Chap. II. ifito P 
^acheur called by Arria% Sigemus, and the Schenifcari, 
i. e. River-horfe," called therefore by. the Greeks^ Hippos: 
And the Abafcia^ called by Arrian^ Caries ; and Ptolemy^ 
Caritus', which two laft mix with the Phafts about 
twenty Miles from the Place where it falls into the Sea. 
The Soil is very bad, and produceth little Corn, or 
Pulfe, and the Fruits are almolf wild, without Tafte, and 
unwholfome, unlefs it be their Vines, which thrive well 
there, and produce moft excellent Wine. The Earth 
is fo moift in Seed-time, that when they fow theirWheat 
and Barley, they never plow it at all, but fprinkle it upon 
the Earth ; for they fay, that fhould they plough it, the 
Land would be fo foft, that all their Corn would fall. 
They plough their Lands for their other Corn with 
Plough-Ihares of Wood, which make as good Furrows 
as Iron, becaufe their Land is very moift and tender. 
Their common Grain is Gomm^ which is as fmall as 
Coriander Seed, and refembles Millet. Of this they 
make a Pafte, which they ufe for Bread, and prefer it 
before Wheat j which is not to be wonder’d at, for it 
is very acceptable to the Palate, and conducive to 
Health, being cooling and laxative. They have alfo 
great Plenty of Millet, fome Rice, with Wheat and 
Barley, but very fcarce. The People of Quality eat 
wheaten Bread as a Rarity, but the meaner Sort very 
feldom or never tafte of it. 
The ordinary Food of the Country is Beef and Pig, 
of which laft they have great Plenty, and the beft in the 
World. They have alfo Goats Flefh, but it is lean, and 
not well tafted. Their Wild-fowl is very good, but 
fcarce. Their Venifon is the Wild Boar, Hart, Stag, 
Fallow Deer, and Hare, all which are excellent Food. 
They have Partridges, Pheafants, and Quails in Abun- 
dance, with fome River Fowl and wild Pidgeons, which 
are good Meat, and as big as a cramm’d Chicken. 
Their Nobility fpend their whole Time in the Field, 
ufing Lanner-hawks,Gof hawks, Hobbies, and others, for 
their Sports, to catch Water-fowl and Pheafants ; but 
their moft delightful Paftime is the Flight of the Falcon 
at the Heron, which they catch only for the Tuft 
upon his Crown, to put upon their Bonnets ; for they 
let him go again when they have cut it off, that it may 
grow up a-new. 
6. Mount Caucafus produceth a great Number of 
wild Beafts, as Tygers, Leopards, Lions, Wolves, and 
Jacals, which laft make great Havock amongft their 
Cattle and Horfes, and often difturb their Houfes with 
their dreadful Howlings. They have large Numbers of 
Horfes, and thofe very good ones, which every Man 
almoft keeps in great Store, becaufe their Keeping 
ftands them in little or Nothing, for they neither fhooe 
them, nor feed them with Corn. They have no Ci- 
ties nor Towns, except two by the Sea-fide ; but their 
Houfes are fo thick up and down the Country, that 
you can hardly travel a Mile, but you meet with three 
or four. There are nine or ten Caftles in the Country, 
of which the chiefeft is called Ruis, and it is the Court 
of the Prince. Their Houfes are all built with Timber, 
which is plentiful, and the poorer Sort never raife above 
one Story, nor the rich above two. The lower Rooms 
are always furnifhed with Beds and Couches to lie down 
on or to fit upon, becaufe of the Moifture of the Earth, 
but are inconvenient, becaufe they have no Windows 
nor Chimneys. 
They have but one Room for their whole Family, and 
fo lie all together. The Men are well fliaped, and the 
Women fo handfome, that they feem born for com- 
manding Love. They all paint their Eye-brows, and 
their Faces abominably. They drefs themfelves with 
all the Curiofity they can, their Habit being like the 
Perfians, and their Head Attire like the European Wo- 
men, even to the Curling of their Hair. They are 
witty and civil, but to ballance that, haughty, deceit- 
ful, cruel, and impudent. The Men have alfo as ma- 
ny mifohievous Qualities, and there is no Wickednefs to 
which they are not addicted ; but that which they moft 
praftife and delight in is Theft. This they make their 
Employment and Glory. They juftify it as lawful to have 
many Wives, becaufe, they fay, they bring us many 
Children, which we can fell for ready Money, or ex- 
VoL. n. N° 128. 
