Patriarch know any such Papall Supremacie but writeth learnedly against the same as in an Epistle of his to Iohn Dousa wherein hee maketh mention of our English Embassadour extant with George Dousas Iournall may appeare How Christian Religion was first planted in Aegypt by Saint Marke and the Apostles and their Successours and how persecuted by the Ethnikes after by the Arrians and how Ethnike Religion was againe by Valens permitted to all that would embrace it the fore-named Ecclesiasticall Histories make mention how it was persecuted by the Persian inuasions and after by the Saracens in time brought to this present passe and how it now continueth wee may reade in many both old and new Authors Zaga Zabo an Ethiopian Bishop saith that the Patriach of Alexandria resideth at Cairo where their Ethiopian Metropolitane f receiueth of him his Confirmation And in their Ethiopian Liturgie they mention them both in this sort Pray for our Prince the Prince of our Archbishops the Lord Gabriel and the chiefe of the Church of Alexandria and for the chiefe of our Countrey our venerable Archbishop Marke c. And thus much of this Egyptian Prelate as a taste of that which is to bee declared in our Christian Relations Adrianus Romanus in his Theatrum Vrbium sayth that besides the Patriarch of the Coptites heere is also a Patriarch of the Greekes and Arabians which haue their Liturgie in Greeke but scarce vnderstand the same The Coptite Patriarch hath his title of Alexandria but his residence in Cayro But it is more then time to leaue this the first and worst of Nations in Superstition Zealous in all but not according to knowledge as else-where shall appeare in their Christianity folded in manifold Iewish ceremonies and heere hath beene manifested in their present Mahumetan and ancient Ethnike bloudy beastly stinking Deuotions so eagerly pursued let this bee our Conclusion that Inuenal in his time writing of a Religious quarrell irreligiously bandied betweene the Combites and Tentyrites at the end of a seuen dayes Festiuall obserued Day and Night after many wounds and blowes One in flight falling downe and so into the Enemies hands was presently plucked in pieces and eaten rawe that euen their sacrifices of Men in respect of this were milde as morsels to their Gods but this in despight of Deuotion or despightfull Deuotion became a humane Sacrifice to inhumane beastly diuellish Men. Onely let vs obserue the Aegyptian Chronologie and so make an end CHAP. VI. The Aegyptian Chronologie out of Manetho high Priest of the Aegyptians and others AFter this so long a Historie of Aegyptian affaires I haue heere added the order of times wherein those things happened that this our Relation might bee the more compleat although perhaps it may seeme to some more then tedious already Varro diuided Times into three sorts the first hee called Vncertaine the second Fabulous the third Historicall Ioseph Scaliger a man happely more studious in this subject of Times then all Times before haue yeelded vs reckoneth the two former for one as not easily to bee distinguished He hath also published to the world not onely his owne learned Obseruations on Eusebius Chronicle but such Fragments as out of Cedrenus Syncellus and others hee could finde both of Eusebius Chronicle in Greeke for before we had onely the Latine Translation of Hierome much whereof also is vtterly lost as also of Africanus from whose store-house Eusebius tooke his Chronicle both for matter and words almost by whole-sale And whereas Annius had before couzened the world with counterfeits of Berosus Manetho Metasthenes with other fabulous tales falsely fathered on the Ancients hee hath helped likewise to some Reliques of those Histories which others haue inserted into their workes the very bones of such carkasses being worthy of admiration if not of veneration The true Manetho therefore in three Tomes wrote the Aegyptian Historie vnto Ptolomeus Philadelphus his Greeke Epistle Dedicatory being but short I haue thus translated To the Greeke King Ptolomeus Philadelphus Augustus Manetho High Priest and Scribe of the sacred Sanctuarie throughout Aegypt of the Sebennite Family a Heliopolitan to my Lord Ptolomeus Greeting It behoueth vs mightie King to giue account of all those things which you counsell vs to search out The sacred Bookes written by our fore-father Trismegistus Hermes which I haue learned according as you enquiring what things shall come to passe in the world haue commanded me shall be declared Farewell my Lord King Hence appeareth the time of Manetho and his pontificall Dignitie with the originall of his Antiquities borrowed of Hermes and the occasion of his writing in the Greeke as to a Graecian King Hee first setteth downe the yeeres of the raigne of their Gods Vulcan Sol Agothodamon Saturne Osiris and Isis Typhon Then of the Demi-gods Orus who raigned fiue and twentie yeeres Mars three and twentie Anubis seuenteene Hercules foureteene Apollo foure and twentie Ammon thirtie Tithoes seuen and twentie Sosus two and thirtie Iupiter twentie Things both false in themselues and in the Copie imperfect After these hee reckoneth in order two and thirtie Dynastiae Lordships or gouernments in Egypt 1 The first of the Thinites of eight Kings whose names and yeeres of raigne are Menes threescore and two hee was slaine of an Hyppopotamus or Riuer-Horse Athothis his Son seuen and fiftie He built a Palace in Memphis and wrote of Anatomie Cenicenes his sonne one and thirtie Enephes his sonne three and twentie In his time was a great famine Hee built the Pyramides in Cochon Saphaedus his sonne twentie Semempsis his sonne eighteene Bieneches his sonne sixe and twentie Sum. tot two hundred threescore and three Of Menes the first of these it is reported that hee first inuented the vse of money for which long after hee was solemnely cursed by a Councell of Priests in the time of Cnephatus and at Thebes a pillar was erected in the Temple to testifie the same 2 The second Dinastie of the Thinites vnder nine Kings Whose names and yeeres of their raigne are in order as followeth Boethus eight and thirtie yeeres Catechos nine and thirtie in his time was ordayned the worship of Apis at Memphis and Mneuis at Heliopolis Binothris seuen and fortie Tlas seuenteene Sethenes one and fortie Chaeres seuenteene Nephercheraes fiue and twentie in his time Nilus is said to haue had his waters mixed with honey Sesochris eight and fortie Ceneres thirtie Summe three hundred and two 3 The third of the Memphites Echerophes eight and twentie Tosorthros nine and twentie He is supposed to be Aefculapius for his skill in Physicke studious of Painting and Architecture Tyris seuen Mesochris seuenteene Zoyphis sixteene Tesertasis nineteene Aches two and fortie Siphuris thirtie Herpheres sixe and twentie 4 The fourth Dinastie of the Memphites Soris nine and twentie Suphis threescore and three he made the greatest Pyramis Suphes threescore and sixe Mencheres threescore and three Ratoeses fiue and twentie
the whole Court and Kingdome called Colaos which are three foure or sixe Councellors of State hauing no peculiar charge but looking to the whole The King was wont to sit with them in Counsell but now they doe it without his presence euery day admitted into the Palace and there remayning in consultation send Libels many and often vnto Him who approueth disalloweth or altereth at his pleasure Besides these and other Magistrates there are two sorts one called Choli the other Zauli of each aboue threescore all choise Philosophers which haue before giuen approued testimonie of their sufficiencie These are employed in affaires of moment extraordinarie with the Court or Prouinciall officers with Royall authoritie and their especiall Office is to admonish the King by Libell if any thing bee done contrary to Law through the Kingdome not dissembling the faults of the greatest Magistrates nor of the King himselfe or any of His which they performe to the astonishment and wonder of other Nations at their integritie and libertie neuer giuing ouer frownes or threats notwithstanding their complaints and admonitions till they procure redresse This is also lawfull to euery Magistrate yea to euery priuate man but these are most respected because it is their peculiar Function These Libels and the Kings answers are printed by many and so passe through the Kingdome whence their Historians may bee furnished with intelligence This was lately apparant in the case of the Prince whom the King would haue dis-herited the King being so incensed with numbers of Libels or Bils of Complaint that hee depriued or deiected to inferior places aboue a hundred whereupon the rest abdicating themselues as is said he was forced to surcease his attempt And lately when the greatest of the Calaos tooke indirect courses hee was accused by these Officers in a hundred Bills within two moneths space though in greatest grace with the King which as it was thought killed him soone after with thought Besides these Magistrates in Court there are diuers Colledges instituted to diuers purposes the noblest of which is Han lin yuen consisting of choise Doctors which deale not in the Gouernment and yet are accounted of greater Dignitie Their Office is to compose the Kings Writings to compyle the publike Annales and to write out the Lawes and Statutes Of these are chosen the Schoole-masters of the Kings and Princes They wholly addict themselues to Studie haue their Degrees of honour in the Colledge which they attaine by their writing and are preferred to the greatest Dignities but in the Court onely None is chosen to be of the Colaos but these They gaine much by composing Writings for their friends as Epitaphs and the like which for their very name are precious They are also Presidents and Iudges in the Examinations of the Licentiates and Doctors All these Magistrates except the Colai are as well at Nanquin as Pequin The Cities attributed to them both are gouerned as other Cities in other Prouinces The gouernment of those thirteene Prouinces depends of one Magistrate called Pucinsu and of another called Naganzasu the former iudging ciuill cases the later criminall Their Residence is in the chiefe Citie of the Prouince with great pompe In both these Courts are diuers Colleagues called Tauli which are also principall Magistrates and sometimes reside without the Mother-Citie in some other where they haue speciall charge The Prouinces are diuided into diuers Regions which they call Fu and the proper Gouernor of each Region Cifu These are also subdiuided into Ceu and Hien that is nobler or meaner Townes as bigge yet as our Europaean greater not greatest Cities Each of these hath a Prouost called Ciceu or Cihion Ci signifies to gouerne These Prouosts or Gouernours haue their foure Assistants to helpe them That which some thinke that they are onely in repute of Cities which are intituled Fu and the rest Ceu and Hien but villages is a tale For both the Prouinciall Citie hath her Cifu and Cihien and the Lieutenant of the Shire or Region hath no more power in the Shire-Towne then in other Cities of the Shire that is the right of first Appeale The second Appeale is to the Pucinsu and Nagaurasu Gouernours of the Prouince Besides these in euery Prouince there are other two of more eminent place sent from the Court one of which is resident there called Tillam the other sent yeerely from the Court called Cia yuen The former hath power ouer all both Magistrates and subiects and in millitarie affaires and may be compared to our Vice-ioyes or Deputies The other is a Commissioner or Visiter who enquireth into all Officers and punisheth the faultie except the greatest whom be accuseth to the King ang onely of all Magistrates executeth the sentence of death Many other Officers in Cities Towns and Villages many Captaines and military Commanders many which haue charge of Wals Gates Bridges Forts euen as it were in time of Warre Musters daily and Wrestlings might here be recited All the Magistrates both Philosophicall and Militarie are reduced to nine Orders and according to their seuerall Order they receiue Money or Rice monthly which in such maiestie of Maiestrates is very small the stipend of the highest not amounting to a thousand duckats yeerely and euery one of the same Order receiuing a like the chiefe in the militarie Order receiuing the same stipend which the chiefe in the Philosophicall True it is that more acorues to them by industrie gifts or otherwise but this is the Legall allowance All Magistrates weare the like Cap of blacke cloth with eares or wings on both sides of Ouall forme apt to fall off which is done purposely to make them walke grauely without light mouing of their heads They weare all like attire Bootes alike of peculiar fashion and substance of fine blacke Leather They weare also a faire girdle about foure fingers broad large and loose of curious embroiderie and on their breasts and backes they haue square pieces of Cloth embroidered by both these are discerned their Places and Dignities They are also knowne by their Vmbrelas which are carried ouer their heads some blew some yellow some two three and some one the meanest on horse-back the greater on chayres carried on foure or eight mens shoulders according to their Dignitie They haue other Ornaments Banners Chaines Censers multitudes of Sergeants or inferiour Officers going before them two and two in a ranke with Halberds Maces Battle-axes Chaynes Canes crying out to giue way with such clamours and noyse that euen dogs shrinke away and not a man to bee seene in most populous streets this more or lesse according to the degree of the Magistrate Thus haue we seene a Philosophicall Empire all euen the Souldiers being subiect to them yea the Captaines beaten by them as boyes by their Masters Neither is the sentence of Militarie men in matters of Warre of authoritie with the King like theirs no nor their valour comparable these in maintainance of
PVRCHAS his PILGRIMAGE OR RELATIONS OF THE WORLD AND THE RELIGIONS Obserued in all Ages and places Discouered from the CREATION vnto this PRESENT CONTAYNING A THEOLOGICALL AND GEOGRAphicall Historie of ASIA AFRICA and AMERICA with the Ilands adiacent Declaring the ancient Religions before the FLOVD the Heathenish Iewish and Saracenicall in all Ages since in those parts professed with their seuerall opinions Idols Oracles Temples Priests Fasts Feasts Sacrifices and Rites Religious Their beginnings Proceedings Alterations Sects Orders and SVCCESSIONS VVith briefe Descriptions of the Countries Nations States Discoueries Priuate and publike Customes and the most remarkable Rarities of NATVRE or Humane industrie in the same The fourth Edition much enlarged with Additions and illustrated with Mappes through the whole Worke And three whole Treatises annexed One of Russia and other Northeasterne Regions by Sr. IEROME HORSEY The second of the Gulfe of Bengala by Master WILLIAM METHOLD The third of the Saracenicall Empire Translated out of Arabike by T. ERPENIVS By SAMVEL PVRCHAS Parson of St. Martins by Ludgate LONDON Vnus Deus Vna Veritas LONDON Printed by William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Rose 1626. TO HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTIE Charles BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF Great Brittaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. YOur Maiesties goodnesse hath inuited this boldnes in accepting my late Voluminous Twinnes of Pilgrimes then also vouchsafing to aske of this my Pilgrimage whether it were there annexed and wherefore it was not a sufficient prouocation to This Edition and Dedication that I mention not Your Pietie which cannot denie hereditarie respect where your Royall Father of euer blessed memorie the King of learned and Learnings kings manifested so much fauour as to make it Ordinarie of his Bed chamber where vpon occasion of those later Volumes then presented he questioned the difference and professed freely that he had read this worke seuen times giuing thereof a present testimonie in his learned discourse and censure No lesse did hee promise touching the Pilgrimes which he made his Nightly taske till God called him by fatall sicknesse to a better Pilgrimage and of a more enduring Kingdome euen the last day in which that Sunne yeelded his present rayes to this Citie sending an Honourable messenger with a fauourable message of his gentle approbation and incouragement Such a testimonie is a King of Testimonies and no lesse reward to the Author then commendation of the Worke to his worthy Heire and to all English Readers Once it hath produced this my present aduenture on your Maiestie being otherwise ambitious that as my selfe so all mine may there acknowledge subiection and reference I might adde also that some Additions here inserted had more fitly beene ranked in those Pilgrime files which in more speciall proprietie attended your Royall standerd And although these times seeme more to sauour of Armes then to fauour Arts inter arma silent Musae yet Our Muse is not of the softer socke but more Masculine an armed Pallas not bred in Poeticall mysterie but borne a reall Historie containing actions factions fractions of Religions and States through the whole World of Place and Time not nicer effeminate fictions of idle-busie fancifull braines Howeuer may it please your Maiestie to accept his wel-intended indeuours who hath borrowed of thousands to furnish this one Worke of and to the World and to admit the Pilgrimes heartie acclamation of ioy ioy to Your happie Inauguration with prayers that the vertuous goodnesse of King IAMES may be succeeded and exceeded in the greatnesse and vertues of Great Britaines Great Charles AMEN Your vnworthy Subiect Samuel Purchas TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD GEORGE BY THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE LORD Archbishop of CANTERBVRIE Primate of all ENGLAND and Metropolitane one of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuie Councell ABoue thirteene yeeres are passed since first your Graces auspicious name graced the Frontispice of this Pilgrimage which promising the World and her Religions in foure Parts hath onely and that foure times performed One. And as a late Queene ambitious of Souereigntie to all her Sonnes found the Mathematicians which had foretold it true but her hopes false that falling out by fatall succession in one Kingdom which shee had exspected and indeuoured in diuers so hath this our First-borne with successiue improuements beene so often the sole heire and successor to himselfe Now the Fourth time doth this Pilgrimage glory in your Graces benediction and although my trauelling braine hath not beene deliuered of those promised Pilgrimages yet bath it by a strange superfaetation procreated lately presented to kisse your Graces hand foure twins of Pilgrimes which did not indeede formally pay the former debt yet presumed to yeeld that which should bee as vsefull to the World in the knowledge of her remoter parts These issues exhausting their Parents procreatiue powers his hastned age expects exacts Rest for the rest and now for This hauing been often quarelled for forcing men by frequent Additions in later Editions to renew their purchase of Purchas his renewed Pilgrimage though he durst not bestow a Childs portion on it yet would he not send it forth without a Fathers blessing The Three Treatises annexed had found fitter place with my Pilgrimes had they then comne to my hands but their rarities merit a place yea a welcome in what place soeuer For the Author if his reiterated paines if his here borrowing of aboue thirteene hundred Authors of one or other kind in I know not how many hundreths of their Epistles Treatises and Relations if his weekly redoubled cares of the Pulpit daily and howerly of a weak body and not strong family if the Argument it selfe being of Religions though irreligious to a most Reuerend and religious Prelate if the worlds approbation pressing it to so often view and censure if None of these if All of them may not excuse so often resumed presumption on your Grace yet is he forced by necessarie dutie and the sum of all duties Thankefulnes Yea this I am sure will be full excuse if not commendation of that which I haue foure times obtruded the testimonie of our late deceassed Soueraine of happie memorie the King of literature also King IAMES who shewing me it by him in his Bed-chamber said that he had read it seuen times Whereto if I should adde his iudicious questions of diuers particulars therein his ready and milde satisfaction his ample commendation copious discourse piercing wit admirable memory gentle affabilitie I might seeme to some emulous carpers to magnifie my self in relating that truth which rather indeede doth illustrate to all posteritie his worth then my worthinesse God and Gods greatest Vicegerents delighting rather to shew Grace then to admit Plea of Merit It pleased his Maiestie to enquire further of the different scope of my Pilgrimage my then presented Pilgrims which here also for the Readers sake I think
a line thence drawne to the Caspian Sea and that Isthmus which is betwixt that and the Pontike Sea secondly the great Chams Countrey from thence to the Easterne Sea betwixt the frozen Sea and the Caspian thirdly That which is subiect to the Turke all from Sarmatia and Tartaria Southwards betweene Tygris and the Mediterranean Sea fourthly The Persian Kingdome betweene the Turke Tartar India and the Red Sea fiftly India within and beyond Ganges from Indus to Cantan sixtly The Kingdome of China seuenthly The Islands These diuisions are not so exact as may be wished because of that variety vncertainty in those Kingdomes Many things doth Asia yeeld not elsewhere to be had Myrrhe Frankincense Cinamon Cloues Nutmegs Mace Pepper Muske and other like besides the chiefest Iewels It hath also Minerals of all sorts It nourisheth Elephants Camels and many other Beasts Serpents Fowles wilde and tame as in the ensuing Discourse in their due places shall appeare yet doth it not nourish such monstrous shapes of men as fabulous Antiquitie fained It brought foorth that Monster of Irreligion Mahumet whose Sect in diuerse Sects it fostereth with long continuance of manifold Superstitions It hath now those great Empires of the Turke Persian Mogore Cathayan Chinois it had sometimes the Parthian and before that the Persian Median Assyrian Scythian and first as it seemeth before them all the Babylonian Empire vnder Nimrod which is therefore in the next place to be spoken of CHAP. X. Of Babylonia the originall of Idolatrie and the Chaldaeans Antiquities before the Floud as BEROSVS hath reported them COnfusion caused diuision of Nations Regions and Religions Of this Confusion whereof is alreadie spoken the Citie and thereof this Countrey tooke the name Plinie maketh it a part of Syria which hee extendeth from hence to Cilicia Strabo addeth as farre as the Pontike Sea But is vsually reckoned an entire Countrey of it selfe which Ptolomey doth thus bound On the North it hath Mesopotamia on the West Arabia Deserta Susiana on the East on the South part of Arabia and the Persian Gulfe Luke maketh Babylonia a part of Mesopotamia Ptolomey more strictly diuideth them whereunto also agreeth the interpretation of the Land of Shinar that it was the lower part of Mesopotamia containing Chaldaea and Babylon lying vnder the Mount Sangara In this Countrey was built the first City which we read of after the Floud by the vngratefull World mooued thereunto as some thinke by Nimrod the sonne of Cush nephew of Cham. For as Caines posteritie before the Floud were called the sonnes of Men as more sauouring the things of men then of God more industrious in humane inuentions then religious deuotions so by Noahs curse it may appeare and by the Nations that descended of him that Cham was the first Author after the Floud of irreligion Neither is it likely that he which derided his old Father whom Age Holinesse Fatherhood Benefits and thrice greatest Function of Monarchy Priesthood and Prophecie should haue taught him to reuerence That he I say which at once could breake all these bonds and chaines of Nature and Humanitie would be held with any bonds of Religion or could haue an eye of Faith to see him which is inuisible hauing put out his eyes of Reason and Ciuilitie Had hee feared God had he reuerenced man had hee made but profession of these things in some hypocriticall shew hee could not so easily haue sitten downe at ease in that Chaire of Scorning whence we read not that euer hee rose by repentance From this Cham came Nimrod The mightie hunter before the Lord not of innocent beasts but of men compelling them to his subiection although Noah and Sem were yet aliue with many other Patriarches As for Noah the fabling Heathen it is like deified him The Berosus of fabling Annius calleth him Father of the gods Heauen Chaos the Soule of the World Ianus his double face might seeme to haue arisen hence of Noahs experience of both Ages before and after the Floud The fable of Saturnus cutting off his Fathers priuities might take beginning of that act for which Cham was cursed Sem is supposed to be that Melchisedech King of Salem the figure of the Lord and the propagator of true Religion although euen in his posteritie it failed in which Abrahams Father as witnesseth Ioshua serued other gods Iaphets pietie causeth vs to perswade our selues good things of him Cham and his posteritie we see the authors of ruine Philo and Methodius so are the two bookes called but falsly tell That in these daies they began to diuine by Starres and to sacrifice their children by Fire which Element Nimrod compelled men to worship and that to leaue a name to posteritie they engraued their names in the brickes wherewith Babel was builded Abraham refusing to communicate with them and good cause for he was not yet borne was cast into their Brick-kill and came out long after from his Mothers wombe without harme Nahor Lot and other his fellowes nine in number saued themselues by flight Others adde that Aram Abrams brother was done to death for refusing to worship the Fire Qui Bauium non odit amet tua carmina Maeui To come to truer and more certaine reports Moses saith That the beginning of Kimrods Kingdome was Babel and Erech and Acad and Calne which three some interpret Edessa Nisibis Callinisum And whereas commonly it is translated in the next words Out of that Land came Ashur and built Niniueh Tremellius and Iunius read it Out of this Land hee Nimrod went into Ashur or Assyria and built Niniue and Rehoboth Calah and Resen But most vsually this is vnderstood of Ashur the sonne of Sem who disclayming Nimrods tyrannie built Niniue which after became the chiefe City of the Assyrian Empire to which Babylon it selfe was subiected not long after Xenophon de Aequiuocis if his authority be current saith That the eldest of the cheife families were called Saturni their Fathers had to name Coelum their wiues Rhea and out of a piller erected by Semiramis to Ninus alleageth this inscription My Father was Iupiter Belus my Grandfather Saturnus Babylonicus my great Grandfather Saturnus Aethiops who was sonne of Saturnus Aegyptius to whom Coelus Phoenix Ogyges was Father Ogyges is interpreted Noah therefore called Phoenix because of his habitation as is thought in Phoenicia not farre from whence in Ierusalem Sem raigned Saturnus Aegyptius may be the name of Cham of whose name Egypt is in Scripture tearmed the land of Cham. Saturnus Aethiops is Cush Nimrod Babylonicus the father of Belus who begat Ninus But this cannot be altogether true For Niniue hath greater antiquitie then Nimrods Nephew howsoeuer the Greeke Histories ascribe this to Ninus and Babylon to his wife Semiramis except we say that by them these two Cities formerly built were enlarged and erected to that magnificence which with the growth of the Assyrian Empire
