The Tartars Compute Time By Cycles Of Twelve
Lunar Years; Calling The First Of Each Series The Year Of The
Lion; the
second of the ox; the third of the dragon; the fourth of the dog; and so on
through
The whole twelve, and when these are gone through, they begin the
series anew. Thus, if a man is asked when he was born, he answers that it
was on such a division of such an hour, day, and moon, in the year of the
lion, ox, or so forth. All this their fathers set down exactly in a book.
It has been already said that the Tartars are idolaters. Each man of any
consequence has a table aloft in the wall of one of his chambers, on which
a name is written, to signify the great God of Heaven, whom he adores once
each day, with a censer of burning incense; and lifting up his hands, and
thrice gnashing his teeth, he prays to God to grant him health and
understanding; this being the only petition addressed to the Almighty, of
whom they pretend not to make any similitude. But they have a statue or
image on the ground, called Natigai, the god of earthly things, and
images of his wife and children. This is likewise worshipped with incense,
gnashing of teeth, and lifting up the hands; and from this, they beg for
favourable weather, productive crops, increase of children, and all manner
of worldly prosperity. They believe the soul to be immortal, and that when
a man dies, his soul enters into another body, better or worse, according
to the merits or demerits of his former life: As that a poor man becomes a
gentleman, then a prince or lord, and so higher, till at length the soul is
absorbed in God. Or if he have deserved ill, it descends to animate the
body of a lower and poorer man, after that the body of a dog, always
descending to the lowest rank of baseness. In their manners, the language
of the Tartars is comely; they salute one another with grace and
cheerfulness, conducting themselves honestly, and they feed in a cleanly
manner. They bear great reverence to their parents, and if any one be
undutiful or regardless of their necessities, they are liable to the
jurisdiction of a public tribunal, especially assigned for the punishment
of ungrateful or disobedient children. Persons condemned to imprisonment
for crimes, are discharged after three years confinement, when they are
marked on the cheek, that they may be known as malefactors.
All barons or others, who approach within half a mile of the residence of
the great khan, must be still and quiet, no noise or loud speech being
permitted in his presence or neighbourhood. Every one who enters the hall
of presence, must pull off his boots, lest he soil the carpets, and puts on
furred buskins of white leather, giving his other boots to the charge of
servants till he quits the hall; and every one carries a small covered
vessel to spit in; as no one dare spit in the halls of the palace.
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