Chap. II. of the East Indie s. 537 
But the Mufk of Tibet is far preferable to that oft China will not round the Head of a Child when lie comes, 
for two Reafons ; firft, in Tibet this Creature feeds on Into the World, as the Arabs do, for they fay it caufes 
Aromatic Paftures, while in China he has nothing to a confiderable Alteration in the Brain, and that their 
fubfift him but what is common ; fecondly, the Inhabitants Senfes are very fenfibly Impaired thereby. They fuffer 
of Tibet preferve their Bladders or Cods of Mufk in the the Head then to be all covered with Flair, which they 
pure natural State, while the Chinefe adulterate all that come carefully comb. 
into their Hands. They dip them alfo into the Sea, or As for their Marriages, they obferve the Degrees of 
elfe ex pole them to the Dew ; and having kept them feme Confanguinity after this Manner : They are divided among 
time, they take off the outward Membrane, and then clofe themfelves into Families and Tribes, like the Arabs , and 
1 them up ; and this Mufk pafies in the Country of the Arabs ioine other Nations ; and they know each other by the 
for Mufk of ‘Tibet , becaufe of its Excellence. Difference of their Defcents. No Man ever marries in his 
The rnoft exquifite of all the forts of Mulk is what the own Tribe, juft as the Children of Thummim among the 
Roebucks that yield it leave behind them when they rub Arabs take not to Wife a Daughter of the fame Race of 
i themfelves againft the Rocks on the Mountains; for the Thummim ; and a Man of one Family efpoufes not a Wo- 
; Humour whence it is generated, falling down towards man of the fame. But for example, a Man of the Family 
i the Navel of the Creature, it there gathers into a Quantity of Rob ay at , marries into that of Modzar ; and in like man- 
; of turbid Blood exactly like Biles, and fuch-like Tumours ; ner a Modzar marries with a Robayat ; they are of Opinion, 
! when this Swelling is ripe, the Creature, fenfible of a pain- that fuch Alliances add to the Nobility of the Children, by 
ful Itching, feeks out for Stones, and rubs himfelf againft increafing their Alliances, and rendering their Families more 
s the fame, till he opens his Sore, and the Contents run out. powerful. 
3 Now, as foon as this Matter falls from the Creature, it Here our Author makes, as it were, another Break in 
coagulates, the Wound clofes, and the fame kind of Hu- his Work, in order to pafs once more to the Indians 
mour gathers to a Head again as before. and their Cuftoms. In fpeaking of the Method purified 
In Tibet there are Men who make it their Bufinefs to by the firft Author, we obferved, that the main Defign of 
colleift this Mufk, and are very ready in knowing it ; and his Work was, by comparing the Manners of the Indians 
having found it, they carefully colled: it, and put it up in with thofe of the Chinefe , to render them both better known 
Bladders, and it is carried to their Kings. This Mulk is to, and more fully underftood by his Countrymen. His 
moft exquifite, when it has ripened in the Bladder of the Commentator therefore, with great Propriety, follows the 
. Creature which bears it. It furpaffes all others in Good- fame Track ; and as he had confulted both Books and 
nefs, juft as Fruit is better when it is gathered ripe from the Travellers to illuftrate what had been faid of China , we 
Tree, than when it is pulled green. fhali find him as diligent in what regards India. 
There is ftill another way of getting Mufk ; they infnare 54. In the Kingdom of the Balhara , and in all the other 
the Creature in Toils, and fhoot him with Arrows ; but it Kingdoms of the Indies , there are certain Perfons who burn 
often happens, that the Hunters cut the Tumours of the themfelves. This Cuftom proceeds from their Notion of 
: Creature before the Mufk is elaborated •, and in this Cafe it a Metempfychofis or Tranfmigration, which they firmly 
-has at firft an ill Scent, that prevails till the Matter is believe as a Truth never to be difputed. There are Kings, 
thickened, which fometimes does not happen in a great who upon their Acceftion, obferve the following Cere- 
while; but fo foon as it coagulates, it turns to Mufk. This mony : They drefs a great Quantity of Rice, and pour it 
Mufk is a Creature like our Roebuck, his Skin and Co- upon Leaves of the Moufa in Sight of the King ; then 
lour the fame, with (lender Legs, a fplit Plorn fmooth, but three or four hundred Perfons come of their own Accord 
fomewhat bending withal ; on each Side he has two fmall without the leaft Conftraint on the Part of the King, and 
white Teeth, which are ftrait, and rife above his Muffel, prefent themfelves before him ; after he has eaten home of 
I each half a Finger, or fomewhat lefs in Length, and in their this Rice, he gives a little of it to fome of them as faft as 
Form not unlike the Teeth of the Elephant ; and this is they come up to him one after another, and they eat it in 
‘the Mark which diftinguifhes this Creature from other his Prefence l . By eating of this Rice, they all engage to 
Roebucks h . burn themfelves on the Day the King dies, or is flain ; 
53. The Emperors of China write to the Kings or Go- and they pundually fulfil their Promife, throwing them- 
vernors of Cities, to the Eunuchs, or Lieutenants, and felves into the Fire from the firft to the laft, fo that not 
1 their Letters are conveyed by Poft-horfes, with a cut Tail, one of them is left behind. 
