Many Men Devote Their Fortunes To Works Of Charity, As In Building
Serais, Or Lodging-Houses For Travellers, Digging Wells,
Or
constructing tanks near highways, that the travellers may have water;
and where such cannot be had, they will hire
Poor men to sit by the
way-sides, and offer water to the passengers. The day of rest among the
Hindoos is Thursday, as Friday is among the Mahometans, Saturday with
the Jews, and Sunday with the Christians.[241] They have many solemn
festivals, and they make pilgrimages, among which the most famous are
Nagracut and Syba, formerly mentioned; where, if Mr Coryat may be
believed, who says he carefully observed the same, people cut off part
of their tongues out of devotion. It were easy to enlarge on this
subject, but I will not any farther describe their stupid idolatry. The
sum of the whole is, that both the Hindoos and Mahometans ground all
their opinions on tradition, not on reason, and are content to perish
with their fore-fathers, out of preposterous zeal and fond perverseness,
never rightly considering the grounds of their belief.
[Footnote 241: Monday is the day of rest with the people of Pegu. In
Java, each individual keeps that day holy on which he has begun some
great work. - Purch.]
Both the Mahometans and Hindoos are under subjection to the Great Mogul,
the term Mogul signifying a circumcised man, so that Great Mogul means
the Chief of the Circumcision. The present king is the ninth in lineal
descent from that famous eastern conqueror, whom we name Tamerlane, and
who in their histories is named Timor. Towards the close of his life, he
had the misfortune to fall from his horse, which made him halt during
the remainder of his days, whence he was called Timur-lang, or Timur the
lame. The emperor styles himself The King of Justice, the Light of the
Law of Mahomet, and the Conqueror of the World. He himself judges and
determines on all matters of importance which occur near his residence,
judging according to allegations and proofs, by his own sense of right.
The trials are conducted quickly, and the sentences speedily executed,
culprits being hanged, beheaded, impaled, torn by dogs, destroyed by
elephants, bitten by serpents, or other devices, according to the nature
of the crimes; the executions being generally in the public
market-place. The governors of provinces and cities administer justice
in a similar manner. I could never hear of any written law, the will of
the king and his substitutes being the law. His vicegerents are not
allowed to continue long in one place, lest they acquire popularity, and
are therefore usually removed yearly. They receive the letters of the
king with every possible indication of respect. They look to receive
presents from all who have occasion to apply to them; and, if not often
gratified with these, will ask for them, and will even send back such as
they do not approve, demanding better to be substituted.
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