170 Travels in India. Part. H 



are of opinion, that to take away the fears of death, which naturally terrifies hu- 

 manity, the Priefts do give her a certain Beverage to ftupify and difbrder The 

 fenfes, which takes from her all apprehenfion of her preparations for death. 'Tj s 

 for the Brjmms intereft that the poor miferable creatures fhould continue in their 

 refblutions j for all their Bracelets as well about their legs as their arms, the Pen- 

 dents in their ears } their Rings fometimes of Gold, fometimes of Silver; (f or 

 the poor wear only Copper and Tin,) all thele belong to the Bramins t who' rake 

 for them among the afhes when the party is bifrn'd. 



I have teen Women burnt after th.ee feveral manners, according to the differ- 

 rence of the Countrey. In the Kingdom of £juz.erat 3 as far as ^gra and DekU 

 they fee up a little .Hut about twelve foot fquare upon the bank of a Pond cr 

 River, 'lis made of Reeds, and all forts of fmall Wood, with which they mta. 

 gle certain pots of Oil and other Drugs to make it burn more vehemently. The 

 Woman is plac'd in the middle of the Hut, in a half-lying-down pofture, leaning 

 her head upon a kind of a wooden Boliter, and retting her back againit a Pilfer 

 to which the Bramm tyes her about the middle, for' fear (he (hould run away 

 when (he feels the fire. In this pofture fhe holds the body of her deceas'd Huf- 

 band upon her knees, chewing Betleil] the while : and when (he has contmu'd in 

 this pofture about half an hour, the Bramm goes out, and the Woman bids them 

 let fire to the Hut j which is immediately done by the Bramws, and the kindred 

 and friends of the Woman ; who alio caft (everal pots of Oil into the fire, to put 

 the Woman the (boner out of her pain. After the Woman is burnr, the Bramios 

 fcarch the aflies for all her Bracelets, Pendants and Rings, whether Gold, Silver 

 Copper or Tin , which is all free booty to themlelves. 



In Bengala they burn the Women after another faihion. In that Countrey a. 

 Woman muit be very poor that does not accompany the Body of her deceased 

 Husband to the Ganges to wafh his Body, and to J e wafii'd her (elf before (he is 

 burnt. I have (een dead Garkaffes brought to the Ganges above twenty days 

 journey ott from the place, and fmclt 'cm to boot 5 for the (cent of them has 

 been intollerably noylbm. There was one that came from the Northern Mounr 

 tains ncer the Frontiers of the Kingdom of Boutan, with the body of her Hu£ 

 "band carri'd in a Waggon ; (he travel! d twentv days a- foot, and neither eat nor 

 drank for i j or i6 days together till (he came to the Ganges, where after me had 

 waihM the body that ftank abominably, and had afterwards wafh'd her lelf, fhe 

 was burnt with him with an admirable conftancy. Bcfor ■ the Woman that is to 

 be burnr, t goes the Mufick. confuting of Drums, Flutes and Hautboys, whom the 

 Woman in her belt Accoutrements follows, dancing up to the very Funeral-pile, 

 upon which (he gets up, and places her (elf as if (he were fitting up in her Bed^ 

 and then they lay a-ctols her the body of her Husband. When that is done, her 

 kindred and friends, fome bring her a Letter, fomc a piece of Calicut, another 

 pieces of Silver or Copper, and defire her to deliver them to their Mother, or 

 Brother, or fome other Kinfman or Friend. When the Woman fees they have all 

 done, (he asks the Standers-by t^tree times, if they have nothing more of (er- 

 vice to command her j if they make no anfwer, (he ties up all (he has got in a . 

 piece of Taffata, which (he puts between her own belly, and the body of her 

 Husband,, bidding them to fet (ire to the Pile j which is prefently done by the 

 Bratoins and her Kindred. I, have obfervM, becaufe there is fcarcity of Wood 

 in Bengala, that when thefe poor Creatures are half griddfd, they caft their 

 bodies into the Ganges, where the remains aredevour'd by the Crocodiles. 



I muft not forget a wicked cuftom pracTis'd by the Idolaters of Bengala. 

 When a Woman is brought to bed, and the Child will not take to the Teat, 

 they carry 7 it out of the Village, and putting it into a Linnen Cloth, which they 

 faft'nby the four Corners to the Boughs of a Tree, they there leave it from 

 morning till evening. By this means the poor Infant is expos'd to be tormented 

 by the Crows, infomuch that there are (bme who have their eyes pickt out of 

 their heads : which is the reafon that in Bengala you (hall fee many of thele Ido- 

 laters that have but one eye, and fome that have loft both. In the evening they 

 fetch the child .away, to try whether he will fuck the next night 5 and if he mil 

 refufe the teat, they carry him again to the fame place next morning } which they 

 do for three days together palter which,if the Infant after that refufes to fuck, they 



believe 



