cient materials to furnish a more full account of this religion than has hitherto been published, and therefore we shall proceed to their ceremonies.

The Ceremonies of the Mahometans.

Circumcision comes first to be considered, it being the first ceremony of a religious nature. They seldom circumcise their children till they are six or seven years old, but this any parents may dispense with, for they sometimes baptize them at four years old, and sometimes not till nine or ten.

The day of circumcision is a day of joy for all the ralations of the child. He is carried on horseback, with kettle-drums and tabors sounding, dressed in his best attire, followed by his school companions, who pronounce aloud some passages of the Alcoran. He is taken to the mosque, where he is circumcised, by cutting of part of the skin from the fore parts of the privy members.

When a grown persons is become a convert, he is led out thro' the town on horseback, carrying in his left hand a dart with the point turned towards him, signifying that he will be put to death if ever he apostatizes from his new religion. However, these ceremoniesd iffer in different parts; for at Algiers, all the renegado Greeks are circumcised and led about the town, in the midst of a guard of barbarians with drawn scymeters, to let them know they are to be put in pain if they shew the least inclination to return to christianity. Boys have a name given them on the day of circumcision, but this custom is like the other, subject to some variations. In Persia, the father gives what name he pleases to his child as soon as born, holding him in his arms and presenting him to God; after ne puts salt in his mouth, and gives a name with a blessing. When a child dies before circumcision, they break the fore finger before they are buried, and this they imagine makes an atonement to God for the want of the ceremony. Many of the Turks differ in their sentiments concerning the efficacy of circumcision, some looking upon it as not absolutely necessary to salvation, while others entertain as strong notions of its necessity, as the Roman catholics do of baptism. Others think this ceremony confers grace and piety, and that God will not hear the prayers of one that is not circumcised; and yet, for all these differences in opinion, they seldom dispute concerning religion, which is much to their ho

nour.

The Mahometans frequently adopt children, which No. 18.

custom is in some respects almost universal over the east. When the children of princes, and great lords are born, the moment of their birth is kept very secret, to avoid charms and witchcraft, and to prevent the astrologers from casting their nativity, and foretelling bad events. Nay, so blinded are they with this senseless notion, that altho' they know that the astrologers cannot tell one circumstance relating to themselves, yet they believe they have power over others. But the Mahometans are not the only people who are biassed by frivolous fears and ill-grounded hopes. When a child is adopted, his nominal father takes off his own shirt and makes the boy pass thro' it, and this they call Akhrat.

Whether their children are their own or only adopted ones, they are at great pains in bringing them up, so as to prevent all manner of deformity; for they have a notion that a pure soul will not lodge in a deformed body. This is the reason so few people have any deformities in their bodies in Turkey, and their conduct in particular, ought to be attended to by all those among us, who have the care of bringing up children.

Polygamy, or the having a great number of wives, being one part of the Mahometan religion, it is not improper to observe, that in all those countries where it prevails, the people are far less numerous than where one man has but one wife. The practice of polygamy diverts the minds of the parents from doing that duty they owe to their children. It creates jealousies among the women, and if the husband is not of a tyrannical nature, he must be unhappy in his mind. To this may be added, that the favourite women give some sorts of medicines to their rivals, in order to make them miscarry.

Their marriage ceremonies are in high esteem amongst them, but it is not celebrated by a priest, nor considered as an act of religion. They look upon it in a civil light, which is the case in many eastern nations. The parties go before the Cadi, or civil judge, and the man declares that he has bound himself to take the woman. This being done, the Cadi repeats an exhortation to them and their relations, concerning the marriage state. The husband instead of receiving a marriage portion with the bride, gives her one, and this he is obliged to do before the judge. The wife promises to be obedient to her husband, and then she is carried home in a sedan, under a canopy, accompanied with relations, friends, slaves, and music. It is reckoned among the women, that they should be admitted at least once in the week to their husband's bed, and on failure of this, they may demand it on Thursday in

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the week following, and even go to law about it with their husbands. If any are so bashful as to neglect this public way of obtaining justice, they endeavour to find out some other way of recompensing that loss. When boys or girls are set free from tuition, they are taken before the judge, who asks, "Whether the devil has jumped upon his bo"dy." To which he replies, "More than once." The reason is, they believe that the devil jumped upon our first parents in the form of a serpent, and first created in them carnal desires.

