8^ Travels into the "Lew Ali T. Part IL' 
foot in the middle, falling thinner towards the edges ; and then one of the men 
takes a fpade wherewith he breaks the Lumps, and turns it all up again into 
a heap; cooling it with a little water that he throws upon it v/ith his hands. 
When every heap is fufficiently beaten they fpread it well, fo that it be alike 
thick in all places, and a little hollow in the middle, then they ftrow. chopc 
Straw upon it, fuchas they givetoHorfes ; they'll fpread upon a heap of lime 
about a f^ckfuU, fuch as they give their Horles provender in, fo that the lime 
is all covered over with it; with that, they pour into the middle of it about 
four Buckets'of water, and mingle all together ftirring it well with their fho- 
vels, that the, materials may be well incorporated ; and when all is reduced in- 
to a kind of foft morter, they fall a beating it a new, fometimes with their {ho- 
vels, and fometimes with the end of their Clubs : Then they open it again in 
the middle making a round hole a gog^ foot and a half wide, fo that it looks 
like a Well raifed a good foot above ground; they fill this hole with water, 
pouring in about two Buckets full, and fo leave it, after they have fmoothed 
the outllde with the back of their fllovels, fo that it looks poliflied and of a 
blewifh colour, (that's to fay)likeblew FuUers-Earth or Clay totakeoutgreafe 
and fpots with ; thefo holes are always kept full of water, till they be ready 
to ufe the Stuff. When they are to ufe it, they work it with a great deal of 
water, and mingle therewith about half the quantity of Straw that was employ- 
ed in the firft working of it ; then they beat it well with fhovels and leavers, 
pouring on fo much water, that it is reduced almoft into a liquidrunning mud. 
I have foen it fo employed for covering a great pent-houle, which was made 
of fticks or laths laid crofs-ways, and two Stores over them, upon which they 
fpread a very thin lay of this lime, fmoothingit with the Trowel: Then they 
put upon th^piy, three fingers thick of Earth mingled with Straw and wrought 
into a morter. In this which Ifaw prepared, there were four and twenty Als 
loads, and four men prepared it : They were near eleven hours about it, and 
made it up into five Wells or Heaps, which remained fo for two days before 
they were ufed. The greateft ufe they make of this lime mingled with Arties 
Lime for fidi and Straw, is for Fifli-ponds, Eafons of Fountains, and other things that are 
Ponds, Bafons to hold Water. When that Stuff is well made itlafts above thirty y^rs, and is 
and Fountains, harder than Stone. 
In whitening of their Walls they ufe no lime, but make ufe of a white Earth 
which is in fmall pieces like pkifter, and immediately diffolves in water: This 
Ghilfefid. Earth they call Ghilfefid, (that's to fay,J white Earth ; they dig it out of cer- 
tain Pits or Quarries, of which there are many about Ifpahan. As to their 
The making morter it is ufually made of plaifter, earth and chopped ftraw, all well wrought 
of Morter. incorporated together. At S diras, to (pare the charges of Ghilfefid they 
fometimes make ufe of plaifter for whitening their Walls,but they have not that 
bright whitenefs which Ghilfefid giveth. They caft their Walls pretty often 
:^rdghil. alfo with a mixture made of Plaifter and Earth which they call Zerdghil, ( that's 
to fty ,j yellow Earth, though in reality, it be not yellow, but rather of a Musk 
or Cinnamon colour; they get it on the River-fide, and work it in a-great 
Earthen Veffel, but they put fo little earth in proportion to water, that it remains 
liquid like muddy water, or at moft like ftrained Juice, and it is altogether of 
the Colour of that Earth ; they make ufe of it to work the Plaifter in another 
Earthen VefTel, where they mingle this water with plaifter, in fuch a quanti- 
ty, that it be reduced to the thicknefs of morter, which retains the colour of 
that Earth : With this mixture they cafi: their Walls, which at firft look all 
greyifh, but according as they dry they grow fo white, that when they are 
fully dry, they feem almoft, as if they were plaiftered over with pure plaifter. 
This mixture is ufed not onely for faving of plaifter, but alfo becaufe it holds 
better than plaifter alone, and (in my opinion) looks as well. 
For making of TerralTes, they lay, (as I have faid) upon the Stores and reeds 
The way of almoft half a foot thick of Earth, but which finks to far lefs being trampled 
making Ter- ^^^^^ \x^on ; when it is well dried in the Air, they lay on more Earth 
mingled with alike quantity of Straw, which they vv'ork well together ,ftirring 
it often that they may better incorporate the Straw with the Earth : And 
when that is well mixt, and reduced to the confiftence of kennel-dirt, they 
trample it a long while with their feet, and fpread it very even all over. This 
fécond 
