170 The Persian Travels Book IV. 



Upon Eafler-day^ by break of day, the Pried lays Low-Mafs,ConfeiTes, and Adminil 

 fters , ajfter which it is lawful to eat Flefli. Bat the Beads mud be kill'd upon Safier- 

 day, and .not lb much as upon Eafter-eve. They have four other Feads in the year 

 wherein they obferve the fame Ceremony, eating neither Flelh, Fifh, Eggs, Butter* 

 nor Oyl for eight days : which four Feafts are Chriflmas y the Afcention y x\\c Annunciation 

 and St. George's. Before this lad Fcad they dreteh their devotion to the utmod, for 

 ibme will fad three days , ibme five , one after another. 



CHAP. X. 



Of the ordination of their Triefihood • a)td their Auflerities. 



WHen a Father defigns his Son to the Priedhood, he carries him to the 

 Pried, who puts the Cope, op'n on both fides, about his Shoulders •, 

 after which the Father and Mother take him home again. This 

 Ceremony is repeated feven times in feveral years, according to the 

 years of the young Child, 'till he* ome to be of age to lay Mafs. If he be not de- 

 fign'd for a Monk , but for the Priedhood , after the fourth time of putting on the 

 Chafuble or op'n Cope, they marry him : for their Prieds many once, but if that Wife 

 dye , if they intend to marry again, they mud give over laying Mais. The fix firft 

 Ceremonies being over, when the Youth comes to the age 0/ 1 8 years , at what time 

 they are capable of faying Mafs , as well thofe who are defign'd for Monks , as thofe 

 who are marry'd Prieds , they proceed to the feventh and lad Ceremony, which 

 mud be perform'd by an Archbifhop or a Bifhop •, who inveds the young Pried with 

 all the Habits which the Prieds wear that fay Mafs. That being done , he goes into 

 the Church, out of which he is not to depart for a whole year-, during all which 

 time he is altogether employ'd in the fervice of the Church. The Pried who is mar- 

 ry'd, mud be five days after he has faid Mafs before he returns home to eat or drink, 

 or lye with his Wife. And as Well the Monks as Prieds , when they intend to fay 

 Mais again , mud remain five days in the Church , without either going to bed or 

 touching any thing with their hands , unlefs it be the Spoon where-with they cat their 

 meat : not daring all the while to fpit or blow their nofes. The next five days after 

 they have laid Mafs, though fuch days upon which they might otherwife eat Flefh 

 and Fifh, they are oblig'd to feed upon nothing elfe but Eggs without Butter, and 

 Rice boyl'd with Water and Salt.The morning before they celebrate Mafs,if the Pried 

 have by chance fwallow'd a drop of Water, he mud not fay Mais. 



Their Auflerities are fuch , that many of their Bifhops never eat Flefh or Fifh above 

 four times a year •, but more then that, when they come to be Arehbifhops, they only 

 live upon Pulfe. They have fix months and three days in a year wherein they keep 

 Lent, or particular Fads , which you pleaie to call them •, and during all that time 

 as well the Ecclefiadical perfons as the Laity, feed only upon- Bread, and fome few 

 Herbs which grow m their Gardens. There was an Armenian of Zuhha vvhofe fuper- 

 ftition was fo great, that he made his Horfe to fad with him , allowing him but very 

 little either to cat or drink for a whole week together. As for the poor labouring 

 people, they only feed upon Pulfe , boyl'd in Water and Salt : for during their chief 

 Lent they are permitted no more then others , to eat either Butter or Ov! ' nay 

 though they lay a dying , it is not lawful for them to eat Flefh upon thofe days wherein 

 that diet is forbidd n They may only eat Wall-nuts or Small-nuts , Almonds or Pifta- 

 cnes, oriome fuch other Fruit that affords no Oyl . and they have this farther liberty 

 to pound them, and put them among their Pulfe or their Herbs , and boyl them with 



CHAP. 



