Part 1. Travels into the h ey ant. 
43 
and, indeed, that which makes us Chriftians, is Baptifra : Now it is certain, 
they are never baptifed ; 'it is very true, that when they turn Turks, as they 
propofe tothemfelves to believe all that the Turks believe, fothey muil; believe 
that Jffiis Chrift is the Word of God, Conceived by the breath of God, and 
Born of ihz'Virgin Mary^ a Virgin after his birth, and that he is the Mcjfias: 
If a Renegade or natural Turk happen to die without Circumcifion, they break 
the little Finger of the left Hand, and that ferves him for Circuiricifion. To 
conclude, the Turks bear fo great refpedt to thefe words. La illah tllallah Maho- 
met refold allah^ that if a Chriftian or Jew fhould pronounce them, evenincon- 
fiderately, before Witnefles, he mull abfolutely and without reraiffion turn 
Turk, or be burnt. 
CHAP. XX 
Of the Commands to he obferved in the 
TurkifJo Relmon, 
THE Turks receive the Decalogue of Mofej^ and caufe it pundtually to be Commandsof 
obferved by all ; but befides thefe , they have other Commands that ^^^^^"^^"^^ 
Mahomet gave them, which are properly the Foundation of their Religion. 
Thefe Commands are chiefly Five -, the Firft is. To Believe one only God, 
and to Worlhip him as fuch. The Second, To Fait the Ramadan. The 
Third, To Pray at the hours appointed, The Fourth, To give yearly to the 
Poor the fortieth part of their fubftance. The Fifth, Once in their liyesgto 
make a Pilgrimage to yl/fc^^. Whereupon a Turk of Qiiality told me o*e, 
that his Father meeting one day w ith a Beggar who begg'd an Alms of him ; 
he ask'd him what Religion he was ^ the Beggar told him, that he was a Muful- 
man ; and the other putting him to it. What was the duty of a Mnfnlman ? the 
Beggar anfwerd , That he had Five Commands to obferve who would be a 
Mufulman^ but that they ought to be reckoned no more now but One, becaufe 
( faid he ) the Rich have abolilhed the Second and Third by their want of De- 
votion, and the Poor the Fourth and Fifth by their Inability, having nothing 
to give in Charity, nor to perform the Pilgrimage of Afecfe^?, fo that only the 
Firft remains. It is certain, that they obferve their Firft Command very 
pundlually, for they fnew very great reverence to God, and even to his Name, The Turks 
which they never pronounce, nor hear pronounced, but with figns of great ^^^^'^ S^eat 
fubmiffion and reverence. They never fet about anyadion, let it be of never^^e Name'^of 
fo final! confequence, but they firft fay Bi/millah^ that is to fay, In the Name God. 
of God -, whether it be when they mount on Horfe-back or alight. Play or 
Eat, or fall to any work whatfoever, they always begin with that, and- it is 
very commendable : And they are fo careful in ffiewing their reverence to the 
Name of God, that ifthey find the leaft bit of Paper in the way, they take it jj,» i-yj-i^j 
up, and put it into fome hole of a wall ; and upon no other confideration ( as carefully take 
they fay ) but that the Name of God is written on it, or may be written on up pieces of 
it ; fo that the holes of the walls are always to be feen ftuck full of them, For PaP*^"^- 
the fame reafon, they ufe no Paper when they go to eafe themfelves, for it 
would be a great crime, and they would cudgel a Chriftianfoundly, ifthey 
found that he employed it that way ; but for all this reverence, they fwear by 
the Name of God at every turn, and fpeak not three words without an Vllah, 
that is to fay. By God ; they are fo accuftomed to it, that they cannot forbear, 
and it feems to give a gracefulnefs to their difcourfe, but they do not think that 
God is thereby offended ; and, indeed, they feldom fwear in vain, for when 
they fay VlUh^ they would be believed ; and he that ftiould fwear fo falfely, 
would be lookt upon as a naughty man. 
G 2 CHAP. 
