These Parsees, called Parcees in the Pilgrims, and
Guebres by other writers, are a remnant of the ancient Persians, who are
fire-worshippers, or followers of Zerdust, the Zoroaster of the
Greeks.
- E.]
The Hindoos are, generally speaking, an industrious race; being either
cultivators of the ground, or otherwise diligently employed in various
occupations. Among them there are many curious artificers, who are the
best imitators in the world, as they will make any thing new very
exactly after a pattern. The Mahometans, on the contrary, are generally
idle, being all for to morrow, a common saying among them, and live by
the labours of the Hindoos. Some of these poor deluded idolaters will
eat of nothing which has had life, feeding on grain, herbs, milk,
butter, cheese, and sweet-meats, of which last they have various kinds,
the best and most wholesome of which is green ginger remarkably well
preserved. Some tribes eat fish, and of no other living thing. The
Rajaput tribe eat swine's flesh, which is held in abomination by the
Mahometans. Some will eat of one kind of flesh, and some of another; but
all the Hindoos universally abstain from beef owing to the reverence
they entertain for cows; and therefore give large sums yearly to the
Mogul, besides his other exactions, as a ransom for the lives of these
sacred animals. Whence, though they have other and good provisions in
abundance, we meet with very little meat in that country.
The most tender-hearted among the idolaters are called Banians, who
hold the metempsychosis of Pythagoras as a prime article of their
faith, believing that the souls of the best men and women, when freed
from the prison of their human bodies, transmigrate into the bodies of
cows, which they consider as the best of all creatures. They hold that
the souls of the wicked go into the bodies of viler beasts; as the souls
of gluttons into swine, those of the voluptuous and incontinent into
apes and monkies; the souls of the cruel, furious, and revengeful, into
lions, tigers, and wolves; the souls of the envious into serpents; and
so forth, according to their qualities and dispositions; transmigrating
successively from one to another of the same kind, ad infinitum; and,
by consequence, believing in the eternal duration of the world. Thus,
according to them, there does not exist even a silly fly but is actuated
by a soul formerly human, considering these to have formerly belonged to
light women; and so incorrigible are their sottish opinions, that they
cannot be persuaded out of them by any reasoning. Owing to these
opinions, they will not put to death the most offensive animals, not
even the most venemous snakes, saying, that it is their nature to do
harm, and that man is gifted with reason to shun these noxious
creatures, but not at liberty to destroy them.
Many men devote their fortunes to works of charity, as in building
serais, or lodging-houses for travellers, digging wells, or
constructing tanks near highways, that the travellers may have water;
and where such cannot be had, they will hire poor men to sit by the
way-sides, and offer water to the passengers. The day of rest among the
Hindoos is Thursday, as Friday is among the Mahometans, Saturday with
the Jews, and Sunday with the Christians.[241] They have many solemn
festivals, and they make pilgrimages, among which the most famous are
Nagracut and Syba, formerly mentioned; where, if Mr Coryat may be
believed, who says he carefully observed the same, people cut off part
of their tongues out of devotion. It were easy to enlarge on this
subject, but I will not any farther describe their stupid idolatry. The
sum of the whole is, that both the Hindoos and Mahometans ground all
their opinions on tradition, not on reason, and are content to perish
with their fore-fathers, out of preposterous zeal and fond perverseness,
never rightly considering the grounds of their belief.
[Footnote 241: Monday is the day of rest with the people of Pegu. In
Java, each individual keeps that day holy on which he has begun some
great work. - Purch.]
Both the Mahometans and Hindoos are under subjection to the Great Mogul,
the term Mogul signifying a circumcised man, so that Great Mogul means
the Chief of the Circumcision. The present king is the ninth in lineal
descent from that famous eastern conqueror, whom we name Tamerlane, and
who in their histories is named Timor. Towards the close of his life, he
had the misfortune to fall from his horse, which made him halt during
the remainder of his days, whence he was called Timur-lang, or Timur the
lame. The emperor styles himself The King of Justice, the Light of the
Law of Mahomet, and the Conqueror of the World. He himself judges and
determines on all matters of importance which occur near his residence,
judging according to allegations and proofs, by his own sense of right.
The trials are conducted quickly, and the sentences speedily executed,
culprits being hanged, beheaded, impaled, torn by dogs, destroyed by
elephants, bitten by serpents, or other devices, according to the nature
of the crimes; the executions being generally in the public
market-place. The governors of provinces and cities administer justice
in a similar manner. I could never hear of any written law, the will of
the king and his substitutes being the law. His vicegerents are not
allowed to continue long in one place, lest they acquire popularity, and
are therefore usually removed yearly. They receive the letters of the
king with every possible indication of respect. They look to receive
presents from all who have occasion to apply to them; and, if not often
gratified with these, will ask for them, and will even send back such as
they do not approve, demanding better to be substituted. The cadi has
power to imprison debtors and sureties, who are bound by written deeds;
and men in power, for payment of debts due to them, will often sell the
persons, wives, and children of their debtors, which is warranted by the
customs of the land.
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