Chap. XV. Grand Seignofs Seraglio. 75 



not accounting what they bellow on thofe perfons, who bring, from him, thofe telti- 

 monies and marks of his Affection. 



It is to be obferv'd alfo, That the Capi-Aga is allow'd to multiply the faid Water,as 

 far as he thinks requifite, and anfwerably to his defire of multiplying the Preients. All 

 he has to do, is only to fill up the Cauldron, as it is emptied, and that additional wa- 

 ter is as good as 'twas before, fince it is intermix'd with that wherein Mahomet's Gar- 

 ment had been foak'd. For there are many perfons, to whom he (ends thofe Bottles, 

 without the impreffiqn of the Seal, upon the little piece of paper, and he has a fnack out 

 of all that is beiiow'd on the Bearers of thofe Prefents. But he is not permitted to 

 make that multiplication of the Water, any longer than for the fpace of three dayes j 

 that is to fay, till the Seventeenth of the Ramazan, after which time, the additional 

 intermixture of it would not have the Vertue, which they imagine it has. 



'As foon as this Prefent is received by thofe to whom it is fent, they take the paper, 

 which has the imprellion of Mahomet's Seal, and, after they have left it to foake a little 

 while in the Water of the little Chryftal bottle, they take off the water and the paper, 

 (wallowing down both together with great devotion. But it is to be noted, That no 

 body mull be fo prefumptuous as to open that papery for they fwallow it down as it 

 is brought to them, after a little (baking in the water, they being not permitted to fee 

 the imprdlion of the facred Seal : And they, who receive only the bottle, without the 

 paper, fend for one of their Imans, who are as 'twere their Prielts, and get him to 

 write down thefe words in another piece of paper, La be Ilia, Alia bid,vabidul gebbar, 

 That is to fay, 'there is no other God then God, the pmijher of Crimes. There are others 

 who order thefe words to be writ down ■■> La Ilia he Ilia, Allahul mdiqmd vehhab \ 

 which iigniries, There is no other God then God alone, the Liberal Emperour, and Pardoner 

 of Offences. The paper, having thefe words written upon it, is put into the water of 

 the little Bottle, and fo they fwallow down both together, with a ftrong perfwalion, 

 that thofe words have the fame vertue, as the impreflion of the Seal. 



There is alfo to be feem in the fame Chamber, a very homely kind of Cuttelasuhang- Ue Relief of 

 ing by the Wall, near the place where the Prophet's Seal and Garment are kept. The ° m3r - 

 Scabbard is cover'd with Green cloath, and they have it by Tradition, that it had 

 been the Cuttelas ot Omar, one of Mahomet's four Companions, who govem'd after 

 him, though Ebou-Bequer was the elder of the two, and Father-in-law to Mahomet. 

 The Arabians affirm, Tint Ebon-Beqihr was a Jen>, by extraction, and one of the moll 

 learned of his time ; and that, having renouncM the MofaickJLw ; he taught at Mecba, 

 in the Schools, after which he befct himfelf to compofe (omc part of the Alcoran. 



Near the Cuttelas, there is alfo to be feen a kind of fhort Sword, for which they 

 have, in like manner, a great veneration, upon a perfwafion, that it fome time was the 

 Sword of a certain perfbn named Eboit-Nijlum, with which he cut to pieces, thofe,who 

 had fpread a Herefie in the Law of Mahomet. He came not into the World till Four 

 hundred years after the death of the Prophet, and at length deftroy'd that Scd, which 

 duringthe (pace of two Ages before, had given much trouble to the true Malmmetans, > 

 and gain'd feveral Battels againft them. 



The faid Sect was grown vciy powerful under the denomination of Muharriguu, and .... 

 I have met with fome remainders of it in the Mountains of Cburdiftan, which is the sett. 

 ancient Chaldea. Thofe people are very remarkable for their fuperftition, and much 

 more for their ignorance , and a manmufl have a great care of linking a black Dog,in 

 their prefence, or cutting an Onion with a Knife j for their way, when they are to 

 eat an Onion, is to crufh it between two fiones. The caufe of that grofs ignorance, 

 is their not having any perfon among them, to inlrrud: them •> and a man may travel 

 five or lix dayes Journey in their Country, and not meet with either a Mollah, or a 

 Mofquey. The feme reafon may alfo be given for their being, for the mod part, uncir- 

 cumcis'd, and that they who have receiv'd Circumcilion, had it not till they were 

 Twelve or fifteen years of age, and that accidentally, by going to fome place at a great 

 diftance, to rind out a Mollah, and defraying the charges of their Friends and Rela- 

 tions, who rauft accompany them to that ceremony. 



( L ^ Between., 



