Chap. X 11. of Monfieur Ta vernier. 



of their mouthes,and the more fick the party is, the louder and thicker, they fetch their 

 belches. The (landers by hearing them belch in that manner and fetch luchvilanous 

 fighs from their (lomacks, believe their friend to be dangcroufly ill, and that the louder 

 the Women belch,the more eale and comfort they receive \ but whether they do or no, 

 the women are Well payd for their pains. When any one feels a pain in the Head, they 

 fend for the Barber, who gives two cuttsupon the Head acrols with the ralor, and then 

 poures Oyl into the wound. For they believe the Head-ache proceeds only from a 

 wind beeween the flefh and the bone, for which the Incifion opens a paflage to let 

 it out. 



At their Funerals they that are the near Relations or Friends of the dead, lbme cut 

 their faces, and other parts of their Bodies with (harp flints, others proflrate themfelves 

 upon the ground, and tear their hair , fo that when they return from the Burial, they 

 are all of a gore blood : However, notwithftanding all this affliction , they never 

 pray for the Dead. 



As to their Marriages : When a young man has feen a Virgin which he has a liking 

 to, he fends one of his friends to agree with her Parents or her Tutor, what he will 

 give for her. Commonly the guift conlifts in Horles, Cows or fome other fort of Cat- 

 tel. When the agreement is made, the Parents and Kindred of the party thereby con- 

 tracted, together with the Lord of the place, go to the Houfe where the Virgin lives 

 and bring her to the Bridegrooms Houfe, where there is a Feaft ready prepar'd 

 and after they have made merry , and fung i and dane'd for a while, the Bride- 

 groom and Bride go and lye together, without any other Ceremony. If the Man and 

 Maid are of two Parifhes, the Lord of the Village where the Man lives, accompany 

 him and his Kindred to the next Village altogether , to fetch the Bride from 

 thence. 



If a Man and the Wife have no Children, he is permitted to take feveral Wives one 

 after another till he have Iffue. If a marri'd Woman have a Gallant, and that the 

 Husband mould come and find his Wife a bed with him, he goes away again without 

 faying a word, and never takes any further notice of it. The Woman alio in the lame 

 cafe, does the like by the man. Nay, the more Gallants a Woman has, the more fhc is 

 reflected : And it is a common cuflom when they fall out, to taunt one another, 

 that if they were not ugly, or ill natur'd, ordifeas'd, they would have more Admirers 

 than they have. The People arc of an excellent Complexion, efpecially the Women, 

 who are extreamly fair, and finely fhap'd , and keep their beauty till five and forty or 

 fifty years. They are very laborious, and work themfelves in the Iron Mines, which 

 they melt afterwards and forge into feveral Tooles and Implements. They make abmv» 

 dance of Embroidery of Gold and Silver for their Saddles, their Quivers, and their 

 Pumps, as alio upon the Calicut of which they make their Handkerchiefs. 



If the man and the woman happen to quarrel often together, fo that they cannot be 

 reconcil'd : the Husband complaining firft to the Lord of the Place, He fends for 

 the Woman, and having giv'n order to fell her, gives the Man another. But if the 

 Woman complain firft, the Man is ferv'd the fame fawce. If a Man or Woman be a 

 difturber of their Neighbours, if the Neighbours complain to the Lord, he prefently 

 caufes the party to be apprehended and fold to the Merchants that buy Slaves, for they 

 are relblv'd they will live in quiet. 



They that take upon them the quality of Gentlemen, fit dill, do nothing, and fpeak 

 very little. In an evening they ride out, and meet fome twenty or thirty together to go 

 a dealing. Nor do they rob only their Enemies, but their Neighbours, from whom 

 the chief prey which they take are Cattle and Slaves. All the Country-people are 

 Slaves to the Lord of the Village where they live, whom he imploys to till his Land^ 

 and cut Wood for him upon occafion, of which they lpend vaft quantities. For not be- 

 ing very warm clad, they keep fire all night in the places where they fleep. 



CHAP, 



