Royal Society. j^g 
find a ftone with an infcription on one fide, to turn that down to 
the ground, that it may not be feen or read by any. When fupper 
was brought in, tliere was a large difli of 'Pilai^ in the middle 
and 12 or 13 difhes of leveral forts of meat about it, all dreficd 
after their manner, but exceeding good. After the merchants 
had eat and drank what they pleaicd, they were fucceeded by 
their fervants, it being the cuftom of the ^^alps and T'urks too, 
from the higheft to the loweft, to eat at the fame table, the beft 
ibrt fitting down firfl, and lb in order, till all have done. Next 
morning the king went to a great entertainment made him by one 
of his grandees 3 two young camels were killed to furnifh out 
this fumptuous feafl, which is the higheft piece of magnificence 
and greatnefs, to which thele people, whole greateft riches con- 
fift in camels, can arrive ; the tent was very large, and to make 
it flill more capacious, it was left open towarcls the weft 3 the 
king was leated at the north end, about the middle of the tent, 
upon a place railed with cufhions and quilts and before him car- 
pets ^ neither did he fit crofs-Iegged, as rhe reft of the company 
was obliged to do, but in a leaning pofture^ they feemed to ob- 
lerve an exa6t order in their places -, and when any perlbn of note 
entred, fuch, as were near his place, rofe up, and ftood till he 
had leated himfelf; but far the greateft part could not come 
within the compafs of the ring^ the left hand is here efteemed 
the more honourable place 5 dinner was ferved up in large wood- 
en bowls carried by two men, of which there were about 50 or 
60 in number, with feveral fmall ones • in the centre there ftood 
a bowl of a larger fize, in which were the camel's bones, and a 
thin broth in which they were boiled 5 the other great one.^ 
feemed to be filled with one and the fame ion of food, which 
was a kind of plum-broth made of rice, and the flefliy part of 
the camel, with currants and fpices 5 the fmallcr di/hes were, 
for the moft part, charged with rice, drefled after leveral modes, 
fome of them having Leben^ a thick four milk, poured upon 
them, which is in great efteem in thefe hot countries, being very 
ufeful in quenching thirft. Knives, forks, Ipoons, trenchers, ^c. 
are filly impertinent things in the efteem of the Arahs^ inftead 
of ufing thefe, they thruft their hands into the diih and eat by 
handfuls^ when the table was thus plentifully furniflied, the 
king rifing from his feat, went and fat down to that difh that was 
direcily before him, as did alio the reft^ becaufe the di/hes in 
the middle were too remote to be reached at, there was an officer 
on pur pole, who, ftepping in amongft them, and ftanding in 
places defigned for that end, with a long ladle in both his bands, 
helped 
