Egypt the Captain presenteth the Alcoran to the Bassa to kiss and then it is laid up again the Captain is feasted and presented with a Garment of Cloth of Gold They used to cut in pieces the Camel whith his Furniture which carried the Alcoran and reserve these pieces for holy Relicks The Alcoran also is elevated that all might see and adore it which done every one with Joy returns to his own home Now as to the Ceremonies they use in their Circumsicion they are circumcised about eight years of Age the Child is carried on Horse-back with a Tullipant on his Head to the Temple with a Torch before him on a spear deckt with Flowers which is left with the Priest as his Fee who first nipped the end of the Skin of the Child's yard with Pincers to mortifie it then with his Sissers he nimbly cuts it off presently a powder is laid to ease the Pain and afterwards Salt The Child's hands being loosed looketh as he is taught â—y the Priest towards Heaven and lifting up the first Finger of his right hand saith these Words God is one God and Mahomet is his Prophet Then he is carried â—ome in haste after some Prayers and Offerings of the Church sometimes the Child is circumcised at home â—nd receiveth his name not then but when he is Born They Feast then commonly three days which ended â—â—e Child is carried with Pomp to the Bath and from thence home where he is presented with divers gifts from his Parent 's Friends Women are not circumcised but are tyed to make the Profession of their Mahumetan Faith They believe the forbidden Tree was Wheat which had seven Ears whereof Adam plucked one wherein were five Grains of which two he eat two he gave to Eve and one he carried away This Grain was bigger than any Egg and being bruised brought forth all kinds of Seed They believe that Adam was received after the expulsion from Paradise into India and Eve into Nubia that Adam was covered with three Leaves of Taradice Eve with her Hair they met together in Araffe Further as concerning Eve she was made of a Rib of the left side for otherwise she had been as strong as the Man They believe the Devils first dwelt in the Earth seven thousand years after them Angels They say the Ground of Paradice is of Gold enammelled with Emeralds and Hyacinths planted with every fruitful Tree watered with streams of Milk and Hony and wine the Day is of a thousand years Continuance The People shall have whatsoever can be desired they shall be cloathed in all Colours except black which is the proper Colour of Mahomet They shall all be of the Stature of Adam in Resemblance like Christ never encreasing or diminishing As soon as they are entred shall be set before them the Liver of the Fish Albehbut and whatsoever Dainties they can desire they shall not need going to Stool any more than the Child in the Womb but they shall sweat out all Superfluities of Scent like Musk they shall eat but for Desight not for Hunger unlawful Meats as Swines Flesh they shall refrain And if you list to know why this Beast is unclean understand That Jesus on a time called forth Japhet to tell his Disciples the History of the Ark Who told them That by the weight of the Ordure the Ark leaned on one side whereupon Noe consulting with God was bidden to bring in the Elephant thither out of whose Dung mixed with Mans came forth a Hog which rooted in that Mire with his Snout and by the stink thereof was produced out of his Nose a Mouse which knawed the Bords of the Ark Noe fearing this danger was bidden to strike the Lyon on the Fore-head and by the Lyon's Breath was a Cat engendred mortal Enemy to the Mouse But to return from this stinking Tale to refresh our selves with the like Sweets of this Paradise They believe that there they have the Wives that there they had and other Concubines whom how when wheresoever they will That Wine shall be lawful there though here unlawful the reason whereof Mahomet said was That the Angels Arots and Merot were sometime sent to instruct and govern the World forbidding Men Wine Injustice and Murder But a Woman having whereof to accuse her Husband invited them to Dinner and made them drunk They inflamed with a double heat of Wine and Lust could not obtain that their desire of their fair Hostess except one would teach her the Word of ascending to Heaven and the other of descending Thus she mounted up to Heaven and upon enquiry of the matter she was made the Morning Star and they put to their choice whether they would be punished in this World or the World to come they accepting their Punishment in this are hanged by Chains with their Head in a Pit of Babel till the day of Judgment Hell saith Mahomet hath a Floor of Brimstone smoaky pitchy with stinking Flames with deep Pits of scalding Pitch and sulpherous Flames wherein the damned are punished daily the Trees bear most loathsome Fruits which they eat The day of Judgment shall be in this sort In that day God will command the Angel of Death to kill every Creature which being done he shall ask him if nothing be alive Adriel the Angel of Death shall answer nothing but my self then go thy ways betwixt Paradise and Hell and last of all kill thy self Thus he folded in his Wings prostrate on the Earth shall strangle himself with such a bellowing noise as would terrifie the very Angels