121 heard of the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, they believe and worship many truths which they do not speak truly of. Whenever they wash, they always put marks of ash on their foreheads to remind them that they are made of ash and they order that their corpses be burned. When their wives fall pregnant and the husbands know, they clean their teeth and do not chew betel again, nor do they shave and they fast until their wives have given birth. Some of the Brahmins serve the kings in everything, except in arms. Nobody except Brahmins or someone from their lineage may prepare food for the king; they also serve as messengers to other kingdoms, taking letters; money and other merchandise. They have safe passage wherever they go, with nobody doing them any harm, even if the kings are at war. The Brahmins are well-read in their idolatries and have many books about them. They are in the kings’ highest esteem. I have already referred to nairs on several occasions, without telling you what kind of people they are. Thus, you should know that in the country of Malabar, there is another caste of people called nairs, some of who are noblemen and whose only occupation is to serve in wars. Wherever they go, they always carry their weapons, which are swords and oval shields, or bows and arrows, whilst others have spears; they all live with the king and other great lords, yet they all have a stipend from the king, and even if they are poor and of few means, they still have a stipend from the king or another lord with whom they live. Only those who are descended from nairs can be nairs. They take care with the cleanliness of their lineage and do not touch anyone from a lower caste. They only eat in the houses of nairs; they are great servants of the king or their masters, whom they protect very well, always walking ahead of them by day and by night with their weapons. They are men who attach little importance to eating or sleeping, often because they are serving and performing their duties. Hence, they often sleep on a block
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