A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 12
SECTION XII.
Of their Language, their Books, their Learning, &c.
THE Language of this Empire, I mean the Vulgar, bears the name of it, and is called Indoſtan; it hath much affinitie with the Perſian, and Arabian tongues, but the Indoſtan is a ſmoother language, and more eaſy to be pronounced than the other, a language which is very ſignificant, and ſpeaks much in few words; They write it (as we) to the right hand. It is expreſſed by letters, which are very much different from thoſe Alphabets, by which the Perſian and Arabian tongues are formed. The Perſian there is ſpoken as their more quaint and Court-tongue. The Arabian is their learned language, both written backward to the left hand like the Hebrew, from whence they borrow many words, which come ſo neer it, as that he who is a good Critick in the Hebrew may very well gueſs at the meaning of much in both thoſe languages. The Perſian is a language, as if it conſiſted all of Guttur all letters, (as ſome in the Hebrew Alphabet are called) filling the mouth in the Pronunciation of them; for as the words in that language are full of ſenſe: ſo in their ſpeaking they are full of ſound.
For the Latin and Greek, by which there hath been ſo much knowledge conveyed into the world, they are as ignorant of them both, as if they had never been; and this may be one great reaſon why there is ſo little learning amongſt them. But for the people themſelves, they are men of very ſtrong reaſon, and will ſpeak ex re natâ, upon any offered occaſion, very exceeding well; and doubtleſs they are a people of ſuch ſtrong Capacities, that were there literature amongſt them, they might be the Authors of many excellent works; but as the caſe ſtands with them, all that is there attainable towards learning, is but to read and write.
And here by the way let me inſert this, that I never ſaw any Idiot or natural Fool, nor any deformed perſon amongſt them, in any of thoſe parts.
For Logick and Rhetorick which are ſo inſtrumental, the firſt to enlarge, and the ſecond to poliſh diſcourſes, they have none but what is Natural. They ſay, that they write ſome witty Poems, and compoſe many handſome Annals and Stories of their own, and other adjacent Countreys.
They delight much in Muſick, and have ſome ſtringed, but many more winde Inſtruments; They have the uſe of Timbrils likewiſe; but for want of pleaſing Airs, their Muſick in my ears never ſeemed to be any thing but diſcord.
Their Books are not many, and thoſe are Manuſcripts. That rare and happie invention of Printing, which hath been the advancement of ſo much learning within Chriſtendom, is not known without it.
They have heard of Ariſtotle, whom they call Aplis, and have ſome of his books (as they ſay) in the Arabian tongue, in which language (they further ſay) they have many books written by Avicenna, that ancient Phyſician, who was born in Samarchandia, one of the moſt fam'd places within the Tartarian Empire, the Countrey (as they believe) where Tamberlain, the Mogols great Anceſtor, drew his firſt breath.
Some parts or fragments they have of the old Teſtament; of which more, when I ſhall come to ſpeak of their Religion.
Many amongſt them profeſs themſelves to have great skill in judicial. Aſtrologie, that great Cheat, which hath been very anciently, and often put upon (as the Sacred Storie witneſſeth) the people inhabiting the Eaſt, and South parts of the world. I call it a Cheat, becauſe there is, and muſt needs be, ſo much uncertainty in it, all things here below being ordered, and overruled, by the ſecret, and unerring providence of Almighty God, which fruſtrateth the tokens of the Lyars, and maketh Diviners mad, that turneth wiſe men backward, and maketh their knowledge fooliſh, Eſay 44. 25. Firſt, theſe Diviners are mad when things fall not out according to their bold predictions; And ſecondly, they have been, and not without cauſe, eſteemed as mad-men, in foretelling things which they could not know, and much leſs bring to paſs.
And therefore I have heard a great Maſter in, and a publick Profeſſor of Aſtronomie, who could ſee as far into Conſtellations and obſerve as much from them as, any other, often ſay, that he would go by the very ſelfeſame rules that others did, to predict things to come, and would write that which was quite contrary to what they obſerved, yet what he wrote ſhould as often fall to be as true as what they …old.
Yet notwithſtanding the truth of theſe premiſes, the great Mogol puts ſo much confidence in his Astrologers, that he will not undertake a journey, nor yet reſolve to do any thing beſides of the leaſt conſequence, unleſs his wizards tell him it is a good and a proſperous hour, to begin, and ſet upon ſuch an undertaking, and at the very inſtant he hath his directions from them▪ he ſets upon the thing he undertakes, and not before.
