The Hi/lory of 



BookI. 



have made: To hang up Chefts and Coffers in the air with 

 cords, as they are forc'd to do in feveral parts of the Eaft^ln- 

 dieS) that they may not touch the ground : And lafi ly, to keep 

 the rooms very clean, and leave nothing on the ground. It 

 hath alio been obferv'd, that the rubbing of their haunts with 

 the oyl of that kind of Palma-Chrifti wherewith the Negroes 

 rub their heads to avoid vermine, hath prevented their com- 

 ing any more that way. The oyl of Lamantin hath the fame 

 effect, and if it be poured on their rendezvouz, which is a 

 kind of Ant-hi'l made up of their own ordure, and faften'd a- 

 bout the forks which fuftain the hutts, they immediately for- 

 fake it. 



RAVETS. 



ANother dangerous vermine are the Ravets, of which there 

 are two kinds : The bigger are almoft like Locufts, and 

 of the fame colour 5 the others are not half as big : Both 

 kinds have their walks in the night-time, get into Chefts if 

 they be not very clofe, foul all things wherever they come, 

 and do mifchief enough, yet not fo much, nor in fo ftiort a 

 time, as the Wood-lice. They are called Ravets , becaufe 

 like Rats they gnaw whatever they come at .* They are no 

 doubt the fame which de Lery calls Aravers, according to the 

 Language of the Braftlianf. This vermine hath a particular 

 malice to Books, and their covers. The Wood-lice are as 

 good, if they can get at them 5 but they are to be commend- 

 ed in this particular, that they have a refpeft for the letters, 

 and only nibble about the margents ; for whether they can- 

 not away with the ink, or for fome other reafon, it muft be 

 an extraordinary famine that (hall force them to feed on the 

 imprellion, or writing : But they are very great lovers of 

 linen above any thing, and if they can get into a Cheft, 

 they will drfire but one night to make work enough for 

 many Sempftrefles for a month. 



As to the Ravets, though they be not fo quick at their 

 work, yet they fpare nothing but filk and cotton-ftuffs $ 

 nay they have no ftumach to filk or cotton even while it is 

 raw 5 infomuch that if the Chefts be hung up in the air, and 

 the cords be done about with cotton, as foon as they find their 

 little feet faften'd in it, they immediately endeavour to get 

 away, and turn fomewhere elfe. Such as dwell in houfes of 

 brick or ftone ate not troubled with the Wood-lice, but with 

 all their c re they have much ado to avoid the mifchief done 

 by the Revets : Yet hath it been found by experience, that 

 they cannot endure fweet fcents, and that thqy would not 

 willingly get into Chefts made of Cedar, and tbofe excellent 

 fweet woods which are common in all thefe Iflands. At Cairo 



they 



