The history of all religions in the world, from the creation down to this present time in two parts : the first containing their theory, and the other relating to their practices ... : to which is added, a table of heresies : as also a geographical map, shewing in what countrey each religion is practised ... / by William Turner ...

Care of their Bodies.

Jews.

THe Jews have no Beggars, such as go from house to house; tho (in Barbary) many indigent persons. With great insulting they upbraid the Moor and Christian with their Common Beggars. Their way of Releiving the poor is.

1. By Copies of the Law bought and laid up in the Synagogue, till the buyer's family, or any of them be in poverty, and then sold for their use.

2. By Legacies of dying persons. For none dye safely, say they, who bequeath not something to the Corban.

3. Contributions, out of which they raise portions, and provide for Orphans. And to avoid Sophistication, the poorer females are provided for by lot; those on whom the lot falls, are first placed in marriage.

4. Private Alms on Fridays and Holy-days.

5. By Kibbus, or letters of Collection from Synagogue to Synagogue Dr. Addison.

Christians.

Cyprian gave especially to the Presbyters and Deacons of his Church to provide for the poor. Ep. 5.

Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, testifies of the Church of Rome, that they administred very liberal∣ly to the necessities of other Churches, as well as their own. Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 4. c. 23.

Chrysostom tells of the Church of Antioch, tho the Revenues of it were small in his time, yet be∣sides its Clergy, besides strangers, Lepers and Pri∣soners, it daily maintained above 3000 Widows and Maids. Hom. 67. in Matt.

Cyprian, upon his turning Christian, sold his Estate to relieve the wants of others, and could not be Restrained from it, by perswasions or con∣siderations. After his entrance on the Ministery, his doors were open to all comers; from whom no Widow ever returned empty; to the Blind he would be a Guide to direct them; a support to the Lame; a defence to the oppressed. Vit. ejus & Paul. Diac.

Caesarius, S. Basil's Brother, made this short Will, I Will that all my Estate be given to the poor, Basil. ad Sophron. Ep. 84.

Nazianzen saith, His Father gave not only the Surplusage of his Estate to the Poor, but even part of what he reserved for necessary uses.

— Of his Mother, That an Ocean of Wealth would not have filled her unsatisfyed desire of do∣ing good: That he often heard her say, if law∣ful, she could willingly have Sold her self and Children, to expend the Price on the Poor.

—Of his Sister Gorgonia, That she was im∣mensely Liberal, her gate open to every stranger, her Estate common to the Poor, and as much at their need, as every one's is to himself. Orat. 19.

Abassines.

Amongst the Abassines, Homicides are deliver'd up to the next of Kin to the Party Murder'd; at whose free will it is, to Pardon the Malefactors, sell them to foreign Merchants, or put them to what death they please: If the Homicide escape unknown, all the Neighbourhood are obliged to pay a Fine. Job Imdolph, a custom still used in Persia.

Ancient Heathens.

Every one of us is encompassed round with many circles, some less, some greater, &c. In the first are those things which belong to our own Body; the second comprehends our Parents, Wives and Children; the third Uncles, Aunts, Grand∣fathers and Grandmothers, Nephews, &c. The fourth the rest of our Relations; then those of our own Tribe and Society; next our Neighbourhood and Nation; the last and greatest is that of Man∣kind. Hierocl. de Quest. quomodo utend. sit cog∣natis?

Chinese.

A particular Judg in every City appointed for the Poor, the first day of his Office Publishes an Order, that all who have any Children Lame, Sick, &c. should come by a certain day, and make their cases known; if able, they are put to Learning, or a Trade; if not, to Hospitals, where they are brought up at the King's Charge: None are per∣mitted to go abroad. The Blind are not account∣ed as unable for work. Mandelslo.

Cambaia.

Here they redeem Birds and Beasts appointed to be slain, and carry sack Birds to the Hospital, and redeem Malefactors appointed to be Slain, and sell them for Slaves. Rosse.

Musecvites.

Their good Works (which they believe Merito∣rious) are building of Monasteries and Churches, and giving Alms; besides which, they do nothing whereby a Man may Judge of their Faith by their Works. D. of Holstein's Emb. Travel. No Mus∣covite almost, but as he goes to Church, or about his occasions, buys Bread, to distribute among the Poor. Idem.

Chinese Heathens and Mahometans.

Few or no Beggars are found in China; for a young beggar hath the Whip; the Old, Lame and Blind are provided for in the Hospitals. Sir Th. Herbert.

The Baniams (or Priests of the Indians, Hindoes) have Spittles to recover lame Birds and Beasts.

Rich Men among the Hindoes build large Sarraas or Houses for Lodgings, where any Travellers may find House-room and use it freely: others make publick Wells, and Tents for publick use: others maintain Servants, who continually attend upon the road-ways, and offer unto Passengers Water for themselves and Beasts.

The Mogul Relieves many poor People.

A Musselman will give the 7th part of his Estate towards the relief of the Poor.

'Tis one of Mohomet's five Precepts,—to give yearly to the Poor the fortieth part of their sub∣stance. M. de Thevenot.

Some of the Mahometans in their Life-time re∣lieve the Poor with their Goods: And others at their Death leave great Estates for the Founding of Hospitals, building of Bridges, Kirvanseraies (Inns for the Caravans) bringing water to the High-ways, &c. others at their Death give their Slaves Liber∣ty.

