904 ^he Government j Laws^ and Conflitution Book III. 
ning and Self-intereftednefs of the Ruffians^ and the 
Covetoiifnels of the Europeans are frequently expofcd 
by their Wits. 
They are far from being ignorant of Mufick as a 
Science ; they learn by Rule, and they play by Note, 
though in a Manner fo different from ours, that it is 
a long Time before it becomes pleafant to a Stranger’s 
Ear. There is no fuch Thing as Singing in Parts, 
but they fing one after another, and they generally fing 
to fome ftringed Inflruments, like the Lute or Viol : 
Their Men fing better than the Women, but there are 
not many of them that pradife it. Singing being look’d 
upon as a fcandalous Employment in Perfia, as well as 
Dancing. People of Condition will not fuffer Chil- 
dren to learn either the one or the other, but it is left 
almoft entirely to the common Wenches and Proftitutes, 
as it is indeed all over the Eaff. It is reckoned an In- 
decency in People of any Reputation to fing, and it 
would render a Man contemptible who fhould attempt 
it in Company. The Perjians call their Singing-women 
Caine, intimating that they derive their Skill from the 
Daughters of Cain, who they pretend were the firft In- 
ventors of Singing and Mufick in the Eaff. 
They have a great Number of Inflruments both of 
String and Wind Mufick, fome in Shape like our Haut- 
boys and Flutes, others like the Viol, Harp, Virginals, 
Kettle-drums, and Trumpets j but furely their Trumpet 
is the mofl monflrous Inftrument for Size and Sound 
that can be met with ; it is commonly feven or eight 
Foot long, and proportionably wide at the great End, 
and as much as a Man can hold up ; thefe and their 
Drums, in a Manner, drown all other Sounds, though 
the lefler Inflruments, as has been obferved, have no 
great Harmony in them : And indeed their Mufick, as 
it is called, ferve chiefly inflead of Clocks, to let People 
know the Time of Day or Night, founding conflantly 
at certain Hours, for Bells they have none ; and when 
the Shah or any great Man goes out of his Palace, you 
have always Notice of it by thefe Drums and Trumpets, 
who Hand over the Palace Gate, or in fome Balcony 
or Gallery and play upon luch Occafions, being heard 
at a vaft Diflance. In fome Places the Mufick and 
Dancing Girls make Part of a great Man’s Equipage, 
and run before him when he goes abroad. 
It is obfervable, that the Strings of their Inflruments 
are never made of Gut, the touching of any thing be- 
longing to a dead Animal, efpecially the Entrails, be- 
ing held a Pollution ; they make them therefore of twilled 
Silk, or Brafs Wire, and it is not only indecent, as has 
been obferved, for People of Condition to play upon 
a mufical Inflrument, but it feems alfo to be prohibited 
by their Religion, and therefore their Ecclefiaflicks and 
Devotees will not fo much as be prefent at fuch En- 
tertainments. 
Aftronomy is fludied in Perjia purely for the Sake of 
Aftrology, which lafl they term the Revelation of the 
Stars. The People of the Eaft look upon Aflrology as 
the Key to Futurity, and they have an infatiable Curio- 
fity for prying into Things to come. This feems to be 
the principal End of their Studies, and they look upon 
a Perfon to be ftupid and ignorant to the lafl Degree, 
who fpeaks flightly of this Science. The Aflrologers of 
Perfm, at leafl the rnofl celebrated, are all Natives of 
the Province of Charafan or Ba5iria, and the moft noted 
among them of the Town of Genahed. The Shah ne- 
ver entertains an Aflrologer who is not of that Town. 
The Reafon that the Aftronomers heje have more Skill 
in their Art than elfewhere, it is laid, is becaufe the Air 
is drier and purer, by which Means they have a better 
Opportunity to obferve the Motions of the Scars. If 
we confider the Number of Aflrologers that are found 
in Perfia, the Rank they hold, and the large Penfions 
they receive from the Crown, we may eafily guefs at 
the Confidence that People put in them ; they are paid 
by the Government no lefs than four hundred thoufand 
Pounds per Annum. 
To the Pofl of chief Aflrologer to his Imperial Ma- 
jefly there is annexed a Penfion of ten thoufand Pounds 
iper Annum, and to the fecond Aflrologer five thoufand 
Pounds per Annum, and to the reft according to their 
Skill. They have alfo in Prefents annually two hundred 
thoufand Pounds, and yet they are fometimes arbitra- 
rily punifhed, and put to Death for the moft trivia! 
