P E R S E E S. 
by poifon. Their females are marriageable before they 
are twelve years old ; but, though their marriages are con- 
traded at a very early age, yet they are not confummated 
till the above-mentioned time of puberty. It is not 
cuftomary to give any portion with the bride; bT)t every 
relation and friend of the bridegroom is obliged to pre- 
fent him with fome articles of houfehold furniture, mo¬ 
ney, or clothes, as foon as the intended nuptials are an¬ 
nounced to them. 
The Perfees live temperately; but, contrary to the 
cuftom of the Gentoos, they eat all kinds of flelh meat, 
except that of oxen and hares, that they may not give of¬ 
fence to that nation ; but it mud be killed and prepared 
by their own people. The Perfees at Surat allege, that 
they poffefs a genuine copy of the Inftitutes of Zoroafter : 
they likewife pretend, that the holy fire, which they 
brought with them at the time of the flight from Perfia, 
has remained burning to the prefent day, without being 
extinguiftied, in their largeft and principal temple, which 
ftands near the Portuguefe city of Daman. This holy 
fire is expofed to the vulgar only once a-year, on a fefti- 
val in the month of October, which marks the commence¬ 
ment of their year: befides this feflival, they have one 
every month, of a religious nature ; in which they offer 
up devout fupplications to their divinity. - Every Perfee 
likewife offers up a prayer every morning, turning to¬ 
wards the rifing fun, and another every evening, pref'ent- 
ing himfelf towards the moon, if fhe be vifible. 
The element of water is alfo an objed of reverence ; 
and their reverence for fire is carried fo far, that they will 
not extinguifh it on any occafion, even by putting out a 
candle or lamp. When a fire takes place in the town, 
they do not endeavour to quench it with water, but pull 
down the houfes and buildings liable to be confumed by 
the flames, that the fire may go out for want of combufti- 
bles to maintain it. 
The Perfees in Britifh India enjoy every privilege, 
civil and religious. They are governed by their own 
panchait, or village-council. The word panchai't literally 
means a “ council of Jive," but that of the Guebres in 
Bombay confifts of thirteen of the principal merchants of 
the fed ; thefe were chofen originally by the people, con¬ 
firmed by the government, and have continued heredi¬ 
tary. This little council decides all* queftions of pro¬ 
perty, fubjed however to an appeal to the recorder’s 
court; but an appeal feldom happens, as the panchait is 
jealous of its authority, and is confequently cautious in 
its decifions. It fuperintends all marriages and adop¬ 
tions, and inquires into the ftate of every individual in 
the community; its members would think themfelves 
difgraced if any Parfee were to receive alms or any aflif- 
tance from a perfon of a different faith ; accordingly, as 
foon as the children of a poor man are old enough to be 
betrothed, which, in conformity to the Hindoo cuftom, 
is at five or fix years of age, the chief merchants fubferibe 
a fufficient fum to portion the child; in cafes of ficknefs, 
they fupport the individual or the family, and maintain 
all the widows and fatherlefs. 
The panchait confifts both of priefts and laymen ; all 
religious ceremonies and feftivals come under its cogni¬ 
zance, together with the care of the temples, the adjuft- 
ing the almanac, and the fubfiftence and life of the dogs. 
I could not learn with certainty (fays Mrs. Graham) the 
origin of the extreme veneration of the Perfees for this 
animal ; every morning the rich merchants employ koo- 
lis to go round the ftreets with bafkets of provifion for 
the wild dogs; and, when a Perfee is dying, he will have 
a dog in his chamber to fix his clofing eyes upon. Some 
believe that the dog guards the foul, at the moment of 
its reparation from the body, from the evil fpirits; others 
fay that the veneration for the dogs is peculiar to the 
Indian Guebres, and that it arofe from their having been 
faved from Ihipwreck in their emigration to India, by 
the barking of the dogs announcing their approach to the 
land in a dark night. 