They who want Purses, employ themselves in mending High-ways, filling the Cisterns by the Road with Water, showing Travellers the Foard, for God's sake; refusing Mony, when offered: Some buy Birds to set at Liberty, others leave considerable means to Bakers or Butchers to distri∣bute meat amongst so many Dogs and Cats.

Sultan Amurath, seeing a Man one day stop at the corner of a Street in Constantinople, to dine on a piece of Bread and bit of Roast, which he had bought hard by, and hold his Horse (that was loaded with goods he had to sell) by the Bridle; he order'd the Horse to be unloaded, and the load put upon the Master's Back; obliging him to con∣tinue so all the while that the Horse was Eating a Measure of Oats. M. de Thevenot.

At the chief Temple in Fez the Priest takes charge of the Poors mony and Orphans, and deals to them Corn and Mony every Holy-day. Rosse.

Milan.

The Hospital at Milan is a Royal Building; I was told it had 90000 Crowns Revenue: The old Court is large, and would look noble, if it were not for the new Court that is near it, which is 250 foot square, and there are three rows of Corridors or Galleries all round the Court, one in every Stage, according to the Italian manner, which makes the Lodgings very convenient, and gives a Gallery before every Door. It is true, These take up a great deal of the Building, being ordinarily ten or eight foot broad; but then here is an open space, that is extream cool on that side where the Sun doth not lye; for it is all open to the Air, the Wall being only supported by Pillars, at the distance of fifteen or twenty foot one from another. In this Hospital are not only Galleries full of Beds on both sides, as is ordinary in all Hospitals, but there are also a great many Cham∣bers,

in which Persons, whose Condition was for∣merly distinguished, are treated with a particular Care. There is an Out-house, which is called the Lazarette, that is without the Walls, which belongs to this Hospital, it is an exact quarter of a Mile Square, and there are 360 Rooms in it, and a Gallery runs all along before the Chambers, so that as the service is convenient, the Sick have a covered Walk before their Doors: In the middle of this vast Square there is an Octangular Chap∣pel, so contrived, that the Sick may, from all their Beds, see the Elevation of the Host, and Adore it: This House is for the Plague, or Infectious Fevers, and the sick that want a free Air, are re∣moved hither. Dr. Burnet's Letters.

Naples.

The Annunciata is the greatest Hospital in the World; the Revenue is said to be 400000 Crowns a year: The number of the Sick is not so great as at Milan: Yet one convenience for the Sick I ob∣served in their Galleries, which was considerable, thar every Bed stood as in an Alcove, and had a Wall on both sides.—The young Children they maintain, are so many, that one can hardly believe the numbers they boast of; for they talk of many thousands, that are not seen, but are at Nurse. Idem.

Venice.

At Venice are seventy three Rich Hospitals. St. Clark.

Dutch.

The Tuehthuis or Raspelhuis (or House of Cor∣rection for Debauched young Men) in Amsterdam hath, at the entrance of the Gate, two Lions bridled (a proper Emblem) with this Inscription, Virtutis est domare quae cuncti pavent. They who are put in, are forced to work and get their Bread with hard Labour. I saw those who rasped Brazil, having a certain Task set them every day, work so hard, that being Naked and in a sweat; and the Dust of the Brazil-wood flying upon them, they were all over painted of a beautiful red Colour.—They told us, That some that were committed to their Charge, and not to be brought to work by blows, they placed in a large Cistern, and let the water in upon them, placing only a Pump by them for Relief, whereby they are forced to la∣bour for their Lives, and to free themselves from Drowning. One we saw put into a narrow Dun∣geon, and kept from Meat. Some are put into this House for a longer time, some for a shorter.—This may seem severe to many, yet is not compa∣rable to that which is reported to have been used formerly at Colen, in the White-Tower, where such Youths that were not otherwise to be reclaim∣ed, were shut up; the height and thickness of the Walls secured them from escaping, or from their Complaints being heard; near the top was placed out of their Reach, a Loaf of Bread, the last re∣medy against Starving, which while their bold ne∣cessity forced them to reach at, they executed their last sentence upon themselves, and miserably brake their own Necks.

Somewhat like the Raspelhuis is the Spinbuis for the young Women who live loosly, are taken in the night, or can give no Account of their Living. Here they are bound to make Lace, Sew, or Em∣ploy their time perpetually in some honest Labour.

Those of the better sort are permitted to have Chambers apart; in one large Room I saw about 100 of them, and some very well dressed and fine, which was an unexpected sight to me, and would sure be more strange in France or England.

The Weeshuis, or Hospital for Children, where there are 600 Orphans carefully looked after and well Educated.

The Dolhuis is for such as are delirous, Mad or Melancholick.

The Gasthuis for the Sick, is large and hath a great Revenue.

The Mannenhuis for Old Men, and such as are no longer able to labour towards their own Sup∣port.

Besides all these, there are great Sums of Mony Collected for the Poor, so that there is not a Beg∣gar to be seen in the Streets. And upon all ap∣pointments of meeting at the Tavern, of else∣where, and upon many other occasions, whosoever fails to come at the exact time, forfeits more or less to the use of the poor. Dr. Brown's Travels.