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164
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JUNE, 1908.
M: Allexander Travell, Mr Arther Pine, Mr Rosse Wood, M P Rockesley, Mr Lee, Mr Gravesner,
M
K inge, My W. fframpton, facter Marreen. These 8 persons Died at the tyme of my beinge theire, 2 of ye sicknesse, 6 of the Scanderroone sicknesse.
In discorse wth Mr Shepherd, y King of yo Arrabbs haueing then given him a vixit, told me its theire Custome to say, when anie euell thought comes in theire heade (as to take life or estate), they say, stofilo [istaghfiru'llāk], wch is in Eng, God forbid I doe it02, yet none more redy. And in discorse concerning the Devell, they Defend theire honoring hin, and when reproved, Aek ye what he was. Ya say, a great Angell in ye Cort of heaven, & for his disobearlience cast out. Why, say they, then should we not feare him. He is but a courtier out of favo" & may be reced in againe, soe its good to keepe frends. The Arrabbs woh ar cald yo wild, defend theire robbing as iust, & declare themselues the oftspring of Esan. And Jaacob, hateing got all the good blessings, Easaw, say they, caime, & his father had not ought to give him, soe bid him goe a broad & Catch what he could. Soe they at this day doe. And when they rise in y morninge, they turne to yo San riseing and pray that some good thing may come theire way, Carrayan, or passengers, or other bootey, wch they take as if god had sent it them; for, say they, its not reason thou should have so much & I soe litle, & live to this day by rapine.
Att 12 Clock at noone, with the Turks call Asgarah (sara' lihahar, 63 noon). They, on theire steeples wh haue terrets, but no belly [belfry), crie wth great noye, somes tymes 5, 6, 7, or more, for then all must pray where ever they are. The men in yo great Mosk steeple crie in the Turks lingua, glory to ye grant god & prases to theire great plett, weh is ye light of god elce would sit in Darknesse & words to this purpose. They haue songs at eight or 12 Clock at night And at 4 Clock in yo morninge, some times an hower, some tymes two or more together, some tymes for safty of gone from Meca, there pfets tomb ; some tymes they sing, or howle rather, for some sick or deade, & will doo both verry lively. They haue psons they hier wch does it, & soe they are many or few at one place or 2 or 3 for longer or shorter space.
The Turks thinke they offend not when they cheate or breake faith wth the ffranks, for the on[e] trew beleivers thother Doggs. And if money be in the way they care not to keep peace wth Kings. They say anio wind will blow away that paper thats not fastned wth bags of Money on it.
Min[e]ter xpians [i. e., christian ministers] ought to be of Currage for otherwise they get noe esteeme. A xpian embassado", [was] affronted by a bassbaw appoynted to dispatch him, [who] demanded a great soine & woud not dispatch bim. Soe ye xpian became troblesome, often thrusting himselfe before ye Bashaw when he would [have] had him elce wheer. Onwch y Bashaw said, did be not see or feare his attendants, who commanded his life at a word. Sd ye xpian, does not thou feare to tell me soe, when thy life in yt word is in my hand, psenting a dagger at his brest. He, seing yt currage, Commended it, and Granted his dispatch.
In the Gaule Caine ? Ghall Khan, Corn-market] The Cammells hurds weh come thether wth goods are lett at 1000 Lyon Dollers pe an (annum) to y Bannian men.
One night at Supper on yo tarras, some in waggery threw a ps (piece) of a tile among ve, wch begot a discorse, & Mr Shepperd affirnid it common to be among ye turks for great stones, potsherds, tiles & such like to come among them as if it rained them, And yt on theire tarras among them Once it was soe, but hurt to none, ch thing(s) are Cast by the Spirritts.
61. God keep me fron the very idea of it: see Doay, Supplement aux Dictionnaires Arabes, s. v.ghafir. 65 See p. 161, p. 50. The au hor shows his Indian training. By Bannian mon,' he means mercbanta.