840 
The Roads to the fever al Marts of India, 
The Highways are planted with Trees like Walks, and 
where there are no Trees, there are Heaps of Stones white- 
washed, that thefe Pofts may not miftrke their Way in 
dark and rainy Nights. From Gandicot to Golconda the 
, Way lies firft to Colepalt , and then to Coteeri ; here you 
mult ferry over a River. The Boats are like wicker Flaf- 
kets, covered on the Outfide with Ox-hides, and filled 
with Faggots in the In fide, over which they fpread fome 
Tapeftry, to fecure the Goods from wet. Horfes and 
Oxen they fwim over, and Coaches and Waggons. Their 
Oars are broad Pieces of Wood like Shovels. Being paft 
the River, you muft go to Morimal, Santifela , and Gon- 
meda , and fo to Kaman , a Frontier Town of the Kingdom 
of Goncolda , till the Conqueft of Carnatica y by Mirgi- 
mola, and from thence you travel to Emilapata. Between 
thefe two laft Places pafs the Pilgrims, who go from Bram- 
pour to vifit the great Ram, i.e. the chief God which 
ftands in the Kingdom of Carnatiea. They go four thou- 
fand Perfons, Men and Women, in a Company, and in 
-Pallakies covered with Velvet or Sattin, purfied with* Gold, 
and hung with Gold and Silver Fringe, in which they carry 
their Idols. On each Side of every Pallakie went a Man, 
with a large Fan made of Oftriches and Peacocks Feathers 
of various Colours, and the Handle overlaid with Gold 
and Silver, with which they keep the Flies from the Idol’s 
Face ; and on the fame Side there goes one with a Fan like 
a Target, which is adorned with Feathers like the former, 
but has little Bells of Gold and Silver round the Edges. 
This is to keep off the Sun from the Idol, and fometimes 
they ftlake it, to pleafe the Idol, as they imagine, with the 
Sound of the Bells. 
This Multitude of Pilgrims, *tis faid, being on their 
Way, were fo flopped by fudden Rains, that they were 
reduced to great Straits for Food, efpecially for their Chil- 
dren, w'h|ch caufed great Lamentation among them. In 
this Extremity, the chief of their Priefts fat down in the 
midft of them, and covering. himfelf with a Sheet, called 
fuch as clefired Victuals to him, and afked them what they 
would have, and for how many ? and when they had an- 
fwered, he gave them with a great Ladle what they want- 
. ed from under the Sheet, and fo the whole Multitude of 
four thoufand Souls were fully fatisfied. The next Town 
in the Road is Doupar , and then Tripante , where there is a 
great Pagod upon a Hill, to which there is a circular Af- 
cent.of Eree-fbone every Way, the leaf! Stone being four- 
teen Foot long, and three broad. In the Pagod are the 
Figures of feveral Demons, and amongft others there us a 
Statue of Venus Handing upright, with feveral lafcivious 
•Figures about her, all cut out of one Piece of Marble ; but 
the Graving is very ordinary. From Trip ante you travel 
to Mninl'o , then to Macheli ; after which you pafs over a 
River in Boats like Panniers, where you muft give the Wa- 
termen fiich Money, as will pleafe them, or they will not 
.carry ydmover, nor your. Goods. They generally burn all the 
Money .they take to try it, and if it turns black in the leaft, 
they will refufe it, and' then you arrive at Dobarpinta , and 
fo go by Ifalcora and Pondera to Atenara , which is an Houfe 
,.of Pleafure built by the King’s Mother,: with a large Piazza, 
and many .Chambers - for Strangers. 