idifpofed almoft like the Pofts among the Arabs , in fuch When a Man is determined to burn himfelf, he firft goes 
[Order as every body knows. to the King’s Palace to aide Leave fo to do, and having 
Befides what we have here related concerning the Chinefe obtained it, he goes round the publick Squares of the City, 
; Cuftoms, it is ufual for the Princes, and even the People, and proceeding afterwards to the Place where the Pile Is 
'to make Water ftanding. Perfons of Dignity, as the heaped up with dry Wood, while round about it ftand 
Vice Kings, and the principal Officers, have gilded Canes many Perfons who feed the Fire, fo that it is very violent, 
a Cubit long, which are bored through; and thefe they and blazes prodigioufly. At laft the Perfon comes pre- 
ufe as often as they make Water, ftanding upright all the ceded by a Number of Inftruments, and moves round the 
time, and by this means the Tube carries the Water to a Place in the midft of his Friends and Relations; during 
good Diftance from them. They are of Opinion, that all which fome put upon his Head a Garland of Straw, or dry 
'Pains in the Kidneys, the Strangury, and even the Stone, Herbs, which they fill with burning Coals, whereon they 
are caufed by making Water in a fitting Pofture ; and that pour Sanderac, which catches Fire as lfrongly as Naphtha; 
the Reins cannot free themfelves abfolutely of thefe Hu- neverthelefs, he continues the Proceffion, although the 
motirs, but by ftanding to evacuate ; and that thus this Crown of his Head be all on Fire, and the Stench of his 
Pofture contributes exceedingly to the Prefervation of burnt Flefh be frrtelt, not fo much as changing Counte- 
' Health; They fuffer their Hair to grow, for the Men nance in the leaft, or betraying the fmalleft Sen ft of Pain : 
h We have formerly mentioned the Animal which produces Mufk, the Manner in which it is prepared, and the Value of that rich Perfume. At 
prefent we (hall only remark, that the belt Writers, Ancient and Modern, agree perfectly with our Author in Opinion, that the richeii and highsil 
j flavoured Mufk -is that of Tibet, or, as others call it, Tumgage j and this becaufe of the Aromatic Failures in that Land, fuch as are no where elfe to 
be found. ^ 1 hat the Indian Mufk comes next in degree of Finenefs, if fo we may term it, with what was brought to Cabul, and the other trading Towns 
ot th V Indies by Merchants, who carried it from China by Land, and difpofed of it throughout the Eaft. That the ChinefeMufk is word of all, not only 
[becaufe the Chinefe adulterate it feveral ways, but alfo becaufe what is produced naturally in that Kingdom is not comparable to what is in Tibet. All 
■this is conn i raed by the jfeitimony of the learned Gohus ; and Father Martini Teixeira fays, the Mufk that does not come from China is always the 
ybeit y and tkat the Reaion is 5 becaufe the Ch i nefe - can not find in their Hearts to let that or any thing elfe that paffes through their Hands efcape unaduk 
terated. At prefent the Kingdom., of Ionian is the greateft Mart for Mufk ; and thence it is, that the Indian Merchants fetch the bell fort of this 
j- Perfume, whether in the Cod, or out of it. 
! ‘ Tikis- was. a very old Cuftom in .other Parts of the World, as appears from what Cafar tells us of the Aroba&i amongft the Gauls. In the Indies 
this Notion generally prevailed ; for in the Ifland of Ceylon the King had always about him certain Noblemen, who filled, themfelves faithful to the 
i King in this Vv orid, and in the next, and whofe Cuftom it was to burn themfelves when he died. Barbofa obferves the fame thing with refped to the 
•j a iortof boldiers, - -who always pwiftied with their Chief. In the Kingdom of Tonquin, when the King died, many of his Nobles 
aenrea to bevnunea with him. In a word, all the Portuguese Writers confirm this, and give us many Inftances in Support of it, ’ The Term they 
; «iake uie oi in their Writings, to exprefs this. Act of devoting themfelves in a fuch a manner to a Monarch, is Fazer (e dmoucos. 
Numb - 37 - 6 X At 