649 
The Perfees ufe fome folemnities when they name 
their children, which is done at five or fix months old; 
when the muflin ftiirt is put on the firft time, a facred 
fire is lighted, prayers are repeated, and the name is 
given. Since their intercourfe with Europeans, they call 
this ceremony chrijiening, becaufe it is performed when 
the firft or proper name is given ; the fecond name is a 
patronymic; thus Norozejee Jwmjheedje, is Norozejee the 
Son of Jumlheedje. 
“ The Perfees are the richeft individuals on this fide 
of India, and moft of the great merchants are partners in 
Britifli commercial houfes. They have generally two or 
three fine houfes, befides thofe they let to the Englilh; 
they keep a number of carriages and horles, which they 
lend willingly, not only to Europeans, but to their own 
poor relations, whom they always fupport. They often 
give dinners to the Englifh gentlemen, and drink wine, 
particularly Madeira. The Guebre women enjoy more 
freedom than other oriental females, but they have not 
yet thought of cultivating their minds. Perhaps this is 
owing in great meafure to the early marriages which, in 
compliance with the Hindoo cuftoms, they contrail: by 
becoming the property of their hufbands in their infancy, 
they never think of acquiring a further ftiare of their af¬ 
fection, and, with the hope of pleafing, one great incite¬ 
ment to mental improvement is cut off. 
“ The Perfees are in general a handfome large people, 
but they have a more vulgar air than the other natives ; 
they are extremely aCtive and enterprifing, and are libe¬ 
ral in their opinions, and lefs bigotted to their own cuf¬ 
toms, manners, and drefs, than moft nations. Of their 
hofpitality and charitable difpofitions, the following is an 
inftance. During the famine that defolated India in the 
years 1805 and 1806, the Perfee merchant Ardefeer Da- 
dee, fed five thoufand poor perfons for three months at 
his own expenfe, befides other liberalities to the ftarv'ing 
people. The Perfees are the chief landholders in Bom¬ 
bay. Almoft all the houfes and gardens inhabited by 
the Europeans are their property ; and Peftengee told me 
that he received not lefs than 15,000k a-year in rents, 
and that his brother received nearly as much.” 
The Perfees, we are told, never attempt to make pro- 
felytes. The Moors, Gentoos, and Perfees, notwith- 
ftanding the difference of their religions, exercife toward 
one another the greateft toleration and indulgence. 
They may be lee n together, in or near the river, offering 
up their refpeftive prayers, without mutual contempt or 
moleftation. When the holy fire of the Perfees is exhi¬ 
bited to the people, no Gentoo will either approach or 
touch the fire, any more than the Perfees themfelves. 
This mutual forbearance exhibits an example worthy of 
imitation. 
PERSEPH'ONE, a daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, 
called alfo Proferpine. See Proserpine. 
PERSEP'OLIS, in ancient geography, a town of Perfia, 
formerly the capital of Farfiftan, or Perfia Proper; but 
now known only by its ruins, which have been deferibed 
by many travellers, from Chardin, Niebuhr, and Franck- 
lin, to Jones, Johnfon, and Ker Porter. Of old it was 
called Elymais; its prefent name is Istakar, which fee. 
PerJ'epolis may be a faithful tranflation of the original 
name of the place, but it is not the native denomination. 
Herodotus calls the inhabitants Pafargadcii, which is fup. 
pofed by Chardin to be derived from the native name 
Fars-abad, City of the Perfians. The author of the Firft: 
Book of Maccabees (vi. 1.) mentions this city, or rather 
its diftriCt, by the name of Elymais; and fo does the au¬ 
thor of Judith (i. 6.) but the earlier and almoft native 
authority of the book of Either (fuppoling that Arioch 
wrote that book) gives the appellation (ix. 7.) Parjkan- 
datha: it was fituated in the province of Elam, and had 
in the time of Darius (Daniel ii.) Arioch for its military 
governor. 
The ruins of this celebrated city have been deferibed 
(as we have faid) by fo many travellers, that we are 
almoft 
