CHELICUT. 
389 
performed, by his repeating a given formula four separate times, 
turning each time towards a different point of the compass. The 
godfather was then demanded, and on my being presented, I 
named the child George, in honour of his present Majesty, when 
I was requested to say the Belief and the Lord's Prayer, and to 
make much the same promises as those required by our own 
church. The head priest afterwards laid hold of the boy, dipping 
liis own hand into the water, and crossed him over the forehead, 
pronouncing at the same moment, George, I baptise thee ; in 
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." The whole 
company then knelt down, and joined in reciting the Lord's 
Prayer. 
Here, as I was given to understand, the ordinary ceremony of 
baptism concludes ; but as the boy had been a Musselmaun, he 
was, in addition, crossed with the consecrated oil over every joint 
and limb, or altogether, thirty-six times in different parts of his 
body. After this, he was wrapped in a clean white linen cloth,* 
and placed for a moment in my arms, the priests telling me, 
ihat I must henceforth consider him verily as my son." The 
high priest did not take any active part in this ceremony, but 
the whole was conducted with great decorum, and a due degree 
of solemnity. The boy afterwards, according to the custom of 
most of tlie Eastern churches, was admitted to partake of the 
* This is a very ancient part of the ceremony, as appears from the testimony of many 
of the Fathers collected by Casalius— Puellus infans mutatione vestis sensu externo festum 
£olit, quandoquidem interiori animi sensu nondum potest, &c. Vide De veteribus 
«acris Christianorum ritibus, auctore Johannis Bapt. Gasalius Romanus. Francofurti 
1681. ^ 
