232 Travels into the L e v a n t. Part Î. 
end, and that is, If they cried all, fonie malicious perfon woul<^ look upon 
A Siiperfti- the Water with a bad eye (as they call it ). For if a Man look upon a pretty 
tion in Mgjpt Child, or any thing elfe, and faying it is lovely, if he add not prefently; 
God grant it long life, or fome fuch Benedidion ; they call that to look upon 
it with an evil eye, and believe that misfortune will befal the Child. It is 
the fame with Beafts, and every thing elfe, as with Children: Wherefore 
they apply Garlick, and fuch other fluff, to their Children, to make them look 
ugly. And in the fame manner, if they fliould declare all the growth of the 
Ntle^ they would be afraid fome body might fay, the Water is bravely increa- 
fed in a fliort time, without wilhing a blelfmg to it, and by fuch words occa- 
fion the decreafe of the Nile, which (as they believe ) would bring a Famin all 
T!ie publica- Over the Land of <y£gyft. They began then on the 28, of Jnne^ the Eve of 
tion of the St. Peter and St. Paul, to publifli the growth of the Nile, which was encreafed 
^l^'^M^i according to the Grand Stumor's Meafure, 8. Pics. The 29. it rofe two fingers 
nie ^,ie. 30. 2. f. The firftof July, 3. f. the 2. two f. the 3. 2. f. the 4. 3. f, the 
5. 2.f. the 5. 3. f. the 7. 4.f. the 8.2. f. the 9. 3. f. the 10. 4.f. the 11. 3.f.' 
the 12. 3. f. the 13. 5.f. the 14. 4. f. the 15. 4. f. the 5.f. the 17. 4. f. 
the 18. 4.f. the ip. 3. f. the 20. 3.f. the 21. 3. f. the 22. 4. f. the 23. 3. f. 
the 24. 4. f. the 25. 3.f. the 25. 3.f. the27.4. f. the 28. 5.f. the 29. 7. f. 
the 30. 8. f. the 3 1. 6\ f. The firft of Mguft, 7. f. the 2. 4. f. the 3. 4. f. 
the 4. 3. f. the 5. 3. f. the 5. 4. f. the 7.3. f- the 8. 3. f. the 9. 3. f. theio.4.f! 
the II. 5.f. the 12. 10. f. the 13. 15. f, the 14. Ouf aUah, which is to fay. 
Abundance from God j and thereby, it is underftood, that the River is rifen 
16, Pics of which if there wanted but one fingers breadth, they would not 
cut and open the Khalis. For if the Balha fliould open it before it were en- 
creafed 16. whole Pics, and rhe Year not prove good, the Grand Sigmor''s 
Farmers in iALgyp, would not hz obliged to pay any thing to the Grand Signior^ 
and the Baflia muft anfwcr for it ^ and opening it after it hath encreafed 
15. Pics, he is not refponfable for the plentifulnefs or fcarcity of the Year, 
but if being rifen i5. Pics, he did not open it, and that afterwards it fhoald 
diminifli, he is anfwerable, as if he had opened it too foon. That day they 
cried 12. fingers. The 15. day the Khalis was opened (as I fliall fay hereaf- 
ter ) and they cried nothing but Ouf allah, and next day the fixteenth, how 
much more it was encreafed, faying fo many fingers upon the following P/c, 
to wit. The 16. 8. f. which are i4.f. of the 17. Pic. the 17. 4. f. which are 
18. f. of the 17. Pic. the 18. 3. f. which are 2i.f. of the 17. Ptc the 19. 2. f. 
which are 23. f. of the 17. P. the 20. 2. f. which are one finger of the 18. P. 
the 21. 2. f. which are 3. f- of the 18. P. the 22. the Nile grew none at all, and 
nothing was cried; the 23. 2. f. which are 5.f. of the 18. P. the 24. 3. f, 
which are 8. f. of the 1 8. P, the 25. i * f. which makes 9. f. of the 1 8. P. the 26. 
2. f. which are 1 1 . f. of the 1 8. P. the 27. 4. f. which are 1 5. f . of the 1 8. P. 
the 28. 7.f, which are 22.f. of the 18. P. the 29.6. f. which are4. f. of the 
19. P. the3o.4.f. which are 8. f. of the 19. P. the 31. 4. f. which are 12. f. 
of the 19. P. Thefirft of September 6. f. which are 18. f. of the 19. P. the 2. 
5.f. which are 23. f- of the 19. P. the s.6.f. which are5.f. of the 20. P. 
the 4. 4.f. which are 9. f. of the 20. P. the 5. 5. f. which are 14. f. of the 
20. P. the 6. 4. f. which are 18. f. of the 20. P. the 7. 4. f. which are 22. f. of 
the 20. P. the 8. 5 . f. which are 3 • f- of the 2 1 . P. the 9. 3 . f. which are 6. f. of 
the2i. P. the 10. 3. f. which are 9. f. of the 21. P. the 11.4. f. which are 
13. f. of the 21. P. the 12. 3. f. which are id. f. of the 21. P. the 13. 2. f. 
which are 18. f. of the 21. P. the 14. 3. f. which are 21. f. of the 21. P. the 
i5.2.f which are 23 • f. of the 21 P. the i5.3.f. which are 2. f. of the 22. P. 
the 17. 2. f. which are 4. f. of the 22. P. the 18.2. f. which are 6.f. of the 
22. P, the 19. 3. f. which are 9. f. of the22. P. the 20. 2. f. which area i. f. of 
the 22. P. the 21. 2. f. which are 13. f. of the 22. P. the 22. 3. f. which are 
16. f. of the 22. P. the three and twentieth nothing, becaufe it began to de- 
creafe. And the four and twentieth, which is Holy-Crofs-Day, according to 
the Calender of the Greeks, they neither reckon nor cry any more, though 
it fhould encreafe, as fometimes it does till OEiober • and it is to be obferved, 
that it decreafes gently, and much in the famemajiper as it encreafed, until 
the Month of May following. 
CHAP. 
