23° Sf ^ ERSIAN Tnzw/j Book V 



is Turkjh, but much more foft and elegant then at Conftantineple. As for the 

 perfian Language, it is fpoken in the Courts of the Great Mogul, and the Kings of 

 Golconda and Vifupour, in all whiclf Courts a Noble man would take it for an af- 

 front to be fpok'n to in the Indian Language. 



As for their Painters they only paint irt miniature, and for Birds and Flowers 

 they will draw them indifferently well : But for figures and ftories they know not 

 what belongs to any fuch thing. 



The Perfiam are moft excellent Artifts for manufactures of Gold,Silk and Silver 

 of which their rich Carpets and Timies are made : .nor do their Gold and Silver 

 Manufactures ever grow black or loofe their lufter by long wearing or lying by 

 There are abundance that work in Silk ftuflfs of all forts, and others that make 

 Bonnets and Girdles of Gold and Silk. Others there are whofe bufinefs it is to 

 faft'n flowers of Gold and Silver to their Taffata's, with gum water, of which 

 the women make Shifts and Drawers. And now they begin to make Yuch large 

 quantities of Taffata's, that they care not for the (tuffs which are brought out of 

 India, though they be much finer. 



They alfo make great quantities of Linnen Cloth of all forts of colour?, upon 

 which they faft'n feveral Mowers with gum water, and fome figures, though the 

 Law forbid it. Which they learnt to do upon the Armenians carrying out of Eu- 

 rope fome ill-favour'd cuts and pieces in diftemper which they bought here without 

 judgment : thefe pieces they hang before their doors, and thofe hollow places 

 in the walls where they put their Quilts and Carpets when they rife. 



The Perfans are excellent Artifts at Damafquing with Vitriol, or engraving Da- 

 mask-wife upon Swords, Knives, and the like. But the nature of the Steel which 

 they make ufe of, very much contributes to their Art, in regard they cannot 

 perform the fame work neither upon their own nor ours.This fteel is brought from 

 Golconda, and is the only fort of lteel which can* be damafqu'd. For when the 

 workman puts it in the fire, he needs no more then to give it the rcdnefs of a 

 Cherry, and inftead of quenching it in the water as we do, to wrap it in a moid 

 Linnen cloth : for mould he give it the fame heat as to ours, it would grow fo 

 hard that when it came to be wrought it would break like glafs. I fpeak this to 

 undeceive thofe people who think our Scimitars and Cut-Jalfes are made of fteel 

 of Damafcui, which is a vulgar error j there being no fteel but that of Golconda 

 that can be Damask'd. 



The Perfans are alfo excellent Artifts at making Bows and Arrows, and fuch 

 other weapons as are us'd in that Country. As for Bridles and Saddles their Ar- 

 tifts far exceed ours,efpecially in their fbwing,which they do fo neatly and with fo 

 much art with a kind ofback-ftitch, that it looks almoft like an embroidery.There 

 are an infinite number that live by dreffmg Seal-skins and Goat-skins, the firft to 

 make boots for the Gentry and better fort of Merchants, the latter for the poor 

 people. 



There is alfo a fort of earthen ware made at Kerman which is very fine, and be- 

 ing brok'n looks as white within as without. It does not endure hear fo well as 

 Pcrcellane, which has this quality, that if you powre never fo hot liquor into a 

 Porcellan? cup,neither the foot nor the brims a-top will be any thing the warmer. 



There are abundance of poor people that get their living by mending glafs To- 

 bacco-pipes, for when they are brok'n they join them together again with a cer- 

 tain maftic made of lime, and the white of an egg, then with a Diamond-pointed 

 piercer they make holes in the glafs, and bind the pieces together with a thin 

 Latten-wire. 



The moft confiderable commodities of Perfia are the Silks which come out of 

 s the Province ofGuiUn. But there is not fo much tranfported out of Perfia as men 

 imagin. For formerly great quantities of Velvets, Tiffues and Taffata's were 

 tranfported out of Perfia into thefe parts:but now we make them better and cheap- 

 er in Europe. ' ** 



There is alfo a vaft quantity of flat filk tranfported out of Perfia into Turkic '*■ 

 Mufcovy and Poland, which the women ufe in embroidery : ibr the Colours being 

 lively, they embroider their fhifts, hankerchers, vails, and other linnen with 

 it. 



The Seal-skins and Goat-skins which are drefs't in Perfia are tranfported by the 



Hollan- 



