Part HI. Travels into ^/;(? I N D I E S. 61 
do no hurt,and fhcw fîgns of Piety are extreamly honoured by theGentiles^ The good Fa- 
and the Rich think they draw down bleiTin^s upon tiiemfelvcs , when they ?«'^^ii"noured, 
aflift thofe whom they call Paiitcnts. Their Penance confifts in forbearing 
to eat for many days , to keep cohftantly (landing upon a Stone for feveral 
weeks, or feveral months -, to hold their Arms a crois behind their head , as 
long as they live, or to bury themfclves iii Pits for a certain fpace of time. 
Butiffomeof thefeF^<^wrj begoodMen , there are alio very ^ogv\cs2.- ^^^^^^ 
mongft them -, and the iWo^w/ Princes are not troubled , when luch of them 
as commit violences are killed. _ 
One may meet with fome of them in the Countrey Ihirk naked with Co- 
lours and Trumpets, who ask Charity with Bow and Arrow in hand ^ and 
when they are the ftrongeft, they leave it not to the difcretion of Traveller^ 
to give or rcfufc. Thele wretches have no conflderation even for thofe 
that feed them -, I have feen fome of them in the Caravanes., who made it 
their whole hufincfs to play tricks , and to moleft 1 ravellers, though they 
had all their lubliftence from them. Not long iince I was in a Caravane , 
where fome of rhefc Faejuirs were, who took a fancy to fufFef no body to 
fleep : All night long they did nothing but Sing and Preach -, and inftead 
of banging them foundly to make them hold their peace (as they ought to . 
have been ferved ) the Company prayed them civilly, but they took kill ^ 
fo that they doubled their Cries and Singing , and they who could not 
Sing . laugh'd and made a mock of the reft of the Caravane. 
Thefe Faquirs were fent by their Superiours, into I know not what Coun- ; 
trey full of Ban 'uns^ to demand of them Two thoufand Roupies, with a cer- 
tain quantity of Rice and Mans of Butter -, and they had orders not to return 
withont fulfilling their Commiffion. This is their way all over the 7w2//e5, 
where by their Hl mmmes^ they have accuftomcd the Gentiles to give them 
what they dem:.. id, Vvfithout daring torefufe. There are a great many 
F^ijuirs 2.mongt\\c Mahometans^ as well as amongft the Idolaters, who are 
alfo Vagabonds , and worfe than they : and commonly both of them arc 
treated alike. 
The Province of Hahbas pays the Mogul yearly above fourteen Mil- „ ^^"^"J^ , 
,. ^ Revenue Irom 
CHAP. XL. 
Of the Vr ovine e of Ouleilèr or Bengala, a?id 
of the Ganges. 
THe Province of OuleJJer , which we call Bengala , and which the Ido- r^^^^ province 
laters name Jaganat ; becaufe of the famous Idol of the Pag</(1 oijaga- of Oukfir, or 
nat which is there, is Inhabited by Gentiles no lefs fantaftical in point of Beyigaia. 
Religion , than thofe of fialabas -, and this one inftance may ferve for a pg^^^f- 
proof of it. A Faquir intending to invent ibme new fpcll of Devotion strange Pe- 
that was never fccn before, and which might coft him a great deal of pains, nance of a Fa- 
refolved to meafure with his Body the whole extent of the Moguls Empire^ 
from Bengala as f3ir as Caboul, which are the limits of it from South Eaftto 
North Weft. The pretext he had for fo doing , was, that once in his life 
he might be prefentat the Fcaft of Houly , which I have already dcfcribed, 
and hx had a kind of novices to wait upon him and ferve him. 
The firft Adion he did when he fet out upon his Journey, was to lay 
hirafelf at full length on the ground upon his belly, and to order that the 
length of hi^ Bodv might be marked there ^ that being done, he rofe up , 
and acquainted his followers with his Defign , which was to take a Jour- 
ney 
