Chap. XV. GrandSeignor 's Seraglio. 75 



not accounting what they beftow on thofe perfons, who bring, from him, thofe tefti- 

 monies and marks of his Affection. 



It is to be obferv'd alfo, That t\\tCapi-Aga is allow'd to multiply the faid Watery 

 far as he thinks requilite, and anfwerably to his defire of multiplying the Prefènts. All 

 he has to do, is only to fill up the Cauldron, as it is emptied, and that additional wa- 

 ter is as good as 'twas before, fmce it is intermix'd with that wherein Mahomet's Gar- 

 ment had b:en foak'd. For there are many perfons, to whom he fends thofe Bottles, 

 without the imprellion of the Seal, upon the little piece of paper, and he has a fnack out 

 of all that is beftow'd on the Bearers of thofe Prefents. But he is not permitted to 

 make that multiplication of the Water, any longer than for the fpace of three dayes , 

 that is to fay, till the Seventeenth of the Ramazan, after which time, the additional 

 intermixture of it would not have the Vertue, which they imagine it has. 



As foon as this Prefent is receiv'd by thofe to whom it is fent, they take the paper, 

 which has the imprellion of Mahomet's Seal, and, after they have left it to foake a little 

 while in the Water of the little Chryftal bottle, they take off the water and the paper, 

 fwallowing down both together with great devotion. But it is to be noted, That no 

 body muft be fo prefumptuous as to open that paper -, for they fwallow it down as it 

 is brought to them, after a little (baking in the water, they being not permitted to fee 

 the imprellion of the facred Seal : And they, who receive only the bottle, without the 

 paper, fend for one of their Imans, who are as 'twere their Priefts, and get him to 

 write down thefe words in another piece of paper, La he Ilia, Alia hul,vahidul gebbarj 

 That is to fay, Inhere is no other God then God, the punijher of Crimes. There are others, 

 who order thefe words to be writ down ; La Ilia hé Ilia, Allahul meliquid vehhab \ 

 which lignifies, There is no other God then God alone, the Liberal Emperour, and Pardoner 

 of Offences. The paper, having thefe words written upon it, is put into the water of 

 the little Bottle, and fo they fwallow down both together, with a ftrong perfwafion, 

 that thofe words have the fame vertue, as the impreffion of the Seal. 



There is alfo to be feen, in the fame Chamber, a very homely kind of CuttelasJiang- Tht Relief cf 

 ing by the Wall, near the place where the Prophet's Seal and Garment are kept. The °rnar. 

 Scabbard is cover'd with Green cloath, and they have it by Tradition, that it had 

 been the Cuttelas of Omar, one of Mahomet'?, four Companions, who govern'd after 

 him, though Ebou-Bequer was the elder of the two, and Father-in-law to Mahomet. 

 The Arabians affirm, That Ebou-Bequer was a Jen>, by extraction, and one of the moft 

 learned of his time i and that, having renoune'd the MofakkJLzw, he taught at Mecha v 

 in the Schools, after which he befet himfelf to compofe fome part of the Alcoran. 



Near the Cuttelas, there is alfo to be feen a kind of (hort Sword, for which they 

 have, in like manner, a great veneration, upon a perfwafion, that it fome time was the 

 Sword of a certain perfon named Ebou-Niflum, with which he cut to pieces, thofè,who 

 had fpread a Herefie in the Law of Mahomet. He came not into the World till Four 

 hundred years after the death of the Prophet, and at length deftroy'd that Seel, which 

 during the fpace of two Ages before, had given much trouble to the true Mahumetans^ 

 and gain'd feveral Battels againft them. 



The faid Sed was grown veiy powerful under the denomination of Muharriguu,znà A r m CH i 0H ^ 

 I have met with fome remainders of it in the Mountains of Clmrdijlan, which is the seft. 

 ancient C'haldea. Thofe people are very remarkable for their fuperftition, and much 

 more for their ignorance ; and a man muft have a great care of ftriking a black Dog,in 

 their prefence, or cutting an Onion with a Knife =, for their way, when they are to 

 m cat an Onion, is to crufh it between two ftones. The caufe of that grofs ignorance, 

 is their not having any perfon among them, to inftrud them -, and a man may travel 

 five or fix dayes Journey in their Country, and not meet with either a Mollah, or a 

 Mofquey. The fame reafon may alfo be given for their being, for the moft part, uncir- 

 cumcis'd, and that they who have receiv'd Circumcifion, had it not till they were 

 Twelve or fifteen years of age, and that accidentally, by going to fome place at a great 

 diftance, to find out a Mollah, and defraying the charges of their Friends and Rela- 

 tions, who muft accompany them to that ceremony. 



( L ) Between 