It is ſtrange to conſider what ignorance or deſpair in this …caſe may not put men upon, may not put men into: ignorance in that King thus beſotted with an high opinion of his Aſtrologers. So deſpair in Saul another King long before him, who after he had loſt the favour of God grew deſperate, and reſolved that if God would not anſwer him, Sathan ſhould. And therefore he ſaid in his diſtreſs unto his ſervants, 1 Sam. 28. 7. Seek me out one that hath a familiar ſpirit. The condition of Saul was at this time exceeding ſad, as appears by his complaint, v. 15. The Philiſtins make war againſt me, and God is departed from me, and anſwers me no more either by Prophets, or Dreams, and what ſhall I do? I confeſs that the loſs of God is the greateſt of all loſſes. For, as his favour to a believing Soul, in the want of every thing beſides, is enough, becauſe his loving kindnes is better than life it ſelf) Pſal. 63. 3. So, the gaining of every thing the world can afford with the loſs of Gods Countenance, makes profit loſs, a Chaire of State uneaſy, an hereditary, (and much more) a uſurped Scepter ſo unweildy, as that it cannot be managed with comfort.
Here Saul, a King, is ſo perplexed in his thoughts, when as Almighty God had taken his loving kindnes from him, that he asks the queſtion, what ſhall I do? Not what thou did'ſt (wretched Saul) againſt the ſtreame of thine own Conſcience, to ſeek unto thoſe whom thou had'ſt but of late condemned, and puniſhed, to take a courſe which thou knoweſt to be divelliſh. Miſerable Saul, how couldſt thou hope to find God at thy Command, that wouldſt not be at His! How couldſt thou look that God ſhould regard thy voyce in trouble, that wouldſt not regard his in Peace? Saul had now forfetted Gods favour, and God takes the forfeture; and there…ore it was not to be wondred at, that he walked ſo irregularly, when he had put himſelf out of Gods Protection.
Thus before (Numb. 22.) when all help failed Moab, the Magician was ſought unto. If there be any one Project worſe than another, a wicked heart will finde that out; though it be a ſign of a moſt deſperate cauſe, when Sathan is made either a mans Counſellor or Refuge.
What men may do by the help of Aſtrologie, and do it ſafely and without ſin, deſerves Commendation, not blame, nor Cenſure. But certainly to conclude of future events, is above Art or, Man; becauſe thoſe things Almighty God hath lockt up among his ſecrets, far above all reach, or ſearch. Nay, the moſt intelligent Spirits know nothing of future Events; or could thoſe evill Spirits truly foretell things to come no way pre-exiſtent, they could not without great danger and ſin be conſulted withall; for the evill of their Nature debarrs all the benefit that can come by their information; for they never do a man an apparent good one way, but they do him a Real miſchief another.
The Devill (as we may conceive) knows things paſt, and as he animates and encourages a man to theft by his ſuggeſtions, telling him, that he is poor, and muſt live, and therefore may ſteal; that if he cannot ſupport himſelf by warrantable, he muſt live, and therefore may take other courſes. Now that Devill which courts a man to Theft, can certainly tell what he ſteales, and therefore can diſcover goods ſtol'n: wherein the Devill makes a double advantage unto himſelf; firſt, in making the Thief his own, and ſecondly, the other, who leaves God, and repaires to him in his inſtruments for a diſcovery of goods thus ſtoln.
Now for a Mahometan who lives in the dark to conſult Southſayers, and Wizards, it is no great marvell, becauſe his ignorance of God puts him upon thoſe mad ſhifts and conceits to have recourſe unto Sathan: But for ſuch as profeſs themſelves Chriſtians, who live under that cleer light, which ſtrictly forbids all ſuch courſes; for theſe in their loſſes to repaire unto cunning men, and women (as they call them) who cannot poſſibly help them, but by ſome ſecret compact with the Devill, is certainly a very grievous ſin, an undertaking moſt horribly impious. So then, they whoſoever they be who to find out their ſtoll'n goods, hazard the loſs of their Souls, however they ſpeed ſhall gain nothing by that enquiry.
Yet this hath been a ſin very ancient in the world, and undertaken for more ends, than I have named. When
Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos. The naughty Children, of as bad Parents, have ſought out to have the Nativity of their Fathers Calculated, that they might be told (if ſuch a thing could be diſcovered) how long they had to live, thinking every minute a month till they ſee them kneeling in Braſs, or ſtone, or more cheaply buried; that ſo they might be ſetting that abroach with profuſe Luxury which their parents had been long barrelling up with great Avarice. It falling out many times by the righteous judgment of Almighty God, that when wickedneſs getts, wickedneſs ſhall conſume that eſtate ſo gotten; according to that in the Prophet Micha. 1. 7. She gathered it of the hire of an Harlot, and to an Harlot it ſhall return. But I proceed to ſpeak,