'48 
Travels into L e v a n t. Part L 
CHAP. LXXIIL 
Of the Manners of the iîlgyptians; the Woman 
ipho fulls Worms out of Childrens Ears^ and of 
the Arahic\Language, 
^^"r' T (^^^^^ chief City of ^gypt., called in Arabick Majr^ and in Turkifh 
MafiorMifr.^^ jl^^j-^^ ^^^^ç whole Province of Mgypt is, (whereof it is the Capital) is 
The Nations Peopled by feverai different Nations, who may be reduced into fome kinds, 
that Inhabit for there are the people of the Countrey, who are either Mufulmans or Chri- 
Caire. ftians j the Mufulmans of the Countrey, are the Moors the Chriftians, and the 
Cophtes- Befides thefe, there are the Stranger Chriflian^, Turks and Jews ; 
the ftranger Chriftians are either Franks or Greeks. I fhall here fpeak firft of 
the Moors, after I have faid a word or two of the t/^gypiam in general. The 
The manners People of the Countrey, (generally fpeaking) both Mufulmans and Chriftians 
of the %;pare all fwarthy, they are exceeding wicked, great Rogues, Cowardly, lazy, 
tuKs. Hypocrites, Buggerers, Robbers, treacherous, very greedy of Money, and will 
kill a man ïovdi Mddm-^ in lliort, no vice comes a mifs to them: they are 
Cowards to the higheft degree, and are very loath to fight, but when they 
fall out, they hufF, fcold, and make a terrible noife, as if they would cut one 
anothers Throats, and neverthelefs, they refer their controverfie to the next 
man they meet, who makes them good Friends a'gain j then Spectators and 
all together, (for they foon gather to a croud) lifting up their Hands, fay the 
prayer which they call F^rfc^?, (I mean when they are Moors) and then they 
are better Friends than ever they were before. Thefe wretches are ufed by 
the Turks like flaves, or rather like Dogs, for they govern them with a 
Cudgel, and a Turk will knock a Moor on the head, and he not dare to refift, 
and indeed, when they fpeak to a Turk, they do it with great refpeft. 
They labour and cultivate all the Land, and yet the Bread they eat, is very 
bad, and have not their Bellies full of that neither,thongh it be a moll plentiful 
Countrey j and indead, they are of fo bad a nature, that they want to be welj 
beaten, and love thofe the better for ic, who beat them like Dogs, ferving 
very well when they are foundly drubbed, whereas they are infupportable, and 
will do nothing when thsy are gently ufed. They live a wretched life, their 
pgibnHAhn ^^^q. ordinary Diet being fait Cheefe, which they call Dgtbn Hdnm, with 
very courfe Bread ; their Bread is as broad as our Plates, made like thin Buns, 
and conflits only of two round pieces of pafl:e,and as thin as Parchment, clapM 
together and (hewed to the Fire, fo that one of them may very well be eaten 
at three mouthfuls j but it is fo bad, not only for the blacknefs of it, but as 
being ill kned, worfe bak'd, and full of Coals and Afhes, that I could never 
accuftome my felf toit: It is cheap enough indeed, for you may have eight 
of thefe Cakes for a Maidin^ which is worth about three half pence. For their 
Defert or after-courfe, they fuck Sugar-Canes^ they are alfo great eaters of 
ordinary Melons, water-Melons and the like, whereof they have great plenty, 
and many forts which we have not, yet all cannot attain to them, though 
they be extraordinarily cheap. They are Apparrelled like the Turks when they 
are able i I mean the Moors, ffor the Chriftians wear neither any green, nor 
the white Turban) but moft part of them are half naked, and many have no 
more but a blew ihirt upon their body. They are a very ignorant fort of people, 
and yet have Secrets which furprize the moft knowing, many thinking them to 
be knacks of Magick ; for to fee a man take up a Viper in the Fields, handle 
and ftroakit, open the mouth of it, and put his Finger therein, without the 
ieaft hurt, fcems very ftrange to me. They bring whole Sacks full of them 
into the City, and fell them to the Apothecaries: They come often to the 
Quarter of the French, and boldly thrufting their hand into their Sacks, pull 
out 
