Chap. II. of the Empire 
of Orange-trees, Jeffamins, and all the Flowers we have 
in Europe. The Eaft Part of this Country, which is 
called Mazenderan, is one continued Parterre from Sep- 
tember io April \ the whole Country at that Time is 
covered with Flowers, and this, though it be their Win- 
ter Seafon, is alfo the beft Time for Fruits. In the 
other Months the Heat is fo excelTive, that the Natives 
find themfelves under a Necellity of retiring to the 
Mountains. 
In Media the Fields produce Tulips, Anemonies, and 
Ranunculus’s ; , about Ifpahan, and fome other Towns, 
Jonquils grow wild. They have alfo Daffodils, Lillies, 
Violets, and Pinks in their Seafon, and fome Flowers 
which lafl ail the Year round •, but they have the greateft 
Quantity of Lillies and Rofe; they export abundance of 
Rofe-water to other Countries •, in the Spring, there is vaft 
Plenty of yellow and red Gillyflowers, and another red 
Flower which refembles a Clove, of a beautiful Scarlet 
Colour, and every Sprig bears thirty of thefe Flowers, 
which form a fine Plead as large as a Tennis Ball. 
Their Rofes are white, yellow, and red, and others 
white on one Side and yellow on the other j but notwith- 
ftanding all this great Variety of beautiful Flowers, 
their Gardens are not comparable to thofe of Europe. 
As Flowers are fo common they are very little regarded s 
you fee them intermix’d with Fruit-trees and Pmfe- 
buflies without any Order \ but large Walks planted 
with Trees, Fountains, Canals, Cafcades, and Pleafure 
Houfes at proper Di fiances, are all that muff be expec- 
pefted in their flnefl Gardens y nor do the Perfians take 
any Manner of Pleafure in walking in them, any more 
than in the Fields ■, but fet themfelves down in fome 
Alcove or Summer houfe as foon as they come into 
them, totally negligent of tha,t exquifite Variety that 
every Foreigner is charmed with. 
8. Perfia alfo affords great Plenty of phyfical 
Drugs, as Ca[fia, Senna, Antimony, Nun Vomica, Gum 
Armoniac, Galhanum, Sal Armoniac, and a Kind of 
Rhubarb, with which they purge their Cattle ; but the 
beft Rhubarb comes from China, or rather from Eajt- 
ern Ear t ary, which lies to the Northward of China. 
The Perfian Poppies are in great Efteem from the 
Quantity of Juice they yield, and the Strength of it \ 
they grow four Foot high in fome Places, and have 
white Leaves. They extradl the Juice from them in 
fune, when they are ripe •, by making little Incifions 
in the Head of the Poppy, a thick Liquor diftills from 
them, which is gathered very early in the Morning be- 
fore Sun-rife. It is faid to have fuch an Effedt on 
the People, who are employed in this Work, that they 
look as if they had been buried and taken up again, 
and their Limbs tremble as if they had the Palfy. The 
Liquor which is thus drawn from the Poppies, in a little 
Time grows thick, and is made up into Pills. The 
Perfians give it the Name of Afioun, and we, probably 
from thence, call \t Opium. The Perfan^Pritvs, ftrew 
Poppy-feed on their Bread, v^hich incline thofe that eat 
it to Sleep, and the eating it is not reckoned unwhol- 
fome after their Meals ; the common People eat the 
the Seed at any Time almoftfor Pleafure. 
Saffron grows plentifully in Perfia, and Affa Fatida 
is to be had every where almoft, which is much admi- 
red by the Natives of Perfia as well as India, and fre- 
quently eaten with their Food ; that which to us is moft 
offenfive of ail Scents, by them is efteemed a Perfume. 
AJfa fcetida is a Liquor which diftills from the Plant 
called F/i///?/ ; it thickens after it is drawn, and grows 
as hard as Gum ; there is the white and black Kinds 
of it, of which the white is reckoned the beft to eat. 
The Smell of this Drug is fo very ftrong, that if any 
Goods be near it in a Ship, the Smell is communicated 
to them, let thera be wrapped up ever fo clofe, and it is 
almoft impoffible to clear them of it j nay, it affeds the 
Colour, and therefore Sir John Chardin tells us, the 
Veffels ufed in tranfporting it are frequently broke up 
and burned, to prevent other Goods from being fpoiled 
by being carried in them, from which no Package can 
fave them. 