The Mahometans are allowed to lay with their female slaves, and here it must be observed, that they may marry women of any religion, the tenets of which are written. All the children, whether by wives or slaves, equally inherit their father's substance, if by will or otherwise the father has made them free, for want of which the children of slaves, remain as such to the eldest son of the family.

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They never marry their relations, unless they are removed eight degrees, or generations. In order to prevent divorces as much as possible, the husband is not to take the woman again. When a husband accuses his wife of adultery, and does not prove it, he is to be bastinaded. But notwithstanding this strictness, yet there is a way to get over it. Thus when there is neither proof nor witnesses, the husband swears five times what he alledges is true, and to the last oath adds a curse, wishing he may cursed by God and man if he lies. On the other band, the woman is believed if she swears as often, and adds to the last oath a prayer, that God would destroy her if her husband speaks the truth. This method is of an horrid nature, for it opens a large field for gross perjury, for both cannot be right. If the adultery is fully proved, the husband may put her to death, which is done by sewing her up in a sack full of stones; but they are so cautious in their amours, that they are seldom detected. As for the adulterer, he is condemned to ride on an ass with his face to the tail, having on his head a crown of the guts of bullocks, and a neckcloth of the same, and at last is bastinaded on the soles of his feet, and on the loins. If a husband suspects his wife and she consents to part from him, he generally sends her away peaceably, and indeed it very seldom happens that any of them are put to death.

When the grand seignor intends to marry his daughters to some of his men, this is done from motives of jealousy, which the emperor conceives of their power, and is frequently a prelude to their ruin. Thus when he is apprehensive of the too great power of a bashaw, he makes him marry one of his sisters or daughters, under pretence of doing

him more honour; but instead of being greater, he becomes the most abject slave to the pride and tyrauny of a woman, who treats him like a footman, yet he dares not reprove, nor seem to undervalue this token of his master. He must devote himself wholly to her, and renounce all other wives and slaves, who might be the means of leading off his affections. If he has already a sweet tempered wife, and children by her, he is obliged to turn them out of his house, and every person who might be displeasing to his sultana, yet unknown to him.

If before the wedding she sends to ask him for money, jewels, rich furs, or any thing else, he sends them as presents with chearfulness, or at least he must seem to do so. He is likewise obliged to settle upon her what dowry the matchmakers think proper to appoint. This dowry being stipulated before a judge, he is led by two black eunuchs to the sultana's apartment, where he thanks her for the honour conferred upon him; when he enters the room she hastily drawsa dagger and haughtily demands who made him so bold as to approach her. He answers with the most profound respect, and shews her the grand seignor's orders for the wedding. She then rises up, receives him mildly, and allows him to entertain her with more familiarity. Then an eunuch takes his slippers, and sets them at the door, as a token that he has met with a favourable reception.

A few minutes after the bashaw makes a low bow down to the ground, and drawing back, makes a speech to testify how happy he thinks himself, for the honour she intends to do him. This being over, he stands silent in an humble posture, with his hands across his breast, till she orders him to bring her some water. He obeys readily, and kneeling before her, presents her with a cup, prepared for the purpose. She then raises a red veil, embroidered with gold and silver flowers, which had covered her face, and drinks. Her women immediately bring in a low table, on which are set a couple of roasted pigeons, and some candied sugar on a plate. The gallant desires her to eat, which she refuses, till he has made her some rich presents.

This he complies with, overcomes her modesty, and sitting down to the table, she graciously receives from his hand the leg of a pigeon, and having eat some, she puts into his mouth a piece of sugar, rises up, and returns back to her place. All the company withdraw, and leave the bashaw and the sultana alone for the space of an hour, that he may converse freely with her. Then his friends come with instruments of music playing, and invites him to the anti-chamber, where he

spends

spends the night with them, in drinking and diversions. The sultana does the same in her room with the ladies.

