ed, in his citations, miftook, or altered material circumftances,
and then one o f the audience would fay aloud, nie takoi it is not
fo. It is added, that to prevent that fcandal, great pains were
taken to collect all thofe books, and in fadt, very few of- them
are now found among the iliepherds. This nation is alfo endowed
with remarkable quickneis of fancy,, and are very ready,!
on any occafion, at giving pointed anfwers..
Notwithftanding their exeeellent ■ difpofifion to learn every;
art, the Morlacchi have the moft imperfedt notions of huiban-
dry, and are very unikillful in the management o f their cattle,,
and in curing their difeafes. They have a iingular veneration.»
for old cuftoms, and little care has hitherto been taken either
to remove their prejudices, or to teach them better methods.
Their ploughs, and other rural uteniils,, feem to be o f the moft '
rude invention, and are as unlike ours, as the other faffiions»
ufed in the days o f 1‘riptolemus would be to ¡thofc of the prefent
age. They make cheefe, butter,.. and cream^cheefe too, is
their w a y ; all which might pafs well enough, . i f they were
only done with more cleanlinefs. The taylor’s art ds confined
to ancient and unalterable patterns, which are, always cut from
the fame kind o f cloth, fo that any difference in . the ufual -
breadth would quite difconcert a Morlack taylor. They have fome
notion o f dying, and their colours are not.defpicable. Their
black is made o f the bark o f the aih-tree, called, by them Jqffen,
laid in warm water for eight days, with fome iron drofs, which
they gather from the blackfmiths forges ; then they make ufe
o f this water, when cold, to give the colour. They alfo extract
a fine blue colour from the infufion of wood, dried in the
lhade, in a lie o f aihes well purified ; they let this mixture boil
feveral hours, and tinge the cloth in the water when cold. Stadiums,
drnus, by them called Rug, gives yellow and brown; and they
alib obtain a yellow from the Evommus, known there by tire
name o f Puzzolina.
Almoft all the Morlack women are ikilful in works o f embroidery
and knitting; Their embroidery is curious, and exadly
the fame on both fidfes. They alfo make a fort o f knit, .or network,.
that our Italian women cannot imitate, and ufe it chiefly
as a kind o f buikin to their flippers and brogues, called Nazuvka.
They do not want looms to weave their ferge and other coarfe,
cloth j but the women have not much time to apply to thefe
things, t h e i r o f f i c e s among .the Morlacchi not admitting o f fedentary
labours*
In Tome o f th'eir vill ages, particularly at Verlika, they make
earthen, ware* very coarfe indeed, but very durable.
O f the-SuperJHtion o f ■ / ¿ e .M o r l a c c h i . -
The Morlacks, whether they happen to be o f the Roman, or
o f the Greek church, have very Angular ideas about religion j
and the ignorance o f their teachers daily' augments this mon-
ilrous evil. They are as firmly perfwaded o f the reality o f
witches, fairies, .enchantments, nodturnal apparitions and forti-
leges, as i f they had feen. a thoufand examples o f them. Nor
do they make the leaft doubt about the exiftence of Vampires y
and attribute to them, as- in Tranfilvania, the fucking the blood
o f infants.- Therefore when a man dies fufpeftcd o f becoming
a vampire, or Vukodlak, as they call it, they cut his hams, and
prick his whole body with pins j pretending, that after this operation
he cannot-walk about. There are even inftances o f Morlacehi,