Chap. XI. of Monfieur Tavernier. ,227 



Ihere belongs alfo to every Mofyuee a Monteveli, who looks after the repairs 

 of the Building, and the Provifion of what belongs to the Mofquee ; together 

 with a Mouaz,en, who cries morning and evening from the top of a Tower, That 

 there is but one God, and that Mahomet is his Prophet. 



Colledges, the Perfians call Medrefe; where there are a great number of Scholars 

 bred up at little charge, out of the Legacies left to the Foundations. They al- 

 low them a Chamber without any Furniture, they being to provide a Coverlet 

 •and a Mattrefs for themfelves. They have no certain Matters , but lbmetimes 

 they go for their inftructions to one, fometimes to another, feldom to the Princi- 

 ,pa! of the Colledg, who is call'd Monderes, and is generally the greateft Block- 

 Ihead of the m all. But there are feveral other perfons in every good City 

 ■that are forward to teach the Sciences to purchafe honour to themfelves. 

 'For which reafon they are very liberal, to get a great company of Fol- 

 lowers together, who are as fo many Trumpets to publifh the wifdom of their 

 -Akroom or Doctor. But when their Liberality ceafes, the Trumpets want breath at 

 the fame time. 



Now, as to their manner of ftudying, the Student firft reads two or three lines, 

 and then the Doctor Expounds. Then another reads two or three lines more, and 

 fo one after another; every one rifing up out of refpect after he has done reading, 

 and ftanding upright till the Doctor bids him fit down again. One of thefe 

 Doctors fhall teach all manner of Sciences in one day ; for he is not learned that 

 cannot talk of all. And certainly had the Pcrjians thofe advantages of Books, and 

 that method of ftudy which we have in Europe, they would prove to be men of 

 great underfranding : for with thofe little helps they have, they will give a good 

 account of their own Theology, of Log'ck, Phyfick, and the Mathematicks, 

 wherein they Itrive to reach the bottom of things as deep as they can. Their 

 Books are for the moft part the works of an ancient Perfian Author, whofe name 

 was Kodgia Nefir in the City of Thoufs, in the Province of Korajfan. Tis very 

 probable he was well skill'd in the Greek, and Arabic^, having tranflated into Per- 

 fan feveral Books out of thofe two Languages. They have fbme pieces of Ari- 

 Jhtle which are accounted the beft in the Weft : The Almag^ftes of Ptolemy, which 

 they call Mag' ft i ; fome tractates of Euclide, fbme fragments of Archimedes : 

 the Optickj of Ebne, Heifter, and other excellent Books. Some have affirm'd 

 that they have been skill'd in the doctrin of Sines and Tangents for above this 800 

 years : and indeed they are very curious at this day in Mathematical Inftruments. 

 They have alfo a great inclination to Poetry, the chiefeft grace whereof they be- 

 lieve to confift in defign of accidents, and high comparifons, obferving rhime as we 

 do. As for Phyfick, they have Galen, whom thev call Galsnous ; Averroes, whom 

 they call Aboualt, ox great Father -, and Hermes Trlfaegifttts, whom they call Or- 

 mous. The moft considerable of their Hiftorians is Eonz^c el Sapha, who wrote a 

 Chronology from the Creation of the World to his time j wherein there are 

 abundance of fables, but little truth. He fays that the World was inhabited by 

 Devils for an infinite number of years before the Creation of Adam, and that God 

 for their enormities depriv'd them of their power upon earth, and gave it to man 

 to manage. Their Books, though deer, are very common, and every Trades-man 

 buys *em, being very ambitious to learn the Sciences themfelves, and to encou- 

 rage their children to do fo too. They fend them betimes to the School., which 

 they call Meklebe, of which there are feveral in every Quarter. They make a 

 hideous noife in their Schools, repeating their LefTons altogether aloud, while the 

 Mafter corrects every Boy that does not keep along with the Cry. As for the 

 children of perfons of Quality, they have Tutors at home, never ftirring out 

 of doors till they are 18 years of age, unlefs it be to go a hunting or a moot- 

 ing now and them. Hence it comes to pafs, that the Children are difcreet, civil 

 and modeftj fo that you Hull never hear an ill word come out of their 

 mouths. 



In the Chamber of Accounts are many Officers, whom I look upon as Gown- 

 men. All the Books and RegifterS pafs through their hands, particularly fuch Pa- 

 pers as concern'd the King's Revenue. All which are regifter'd in the Chamber of 

 Accounts at Ifpahan t which is call'd Defter-Krone. As to the Fee-Lands call'd 

 Moulkp-bar, which belong to particular perfons, they owe to the King a certain 



E e annual 



