Chap. XL of Monfieur Taverniel 227 



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There belongs alio to every Mofauee a Montevcli, who looks after the repairs 

 f the Building, and the Provifion of what belongs to the Mofiuee j together 

 with a Monaz,en y who cries morning and evening from the top of a Tower, That 

 there is but one God, and that Mahomet is bis Prophet. 



Colledges, the Perfiam call Medrefc; where there are a great number of Scholars 

 bred up at little charge, out of the Legacies left to the Foundations. They al- 

 low them a Chamber without any Furniture, they being to provide a Coverlet 

 and a Mattrcfs for themfelves. They have no certain Mafters , but fometimes 

 they go for their mftructions to one, fometimes to another, leldom to the Princi- 

 pal of the Colledg, who is call'd Monderes, and is generally the greatett Block- 

 head of them all. But there are feveral other perfons in every good City 

 that are forward to teach the Sciences to purchafe honour to themfelves. 

 For which reafon they are very liberal, to get a great company of Fol- 

 lowers together, who are as fo many Trumpets to publifh the wiidom of their 

 jkroom or Doctor. But when their Liberality ceafes, the'Trumpets want breath at 

 the fame time. 



Now as to their manner of ftudying, the Student firft reads two or three lines, 

 and then the Doctor Expounds. Then another reads two or three lines more, and 

 fo one after another; every one rifing up out of refpect after he has done reading, 

 and ftanding upright till the Doctor bids him fit down again. One of thefe 

 Doctors fhall teach all manner of Sciences in one day ; for he is not learned that 

 cannot talk of all. And certainly had the Perjians thofe advantages of Books, and 

 that method of ftudy which we have in Europe, they would prove to be men of 

 great understanding: for with thofe little helps they have, thev will give a good 

 account of their own Theology, of Logick, Phyfick, and the Mathemarrcks, 

 wherein they ftrive to reach the bottom of things as deep as they can. ' Their 

 Books are for the molt part the works of an ancient Perfian Author, whofe name 

 was Kodgia Nefir in the City of Thoufs, in the Province of Koraffan. Tis very 

 probable he was well skill'd in the Greek, and AtaHak& having translated into Per- 

 fian feveral Books out of thofe two Languages. They have fome pieces of Ari- 

 jhtle which are accounted the beft ih the Weft : The Almagfas o' Ptolemy, which 

 they call Magcfti $ fome tractates of Euclide, fome fragments of Archimedes : 

 the Opticas of Ebne, Heifler, and other excellent Books. Some have affirm'd 

 that they have been skill'd in the doctrin of Sines and Tangents for above this 800 

 years : and indeed they are very curious at this day in Mathematical Inftruments. 

 They have alfo a great inclination to Poetry, the ojiiefelt grace whereof they be- 

 lieve to confift in defign of accidents, and high comparifons, obferving rhime as We 

 do. As for Phyfick, they have Galen, whom they call GaUmus j Averrees, whom 

 they call Abonalt, ox great Father } and Hermes Trifmegiftus, whom they Call O- 

 mous. The molt confiderable of their Hiftorians is Ponz.e el Sapha, who wrote a 

 Chronology from the Creation of the World to his time j wherein there are 

 abundance of fables, but little truth. He fays that the World was inhabited by 

 Devils for an infinite number of years before the Creation of Adam, and that God 

 for their enormities depriv'd them of their power upon earth, and gave it to man 

 to manage. Their Books, though deer, are very common, and every Trades-man 

 buys 'em, being very ambitious to learn the Sciences themfelves, and to encou- 

 rage their children to do fo too. They fend them betimes to the School, which 

 rhcy call Mcklcbt, of which there are feverai in every T&arrer. They-Trra*r-a 

 hideous noife in their Schools, repeating their Leffons altogether aloud, while the 

 Matter corrects every Boy that does not keep along with the Cry. As for the 

 children of perfons of Quality, they have Tutors at home, never ftirring out 

 . of doors till they are 18 years of age, unlefs it be to go a hunting or a moot- 

 ing now and them. Hence it comes to pafs, that the Children are difcreet, civil 

 and motieft } fo that you (hall never hear an ill word come out oH their 

 mouths. t 



In the Chamber of Accounts are many Officers, whom I rook upon as Gown- 

 men. All the Books and Regifters pafs through their hands, particularly fuch Pa- 

 pers as concern'd the King's Revenue. All which are regifter'd in the Chamber of 

 Accounts at Ifpahan, which is calPd Defter-Krone. As to the Fee-Lands calPd 

 Moulherbar, which belong to particular perfons, they owe to the Kieg a certain 



E e annual 