if they were alive Thus the World shall be empty forty Years Then shall God hold the Heaven and Earth in his Fist and say Where are now the mighty Men the Kings and Princes of the World Tell me if you be true whose is the Kingdom and Empire and Powers Repeating these Words three times he shall raise up Seraphiel and say Take this Trumpet and go to Jerusalem and sound This Trumpet is of five hundred years Journey At that Sound all Souls shall come forth and disperse themselves unto their own Bodies and their Bones shall be gathered together Forty years after he shall sound again and then the Bones shall resume Flesh and Sinews After forty Years the third Sound shall warn the Souls to re-possess their Bodies and a Fire from the West shall drive every Creature into Jerusalem When they have here swam forty Years in their own Sweat they shall with much vexation come to Adam and say Father Adam Father Adam Why hast thou begotten us to these Miseries and Torments Why sufferest thou us to hang between Hope and Fear Pray to God that he will finish his Determination of us between Paradise and Hell Adam shall excuse his unworthiness for his Disobedience and send them to Noe Noe will post them to Abraham Abraham to Moses he shall send them to Jesus Christ to him they shall come and say The Spirit Word and Power of God let
God yearly upon a set day and at other times also even with multiplyed Victims especially in case of any great Calamity that should befall the City Accordingly upon the Slaughter they received by Agathocles they made a Decree I tremble to speak it to offer up two hundred of their noblest Youths in this manner to Saturn and who would believe it there were as many more who freely offered themselves to the same Death II. So great a Reverence to Religion had the Aethiopian Kings to the time of Ptolomy King of Egypt that whensoever the Priests of Jupiter who was worshipped in Meroc declar'd to any of them that his Life was hateful to the Gods he immediately put an end to his days nor was there any of them found to have had a more tender Regard to the Safety of his own Life than he had Reverence to Religion till King Arganes who lest the Priests should tell him he should dye began with themselves put them all to Death first and thereby abolished the Custom At Hierapolis in Syria was a magnificent Temple where men used to geld themselves and put on Womens Apparel such Priests were called Galli Here stood two Priapi or Phalli and within the Quire into which the Chief Priest only might enter stood Jupiter's Statue supported with Bulls Juno's with Lyons having in one hand a Scepter and a Distaff in the other In the Temple stood Apollo whose Oracles were much consulted if the Petition was liked the Image would move forward if otherwise backward They had divers Feasts the greatest was that of the Fire where they set divers Trees hung with divers sorts of Beast for Sacrifice on Fire after they had carryed about these Fires in Procession to their Idols Here the gelded Priests wound each other and divers young men at this Feast geld themselves Here was much confused Musick Disorder Fury and Prophecyings Into the Temple none might enter in thirty days in whose Family any died and then his Head must be shaved He that but look'd upon a dead Corps was excluded the Temple a whole day To touch a Dove was Abomination because Semiramis was transformed into a Dove and so it was to touch Fishes because of Dercito the Mermaid and Mother of Semiramis half a Fish and half a Woman To Hierapolis were divers Pilgrimages each Pilgrim was bound to cut his Hair on his Head and Brows to sacrifice a Sheep to lay the Head and Feet of the Sheep upon his own Head to crown himself to drink cold Water only and to sleep on the Ground till his Return the young men were bound to consecrate their Hair then to cut it in the Temple and to offer it in a Box of Gold and Silver with their Names inscribed thereon The Phaenicians were bound to offer yearly Sacrifices of young Children to Saturn and in the Temple of Venus to practice not only Whoredom but Sodomy also The Phaenicians were bound to prostitute their Daughters to Venus before they marryed ' em In the Temple of Venus were celebrated the annual Rites of Adonis with Beatings and Howlings to whom they performed solemn Obsequies The Arabians worshipped the Sun and Moon Serpents Trees and other such like Deities The Nabathaeans burned Frankincense to the Sun or his Altar they do not bury their Dead but lay 'em even their Kings on Dunghils Adultery is Death among 'em but Incest is no Sin In Panchaea is a rich stately Temple adorned with Statues and the Priests ruled all there both in politick and ecclesiastick Affairs III. The ancient Persians had neither Temples Altars nor Images holding these improper for their Gods but on the tops of Hills offered Sacrifices to Heaven and to the Sun Moon Fire Earth Water and Winds The Priests used neither Musick Vestments nor Libaments but only his Tiara or Head-attire crowned with Mirtle To Lye and be in Debt are heinous Crimes with them so it is to spit wash or piss in a River which with them are hallowed The old Scythians had neither Temples Images nor Altars for any of their Gods except for Mars whose Temples they erected of bundles