250 
Travels into the Levant. 
Part T. 
their Ceremonies too late, Tthough there be fome of them towards Tof.jana) 
but at Caire I have often feen them very eafily, becaufc they have a little 
Mofque in the quarter of France. They arecloathed much in the fame man- 
ner as the Dancers, and have felt-caps after the fame falhion, Thefc men fay 
their prayers much oftener than the other Mufulmans do, but chiefly on Tuef- 
days and Thurfdays about ten or eleven a clock at night. They all meet at 
the Mofque at the call of him who goes up to the top of the Tower, thea 
they fall a linging fome vcrfes of the Alcoran^ vv-hich they often repeat, fo 
that they have enough tolaft them till day, clapping their hands now and then 
againfl one anothers, playing on certain Drums and fuch like Inllruments; 
but about the middle, after they have long fung the Alcoran^ they all rife 
upright and put themfelves into a Ring one behind another j then he who 
is the chief, fings fome prayers very loud \ and in the mean time the reft 
inftantly fay over and over, almoft without fetching breath, Allah^ which 
is to fay God, making at every time a very low bow: fo that their ilraining 
to pronounce that word, which they draw out from the depth of their Breaft, 
wiihout intermifllon or taking breath, with the frequent bending of their 
Body in thefe inclinations, make them look like men poiTelFed, and efpecially 
towards the end, when being quite out of Breath, one of them beats his 
Drum as faft as he can and the reft pronounce the word Allah as faft, and 
almoft as often as he ftrikes upon his Drum ; fo that they foam like 
mad Dogs, and fome with the violence of ftraining, void Blood at the Mouth. 
This lafcs about half an hour -, but towards the end, they fay no more but 
Hm^ that is to fay, he, which is as good as if they had faid God, becaufe they 
want ftrength to pronounce Mah j infomuch that to hear them about the 
end, one would think he heard fo many Hogs grunting, when that is done, 
they fit down as before, and take a little reft, finging other Prayers ^ then, 
towards the end they ftart up and begin their fweet Mufick again, which they 
do three times, and then continue on finging as before. I have often been 
ftun'd with this at Roffetto^ where I fancy they do it more than in any other 
place, for my Chamber-Window looked into their Mofque: I lodged in a 
Han becaufe I would not part from the Chiot Gentleman, with whom I came 
from Chio. But at Caire they have a little Mofque in the quarter of the 
French, in which every Tuefday and Thurfday they fall to that Catterwouling 
about ten a Clock at Night ; there they may eafily be feen from the ftreet, 
ftanding over againft the door of their Mofque, for one muft have a fpecial 
care not to enter into it, nor indeed to fet foot upon the threfhold of the 
door. Thefe are a fort of men that take a great deal of pains to damn 
themfelves. In their Procelfions you always fee fome of thefe fools, who foam 
at tlie mouth like mad Men, and wi,th ftiut eyes pronounce the word //w/, 
having a man on each fide, to fupport them fox fear of falling ; and they 
who can keep longeft in that Extafie, (for they think they are in an 
Extafie) are the greateft Saints. There are Samo's alfo in JE^ypt who go 
ftark naked, many of whom I have feen without the leaft rag to cover their 
Nakednefs, either in Winter or Summer, but it is not very cold there, and 
they fulFer all their Hair to grow as long as it can, for greater Mortification. 
Thefe men are highly honoured, and going to the Houfes of the chief Perfons 
of the City at dinner-time, they fit down at Table, dine, and fo go their 
way, and that is look'd upon as a blefllng to the Houfe, they are very lafcivious 
Rogues, and that for both Sexes ; and it is no fidion, that many Women 
who cannot be got with Child, kifs their Priapus with great veneration, nay 
fometimes they procure a Great-Belly by them. There was one of thefe 
blades hretofore carried a great Stone hanging at his Gla^s, and the Women 
heartily kifl^ed it for aBigBeily. Others eat Serpents,and in my time there was 
one of them at Caire, whom they called the Scheik of the Serpents j this Man 
had always a great train of Scheikj and other people after him, when he went 
out, or returned home to his Houfe. I did not fee him eat Serpents, but 
feveral who have feen him aifured me of it, and it is a thing no body doubts 
of. I faw alfo at Caire a Samo who had a Turban as broad as a Mill-ftone, 
and 
