8o8 Theven 
Dog Catmer, that attended the four Sleepers, who flept 
37^ Years; and Mahomefs Camel, that carried him 
from Mecca to Medina to his Friends Houfe by a cer- 
tain Inftinft. . . M 1 u ‘Y A 
6. Xhey circumcife their Children as the jews do, 
not at eight Days, but at eleven or twelve Years old, 
that they may make a Profeffion or their Faith in thefe 
Words, T'heve is no God hut God^ and M.ahomet is his 
Prophet. The <Turks, as well as Jews^, _ make great Re- 
joycings at the Circumcihon of their Children ; for upon 
the Day fixed for the Ceremony, the Child is fee on 
Horfeback, and carried about the Town with Timbrels 
and Mufick, and being circumcifed in his Father*s Houfe, 
he makes a Feaft for all his Relations and Friends, at 
which they are merry, dance and fmg, and the next 
Day the Guefts make Prefents to the Child according, 
to their Quality. When a Christian turns Turk, he is 
circumcifed after the Manner aforefaid ; but if a Jew 
turns, his former Circumcifion is fufficient, and he only 
is obliged to make the afore- mentioned Profeffion ; for 
which the Turks have fuch a Reverence, that if any 
Jews or Chrifiians pronounce them inconfiderately, they 
muft turn Turk, or be burnt. 
This Circumcifion, called by the Turks, Schounnet, is 
only a Mark of their Obedience to Mahomet*^ Example 
and unwritten Command, for there is no Mention of it 
in the Alcoran ; but they take it to be fuch a T oken of 
Difobedience to their Law not to be circumcifed, that 
fuch as are uncircumcifed, whether Children or Chrif- 
tians, are not allowed to be prefent at their publick 
Prayers ; and though there be no Perfons to keep fuch 
out of their Mofques, yet' if any are fo bold (as fome 
have been) and are taken, they are burnt alive, or im- 
paled. Upon fome fpecial Occafions fome are admitted 
to circumcife at feven or eight Years old ; but in Cafe 
of Poverty, it is more ufual to flay rill fourteen or fif- 
teen, till either the Parents of the Perfon to be circum- 
cifed, or the Perfon himfclf, is able to defray the Char- 
ges of it *, or if neither are able, they wait till fome rich 
Perfon is circumcifed, that they may ffielter themfelves 
from the Charge by his Purfe. 
Men of Eftates, at the Circumcifion of their Chil- 
dren, make many Prefents to the Youths that are cir- 
cumcifed with them, and give liberal Alms to their poor 
Neighbours, that by their Prayers the Grace of God 
may defeend upon the new Mujfelman, and their whole 
Family. When any poor Renagado Chriftian is circum- 
cifed, two Bafons are carried after him to gather the 
Alms, which the Spedfators freely give them, though 
they have a common Proverb among them. That he that 
has been a bad Chriftian, will never make a good Turk. 
The Time and Place for Circumcifion is not fix’d, for 
it may be done by a Prieft or Chirurgeon, either at the 
Bath or Parents Houfe. They name their Children as 
foonasthey are born, and do not ftay till they are cir- 
cumcifed, by putting fome Grains of Salt into their 
Mouths, and fo lifting them on high, as dedicating them 
to God, fay, God grant N. N. that God*s holy Name 
may be as favoury in this Mouth, as this Salt is, and that 
he may preferve you from being too much iu' Love with the 
World. As to thofe that die young, before they are 
circumcifed, they believe that thofe are faved by the 
Circumcifion of their Father. 
7. The Turks receive the Ten Commandments of 
Mojes's Law, and caufe them punftually to be obfer- 
ved by all ; and to them Mahomet has added five, viz. 
I. To believe One Only God, and to worffiip him as 
fuch. 2. To faft during the Ramadan. 3. To pray at 
the Hours appointed. 4. To give the Poor yearly the 
Fortieth Part of their Subftance. And, 5. To go in 
Pilgrimage to Mecca once in their Lives. 
The firft of thefe they obferve very pundtually, ffiew- 
ing great Reverence to God and his Name, which they 
never pronounce, nor hear pronounced, but with great 
Reverence, and will not fet about any Adlion, but they 
firft fay. In the Name of God ; yet they fwear much by 
God, when they would be believed. 