of Twigs heaped up together Instead of his Image they set up an old Iron Sword to which they offered yearly Sacrifices of Cattel and Horses and of Men every hundredth Captive with whose Blood they besprinkled Mars's Sword then they cut off the right Shoulders of the slain men and fling them into the Air they used to wound first and then to strangle the Beast which they sacrificed praying to that God to whom they offered the Beast they kindled no Fire of Wood for the Country yielded none but they burned the Bones of the Beast to boyl the Flesh withal if they want a Vessel they boyl the Flesh in the Beast's Paunch they use no Vows nor any other Ceremonies IV. The Tartars worshipped the Sun Stars Fire Earth and Water to whom they offered the first Fruits of their Meat and Drink each morning before they eat and drink themselves They believe there is one God Maker of all things yet they worship not nor pray unto him They place Idols at the Tent doors these Idols being made of Silk and Felt are offered the first Fruits of Milk Meat and Drink the Hearts also of Beasts which they leave before them all night and then eat them in the morning they offer Horses to the Emperour's Idol which none afterward must ride they do not break but burn the Bones of their Sacrifices by their Discipline they must not touch the Fire with a Knife nor meddle with young Birds nor pour Milk Drink or Meat on the ground nor break one Bone with another nor make Water within their Tents with divers other such Traditions which if violated are punished with Death or else redeemed with much Money They believe another World but such as this When one dyeth he hath Meat set before him and Mare 's Milk his Friends eat a Horse and burn the Bones thereof for his Soul they bury also with him a Mare a Colt and a Horse bridled and sadled his Gold and Silver also and they set upon Poles the Horse Hide that was eat that he may not be without a Tent in the other World They use to feed the Ghosts or Spirits with Mares Milk cast in the Air or poured on the Ground They have their religious Votaries or Monasteries amongst which there is an Order called Senschin which eat nothing but Bran steeped in hot Water They do not worship Idols nor do they marry but they hold Transanimation and divers other ridiculous Opinions They have a strange Custom among them that their Priests on high Trees preach to them and after Sermon besprinkle their Auditors with Blood Milk Earth and Cow-dung mixed together and no less strange it is that they do not bury their Dead but hang them upon Trees But the Tartars were not all of one Religion for as they compose several Nations so they had several Sects in
a Cow and the Man and Woman go together to the Water-side where the Bramane first mutters a short Prayer and then links their Hands about the Cow's Tail pours upon them all his hallowed Oyl and lastly forces the Beast into the River whereinto she goes willingly so far as till they be to the middle in Water neither returns she nor do they disunite till the Waves advise them when being on shore they unite and hold that mysterious Tye forcible and sacred ever after LXXIII The Manner of the Tartars wedding is as follows The Husband covenanteth with the Father of the Maid who having given him power to take her wheresoever he shall find her he seeketh her among some of her Friends where she hath then of purpose hidden her self and by a kind of force carryeth her away They marry with any except their own Mother and Sister Their Widdows seldom marry because of their Service to their former Husbands in another World except the Son marry his Fathers Wives or the Brother his Brother's because they can there in the next World be content to resign them to their former Husbands again The Women sell and provide all Necessaries into the House the Men intending nothing but their Arms Hunting and Hawking If one hath buried a Male-child and another a Female the Parents contract a Marriage between those two and painting in Papers Servants Horses Cloaths and Houshold and making Writings for the Confirmation of the Dower burn these things in the Fire by the smoke whereof they in their smoky conceits imagine all these things to be carried and confirmed to their Children in the other world and the Parents of the two dead Parties claim kindred each of other as if they indeed had married their Children whilst they lived yet they do not account the woman they have married a Wife until she hath honoured them with the name of a Father and then beginneth he to take Dowry of her Friends of Horses Sheep Kine c. But if she be barren after a certain time he turneth her home again LXXIV In China their Marriages and Espousals want not many Ceremonies both are done in their Youth they like equality of age and state betwixt the Parties The Parents make the Contracts not asking the Childrens consent neither do they ever refuse As for their Concubines every one keeps according to his pleasure and ability respecting in them especially their Beauty and buy them for the most part their price being an hundred Crowns or less The common People also buy their Wives and sell them at their pleasure The Magistrates marry in their own Rank their Legitimate wife This chief wife only fits at Table with