they after obtained Eusebius in the first booke of his Chronicle attributeth the originall of Idolatry to Serug the Father of Nahor Beda saith In the daies of Phaleg Temples were built and the Princes of Nations adored for gods The same hath Isidore Epiphanius referreth it to Serug and addeth That they had not grauen Images of Wood or Metall but pictures of men and Thara the Father of Abraham was the first Author of Images The like hath Suidas Hugo de S. Victore saith Nimrod brought men to idolatrie and caused them to worship the fire because of the fiery nature and operation of the Sun which errour the Chaldaeans afterwards followed These times till Abram they called Scythismus The reason of their Idolatrie Eusebius alleageth That they thus kept remembrance of their Warriours Rulers and such as had atchieued noblest enterprises and worthiest exploits in their life time Their posteritie ignorant of that their scope which was to obserue their memorials which had been Authors of good things and because they were their forefathers worshipped them as heauenly Deities and sacrificed to them Of their God-making or Canonization this was the manner In their sacred Bookes or Kallenders they ordained That their names should bee written after their death and a Feast should be solemnized according to the same time saying That their soules were gone to the Isles of the blessed and that they were no longer condemned or burned with fire These things lasted to the dayes of Thara who saith Suidas was an Image-maker and propounded his Images made of diuers matter as gods to be worshipped but Abram broke his Fathers Images From Saruch the Author and this Practice Idolatry passed to other Nations Suidas addeth specially into Greece for they worshipped Hellen a Gyant of the posterity of Iapheth a partner in the building of the Tower Not vnlike to this we reade the causes of Idolatry in the booke of Wisdome supposed to be written by Philo but because the substance is Salomons professing and bearing his name which of all the Apochrypha-Scripture sustaineth least exception attaineth highest commendation When a Father mourned grieuously for his sonne that was taken away suddenly he made an Image for him that was once dead whom now he worshippeth as a God and ordained to his seruants Ceremonies and Sacrifices A second cause hee alleageth viz. The tyrannie of men whose Images they made and honoured that they might by all meanes flatter him that was absent as though hee had beene present A third reason followeth The ambitious skill of the workeman that through the beauty of the worke the multitude beeing allured tooke him for a God which a little before was honoured but as a man The like affirmeth Hierome Cyprian and Polydore de inuentoribus LACTANTIVS as before is shewed maketh that the Etymologie of the word Superstitio Quia superstitem memoriam defunctorum colebant aut quia parentibus suis superstites celebrabant imagines eorum domi tanquam deos penates either because they honoured with such worship the suruiuing memory of their dead Ancestors or because suruiuing and out-liuing their Ancestors they celebrated their Images in their houses as houshold gods Such Authors of new Rites and Deifiers of dead men they called Superstitious but those which followed the publikely-receiued and ancient Deities were called Religious according to that Verse of Virgil. Vana superstitio veterumque ignara deorum But by this rule saith Lactantius wee shall find all Superstitious which worship false gods and them only religious which worship the one and true GGD The same Lactantius faith That Noah cast off his sonne Cham for his wickednesse and expelled him Hee abode in that part of the Earth which now is called Arabia called saith he of his name Canaan and his Posteritie Canaanites This was the first people which was ignorant of GOD because their Founder and Prince receiued not of his Father the worship of GOD. But first of all other the Egyptians began to behold and adore the heauenly bodies and because they were not couered with houses for the temperature of the Ayre and that Region is not subiect to clouds they obserued the Motions and Ecclipses of the Starres and whiles they often viewed them more curiously fel to worship them After that they inuented the monstrous shapes of beasts which they worshipped Other men scattered through the World admiring the Elements the Heauen Sunne Land Sea without any Images and Temples worshipped them and sacrificed to them sub dio til in processe of time they erected Temples and Images to their most puissant Kings ordained vnto them Sacrifices Incense so wandering from the knowledge of the true GOD they became Gentiles Thus farre Lactantius And it is not vnlike that they performed this to their Kings eyther in flatterie or feare of their power or because of the benefits which they receiued from them this beeing saith Plinie the most ancient kinde of thankefulnesse to reckon their Benefactours among the gods To which accordeth Cicero in the Examples of Hercules Castor Pollux Aesculapius Liber Romulus And thus the Moores deified their Kings and the Romanes their deceased Emperours The first that is named to haue set vp Images and worship to the dead was Ninus who when his Father Belus was dead made an Image to him and gaue priuiledge of Sanctuary to all Offenders that resorted to this Image whereupon mooued with a gracelesse gratefulnesse they performed thereunto diuine honours And this example was practised after by others And thus of Bel or Belus beganne this Imagerie and for this cause saith Lyra they called their Idols Bel Baal Beel-zebub according to the diuersitie of Languages Cyrillus calleth him Arbelus and saith that before the Floud was no Idolatrie amongst men but it had beginning after in Babylon in which Arbelus next after whom raigned Ninus was worshipped Tertullian out of the Booke of Enoch before mentioned is of opinion That Idolatrie was before the Floud Thus to continue the memorie of mortall men and in admiration of the immortall heauenly Lights together with the tyrannie of Princes and policies of the Priests beganne this worshipping of the creature with the contempt of the Creator which how they increased by the Mysteries of their Philosophers the fabling of their Poets the ambition of Potentates the Superstition of the vulgar the gainfull collusion of their Priests the cunning of Artificers and aboue all the malice of the Deuils worshipped in those Idols there giuing answeres and Oracles and receiuing Sacrifices the Histories of all Nations are ample Witnesses And this Romane Babylon now Tyrant of the West is the heire of elder Babylon sometimes Ladie of the East in these deuotions that then and still Babylon might bee the mother of Whoredomes and all Abominations To which aptly agree the Parallels of Babylon and Rome in Orosius the Empire of the one ceasing when
drunke largely thereof the liquid pitch floateth on the top of the water like clouted Creame to vse his owne phrase The Countrie of Babylonia hath beene the most fruitfull in the world yeelding ordinarily two hundred and in some places three hundred increase the blades of the Wheat and Barley about foure fingers broad Plinie somewhat otherwise They cut saith he or mow their corne twice and seed it a third time in Babylonia otherwise it would be nothing but blade and yet so their barrener laud yeeldeth fiftie their best an hundred increase Tygris and Euphrates ouerflow it but bring not fatnesse to the soyle as Nilus in Egypt but rather cleanse that superfluous fatnesse which naturally it hath The soyle is of a rosennie clay sayth master Allen and would still retaine in likelyhood his ancient fertility if it were watered with like diligent husbandrie In digging it yeeldeth corrupt waters fauouring of that pitchie slime In the Citie anciently it seemeth that in euery Garden of any Citizen of sort were rils made out of the Riuer The ruines from the Tower aforesaid to Bagdat which some call Babylon and beyond on the other side of the Riuer containe twentie two miles yet to be seene which happily are the ruines not of old Babylon so much as of the Neighbour townes here built Seleucia Vologesocerta and Ctesiphon which I rather thinke because they reach beyond Tygris as well as on this side To returne to the religious places in Babylon Caelius Rhodiginas tels that in the Temple of Apollo was found a golden chest of great antiquitie which being broken by some accident thence issued a pestilent vapour that infected not those alone which were present but the neighbouring Nations as farre as Parthia Ammianus Marcellinus hath the like Historie of the Image of Apollo Chomeus at Seleucia which was brought to Rome and there placed by the Priests in the Temple of Apollo Palatinus and when as a certaine hole which the Chaldaean Wise-men had by Art stopped through the couetousnesse of certaine Souldiers breaking in thither for spoyle was broken vp the world was thence poysoned with a contagion from Persia as farre as France Philostratus reporteth but who will beleeue his reports of Apollonius that he saw at Babylon such stately Palaces as scarce agree with the state of Babylon in the time of Apollonius which was while Domician raigned amongst other things hee saw Galleries full of Greeke Images as of Orpheus Andromeda c. He came also into a Gallerie the roofe whereof was made bowing like the heauens and couered with Saphire so to resemble Heauen and the Images of their gods made of gold were there son From the roofe there hanged foure birds of gold representing the goddesse of Reuenge which they called the tongues of the gods I know not by what art or mysterie admonishing the King not to exalt himselfe CHAP. XII Of the Priests Sacrifices religious Rites and customes of the Babylonians THe Chaldeans saith Diodorus were of reputation in Babylon as the Priests in Egypt Chaldaean being a name sometime applyed to the whole Nation sometime appropriated to the Priests who spent their whole time in religious Seruices and in Astrologie Many of them by diuination foretold things to come as wee haue shewed before in the Historie of Alexander and the booke of Daniel witnesseth this their profession By their auguries or diuination by birds by sacrifices and enchantments they were accounted to doe good or harme to mankind They were most expert in their sacred Rites in the knowledge whereof they were brought vp from their child-hood and continued in that course of learning all their liues the child being instructed in his Fathers science They professed the interpretation of dreames and prodigious accidents in Nature Their opinions were That the world is eternall without beginning and end the order and furniture of all was done by diuine prouidence all heauenly things were perfected not by chance of their owne accord but by the determinate and firme decree of the gods By long obseruation searching the course and nature of the starres they foretold things to come But the greatest power they attributed to the fiue Planets and especially to Saturne They call them Mercuries because when others are fixed these haue their proper motion and shew future things as the Interpreters of the gods by their rising setting and colour Vnder their course they giue the title of gods to thirty other starres the one halfe aboue the other vnder the earth beholding all accidents And in tenne dayes one of the higher is sent to the lower as an Angell or Messenger of the Starres and one from them to the higher And this course they take eternally They hold twelue principall gods each of which hath his peculiar moneth and his signe in the Zodiake by which the Sunne and Moone and fiue Planets haue their motion These Planets they esteeme to conferre much good or euill in the generation of men and by their nature and aspect things to come may be foreknown Many things they foretold to Alexander Nicanor Antigonus Seleucus and to priuate men beyond the reach of men They number foure and twenty constellations without the Zodiake twelue towards the North and as many towards the South These Northernly are seene which they attribute to the liuing those Southernly are hidden and present they thinke to the dead which they hold the Iudges of all Concerning the site motion and Eclipse of the Moone they hold as the Greekes but of the Sunnes Eclipse they haue diuers opinions and dares not vtter their opinion thereof nor foretell the time The earth they conceiued to bee hollow like a boate R. Moses Ben Maimon out of a booke intituled de Aagricultura Aegyptiorum attributeth like things vnto them that they beleeued the Starres were gods and that the Sunne was the chiefe God and next to him the Moone that the Sunne ruleth the superiour and inferiour world And concerning Abraham that he was borne in a land which worshipped the fire which when he reproued and his Countrimen obiected the operations of the Sunne hee answered that the Sun was as the Axe in the hand of the Carpenter But at last the King cast Abraham into prison and when as there hee still continued the same disputes and opinions the King fearing hurt to his people banished him into the vtmost bounds of Chanaan hauing first spoyled him of all his good This contradicteth the Historie of Moses and of the old and new Testament which commend Abrahams faith in voluntary forsaking of his country at the commaund of GOD and not by compulsion of man although it reacheth not to the former absurbitie which ascribeth this to the time of Nimrod And whether Abraham was an Idolater before that his calling is handled else where But to returne to our Rabbine highly admired by a most admired Author he saith that hence Abraham grew renowmed through the
Teglath-Phalasar Iareb Sargon Salmanasar Senacherib Asar-haddon which were great and mighty not onely strong enough to defend themselues against the Medes but to inuade forren Nations yea did translate people from one Kingdome to another and seated the captiues of Israel in the Cities of the Medes and sent Babylonian Colonies to Samaria which they could not doe if they had not commanded both Assyria and Media with Babylonia Nabonassar rebelled as is said against Artycas and began the Chaldaean Dynastie from whom for this restitution of liberty the Chaldaeans began their Astronomicall computations hee raigned 14. yeeres Nassyus 2. Chinzerus and Porus 5. Dilulaus 5. Mardokempadus 12. He sent Ambassadors to Hezekiah Arkeanos 5. Interregnum 12. Belithus 3. Aporonadicus 6. Herigebalus 1. Nesnoemondacus 4. Interregnum 17. Iearaedin 13. Saosducinus 9. Kiniladacus 14. Nabopollasarus 29. In the seuenteenth yeere of his raigne hee sent his sonne Nabuchodonosor in Syria with an Armie Nabuchodonosor 30. Euilmerodach 6. Neregasolarus 5. Nabonidus 17. This was a Mede by linage not as some say King of the Medes sonne of Xerxes a Mede but borne at Babylon and by conspiracie raised to the kingdome not inuading Babylon with Cyrus but raigning in Babylon till Cyrus depriued him Megasthenes cals him a Mede and the Scripture Darius Medus Cyrus came against him in the nineteenth yeere of his raigne and eleuen yeeres before the seuenty of the Captiuity were ended in which space Cyrus had enough to doe to besiege and conquer Babylon and Borsippa where Darius was From the beginning of Nabonassar to the end of Cyrus are 217. yeeres From thence to the Asiatike Empire of the Macedonians 201. From thence to the rebellion of Arsaces the Parthian of whom the Parthian Kings were called Arsacidae 79. And the Dynastie of the Parthians continued 479. yeers the last of them Artabanus being slaine These Kings the times of their raignes are not easie to set downe and Onuphrius is therefore reproued of Scaliger for vndertaking this taske in which authority fayleth him Of them we shall speak in due place The second Persian Dynastie continued till the Mahumetans depriued them The first Artaxerxes raigned 12. yeers Sapores 31. Ormisdas 1. Wararanes 3. Wararanus 2. 17. Wararanet 3. foure moneths Narses 7. Ormisdas 7. Sabores was borne King and Raigned 70. yeeres Artaxerxes 4. Sabores 5. Wararanes 4. 11. Izdigerdes 21. Wararanes 5. 10. Isdigerdes 2. 17. Perozes 24. Obalas 4. Cabades 11. Zamaspes 4. Cabades againe 30. Cosroes Magnus 48. Ormizda 8. Casroes 39. Syroes 1. Adeser 7. Moneths Barasas 6. Moneths Baram 7. Monethr Ormizda Iezdogird 3. In all 402. The Saracens succeeded whose names and times you may see in our Saracenicall relation After the Saracens raigned the Tartars and since sometime one family sometime another among the Persians till Solyman dispossessed the Sophian of the Babylonian dominion vnder which Turkish seruitude it groneth till our daies I dare not take vpon me to be vmpire and decider of those many alterations among Chronologers but haue simply followed Scaliger whose very name is able to shield me from contempt if not to yeeld mee commendation Let others that haue more lust and leasure trauerse these matters at their pleasure my intent is most of all the Historie of Religions and the successions and alterations of States I haue lightly touched but precisely to determine in what yeere of the world euery King beganne his raigne and to dispute the same with all opiponets would bee somewhat tedious to the Reader to me perhaps in these varieties of opinions impossible Leauing therefore the more studious to the Chronologers let vs take a little reuiew of some principall occurrents in the former Catalogue Africanus begins the Assyrian Monarchie at Belus and not as the most with Ninus That Belus some thinke to bee the same with Nimrod whom Ninus as wee said before consecrated Semiramis is reported to bee the first that caused Eunuchs to bee made Ninias which succeeded left not like monuments of his great exploites as his Predecessors before him Buntingus thinkes him to bee that Amraphel King of Shinar mentioned Genes 14. and that Arioch King of Elasser was his sonne Howeuer it breedes much difficulty to reconcile the ancient Historie of the Babylonian and Assyrian great and long continued Empire with the Kingdomes and Kings in that Chapter by Moses mentioned Eupolemus as before is cited out of Eusebius saith that those Kings were Armenians Diodorus Tarsensis as Pererius affirmeth reckons them Persians Iosephus Assyrians Pererius himselfe thinkes them vassals and tributaries to the Assyrian Genebrard suspects the Historie of the Assyrian greatnesse and truely not altogether vniustly neyther doe wee reade in all the Historie of Mosce and Ioshua of any Kings in those parts for ought can be gathered yeelding subiection to Babylon And the Sodomite and his neighbours had beene the tributaries of Chedarlaomer King of Elam and not of Amraphel King of Shinar vnlesse we say that violent things are not permanent and the yoake imposed before by the Assyrians was now in Ninias dayes reiected Semiramis being weakened with her Indian expedition and Ninias by killing her giuing occasion or discontent to her followers the men of warre which might hereupon contemning this effeminate King who had suffered his mother to possesse the Scepter so long fall to sharing for themselues and erect petty Kingdomes Arius happily restored the Empyre thus decayed if it be true that Buntingus writeth that he was a great Warriour therefore called Arius and Mars and as the god of warre inuocated by che Assyrians When Teutamos raigned Diodor. lib. 3 testifieth that Priamus then besieged by Agamemnon as vassall and tributary to the Assyrians sent to him for ayde who sent to his succour Memnon with twenty thousand souldiers But to descend vnto times neerer both vs and the truth and to view the ruine of that great estate we reade in the same Author and in others that Arbaces whom Iustin calleth Arbactus Orosius Arbastus was by Sardanapalus made Captaine of the Armie which was yeerely sent to Nina or Niniue where a conspiracy was contracted betweene him and Belesus a Chaldaean Priest Captaine of the Babylonians who by his Chaldaean skill in diuination had foretold Arbaces this destined Empire and was promised for his share the Babylonian principality Thus the Medes Babylonians and Arabians enterprising rebellion assembled to the number of foure hundred thousand whom Sardanapalus ouerthrew in battel twice but being stil animated by Belesus predictions which said he the gods by the Stars fore-signified and by corrupting of the Bactrian Armie sent to succor the King adioyning themselues to the enemy they at the third battell ouerthrew the forces of Sardanapalus led by Salamenus his wiues brother The King fled into Niniue trusting to a prophesie That the Citie should neuer bee taken till the Riuer were enemie to it After two yeeres siege by extreme raines the Riuer
