Chap. n. of the Empire ^/Persia. 9D| 
diftions, they are neverthelefs looked upon as infallible ; 
a Thing fcare to be credited, if we had not foiiie Exam- 
ples of the fame Kind nearer Home. 
Their Prognoftications are generally taken from the 
Moon, their Artifts believing that this fublunary World, 
as it is called, is much more influenced by this Planet;, 
than by the Sun. And thefe Aftrologers, like other 
Oracles, endeavour conftantly to deliver chemfelves in 
dubious and equivocal Expreflions, which may bear vari- 
ous Meanings j fo that if their Predidtions prove true in 
any Senfe, or but in Part, tliey are fure to meet with Ap- 
plaufe tho’ they fliould fail in fome Circumftances. They 
leem to regard the Earth more than the Heavens, and 
to be govern’d by the Confideration of probable Cir- 
cumftanccs, rather than the Conftellations, and their 
Predictions on that Account are frequently found true. 
For Inftance, their Almanacks are always publiflied in 
the Spring, when the Winter is pafled, and according 
to the Weather they then had, it is no difficult Matter 
to foretel, whether they fhall have good or bad Crops 
in the Summer, efpecially in a Climate where it does 
not vary as in Europe j and from the fame Premifes 
they will be able to pafs a tolerable Judgment on the 
Health or Sicknefs of the enfuing Seafons. But above 
all, as the Aftrologers are always about the Court, and 
have fo great a Share in the Adminiftration' of Affairs, 
and fuch Credit with all the World, they may be fup- 
pofed to make very flirewd Gueflfes in Relation to Poli- 
ticks. They cannot but obferve the Humours and Dif- 
pofitions of the Prince and his Favourites, the Likeli- 
hood there is that one will be reftored, and another 
diigraced. Nay they know very well what an Influence 
themfelves have in thefe Cafes, infomuch that there very 
rarely happens a confiderable Alteration in the State, 
but it is brought about, and is indeed the EffeCt of 
home of their own Predictions. 
But Aftrology is not the only Foible of this kind, for 
they have various other Sorts of Divination, which have 
grown into Ufe by Degrees, under the feveral Changes 
of their Government. It is true, that for the molt 
Part their Aftrologers praClife thefe, but not exclufively, 
for there are others who praClife them like wife, more 
efpecially Geomancy, which is the favourite Method of 
Divining throughout all the Eaft. Charms and Amulets 
againft Difeafes and Enchantments, are another Part of 
their Superftition ; you will not find a Perfian without 
his Amulet, and fome of them almoft loaded with them, 
they put them alio about the Necks of their domeflick 
Animals *, thefe Amulets have certain inferiptions on Pa- 
per, and fometimes on precious Stones, and thefe In- 
feriptions they wear in little Bags about them ; they 
contain fome Paftfages of the Alcoran^ or Sentences of 
their Saints or Prophets, applicable to the Difeafe or 
Enchantment they would avert : The Perfians alfo are 
extravagantly fuperftitious ?in Relation to Days- and 
Times. They depend in thefe Cafes, as much on the 
Diviners and Aftrologers, as a Child upon its Nurfe ; 
for Inftance, when the Shah is upon a Journey, the A- 
ftrologers will make him rife at Midnight, and begin his 
March in the worft Weather that can happen, and per- 
haps out of the high Road, to avoid the unfortunate 
Hour, or his evil Stars, as from Ignorance or Knavery 
they moil: impudently call them. 
We mufi: not however imagine, notwithftanding 
thefe Follies are very general, that there is not fome 
kind of real and ufetul Learning amongft this great 
Nation. Moral Philofophy is in high Credit with them, 
and is not only taught but praClifed ; they have many 
excellent and judicious Books upon thisSubjeCl, in which 
the VicilTitudes of human Life, and the Folly of placing 
Happinefs in fenfual Enjoyments, are very fully and 
very finely ftated. As tor the ordinary Parts of Edu- 
cation, and fuch as may fit Youth for common Bufinefs, 
they have as many Conveniences as other People. There 
are abundance of Schools in every Town, where, befides 
the Perfian^ is taught the AraMck, which is their learn- 
ed Language; the Alcoran, and their other facred 
Writings, are all in this Language, and the Alcoran 
is looked upon as the Standard of good Language both 
for Grammar and Rhetorick. People of Condition 
VoL. II. N® 131, 
chufe to have private Tutors for their Children; rathef 
than fend^theni tO thefe publick Schools ; and no Nation* 
it is faid, is more intent on the Education of Children; 
and breeding them up to manly Exercifes than the 
Perfians. Their Schools are called Mekteh^ which fig- 
nifies an Entrance ; this being; fay they, the Gate by 
which Lads enter into the Sciences. 
