i44 



The Persian Travels Book IV, 



CHAP. II. 



Of the Fhwers and Fruits of Perfia, , of Tnrquoifes and Pearls. 



TH E Flowers of Perfia are nothing comparable to our European Flowers, 

 neither for variety nor beauty. For having pafs'd the Tigris in the 

 Road to Perfia, you meet with nothing butRofesand Lillies, and fome 

 other Fruits peculiar to the Country. 

 As for Rofes, they have great ftore, which they diftil , as they do Orange-flowers, 

 and tranfport the Waters into all the Eaftern parts of Afia. 



I never left the Court of Verfia, , but fome of the Lords , efpecially four of the 

 white Eunuchs , beg'd of me to bring them fome Flowers out of trance ; for they 

 have every one a Garden before their Chamber door : and happy is he that can 

 prefent the King with a Pofie of Flowers in a C ryftal Flower-Pot. 



There are in Perjia Apples, Pears, Oranges, Granates, Prunes, Cherries, Apricots> 

 Quinces, Chefnuts, Medlers, and other forts of Fruit , which is not generally fo well* 

 tailed as ours. 



Their Apricots indeed , efpecially the leflfer fort, are better than ours. When you 

 op'n this Apricot, the Stone cleaves in two, and then the Kernel, which is only a fmall 

 Skin , as white as Snow , is more pleafing to the taft than if it had been pre- 

 ferv'd. 



As for their Melons, they are moll excellent , and very plentiful , neither is it fo 

 dangerous to eat them to excefs , as ours. There have been fome that have eat'n fix 

 and thirty pound in a day, and have never been the worfe. There is a prodigious 

 quantity of them fold in I/pahan ; where they are brought to Market, from midnight 

 'till four a Clock in the afternoon. Thofe Melons which are firft in feafon , and are 

 call'd Guermex., are infipid, and taft of nothing but Water. However the Phyficians 

 advife you to eat them, faying that they plump up the Flelh , and renew the habit 

 of the Body. The next to the Guermez. , are better than they, and they increafe 

 in goodnels 'till they come to be quite out of feafon -, the laft of which they keep 

 all the Winter long. 



Though they have fuch vaft plenty, yet they never leave but one Melon upon a 

 ftalk , and when it is as big as a Nut, the Gard'ner, or his Wife, or his Children, lye 

 down upon the ground and lick off the Down , which they fay keeps the Melon 

 from being fweet, and rip'ning kindly. 



The Perfians have alio a particular fort of Qyince-Pepin , but not fo good as ours, 

 which they fry unpar'd , calling great ftore of Salt in the Pan to excite thirft, and 

 then prefent them to their Friends at their Collations. They have alfo Almonds and 

 Figs , but few Small-nuts or Wall-nuts. 



Oyl they have none, but in the Provinces of Maz.andranmd Gkilan , which furnilh 

 all the reft of Perfia ■ but the Olives are rotten , black , gravelly, and not worth any 

 thing , compar'd with Trovence-OYwes. 



Armenia, Mengrelia, Georgia, and Media abound in Vineyards. They bury their 

 Vines all the Winter, and take them up again in the Spring by reafon of the cold. 

 In the hotter Countries they drefs their Vines as we do, without any under-propping 

 them. There are three forts of Wines in Perfia. That of Tefd is very delicate 5, 

 that of JJpaban but ordinary : that of Tefd is tranfported to Lar, where there lives 

 a great number of Jervr f who care not to live but where they may have good Wine, 

 and that at a cheap rate. It is alfo carry'd toOrmus , where it is fold half in half 

 cheaper than the Wine of Schiras. As for the Wine of Schiras, it is made of one 

 only Grape , fweet in taft , but which heats the Mouth extremely. This fort of 

 Grape is call'd Kichmijhe'- it is a white Grape, without any ftone, as vulgarly believ'd ; 

 but however it has a ftone , though it be hardly to be perceiv'd ; which neverthelefs 

 will appear in new Wine, when it frets like a little Ligament. They fay that the 

 Wine of Ifpahan is cold upon the Stomach , but that it fumes into the Head. For 

 its coldnefs upon the Stomach I can fay little , but I'know it will warm the Head, if 

 a man takes too much of it. In Perfia they never keep their Wine in Tuns , but in 



great 