In the Kingdoms, of Carnate, Golconda, and Vifiapoux , 
there are no Phyficians but fuch as attend Kings and 
Princes., -and therefore the common People, after the, Rains 
are ; l alien,. .go. out. every Morning into the Fields to .gather 
Herbs proper for fiich Djfeaies as are common in their. Fa- 
milies ; and in great Towns, fuch as have. Lome common 
Receipts, fit in certain known .Places, of it, .to give them to 
fuch as enquire after them, all gratis. - From -Atenara you 
come. to Golconda •, here, befides what has been before pb- 
ieiwed, in the Defcripfioh of this City, the Way of .waffl- 
ing the King’s and great Mens Elephants is not to be palled 
over.: The Elephants, go up to the. Belly in the Water, 
and. lying' down on one Side, throw the Water Leveral 
times, with their Trunks, upon chat Side that lies' out pf 
the. Water , and when he has foaked himfelf fuffiqendy, 
the. iViafter comes with a kind of Pumice Stone, and rab- 
.hingithe Elephant’s. Skin^ cleahfeth.fi t from all the Filth that 
dings rto it, and when. he has cleanfed that Side well,, he 
commands the Elephant to turn the other, which the Beaft 
immediately does, contrary to the vulgar Opinion, that an 
Book L 
Elephant, if he lies down, can’t get up again. When both 
Sides are well walhed, he comes out of the River and 
ftays awhile upright upon the Bank-fide to dry himfelf • 
then the Mailer, with fome red, or yellow Colour, ftreaks 
the Beall on the Forehead, and about the Eyes, upon the 
Bread, and all behind, rubbing him with Oil of. Cocoas, 
to llrengthen his Nerves; and fometimes when, all this is 
done, fallens a gilt Plate upon their Foreheads. The Road 
from Golconda by Amadabat to Surat is above deferibed 
All over this Country there feems to be a Contrail be- 
tween the Tyranny of the great, and the Submiffion and 
Labour of the lower fort. It may not be arnifs to add 
that the common People in general, through the Indies 
are from a Mixture of various Nations, with their natural 
Stock from the Opprelfion of foreign Mailers, and from 
feveral other Caufes that need not be particularly mention- 
ed, become the moll over-reaching, tricking, and deceitful 
People upon Earth, fo that in all things that pafs through 
their Fingers, they cannot help giving a Call of their Of- 
fice, and fome Way or other hooking a Part to themfelves 
beyond what was intended for them. Of thefe Arts I (hilt 
give a few Inllances. 
Plain Silk-wares may be altered in Length, Breadth, 
and Quality ; the Quality fhews itfolf when they are of an 
even Thread, when the Weight is equal, and when there 
is no Cotton Thread in the Waft. The Indians, noc 
having the Art of gilding Silver, put into their ftriped 
Wares Threads of pure Gold, fo that you mull count the 
Quantity of Gold Threads to fee whether the Silk have its 
due Number ; and this alfo you mull obferve in your Silks, 
or even with Silver. As for Taffaties, you are only to 
mind whether the Pieces ! be all of a Finenefs, and to fee, 
by unfolding fome of them, that there.be nothing within 
to augment the Weight, and then, weighing all the Pieces 
by themfelves, to fee that they all agree. The Colours of 
thofe Carpets which are made in India do not fall fo Jonn- 
as thofe that are made in Perfia ; but for the Workman^ 
fhip, it is very lovely ; the Eye of the Broker is to judge 
of the Largenefs, Beauty, and Finenefs of thofe Carpers 
which are wrought with Gold and Silver, and whether they 
be fine and rich;; but whether, they be Carpets, or other 
Stuffs mixed with Gold, it behoves the Buyer to null out 
fome of the Gold and Silver Threads, to fee whether thev 
be of the right Value or no. The Deceits ufually put upon 
Calicuts are in Finenefs, Length, and Breadth ; every Bale 
may contain two hundred Pieces, among which they will 
juggle in five, or fix, or ten, lefs fine,, or lefs white, foorter, 
or narrower, than according to the Landing of the Bale* 
which cannot be found - out, but by examining them Piece 
by Piece, The Finenefs is difeerned by the Eye, the 
Length and Breadth by Meafure. , 
But the Indians pradtife a more cunning way, which is 
to count the Number- of Threads which ought to be in the 
Breadth, according to the Finenefs of the Scantling ; when 
the Number fails, it is either more trdnfparent, more nar- 
row, or more coarfe ; the Difference . is fometimes fo diffi- 
cult to be perceived, that there is no Way to count it out 
but by Threads, and yet this Difference in a great Quan- 
tity comes to a great deal ; for it is nothing to couzen a 
Crown or- two Crowns in a Piece, that comes but to fifteen 
or twenty Crowns. Thofe that whiten thefe Calicuts, to 
fa ve : Charges of a few Lemons, will knock the Calicuts 
exceffively upon a Stone, which does fine Calicuts a great 
deal of Injury, and lowers the Price. As for their dyed 
Calicuts, blue or black, you muft take care that the Work- 
men. dp not knock them after they are folded to make them 
look fleek ; for many times when they come to be unfold- 
ed, you fhall find Holes. in the -Creafes’ As for their painted 
and printed ' Calicuts, which are printed as they come out 
of the Loom, the Merchant muft take care, that what he 
befpeaks be finiffied before the End of the Rains ; for the 
thicker the Water is, where they are waffied, the more 
lively, will the printed and painted Colours appear. 
It is eafy to diftinguifh between, the printed and the 
painted Calicuts, and between the Neatnefs of the Work; 
but for the Finenefs, and.o.ther Qualities, they are not fa 
eafily difeerned, and therefore the Broker muft be more 
careful. The Cheat- in the Weight is two-fold; the 
firft} by Lying them in a moift Place, and thrufting in the 
Middle 