swelling ouerflowed part of the Citie and cast downe twenty furlongs of the walls Whereupon despayring as seeming to see GOD and man against him he which before had chambered himselfe with women and accustomed himselfe to the distaffe in a womans both heart and habite now in a manly resolution if it may not more fitly be called a Feminine Dissolution which thus runneth from that danger which it should encounter gathered his treasures together and erecting a frame in his Palace there burnt them himselfe his wiues and Eunuches together The Ashes vnder pretence of a Vow thereof made to Belus Belesus obtained of Arbaces the new Conquerour and Monarch to carry to Babylon But the coozenage being knowne and Belesus condemned for the treasures which with the ashes hee had conueyed Arbaces both gaue them and forgaue him adding the praefecture of the Babylonians according to promise Some say that Belesus whom they call Phul Beloch shared the Empire with him Arbaces raigning ouer the Medes and Persians the other ouer Niniue and Babylonia following herein the forged Metasthenes who as Annius maketh him to say out of the Susian Librarie penned his Historie hauing before fabled a Catalogue out of Berosus of the ancient Kings contrary to that which out of the fragments of the true Berosus before is deliuered Sardanapalus is written saith Scaliger in his Notes vpon Eusebius with a double ll Sardanapalus a name fitting to his effeminate life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie the same whence are those words of Cicero 3. De Repub. Sardanapalus ille vitijs multo quam nomine ipso deformior Sardanapalus built Tarsus and Anchiale saith Eusebius at the same time the one famous for the most famous Diuine that euer the Sunne saw except the Sunne of Righteousnesse himselfe PAVL the Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles The other for the Authors Monument and stony Image with this Assyrian Epigramme Sardanapalus the sonne of Anacyndaraxis built Anchiale and Tarsus in one day and thou O stranger eate drinke play And Verses were annexed which I haue thus Englished Mortall thou knowst thy selfe then please thine appetite With present dainties Death can yeeld thee no delight Loe I am now but dust whilome a Prince of might What I did eate I haue and what my greedy mind Consum'd how much alas how sweet left I behind Learne this O man thus liue best wisdome thou canst find This his Legacie hee hath bequeathed to all Epicures the liuing Sepulchres of themselues breathing graues not of so many Creatures onely better than themselues which they deuour but of Reason Nature Religion Soule and if it were possible of GOD which all lie buried in these swine couered with the skins of Men. Let vs eate and drinke for to morrow we shall die Who knoweth whether Paul did not allude to this speech of the Founder of his Citie This subuersion of the Assyrian Empire was Anno Mundi 3145. after Buntingus account Of the Medes see more in their proper place The Babylonian Empire renewed by Nabonassar continued till Cyrus of which times we haue little record but in the Scripture as neyther of those Assyrian Kings which before had captiued Israel and inuaded Iuda Senacherib is famous euen in the Ethnike history although they had not the full truth For thus Harodotus telleth that Senacherib King of the Arabians Assyrians warred on Egypt where Sethon before Vulcans Priest then raigned who being forsaken of his Souldiers betooke him to his deuotion amiddest the which hee fell asleepe And the god appearing promised ayde which hee performed sending an Armie of Mice into the Armie of Senacherib which did eate his Souldiers quiuers and the leathers of their shields and armour insomuch that the very next day they all fled In witnesse whereof the Image of the King made of stone standeth in the Temple of Vulcan holding a Mouse in his hand vttering these words Hee that looketh on mee let him bee Religious This Historie the Aegyptians in vanity and ambition had thus peruerted and arrogated to themselues Funccius of Osiander made Nabopollasar and Nabuchodonosor to bee one and the same and diues Commenters vpon Daniel hold the same opinion whom Scaliger and Caluisius confute at large Nabopollasar is supposed to begin his raigne Anno Mundi 3325. which hee continued nine and twentie yeeres in his seuenteenth yeere Nebuchadnezzer so the Masorites misse-call him saith Scaliger or Nabuchodonosor his sonne was sent by him to subdue the rebellious Aegyptians Iewes and Palestinians at which time he carried away Daniel into captiuitie He beganne his raigne Anno Mundi 3354. and in the yeere 3360. destroyed Ierusalem In the yeere 3386. Euilmerodach his sonne succeeded him whom Neriglossoorus as Scaliger affirmeth slew thereby to aduance his owne sonne the Nephew of Nabuchodonosor called Laborosoarchadus to the Scepter which himselfe swaied as Protector in the minoritie of his sonne But he being dead and his sonne more fit for a chamber then a Throne Nabonidus conspired against him and slew him This Nabonidus sayth he is Darius Medus and Laborosoarchadus is that Baltasar mentioned by Daniel after Scaligers interpretation of the Prophet out of Berosus and Megasthenes It is a world to see how the Catholickes so they call themselues sweat in finding out that Nabuchodonosor mentioned in Iudith 1. Pintus would make it a common name to the Babylonian Kings as Pharao to the Egyptians Pererius will haue two of the name others will haue him to be Cyrus others Cambyses Artaxerxes Ochus Once Babel is a Mother of confusion to her children and makes them babble while they will Canonize Apocrypha-Scriptures Cyrus ended the Babylonian Monarchie and hauing wonne Babylon and taken Darius Medus at Borsippa he gaue him his life and the gouernment of Carmania An. Mund. 3409. As Nabuchodonosor had by Edict proclaimed the GOD of Daniel so Cyrus ended the captiuitie of his people giuing libertie to such as would to returne But many Iewes abode there still and thence sent their yeerely offerings to the Temple In the time of Artabanus the Parthian when Caligula tyrannized at Rome Asimaeus and Anilaeus brethren of the Iewish Nation grew mightie and haughtie withall forgetting GOD and themselues which caused the Babylonians to conspire against them and after the death of the brethren with thousands of their partakers and slew in Seleucia fiftie thousand of the Iewish Nation Neerda and Nibisis were then much peopled by the Iewes And thus Religion partly held the ancient course partly was mixed according to the custome of Conquests with the Persian Macedonian Parthian besides the Iewish and Syrian vntill the Apostles preached here the Christian veritie About the same time Helena and her sonne Izates King of Adiabena which is in these parts of Assyria became Iewish Proselytes Seleucia built by Seleucus as it were the marriage-Chamber of Euphrates and Tygris which there meete and mixe their waters Nature being
Seth the sonne of Adam who affirme that two men being created in the beginning and the Angells dissenting the faeminine power preuailed in heauen for with them are males and females gods and goddesses Eue perceiuing that brought forth Seth and placed in him a Spirit of great power that the aduersaries powers might be destroyed Of Seth they say that Christ should come of his stock yea some of them conceiue him to be the very Christ The Heliognosti called also Deuictaci worshipped the Sunne which said they knew all the things of GOD and yeelded all necessaries to men Others there were which worshipped Frogges thereby thinking to appease Diuine Wrath which in Pharaohs time brought Frogges vpon the Land of Aegypt He reckoneth the Accaronites which worshipped a Flie of which else where is spoken as also the Thamuzites of Thamuz which hee saith was the sonne of a Heathen King whose Image the Iewish woman worshipped with teares and continuall sacrifices and that Pharao which ruled Aegypt in Moses time was of that name Astar also and Astarot he saith were Kings of Syria and Aegypt worshipped after their deaths But perhaps more truely we haue expressed these things in our former booke Beniamin Teudelensis speaketh of a sect in his time which he calleth Cyprians and Epicures who prophaned the euening before the Sabbath and obserued the euening of the first day I might adde to their sects the diuers Christs or Messiases which in diuers ages they had but that I haue referred to the tenth Chapter CHAP. IX Of the Samaritans IT remaineth to speake of the Samaritan Sects Samaria was the Citie royall of the ten Tribes after that Omri who as other his predecessors had raigned before at Ticzah had bought the Mountaine Shomron of one Shemer for two talents of siluer and built thereon this Citie which he called after the name Shemer Lord of the Mountaine In vaine therefore is it to seeke the name of the Samaritans from the signification of the word which is keeping seeing they are so called of the place and the place of this their ancient Lord It remayned the chiefe seate of the kingdome as long as the same endured and namely till the dayes of Hoshea their last King in whose time Salmanasar the Assyrian carried the Israelites thence Esarhaddon the son of Senacherib otherwise called Osnappar thus saith Hezra and therefore Epiphanius was deceiued in ascribing this act to Nabuchodonosor in the time of the captiuitie fortie yeeres before the returne sent to inhabite that Region Colonies from Babel and from Cuthan and from Aua and from Hannah and from Sepharuaim Babel is knowne Cutha and Aua are esteemed parts of the desart of Arabia the other of Syria and Mesopotamia It seemeth that most of them were of Cutha because all of them after passed into that name and were of the Iewes called Cuthaei as witnesseth Iosephus Elias Leuita giueth the same reason and addeth that a Iew might not say Amen to a Samaritans or Cuthans blessing The Cuthi saith he were the subtlest beggers of all men in the world and from them as he thinketh came those cosining Roging Gipsies or Egyptians which so many ages haue troubled so many countries of Europe These Heathens serued not the Lord and therefore the Lord sent Lyons among them which slew them wherefore they sent to the King of Assyria who sent thither one of the captiued Priests of Israel to teach them how to worship GOD Epiphanius calleth his name Esdras He dwelt at Bethel and as some conceiue taught rather that Idolatrous worship whereof Bethel had beene before the Beth-auen where Ieroboam had placed his golden Calfe then the true worship of the True Iehouah Howsoeuer euery Nation saith the Text made them gods and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made The men of Babel made Succoth Benoth and the men of Cutha made Nergal and the men of Hamath Ashima and the Auims Nibhaz and Tartak and the Sepharuams burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech their gods Thus they feared the Lord and serued their gods after the manner of the Nations and so continued A mungrell Religion begotten of a bastard or haereticall Iudaisme and wilde Paganisme What those gods were it is vncertaine and interpreters agree not Of Succoth Benoth is already spoken Wolphius interpreteth Nergal a wilde Hen Ashima a Goate Nibhaz a Dogge Tarkak an Asse Adramelech a Mule Anamelech a Horse Thus saith he the Hebrewes expound them and hee supposeth these creatures were among them canonized and sacred as the Persians are said to worship a Cock the Proembari of Africa a Dog other people other creatures Some are of opinion that Nergal was that continuall fire which these Cuthaeans after the Persian manner kept in their Pyraeths places inclosed for that purpose as in our Persian relations shal follow and Kimchi saith that Adramelech had the forme of a Peacock Anamelech of a Pheasant But neither are the trifling RR. too far to be trusted nor haue we any other good testimonie Thus their Religion continued till after the returne of the Iewes from captiuitie to whom they would haue beene officious helpers in building of the Temple which being refused they be came their enemies and hindred a building the long time But the Temple being built and Religion established among the Iewes and their state flourishing Sanballat gaue his Daughter Nicaso to Manasses the brother of Iaddus the high Priest in the time of Darius the last Persian Monarch This Nehemiah mentioneth but deigneth not to name him affirming that he chased him from him of which some descant whether it were by exile or excommunication or some other punishment R. Salomo interpreteth it of exile Pelican of excommunication Drusius hath a discourse out of a Iewish Author which relateth the forme of that first Anathema and iudiciall curse not vnmeete here to be mentioned denounced against the Samaritans for hindring the worke of the Temple Zorobabel and Ioshua saith hee gathered all the Congregation into the Temple of the Lord and brought three hundred Priests and three hundred Trumpets and three hundred Bookes of the Law and as many children and sounded And the Leuites singing and playing on instruments cursed with all kindes of Anathema's the Chutheans in the secret of the name Tetragrammaton and in writing written vpon Tables and with the Anathema of the house of the higher iudgement and the Anathema of the house of the lower iudgement that none of Israel should eate the bread of the Cuthean whereupon it is said He which eateth a Samaritans bread be as he that eateth Swines flesh and that a Cuthean should not bee a Proselyte in Israel nor should haue part in the Resurrection of the dead Thus they writ and sealed and sent vnto all Israel which were in Babylonia which heaped vpon them
goe cheerfully before their Synagogue they haue an Yron fastned to make cleane their shooes according to Salomons counsell Keepe thy foote when thou goest into the house of God He that hath Pantofles must put them off as it is written For the place where thou standest is holy ground At the entrance in at the doore he pronounceth some things out of Dauids Psalmes they must enter with feare and trembling considering whose presence it is and for a while suspend their praying for the better attention And euerie Iew must cast in a halfe-penie at least into the Treasurie as it is written I will see thy face in righteousnesse that is in almes as they interpret it In this attention they bow themselues towards the Arke in which is the booke of the Law and say How faire are thy Tents O IACOB and thy dwellings O Israel And I will enter into thy house in the multitude of thy mercie I will bow downe in thy holy Temple in thy feare And O Lord I haue loued the habitation of thy house and the place of the Tabernacle of thy glorie and diuers other verses out of the Psalme After these things they begin to pray as is contained in their common Prayer-booke and because these prayers are verie many therefore they runne them ouer hee that cannot reade must attend and say Amen to all their prayers These prayers are in Hebrew rimes Their first prayer is The Lord of the World which raigned before any thing was created at that time when according to his will they were created was called King to whom shall bee giuen feare and honour He alway hath beene is and shall remaine in his beautie for euer Hee is One and besides him there is none other which may bee compared or associated to him without beginning and end with him is rule and strength He is my GOD and my deliuerer which liueth He is my Rocke in my need and time of my trouble my Banner my Refuge my Hereditarie portion in that day when I implore his helpe Into his hands I commend my Spirit Whether I wake or sleepe hee is with me therefore I will not be afraid This done they say then their hundreth benedictions one after another which are short and twice a day repeated First for the washing of their hands that if hee then forgot it he might now in the Congregation recite it Then for the creation of man and for that hee was made full of holes whereof if one should bee stopped he should dye then a confession of the Resurrection then for vnderstanding giuen to the Cocke as you haue heard to discerne day and night a sunder and with his crowing to awaken them and in order Blessed c. That he hath made me an Israelite or Iew Blessed c. That hee hath not made me a seruant Blessed c. That he hath not made me a woman The women heere say that he hath made me according to his will Blessed c. That exalteth the lowly Blessed c. That maketh the blind to see which they should say at their first wakening Blessed c. That rayseth the crooked at his rising Blessed c. That cloatheth the naked at his apparelling Blessed c. That raiseth them vp that fall Blessed c. That bringeth the prisoners out of prison Blessed c. That stretcheth the world vpon the waters when hee setteth his feet on the ground Blessed c. That prepareth and ordereth the goings of man when hee goeth out of his chamber Blessed c. That hath created all things necessarie to life when he puts on his shooes Blessed c. That girded Israel with strength his girdle Blessed c. That crowneth Israel with comelinesse when he puts on his hat Blessed c. That giueth strength to the wearie Blessed bee thou God our Lord King of the world who takest sleepe from mine eyes and slumber from mine eye-lids Then adde they two prayers to be preserued against sinnes euill spirits and men and all euill After this humbling themselues before GOD they confesse their sinnes and againe comfort themselues in the couenant made to Abraham Wee are thy people and the children of thy Couenant c. O happie wee how good is our portion how sweet is our lot how faire is our heritage Oh happie we who euery morning and euening may say Heare Israel The Lord our Lord is one God Gather vs that hope in thee from the foure ends of all the earth that all the inhabitants of the earth may know that thou art our God c. Our Father which art in Heauen be mercifull vnto vs for thy names sake which is called vpon vs and confirme in vs that which is written At that time will I bring you and gather you and make you for a name and praise among all the people of the earth when I shall turne your captiuities saith the Lord Then follow two short prayers for the Law giuen them And then they goe on to the Sacrifices which because they cannot execute in action out of the Temple they redeeme with words reading the precepts concerning sacrifices according to their times comforting themselues with the saying of HOSE We will sacrifice the calues of our lippes Then repeat they an Historie of Sacrifice and a Prayer of the vse of the Law and how many wayes it may bee expounded This done they with a still voyce that none can heare pray for the re-edifying of the Temple in these words Let thy will bee before thy face O GOD our Lord Lord of our Fathers that the holy house of thy Temple may bee restored in our dayes and grant vs thy will in thy Law After rising with great ioy and clamour they sing a prayer of prayse in hope hereof and sitting downe againe they reade a long prayer gathered heere and there out of the Psalmes and some whole Psalmes and part of 1. Chron. 30. And lastly the last words of Obadiah The Sauiours shall ascend into Mount Sion to iudge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdome shall bee the Lords Which they speake in hope of the destruction of the Christians whom they call Edomites and of their owne restitution In some of their close writings which they will not suffer to come into the hands of Christians they say that the soule of Edom entered into the bodie of Christ and that both hee and wee are no better then Esau They proceed singing And God shall bee King ouer all the earth In that day GOD shall bee one and his name one as it is written in thy Law O GOD Heare Israel GOD our GOD is one GOD And these words in their next Prayer they repeat resounding that last word One by the halfe or whole houre together looking vp to Heauen and when they come to the last letter thereof Daleth d. they all turne their heads to the foure corners and windes of the World signifying that GOD
the memorie of his owne designes occasioned so by the sword and fire it may be rooted out of the world againe The first Surat or Chapiter which is the Pater noster or daily prayer of the Muhamedans I will transcribe out of Erpenius called by them Opening as before is said and the Mother of the booke foundation treasure and perfection In the name of God the shower of mercie mercifull Praise to God the Lord of the Creatures the shewer of mercie mercifull the King of the day of Iudgement Wee worship thee and we call vpon thee Direct vs into the right way the way of them who are gracious towards them without anger against them and not them which erring not Amen The Copies of the Alcaron were diuers and after Mahomets death made if it could be worse at least otherwise then he left them For Hali had one Copie left him by Mahomet which the Iewes corrupted adding racing changing at their pleasure and promised him their assistance if hee would professe himselfe a Prophet But Ozimen commanded all the Bookes to be brought and deliuered into the hands of Zeidi and Abdalla to bring all into one booke and where they dissented to reade after the Copie of Corais and to burne all the rest They thus composed the Alcoran whereof they left foure Copies which after were lost And yet Hali Abitalib and Ibenmuzod then refused to deliuer their Bookes Whereupon arose diuers Readings and afterward diuers Schismes which to compound others often endeuoured by like labours after but could not throughly perfect the same Neither doth that which we haue translated agree with those things which Frier Richard and others cite out of it in their confutations thereof The truth thereof is such in his deuisings of new and seeking and altering the old that it is not probable in Viues opinion that euer hee read the Old and New Testament For saith he though I thinke of him exceeding badly yet thinke I him not so mad to change and wrest the Scripture there especially where it made nothing against him but he had partly heard of such things partly was so perswaded by his fellowes Apostata-Iewes and Christians This riming harsh confused packing worke disagreeing each Copie from other and all from truth and honestie hath beene translated into Latine once by an English man Robertus Retinensis and after by Ioannes Segobiensis a Spaniard at the Councell of Constance and after out of Arabian into Italian published by Andraea Ariuabene The first and last of these that of Robert of Reading and the Italian translations are here by vs followed For the Arabike I vnderstand not nor can warrant this when so great a man as Scaliger findeth great fault with it He that vndertooke to mend the Latine stile marred the sense and the Italian beguileth the world in professing to haue translated out of the Arabike Thus Scaliger who mentioneth another translation then in hand which we are almost out of hope to see In the meane while such as we haue we giue to you It containeth Chapters or Azoara's 124. euery of them beginning In the name of the mercifull and pittifull God Euthymius Zigabenus mentioneth but 113. Mr. Bedwel saith that all the Arabike copies which euer hee saw whether written in the East or West amongst the Moores in Barbarie doe constantly with one consent reckon 114. The reason of this difference is this some Interpreters doe not account the first for any Chapiter but make it a kinde of Preface Robert of Reading of the second Chapter maketh foure of the third three of the fourth foure of the fifth two of the sixth three The first of these are the words of Mahomet and is called the Mother of the Booke and is as it were their Creede the rest are all deliuered as the words of GOD hee being induced as speaker The first is in this sense In the name of the mercifull and pittifull God Thankes bee vnto God the Lord of the World mercifull pittifull Iudge of the day of Iudgement Wee pray vnto thee wee trust in thee Lead vs into the right way the way of them whom thou hast chosen not of them with whom thou art angrie and of the Infidels Postellus thus translateth it In the name of God mercifull pittifull Praise bee to God King of the World mercifull and pittifull King of the day of Iudgement O let vs serue him and wee shall bee helped Direct vs in the right point the point of them with whom thou art well pleased without anger against them and they shall not erre This prayer is saith hee as common to them as the Lords Prayer to vs and is so ouer and ouer with battologies by some of them repeated that they will say ouer the same word or two or three words an hundred times saying Alhamdu lillah hamdu lillah hamdu lillah and so on with these and the other words in like manner And thus doth the Priest in their publike prayers which they say supplieth the defects of such as are negligent in praying some will say and repeat it in the fields till with wearinesse they fall downe Others with wheeling about their bodies till they be besides themselues and then in imitation of Mahomet vtter some ridiculous obscure phantasticall speeches They diuide it into seuen periods which they cal miracles as they are here by the points That which is before them In the name c. Mahomet vsed to vtter alwayes when hee arose from his sicknesse or traunce and therefore is prefixed to all the Chapters and by deuout Authors also in the beginning of their Philosophicall workes By these words the point and the right point they vnderstand the Alcoran Now let vs see the Doctrine contained in this booke which with much labour I haue thus reduced into Theologicall heads reducing that which therein is confusedly heaped and handled in diuers places to this Method naming the Chapter or Azoara where the Reader may finde each sentence §. II. The Doctrine of the ALCORAN brought into common Places OF GOD he writeth that he is One necessary to all incorporeall which neither hath begotten nor is begotten nor hath any like him the Creator long-suffering searcher of the heart true That he will confound inchantments that without his gift none can beleeue this his Alcoran that hee hath no sonne for hee needeth nothing and he which setteth a second in the place of GOD shall goe into hell Az. 31. and he hath no partaker 32. yet in Azoar 67. hee induceth God speaking thus To Christ the sonne of Marie wee haue giuen the Gospell that by him men may obtaine the loue and fauour of GOD and that the beleeuers amongst them Christians shall receiue a great reward as also in Az. 2. he saith Euery one whosoeuer liueth rightly be he Iew or Christian or if he leaueth his owne Law and embrace another if hee worship GOD and doe good shall vndoubtedly