At break of day, the princess being tired, pretends to be sick, and goes to lay herself down in bed, which is richly made, being embroidered with gold, and perfumed, and every way fit for the ceremony. One of the eunuchs gives notice to the husband by a sign, and introduces him without noice to the bed chamber. He puts off his upper garment, kneels for some time at the foot of the bed, and the ceremony ends.

The mourning for the dead begins with such cries and lamentations made by the women, as publish the death to the most distant neighbours. In Africa, besides these customary tears and howlings, they daub their faces with soot and oil, in which much blacking has been steeped, then thirty or forty women with dishevelled hair, and some of them tearing and scratching their flesh with their nails, or with needles, enter upon the necessary preliminaries of a funeral. The custom of making loud cries and lamentations for departed friends, of rolling in the dust, or covering one's self with ashes, is of great antiquity in the east, and not much altered among the inhabitants of those countries, from what it was in the times of the patriarchs. A long black cloak, with black cloaths, are the outward tokens of the sorrow, of a child, a brother, a husband, or a wife, or for the death of parents.

Widows mourn longer for their husbands, and this is complied with whether the sorrow be real or feigned, in the same manner as we frequently see those whom we meet in a church, on some solemn occasion, seemingly praying and repenting to all outward appearance, with much contrition and marks of piety, lest they should be considered as Atheists. We are told by Thevenot, that those Turkish women give over crying, when there are no witnesses of their tears, being hired for that purpose: which is the same as we have already taken notice of among the Greeks. The mourning lasts several days, and if he was a person of rank, it is renewed annually for several years together.

In order to prepare for the burial, the corpse is washed and shaved; frankincense is burnt about it, to expel the devil, and other evil spirits, which, as the Mahometans and several other people believe, rove about, and hover over the dead, as much and as frequently as about the living. This part of the ceremony being over, the body is put into a burial dress without seams, that it may, as they pretend, kneel with less difficulty, when it is to be examined

in the grave; for they believe, that when it is interred, an angel is sent to examine it.

The coffin is covered with a pall, preceded by several Imams, of whom more afterwards, who pray, and are followed by the relations and friends of the deceased, with the women who lament and shed tears. At the grave, the corpse is taken out of the coffin and put into the ground, and the women stay there to cry. They make a difference between the graves of the Persian Mahometans, and those in Turkey; for in Persia, a board is put over it slanting, so that one end of it touches the bottom of the grave, and the other leans against the top of it. The Turks place a stone at the head of the corpse, for the convenience of the angels, who are to examine the deceased, and this civility, they believe, will make them more indulgent.

The palls are different, and the coffins variously adorned, according to the state and condition of the deceased, to distinguish him as a priest, a soldier. rich, or poor. All their burial places are near the roads, to put travellers in mind to offer up their prayers for the dead, for which they will obtain a blessing. For this reason, those who build a bridge, or some other public structure, from motives of charity, are also buried in or near them. So many large stones are set up in some of their burying places, that towns might be built of them. After the funeral, the friends of the deceased come several days successively to pray at the tomb, beseeching God to rescue him from the torments of the black angels; and calling the dead by his name, say unto him "Fear not, but answer them boldly." On the Friday following, which is the sabbath of the Mahometans, victuals and drink are set down at the grave, and any person going past may partake of them. This custom of setting down victuals at the graves is very ancient, for we meet with many instances of it in seripture.

The Persian Mahomentans have strange notions, namely, that the angel who presides at the birth of children, mixes some carth with the matter of which they are formed, and introduces it into the mother's womb at the instant of conception: from whence they conclude, that every one must endeavour to die in the same place from whence the angel took that earth. But they have a more rational custom founded on principles of humanity, which is, that whoever meets a funeral procession must join the company, and it interred. The same Persian Mahometans have retained in their mournings, the ancient ceremony of tearing their cloaths to testify their grief; and what is much more commendable, they give alms seven days together. But, for the

satisfaction

satisfaction of the reader, we shall point out the difference between the Persian and Turkish Mahometans in their funerals, for the Mahometans have been for many years divided into two parties. Thus the Turks say there is only one prophet, whereas the Persians admit of two. Ali, the sonin-law of Mahomet, is considered by the Persians as a great prophet, and the friend of God; for when they confess their faith, they say, "There is but one God, Mahomet is his prophet, and Ali is his "friend," On the other hand, the Turks say, "There is but one God, and Mahomet is his friend." Mr. Hanway heard criminals in Persia repeat the first of these confessions at the place of execution, and they repeated no more.

