Book HI. 



Travels in India. 



I 



Though the Idolaters are in utter darkhefs as to the knowledg of the true 

 God, however the Law of Nature teaches them Morality in many things. When 

 they are married they are feldom falfe to their Wives. Adultery is very rare 

 among them. And as for Sodomy I never heard it mention'd. They marry their 

 Children between feven and eight years old, for fear they fhould fall into that 

 vice; the Ceremonies whereof are thefe: The day before the Nuptials, the 

 Bridegroom, accompany'd by all his Kindred, goes to the Houfe where the 

 Bride lives^ with a great pair of Bracelets, two ringers thick, hollow within^ 

 and in two pieces, with a hinge in the middle to open them. According to the 

 quality of the Bride thofe Bracelets are of more or lefs value, fometimes of 

 Gold, fometimes of Silver, Tin, or Latten, the pooreft fort of all making ufè 

 of Lead. The next day there is a great Feaft at the Bridegrooms Houfe, whe- 

 ther all the Kindred on both fides are invited, and about three a Clock in the 

 afternoon the Bride is brought thither. Then the chief of the Bramins that 

 are there , of which there are always feveral, laying the head of the Bride 

 to the Bridegrooms, pronounces feveral words, fprinkling their heads and bo- 

 dies all the while with water. Then they bring him upon Plates or Fig-leaves 

 feveral forts of Meats, Calicuts, and Stuffs ; and then the Br ami n asks the 

 Bridegroom, whether fo long as God (hall make him able, he will let his Wife 

 fhare with him, and whether he will endeavour to maintain her by his labour. 

 If he fays yes, they all fet themfelves down to the Feaft prepar'd for them, 

 where every one eats by himfelf. If the Bride be rich, and be acquainted 

 among the Nobility, their Weddings are very pompous and expenfive. The 

 Bridegroom is mounted upon an Elephant, and the Bride rides in a Chariot j 

 the whole Company carrying Torches in their hands. They alfo borrow of the 

 Governour and the Nobility of the place , as many Elephants and prancing 

 Horfes as they can get. And they walk fome part of the night with Fire- 

 works, which they throw about the Streets and Piazza's. But the greateft 

 expence to thofe that live three or four hundred Leagues from it, is to get the wa- 

 ter of Ganges-, for in regard they account that water facred, and drink it out 

 of devotion, it muft be brought them by the Bramins, and in Earthen Veflels^ 

 glaz'd within fide, which the chief Bramin of Ingrenate fills himfelf with the 

 pureft Water of the River, and then feals up with h;s own Seal. They never 

 drink this water till the end of the Feaft, and then they give their guefts three 

 or more glafiês apiece. This water coming fo far, and the chief Bramin de- 

 manding a Tribute for every pot, which contains a Pail-full, fometimes a wed- 

 ding comes to two or three thoufànd Roupies. 



The eighth of April, being in a City of Bengala call'd Malde, the Idolaters 

 made a great Feaft, according to the particular Cuftom of that place j they all 

 go out of the City, and faften Iron hooks to the boughs of feveral Trees, then 

 come a great number of poor people and hang themfelves, fbme by the fides, 

 fome by the brawn of their backs, upon thofe hooks, till the weight of their 

 body tearing away the flefh, they fall of themfelves. Tis a wonderful thing to 

 fee that not fo much as one drop of blood fhould hTue from the wounded flefh, 

 nor that any of the flefh fhould be left upon the hook ; befides, that in two 

 days they are perfectly cur'd by fuch Plaifters as their Bramins give them. 

 There are others who at that Feaft will iye upon a bed of nails, with the points 

 upward, the nails entring a good way into the flefh ; however while thefe peo- 

 ple are under this Pennance, their Friends come and prefent them with Money 

 and Linnen. When they have undergone their Penance, they take the prefents 

 and diftribute them to the poor, without making any farther advantage of 

 them. I ask'd one, why they made that Feaft, and fuffer'd thofe fevere Pe- 

 nances ; who anfwer'd me, that it was in remembrance of the firft man, whom 

 they call'd Adam, as we do. 



In the year 1666, I faw another fort of Penance, as I crofs'd the Ganges; 

 upon the Bank of which River they had prepar'd a clean place, where one of 

 the poor Idolaters was condemn'd to reft upon the ground, touching it only 

 With his hands and feet; which he was to do feveral times a day, and every 

 time to kifs the earth three times before he rofe up again. He was to rife up 

 upon his left foot, never touching the ground with his right all the while. Ana, 



every 



