And Should They
Persist In Desiring To Fight, She Will Take A Knife And Threaten That If
They Will Do So She Will Cut Off The Paps That Suckled Them And Rip Open
The Womb That Bare Them, And So Perish Before Their Eyes.
In this way hath
she full many a time brought them to desist.
But when she dies it will
most assuredly happen that they will fall out and destroy one
another.[NOTE 3]
[All the people of this city, as well as of the rest of India, have a
custom of perpetually keeping in the mouth a certain leaf called
Tembul, to gratify a certain habit and desire they have,
continually chewing it and spitting out the saliva that it excites. The
Lords and gentlefolks and the King have these leaves prepared with camphor
and other aromatic spices, and also mixt with quicklime. And this practice
was said to be very good for the health.[NOTE 4] If any one desires to
offer a gross insult to another, when he meets him he spits this leaf or
its juice in his face. The other immediately runs before the King, relates
the insult that has been offered him, and demands leave to fight the
offender. The King supplies the arms, which are sword and target, and all
the people flock to see, and there the two fight till one of them is
killed. They must not use the point of the sword, for this the King
forbids.][NOTE 5]
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