Chap. VI. of -Monfieur Ta vernier. 27 



Alley covered \ which are only of Earth , the Men lying at one end , and thcHorfes 

 at another. 



The next day you travel over an uneven and defcrt Country, and in eight hours 

 time you come to Miana , a little City fituated in a Marfh , where you pay a Toll 

 for Guarding the Highways. In this City is one of the faireft Inns in all 

 Perfia. 



Two hours jfter you leave Miana , you mud crofs a River , over a fair Bridge 

 which runs to decay •, the Arches whereof are hollow within •, it is built of Brick 

 and Free-ftone , being near as long as Pont ncuf in Paris. This Bridge (lands almoft 

 at the foot of a Mountain call'd Kaplcnton. Sha-Abat caus'd all the way to be Pav'd, 

 becaufe the Land is lb fat and iloughy, that when it thaws, or that the lead Rain 

 falls , it is irnpofliblc for the Caravan to pais. Befides , there are a fort of Camels 

 in Perfia , that when it comes to rain in a deep Soil , are not able to keep their 

 Legs: nay through the weight of the Burthens which they carry, their very Quarters 

 will rive from their Shoulders, and their Bellies will burft. So that before the 

 way was pav'd , they were fore'd to fpread Carpets in the moft flippery ways where 

 thofe Camels were to pais : which rauft be ilill done in ibme places , where the Pave- 

 ment is worn away. 



Hands 



River , which talis into the Cajptan Sea, alter it has crols 7 d the Province of §/« 

 where it is cut into feveral Channels. But generally the Corn and Fruits which 

 grow in Perfia by the help^ of Water fore'd into Channels, are of little efteem, 

 and much cheaper than thofe that grow in the Provinces whole Fertility is not Arti- 

 ficial. Moreover, that fort of fore'd Grain will not keep above a Year-, and if 

 you keep it longer, it breeds a Vermin that cats it. 'Tis the fame thing if the Corn be 

 grownd-, and more than that, there breeds a Worm in the Flowr, that makes it 

 lb bitter that tis impoflible to eat it. 



On this fide the Mountain Kaplenton, appear at a diftancetwo others very high* 

 one toward the North call'd Saveland, another toward the South call'd Sehand : 

 there is a third , which cannot be fcen in Ifpahan-Roul , being too tar out of the 

 way, near the City of Hamadan. Thefe three Mountains are full of Springs , from 

 whence moil of the Streams do fall that water Perfia : And the Perfians do fay, 

 that formerly there were many more of thefe Springs , but that about a hundred 

 Years ago feveral of them have been dry'd up , or otherwife no body can tell what 

 is become of them. 



There are feveral Villages near the Mountain that pay nothing to the King , but 

 are oblig'd to fend him a certain quantity of Rice and Butter,for the uie of the Mofquee 

 at JtrdcniL They have alfo one great Priviledge , That if a Man commits a Mur- 

 ther, and fives to any of thefe Villages , he cannot be apprehended, nor can the 

 King himfelf punifh him. 



Leaving the River that runs at the foot of the Mountain KapUnton , you come to 

 a fair Inn call'd T\hamdava, built ibme years ago : and for thirteen hours after, 

 travelling over a very barren Country, you meet with another Inn , which is call'd 

 Sartcham, Handing in a very defcrt place: which makes the Raders, that lye there 

 to fecure the Highways , very infolent , finding themfelves fo far from any Towns 

 or Villages. 



From Sartcham you come to a River , by the Banks whereof you travel a good 

 while, till you come to an Inn which is call'd Bigbe , near a' large Village. The 

 Structure is very handfom , the lower part being of Free-Hone undulated with red 

 and white , and very hard. 



The next day you travel a very uneven Country, till you fall into a deep Valley, 

 at the end whereof you meet with Zangan , a great town and ill built. How- 

 ever, it has a very fair Inn, which when 1 went laft to Ifpahan was {o full , that 

 I had like to have lain abroad in the Rain , but for the Courtefie of two Armenians. 

 From Zangan you go to an Inn , where you muil pay the Duties due to the Kan 

 of Shhanie. 



Sultanie is a very large City, which you leave half a Mile from the Road , near 

 to a Mountain. Formerly it had in it very beautiful Mofynces , as may be eafily 

 conjettur'd by the RuineV that remain. Many Chriflian Churches alfo were con- 



D 2 verted 