The Perfian Bezoar is efteemed preferable to that of 
India^ which having already defcribed, we ftiall not 
0/ P E R S I A. 883 
dwell upon it here. It is fufficient to obferVe, that the 
Reafons it is not fo much efteemed in Europe as it wa% 
formerly, are thefe •, in 'the firft place, it is frequently 
fophifticated, notwithftanding that feveral Methods arb 
in Ufe for detecfing thefe P'rauds, of whichlfhall men- 
tion a few. The genuine Bezoar, at leaft that which 
comes from Perpa, has a very fine Smell refembling that 
of Ambergreafe, but not near lb ftrong ; if thrown 
into hot Water, and left there for three or four Flours^ 
it lofes Nothing either of its Colour or Weight ; if 
prickt with a hot Iron, no Smoke arifes ; if rubbed 
upon a Leaf ol Dutch Vellum, it leaves a yellow Im- 
preffion ; if broke or cut, it appears to be compofed of 
feveral Coats unequally difpofed, in the fame Manner as 
appears in cutting an Onion. Another Reafon Vv'hy it 
has loft its Credit, is the Humour People have of em- 
bracing the contrary Extream to that of their Anceftors j 
heretofore Bezoar was fold very dear, and was held to 
have many and great Virtues, and now it is fafhionable 
to affirm that it has little or no Virtue at all ; which 
though it has driven it out of Ufe, has not much beat 
down its PricCj becaufe in the Eaft, and even in other 
Parts of Europe, it is ftill in Efteem. 
A third Realon is^ our giving it in two fmall Dofes^ 
fo that its Virtues are not difcernable, A famous Per- 
fan Phyfician had a great Secret for curing Lunacyj, 
which he fold to a French Gentleman for a large Sum of 
Money, and this Secret confifted in giving equal Qjuan- 
rities ot Bezoar, Musk, and Camphire, as I found in a 
Irench Manulcript of Receipts, in which it is laid, that 
very lingular Cures were performed by it % but the 
Quantities of thefe Drugs in a Dole were not mention’dj 
In the Province of Chorafan they frequently find 
human Bodies preferved in the Sand, the Flefli of which 
they fell under the Name of Mummy, for medicinal 
Ufes ', and there are alfo fuch Bodies found in a Cavern 
not for from the Borough of Abin, in the Province of 
Farftfian. It is however neceffary to inform the Reader, 
that in the Perfian and Eurkifh L^anguages, the Word 
Mourn, from whence we have formed Mummy, fignifies 
literally a foft clammy Subftance, of the Confiftency of 
Balfam, which explains fufficiencly what is meant by 
mineral Mummy, which is a Kind of natural Balfam 
diftilling thro’ the Rock of a large Cavern in the Pro- 
vince (fLar, efteemed fo precious, that the Shah keeps 
it entirely for his own Ufe, the Doors of this Gave be- 
ing fealed by the Governor of Ear, who opens it only 
once a Year, to take out the Balm, the Quantity of which 
feldom exceeds ten Ounces. A Multitude of Virtues are 
afcribed to it, particularly in the Cure of Fradures, in 
which it is faid to perform Wonder.s ; but it may 
very well be doubted, whether any of this was ever 
brought into Europe. 
9, We will now proceed to fpeak of the Animals 
that are found in Perfia, and in Reference to thefe^ the 
Camel, for a Beaft of Burthen, much excells all the 
reft, whether we confider the Weight he carries the 
Difpatch he makes, or the little Charge of keepincr 
him. Of thefe Camels there are feveral Kinds * fome 
have two Bunches upon their Backs, and others but one 
and there is a third Sort, ingender’d between a Drome- 
dary or Camel, with two Bunches, and a Female 
with one, which are efteemed much the beft, and fold 
for twenty or thirty Pounds a-piece, for they are feldom 
tired, and will carry nine hundred or athoufand Weight. 
Thofe which travel between the Perfian Gulph and If- 
pahan are of a much lefs Size, and do not carry above 
five or fix hundred Weight ; but thefe, notwithftand- 
ing, are almoft as ferviceable as the other, for they are 
much fwifter, and will gallop like a Horfe, whereas the 
others feldom go fafter than a Foot Pace. Thefe fwifc 
Camels are kept by the Shah and great Men, and ferve 
to tranfport their Women from fiace to Place, and car- 
ry their Baggage j they are ufualiy adorned with em- 
broidered Cloths, and filver Bells about their Necks 5 a 
String of fix or feven of them are tied together when 
they travel, and governed by one Man ; they ufe nei- 
ther Bridles nor Halter to hold them, or Whips to 
drive them, but they are diredfed by the Driver’s 
Voice, who fings or plays to them as they travel ; good 
Ufage 
