DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.644#0326
GANGETIC HINDOOST AN. 303
" people, men and women, looking on. The pile of wood was
" prefently all on fire, becaufe ftore of oü and butter had been
" thrown upon it; and I faw at the fame time through the
■" flames, that the fire took hold of the cloaths of the woman
f that were imbrued with well-fcented oils, mingled with
" powder of fantal and faffron. All this I faw, but obferved
<( not that the woman was at all difturbed, yet it wras faid that
" fhe had been heard to pronounce with great force thefe two
« words, Five, two, to fignify, according to the opinion of
" thofe that hold the foul's tranfraigration, that this was the
" fifth time fhe had burnt herfelf with the fame hufband,
" and that there remained but two times for perfection, as if
M fhe had at that time this remembrance, or fome prophetical
" fpirit. But here ended not this infernal tragedy, I thought
" it was only by way of ceremony, that thefe five women
" fung and danced about the pit; but I was altogether fur-
" prifed, when I faw that the fiame having taken hold of the
" cloaths of one of them, fhe caft herfelf with her head fore-
" moft into the pit; and that after her another, being over-
" come by the fiame and fmoak, did the like. And my aftonifh-
" ment redoubled afterwards, when I faw that the remaining
" three took one another again by the hand, continued their
" dance, without any apparent fears, and that at length, they
" precipitated themfelves one after the other into the fire, as
" their companions had done. It troubled me fufficiently that
" I knew not what that meant; but I learnt fhortly after that
" thefe had been five flaves, who having feen their miftrefs
" extremely
" people, men and women, looking on. The pile of wood was
" prefently all on fire, becaufe ftore of oü and butter had been
" thrown upon it; and I faw at the fame time through the
■" flames, that the fire took hold of the cloaths of the woman
f that were imbrued with well-fcented oils, mingled with
" powder of fantal and faffron. All this I faw, but obferved
<( not that the woman was at all difturbed, yet it wras faid that
" fhe had been heard to pronounce with great force thefe two
« words, Five, two, to fignify, according to the opinion of
" thofe that hold the foul's tranfraigration, that this was the
" fifth time fhe had burnt herfelf with the fame hufband,
" and that there remained but two times for perfection, as if
M fhe had at that time this remembrance, or fome prophetical
" fpirit. But here ended not this infernal tragedy, I thought
" it was only by way of ceremony, that thefe five women
" fung and danced about the pit; but I was altogether fur-
" prifed, when I faw that the fiame having taken hold of the
" cloaths of one of them, fhe caft herfelf with her head fore-
" moft into the pit; and that after her another, being over-
" come by the fiame and fmoak, did the like. And my aftonifh-
" ment redoubled afterwards, when I faw that the remaining
" three took one another again by the hand, continued their
" dance, without any apparent fears, and that at length, they
" precipitated themfelves one after the other into the fire, as
" their companions had done. It troubled me fufficiently that
" I knew not what that meant; but I learnt fhortly after that
" thefe had been five flaves, who having feen their miftrefs
" extremely