There are, as has been faid, many in every Town; 
and the Expence of Scholing is very fmall. They learn 
the Perfian and Arabian Languages; with Writing and 
Accounts, which when they are arrived at fome Perfedion, 
in, they are removed to fome College, or Medres^ as 
they call them, which fignifies a Place where their Doc- 
trine or Principles of their Religion are taught. Their 
Colleges are all endowed, and fome of them very rich- 
ly ; the largeft have fifty or fiJtty Apartments, and td 
each of them belong two Chambers. In thofe Colleges 
that are beft: endowed, every Scholar has about two 
Shillings a Day allowed him, which he lays out as he 
thinks fir, for they do not common together. 
There are fome Colleges where the Students have no 
more than a Penny a Day, and yet Intereft is made to 
get into one of thefe, on aceount of having a Lodging 
gratis^ and fome other cafual Advantages. Many here 
are, who get in without any Defign to ftudy, and live 
and grow old in thofe Houfes, and are allowed to 
have their Wives and Children with them, whofe prin- 
cipal Defign feems to be in Eafe and Idlenefs. There 
are abundance of Colleges in the great Towns of Per- 
fia^ and fome in the Villages. The Perfians lay out 
the greateft Part of their Charities in publick Founda- 
tions, In the firft Place, they ufually build a Caravan- 
fera for the lodging of Travellers gratis ; afterwards a 
Bagnio, a Coffee-houfe, a Bazar or Market-place, and 
they purchafe alfo a Garden, and thefe they let out, and 
apply the Revenues arifing from them towards the 
building and endowing of a College. iThe Founder and 
his Heirs have the Appointment of the Head and Go- 
vernors of the Society, and it the Founder’s Eftate hap- 
pens to be forfeited to the Crown, the Shah has the No- 
mination. In Ifpahan there are fifty feven Colleges, 
moft of them of Royal Foundation, or Vt^hich have de- 
volved to the Crown ; there are Profeflbrs who teach 
the Sciences in every College, to whom the Scholars 
make an annual Allowance for their Trouble 5 but as 
there are feveral who read Lectures gratis, the Scholars 
frequently refort to thefe, and forfake their proper 
Tutors. 
Thofe Students who are Men of Parts and Learning; 
may have a handfome Salary in any great Man’s Houfe 
for inftrudling his Children 5 for thefe never fend their 
Children either to Schools or Colleges, but have them 
educated in their own Houfes. The Head of the Houfe 
admits or excludes whom he fees fit, and pays the Stu- 
dents their Penfions monthly, fo that they fhew hirri 
abundance of Refpefl. Befides their Colleges, there 
are in every Town thofe who teach the Liberal Arts 
gratis, and thefe are frequently great Officers who have 
been difearded, or have voluntarily retired from 
Court. Thefe frequently allow their Difeipies Books 
and Paper, and entertain them at their own Expence 
certain Days in the Week, and fometimes cloath their 
Pupils and give them Money, and by this Means they 
endeavour to recover their Reputation with the People; 
for nothing gives a Gentleman fuch a Reputation in 
Perfia, as the inftrudling great Numbers of Scholars at 
their own Expence, and the being Patrons of Learning 
and Learned Men. Thefe are Circumftances that mufl; 
effedlually prove, that the Europeans have no Right 
to treat the Perfians as a rude and barbarous People. 
As the Cuftoms and Manners, fo the Reading and 
Learning of all Nations mufl; differ, and the wider and 
more remote thefe Differences are# the readier the Vul- 
gar on both Sides feem to be in deriding and con- 
temning each other ; but as this Humour proceeds 
from the fame Principle in both Cafes, viz. that of 
prefu-ming themfelver to be the Standard by which the 
Wifdom and Civility, the Learning and Politenefs of 
all other Nations are to be determined ; and as this is 
a Point not to be defended, it ought to be given up as 
10 X n't 
