Near The Wall Of His
Palace, There Is An Artificial Mound Of Gold And Silver, Having Turrets And
Steeples, And Other Magnificent Ornaments, Contrived For The Solace And
Recreation Of This Great Man.[L] I Was Further Informed, That There Are
Four Such Great Men In The Kingdom Of Mangi.
It is reckoned a great mark of
dignity, among the great men of this country, to have their nails of great
length; more especially their thumb nails, which are sometimes of
sufficient length to be wrapped round the hand.
The beauty, and even the
rank of their women is supposed to consist in the smallness of their feet;
for which reason, mothers bind up the feet of their daughters when young,
to prevent them from growing large.
[1] This seems an ill-digested account of a pagoda, or idol temple, of
great extent and magnificence, richly gilt, similar to those of which
we have splendid views in the relation of the embassy to Ava, by
Colonel Symes. - E.
SECTION XIX.
Of the Old Man of the Mountain.
Proceeding on my travels towards the south, I arrived at a certain pleasant
and fertile country, called Melistorte[1], in which dwells a certain aged
person called the Old Man of the Mountain. This person had surrounded two
mountains by a high wall, within which he had the fairest gardens, and
finest fountains in the world, inhabited by great numbers of most beautiful
virgins. It was likewise supplied with fine horses, and every article that
could contribute to luxury and delightful solace; on which account it was
called by the people of the country the terrestrial paradise.
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