Tbe Persian Travels 



Book III. 



them, they fetch out their dri'd Cheefe , which they call Kourcnt , and breaking it 

 into little BitSj eat it with frefh Butter. At their Feafts they fometimes kill old 

 Sheep, lometimes old Goats. But for their Horfes they never kill them but at the 

 Funerals of their Kindred, at the Birth of a Child, or at their Marriage-Feafts, or 

 laftly, when their Friends return laden with Spoil from any incurfion, andareftor'd 

 with Slaves. They never drink any thing but Mares-Milk or Cows-Milk, and when 

 they can get neither, they will endure thirft for three or four days together before 

 they will drink Water, being always grip'd with a terrible Colick when they drink 

 it. They never eat any Salt, being of an opinion that it is naught for the Eyes. 

 They live long, and are very ftrong, and feldom fick j nor do they refufe any Diet 

 butSwines-flefh. 



Their Countrey is very level only for fome few Hills in fome places. They 

 have great ftore ol Pafture-grounds, and every Tribe has their peculiar Wells to 

 water their Cattel. In the Winter they lodge upon the banks of great Rivers, near 

 to Woods and Marifhes, luffering their Herds }o feed at liberty. When the Snow- 

 is very deep , the Cattel fcrape it away with their feet to come at the Grafs, 

 though they meet with very little elfe but Reeds and Bufhes. In the mean while the 

 men cut down the Woods , make great Fires, and employ themfelves in Fifhing. 

 There are fome parts of theie Rivers where the lead Fifh they take is about four or 

 five foot long-, and fome there are above ten or twelve foot in length. Some they 

 dry in the wind, andpreferve againft Summer -, fome they fmoke in holes which they 

 make in the Earth : As for the fmaller fort, they boil them , and eat them without 

 Salt or any other feafoning. When they have eat'n their Fifh, they fcoop up a large 

 wooden Ladle full of the Fifh-water and gulpitdown. As for Bread, there is no 

 talk of it in their Countrey. 



When they are not at Wars, or are but newly return'd from any Incurfion, 

 they fpend their time in Hunting -, but cannot endure any other Hounds except 

 Greyhounds : So that he muft be a very poor Tartar indeed that do's not keep 

 a Greyhound. Take notice however by the by, that thefe petty Tartars, concerning 

 whom I have laft difcours'd, are certain people adjoyning to Comania , which the 

 Turks, Perfians and Mengrelians call Nogaies ; who may be well reckon'd among the 

 number of the petty Tartars, in regard they are all under one Prince, whom the 

 Grand Signor appoints King over all Petty Tartary, and who receives his inveftiture 

 at Confiantinoyle. 



Thefe Tartars are all Mahumetans. Nor have they any Phyfitian among them ; 

 making ule only of certain Simples of which they have a traditional knowledge. 

 When thefickperfon lies in any extremity, they fend for a Mottllab, who comes with 

 the Alcoran, which he opens and fhuts three times, faying certain Prayers, and 'lay- 

 ing it upon the fick perion's face. If by chance the fick perfon recover, they at- 

 tribute his recovery to the Sanûity of the Alcoran, and prefent the Monllah With. 

 a Sheep or a Goat : If he die, all his Kindred meet and carry him to the Grave with 

 great Teftimonies of Sadnefs, crying continually Alla, Alia. When he isinterr'd, 

 the Monllah mutters certain Prayers ov'r the Grave, and is paid for his pains according 

 to the wealth of the Heirs. For the poor he generally fpends three days and three 

 nights in that exercife -, for the rich he as ufually fpends a Month, never ftirring all 

 the while from the Grave j and fometimes fev'n or eight. 



When any one of them is wounded, they ufe no other Salve but only boil'd Flefh, 

 which they applyhot to the wound. If the wound be deep, they thruft in a piece 

 of Fat as hot as the wound can endure it ^ and if the perfon be able to kill a Horfe , 

 the wound is cur'd fo much the fooner ; for the Flefh and Fat of a Horfe are much 

 more medicinable than the Flefh of any other Creature. 



Were it not the Cuftom of the Tartars to buy their Wives when they marry, there 

 would be fewer Whores. But in regard there are an abundance of poor young men 

 that have not wherewithal to buy Wives, they never marry at all. This is that which 

 makes fo many Souldiers among them, and emboldens 'em to invade their Neigh- 

 bors, and to get fomething whereby they may be enabl'd to buy them a Wile. For 

 the Virgins they are nev'r to be dehTd, being always fhut up in their Waggons : But 

 for the Women they are oft'n debauch'd, appointing their private Meetings, when 

 they go to fetch water for their Cattel, when their Husbands are a-hunting, or look- 

 ing after their Herds. Nor is it a hard thing to conceal it from their Husbands, in 

 regard the Tartars are not in the lead prone to Jealoufie. By 