At the first signs of an approaching death, lamps are lighted up, and set on the terrace, or flat roof of the house, and this puts the neighbours in mind to pray for the sick person. Imams, who, in Persia, are called mollas, or priests, are sent for; they preach repentance to him, mentioning such sins as they imagine he has been guilty of. To each sin mentioned, he answers I repent, and when he has lost his speech, the Alcoran is read by his bedside, till he gives up the ghost. This is soon testified to the whole neighbourhood, by excessive outcries and lamentations. The relations and other friends, rend their clothes from the neck to the girdle, tear off their hair, scratch their faces, strike their breasts, and shew all the signs of sorrow and despair; but the women exceed all bounds of moderation in their grief, with a mixture of long complaints, and affecting specches, addressed to the deceased.

As soon as the person's breath is departed, a messenger is sent to inform the cadi, or judge, that such a person is dead. The message is delivered to the judge's porter, who says to the messenger, "May your head be sound," and goes to the judge to get him a sealed piece of paper, by which he gets leave to have the body washed. The paper costs nothing, but the porter who delivers it has some perquisite, more or less, according to the rank and abilities of those who desire it. This paper is carried to the mandahour, or body washer, which is an office he alone can enjoy, nor can any perform it but himself, or some others appointed by him. The design is to know exactly what number of persons have died, and of what diseases, which office is necessary in all countries, lest any should be taken off in a violent manner, and the delinquent not brought to justice.

The mondahour sends men to wash the corps of men, and women to wash the women; the washer takes off the clothes from the corps, and receives them as his perquisites, for no one can touch a dead

body, without being defiled. In every town there. are washing places, situated in the most distant parts of it. Ispahan, for instance, being divided into two parts, has two mondahours, and amongst their washing places is one very large, in a back court of the old mosque, twenty steps under ground. This ceremony of washing in those places is only for the poor, for the rich are washed at home, in a bason, covered with a tent, lest any one should see the corpse. When it is washed, all the openings are carefully stopped up with cotton, to keep the noxious vapours within it.

This being done, the body is put into a new linen cloth, on which those who can afford it cause some passages of the Alcoran to be written. In the reign of Abbas II. Saroutaky, the grand vizer was mur dered, and the linen wrapped round his corpse had the whole of the Alcoran wrote upon it with gum: but to return to the common buryings.

The body being washed, is placed in a remotepart of the house, and if it is to be carried to a distant burying ground, they put it in a wooden coffin filled with salt, lime, and perfumes to preserve it. No other embalming is used in the east, nor do they take it out, for that practice seems to them unclean and barbarous. Persia being a hot, dry country, the bodies are soon put into their coffins, otherwise it would never be possible to do it, because they swell immoderately high in eight or ten hours. Their funerals in Persia are not attended with much pomp. A molla brings the coffin from the next mosque, but it is only an illcontrived clumsy box, made up of three boards with a cover that turns by a peg. The corpse is put into it, and if the deceased was poor, it is carried off without any farther ceremony. The bearers only, go with it, very fast and almost running, pronouncing slowly the words Alla, Alla, that is, God, God. But it is very different with the rich.

In the funeral of a person of quality, the ensigns, or banners of the mosque are carried before the corpse. They are long pikes of different sorts; some have at one end a hand of brass, or copper, which is called the hand of Ali, others have a half moon, others the names of Mahomet, of his daughters, and of his first twelve lawful successors, done in cyphers. There are still more poles carried, at the tops of which are fixed some brass or iron plates, about three inches broad and three or four feet long, but so thin, that the least breeze of wind makes them bend. To them are tied long slips of taffety, which hang down to the ground. These bearers are followed by five or six horses, with the arms and turban of the deceased.