tell his Disciples the Historie of the Arke Who told them that by the weight of the Ordure the Arke leaned on the one side whereupon Noe consulting with GOD was bidden bring the Elephant thither out of whose dung mixed with mans came forth a Hog which wrooted in that mire with his snout and by the stinke thereof was produced out of his nose a Mouse which gnawed the boords of the Arke Noe fearing this danger was bidden to strike the Lion on the forehead and by the Lions breath was a Cat engendred mortall enemie to the Mouse But to returne from this stinking tale to refresh our selues with the like sweets of this Paradise He addeth that there they haue the wiues that here they had and other Concubines whom how when wheresoeuer they will Abd. But why is Wine lawfull there and here vnlawfull Mah. The Angels Arot and Marot were sometime sent to instruct and gouerne the world forbidding men Wine iniustice and murther But a woman hauing whereof to accuse her husband inuited them to dinner and made them drunke They inflamed with a double heat of Wine and Lust could not obtaine that their desire of their faire Hostesse except one would teach her the word of ascending to heauen and the other of descending Thus she mounted vp to heauen And vpon enquirie of the matter shee was made the Morning-Sarre and they put to their choice whether they would bee punished in this world or in the world to come they accepting their punishment in this are hanged by chaines with their heads in a pit of Babel till the day of Iudgement Hell saith Mahomet there hath the floore of Brimstone smoakie pitchy with stinking flames with deepe pits of scalding Pitch and sulphurous flames wherein the damned are punished daily the trees beare most loasome fruits which they eate The day of Iudgement shall be in this sort In that day GOD will command the Angel of Death to kill euery Creature which being done hee shall aske him if nothing bee aliue Adreiel the Angell of Death shall answere Nothing but my selfe Then goe thy waies betwixt Paradise and Hell and last of all kill thy selfe Thus he folded in his wings prostrate on the earth shall strangle himselfe with such a bellowing noise as would terrifie the verie Angels if they were aliue Thus the world shall bee emptie fortie yeeres Then shall GOD hold the Heauen and Earth in his fist and say Where are now the mightie men the Kings and Princes of the World Tell mee if yee be true whose is the Kingdome and Empire and Power Repeating these words three times he shall rise vp Seraphiel and say Take this Trumpet and goe to Ierusalem and sound This Trumpet is of fiue hundred yeeres iourney At that sound all Soules shall come forth and disperse themselues vnto their owne bodies and their bones shall be gathered together Fortie yeeres after hee shall sound againe and then the bones shall resume flesh and sinewes After fortie yeeres the third sound shall warne the Soules to re-possesse their bodies and a fire from the West shall driue euery creature to Ierusalem When they haue here swum fortie yeeres in their owne sweat they shall with much vexation come to Adam and say Father Adam Father Adam Why hast thou begotten vs to these miseries and torments Why sufferest thou vs to hang betweene hope and feare Pray to GOD that hee will finish his determination of vs between Paradise and Hell Adam shall excuse his vnworthinesse for his disobedience and send them to Noe Noe will post them to Abraham Abraham to Moses He shall send them to Iesus Christ To him they shall come and say The Spirit Word and Power of GOD let thy pitie moue thee to make intercession for vs He shall answer them That which you aske you haue lost I was indeed sent vnto you in the power of GOD and Word of Truth but yee haue erred and haue made me GOD more then euer I preached to you and haue therefore lost my benefit But goe to the last of the Prophets meaning him with whom thou now talkest Abdia Then shall they turne to him and say O faithfull Messenger and friend of GOD we haue sinned heare vs holy Prophet our only hope c. Then shall Gabriel present himselfe to helpe his friend and they shall goe to the Throne of GOD. And GOD shall say I know why you are come Farre be it that I should not heare the prayer of my faithfull one Then shall a bridge be made ouer Hell and on the top of the bridge shall bee set a ballance wherein euery mans workes shall bee weighed and those which are saued shall passe ouer the bridge the other shall fall into Hell Abd. How many bands of men shall there be in that day Mahom. An hundred and twentie of which three only shall be found faithfull and euery Band or troupe of men shall be in length the iourney of a thousand yeeres in breadth fiue hundred Abd. What shall become of Death Mah. He shall be transformed into a Ram and they shall bring him betweene Paradise and Hell Then shall arise much dissentions betweene these two peoples through feare of the one and hope of the other But the people of Paradise shall preuaile and shall slay Death betweene Paradise and Hell Abd. Thou O Mahomet hast ouercome and I beleeue that there is but one GOD Almightie and thou art his Messenger and Prophet In this long and tedious Summarie of that longer and more tedious Dialogue compared with the former Iewish opinions touching their Behemoth Leuiathan Ziz Ierusalem Swines flesh the Angell of Death and other their superstitious opinions it may appeare that the Iewes were forward Mint-masters in this new-coyned Religion of Mahomet In the beginning of this Dialogue are mentioned their fiue Prayers and their Ramadam or Ramazan Of which that Arabian Noble-man in confutation of the Alcoran writeth thus He which hath fulfilled these fiue Prayers shall bee praised in this world and in the next They are as follow Two kneelings in the morning after-noone foure at Vespers or a little before Sun-set foure after Sun-set foure at their beginning of supper two and after supper when it is darke two in all eighteene kneelings in a day Their Lent or Fast of the Moneth Ramazan is thus In the day time they must fast from Meate Drinke and Venerie till the Sunne bee downe then is Riot permitted them till a white threed may be discerned from a blacke But if any be sicke or in iourneying he may pay at another time the same number of dayes Sampsates Isphacanes a Persian in a letter written to one Meletius which had conuerted to Christianitie and fled to Constantinople to reduce him to his former vomit alleageth this saying of GOD to Mahomet I haue made all things for thee and thee for mee obiecteth to Christians the worship of three Persons the Father Mother and Sonne the worship of many gods And
Commander those horses are sadled the contrary way and richly furnished hauing certaine things hanged at their noses which cause them to neigh as it were lamenting the losse of their Master They carry also the truncheons of their Lances with their Standards and Ensignes trailing along the ground There are planted also about their Sepulchres violets and other pleasant flowers The common sort haue their Tombes of Marble engrauen with letters When they are come to the place with those sheets they let the corps into the graue couering him on euery side with boords only on the face they lay a little earth and there leaue him and returne home where they finde store of cheere there make a prayer for his soule Georgiouitz saith that they make ouer the graue the forme of an Altar lest the beasts should goe ouer it and defile it They also often repaire thither with teares and set on the Monument flesh bread wheat egs milke c. which is done for the dead mans soule in almes to the poore or to the birds or ants which they also account an act of mercy no lesse meritorious then the other The Priests haue fiue aspers a piece giuen them for their paines And if the partie be poore they gather money to pay the Priests and to discharge the funeralls They weare blacks eight dayes in token of mourning and those that are of great account three dayes at which time the friends of the dead assemble and vsing some words of mutuall consolation from thenceforth resume their wonted habite Howbeit their kindred specially of the female sexe often repaire to the graues to lament there Bellonius in his Obseruat obserueth that they sew not the sheet at the head nor at the feet The reason is their dreame of certaine Angels sent in commission presently after the buriall to examine the deceased partie into whom they say GOD hath then put a new spirit These Angels Menauino cals Nechir Remonchir who come with dreadful countenances and burning fire-brands and examine him of his life which if they finde wicked they scourge him with fierie whips if good they become goodly Angels and comfort him Bellonius a little otherwise telleth that those Angels which hee calleth Guanequir and Mongir come the one with an yron hammer the other with a hooke which set the corps vpon his knees and put a new soule into it and then aske if he haue beleeued Mahomet and obserued his precepts if hee haue done good workes kept their Lent paied his Tithes giuen Almes Of which if hee can giue good account they depart from him and two other Angels come in their places white as snow and one of them puts his armes in stead of a pillow vnder his head the other sits at his feet and defends him vntill the day of Iudgement But if hee satisfie not the demands of those blacke Angels hee with the yron mallet strikes him at one blow there with nine fadome vnder the ground and neither of them ceaseth the one with his hammer the other with his hooke to torment the deceased partie vntill the day of Iudgement For this cause the Turkes write vpon the dead carkasses the name Croco and make their Sepulchres hollow that they may haue roome to kneele and some lay boords ouer that no earth fall in The feare hereof makes them in their morning praier to say Lord God from the questioning of the two Angels the torment of the graue and euill iourney deliuer me Amin. Yea hence are the praiers which the Turkes men and women say at the graues of the dead for deliuerie from these Angels Concerning the day of Iudgement they hold that there is an Angel standing in Heauen named Israphil holding alway a Trumpet in his hand prepared against Gods command to sound the consummation of the World For at the sound thereof all Men and Angels shall die for so they finde it written in their Curaam which Booke is of high authoritie with them The Turkish Doctors would dissent from that opinion of the Angels mortalitie if this Booke would giue them leaue for to contradict the authoritie thereof is punished with fire or else their tongues are pulled out of their heads They hold that after this dismall sound shall bee a great Earthquake which shall tumble the Mountaines and Rockes from their places and grinde them to meale After this God will returne to make anew the light and the Angels as before and will cause to fall a pleasant raine called Rehemet sui that is the raine of mercie and so shall the earth remaine fortie dayes although those dayes shall bee of a larger size then these Many also hold that from thenceforth there shall bee no darknesse of the night as now but that it shall be most cleere neither shall there need any more sleepe for the sustentation of our bodies After fortie dayes God will command Israphil to sound his Trumpet the second time at which found all the dead shall bee raised againe by the will of God the dead euen from Abel to the end of the world throughout all the earth hearing the sound thereof and rising in manner as they were buried Amongst them shall be seene diuers faces and countenances some shining as the Sunne many like the Moone many as the Starres Others shall bee obscure and darke and others with hogges faces with swolne tongues Then shall euerie one crie Nessi Nessi that is Woe is me wretch who haue suffered my selfe to be ouercome with my filthy lusts The Angels shall with their fingers point at the faces which shine which are they that haue wrought good workes and shall shew them to one another The wicked shall haue enuy thereat They say that those with faces like hogs are such as haue beene Vsurers and those with the swolne tongues Liers and Blasphemers There shall be other trodden vnder foot to wit the proud persons of this world God say they will then demand account of the Kings Princes Emperors and Tyrants which vse oppression and violence Then shal God diuide this raised company into seuentie parts all which shall be examined presenting their sins before their eyes and all that they haue in this world done well or ill whereto hee shall need no testimony euerie member bearing witnesse against it selfe of the deeds yea and very thoughts There shall be also Michael the Angel holding in his hand the ballance of diuine Iustice and shal weigh soules and distinguish the good from the bad There shal be Moses with his Standard vnder which shall all the obseruers of his law bee assembled Neere to him shall be Iesus Christ the Sonne of the Virgin Mary with another great Standard and all his Christians the obseruers of his Faith On the other side shall be Mahomet with his Standard and faithfull Mahumetans they which haue done good shall be all gathered vnder the said Standards where they shall haue a pleasant shaddow the rest
successor Hee also in a conspiracie was killed and Vonon substituted whom the Parthians not long enduring forced to seeke helpe of the Romans where he was perfidiously slaine Artabanus obtained the Empire from whence hee was after chased by Vitellius who placed Tiridates in the Throne which hee had scarce warmed when Artabanus recouered it and after left it to his sonne Bardanes the Arsacian stocke being now dispossessed This Bardanes whiles hee minded warres against the Romans is killed of his owne Gotarzes his brother succeeded to the Scepter which he held notwithstanding the decree of the Roman Senate for Meherdates the sonne of Vonon whom hee tooke and cut off his eares Vonones was his successor a little while and presently after Vologaeses his sonne The next was Artabanus and after him Pacorus and in the next place Cosdroes his brother against whom Traian warred with good successe who extended the Roman Empire to the Indians But Adrian renewed league with the Parthian Parthanaspates succeeded and soon after Vologaeses who left heire his sonne of the same name depriued by his brother Artabanus He being vniustly dealt with by the Romans trecherie draue them to sue for peace which after that Antonius the author of the breach was dead was easily obtained by Macrinus his successour But Artaxares a Persian preuailed better in a third battell ouerthrowing him and reducing the Kingdome after such a world of yeeres to the Persian name Some reckon this 472. yeeres from Arsaces and 228. after Christ Scaliger reckoneth the time of the Parthian Dynastie 479. yeeres The number of their Kings after this computation is nine and twentie They which list to see further of their warres with the Romans may reade the Roman Authors which haue written the same the summe whereof is here presented to your view Cornelius Tacitus tells a merry tale for I thinke these Tragedies haue wearied you and pertinent to our purpose of a good-fellow-like Hercules whom the Parthians worshipped This kind-hearted god warneth his Priests in a dreame that neere to his Temple they should set his horses readie furnished for hunting which they doe lading them with quiuers full of Arrowes These after much running vp and downe the Forrest returne home at night blowing and breathlesse their quiuers being emptied And Hercules no niggard of his venison acquainteth the Priests at night by another vision with all his disport what woods hee hath ranged and the places of his game They searching the places finde the slaine beasts Better fellowship certaine had their Hercules then their Kings when they inuited any to their Feasts For the King had his table alone and loftie the guests sit below on the ground and like dogs feed on that which the King casteth to them And many times vpon occasion of the Kings displeasure they are haled thence and scourged and yet they then prostrate on the ground adore their striker They worshipped the Sunne at his rising Bardesanes in Eusebius saith of them that to kill his wife or sonne or daughter or brother or sister yet vnmarried was not prohibited by the Law to any Parthian nor any way subiect to punishment The Parthian Ensigne was a Dragon the Royall Ensigne a Bow their stile was King of Kings they ware a double Crowne They had an ointment made of a certaine composition which no priuate man might vse Nor might any else drinke of the waters of Choaspes and Eulaeus None might come to the King without a present The Magi were in great authoritie with them Their Rites were mixt of the Persian and Scythian Nothing was more seuerely punished then adulterie A seruant might not bee made free nor might be suffered except in the warres to ride or a free-man to goe on foot Their fight was more dangerous in flying then in standing or giuing the onset Terga conuersi metuenda Parthi The Parthians flight doth most affright They account them the most happy which are slaine in battell They which die a naturall death are vpbraided with cowardise Their fight Lucan describeth Pugna leuis bellumque fugax turmaeque fugaces Et melior cessisse loco quà m pellere miles Illita terra dolis nec Martem cominùs vnquam Ausa pati virtus sed longè tendere neruos That is Light skirmish fleeing warre and scattered bands And better Souldiers when they runne away Then to beare off an enemy that stands Their craftie caltrops on the grond they lay Nor dares their courage come to right-downe blowes But fighteth further off most trusting to their Bowes Many Cities amongst them and two thousand Villages are said to haue been ouerwhelmed with Earthquakes They are said to bee of spare diet to eate no flesh but that which they take in hunting to feed with their swords girt to them to eate Locusts to be false lyers and perfidious to haue store of wiues and strumpets Their Countrey is now called Arach in it is made great quantitie of Silkes Isidorus Characenus hath set downe the seuerall Countries with their dimensions how many Schaeni each of them containeth with their chiefe Cities and their wayes and distances which giueth great light to Geography and the knowledge of the Parthian greatnesse Schaenus is accounted threescore furlongs §. II. Of the Hircanians Tappyri and Caspians HYrcania now called Straua or Diargument hath on the West Media on the East Margiana on the South Parthia on the North the Sea which hereof is called the Hyrcane otherwise Caspian Famous it hath beene and is for store of woods and Tygers There are also other wilde beasts Here in the Citie Nabarca was an Oracle which gaue answeres by dreames Some Riuers in this Countrey haue so steepe a fall into the Sea that vnder the waters the people resort to sacrifice or banquet the streame shooting violently ouer their heads without wetting them Iouius writeth That the ayre is vnwholsome by reason of the Fennes Straua the chiefe Citie aboundeth in trafficke for Silke The Ilands before it in the Sea were no lesse refuge to the Inhabitants in the Tamberlaine-tempest then to the Italians in the time of Attila whose places where now Venice standeth Their Religion as the State both in times past and present hath followed the Persian of whom we are next to speake It is reported of Tappyri inhabiting neere to Hyrcania that their custome was to bestow their wiues on other men when they had borne them two or three children so did Cato his wife Martia on Hortensius and such saith Vertomannus is the custome at this day of the Indians in Calechut to exchange wiues in token of friendship They had wine in such estimation that they anointed their bodies therewith The Caspij shut vp their parents after they are come to age of seuentie yeeres and there in respect of pietie what more could the impious doe starue them to death Some say That after that age they place them
