\ 
¥art III . Travels into /^y^/f I N D I E S. 57 
The King of Terfia fuffers not the Gentiles Wives there to burn themfelves The Wim arc 
v/hen their Husbands are dead. There are a great many Varfis or Guebres ^ç^^^J^^^^^ 
there, but they are poor, and the Mahometans employ them in the meaneft " ^' 
and moft fei'vile drudgeries : They perform the Ceremonies of their Re- 
ligion on a Mountain not far diftant from the Town , where they have a 
place 5 wherein they preferve the Fire which they worfliip. I have fpoken 
of thefe People in my Book of Terfia. 
The fame Officers are in Candahar , as in the Towns of the Kingdom of 
Terfia , and do the fame Duties : but above all things, they have fpecial Or- 
ders to treat the People gently, becaufe of the proximity of the Moguls -, and 
if they opprefs them in the le aft, they are feverely punifhed for it. 
There are fome fmall Rajas in the Mountains, who are fufFered to live in 
liberty, paying fome eafie Tributes -, And thefe Gentlemen have alwa,ys 
ftuck to the ftrongeft fide , when the Country came to change its Mafter. 
There is alfo a little Countrey in the Mountains which is called Teria^ that's Peria. 
to fay, Fairy-Land , where Father Ambrofe a Capucin fpent a Lent upon the 
miffion in two Bourgs, wliereofthe one is named Cheboular , and the other 
Cofne ; And he told me That that Country is pleafant enough , and full of 
good honeft People : but that the Chriftians who are there, have but flight 
tindures of Religion. 
C H A P. XXXIV. 
Of the Province of Caboul, or Cabouliftan. Province of 
Caboul. 
CAbouliflan is limited to the North by Tartar y , from which it is feparat- cabouliftan. 
ed by Mount Caucaftts , which the Orientals call Caf-Dagai. Cachmire 
lies to the Eaft of it : It hath to the Weft Zabultjtan , and part of Candahar -, zabuUflan. 
and to the South, the Countrey of Mukan. Two of the Rivers that run in- 
to the Indus ^ have their fource in the Mountains thereof, from whence they 
water the Province , and for all that, render it nothing the more fruitful % 
for the Countrey being very cold, is not fertile, unlefs in thofe places that 
arc fheltered by Mountains : N eVerthelefs it is very rich , becaufe it hath 
a very great Trade with Tartary , the Countrey of the Usbecs^ Perfia, and the 
Indies. The Vsbecs alone , fell yearly above threefcore thoufand Horfes 
there -, and that Province lies fo conveniently for Traffick , that what is 
wanting in it, is brought from all Patts -, and things are very cheap there. 
The chief Town of the Province is called Caboul-^ a very large place, with Caboul,iTovn. 
two good Caftles : And feeing Kings have held their Courts there , and 
many Princes fucceflively have had it for their Portion -, there are a great 
many Palaces in it.It lies in thirty three degrees and a half North Latitude : 
Mirabolans grow in the Mountains of it, and that's the reafon why the Orien Mirabolan:. 
tals call it Cabuly, There are many other forts of Drugs gathered there ^ and 
befides that, they are full of aromatick Trees , which turn to good account 
to the Inhabitants, as alfo do the Mines of a certain iron, which is fit for all 
ufes. From this Province efpecially come the Canes , of which they make 
Halbards and Lances , and they have many Grounds planted with them. 
Caboultfian is fiill of fmall Towns, Burroughs and Villages -, moft of the In- 
habitants are heathen : afid therefore there are a great many Pagods there. 
They reckon their months by Moons , and with great Devotion celebrate 
their Feaft, called Houly , which lafts two days. At that time their Tern- Houiy,^¥szi% 
pies are filled with People , who came to Pray and make their Oblations 
there -, the refl of the Celebration confifts in Dancing by companies in the 
Streets , to the found of Trumpets. At this Feaft, they are cloathed in a 
dark Red , and many go to vifit their Friends in Mafquarade. 
" I Thofe 