Behind, the Alcoran is carried, divided into thirty, parts all wrote in long characters, each letter being an inch big. Each of the great mosques have such a one, and these parts are carried by the young students who are bringing up for the priesthood. They read it aloud, and so quick that the whole is read over before they come to the grave.

At the funerals of women, a pall supported by four sticks is placed over the coffin, and these are their highest forms of splendour at funerals. The neighbours, or servants of the deceased, carry the corpse, no bearers being appointed to perform that last duty. They do not bury any in their mosques, for altho' the bodies are cleansed and purified, yet every thing they touch is considered as defiled. In small towns in Persia, the burying grounds are on the sides of the highways without the gates, to afford a moral instruction to the living, but in great towns situated on a dry soil, several of these repositories of the dead are to be seen, so that we find a vast difference between them and the Turkish Mahometans. The graves are smaller in Persia than in other countries where the Mahometan religion is professed, being only about two feet broad, six in length, and four deep. On the side next to Mecca, they dig a slaunting vault, which is as long and broad as the first grave, and into this they thrust the corpse without a coffin, with the face towards the place where Mahomet was born, and place two tiles to cover the head from the earth, when the grave is filled up. If the deceased was rich, or a warrior, his turban, bow, and quivers full of arrows are all placed beside him, and the vault is plaistered up with tiles. The Sahieds, who pretend to be descendants of Mahomet, have no earth thrown upon them, their graves are only covered with a stone, or brick, or that sort of hard brown marble known in Persia.

At the end of each, tomb-stones are erected, with a turban if it is a man's grave, but plain if a woman's. These tomb-stones ought not exceed four feet in height, tho' commonly they are not above two. The inscriptions on them do not declare the names or qualities of the deceased, but consist of some verses out of the Alcoran. The common people begin to visit the grave at the end of eight days, particularly the women, who seldom fail, the burying grounds are most commonly full of them from morning to evening; for no sooner do some go away, than others retin in their room. On some pardalar festivals they bring their children along with them, and lament the loss of their friends with cries and tears, beating their breasts, tearing their hair, scratching their faces, and repeatNo. 13.

ing several discourses they heretofore had with the deceased. deceased. Every now and then saying, "Soul, spirit, whither art thou gone? Why do not you animate this body? And you corpse, what occasion had you to die? Did you want gold, silver, clothes, or tender treatment?" Sometimes they are comforted and led away by their friends, and sometimes they leave cakes, fruits and sweetmeats, as an offering to the angels, guardians of the graves, to engage them to be favourable to the deceased.

People of quality generally bury their relations near the tombs of some of their saints; for the Mahometans have saints as well as the Roman catholics. They are seldom carried to Mecca, that being at too great a distance, but are interred near the sepulchre of those who were the disciples of Ali the great prophet of the Persians, but some of them are at a vast distance.

Whilst they prepare themselves for this long journey, the coffin is put into some great mosque, where vaults are made for that purpose, which are walled up to keep the body from being seen, and they do not take it out till every thing is ready to carry it off. The Persians believe that such corpse suffer no alteration; for say they, before they putrify, they must give an account to the angels, who stay at the grave to examine them. The funeral procession never goes thro' a town, for this would be a bad omen as they think. "The dead must go out,

but not come in."

The mourning lasts forty days, but none of the mourners wear black cloaths, for that is looked upon as a devil's colour, and a hellish dress. Loud cries and lamentations, whether feigned or real; sitting as if they were almost dead, with a brown gown, or one of a pale colour; fasting eight days as if they were to live no longer; but during this mournful time, some of their friends come to comfort them. On the ninth day, the men go to the bagnio, have their heads and beards shaved, return their visits at the sepulchie, and then the mourning abroad ends, but at home the cries are renewed more than twice a week, particularly on the return of the day when the person died. Their cries gradually decrease till the fortieth day, when they utterly leave them, and the deceased is seldom more heard of. This however is only the case with the men, for the women are not so easily comforted, the state of widowhood in the cast being generally for life. The motives for consolation, alledged by the Persian Mahometans on the death of friends or relations are rational and grounded on the best principle of philosophy. They compare this life to a caravan, or company of travellers, all come at last 5 N

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