permitted to ride but no Indian Vessel is allowed that freedom they are either all of them to enter the River of Suratt
Juvenal in his first Satyr tells us Causidici nova cum veniat lectuca Mathonis Plena ipso When they take the Air either in Palanquins or otherwise they usually frequent the coolest Groves and the pleasant Gardens adjacent to the City refresht either by the River Tappy or by Water convey'd into their Tanques or Ponds And here the Dancing Wenches Dancing Wenches or Quenchenies entertain you if you please with their sprightly Motions and soft charming Aspects with such amorous Glances and so taking irresistible a Mien that as they cannot but gain an Admiration from all so they frequently Captivate a zealous Rich Spectator and make their Fortunes and Booty of the Inchanted Admirer ut Gaditana canoro Incipiat prurire choro Juv. Sat. 11. plausuque probatae Ad terram tremulo descendant clune puellae One of the principal Persons about Suratt was thus surpriz'd and insnar'd while I was there and lost both himself his Fortune and his Friends in their eager Admiration For they are Educated in the Improvement of all that is gay and entertaining they set themselves off with such advantage by a Rhetorical Look and taking Air wherein they shew an unparallell'd Master-piece of Art that a grave European will scarce adventure himself in the sight of their insinuating Temptations and charming deportment Strange Shows Among the Men whose Imployment it is to divert Spectators with amazing Shows and Sights some they say will take in their Hands a Clew of Thread and throw it upwards in the Air till it all unravels and then climbing up themselves by this tender Thread to the top of it presently fall down piece-meal upon the Ground and when all is dropt unite again the parted Members Others are said to raise a Mango-Tree with ripe Fruit upon its Branches in the space of one or two Hours To confirm which Relation it was affirmed confidently to me that a Gentleman who had pluckt one of these Mangoes fell sick upon it and was never well as long as he kept it 'till he consulted a Bramin for his Health who prescrib'd his only Remedy would be the restoring of the Mango by which he was restor'd to his Health again Dancing Snakes kept tame in Baskets are every where common Dancing Snakes their Keepers use them as familiarly as we do Puppies take them in their Hands and sometimes force them to bite their Flesh without any consequent harm He that carries them about plays upon a Pipe when he exposes them at the noise of which the Snake will hiss spread his Head and throw it about We had brought into our Factory once a tame Snake A large Fowl swallowed by a Snake of that bigness and length that one of the Fowls of the largest size was swallowed whole by it with all the Feathers on in my sight it first began with the Head of the Fowl and then twisting its Body about the Body of the Fowl squeezed it close to facilitate the Passage The Fowl Screeched once at the first seizing and afterwards lay dead The Snake strugled sometime with the Bulky part of the Body before it could get it down but as soon as it was once swallow'd it found a speedy passage to the middle of the Snake which lay there stretcht and swell'd 'till the natural Heat in less than 24 Hours had digested both the Bones and Feathers This was an extraordinary Morsel and far surpassing that ordinary Food upon which the Snakes do commonly feed But there is much more danger than diversion from these Serpents in India where they are so numerous that the unwary Traveller is often expos'd to the fatal effects of their sudden Venom For a Peon of mine named Gemal walking abroad in the Grass after the Rains was unfortunately bit on a sudden by one of them The latent Snake twisted unawares about his Leg and in a short time brought him to the Ground by causing in him an immediate deliquium of Spirit almost even to Expiration The Servants who were standing by amaz'd at the accident called immediately upon an English Merchant who hasten'd towards him with a special Medicine for his Recovery The thing which he carried about him and which instantly applyed is a Specifick against the Poison of Snakes cured him and therefore obtains the Name of Snake-stone The Snake Stone It is a small artificial Stone almost flat only with a little protuberance in the middle and of a gray Colour The Composition of it is Ashes of burnt Roots mixt with a kind of Earth which is found at Diu belonging to the Portuguese and those are burnt together again out of which Paste the Stones are formed They are not all alike Colour'd but those that have receiv'd more of the Fire are thereby inclin'd to a lighter Gray the others are a little more dark Its Virtues This Stone Cures by the application of it to the part invenom'd to which it immediately sticks fast and by its powerful Attraction sucks back the infus'd Venom 'till its Pores are full Then like a glutted Horse-Leach it falls off and disgorges the replenisht Pores in Milk the properest liquor for this purpose which by discolouring it renders livid Upon this it recovers new strength and its Alexipharmick quality again and is speedily prepar'd for a fresh Draught of Poison if any remains in the affected part 'till it quite extracts whatever the venomous Serpent had immited which makes those Counter-poisons in great esteem against all external Attacks upon the Body as the Cordial Antidotes are most valuable for expelling or subduing any Poyson inwardly receiv'd The double Excellence of this Stone recommends its worth very highly in that a little of it scraped off and mixt with Wine or some other proper vehicle and inwardly taken is reputed one of the most powerful Medicines against any Malignant Fevers or Infectious Diseases that is known and much excess the deservedly fam'd Gasper Antoni or Goa Stone The trial of these Stones is made by fixing them to the Roof of the Mouth How to try the Snake Stone to which if they stick fast 't is a sign they are genuine if they easily fall off fictitious Another method for knowing the true Stones from the Counterfeit is to immerse them in a Glass of Water where after a while if some light Ebullitions rise from them and ascend through the Body of the Water this likewise is an approv'd Sign that the Stone is not spurious The Europeans for the Security of themselves against the Danger of these Serpents which are every where so common in India carry always about them one of these Stones inclosed in a Heart of Gold fixt to a Golden Chain which hangs about their Necks A burning Coal is boasted to be able to effect the same Cure The Virtue of a burning Coal as the Snake-Stone does and to heal the Venom of Serpents or stinging of Scorpions by gradually drawing out all the Poyson when it is applied very