from them As for Metasthenes of Annius wee haue before shewed him to be counterfeit and the rest of his brethren to bee either the bastards of Annius or Changelings which hee hath nursed and would father vpon those Authors whose names they beare Viues calls them Portentosa vel solo auditu horrenda monstrous reports dregs friuolous pamphlets of vncertaine Authors which if any bee in loue with hee may enioy without him his corriuall Goropius bestowes much paines in the vncasing of them and learned men doe now generall distaste them Iosephus cites Megasthenes in quarto Indicorum the fourth Booke of his Indian Historie from whence Petrus Comestor alledgeth the same testimonie with deprauing the word Indicorum and making it Iudiciorum Annius addes not onely the corrupting of the name Metasthenes for Megasthenes but a Historie vnder his name de Iudicio Temporum Annalium Persicorum wherein no maruell if hee proceed in the Storie as he began in the Title Beroaldus in the Persian Chronologie faineth diuers names to the Persian Kings as Assuerus Artaxerxes Darius Assyrius Artaxerxes Pius Liuely and other moderne Writers out of the Greeke Olympiads and Histories haue giuen truer account of the Persian Times and Gouernment beginning with the fiue and fiftieth Olympiad and continuing the same to the third yeere of the hundred and twelfth Scaliger and Caluisius as you haue seene before doe a little differ from this account of Master Liuely which he liuely proueth by conference of other Histories both Humane and Ecclesiasticall Clemens Eusebius Herodotus Diodorus Polybius Xenophon Thucydides Dionysius Halicarnassaeus Liuie and others As much adoe is made about the beginning and ending of Daniels weekes and the time of the building and finishing the second Temple both which are much illustrated by the right knowledge of the Persian Chronologie Iunius Liuely and some others begin the account of the threescore and ten weekes and reckon the building of the second Temple in the second yeere of Darius Nothus to whose reasons I referre the Reader and returne to our Persian affaires How this Persian Empire agreed to the dreame of Nabuchodonosor and the visions of Daniel Broughton Reusnerus and others haue written it were too tedious here to relate Artaxerxes others call him perhaps more truely Artaxares recouered the Persian Name and Empire fiue hundred thirtie eight yeeres as Bizarus Lib. 4. reckoneth after Alexander the Great had extinguished them and in the yeere of our Lord 230. Others say it was in the yeere of Christ 233. and in the yeere of the World 4182. and 563. after Alexanders Conquest others otherwise The Catalogue of the Persian Kings in that their second Dynastie you may reade before Lib. 1. c. 13. But for better satisfaction of the Reader we will here present a short view of their Historie §. V. Of the second Persian Dynastie ARTAXARES being a man of hautie spirit fought three battells with Artabanus the Parthian and at the third time depriued him of life and Scepter together Hee proceeded to subdue the neighbouring Barbarians and passing ouer Tygris disturbed the Romane Prouince of Mesopotamia deuouring in hope and threatning in termes all those Asian Prouinces sometimes subiect to the Persians before the Macedonian deluge Alexander Seuerus sonne of Mammea the Emperour writ to him to stay his course But Pikes not Pens were like to preuaile with Artaxares who brought into the field seuen hundred Elephants and eighteene hundred Chariots and many thousands of Horse-men but with much bloud-shed was forced to leaue the honor of the day to the Romanes Herodianus seemeth to write harder fortunes of the Romans in this warre But Lampridius Eutropius Orosius and Zosimus write That Seuerus obtained the victory and tooke Ctesiphon and Babylon and subdued also Arabia Agathias affirmeth That Artaxares was called Magus Valerianus was ouer-throwne by Sapores the successor of Artaxares in Mesopotamia and there taken was made a foot-stoole for Sapores on whose necke he vsed to tread when he tooke horse and at last was flayed aliue and sprinkled with salt Zosimus saith That he was treacherously taken at a meeting for conference and Trebellius Pollio ascribeth it to the treason of his guide This cruell Tyrant afflicted the Roman Prouinces to Cilicia and Cappadocia filling with dead bodies the broken spaces betweene the Hils feeding as it were those deformed gaping iawes with cruell banquets of mans flesh Odenatus Palmirinus brought some light to the Romans in this darkened and dreadfull Eclipse of their Sun and recouered the Roman Territories His wife Zenobia after his death like another Semiramis proued a fortunate Generall Warrior against the Persians and also against the Romans from whom she withheld Syria til Valerius Aurelianus carried her to Rome being by vnexpected accident surprised As for Valerianus it was the iust iudgement of God for his cruell persecution of the Christians whom he had at first fauoured till one of the Egyptian Priests had perswaded him to this and other wickednesse as humane sacrifices and such like Euseb l. 7. c. 9. He was taken of Sapores An. Dom. 260. after Caluisius computation Buntingus hath two yeeres lesse In the time of Probus the Persians sued for peace and obtained it he procuring such peace in the East saith Vopiscus that a rebellious Mouse was not heard to peepe Carus his successor warred against the Persians and hauing entred their Country as farre as Ctesiphon was slain with a Thunder-bolt no Roman Emperour by I know not what secret destinie from the time of Crassus passing those parts without vnfortunate successe This was An. Dom. 283. Diocletian sent Galerius against Narses the Persian sonne to Varranes or Varaaranes the second for after Sapores Hormisda his sonne had reigned a yeere Varranes the first three yeeres Varranes the second sixteene and a third of that name onely foure moneths as Agathias reckoneth But not farre from Carrhae fatall to the Romans Galerius Caesar lost almost all his Armie and therefore found homely welcome at his returne Diocletian suffering him to lacquey in his purple Robes some miles after his Chariot Indignation supplying his former defects he recouered his credit with the ouer-throw of the Persians Narses fled leauing his wiues sisters and children to the Conqueror A league was made with returne of Armenia Mesopotamia and Assyria to the Romans Misdates the Persian began his reigne An. Dom. 301. To him An. 309. succeeded his sonne Sapores and reigned which I think was neuer read of any longer then he liued in view of the World beginning his reigne before his birth which he continued threescore and ten yeeres For Misdates dying without issue male and leauing his wife great with child the Princes consulted with the Magi whether this future birth would bee male which they affirmed obseruing their predictions by a Mare then ready to foale and the Princes set on the Crowne or
But it is time to leaue their gods and them and let mee obtaine pardon that this great Monarchie sometime stretching from India to Ethiopia in one hundred twentie seuen Prouinces hath stretched so farre and commanded mee so long attendance in this Discourse Let mee now looke vpon the Mahumetan face thereof CHAP. VIII Of the alterations of the State and Religion in Persia vnder the Saracens §. I. Of the Saracenicall Conquest and Schisme in Persia the third Dynastie THe Saracens as is alreadie shewed a people bred as it were of putrifaction in that corrupt estate of the world dispossessed of his state and life Ormisdas the last Persian King Their Religion had sustained small alteration in Persia before this time for ought I finde sauing what the Christian had in these parts preuailed which belongeth to another taske But from that time that the Saracens were Conquerours the soules of the Persians haue no lesse been subiect to those foolish Mahumetan superstitions then their bodies too cruell slauerie yea the name of Persian was drowned in the title of Saracens Homar was then Caliph But when Iezid the sonne of Muaui was Priest and King such are the Caliphs of the Saracens Mutar the Deputie or Gouernour of Persia proclaimed himselfe a Prophet and seized on the State from him the Persian Sophi deriueth his originall When Iezid was dead the Inhabitants of Cufa in Arabia proclaimed Hocem the sonne of Ali Caliph but Abdalam the sonne of Iezid intrapped and slew him and at his Sepulchre was after erected the Citie Carbala This Hocem had twelue sonnes Zeinal Abadin Zeinal Muamed Bagner Muamed Giafar Cadened Ciafar Musa Cazin Musa Holi Macerat Alle Muamed Taguin Muamed Halmaguin Alle Hacem Asquerin Hacem Muamed Mahadin This last the Persians say that hee is not yet dead but that he shall come sitting on a Horse to preach their Law to all Nations beginning in Massadalle where Ali his grandfather lieth buried And therefore they haue there alway a Horse prepared ready which in time of Diuine Seruice on a certaine festiuall day they bring with Lights burning to the Temple in which Ali is buried praying him to send his nephew quickly That day is solemnly celebrated with so great concourse of people as a Portugal there present said he had neuer seen the like The other eleuen brethren were buried in diuers places To returne to Mutar Abdimelec one of the following Calipha's sent Ciafa against him by whose ouerthrow that new Prophet wan new and greater estimation then before But another Tyrant Abdala Zubir arising amongst the Saracens sent his brother Musub against Mutar who slew Mutar and was soone after slaine himselfe of Abdimelec who recouered againe the Prouince of Persia Abdimelec being dead in the yeere seuen hundred and two and twenty Gizad his sonne succeeded and another Gizid vsurped the Scepter in Persia but was ouerthrowne by Masabner the Captaine of Abdimelecs sonne In the raigne of Maruan Asmulin tooke on him the protection of Mutars Sect affirming Ali to bee greater then Mahumet hee was Prince of the Corasens in Persia and by one Catabanus his counsaile incited the seruants by force or treacherie to kill their Masters and these being growne great by their Masters wealth were diuided into two factions the Caismi and the Lamonites Asmulin Captayne of the Lamonites destroyed the Caismi and with his Lamonites and Catabanus inuaded Persia and were there encountred by Iblinus the Lieutenant with an Army of an hundred thousand men but the Lamonites by the incouragement of Asmuline and Catabanus whom they reckoned Holy men discomfited him and his and afterward encountred Maruan himselfe with three hundred thousand men and made him to flee with foure thousand into Egypt where Salin the sonne of Asmulin ouerthrew him Thus the Maruanian race being expelled the reliques whereof settled themselues in Fesse and Spayne Asmulin from whom the family of the Sophi descendeth with Catabanus reigned ouer the Saracens But let the Reader obserue what in the former Booke and second Chapter we haue written of the diuisions and schismes often happening in Persia following the relations of Mirkond a Persian Authour and therefore more to be obserued then the more vncertayne relations of Christian Authors By all which hath beene said appeareth a continuall difference betwixt the Persians and other Saracens about their Religion either as some affirme for that the Persians preferred Ali before Mahumet or for that which is more likely they accounted Ali and not any of the other three Eubocar Osmen or Homar to be the true successor of Mahumet The Sultans or Deputies of Persia which gouerned there vnder the Caliph vsed that their Schismaticall fancy as they saw occasion to their owne ambitious designes vnder colour of Religion Some say that the Turkes obtayning Persia stripped the Chalifa of Bagadet of his temporalty which the sword being decider of controuersies in their Religion was no new thing Not did it become old or continue long For by the relations of Beniamin Tudelensis and others it appeareth that the Caliphas of Bagdet recouered their state till the Tartar dispossessed both the Turke and them as we haue already shewed out of Zachuthi and Mirkond in our History of the Saracens §. II. Of the Tartars ruling in Persia which was the Fourth Dynastie WE are to speake more fully of the Tartars afterwards heere yet we are enforced by necessity of the Persian story to mention them Mirkond writes that Chingius Kan great founder of the greatest Empire the Sunne hath seene in the yeare 1219. inuaded Maurenahar which is to the North of Persia and chased Mahomet Koarrazmcha into Karason The Tartar put all he found to the sword the like he did at Balk and thence sent 30000. men after Mahomet which ouer-tooke and slew him in Gueylon and put the Countrey to fire and sword In Rey and the Countrey about the Tartars are said to haue slaine 600000. persons some say 1600000. and in the Prouince of Nichabur 1150000. men besides women and children committing the like spoyles during a whole yeare throughtout all the Prouinces of Persia Almostancher Byla the Chalife forced them to retyre into Maurenahar But Oktaykahon or Occoda Can his successour both subdued Persia and rooted out the whole Family of Mahomet Koarrazmcha Gelaladin his sonne being vanquished neere Multon in India whither had retyred himselfe Mango Chan gaue Persia to Vlah Kukhan or Halaon who ouerthrew the Saracens tooke Bagdet staying therein and in the Countries about 1600000. persons In the yeare 1261 he subdued Alep and Damas. Hee dyed in Persia and gaue his Countries to his three sonnes to Habkaikahon Haithon calls him Abaga Hierak Mazandaron and Karason to Hyachemet Aron or Armeni and Aderbaion to Taudon Diarbek and Rabyah To others other parts as Bagadet to Atalmok Iauuiny to repayre it which he did Habkaikahon the eldest raigned in Persia seuenteene yeares and then his fourth brother Nicudar Oglan Haithon calls him Tangador
Nicephorus Gregoras relateth the Scythian Customes and Expeditions and their contempt of gold and ignorance of the vse of it These on the one side and the Christians on the other forced the Turkes which were also a kind of Scythians to settle themselues as they could in the parts of Mesopotamia Chaldaea and Assyria where they left there owne and learned the Rites and Customes of the Mahumetans The Kings are buried amongst the Gerrhi with many ceremonies carrying the dead bodie through all the Countries ouer which hee reigned which cut and shaue themselues and with him is buried his best beloued Paramour his Cup-bearer Cooke Master of his horse Waiter Messenger Horses and the first fruits of all oher things and also golden Cups and then they cast on earth making a verie great hill When the yeere is gone about they take fiftie of his principall attendants which are not slaues but freeborne Scythians and strangle them with so many horses of the best and fasten the dead men on the dead horses with much solemnitie But to relate all the particulars hereof and their burials also of priuate men whose dead bodies are carryed about fortie daies from one friend to another entertained euerie where with feasts c. would be too tedious He that would haue a sight of these things let him resort to Thomaso Porcacchi his Funerali Antichi where these things are not onely discoursed in words but described in artificiall pictures The Scythians so farre hate forraine Rites and Religions that Anacharsis a Scythian Philosopher hauing trauelled through a great part of the world and vowed to the mother of the gods if he returned home in safetie that he would sacrifice to her with such Rites as hee had seene obserued in Cyzicus in the performance of his vow was slaine by King Saulius Scyles also being King of the Scythians when he brought in forraine Rites and obserued the mad Bacchanal solemnities which hee had seene among the Greekes lost both his Kingdome and life They cut off the noses of men and imprinted pictures in the flesh of women whom they ouercame and generally their Customes of war were bloudie what man soeuer the Scythian first taketh he drinketh his bloud hee offereth to the King all the heads of the men he hath slain in battaile otherwise he may not share in the spoile the skins of their crownes flayed off they hang at their horse-bridles their skins they vse to flay for napkins and other vses and some for cloathing Once a yeere the chiefe men haue a solemnitie amongst them in which they powre wine into a Mazor of which none may drinke which hath not slaine an enemy These Customs were generall to the Scythians in Europe and Asia for which cause Scytharum facinora patrare grew into a Prouerbe of immane crueltie and their Land was iustly called Barbarous others were more speciall and peculiar to particular Nations Scythian §. III. Of particular Nations in Scythia their Acts and Rites OF the barbarous crueltie of the Scythians the sea confining was called Euxinus by the contrarie as the furies were called Eumenides saith Ammianus because they sacrificed strangers to Diana whom they worshipped vnder the name of Orsiloche and hanged vp their heads on the walles of their Temples The Ile Leuce neere to Taurica was dedicated to Achilles where none of his deuout worshippers durst abide in the night-time for none might spend the night on shoare without danger of his life Arrianuus in his Peripius or sailing about of the Euxine Sea speaketh of this Iland and the deuotions therein performed to Achilles and Patroclus that certaine birds keepe the Temple watering and sweeping the same with their wings and the Goates which feed in the I le there present themselues for sacrifice when the price is first paid at the Altar to the contentment of that Deitie or Diuell whose illusion if not others collusion it must needs bee But because this Iland adioyneth to Europe I must forbeare these things till another time He also describeth the Nations both in Asia and Europe which abutt round about that Sea Iornandes bringeth these Scythians bordring from Scanzia so hee calleth that Peninsula which others name Basilia Scandia Scandinauia c. Wherein are the Kingdomes of Sweden Gothland and Norway and attributeth to the Goths those warres which the Egyptians and Persians are said to haue made against the Scythians Neere to Maeotis King Filimer planted himselfe and his followers in Dacia Thracia and Maesia Zamolxes who was also a great Philosopher These and the rest were not onely a terrour to the skirts of Asia but to the heart of Africa and Europa in processe of time sacking Rome and shaking that Roman Monarchy almost to the ground Simocatta in his Mauritian History giueth the preeminence of Martiall valour amongst the many many Scythian Nations to the ABARES Chaganus the Scythian King sent Embassadors to Mauritius with an Epistle wherein he stileth himselfe Gouernour of seuen Nations and Lord of the seuen Climats of the world He comquered the Abdelae or Nephthalites the Abares some of which fled to Tangast to the Turkes and the Ogor-Nation which dwell by the Riuer Til or Volga whose ancient Princes were called War and Chunnai He conquered also the Prince of Colch in which war hee slew three hundred thousand people their carkasses lying scattered foure daies iourney Hee subdued also the Turkes at the hill Icar which is foure hundred miles distant from the golden Mountaine so they call a mountaine in the East because of the fertilitie and store of cattell therein which alwayes the greatest Chagan amongst the Turkes possesseth For Chagan is not a proper name but a Princely title which in those parts and the Countries adioyning is still continued the Tartars calling their Princes Chan which some perhaps falsly write Cham and the Persians and Turkes still vsing that title These Turkes vaunted themselues neuer subiect to Earth-quakes or Pestilence They cal their Priest Taisan that is the Sonne of GOD. Their Religion I haue before mentioned They haue a custome that the males neuer weare gold This Citie was diuided by a streame which sometimes separated two disagreeing Nations no lesse distinguished by their disioyned mindes and differing habites the one wearing blacke the other red This Citie they say was built by Alexander when hee had ouercome the Sogdians and Bactrians The Kings wiues shining with Iewels are carryed in golden Chariots each drawne with one Bull the bridles embossed with gold The Prince as is said elsewhere spent the night with seuen hundred women Fame attributeth another Citie not farre hence to Alexander called Chubdan The Prince thereof being dead his wiues in blacke with shauen heads continually mourne and may neuer forsake the Sepulchre These haue many Elephants and traffique with the Indians which dwell Northwards and make Silke Thus much I thought worth the adding out of Simocatta for better
fiue thousand euery one of whom findeth an Elephant to the Common-wealth They haue this name of Sera the chiefe Citie by Ptolomey placed in 177. 15. and 38. 36. This Region he limiteth on the West with Scythia extra Imaum on the East with Terra incognita and likewise on the North here some place the Promontorie Tabin there the Easterne Ocean on the South with part of India extra Gangem Our silkes haue the name of this Region where it is made of a most fine wooll growing on the leaues of trees Dionys saith of flowers of the earth Tam multiplici opere saith PLINY tam longinquo orbe petitur vt in publico matrona transluceat This Serica Castaldus calleth Cataio and so doe most of our new writers Orosius numbreth from the Serike Ocean to the Caspian Sea two and fortie Nations of Hyrcanians and Scythians and from thence Westward to the Riuer Tanais thirtie foure The Region betwixt Albania and the Caspian he attributeth to the Amazons The Seres are supposed to inhabite the Countrey now called Cathay which name Niger deriueth from a Scythian Nation called Chata They had a law against Idolatrie worship of Images They had no Temples CHAP. XI Of the Tartarians and of Diuers Nations which they Subdued with their Pristine Rights THe names of Scythia and Sarmatia are now together with those Nations swallowed vp and drowned in that Tartarian deluge which about foure hundred yeeres since with a sudden torrent ouerwhelmed the gteatest part of Asia that we speake not of Europe the heart whereof quaked and trembled with feare of this Tempest From Rome did Pope Innocent the fourth send Embassadors by entreaties to preuent their Armes when as they had alreadie ouerrunne besides those Countries which still beare their name Russia Polonia Silesia Morauia Hungaria euen as farre as Austria So farre was the huge vnwealdie Empire of Alexander or of the Romans short of the Tartarian greatnesse that the expedition of some one of the Subiects of this Empire hath pierced as farre into the West as euer Alexander into the East and that happily among more resolute courages then the Persians or Indians effeminated with wealth and Peace could affoord and Tamerlane alone some ages after if wee credit that Historie of his life translated out of the Arabike subdued and obtayned more besides his owne inheritance then all that which the Romanes had atchieued in that eight hundred yeeres and vpwards wherein their Empire was growing to the full but of him afterwards §. I. Of the beginning of the Tartarian Nation THe name Tartar is proper to a Riuer in Mongull from whence it was deriued to the people inhabiting neere the same which after gaue both name and lawes to so great a part of the world For thus writeth Ioannes de Plano Carpini which was sent Embassador to the Tartarian Court from Pope Innocent Anno 1246. There is a Countrey in the East part of the world called Mongol which had sometimes foure sorts of Inhabitants Yeka-Mongol that is the great Mongols Sumorgul that is water-Mongols these called themselues Tartars of a Riuer which runneth thorow their Countrey named Tartar the third Merkat the fourth Metrit These all were alike in person and language but diuided amongst themselues into seuerall Prouinces and vnto seuerall Princes In the land of Yeka-Mongol was Cingis who began to bee a mightie hunter before the Lord for he learned to steale men He ranged into other Countries taking as many captiues as he could and ioyned them vnto himselfe Also he allured the men of his owne Countrey vnto him who followed him as their Ring-leader to doe mischiefe Then began he to warre vpon the Sumongols or Tartars and slew their Captayne and after many conflicts subdued them to himselfe and brought them all into bondage Afterward he vsed their helpe against the Merkats whom also hee vanquished in battell Proceeding from thence hee fought against the Metrites and vanquished them also Naimani hearing that Cingis was thus exalted greatly disdayned thereat for they had a great and mighty Emperour vnto whom all the foresaid Nations payed tribute Whose sonnes when hee was dead succeeded him in his Empire Howbeit being yong and foolish they knew not how to gouerne the people but were diuided and fell at variance among themselues These inuaded Cingis his Countrey putting the Inhabitants to the sword but were after ouerthrowne by the Mongols and either slaine or made captiues Some fetch the Tartarian pedigree from the ten Tribes of Israel which Salmanasar carryed captiues and in their Maps place hords of Danites Nepthalites c. in the furthest Northerly and Easterly bounds of Asia which yet are a great part of the world not only from Media whither those people were conueyed but from any part of the Assyrian Empire The King of Tabor or Tybur in these parts is said to haue come into France to Francis the French King about the yeare 1540. and was after at Mantua by Charles the Emperor burned for secret sollicitation of him and other Christian Princes to Iudaisme And Opmeerus reporteth of that their iourney passing thorow Euphrates miraculously staying his streame to wonder at the vanitie of Writers when they went into a Region called Aisarich which was a yeere and a halfes trauell there to keepe their Law where neuer before had beene any habitation But these things haue small probabilitie M. Paulus who with his Father and Vncle liued many yeeres in the Court of the great Chan aboue three hundred yeeres since saith that they dwelled at first if such wandring may be so called in the North where they had no Lord ouer them but payed tribute to a great Signor there called Vncam and here in these Countries Presbyter Iohn to whom they payed the tenth of their beasts But this Vncam or Presbyter Iohn fearing their numbers euery where multiplying deuised to disperse them through the World which the Tartars perceiuing with ioynt consent forsooke their former habitation and departed thence farre off into the North denying further tribute vnto Vncam After they had there continued a certayne time they chose to their King about the yeere 1162. one which was called Cingis Can who ruled them with such modestie and iustice that they loued and feared him as a god his fame reducing all the other Tartars in other parts vnder his obedience He thus strengthened wearie of those desarts commanded them to arme themselues with bowes and other weapons and began to inuade and conquer Cities and Prouinces to his subiection the principall inhabitants whereof hee carryed with him kindly entertayning them leauing such discreete Gouernours in the same that the people were secured in their persons and goods When he had thus subdued about nine Prouinces he sent his Embassador to Vncam to demand his daughter in marriage which Vncam with much indignation and many threatnings denying Cingis assembling his forces marched