her husband the rest except in the Royal Families are as Servants which in the presence of either of the former may not sit but stand Their Children also call that wife their Mother not their Natural Parent and for her Funerals alone solemnize three years mourning or leave their Office not for their own Mother In these Marriages they are very scrupulous that the Wife have not the same sirname with her Husband although there be no kindred betwixt them and the sirnames in China are not a thousand neither may any devise new but must have one and that the same which their Ancestors by the Fathers side not the Mothers had except they be adopted into another Family They had no degrees of Affinity or Consanguinity so the sirname differ and therefore marry in the Mothers Kindred be it almost never so near The Bride brings no Portion to her Husband and yet the first day she comes to his House she hath to attend abundance of Houshold-furniture even the Streets being filled with it all at the Husbands cost who some Months before sends her a great Sum of Money to this purpose There are many who being poor do for Lust make themselves Slaves to rich men that so they may be furnished with a wife amongst his Women-Slaves whereby also the Children become perpetually bond Others buy their wives but seeing their increasing Family grow chargeable beyond their ability sell their young Sons and Daughters at the same price they would sell a Swine or Beast or some two or three Duckats more yea though they be not by Dearth compelled thereto LXXV If any Merchant resort into Pegu he shall have many Maids offer'd him by their Parents to take his choice and having agreed with the Parents he may for the time of his abode use her as his Slave or his Concubine without any discredit to her Yea if he come again after she is married he may for the time he stayeth there demand her in like sort to his use And when a man marrieth he will request some of his Friends to lye the first night with his Bride There are also among them that sow up the privy Parts of their Daughters leaving only passage for Urine which when they marry pass under the Surgeons hand for Remedy LXXVI The Marriages of the Bengalans are after this sort The man and woman come to the Water-side where standeth a Bramane or Priest with a Cow and a Calf or a Cow with Calf These all go into the water together the Bramane holding a white Cloth of four yards long and a Basket cross bound with divers things in it This cloth he layeth upon the back of the Cow by the Tail and saith certain words She hath a Copper or brass Pot full of Water The Man holdeth his hand by the Braman's Hand and the Wives hand by her Husbands and all have the Cow by the Tail Then they pour Water out of the Pot upon the Cow's Tail which runneth thorough all their hands and they lade up Water with their hands and then the Bramane tieth their Cloaths together After this they go round about the Cow and Calf and give somewhat to the Poor there attending leaving the Cow and Calf for the Braman's use and offer to divers of their Idols Money then lying down upon the ground they kiss it divers times and go their way LXXVII The young men in Arabia may go a wooing to divers Maids till such time as they have sped of a Wife yea the Father of the Maid most friendly welcometh her Suitor so that I think scarce any Noble or Gentleman among them can choose a Virgin for his House albeit so soon as any Woman is married she is quite forsaken of all her Suitors who then seek out new Paramours for their liking LXXVIII The Bramanes marry but once and that not all but only the eldest of the Brethren to continue the Succession who is also Heir of the Father's Substance and keepeth his Wife straitly killing her if he find her adulterous with Poyson The younger Brethren lye with other Mens Wives who account the same as a singular Honour done unto them having Liberty to enter into any Man's house yea of the Kings no less than of the Subjects of that Religion the Husbands
upon the Watch that was appointed to keep it being asleep and killed them whereat the Romans were dismayed and said It is not possible we should assault this City hereafter for they have burn'd all our Engines of War wherewith we have subdued all other Kingdoms so that now of fifty Iron Rams we brought with us we have but six left and the Seditious Jews have burn'd three of them What shall we now do Hovv shall vve batter the Walls hereafter The Jews upon the Walls hearing their Words flouted them and laughed them to scorn Wherefore Titus incensed vvith Anger commanded the other three Rams to be addressed in the place of those vvhich vvere burn'd In the mean season vvhile the Romans were at work four young men moved with great Zeal whose names were first Theopatius Galileus the second Magarus Chebronitu the third Jorminas Schomronitu the fourth Arius Jerosolymita These all armed issued out into the Camp of the Romans that then stood about their three Engines and Iron Rams devising how to batter the Walls of the City some of whom these Men killed the other fled Then two of them stood at Defence to keep off all those that approached nigh the Engines while the other tvvo Jerosolymitanus and Schomronitu daubed the Timber with a certain matter which