Page:Frederic Shoberl - Persia.djvu/184

 in the sight of God than to beget children, to bring waste land into cultivation, and to plant trees. May not this principle enable us to account for the difference between the flourishing state of Persia in ancient times, and its present situation? and is it not sufficient to justify the statements of ancient writers respecting the fertility of the soil, the population, and the wealth of that empire?

The manners of the Guebres show the influence of their way of life and occupations; they are mild and simple. Quarrels and disputes rarely disturb their tranquillity; they are adjusted by the elders, who officiate as magistrates, and are dependent on the Persian government.

The Guebres drink wine and eat all sorts of animal food, excepting that of the cow and ox, by what hand soever it may have been cooked.

They never intermarry with other nations: the wife of a Guebre must be a Guebre by birth. Their religion prohibits bigamy and divorce; yet they are allowed to take a second wife, when the first has been married nine years without having children.

The learning of their priests consists of astrology, a slight knowledge of Mahometanism, and a still slighter of their own religion, which is composed of an assemblage of absurd doctrines, superstitious practices, and ridiculous maxims. These priests are called destour; they are the Magi of the Greeks. Their high priest, who is styled destour destouran, destour of destours; resides at Atesh-gah, the principal fire-temple, situated on a mountain about 35 miles from Yezd; and he is assisted in his religious ministry by several subordinate priests, whose duty it is to keep up the sacred fire.

The Guebres carefully abstain from any explanation on the subject of the worship which they pay to fire. In ancient times, it was certainly relative; at the present day, ignorance may probably have rendered it direct, and they may adore what was originally but an emblem of the deity. When they pray they turn towards the sun, considering all prayers offered in any other position as idolatry. With them, as with the Musulmans, Friday is the day devoted to religion and rest; they hold besides particular festivals and fasts, and go on pilgrimage to the fire-temple of Yezd. Their chief festival, which is in honour of fire and light, falls in the second month in their year.