Hamilton’s account op tub east indies.

3 r 7

execrable rite is Hill continued and praclifed. And Abdul Gafour, the rich merchantaforementioned, was a difciple of that feet.

The Banyans are molt numerous in this city, and are either merchants, bankers,brokers or pen-men, as accountants, collectors and furveyors, but few or none handy-crafts, except taylors and barbers. They have eigllty-five different feds among them,that do not eat with one another. The great eft part of the eaftern religion is in formsof worfhip, and abftaining from certain meats ; and their priefts differ as much in thofe-points, and fome others of dodrine,. as Papifts and Proteftants do, for the Brahamansor Bramanies are the priefts of the major part of thofe feds, who gull the peoplewhen any are dangeroufly fick r by perfuading them to leave legacies to the church, asfome pious Chriftians do among us, and when they obtain a legacy, they gratefully ac-knowledge the receipt of it, by putting a fcroll of paper into the dead perfon’s hand,containing an account of the legacy, with a bill at the bottom, to receive ten times thevalue in the other world, from fome eminent faint that deals in fuch bills- of exchange iaParadife. They have patriarchs and bilhops to fuperintend the inferior clergy,who, byvirtue of a divine right, live -fplendidly and lu-xurioufly on the oblations of the people.

The other feds arc taught by the Talapoins, who declaim againft that papiftical po-lity, and preach up morality to be the beft guide to human life, and affirm, that agood life in this world can only recommend us in the next, to have our fouls tranf-migrated into the body of fome innocent beaft, or to-reft in Paradife.

Their priefts indeed ftiew much felf-denial,. for they live on alms, and their pontifi-calia is a white fheet that covers their bodies, from the fnoulders downwards, a blackftaff about five feet long in their hand, and a fmall earthen pot, with fome powderedfaffron and oil, to mark thofe on the forehead that have received their benedidion thatday. When they go abroad, the old carries a novice in his company, to teach himdivinity and morality by example. They feldom fpeak in the ftreets, but look gravelyand demurely, and they extend their charity even to hearts and birds. They fuffertheir hair to grow as low as their Ihoulders, and have no other covering on their heads,and keep their beards fhaved.

Another fort of them are dedors of phyfick, who pretend to do great cures byamulets, philtres, and prayers. They have fome lkill in fimples and minerals, whichmakes them in great efteem ; but when their Hull in phyfick produces not the promifedeffects, then they perfuade the patient, that they lie under the difpleafure of fome angrydeity, who malt be appeafed by oblations and" penances, which they turn to good ac-count, by ordering the offerings and penance to be light; and when that trick fails,they leave their patients to work out their own falvation the beft way they can.'

There is another fort called Jougies, who pradife great aufterities and mortifica-tions., They contemn worldly riches, and go naked, except a bit of cloth about theirloins, and fome deny themfeives even that, delighting in naftinefs and an holy obfee-nity, with a great ihew of fandity. They never cut nor comb their hair, and befmeartheir bodies and faces with afhes, which makes them look more like devils than men-.

I have leen a fandified rafeal of feveh feet high, and his limbs well proportioned, witha. larg'e turband of his own hair wreathed about his head, and his body bedaubed withafhes and w r ater, fitting quite naked under the {hade of a tree, with a pudenda like anafs, and an hole bored through his prepuce, with a large gold ring fixed in the hole.This fi-liow was much revered by numbers of young married women, who, proftratingthemftlves before the living Priapus , and taking him devoutly in their hands, killedhim, whilft his bawdy owner ftroked their filly heads, muttering fome filthy prayerss °r their proiification*

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