they had prepared to make it take fire and straightway set fire on them so that suddenly the Rams were on a light fire then they all four joyning together withstood the Romans that they should not come at the Engines to quench the Fire Shortly the Rams fell down and the Romans stood aloof hurling Stones and shooting thick at them for they were afraid to come nigh them because of their great fierceness although they were three thousand Men that kept the Rams yet these four set nothing by them nor yet ever went off the Ground till the Rams were clean burnt up though the Romans shot never so thick at them Titus hearing the Valiantness of these Young Men and the Harms they had done unto the Romans made speed with his whole Host to save the Rams from the fire and to apprehend those Young Men. Then forthwith issued out Schimeon Jehochanan and Eleazer Captains of the Seditious with their Souldiers sounding their Trumpets and made the Romans retire that they could not come nigh the Fire and so rescued the four Young Men from the Romans that had environed them round about In that Skirmish were killed ten thousand and five hundred Men. Then gathered together all the whole Army of the Romans to assault the Iews at once approaching hard to the Walls of Ierusalem where they cryed unto the Iews saying What are you Oxen or Goats that you fight on this Fashion upon the Walls Will you be taken in the midst of the City like as Oxen or Goats are taken in their Folds If ye be men come forth and let us try our Manhood here in this Plain But you by stealth and unawares set upon them that keep our Engines snatching them up like as they were Wolves should snatch Sheep then run away into the Town as the Wolves run into the Wood. If there be any Manhood in you behold we are ready here come forth to us so many for so many and then we shall see what end vvill come thereof When the Captains of the Seditious heard that they spake unto the Warriours that vvere in Ierusalem Which of you vvill go out vvith us to those Dogs to shevv our Force and Stomach for the Sanctuary and City of the Lord Then five hundred tall Fellovvs of their ovvn Accord issued out upon the Roman's suddenly and slevv eight thousand Men and compelled the rest to retreat from the Walls The Romans then felt vvhat Valiantness the Iews had for the Romans vvere in number forty thousand fighting Men and the Iews vvere only five hundred vvhereof not one of them vvas killed at that Skirmish The Romans afar off shot at the Iews and hurled Stones to vvhom the Iews said Come hither to us are you not they who called us forth and provoked us to come to you Why come you not now nearer You go about to drive us away with Arrows and Stones What Do you think us to be Dogs and that we are afraid of your Stones Are we not Men Yea we are of your Masters and Betters for you run away from us as Servants flee from their Masters when they follow them to beat them Titus seeing his Army to be part of them fled and part to be slain he cried to his People saying Is it not a shame for you ye Romans and a wonderful great Dishonour to flee from the Jews so hunger-beaten famished almost dead for Thirst and besieged Alas How shall ye put away this Rebuke and Ignominy when as all Nations whom ye have heretofore valiantly subdued shall hear that ye flee from these dead Jews whose whole Land we have in possession so that they have nothing left but this only Town which we have so battered that they have but one only Wall to defend themselves Besides this they are very few we are innumerable they have no Nations to aid them we have help of all Lands Why then do you flee from their sight like as small impotent Birds flee from the Eagle What though the Jews vow and hazard themselves desperately for their Temple and Land why do you not the same also in these Wars to get you a Renown of Valiantness But the Jews prevailed that day and had the upper hand wherefore they returned into the Town with great Glory having put the Romans to so great a foil Titus commanded his men to address and prepare the other two Rams that were left to batter the Walls of Jerusalem withal wherefore the Roman Carpenters cast a Trench to prepare and set up the Rams in such places as Titus had assigned them The Jews were aware of it well enough but winked at that matter as yet untill they had planted the Master-beams between the standing Posts so when the Work was finished even to the hanging up of the Engines betwixt the standing Posts to shake the Wall withall the Romans being secure and void of Care nothing mistrusting that the Jews would stir because they had been quiet a few Nights and never issued forth of the City upon a certain Night a pretty while before day the three principal Captains of the Seditious came and laid their Heads together to devise what they should do Eleazer gave this Counsel and said You two the last time burn'd the Rams and got you Renown and I kept the Gates the while Now keep ye the Gates and I will issue out with my Men against the Romans to get me Fame also The other answered Go then on God's name unto them the Lord God of the Sanctuary which is in Jerusalem shall be present with thee but beware thou be not slain and in any wise thou be not taken alive to whom he answer'd The