The Persian Travels Book IV. 



they fay Low-Mafs about noon , and then they Confefs and adminifter the Sacrament : 

 But generally they ftay 'till Saturday, and then the Communicants, after they have 

 receiv'd, are permitted to eat Fifh, Eggs, Butter, Oyl, or any thing elfe except Flefh. 

 Upon Eafter-day, by break of day, the Prieft fays Low-Mafs, ConfefTes , and Admini- 

 fters , after which it is lawful to eat Flefh. But the Beads rauft be kill'd upon Safierl 

 day y and not fo much as upon Eajier-eve. They have four other Feafts in the year, 

 wherein they obferve the lame Ceremony, eating neither Flefh, Fifh, Eggs, Butter, 

 nor Oyl for eight days : which four Feafts are Cbrifimai,the Afcention, the Annunciation, 

 and St. George's. Before this laft Feaft they ftreteh their devotion to the utmoft , for 

 fome will faft three days , ibme five , one after another. 



CHAP. X. 



Of the ôrdinationof their Priefthood ; and their Auflerities. 



Hen a Father dcfigns his Son to the Priefthood, he carries him to the 

 Prieft, who puts the Cope, op'n on both fides, about his Shoulders ^ 

 after which the Father and Mother take him home again. This 

 Ceremony is repeated feven times in feveral years, according to the 

 years of the young Child, 'till he come to be of age to fay Mafs. If he be not de- 

 fign'd for a Monk , but for the Priefthood , after the fourth time of putting on the 

 Oiafuble or op'n Cope, they marry him : for their Priefts marry once, but if that Wife 

 dye , if they intend to marry again, they muft give over faying Mafs. The fix firft 

 Ceremonies being over, when the Youth comes to the age of 1 8 years , at what time 

 they are capable of faying Mafs , as well thofe who are defign'd for Monks , as thofe 

 who are marry'd Priefts , they proceed to the feventh and laft Ceremony, which 

 muft be perform'd by an Archbifhop or a Bifhop -, who inverts the young Prieft with 

 all the Habits which the Priefts wear that fay Mafs. That being clone , he goes into 

 the Church, out of which he is not to depart for a whole year-, during all which 

 time he is altogether employ'd in the fervice of the Church. The Prieft who is mar- 

 ry'd, muft be five days after he has faid Mafs before he returns home to eat or drink, 

 or lye with his Wife. And as well the Monks as Priefts , when they intend to fay 

 Mais again , muft remain five days in the Church , without either going to bed or 

 touching sny thing with their hands , unlefs it be the Spoon where-with they eat their 

 meat : not daring all the while to fpit or blow their nofes. The next five days after 

 they Jaave laid Mafs, though fuch days upon which they might otherwife eat Flefh 

 and Fifh, they are oblig'd to feed upon nothing elfe but Eggs without Butter, and 

 Rice boyl'd with Water and Salt.The morning before they celebrate Mafs,if the Prieft 

 have by chance fwallow'd a drop of Water , he muft not fay Mafs. 



Their Aufterities are fuch , that many of their Bifhops never eat Flefh or Fifh above 

 four times a year but more then that, when they come to be Archbifhops, they only 

 live upon Pulfe. They have fix months and three days in a year wherein they keep 

 Lent, or particular Fafts, which you pleafe to call them-, and during all that time, 

 as well the Ecclefiaftical perfons as the Laity, feed only upon Bread, and fome few 

 Herbs which grow in their Gardens. There was an Armenian of Zdyha whofe fuper- 

 ftition was fo great, that he made his Horfe to faft with him , allowing him but very 

 little either to eat or drink for a whole week together. As for the poor labouring 

 people, they only feed upon Pulfe , boyl'd in Water and Salt: for during their chief 

 Lent, they are permitted no more then others, to eat either Butter or Oyl -, nay 

 though they lay a dying , it is not lawful for them to eat Flefh upon thofe days wherein 

 that diet is forbidd'n. They may only eat Wall-nuts or Small-nuts , Almonds or Pifta- 

 dies, or fome fuch other Fruit that affords no Oyl ; and they have this farther liberty, 

 to pound them, and put them among their Pulfe or their Herbs , and boyl them with 

 Rice. 



vffio i. 



CHAP, 



