legs like boots. Their feet are put bare into
their shoes, which are made like slippers, that they may be readily put
off on entering their houses, the floors of which are covered with
excellent carpets of the country manufacture, as good as any made in
Turkey or Persia. Instead of these carpets, some have other
floor-cloths, according to the quality of the owner. On these they sit
when conversing or eating, like tailors on the shop-board. The men's
heads are covered by turbans, being sashes, or long webs of thin cloth,
white or coloured, wreathed many times about. They do not uncover their
heads in making reverence, instead of which they bow their bodies,
placing the right hand on the top of the head, after which they touch
the earth with that hand, as if indicating that the party saluted may
tread upon them if he please. Those who are equals take each other by
the chin or beard, as Joab did Amasa; but salute in love, not in
treachery.

The Mahometan women, except such as are poor or dishonest, never appear
abroad. Though not fair, they are all well favoured, have their heads
covered with veils, and their hair hanging down behind, twisted with
silk. Those of quality are decorated with many jewels hung around their
necks, and about their wrists and arms; and they have several holes
round their ears in which they hang pendents, besides that every woman
has a hole in her nostrils, in which to wear a ring, which seems to have
been an ancient ornament, being mentioned in the Old Testament. Their
women are happy above all others I have ever heard of; in the ease with
which they bear their children, being one day able to ride with their
infants unborn, and to ride again the next with their child in their
arms.

The language of the common people of this country, called Hindoostanee,
is smooth, and easily pronounced, and is written from left to right, as
we do. The learned tongues are the Persian and Arabic, which are written
backwards, from right to left, like the Hebrew. There is but little
learning among them, which may be owing to the scarcity of books, which
are all in manuscript, and therefore few and dear; but they are a people
of good capacity, and were they to cultivate literature among them,
would assuredly produce many excellent works. They have heard of
Aristotle, whom they name _Aplis_, and have some of his writings
translated into Arabic. The noble physician, Avicenna, was a native of
Samarcandia, the country of