580 
A Defcripion of the Coafts of 
rv_\^ Capital City of the World, the Streets 
Baldam. " whereof are crowded daily with Peo- 
" pie ^ a City adorned with all the Beau- 
" ties of the World, and irrigated with 
" delicious Brooks i whofe Lord has a Pa- 
" lace of Gold and precious Stones a 
" Mafter of gilded Thrones,of the white, 
red, and round-tail'd Elephants, which 
" three forts God has not beftowed up- 
" on any other Kings j a Divine Lord, 
in whofe Territories is depofited the 
Victorious Sword, and who refembles 
" the God of War with four Arms. 
m Mo- return to the Great Mogul and 
guiv his Court : The Perftan Language is the 
Court. Court Language there, tho belides this 
there are at leaft three other Languages 
ufed throughout his Territories. The 
chief Lords of his Courts have their 
certain monthly Salaries allotted them, 
out of which they are obliged to main- 
tain a certain number of Horfes \ among 
thfefe are four who maintain 1 2000 Horfes 
each (the King's Sons entertain 15000 
Horfe) others 1000, others 100, in pro- 
portion to their Salaries ^ the whole num- 
ber of Horfe maintained by his Courtiers, 
being computed at 100000 Horfe. 
The Mogul changes his Clothes every 
day for new ones, which he beftows upon 
his Courtiers. The Mogul entertains cer- 
tain Officers of Quality, call'd Nababes, 
at Suratte and other places, whofe bufi- 
nefs is, to enter upon Treaties with Fo- 
reigners, and to keep the Roads free from 
Robbers, by punifliing them with the ut- 
moft Severity, The Mogul has alfo a 
laudable cuftom, to lay up vaft Sums of 
Mony and Provifions in certain places, to 
be referved for necelTitous Occafions. He 
appears three times a day, and fits in 
Council, from fcven till nine in the Even- 
ing. 
The Moguls profefs the Mahometan 
Religion, but are no great Zealots in it, 
as Athanafm Kircher has well obferved in 
Gelal Edim Mahomet^ the tenth of the 
Moguls defcended from the Great Tamer- 
Ian the firft, who call'd the Jefuits into 
his Empire and their continual Debau- 
cheries in ftrong Liquor ( diredly con- 
trary to the Law of Mahomet ) is an in- 
fallible fign of their indifFerency in point 
of Religion : Befides, that throughout all 
the Empire they are not near fo well ver- 
fed in the Alcoran^ and the Law of Maho- 
met^ as the Africans^ thofe of Fez. and 
Morocco^ &:c, Notwithftanding all their 
Ignorance, this accurfed Dodrine has 
fpread it felf within fifty or lixty Years, 
from hence all over the Ifles of Java^ 
Borneo, and Celebes^ befides divers other 
Countries in thofe parts. 
The Mahometans are obliged to pray r/jeMaho- 
five times every day, njiz.. in the morn- metan 
ing, at noon, in the afternoon, after Sun- P^digm... 
fet, and at midnight j certain People be- 
ing appointed, who from the Steeples 
of the Mofques, exhort them to their 
Prayers, by crying Ldilia ilia iUa^ Maho- 
med Rtful Lalla : when they are going to 
pray, they ftand upright upon a Carpet 
fpread upon the ground, holding both 
their Hands to their Ears ; fomctimes 
bowing tov?ards the groundj fometimes 
ftanding upright again. The Alcoran is 
the Law Book of the Mahometans, con- 
taining I T 4 Chapters, being a mixture of 
the Jcwijh and Chriflian Doftrine. Ma- 
homet flouriflied about the Year of Chrift 
600, and died 532. His Companion was 
one Sergius an Arian. The Father of 
Mahomet was one AbdaUa, and his Mo- 
ther Emine, defcended of the Itluftrious 
Family of the Koreifhites. 
Mahomet firft ferved in the Wars un- Mahomen 
der the Emperor Heracl'm, and after- ^"S}^' 
wards ferved a Merchant , after whofe 
death he married Chad'tgaz rich Widow \ 
and being addidcd to Enthufiafra, he and 
his Companion Sergius compiled the Al- 
coran, pretending that he kept correfpon. 
dence with the Arch-Angel Gabriel, who 
in his Trances (which were nothing but 
Epileptic Fits) had revealed to him thefe 
Secrets. He was born at Mecca, but be- 
ing forced from thence fled to A<fedina, 
from which time the Mahometans take 
their Epocha, and call it Medina Alnabi, 
or the City of the Great Prophet. His 
Doftrine was firft received by his Wife 
Chadiga, and his Servant Seydin ; after- 
wards by Halt, Abubeker, Omar, Otman, 
and others his Followers, who were cal- 
led Caliphs. The Terfians prefer Halt hz- 
fotc Mahomet, and the Turks, Omar. A- 
bubeker reign'd two Years, Omar ten 
Years ; it is he who regulated the Alco- 
ran, and inftituted the Faft in the Month 
Rammedan. O^w^im reign'd 12 Years, and 
conquered Mauritania and Cyprus. Halt 
was by Mahomet appointed his Succcflbr i 
but the other three having ufurped the 
Kingdom, with the exclufion of Halt, this 
is thereafon th^ Perfians, who adhere to 
the laft, abominate the three former. 
The hatred between the Perftans and 
Turks (tho both Mahometans) proceeds 
from the different Interpretations of the 
Alcoran, and certain Ceremonies relating 
to their Prayers, covering their Heads, 
CHAP 
