Part IL Travels into th h^v A T. 
91 
great City ; and neverthelefs, there are a great many (ùch made in feveral 
places near the Town. . . , l n i ^ 
A good many in Vcrfta take Opi«w, but it is a drug that io enflàves thofe The ufe of 
who arc addidled to it, that if a man hath once made it cuftomary to him- Opium. 
(elf, and after forbear to take it, nolefsthan his life is in danger ; fo that if 
a Tereac^ui (as they call them all over the Levant,) go ten Leagues from the 
Town, and forget to take Ofium with him, if he find none in the place he 
comes'to, though he fhould immediately return back again, and make all 
the haftc' he can, yet he would not get to the Town in time enough to fare 
his Life. 
CHAP. XL 
Toe Continuation of the Obfervations ^/'Ifpahan^ 
Of the Court of Perfia. 
HAvîng treated of the nature of the Verjlans, of their Carriage Apparel, 
and way of living ; we may now (ee how their Monarch governs 
them, whom he makes u(e of for executing his Orders, and at the fame 
time obferve fbme of his recreations. 
Terjia is a Monarchy governed by a King, who has fb abfolute a pow- Monarchy of 
er over his Subjeds, that no limits can be fèt to it. He meddles in Religi- Perfu. 
on, and they do not begin the P^amadan, nor any Feftival, till firft they have The King of 
had his leave, and fometimes he keeps them back a few days according to f'^'^'/^abfo- 
his pleafure, though the Moon wherein they are to be celebrated hath been j^-^" ^ 
feen. His Subjeds never look upon him but with fear and trembling, and 
they have fuch relped for him, and pay fb blind an obedience to all his 
Orders, that how unjufi: fbever his Commands might be, they perform 
them though againft all Law both of God and Nature. Nay if they 
f^jvear by the King's head, their Oath is more Authentick and of greater 
creditj than if they fwore by all that is raoft facred in Heaven and upon 
Earth. 
He obferves no form of Juftice in moft of his Decrees, and without 
confulting any Perfon, no not the Laws and Cuftomes, he judges of lives 
and fortunes, asfeems beftto him, without any regard to thofe who feel the 
weight of his power ; and that without obferving the kinds of punifhments The kinds of 
that are in ufe in the Countrey, but appointing fuch as his fancy fuggefts P""'^'"ents 
to him. According to this Principle, two years ago he commanded the '"^g^'^^ed, 
Naz^er, who had vexed him to be expofed naked to |he Sun ; and the 
Naz^er is one of the chief Officers of that Court : This was prefently put 
into execution, and he was expofed to the heat of the Sun, and the rage - 
of flies, in rhe great place from Morning till Night, at which time the King 
difcharged him. Whilft he was thus expofed no body minded him no more 
than if he had been a Dog, which was a great inftance of the inconftancy 
O of 