the Mountayne and left a spacious way by which they with all their substance passed Westward Hence it is that the Tartars ascribe some happinesse to the number of nine and hee that will offer a present to any Tartarian Signor must offer nine things which custome they vse in their tributes vnto this day as Master Ienkinson found by experience to his cost Cangius after many aduentures and many lawes which of him were called Iasack Cangis Can hauing first perswaded his twelue sons wherein I thinke his nephewes were also reckoned to concord bidding each of them to bring him an arrow which together none of them ; asunder the least of them might easily breake hee dyed This Historie of Cingis or Cangius I haue thus fully related for knowledge both of the beginnings of their State and Religion and if these Visions seeme fabulous yet might Cingis in his subtilty deale with them as Mahomet with his Arabians or Numa with the Romans the one making Gabriel the other Aegeria Authors of their policies and what hee in part pretended might by Fame and Time be augmented Although I see not but that this History of Cingis may as well be credited as that of Alexander in Iosephus to whom appeared one in the habite of the Iewish High Priest commanding him to vndertake that enterprise with promise of assistance for which cause he whom the World worshipped as a King and as a God did worship himselfe prostrate before Iaddus the High Priest And the same Author also saith that the Pamphylian Sea diuided it selfe to giue way vnto his Macedonian Souldiers hauing no other way to destroy the Empire of the Persians To returne to our Fryer with whom we began he reporteth that Cingis after his victorie against the Naimani warred vpon the Kythayans where hee was ouerthrowne and all the Nobles except seuen slaine Hauing breathed himselfe a while at home hee inuaded the Huyri a Christian people of the Nestorian Sect whom they ouer-came and receiued of them Letters of which before they were ignorant After them he subdued the Saroyur Karanites and Hudirat This done he waged Warre against the Kythayans or Cathayans whose Emperour he shut vp into his chiefe Citie where Cingis besieged him till that Victuall fayling in his Campe he commanded that they should eate euery tenth man of the Armie They of the Citie fought valiantly with Engines Darts Arrowes and when Stones wanted they threw Siluer especially molten siluer But by vnder-mining the Tartars made way from the Armie into the middest of the Citie where they issued vp and opened the gates by force and slew the Citizens This is the first time that the Emperour of the Kathayans being vanquished Cingis Cham obtayned the Empire The men of Kaytay are Pagans hauing a speciall kinde of writing by themselues and as it is reported the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament They haue also recorded in Histories the liues of their fore-fathers and they haue Eremites and certayne houses made after the maner of our Churches which in those dayes they greatly resorted vnto They say that they haue diuers Saints also and they worship one God They adore and reuerence Christ Iesus our Lord and beleeue the Article of eternall life but are not baptized They doe also honorably esteeme and reuerence our Scriptures They loue Christians and bestow much almes and are a very courteous and gentle people They haue no beards and they agree partly with the Mongals in the disposition of their countenance There are not better Artificers in the world Their Countrey is exceeding rich in Corne Wine Gold Silke and other commodities Of their writing Fryer Bacon from the Relations of W. Rubruquis which liued in his time and Rubruquis himselfe as in the Manuscript thereof appeareth testifie that it was done with pencils and in characters as the Chinois and Iaponites still vse The Iugres write from the top to the bottome of the page and from the left hand to the right the men of Tebeth as wee doe those of Tangat from the right hand to the left but multiply their lines vpwards The Cathayans saith Rubruquis are little men and speake thorow the nose They are good artificers the sonne succeeding in the fathers trade Their Physitians deale with hearbes but not with vrines There were amongst them Nestorians who had a Bishop residing in Segni Their bookes were in Syriake themselues ignorant of that tongue They were drunkards vsurers and some of them had many wiues They washed their lower parts when they entred their Churches they feast and eat flesh on Fridayes as the Saracens Their Bishop visits them scarce once in fiftie yeeres And then all their Males euen infants also are ordred Priests The Idolaters amongst them are more moderate some of which weare yellow broad cowles some are Eremites and leade an austere life in woods and hills Cathaya had not then any vines but they made drinke of Rise wherewith they also tooke a kinde of Apes which would drinke themselues drunken with that pleasant liquor out of whose neckes they tooke the bloud wherewith they died purple After the conquest of Cathay Cyngis sent his sonne Thossut Can for so they termed him also against the people of Comania whom hee vanquished Another sonne he sent against the Indians who subdued India Minor These Indians are the blacke Saracens which are also called Aethiopians Thence hee marched to fight against Christians dwelling in India Maior whose King was commonly called Presbyter Iohn who by a stratageme repelled them out of his dominion In trauelling homewards the said Armie of the Mongals came vnto the Land of Buirthabeth the inhabitants whereof are Pagans and conquered the people in battaile This people haue a strange custome When any mans father dieth hee assembleth all his kindred and they eat him They haue no beards but with an iron instrument plucke out the haires if any grow Cyngis himselfe went vnto the Land of Kergis which they then conquered not And in his returne home his people suffered extreme famine and by chance finding the fresh entrailes of a beast they cast away the dung sod it and brought it before Cyngis and did eate thereof Heereupon Cyngis enacted That neither the bloud nor the entrailes nor any other part of a beast which might bee eaten should be cast away saue onely the dung Hee was afterward slaine by a thunderclap leauing behind him foure sonnes the first Occoday the second Thossut Can the third Thiaday the name of the fourth is not knowne §. III. Of OCCODAY the next Emperour and CVINE CAN. CYNGIS being dead Occoday was chosen Emperour He sent Duke Bathy his nephew the sonne of Thossut Can against the Countrey of Altisoldan and the people called Bisermini who were Saracens but spake the Language of Comania whom hee subdued Thence they marched against Orna a Port Towne on the Riuer Don where were many Gazarians Alanians Russians and Saracens which he drowned
which they shed no bloud nor eate flesh They haue many wiues of which the first married hath the first place and preheminence Here Marcus Paulus liued about a yeere Touching the Religion and Customes in Tanguth the reports of Caggi Memet in Ramusius who of late yeeres was in Campion are not much diferent He sayth That their Temples are made like the Christians capable of foure or fiue thousand persons In them are two Images of a man and woman lying in length fortie foot all of one piece or stone For which vse they haue Carts with fortie wheeles drawne of fiue or sixe hundred Horses and Mules two or three moneths iourney They haue also little Images with sixe or seuen heads and ten hands holding in each of them seuerall things as a Serpent Bird Flower c. They haue Monasteries wherein are men of holy life neuer comming forth but haue food carried them thither daily Their gates are walled vp and there are infinite of Frier-like companions passing to and fro in the Citie When any of their kindred die they mourne in white They haue Printing not much vnlike to that which is vsed in Europe and Artillerie on their walls very thicke as haue the Turkes All the Catayans and Idolaters are fordidden to depart out of their natiue Countrey They haue three Sciences Chimia Limia and Simia the first Alchymie the second to make enamoured the third Iugling or Magicke Succuit also is according to his report great and faire beautified with many Temples Their Rheubarbe they would not bestow the paines to gather but for the Merchants which from China Persia and other places fetch it from them at a cheape price Nor doe they in Tanguth vse it for Physike as we here but with other ingredients make perfumes thereof for their Idols and in some places they burne it in stead of other firing and giue it their Horses to eate They set more price by an herbe which they call Membroni cini medicinable for the eyes and another called Chiai Catai growing in Catay at Cacianfu admirable against very many diseases an ounce whereof they esteeme as good as a sacke of Rhubarbe whose description you may see at large according to the relation and picture of the said Chaggi in Ramusius for to adde that also they haue many Painters and one Countrey inhabited onely by them These Tanguthians are bearded as men in these parts especially some time of the yeere Northwards from Tanguth is the Plaine of BARGV in customes and manners like to the first Tartars confining with the Scythian Ocean fourescore dayes iourney from Ezina in the North parts of Tanguth and situate vnder the North starre Eastward of Tanguth somewhat inclining to the South is the Kingdome of Erginul addicted likewise to Ethnike superstitions wherein yet are some both Nestorians and Mahumetans Here are certaine wilde Bulls as big as Elephants with manes of white and fine haire like silke of which some they came and betwixt them and their tame Kine engender a race of strong and laborious Oxen. Here is found a beast also as big as a Goat of exquisite shape which euery full Moone hath an apostemation or swelling vnder the belly which the Hunters at that time chasing the said beast doe cut off and drie against the Sunne and it proueth the best Muske in the world The next Easterly Countrie is EGRIGAIA idolatrous and hauing some Christians of the Sect of Nestorius But Tenduc next adioyning was at that time gouerned by King George a Christian and a Priest of the posteritie of Presbyter Iohn subiect to the Grand Can. And the Gran Cans giue commonly their daughters in mariage to this generation and stocke of Presbyter Iohn The most part of the inhabitants are Christians some Idolaters and Mahumetans being there also There bee also that are called Argon descended of Ethnikes and Moores the wisest and properest men in those parts All the people from hence to Cathay are Christian Mahumetan and Gentile as themselues like best In Thebet the next Countrey the people in times past saith William de Rubruquis bestowed on their parents no other Sepulchre then their owne bowels and yet in part retaine it making fine cuppes of their deceased parents skuls that drinking out of them in the middest of their iolitie they may not forget their progenitors They haue much gold but hold it an high offence to imprison it as some doe with vs in Chests or Treasuries and therefore hauing satisfied necessitie they lay vp the rest in the earth fearing otherwise to offend GOD. Cambalu is in the Northeast parts of Cathay and fortie miles Westward from hence all which way is enriched with Palaces Vineyards and fruitfull Fields is Gouza a faire Citie and great with many Idoll-Monasteries Here the way parted leading Westward into Cathay and Southeastward vnto Mangi or China TANIFV and Cacianfu are Prouinces which tend Westward from hence inhabited with idolatrous Nations and here and there some of the Arabian and Christian profession full of Cities Cunchin and Sindinfu are Ethnikes as is Thebeth where they haue a brutish custome not to take a wife that is a Virgin and therefore when Merchants passe that way the mothers offer vnto them their daughters much striuing which of them may be the most effectuall bawde to her childe They taking to their pleasure such as they like gratifie them with some iewell or other present which on her mariage day shee weareth and shee which hath most of such presents bringeth the most accepted dowrie to her husband as testimonies of the great fauour of their Idols This Thebeth contained sometimes eight Kingdomes with many Cities but was now desolated by the Tartarians There are great Necromancers which by their infernall skils cause Thunders and Tempests They haue Dogges as bigge as Asses with which they catch wild Oxen all sorts of beasts CAINDV is an Heathenish Nation where in honour of their Idols they prostitute their wiues sisters and daughters to the lust of Trauellers which being entertained in the house the good man departeth and the woman setteth some token ouer the doore which there remaineth as long as this stallion-stranger for a signe to her husband not to returne till the guest be as well gone from her house as honesty from her heart and wit from his head They make money of salt as in Cathay of paper In Caraian also a large Prouince adioyning there are some Christians and Saracens but the most Ethnikes which are not discontented that other men should lie with their wiues if the women be willing CARAZAN is of like irreligion their soules captiuated to the Olde Serpent and their bodies endangered to mighty huge bodies of Serpents tenne paces long and tenne spannes thicke which that Countrey yeeldeth They keepe in their dennes in the day and in the night prey vpon Lyons Wolues and other Beasts which when they haue deuoured they resort to some water to drinke
house or oftner If he makes any stay They call it Cia sup it hot more healthsome then toothsome for it hath a bitter smacke The Iaponians will giue ten or twelue duckats for one pound of the best and drinke it in poulder mingled with two or three spoonfuls of boyling water but the Chinois steepe the leaues They haue another pitchy substance like milke which they straine out of the barke of a certaine Tree whereof they make their Cie the Portugals call it Ciacon wherewith they varnish their houses and houshold-stuffe and ships in diuers colours with glasse-like shining to the eye smoothnesse to the touch besides the long continuance pleasingly maiesticall the cause they need no clothes for their Tables which are easily restored to their crystall lustre with a little washing if by any fatty substance dimmed Oyle is also expressed out of the fruit of another Tree of vse like the former but inferiour somewhat and more plentifull Cinnamon and most excellent Ginger are here growing Pepper Nutmegs Aloes and other like are here plentifully out of the Ilands and bordering Kingdomes Gunpoulder they haue in great store which they vse not so much in Peeces whereto they are more vnapt as in Fire-workes in which they are curiously artificiall liuely expressing Trees with their fruits and other rarities In the first moneth of the yeere wee saw as much this way spent at Nanquin as would haue serued for two yeeres continuall warre §. III. Of the Cities and Castles in China and of Quinsay OF the number of their Cities and their differing sorts is mentioned before Besides these they haue two sorts of Castles both for fortification and habitation with priuiledges also of Market the greater sort named Huy 293. the lesse of greater number 2593. Their Villages are innumerable In each Citie is an Officer that hath charge of the walls whereby they are kept faire and strong and for further beautie besides commoditie of shadow they plant trees at their doores which continue greene all the yeere long The Cities generally are like one another except in greatnesse The streets are strait yeelding prospect from one gate to another Canton so the Portugals call it according to the name of the Prouince the Chinois call it Quamcheu or Canceu is accounted the least of the Metropolitan Cities it hath on one side a great nauigable Riuer elsewhere enuironed with a deepe trench filled with water which is nauigable also the walls haue fourescore and three Bulwarkes the streets so broad that ten men may ride in front and paued adorned with many triumphant Arches and shops on both sides the bridges there and elsewhere in the Kingdome are many of large free stones very costly the high wayes very stately which leade to the Cities and the Kings houses for the publike Officers very magnificent after their manner Such was the plenty and abundance that in this one Citie were spent euery day betweene fiue and sixe thousand Hogs and betweene ten and eleuen thousand Duckes besides a great number of Kine Birds Hens Conies Frogs Dogs Fish of many sorts and yet the most vsuall meate of the Chinois is Rice boyled with water Nanquin standeth in two and thirtie degrees and is eight or ten leagues from the Sea with a Riuer leading thither It hath three faire brick walls with large and stately gates The first wall contayneth the Kings Palace which it selfe also is compassed with three walls in manner of a Castle with ditches full of water round about them This I dare be bold to say it is Ricius his report that no King in the world excells this King in a Palace if we compare not particulars but all things together This first wall is in circuit foure or fiue Italian miles The second wall contayneth the first and withall the best part of the Citie hauing in it twelue gates placed with Iron furnished with Ordnance it comprehendeth eight dend Italian miles The third wall is not continued but Arte supplying Nature elsewhere fortifying it the compasse whereof can scarcely be knowne The Inhabitants say that two went out on horsebacke one this way the other that and met againe at night hauing spent the day each in his semicircle The greatest part is very populous howsoeuer there are also Mountaines Gardens Groues and Lakes within the Citie This circular forme is to bee obserued as of greatest capacitie There are fortie thousand Souldiers in continuall garrison It is full of Palaces Temples Bridges Towers of best aire fertilitie and ingenious Inhabitants The Riuer doth not onely passe by but entreth the Citie with diuers channels made by arte capable of great ships The streets are saith Pantogia of two leagues or of two and a halfe in length wide and paued The compasse is at least eleuen or twelue leagues and contayneth by coniecture two hundred thousand houses and according to all the opinions of the Iesuites there abiding equalling or exceeding in people foure of the greatest Cities in Europe Paquin or as Ricius alway calls it Pequin is situate about a hundred miles from that famous Wall against the Tartars in greatnesse and neatnesse exceeded by that of Nanquin but in multitude of Inhabitants Souldiers and Magistrates exceeding it Two high and strong walls compasse the South parts so wide that twelue horse may easily runne thereon together without hinderance Those walls are of bricke sauing at the foundation of huge stones filled with earth in the midst farre higher then those in Europe On the North side there is but one On these walls as diligent watch is kept euery night as in the hottest warre in the day-time Eunuches watch at the gates or rather exact customes The Kings Palace is within the inner Southerne wall neere the Gates and so runnes vnto the Northerne wall the rest of the Citie stretching on both sides It is lesse then the Palace at Nanquin but more glorious that seeming by the Kings long absence a carkasse without life The Citie is troublesome being little of it paued in winter with durt in summer with dust which in that Region wherein it seldome raines vpon any blast of winde fills their houses and to preuent the trouble there is none of any ranke which goes on foot or rideth without a vaile hanging downe to their breasts and couering their faces so thinne that it may hinder the dust and not the sight preuenting also the tedious knowledge and salutations by others There are Muletters and Hackney-men in euery corner to let their beasts to such as will hire them who also know all chiefe places and make way in those populous streets vnto their customers both for a little money But for this there is also a Booke which relateth the scite and streets of the Citie they may also hire chaires and bearers to carrie them In the Prouince of Sciantum is Cinchiamsu which in Paulus his time had two Churches of Christians whence is a Riuer made by hand a thing vsuall in
Stone If any fraud bee found they are both excluded and punished Then the doores being shut and sealed the two Examiners propound out of their Tetrabiblion three sentences on which euery one is to write so many Theames also out of those Fiue Doctrines , foure sentences the arguments of so many other Theames or Orations These seuen Writings must bee adorned both with eloquent phrase and elegant sentences according to the Chinian Rhetorike not any one Writing exceeding fiue hundred Characters or Words The next day of triall they haue three questions of state propounded out of the old Chronicles or of things which may after happen to which they returne answer in three Writings Likewise the third day three cases propounded of such things as may be demanded in executing publike functions which they answere in so many writings Thus euery one hauing that dayes arguments written out is by some thereunto appointed brought vnto his designed Cell where he writeth in a Booke his Meditations subscribing his owne his fathers grandfathers and great grandfathers Names then closing the booke that none but they which are deputed may open it to whom they offer it These bookes before they come to the Examiners are new copied and transcribed by others in red inke whereas the former were in blacke and these transcripts without the Authors names deliuered to these Prouinciall Examiners which are chosen to assist the two Principall which reiect the worst and offer twice so many of the best as are to proceed at that time vnto the Kings Examiners These make a new examination chusing out so many as are to bee admitted Graduates and obserue which are best second and third composing them in their due order This being done all the Examiners together compare the Copies with the Originalls knowne by certaine numbers indorsed and taking out the Authors names expose them written on large Tables in Cubitall letters about the end of the eight Moone with great concourse of Magistrates and applause of their friends This degree enioyeth farre greater priuiledges and immunities with a peculiar habit and if they seeke not to proceed further they are capable of many publike Offices After this the Kings Examiners publish a booke which containeth the names of the Licentiates and the chiefe writings on euery Theame especially his who obtained the first name amongst all the Competitors who is called Quiayven The third degree answers to our Doctor they call it Cin-su This is conferred euery third yeere also but only at Pequin the yeere next after the former Proceeding Euery Kiugin or Licentiat out of all Prouinces may bee admitted to the Examination but onely three hundred are Speeders of fiue thousand Competitors The Examiners are principall Magistrates the time the second Moone on the same dayes and in the same manner as the former These being created and pronounced Doctors in that place where the Licentiates are made all in the Kings Palace before the chiefe Magistrates of the Court the King himselfe was wont to be present doe vndergoe a new Triall and make a writing on a Theame propounded according to which the order of Offices whereof they are made capable is declared being of three Rankes or Formes He which had the first place in the examination of Doctors is here sure to haue the third but he which here obtaines the first or second place is dignified with an honorable title like to that of a Duke or a Marquesse with vs if it were hereditary all his life and obtaineth the highest places in the gouernment Anno 1604. three hundred and eight Doctors were made and then another Triall was made for the Kings Collegiats of Hanlinyen of that number were named twentie foure chosen out of those three hundred and eight as in the former Trialls These are chosen to the chiefe Magistracies in the Kingdomes but so as after many other trialls onely twelue or fifteene of those twentie foure be chosen These Doctors enioy their proper Vest Cap Bootes and other ensignes of Magistrates and are admitted vnto the best functions so as they alway exceed the Licentiates and are suddenly become the Grandes of the Kingdome Those Licentiates which are reiected from their Doctorship if they haue no further hope are admitted and betake themselues to some places of gouernment But if they intend to make and abide a new triall the studie hard at home other three yeeres some of them ten times aduenturing the same without desired successe wearing and wearying out their liues in priuate There is a booke also published of the Doctors Commencement or Act as of the former and another yeerely containing all the Doctors names in the Kingdome with their Countrey Parents Offices and places of Residence They also which are fellow Commencers and proceed either Licentiates or Doctors the same yeere together euer after affect each other as brethren and their Examiners as Parents or Masters although they sometimes attaine higher preferments then these In some Cities they haue Exercises of Learning euery learned man of chiefe note hauing his day appointed whereon to lecture or discourse of some Morall Vertues And they haue also an especiall Officer called Tauli which on certaine dayes is to call an Assembly he is a great Magistrate and to exhort the people to vertue as it were by preaching Militarie Honors are conferred in the same yeeres places titles vnto the Professors therof the time is the Moone following the solemnitie much lesse according to the Chinian account of Souldierie Their first triall is on Horse-backe and then in full carriere they shoot nine Arrowes in the second three at the same marke on foot And they which with foure arrowes mounted and with two standing haue hit the marke are admitted to the third triall in which they are enioyned to write an Oration or Theame of some question propunded And the Iudges declare in each Prouince some fiftie of these Licentiates and when Doctors are made at Pequin an hundreth of the best militarie Licentiates in all the Kingdome after a threefold examination are there declared Doctors The Doctors of this Societie sooner then Licentiates but not without bribes are admitted to some militarie place of commaund And both Philosophicall and Militarie being admitted Doctors write ouer their doores in Cubitall letters their Degree and Title The Presidents and Iudges in all Examinations whether of Militarie Mathematicall Physicke or Ethicke Sciences are their Philosophers without assistance of any of other professors so much doe they account of this Confutian Philosophie as if it had made them able to iudge of all things §. VIII Of the King his Court Issue Reuenue and Maiestie CHina is a Monarchie not knowing the names of Aristocratie or Democratie or any other Polycratie not so much as Dukes or great Nobles enioying either Title there or Dominion whereof in ancient times were many these 1800. yeeres past Sometimes it hath beene subiect to ciuile broyles and sometimes diuided into many petty kingdomes but was
