lord’s discovery of the banians and persees. 545

be mercenary, f?.ve the jewel fworn on the bridal day; and to the feaft none repairbut thofe of the fame call. To conclude, in marriage they have fome particular legalinjunctions, by which the tribes are differenced; as firft, that no woman may be admittedto fecond marriage, except in the tribe of Wyfe which are in the handicrafts-men.Secondly, that men in all tribes are admitted to fecond marriages, except in the Bra -manes. Thirdly, that every tribe do marry of fuch as are of his own call : thereforethe Bramanes mult marry with fuch as are defcended from the Bramanes ; and the Cut-terys with fuch as are defcended from the Cuttterys ; fo likewife the Shudderys. Butthe Wyfes are not only enjoined to match into their own tribe, but into fuch as be oftheir own trade ; as a barber's fon to a barber’s daughter, and fo of others, to keeptheir tribes and trades from commixion.

Laftly, as for their burials, this is their cuflom : when any man is defperately lick,and pall hopes of recovery, they enjoin him to utter Narraune, which is one of thenames of God , importing mercy to finners, of which mercy at that time he ftandethmoil in need. His fpirits languifhing, they ftretch out his hand, pouring -fair waterinto it, as the offering of his life, praying to Kiftneruppon, the god of the water, toprefent him pure to God , with this offering of his hand. His life being departed, theywafh his body as a teftimony of his cleanlinefs and purity ; this is the ceremony obfervedin the vifitation of their fick. After this, for the burial of their dead — it is after thismanner firlt, they bear the dead body to a river fide appropriate to fuch purpofe, wherefetting the corpfe down on the ground, the Bramane uttereth thefe words ; “ Oh, earth!we commend unto thee this our brother; whilft he lived thou hadffc an intereft in him:of the earth he was made, by the blefling of the earth he was fed, and therefore now heis dead we furrender him unto thee.” After this, putting combuftible matter to thebody, accended and lighted by the help of fweet oil, and aromatical odours flrewedthereon, the Bramane faith ; “ Oh, fire! whilft he lived, thou hadft a claim in him, bywhofe natural heat he fubfifted ; we return therefore his body to thee, that thou fhouldftpurge it.” Then the fon of the deceafed taketh a pot of water, and fetteth it on theground, upon which he fetteth a pot of milk, when throwing a (tone at the lower pot,he breaketh it to fheards, which rendereth the water to lofs, and perifhing ; the veffelof milk above, defrauded of his fupport, poureth forth his humidity on the groundlikewife: upon which the fon thus moralifeth the aftion; that, as the ftone by hisviolence caufed the veffels to yield forth their humour, fo did the alfault of fickneisruin his father’s body, and bring it to lofs, as milk and water that is fpilt on the ground,never to be redeemed. The body then being incinerated or burnt to alhes, they difperfethe afhes abroad into the air, the Bramane uttering thefe words; “ Oh, air! whilfthe lived by thee he breathed; and now having breathed his laft, we yield him to thee.”The afhes falling on the water, the Bramane faith ; “ Oh, water ! whilft he lived, thymoifture did fuftain him ; and now his body is difperfed, take thy part in him.” Sogive they every element his own ; for as they affirrri man to have his life continued bythe four elements, fo they fay he ought to be diftributed amongft them at his death.After this funeral folemnity, the Bramane prefenteth to the fon, or neareft kindred ofthe deceafed, a regifter of the deceafes of his anceftors, as alfo readeth to him the lawof mourners; that for ten days he muft eat no beetle, nor oil his head, nor put on cleanclothes, but once in every month throughout the whole year, on the day of the monthin which his father deceafed, muft make a feaft, and pay a vifitation to that river thatdrunk up his father’s afhes. Since thefe laws and injun&ions, there hath fprung upa cuftora among them, that the women that furvive their hufbands, fhould offervol. vm. 4 a themfelves