All These
Men Live Continually At The Charge Of The King And Nobles Of The Country,
From Whom They Have
Small stipends for their maintenance; and they esteem
themselves so highly on account of their gentility of blood, that they
Will not touch an husbandman, nor allow any such to enter into their
dwellings. When any husbandman goes through the streets they must
continually call out aloud _hoo hoo_; for if commanded by a nayre to make
way, they may be slain if they refuse. The king cannot raise any one to
the rank of a _nayre_, who are all such by descent. These _nayres_ serve
very faithfully under those who give them their wages, not sparing by day
or night to use their best endeavours to serve their chiefs, nor making
any account of want of food or sleep, or of fatigue, when their service
is required or may be effectual. Their expences are so small, that on
half-a-crown, which is their only monthly pay, they can sufficiently
maintain themselves and a boy, whom each has as a servant.
By the laws of this country, these nayres cannot marry, so that no one
has any certain or acknowledged son or father; all their children being
born of mistresses, with each of whom three or four nayres cohabit by
agreement among themselves. Each one of this confraternity dwells a day
in his turn with the joint mistress, counting from noon of one day to the
same time of the next, after which he departs, and another comes for the
like time. They thus spend their lives without the care or trouble of
wives and children, yet maintain their mistresses well according to their
rank. Any one may forsake his mistress at his pleasure; and in like
manner, the mistress may refuse admittance to any one oL her lovers when
she pleases. These mistresses are all gentlewomen of the Nayre cast; and
the nayres, besides being prohibited from marrying, must not attach
themselves to any woman of a different rank. Considering that there are
always several men attached to one woman, the nayres never look upon any
of these children born of their mistresses as belonging to them, however
strong a resemblance may subsist, and all inheritances among the nayres
go to their brothers, or the sons of their sisters, born of the same
mothers, all relationship being counted only by female consanguinity and
descent. This strange law prohibiting marriage, was established, that
they might have neither wives or children on whom to fix their love and
attachment; and that being free from all family cares, they might the
more willingly devote themselves entirely to warlike service. And the
more to animate these gentlemen in the service of the wars, and to
encourage them to continue in the order of nayres, they are privileged
from all imprisonments, and from the punishment of death on all ordinary
occasions, except for the following crimes; killing another nayre, or a
cow which is an object of worship, sleeping or eating with an ordinary
woman, or speaking evil of the king. When the king has received authentic
information of any of these offences having been committed, he issues a
written mandate to one of the nayres, commanding him to take two or three
other nayres in his company, and to slay the nayre who has committed this
offence against the laws. In obedience to this warrant, they attack him
with their swords and put him to death where-ever they happen to find him,
and then affix the royal order upon his body, that all may know the
reason of his death.
It is not permitted to any nayre to assume arms, or to enter into any
combat, till he has been armed as a knight. When a nayre becomes seven
years old, he is set to learn the use of all kinds of weapons, their
masters first pulling and twisting their joints to make them supple, and
then teaching them to fence and handle their arms adroitly. Their
principal weapons are swords and targets; and these teachers, who are
graduates in the use of the weapons, are called _Panycaes_, who are much
esteemed among the nayres, and all their former scholars, however
advanced in life or however high their dignity, are bound at all times to
give them due honour and reverence when they meet; likewise, every
_nayre_ is obliged to take lessons from these professors for two months
yearly, all their lives: By this means they are very skilful in the use
of their weapons, in which they take great pride. When a nayre desires to
be armed as a knight, he presents himself before the king, accompanied by
all his kindred and friends, and makes an offering of sixty gold fannoms
[55]. On which he is asked by the king if he is willing to observe and
follow the laws and customs of the nayres, to which he answers in the
affirmative. Then the king commands him to be girt with a sword, and
laying his right hand on his head, utters certain words as if praying in
so low a voice that he is not heard. The king then embraces the young
nayre, saying aloud in their language, "Take good care to defend the
Bramins and their kine." On this the nayre falls down and does reverence
to the king; and from that time he is considered as a knight, or member
of the fraternity of nayres. When any of the nayres enters into the
peculiar service of the king or of any individual noble, he binds himself
to die with and for him, and they keep their oaths. For, if their master
should happen to be slain in any war or otherwise, they will fight till
they are all slain; and if they cannot accomplish their purpose at the
time, or happen to be absent at the slaughter of their master, they go
afterwards in search of the person who has done the deed, and never leave
off till they are themselves slain.
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