neuer quite subiected to forraine Soueraightie till the Tartarian Conquest vnder one Tiemor so the Chinois call that great Chan which so continued till the yeere 1368. When one of their Chieftaynes whom they called of the euent Hum-vu that is a floud of weapons expelled the Tartars compelled the Chinois to his subiection The Kingdome passeth by inheritance Some ancient Kings are yet commended for commending the Kingdome to the vertuous succession of some rarer men then their kindred yeelded and sometimes the people rebelling haue dispossessed one and substituted another In this kingdome are no ancient Lawes But the first of any Family which obtayneth the Soueraigntie makes new Lawes at his pleasure which his Successors in that family doe not easily alter That Hum-vu the Conqueror is the founder of their present Lawes either enacting new or confirming the old as he saw good From ignorance of Geographie they esteemed their King Lord of the World and therefore call him Thiencu the sonne of Heauen for they esteeme Heauen the greatest God Yet commonly the people call him Hoamsi that is the greatest Monarch Hum-vu was a great both Warrior and Polititian He ordayned that none of the Kings children should deale in publike functions or affayres of state yet hee made them seeming amends with assignation of most ample reuenues and the title of Guam a Prince or petty King Their reuenue is paid out of the Exchequer to preuent Clients and dependance of Tenants Much complement of reuerence is done them by the Magistrates but no subiection Their Children and Nephewes are honored also but their titles and reuenues still decreasing as they descend further from the Royall stemme till at last no more bee allowed them then may supply their necessitie without trade or worke Like care is had of the Royall daughters marriage and maintenance The Commanders which assisted him in the Conquest hee vouchsafed honourable titles militarie prefectures with other immunities and reuenues still descending to their posteritie who are subiect neuerthelesse to the Citie Magistrates One strange priuiledge of theirs is this The exploits of the head of their family vnder Hum-vu are grauen in an yron plate This continueth with the first borne of that family who thereby may challenge pardon for any man in any crime three sundrie times if hee offer the same to the King Only treason is vnpardonable which depriueth the Traytor and all his posteritie for euer of all dignitie Like honors doe the Kings sonnes or fathers in law enioy and some others who haue well deserued of the State Only the Doctors and Licentiates are admitted to offices of gouernment not preferred by fauour of others or the King himselfe but by the Law and his merits All Magistrates are called Quonfu that is Presidents and as an honourable title Lau ye or Lau sie a Lord or Father The Portugalls stile them Mandarines And although these Magistrates can finish nothing till by Petition they obtayne the Kings confirmation yet he enacteth nothing which they doe not first sollicite And if any priuate man preferre a Petition to the King which seldome happens because there is an Officer appointed to examine them before the King sees them yet the King referres them to that Tribunall whereto they belong This I haue diligently searched and found for certaine that the King himselfe may not giue a summe of money or office to any man vnlesse hee bee first petitioned by some of the Magistrates except in his owne houshold for those gifts are not taken out of the publike treasure but the priuie purse His Customes and Tributes which exceede without controuersie a hundred and fiftie millions yeerely euery house not priuiledged paying tribute are not brought into the Treasurie of the Palace nor may the King spend them after his pleasure but all the money and prouision is brought into the publike Treasuries and Store-houses which are through the Kingdome Out of these a certaine allowance is appointed by Law and nothing more or lesse for the Kings expences his Wiues Children Eunuchs and Family Thence the Magistrates and Souldiers stipends and other officers through the Kingdom are discharged Thence also the publike Edifices of the Palaces of the King and his kinsemen Cities Walls Forts and all prouisions of Warre are mentioned And some yeeres it happens that this huge reuenue will not serue for necessary expences but they are forced to new impositions The ordinary Census or poll-money is three Mazes or halfe Duckets besides the profits of the earth and handicrafts The rest are Customes which in Canton one of the least Prouinces are neere eight millions Vanlie that is now King hath raigned fortie yeeres a man of great wisedome but vicious and tyrannicall Hee vseth his sonne and apparant Heire very hardly and hath indeuoured to make a second sonne which he had by a more beloued wife his successor but was gaine-said by all the Magistrates in the Kingdome those of the Court resigning their robes and hanging them on the Palace walls so that hee was forced to proclaime the eldest Whose mother lately lying on her death-bed the Prince could hardly obtaine his fathers licence to visit her and then attended with two Eunuchs the mother comforted her sonne saying It neuer yet happened that the heire of the kingdome dyed of hunger For the King scarse allowes him necessaries none else daring for feare The King forbad mourning and publike pompe vnto her funeralls The King respects beautie only in choice of his wiues as doe all of the Royall bloud nor doe the great men care to preferre their daughters to the Royall bed For it is little they can doe and much they must suffer euer inclosed in the Palace neuer admitted the sight of their friends who also are not thereby aduanced to further preferments The King hath Officers which make choice of women for him One wife is chiefe and is as it were legitimate the King and Heire apparant marry other nine a little inferior and after them sixe and thirtie others all which enioy the title of wiues to which are added many more Concubines not entituled Wiues or Queenes Those which bring the King sonnes proue most gracious especially the mother of the eldest sonne howsoeuer it fared otherwise in this before mentioned This King was not the sonne of the first wife nor is his Heire The Chinois are a deceitfull and trecherous people and therefore the Kings in this age come not abroad in publike and when in times past they did it they obserued a thousand cautels for safetie the Palace and the streets being all in armes for his guard nor was he scene when thus hee was seene nor the seat knowne in which he was carryed many other being then carryed to preuent intelligence And when hee came into the Tribunall hee appeared from a high window couering his face with an Iuory table in his hand and hauing another table on his head a cubit long halfe so broad so behanged with
at this time is Idolatrous and Pagan wherin the common people are somewhat superstitious but the King himselfe the Mandarines or Magistrates as seeing the vanitie thereof and not able to see the truth are in manner irreligious and profane the first worship that which is Nothing in the World and these find nothing in the World but the World and these momentany things to worship Ricius reports that the ancient Chinois worshipped one only great GOD which they called the King of Heauen or otherwise Heauen and Earth wherby he gathers that they thought Heauen and Earth to be endued with life and the Soule thereof to be the greatest GOD. Beneath which they worshipped also diuers Spirits Tutelares preseruers of the Mountaines of Riuers and of the foure parts of the World They held that Reason was to be followed in all actions which light they confessed to receiue from Heauen They neuer conceiued yet such monstrous absurdities of this god and these spirits as the Egyptians Grecians and Romanes haue done whence the Iesuite would haue you thinke euen in this Idolatry many of them to be saued by I know not what congruitie which merits not the mention In succeeding ages this Idolatry became more manifold in some whiles other became Atheists of which their King and Magistrates are blamed And yet this King when some few yeeres since his Palace was fired with lightning being guiltie of his owne vnworthinesse he commanded his sonne to pray to Heauen for reconciliation Fryer Gasper de la Crux being in Canton entred a certaine Religious house where he saw a Chappell hauing therein besides many other things of great curiositie the Image of a woman with a child hanging about her necke and a Lampe burning before her The mysterie hereof so like the Popish mysterie of iniquitie none of the Chinois could declare The Sunne the Moone Starres and especially Heauen it selfe are gods of the first forme in their Idol-schoole They acknowledge Laocon Tzantey the Gouernour of the great god so it signifieth to be eternall and a spirit Of like nature they esteeme Causay vnto whom they ascribe the lower Heauen and power of Life and Death They subiect vnto him three other spirits Tauquam Teyquam Tzuiquam The first supposed to bee Author of Raine the second of humane Natiuitie Husbandrie and Warres the third is their Sea Neptune To these they offer Victualls Odors and Alter-clothes presenting them also with Playes and Comoedies They haue Images of the Deuil with Serpentine lockes and as deformed lookes as here he is painted whom they worship not to obtaine any good at his hand but to detaine and hold his hand from doing them euill They haue many Hee and Shee-Saints in great veneration with long Legends of their liues Amongst the chiefe of them are Sichia the first inuenter of their religious Votaries of both Sects Quannia an Anchoresse and Neoma a great Sorceresse Frier Martin in one Temple in Vcheo told a hundred and twelue Idols They tell of one Huiunsin in the Prouince of Cechian which did much good to the people both by Alchimy making true Siluer of Quick-siluer and by freeing the Metropolitan Citie from a huge Dragon which hee fastened to an yron pillar still shewed and then flew into Heauen with all his House Mice and all lye and all and there they haue built him a Temple the ministers whereof are of the Sect Thausu Trigautius writes of certaine Gods called Foe which they say goe a visiting Cities and Prouinces and the Iesuites in one Citie were taken for these Idols Foe At Sciauchin they in time of drought proclaimed a Fast euery Idoll was sollicited with Tapers and Odours for Raine A peculiar Officer with the Elders of the people obserued peculitr Rites to these purpose the Priests went on Procession all in vaine When the Citie-Gods could doe nothing they fetched a Country-Idoll called Locu which they carrie about worship offer to But LOCV is now growne old thus they said of his deafenesse At last they goe to a Witch who told them Quonin a Goddesse was angry that her backe was burned meaning the Conuerts which burnt their Idols which insensed them against the Christians Hoaquam is the name of an Idoll which hath rule ouer the eyes which they carry about in Procession and beg in his name In time of trouble they haue familiaritie with the Deuill Pedro de Alfaro obserued being in a Ship with the Chinois in this sort They cause a man to lye on the ground groueling and then one readeth on a Booke the rest answering and some make a sound with Bells and Tabors The man in short space beginneth to make visages and gestures whereby they know the Deuill is entred and then doe they propound their requests to which he answereth by word or Letters And when they cannot extort an answere by word they spread a red Mantle on the ground equally dispersing all ouer the same a certaine quantitie of Rice Then do they cause a man that cannot write to stand there themselues renuing their former inuocation and the Deuill entring into this man causeth him to write vpon the Rice But his answeres are often full of lyes In the entries of their houses they haue an Idoll-roome where they incense their Deities morning and euening They offer to them the sweetest odours Hennes Geese Duckes Rice Wine a Hogs-head boyled is a chiefe offering But little hereof falleth to Gods share which is set in a dish apart as the tippes of the Hogs-eares the bylls and feet of the Hennes a few cornes of Rice three or foure drops of Wine Their Bookes tell much of Hell their deuotions little Their Temples are homely and filthy no Oracle is in any of them They haue fables of men turned into Dogs or Snakes and againe metamorphosed into men And they which beleeue the paines of Hell yet beleeue after a certaine space that those damned soules shall passe thence into the bodies of some beasts But their Idolatries and religious Rites will better appeare if we take view of their different Religions and Sects §. III. Of their three Sects and first of that of CONFVTIVS THey reckon in the World and obserue amongst themselues three Sects the first of the Learned the second Sciequia the third Laucu One of these three euery Chinois professeth as doe their Neighbours also which vse their Characters the Iapanders Corians Lequians and Cochin-Chinois The Sect of the Learned is peculiar to the Chinois very ancient and famous which they drinke in together with the Studies of Learning all their Students and Magistrates professing the same obseruing Confutius the Author thereof These worship not Idols nor haue any One God they worship as preseruer of all things certaine Spirits also in an inferiour honour The chiefe of them neither acknowledge Author Time or Manner of the worlds creation Somewhat they discourse of Rewards of Good and Euill but such as are bestowed in this life vpon the
Doer or his Posteritie The Ancients made no question of the Soules immortalitie speaking often of the Dead as liuing in Heauen But of the punishments of wicked men in Hel not a word The later Professors teach that the Soule dies with or soone after the Bodie and therfore beleeue neither Heauen nor Hel. Some of them hold that good mens soules by the strength of vertue hold out some longer time but of bad men to die with the bodie But the most common opinion taken from the Sect of Idolaters and brought in fiue hundred yeeres since holdeth that the World consisteth of one substance and that the Maker thereof together with Heauen and Earth Men Beasts Plants and the Elements doe make vp one bodie of which euery Creature is a distinct member thence obseruing what loue ought to be amongst all things and that Men may come to become one with GOD. Although the learned men acknowledge one supreame Deitie yet doe they build him no Temple nor depute any place to his worship no Priests or Ministers of Religion no solemne Rites no Precepts or Rules none that hath power to ordaine or explaine their Holies or to punish the Transgressors They doe Him no priuate or publike deuotions or seruice yea they affirme that it belongs to the King only to do sacrifice and worship to the King of Heauen and that it is treason for others to vsurpe it For this cause the King hath two Temples very magnificent in both the Royall Cities the one consecrate to Heauen the other to Earth in the which hee was wont himselfe to sacrifice but it is now performed by some principall Magistrates which slay there many Sheepe and Oxen and performe other Rites many to Heauen and Earth in his stead To the other spirits of Hills Riuers and the foure Regions of the World onely the chiefe Magistrates doe sacrifice nor is it lawfull to priuate men The Precepts of this Law are in their nine Bookes before mentioned Nothing in this Sect is moee generall from the King to the meanest then their yeerely Obits to their Parents and grand-fathers which they account obedience to Parents though dead of which afterwards The Temple they haue is that which in euery Citie is by the Law built to Confutius in that place where there Schoole or Commencement house is This is sumptuous and hath adioyning the Palace of that Magistracie which is ouer the Bachellors or Graduates of the first degree In the chiefe place of this Temple or Chappell is placed his Image or else his name in golden Cupitall Letters on a faire Table besides which stand other Images of his disciples as inferiour Saints Into this Temple euery new and full Moone all the Magistrates of the Citie assemble with the Bachellors and adore him with kneelings wax-lights and incense They do also yeerely on his birth-day and other appointed times offer vnto him meat-offerings or dishes with great prouision yeelding him thanks for the learning they haue found in his Bookes as the cause of their Degrees and Magistracies But they pray not to him for any thing no more then to the dead in their Obits There are other Chappels of the same Sect vnto the Tutelare spirits of each Citie and proper to euery Magistrate of the Court Therein they binde themselues by solemne oath to obserue the Lawes in their function and that at their first entrance heere they offer meates and burne odours acknowledging diuine Iustice in punishing periurie The scope of this Sect of the learned is the publike peace and well ordering of the priuate and publike state and framing themselues to Morall vertues wherein they doe not much disagree from the Christian veritie They haue fiue concords in their Moralitie in which as Cardinall vertues they comprise all Humanitie the duties namely of Father and Child Husband and Wife Master or Superiour and those vnder them Brethren amongst themselues and lastly Equals and Companions They condemne single life and permit polygamie This precept of Charitie to doe to others as one would bee done to is well handled in their Bookes and especially the pietie and obseruance of Children to their Parents and Inferiours to their Superiours Longobardus saith that euery new and full Moon-day a little before Sun-rising in all the Cities of this Kingdome and in all the streets at one and the same houre they make publication of these sixe Precepts First Obey thy Father and Mother Secondly Reuerence thy Elders and Superiours Thirdly Keepe peace with thy Neighbours Fourthly Teach thy Children Fiftly Fulfill thy Calling and Office The last prohibiteth crimes Murther Adulterie Theft c. Many mixe this first with other Sects yea some hold not this a Sect but an Academie Schoole or Profession of Policie and gouerning the priuate and publike State §. IIII. Of the Sect Sciequia THe second Sect is called Sciequia or Omitose in Iapon pronounced Sciaccu and Amidabu the characters to both are the same the Iaponites call it also the Totoqui Law This was brought into China from the West out of a Kingdome called Thiencio or Scinto now Indostan betweene Indus and Ganges Anno Dom. 65. I haue read That the King of China mooued by a dreame sent Legates thither which brought thence Bookes and Interpreters which translated those Bookes from hence it passed into Iapon and therefore the Iaponders are deceiued which thinke that Sciaccu and Amidabu were Siamites and came into Iapon themselues Perhaps they then heard of the Apostles preaching in India and sending for that had this false doctrine obtruded on them These hold that there are foure Elements whereas the Chinois foolishly affirme fiue Fire Water Earth Metals and Wood not mentioning the Aire of which they compound this Elementary World with the creatures therein They multiplie Worlds with Democritus and with Pythagoras hold a Metampsychosis or passage of Soules out of one body into another They tell of a Trinitie of Gods which grew into one Deitie This Sect promiseth rewards to the good in Heauen to the euill threatens punishments in Hell extolleth Single life seemes to condemne Marriage bids fare-well to house and houshold and begs in Pilgrimages to diuers places Their Rites doe much agree it is the Iesuites assertion with the Popish their Hymnes and Prayers with the Gregorian fashion Images in their Temples Priestly Vestments like to their Pluutalia In their Mumsimus they often repeate a name which themselues vnderstand not Tolome which some thinke may be deriued from that of Saint Thomas Neither in Heauen or Hell doe they ascribe eternitie but after certaine spaces of yeeres they allow them another birth in some other Earth there allowing them penance for their passed sinnes The seuerer sort eate not flesh or any thing that had life but if any delinquish their penance is not heard the gift of some money or the mumbling ouer their Orisons being they promise of power to free from Hell These things made a faire shew but their corruptions
