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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. XX. CALENDAR OF THE BRAHMANS
369
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the matter in two passages of his Convito (Tratt. III. cap. 6, and Tratt. IV. cap. 23) ; and the following diagram elucidates the terms in accordance with his words, and with other Italian authority, oral and literary :—
"Jam Lucis orlo Sidere."
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NOTE 4.—Valentyn mentions among what the Coromandel Ilindus reckon unlucky rencounters which will induce a man to turn back on the road : an empty can, buffaloes, donkeys, a dog or he-goat without food in his mouth, a monkey, a loose hart, a goldsmith, a carpenter, a barber, a tailor, a cotton-cleaner, a smith, a widow, a corpse, a person coming from a funeral without having asked or changed, men carrying butter, oil, sweet milk, molasses, acids, iron, or weapons of war. Lucky objects to meet are an elephant, a camel, a laden cart, an unladen horse, a cow or bullock laden with water (if unladen 'tis an ill omen), a dog or he-goat with food in the mouth, a cat on the ric ht hand, one carrying meat, curds, or sugar, etc., etc. (p. 91). (See also Sonne, at, I. 73. )
NOTE 5.—Chughi of course stands for JOGI, used loosely for any Hindu ascetic. Arghun Khan of Persia (see Prologue, eh. xvii. ), who was much given to alchemy and
secret science, had asked of the Indian Bakhshis how they prolonged their lives to such
an extent. They assured him that a mixture of sulphur and mercury was the Elixir of Longevity. Arghun accordingly took this precious potion for eight months ;—and
died shortly after ! (See Hammer, Ilkhans, I. 391-393, and Q. R. p. 194.) Bernier
mentions wandering Jogis who had the art of preparing mercury so admirably that one or two grains taken every morning restored the body to perfect health (II. 130).
The Mercurius Vitae of Paracelsus, which, according to him, renewed youth, was composed chiefly of mercury and antimony. (Opera, II. 2o.) Sulphur and mercury, combined under different conditions and proportions, were regarded by the Alchemists both of East and West as the origin of all the metals. Quicksilver was called the mother of the metals, and sulphur the father. (See Vincent. Bellov. Spec. Natur. VII. c. 6o, 62, and Bl. Ain-i-Ahbari, p. 40.)
[We read in Ma Huan's account of Cochin (J. R. A. S. April, 1896, p. 343)
" Here also is another class of men, called Chokis (Yogi), who lead austere lives like the Taoists of China, but who, however, are married. These men from the time they
are born do not have their heads shaved or combed, but plait their hair into several
tails, which hang over their shoulders; they wear no clothes, but round their waists they fasten a strip of rattan, over which they hang a piece of white calico ; they carry
a conch-shell, which they blow as they go along the road ; they are accompanied panied by their wives, who simply wear a small bit of cotton cloth round their loins. Alms of rice and money are given to them by the people whose houses they visit."
(See F. Bernier, Voy., ed. 1699, II., Des Gentils de l'Hindoustan, pp. 97, segq. )
We read in the Niue Heavens of Amír Khusrú (Elliot, III. p. 563) : " A jog/ who could restrain his breath in this way (diminishing the daily number of their expirations of breath) lived in an idol to an age of more than three hundred and fifty years."
" I have read in a book that certain chiefs of Turkistáín sent ambassadors with
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