Offences, and even for Adtions the moft innocent in 
themfelves, according to the Caprice of their Prince. 
Sir John Chardin relates, that in the Reign of Sefi^ 
when the Shah and all the great Men were affembled 
to fee fome Criminals of State cut in Pieces, and the 
Chief of the Aflrologers was there among the reft ; the 
Shah viewing attentively the Countenance's of his Cour- 
tiers, obferved that the principalAftrologer fhut his Eyes at 
every Stroke of the Sabre, as not able to behold fo hor- 
rid a Slaughter ; he thereupon called to the Governor of 
a Province who fat near him, and bid him put out the 
Eyes of that Dog who fat at his Left Hand, fince he did 
not ufe them ; which was executed in an Inftant on the 
unhappy Aflrologer, which Part of his Deftmy the Stars 
never revealed to him. 
There are conflantly a certain Number of Aftrolo- 
gers in Waiting at the Royal Palace, and always fome 
of the chief of them about the Shah’s Perfon, except 
when he is in the Haram with his Women, who adver- 
tife him of the lucky or unlucky Moments. Every one 
of them carries an Aftrolabe hanging at his Girdle, in 
a neat little Cafe not bigger than the Hollow of one’s 
Hand i they are confuked not only in Aflkirs of Im- 
portance, but frequently upon the Jeaft Trifles ; for In- 
flance, if his Imperial Majcfty fliall go abroad ^ if it 
be an aufpicious Hour to enter the Haram ; if it be a 
proper Time to eat, or to give Audience, iAc.. When 
thefe^ueftionsare asked, the Aflrologer immediately takes 
out his Aftrolabe, obferves the Situation of the Scars, and by 
the Afliftance of his Tables makes his Aflrological Con- 
dufions, to which they give entire Faith as to an Oracle, 
offending againft which would be dangerous. 
Their Aftronomers obferve pretty juftly the Ecliofes 
of the Sun and Moon, and often foretel the very Mo- 
ment wherein thofe Luminaries will be obfeured ; but 
there are Inftances of their being miftaken half an Flour, 
and efpecially in Eclipfes of the Sun ; but they differ 
from us in Nothing more than in the Calculation of 
the Vernal Equinox, there being fometimes an HouPs 
Difference between them and the Europeans. Comets, 
they apprehend, always portend fome great Calanncy, 
but generally fuppofe their malign Influences are direc- 
ted againft fome other Empire than their own. They 
had neither Celeftial Globes, or Charts, or Telefcopes, 
to obferve the Conftellations, till the Europeans import- 
ed them, they have fince indeed endeavoured to imitate 
their celeftial Globes, and had only fome Reprefentati- 
ons of the Conftellations before in a Book called, 
Ehe Schemes of Abdal Rhamen. It is obfervable however, 
that the Figures were much the fame as on our Globes • 
the Longitudes and Latitudes of the Stars are alfo mark- 
ed, but a little different from ours. The Perfians gene- 
rally make forty eight Conftellations, and the Names of 
them, for the moft Parr, are the fame we give them ; 
but fome of them are different. The only Inftruments 
they ufe in any of their Operations, are the Aftrolabe 
and JacoPs, Staff and as it is with thefe alone they take 
the_ Elevation of the Pole, it cannot be fuppofed that 
their Latitudes are very exafl ; their Aftroiabes, it is 
true, are very curioufly made, and commonly by thofe 
who , ufe them. 
The Perfian Almanack is called Takumi ; it is proper- 
ly a Mixture of Aftronomy and judicial Aftrology, 
containing an Account of the Conjunctions, Oppofi- 
tions, Afpects, Longitudes, Latitudes, and, in fhort, 
the whole Difpofition of the Heavens. It contains 
alfo Prognofticks of the mofl notable Events, as War, 
Famine, Plenty, Difeafes, and other Accidents of hu- 
man Life, with the lucky or unlucky Times for cranf- 
acting all Manner of Affairs, directing the People to 
regulate their Condubl accordingly. The Feftivals alfo 
are marked, as in our Almanacks, but whereas we di- 
vide the Year into four Parts, they make only two. 
Winter and Summer. What is moft obfervable is, 
that though there are great Numbers of thefe Alma- 
nack-makers, and though they frequently difagree even 
in their Aftronomiqal Calculations, as well as their Pre- 
dictions, 