E R S I A. 
change for neceftary Conveniencies \ yet when they have 
not wherewithal to maintain them, they hold it a Piece 
of Charity to murder Infants new born, as alfo they do 
fuch as are fick and paft Recovery, becaufe, they fay, 
they free them irom a deal of Mifery. 
The Gentlemen of this Country have full Power over 
the Lives and Eftates of theif Tenants, to fell and dil- 
pofe of their Wives and Children as they think fit, and 
every Country-man is bound to furnifh his Lord v/ith 
as much Corn, Wine, Cattle, and other Provifions as 
he wants. The Lords decide the (^arels of their Vailals *, 
but if they themfelves are at Variance, they decide it by 
Arms^ which makes them go all armed with a Lance, 
Bow and Sword. Their Flabit is peculiar 5 they wear 
very little Beard, and cover their Heads with a thin Felt 
Cap in Summer, and a furr’d Bonnet in Winter : Over 
their Bodies they wear little Shirts, which fall to their 
Knees, and tuck into a ftraitPairof Breeches*, but they 
never have above one Siiirc, and one Pair of Breeches, 
which lafts them a Year, and in all that Time never 
wafh. them above thrice, only once or twice a Week 
they fhake it (for a certain Purpofe) over the Fire. 
The whole Family, without Diftinftion, eat all to- 
gether, both Males and Females. The King with all 
his Train, to his very Grooms, and the Queen with her 
Maids and Servants, They dine in the open Courts in 
fair Weather, and if it be cold, they make a roufing 
Fire, for Wood cofts them nothing. Upon Working- 
Days the Servants have nothing but Gomm, and the 
Matters Pulfe, dried Fifh, or Flefti , but on Holy- 
days, or when they make Entertainments, they kill an 
Hog, Ox, or Cow, if they have no Venifon. They are 
very great Drinkers, both Men and Women, and at 
their Feafl's provoke their Friends, as much as they can, 
to Drinking. They drink their Wine pure, and be- 
ginning with Pints, proceed to much greater Quan- 
tities. Their Difcourfe at their Merry-Meetings is, 
with the Men, about their Wars and Robberies, and 
among their Women obfcene Tales of their Amours. 
Mingrelia is but thinly peopled, by reafon of their 
, Wars, and the vaft Numbers fold to the Perfians and 
by the Nobility. All Trade in it is driven by 
way of Barter, for they have no fet Price of Money 
among them j the Species current are Piaftres, Dutch 
Crowns, and Abaffi’s, which are made in Georgia^ and 
ftamp’d with the Perjian Stamp. The Revenues of the 
Prince of Mingrelia amount at moft to 20,000 Crowns, 
which arifes from the Cuftoms of Goods exported and 
imported, the Slaves he fells, Impofitions and Fines \ 
and this he lays up, for his Slaves ferve him for no- 
thing, and his Crown-Lands furnifh his Court with 
more Provifion than he can fpend. He is not able to 
raife above 4000 Men fit to bear Arms, and thofe are 
all Cavalry for the moft Part, for he has not above 300 
Foot to join with them. His Court, upon folemn Fef- 
tivals, confifts of 200 Gentlemen, but upon other Days 
of about 120. 
7. The Religion of the Colchians was formerly the 
fame with the Greeks^ being converted, as the Ecclefi- 
aftical Hiftorians fay, in Confiantine'^'s, Time, by a Slave : 
But the Mingrelians fay, St. Andrew preach’d among 
them in the Place call’d Pigivitas^ where now ftands a 
Church, whither the Catholicos^ or chief Bifhop goes 
once in his Life-time to make the Oil callM Myrone 
by the Greeks •, but now the Mingrelians are fallen into 
a profound Abyfs of Ignorance and Darknefs, and have 
not the leaft Idea of Faith and Religion, but look upon 
Life Eternal, the Day of Judgment, and the Refur- 
redion, as meer Fables devifed by Men. Nor do 
their Clergy perform any Ecclefiaftical Duties, for there 
is hardly one of them that can either write or read. 
They have utterly loft the true Knowledge of the Ser- 
vice of God j but the Priefts make a publick Profeffion 
of foretelling Things to come, and make the People 
believe, that their Books fhow them the Courfe of future 
Events. 
The Catholicos of Mingrelia is Head of all the Cler- 
gy of that Country, as alfo of Abca, Gureil^ Mount Cau^ 
cafus^ and Imeretta •, but the Prince appoints or depo- 
feth him as he pleaftth. His Revenue is very great, 
10 L 
