and after a hundred years of quiet residence
among them, the remnant of fire-worshippers
was hunted from these fastnesses
by their Mussulman persecutors, whom they
called the devils. At length, reduced to a
poor little band of brothers, they resolved to
quit for ever the land of their fathers, and
migrate to some new region, where they
might, perhaps, be suffered to possess their
souls in peace. Choosing therefore to betake
themselves to India, they settled at Sanjan, in
Guzerat, and, in the neighbourhood of that
place, they and their children, and their
chidren's children rested.

The colony of Persians, or Parsees, existed
for five hundred years. But, in the year
fifteen hundred and seven, Moslem troops
marched against Guzerat. The Parsees
fought bravely for themselves and their
Hindoo allies, but were again turned out into
the world. And thus it happened that they
reached Bombay a little while before the time
when English merchants began looking to
India for wealth.

The Parsees have been, during the last
three centuries, especially at home in the
city of Bombay. They understand the English,
have something of English energy, with an
understanding, rare in Asia, of the commercial
as well as moral value of integrity. They
are active, shrewd, liberal, and generally
rich. Some people now describe these
descendants of the ancient Persians as the
Anglo-Saxons of the East.

There still remain a few cousins of theirs in
Persia; wretched creatures, scattered about
in the neighbourhood of Yezd. The number
of the Indian Parsees is less than one
hundred and fifty thousand. Three-fourths
of them live in Bombay, and constitute
about one-fifth of the entire population
of the city. Of course they have adopted
many of the customs and ceremonies of the
Hindoos, with whom they agree in friendship
very cordially. But, beyond friendship, there is
a strong barrier set between the races.
Intermarriage is, on both sides, shunned with a
religious care. The nationality of Parsee
descent is thus maintained. In all essential
matters the Parsees rigidly hold to their own
traditions.

Some of their customs yield matter for
pleasant talk. Five days after the birth of
a child the astrologer is sent for, who questions
the stars, and draws hieroglyphs, which
have always the same interpretation. They
all promise future prosperity to the infant,
and announce as results of its birth, shortly
to be looked for, increase of wealth to the
father, of happiness to the mother, and of
affection between both.

Our English taught Parsee, however, goes
on to inform us that there are none but
females who believe any longer in this folly,
and that "the spread of education will
soon purge away such superstitious trash
from among them." Baptism takes place
when the child has reached the age of six
years and three months. After a few sacred
ablutions baby-clothes are taken from it, and
it is invested with the emblematic dress of the
Parsees; that is to say, a robe of linen called
"the garment of the good and beneficial
way," and a thin woollen cord of seventy-two
threads, tied with four knots about the waist.
The tying of this cord is a religious service,
during the performance of which the little
Parsee boy is called upon to chaunt a kind of
hymn. At the first knot he says, "There is
only one God, and no other is to be
compared with Him;" at the second, "The
religion given by Zurtosht (Zoroaster) is true;"
at the third,  Zurtosht is the true prophet,
and he derived his mission from God;" and
the last knot, "Perform good actions and
abstain from evil ones."The other portions
of the Parsee dress are very similar to that
of the Hindoos.

The Parsees are rapidly becoming European
in their habits. Their houses are well-built
and well ventilated: pictures and brilliant
chandeliers adorn their richly-furnished
rooms. They do not, like the Hindoos, sit on
the floor, and dine out of one large dish in.
which is a confused mixture of food; but sit
on English chairs at English tables before
English dishes. They are beginning also to
sit down together—man and woman—not
man here and woman there. At their
festivals, they play classical music instead
of using the absurd accompaniments of an
Indian nautch.*
* For a description of the Nautch see Household
Words, vol. xvii., page 270.

Between the Parsee men and women there
is, indeed, a freedom and equality rare among
Asiatics. The wives are considered
helpmeets of their husbands, and would
sympathise in all their hopes and fears, if an
absurd practice of early marriage—dwarfing
the development of women—were not
maintained to a ridiculous extent. Sometimes a
baby-boy of three years old is betrothed to a
baby-girl of two. Sometimes the marriage-contract
is complete before the birth of either
bride or bridegroom. It is considered right
that young people should be boy and wife
when they attain the age of twelve or
fourteen, at the oldest. Bigamy is not
permitted. At the wedding expensive presents
are exchanged. If the parents can afford it,
feasts are given daily for some time. On the
marriage-day a party of five hundred or a
thousand meet; and, at sunset, all go in a
procession from the house of the bridegroom
to that of the bride, where the priests, in
performance of the Parsee marriage service,
repeat the benedictions from the Zend
Avasta: "Know, that both of you have liked
other, and therefore are thus united.
Look not with impious eye on other people,
but always make it your study to love,
honour, and cherish each other as long as
both of you remain in the world. May