Page:The Travels of Dean Mahomet.djvu/145

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THE TRAVELS OF


until the child is ſeven years old, and carefully initiated in ſuch principles of their religion as can be well conceived at ſuch a tender age. For ſome time before it, the poorer kind of people uſe much œconomy in their manner of living, to enable them to defray the expences of a ſplendid entertainment, as they are very ambitious of diſplaying the greateſt elegance and hoſpitality on ſuch occaſions. When the period of entering on this ſacred buſineſs is arrived, they diſpatch Hajams or Barbers, who from the nature of their occupation are well acquainted with the city, to all the inhabitants of the Mahometan profeſſion, reſiding within the walls of Muxadabad, to whom they preſent nutmegs, which imply

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