The fecond Lommanament is to keep Lent, or Rama- 
dan, in Failing, whereby the Flefh is mortified, Con- 
cupifcence fubduedp and the Soul purified. This Fail 
o t’j Travels Book III. 
lafts a Month, and is kept in the Month called Ra- 
madan-, becaufe (as they fay) iht Alcoran came down 
from Heaven in that Month. This Lent begins as foon 
as fuch People as are fee on Hills and high Places on Pur- 
pofe can difeover the New Moon, and the firft Melfen- 
ger of itf if a credible Perfon, hath a Reward given him 
for publifhing it, and then the Ramadan is appointed ail 
over the Town by publick Proclamation. 
The Manner of keeping it is thus : It is fald in the 
Alcoran, That they may eat and. drink all Night Jono-^ 
till they can difeern a white Thread from a black by 
the Morning-Light ; but after that, it is unlawful for 
them to eat, drink, or fmoak TobaccQ, yea, to touch 
their Wives ; and thus their Nights are turn’d into 
Days, their Minerets being all hung with Candles, and 
their Coffee-houfes are full all Night. In Summer- 
time this Faft is very troublefome, for though they are 
burnt up with Heat, they may not drink. Every one 
is obliged to ■ keep this Lent, and fome are fo ftridl as 
to keep it in their Travels, and in the Army, rhouoh 
they may defer it to a more fit Opportunity. There °re 
many that do not keep it, but they muft eat and drink 
privately ; for if it be known, they will be at leaft 
Baftinado’d. The Puniffiment of drinking Wine in 
Lent, is to have melted Lead pour’d down their 
Throats j and it hath been executed, though rarely. 
None may marry in Lent. 
When the Ramadan is ended, the Bairam, or Eajler, 
begins with the next New Moon, which is publifli’d by 
firing^ of Guns, and publick Bonfires and Rejoycings. 
At this Feaft the Houfes and Shops are adorn’d with 
fine Hangings, Tapeftries, and Sopha’^s ; the Streets are 
full of Swings, adorn’d with Feftoons, in which they 
fit down, and are tofs’d in the Air, while Mufick, both 
of Inftruments and Voices, hired by the Mafters of the 
Swings, pleafes their Ears. They have many other 
Dwerfions, as Mills, Fire-works, i^c. which they get 
ready fome Days before the Bairam. Many Women, 
who never ftir abroad the reft of the Year, have Li- 
berty to walk about thefe three Days ; but it is dan- 
gerous for the Franks to appear, becaufe the Turks, be- 
ing got drunk, will ftab them with their Cangiars, or 
to be fure make them pay dear for their PafiTage, by 
exadling Money from them. 
One Thing very commendable is done at this Time, 
which is, that they pardon all their Enemies, and are 
reconciled to them ; for they have made a bad Eafter, 
if they keep Malice in their Hearts againft any body ; 
and for this Reafon, when they meet any of their Ac- 
quaintance in the Streets, they kifs one another, wiffiing 
a good Eajier and mutual Happinefs one to another. 
This they call the Great Bairam, to diftinguiffi it from 
the Little Bairam, which they keep feventy Days after. 
Their other Feftivals are, the Night between the iith 
and 1 2th of the Moon called Rebiul Ewell, wherein 
Mahomet was born ; as alfo the Night between the 26th 
and 27th of the Moon Rebiul Abher, when they believe 
that Mahomet afeended up into Heaven upon the Albo- 
raoh, as he tells them in his Alcoran ; and on Tburfday 
the 4th of the Moon Regule, they have Prayers in their 
Mofques till Midnight, and then return home and feaft. 
On all thefe Feftivals the Steeples of the Mofques are 
deck’d with Lamps in feveral Figures, which make a 
very pretty Sight. 
8. The third Command of the Turks is, To pray at 
the Hours appointed ; but becaufe they always wafh be- 
fore they go to Prayers, ’tis necefTary to fpeak of their 
Ablutions. They are of two Kinds, one is called 
Goujl, which is a general Waffiing of the whole Body, 
and this they are obliged to ufe after they have lain 
with their Wives, or after Ncdurnal Pollutions, or 
when any Urine, or any other unclean Thing, hath 
fallen upon them. The other is called Abde(i, which 
is performed by turning their Face to Mecca, and 
waffling the Hands, Nofe and Mouth three Times. 
This they ufe after their Needs, or when they have 
handled any Thing that is unclean, and for both thefe 
they have Baths and Fountains near all their Mofques. 
If any one happens to break Wind upwards or down- 
wards, or any Blood or Filth iffue from their Body, if 
they 
ti ' 
