In The Mean
Time The Jews Sent Intelligence Of The Situation Of The Persians To Their
Confederates, And The Turks,
Gathering their forces, assailed the Persians
at certain passes in the mountains, and gave them a terrible overthrow; so
that
The king escaped with great difficulty into Persia, with a small
remnant of his host. On this occasion, one of the Persian horsemen seduced
a Jew, named Moses, to accompany him into Persia, and then made him a
slave. On a public exhibition of archery in the king's presence, this man
appeared to be the most expert archer in all Persia, and being called
before the king, declared how he had been trepanned and made a slave. The
king restored him to liberty; clothed him in purple and silken garments,
and enriched him with liberal gifts; offering him great riches, and the
government of the royal household, if he would embrace the religion of the
country; and when he courteously declined this, he was placed by the king
with Rabbi Shallum, the prince of the synagogue at Ispahan, whose daughter
he afterwards married; and this Moses related to me the whole story I have
here related.
Departing from these countries, I returned to Khosistan, through which the
Tigris runs into Hodu, the Indian sea, or Persian Gulf, and in its
passage encompasses the island of Nekrokis[19] near its mouth, which is six
days journey in extent. There is only one canal of fresh water in this
island, and they have no other water to drink but what is gathered during
rain, and preserved, in cisterns, for which reason the land is not
cultivated. Yet it is famous for commerce with India, and the islands of
the Indian sea; and merchants from Sennar, Arabia, and Persia, bring
thither all sorts of silk and purple manufactures, hemp, cotton, flax, and
Indian cloth, with plenty of wheat, barley, millet, and rice. The Indian
merchants bring also great quantities of spices, and the natives act as
factors and interpreters, by which they make great gains; but in that place
there are not above 500 Jews. Sailing thence with a favourable wind, I
arrived, in ten days, at Kathipha[20], where are 5000 Jews. In these places
pearls are found, made by a wonderful artifice of nature; for on the 24th
of the month Nisan[21] a certain dew falls into the waters, which, being
sucked in by the oysters, they sink immediately to the bottom of the sea,
and afterwards, about the middle of the month Tisri, men dive to the
bottom, and bring up great quantities of the oysters by means of cords,
from which they take out the pearls.
In seven days journey from thence I came to Oulam[22], which is the
entrance of the kingdom of these people, who worship the sun, and are prone
to astrology, being of the children of Chus. They are men of a dark
complexion, sincere and faithful in all their dealings. When any strangers
arrive in their haven, their names are all set down by three secretaries,
who carry their lists to the king; afterwards they introduce the merchants
to him, and he receives all their goods under his protection, causing them
to be landed at a place where they may remain in safety, even without a
watch. There is a particular magistrate to whom all things that happen to
be lost, or casually removed, are brought, and who returns them to the
owners, on giving the marks or description of their property; and this
strict fidelity and honest dealing is universal over all this kingdom. In
this country, from the passover to the beginning of the succeeding year,
the sun shines with such insufferable heat, that the people remain shut up
in their houses from the third hour of the day until evening; and then
lamps are lighted up in all the streets and markets, and the people labour
at their respective callings all night. In this country pepper grows on
trees, planted in the fields belonging to every city, all the inhabitants
having their proper gardens particularly assigned and known. The shrub is
small, and produces a white seed or berry, which, after being gathered, is
first steeped in hot water, and then dried in the sun, when it becomes
black. Cinnamon and ginger are likewise found here, and many other kinds of
spices.
In this country the bodies of the dead are embalmed with divers drugs and
spices, and set up in niches in regular order, covered over with nets; they
there dry up completely without corruption, and every one knows his
ancestors for many generations back. They worship the sun, said have many
large altars erected along the coast, about half a mile without the city,
to pay their devotions. On these altars there are consecrated spheres, made
by magic art, resembling the circle of the sun; and when the sun rises,
these orbs seem to be inflamed, and whirl round with a great noise[23]. In
their orisons, every person carries a censer, in which he burns incense in
honour of the sun. But among these people there are about a thousand
families of Jews, as black as the rest of the natives, yet good honest men,
and strict observers of the law of Moses, and not entirely ignorant of the
doctrines of the Talmud.
From this country I sailed, in twenty-two days, to the islands of Cinrog,
the inhabitants of which are called Dogbiim, and are worshippers of fire,
among whom 23,000 Jews are settled. The Dogbiim have many priests to
officiate in their temples, who are the most skilful sorcerers and
enchanters in the world. Before every temple there is a large pit, in which
a great fire is kindled every day, called Alhuta, through which their
children are made to pass as a purification; into it likewise they cast the
bodies of their dead, and even some of their nobles occasionally are so
superstitious as to devote themselves to be consumed alive in honour of the
deity, in which they are encouraged by their relations, as ensuring their
eternal welfare.
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