should arrive and such a particular Person in her The Thoughts of it hasten'd them back again towards the Custom-House to enquire if there were any English News and upon their Return were surpriz'd at the sight of an English Boat which they espyed was rowing up the River and were no sooner arrived at the Custom-House but they found the English Man who had been expected in her The News of this was very grateful to the President and not ungrateful to the Bramin who received a curious Paramin from the Hands of the Governour whom he had oblig'd with so faithful and particular a Prophetick Relation And the worthy President Mr. Harris who had himself been sometimes in distress for English News has likewise told me of a Bramin's Proposals to him of bringing him undoubted Intelligence how the Companies Affairs in England stood within the space of four days But that he durst not accept of the Proposition because he was confident that it depended upon the Assistance of a Familiar And surely those sprightly Beings can easily dispatch a very tedious Voyage in a very short time For if we only consider the nimble progress of Light thro' the Air with what swiftness it darts its bright active Atoms from East to West and flies thro' the immense Expanse from the lofty Regions of the Skie we cannot with any great Reason deny this same or greater Power to the active Spirits of Darkness who are stript of all the Clogs of Matter and void of all material Substance The Bannians are far from any thing of Severity and not prone to the inflicting any Corporal Punishments The reproach of being slipper'd and have a perfect Antipathy to those that are Capital but the ignominious Punishment which they all sorely dread is Slippering that is when any Person who has been offended by a Bannian takes off his Slipper spitts upon it and then strikes the Bannian with the sole of it This is more detestable and abominated by them than for any among us to spitt or throw dirt in another's Face for it is not only esteem'd the most hainous Abuse but the redemption of the Affront is very costly and the disgrace is not wiped off without difficulty and Expence This touching the Bannian with the sole of a Slipper is as unsufferable and odious in India as touching with the Hand the Head of a Siamese An Affront to touch the Head at Siam for that being the highest part of the Body is with them accounted of principal Honour and never to be stroakt or toucht without the greatest Offence and Affront Insomuch that the King himself permits no Person to dress his Head but is so far his own Valet that he puts the Covering upon it himself This is the Substance of what I thought might contribute to fill the Account of the Bannians of whom I have discours'd concerning their Natural Tempers and Religious Opinions concerning their Abstinence and Days of Devotion their Diet and Ingenuity in their Vocations their Attire and Ornaments their Marriages Naming of their Children and their Burials and have Concluded with a Relation of some of the common Diseases of India and of the tedious Plague at Suratt And shall now endeavour to entertain the Reader with a Description of the strange Manners of the Indian Faquirs near Suratt and with an Account of the Parsies and Halalchors THE FAQUIRS NEAR SURATT TWO Miles distant from Suratt Pulparrock frequented by the Faquirs is a very delightful place nam'd Pulparrock adorn'd with pleasant Walks and Groves of Trees near the gentle Streams of the River Tappy The Ground is all very even except only near the Banks of the River where the rising Hills enlarge the prospect upon the Water And the Hot Air is temper'd by the shady Walks under the spreading Branches and the nearness of the Current of the Water glideing by For these Religious Santones here as well as in Europe are industrious in culling out the most delightful Habitations in the Country and taking up their Abode where ever either Art or Nature Invite their Residence by a commodious pleasant Dwelling For there is not any place near Suratt that yields either the Beauty or the Delight that Pulparrock affords The Original of the Faquirs The Original of these Holy Mendicants is ascrib'd according to their Account to a certain Prince named Revan who quarrell'd with Ram a Knowing and Victorious Prince and being Conquer'd and depriv'd of all by a certain Ape named Herman or Hanneman which was his Assistant on Earth spent the remainder of his Days in Pilgrimage and rambling without any Maintenance either to himself or his Followers but what was given them in Charity It was for the good Services done to Ram in his Life time by the Apes The Indian's respect for Apes that they are in so great Esteem both with the Moors and Gentues in the Indies and this arch unlucky Creature is in that Repute among them all that they seriously declare were the Blood of one of them spilt upon the Ground the Earth would suddenly become unfruitful and the Judgment upon it would be at least a Years Famin. And therefore when a large Ape had broke loose from the English Factory at Suratt and skipping to and fro' had snatch'd away several things of value and in his Anger had bit a Child or two so sorely that they afterwards died of the Wounds as it was reported yet was it an inexcusable Crime at the same time for any violent Hand to touch him These Philosophical Saints have since the first forming of their Order The Rudeness of the Faquirs assum'd a liberty of taking that by violence which they find is denied their civil Requests and sometimes force a Charity from the People when Intreaties cannot prevail especially in the Country Villages For their numbers render them imperious and upon pretension of extraordinary Sanctity they commit a thousand Villanies unbecoming their Profession They imitate the Romish Orders in Vows of Piety and Celibacy and in their Pretensions to a strange Intimacy and prevailing Interest with Heaven Thus they endeavour to raise their Veneration and Respect thus they acquire constant Homage and Address daily Applications and large Presents from the People And some by a seeming neglect of themselves indulge their Bodies and pamper their Ambition the more Their filthiness They are called Faquirs by the Natives but Ashmen commonly by us because of the abundance of Ashes with which they powder their Heads and mix with their Hair which falls down sometimes to the middle of their Backs They use no Pillabers to repose their Heads on but lay them unconcernedly upon the Ground where they gather a constant supply of Dust and Filth which makes them in their Opinion of a very becoming appearance because it is squalid but gives the Ascetick or votary in our Eyes a very disagreeable and sordid Aspect The Immodesty of some Faquirs Of this