made them distastfull and this also which the Learned often obiect to these Sectaries that the King and Princes which first gaue way hereto died violently and miserably and fell into publike calamities Yet hath it euen to these times in diuers vicissitudes encreased and decreased and many Bookes haue beene thereof written which contayne many difficulties inextricable to themselues Their Temples are many and sumptuous in which huge monstrous Idols of Brasse Marble Wood and Earth are to be seene with Steeples adioyning of stone or timber and therein exceeding great Bells and other ornaments of great price Their Priests are called Osciami They continually shaue their heads and beards contrary to the Countrey custome Some of them goe on Pilgrimages others liue an austere life on Hills or in Caues and the most of them which amount to two or three millions liue in Cloysters of their reuenues and almes and somewhat also of their owne industrie These Priests are accounted the most vile and vicious in the Kingdome being of the baser raskalitie sold when they are children by their parents to the elder Priests of slaues made Disciples and succeeding their Masters in Sect and Stipend few voluntarily adioyning themselues to these Cloysterers Neither doe they affect more liberall learning nor abstayne but perforce from disauowed Luxurie Their Monasteries are diuided into diuers Stations according to their greatnesse in euery Station is one perpetuall Administrator with his slaue-Disciples which succeed him therein Superiour in the Monasterie they acknowledge none but euery one builds as many Cells or Chambers as he is able which they let out to strangers for great gaine that their Monasteries may be esteemed publike Innes wherein men may quietly lodge or follow their businesse without any explication of their Sects They are hired also by many to Funerall Solemnities and to other Rites in which wilde Beasts Birds or Fishes are made free and let loose the seuerer Sectaries buying them to this meritorious purpose In our times this Sect much flourisheth and hath many Temples erected and repaired many Eunuches women and of the rude vulgar embracing the same There are some Professors called Ciaicum that is Fasters which liue in their owne houses all their life abstayning from Fish and Flesh and with certaine set prayers worship a multitude of Idols at home but not hard to be hired to these deuotions at other mens houses In these Monasteries women also doe liue separated from men which shaue their heads and reiect Marriage These Nunnes are there called Nicu. But these are but few in comparison of the men One of the learned Sect famous in the Court relinquished his place in the Colledge and shaued his haire wrote many Bookes against the Confutians but being complayned of the King commanded hee should be punished which hee punished further on himselfe with cutting his owne throat Whereupon a Libell or Petition was put vp to the King against the Magistrates which relinquished Confutius and became of this Sect the King notwithstanding all the Queenes Eunuches and his Kindred are of this Sect made answere That such should goe into the Desarts and might bee ashamed of their Robes Hence followed orders That whosoeuer in his Writings mentioned an Idoll except by way of Confutation should be vncapable of degrees in Learning which caused much alteration in Religion for many of this Sect had preuayled much in Court and elsewhere Amongst the rest one Thacon was so honoured of the chiefe Queene that shee worshipped daily his garment because it was not lawfull for himselfe to enter the Palace but dealt by Eunuches One libelled to the King against him but had no answere which is the Kings fashion when he denies or disallowes it which made him more insolent But being suspected for a Libell made against the King and some writings in zeale of his Idols against the King being found he was beaten to death howling in his torments which before had vanted a Stoicall Apathie The other Sect-masters were banished the Court §. V. Of the third Sect Lauzu THeir third Sect is named Lauzu of a certaine Philosopher which liued in the same age with Confutius They fable that he was fourescore yeeres in his mothers wombe before his birth and therefore call him Lauzu that is old Philosopher He left no booke written of his Sect nor seemes to haue intended any such institution But his Sectaries called him after his death Tausa and haue fathered on him their opinions whereof they haue written many elegant bookes These also liue single in their Monasteries buying Disciples liuing as vile and vicious as the former They shaue not their haire but weare it like the Lay-men sauing that they haue a Hat or Cap of wood There are others married which at their owne houses professe greater austeritie and recite ouer set prayers They affirme That amongst other Idols they also worship the God of Heauen but corporeall and to whom their Legends tell that many indignities haue happened The King of Heauen which now raigneth they call Ciam he which raigned before was Leu who on a time came riding to the Earth on a white Dragon Him did Ciam who was a Diuinor giue entertainment and whiles Leu was at his good cheere mounted vp his Dragon which carried him to heauen there seized on the heauenly Royaltie and shut out Leu who yet at last was admitted to the Lordship of a certaine Mountaine in that Kingdom Thus they professe their god to bee a coozener and vsurper Besides this King of Heauen they faine another threefold Deitie one of which they say was the head of their Lauzu sect They promise to theirs Paradise which they shall enioy both in bodie and soule and in their Temples haue pictures of such as haue the Images of such Saints To obtaine this they prescribe certaine exercises which consist in diuers postures of sitting certaine prayers and medicines by which they promise to the obseruers through their gods fauour an immortall life in Heauen at least a longer mortall in the bodie The Priests of this Sect haue a peculiar Office of casting out Deuils which they do by two meanes one is to paint horrible shapes of Deuill in yellow paper with inke to be fastned on the walls and then fill the house with such sauage clamors that themselues might be thought to be Deuils the other is by certaine prayers or coniurations They professe also a power of faire weather and soule and other priuate and publike misfortunes : and some of them seeme to be Witches These Priests reside in the Kings Temples of Heauen and Earth and assist at the Kings sacrifices whether by himselfe performed or his Deputie Magistrates and thereby acquire great authoritie At these sacrifices they make musicke of all sorts which China yeeldeth harshed Europaean eares They are called likewise to Funeralls to which they come in precious Vestments playing on Musical Instruments They assist also at the consecrations of new Churches and
commendation whereby they cannot but lamely walke abroad And if any widdow refuse a second marriage shee obtaineth hereby much praise and many priuiledges Their Bonzij are so little accounted of that the Iesuites wearing their habit were litle set by and therefore taking the Mandarine-habit were exceedingly honoured of all sorts as professors of learning §. VI. Of their superstitious Diuinations and curious Arts OF their Mechanicall and Liberall Arts wee haue alreadie spoken the same in this Suruey of their Religion you may expect of those Arts which are curious and superstitious None of which is so generall as their vaine obseruations of luckie and vnluckie dayes and houres by which they measure the oportunities of all their actions To this end they haue Almanacks or Kalenders yeerely set forth by the Kings Astrologers with publike authoritie in such numbers that no house wants them Somewhat of these hath beene spoken alreadie Trigautius writeth at large of their mysteries in this kind comparing the differences thereof with ours in Europe They follow certaine rules the first Authors whereof liued 3970. yeeres since in the reigne of Yao whom they still obserue as a Saint who set two brethren on worke to finde out the celestiall motions Their names were Hi and Ho these wrote certaine rules which two thousand yeeres after were burned by Xi Hoam and not a booke left that was knowne till some Copies were againe discouered in the time of King Vu ti aboue an hundred yeeres after These rules haue beene fiue and fiftie times examined and as it were new reuised and allowed the last of which was three hundred yeeres since by Co xeu kim while the Tartars reigned As for the Theoricall Astrologie they know it not and in the practicall they are not so practised but their rules deceiue them So it hapned about fiue yeeres since they foretelling an Eclipse falsly for which One libelled against them to the King and they confessed the errour but blamed their grounds whereupon consultation was had and the Iesuites employed by publike Commission to ioyne with their Mathematicians in reforming their Kalender which they intended to doe by bringing in the Europaean This and the Kings grant of an Idoll-Temple to them a little before 1610. for the buriall of Ricius wanne the Iesuites great respect in this Kingdome Their yeere they reckon by the Moone like the Hebrewes Their day they account from mid-night to mid-night diuiding it into twelue equall spaces But that which I intend is not to shew their want of Art so much as their wanton Art and artlesse trifling in superstitions without ground As such a Day is fit for sacrifice for bankets for a iourney a suite to the King building of a house or the like what is to be done or not wherein they are not more ridiculous prescribers then the people superstitious obseruers There are others also that get their liuing by this profession appointing daies and houres many deferring their necessary affaires till the Wizard findes out a luckie houre for the beginning and then wil he begin although the blustering windes lowring skie and all the elements forbid him and force him to a present retrait This hath beene a generall folly in the East and thence hath infected the West also but China runs mad thereof The like care they vse in calculating Natiuities an Art professed by many as is that also by the course of Stars or certaine superstitious numbers to foretell things Physiognomie and Palmistrie and Diuination by Dreames by words in communication by casuall gestures auguries sunne-beames and innumerable other fancies haue conspired to this phrensie wherein it is hard to iudge whether is more absurd the fraudulent Impostor impudently promising without feare or wit what the impotent Consultor with a witlesse feare makes credible by his credulitie Many of them sickning and sometimes almost dying vpon meere conceit of sicknesse on such a day foretold Many also consult with Deuills and familiar Spirits of which before is mentioned and diuers wayes receiue his Oracles by the voyces of Infants of Beasts of Men distracted or otherwise Besides these fooleries they haue one more peculiar namely in choosing a plot of ground for priuate or publike buildings which plot they compare with the head tayle feet of certaine imagined Dragons which they thinke liue vnder the earth from whence all aduerse or prosperous fortunes befall Families Cities Prouinces and the whole Kingdome And therefore many chiefe men spend their wits in this so profound a science and are employed especially in publike structures As Astrologers view the Heauens so these the Earth and by the Mountaines Riuers Site foretell the Fates and make good or bad fortune to depend on the placing of the doore window or other part of the house on this or that side or site It is a world to see what a world of these Impostors their are in this their world so they call the Kingdome of China which gull the learned the Magistrates and the King himselfe Strange is their Diuination by Idolatrous Lots which some tell on this manner They haue their Idols in their houses with which they consult sometimes praying and sometimes beating them and then setting them vp againe with renewed incense and flatteries and with as they see occasion redoubled stripes being cruell or propitious as Tertullian obiected to the Romanes to their Gods And in a word the Mandarines are the Gods or Deuils rather whom the people must feare as dreading blowes from them which they themselues at pleasure can and doe inflict on the other This God-beating they vse with Lots For when any is to vndertake a iourney or any matter of weight as buying lending marrying c. They haue two stickes flat on the one side otherwise round as bigge as a Walnut tyed together with a small thread which after many sweet Oraisons they hurle before the Idoll If one or both of them fall with the flat side vpwards they reuile the Image with the most opprobrious termes and then hauing thus disgorged their choller they againe craue pardon with many fawning promises But if at the second cast they find no better fortune they passe from words to blowes the deafe God is hurled on the earth into the water or fire till at last with his vicissitude of sweet and sowre handling and their importunate reiterations of their casts he must needs at last relent and is therefore feasted with Hens Musicke and if it be of very great moment which they consult about with a Hogs-head boyled dressed with Hearbes and Flowers and a pot of their Wine They obserue another kind of Lots with stickes put together in a pot and drawing out the same consult with a certaine booke they haue of their destinie Mongst other their curious Arts there are two in chiefe request Alchimie to bring siluer out of other metalls and the other to procure a long or endlesse life They fable that some of
more vnhappy tense when they were there was a Citie great strong and very faire with walls of Stone and great Ditches round about it with many Crocodiles in them There are two Townes the old in which the Merchants abide and the houses are made of Canes called Bambos and the new for the King and his Nobilitie the Citie is so subiect to fire that euery day Proclamation is made to take heed to their fire The Citie is square with faire walls hauing in each Square fiue Gates besides many Turrets for Centinels to watch made of wood and gilded very faire The Streets are strait as a line from one Gate to another and so broad that ten or twelue men may ride a-front through them On both sides at euery mans doore is set a Coco-tree yeelding a faire shew and comfortable shaddow that a man might walke in the shade all day The houses are made of Wood and couered with Tiles The Kings house is in the midst walled and ditched about and the houses within of Wood sumptuously wrought and guilded And the house wherein his Pagode or Idoll standeth is couered with Tiles of Siluer and all the walls are guilded with Gold Within the first gate of the Kings house was a large roome on both sides whereof were houses made for the Kings Elephants Among the rest hee had foure white Elephants a thing rare in Nature but more precious in his estimation For this is part of his Royall Title The King of the white Elephants And if any other hath any he will seeke by fauour or force to haue the same which some say was the cause of the quarrell betwixt him and the King of Siam Great seruice was done vnto them Euery one of these white Elephants stood in an house guilded with Gold and were fed in vessels of Siluer gilt One of them as hee went euery day to the Riuer to bee washed passed vnder a Canopie of Cloth of Gold or Silke carried by sixe or eight men as many going before playing on Drums or other Instruments At his comming out of the Riuer a Gentleman washed his feet in a Siluer Bason There were of blacke Elephants nine Cubits high The King was said to haue aboue fiue thousand Elephants of Warre There was about a mile from Pegu a place builded with a faire Court in it to take wilde Elephants in a Groue which they doe by the female Elephants trained to this purpose and anointed with a certaine Oyle which causeth the wilde Elephant to follow her When the Hunts-men haue brought the Elephant neere to the Citie they send word thereof and many Horse-men and Foot-men come out and cause the female to take a streight way which leadeth to the place where shee entereth and hee after her for it is like a Wood. When they are in the gate is shut and they get out the female The wilde one seeing himselfe alone weepeth and runneth against the walles which are made of strong trees some of them breake their teeth therewith Then they pricke him with sharpe Canes and cause him to goe into a strait house and there fasten him with a rope and let him fast three or foure dayes and then bring a femall to him with meat and drinke within few dayes taming him When they goe into the Warres they set a frame of wood vpon their backes bound with great Cordes wherein sit foure or six men which fight with Guns Darts Arrowes and other weapons All Authors agree that no beast commeth so neere the reason of a man as the Elephant yea they seeme to goe before some men in conceit haughtinesse desire of glory thankefulnesse c. The Peguans are beardlesse and carrie pinsers about them to plucke out the hayres if any grow They blacke their teeth for they say a Dogge hath white teeth The men of Pegu Aua Iangoma and Brama weare balls in their yards which they put in the skinne being cut and weare for euery childe one till they haue three and may take them out at pleasure the least as bigge as any Wall-nut the biggest as bigge as a little Hennes Egge They were inuented to preuent Sodomie which they vse more then any people in the world Abusing the Male-Sexe causeth the women also to weare scant clothes that as they goe their thigh is seene bare to prouoke men to lust Both these were ordained by a certaine Queene for those causes and are still obserued If the King giue any one of his Balles it is a great Iewell accounted they heale the place in sixe or eight dayes The Bramans that are of the Kings bloud pricke some part of their skinne and put therein a blacke colour which lasteth alway If any Merchant resort thither hee shall haue many maydes saith Linschoten offered him by their parents to take his choyse and hauing agreed with their parents hee may for the time of his abode vse her as his slaue or his Concubine without any discredit to her Yea if hee come againe after shee is marryed hee may for the time hee stayeth there demaund her in like sort to his vse And when a man marrieth hee will request some of his friends to lye the first night with his Bride There are also among them that sow vp the priuie part of their Daughters leauing onely passage for Vrine which when they marry passe vnder the Surgeons hand for remedie Gasper Balby and Got. Arthus tell of another custome of their Virgins if that name may bee giuen them For saith hee Virgines in hoc regno omnino nullas reperire licet Puellae enim omnes statim à pueritia sua medicamentum quoddam vsurpant quo muliebria distenduntur aperta continentur idque propter globulos quos in virgis viri gestant illis enim admittendis virgines arctiores nullo modo sufficerunt Their money is called Ganza and is made of Copper and Leade which euery man may stampe that will Gold and Siluer is merchandise and not money The tides of the Sea betweene Martauan and Pegu by Caesor Fredricke are reputed the greatest wonder which hee saw in his trauels being so violent that the ayre is filled with noyse and the earth quaketh at the approach of this watery element shooting the Boats that passe therewith as arrowes which at a high water they suffer not to anchor in the Channell which would betray them to the deuouring iawes of the returning tide but draw them toward some Banke where they rest in the ebbe on dry land as high vpon the Channels bottome as any house top And if they arriue not at their certaine stations they must backe againe whence they came no place else being able to secure them And when it encreaseth againe it giueth them their calls or salutations the first waue washeth ouer the Barke from stemme to sterne the second is not so furious the third raiseth the Anchor In Negrais in Pegu diuers people dwell in Boates which they call
and returned to Lahor losing many Elephants and Horses in the way both by Famine then oppressing the Countrey and the difficultie of the Passages the Elephants sometimes in the ascent of Hils helping themselues with their Trunkes leaning and staying themselues being burthened thereon as on a staffe The Prince which is now King was assaulted by a fierce Lionesse as he rode on a Female Elephant which yet hee wounded first with a Dart then with a Shot and lastly smote her with the hand-Gun it selfe wherewith being ouerthrowne a Souldier came in and slew her but with losse of his owne life The next yeere 1598. Echebar went to Agra chiefe Citie of a Kingdome which hee had also conquered a hundred leagues from Lahor towards the South passing that way to Decan Hee had eight hundred Elephants and seuen thousand Camels to carrie his Tents and Prouisions yea his Secretarie had at the same time seuen hundred Camels and seuentie Elephants for his owne furniture and therefore it is lesse maruaile of the Kings The King conducted in this Expedition aboue a thousand Elephants instructed to fight and a hundred thousand Soldiers Hee passed the Mountaines of Gate by almost impassable Passages spending sometimes a whole day in passing the space of a Musket-shot One of his Captaines went before with fiftie thousand who tooke one of the Decans strongest Holds and made easie way to the Conquest of the rest of Melics Dominions which hee left in the Gouernment of his sonne Brampore fell into his hands being destitute of defence This was Anno 1600. Miram the King thereof had forsaken it and betaken himselfe to Syra a strong Hold both by Nature and Art It was seated on the top of a Hill which reacheth fiue leagues enuironed with a triple Wall so built that one might bee defended from the next Within was a Well of running Water and all necessarie Prouisions for threescore thousand persons for many yeeres It had three thousand great Peeces of Ordnance In this Castle according to the Countrey custome the next of the Bloud Royall were kept with their Families nor might depart except the Throne emptie the next Heire was hence deliuered much after that which is written of Amara in the Abassens Countrey and it seemes borrowed from thence so many slaues of those parts being here entertained and some in the highest Employments At this time besides King Miram there were seuen of these Princes The Gouernour was an Abassine with seuen other Vnder-Commanders all renegado Mahumetanes The Mogoll layde siege thereto with almost two hundred thousand men but more preuailed as before in Melics Countrey with Bribes and Promises then Force Thus inuiting Miram to a Conference swearing By the Kings head accounted an inuiolable Oath as is that By their Fathers head that hee should bee permitted safe returne Some of his Councellours perswaded him to goe hee went with a kinde of Stole on his necke hanging to his knees in token of subiection And comming before the Mogoll bowed himselfe but was cast to the ground by some of his Captaines and forceably detained The Abassine Gouernour sent his sonne to demand performance of Achebar his promise who being questioned of his Father the Abassen and the hopes to obtaine the Castle freely answered for his Fathers fidelitie and that if Miram were not restored they should not want a Successour with which libertie he prouoked the Mogol to cause him to be slaine which his Father hearing strangled himselfe And the wals were soone after battered at least entred and a breach made through the open gates by golden shot none of these seuen for feare of treason daring to take the Royall Soueraigntie These with the King were dispersed into diuers parts of his Kingdome and maintenance allowed them Thus remained Echebar Lord of these parts and longed to adde the rest of India whatsoeuer is betwixt Indus and Ganges euen to the Cape Comori to his Dominion He writ a Letter about this time to the Vice-Roy of Goa beginning thus I mention it to shew you his Titles which he arrogated The Great and Mightie Lord of the Law of MAHOMET The Renowmed and Great King Vanquisher of the Kings his Enemies Obserued and Honoured of Great Men Exalted aboue other Kings in ample Honour and Dignitie The onely Man for Gouernment amongst all the Princes of the World His Ambassage to ARIAS DE SALDAGNA c. The ninth day of Frauard the first moneth of the yeere beginning at the Aequinoctiall Vernall in the fortie sixe yeere viz. of His Reigne At this time dyed the Gouernour or Vice-Roy of Lahor which left to the King who is Heire Generall and Successour of euery mans wealth three millions of Gold coyned besides other Gold Siluer Iewels Horses Elephants furniture and goods almost inualuable This also for a taste of the meanes accrewing to this Kings Treasure Echebar returning to Agra gaue libertie to the Iesuites to conuert as many as would to Christianitie The King of Candacar or Candahar not able to defend himselfe against Abduxa King of the Vsbechs surrendred himselfe and his Kingdome to Echebar The particulars of his other Conquests I cannot relate His last victory I know not whether to impute to his happinesse or not It was against his Sonne in which the griefe to haue such an enemy could not but be more then the glory of the exploit This happened Anno 1602. Echebar being forced to giue ouer his Decan Conquest by his Sonnes vntimely challenge of the Scepter who weary of his Fathers long life stiled himselfe King and his Father the Great King Armies were gathered on both sides on both sides were sent Letters and Messengers The Mother of Echebar being nintie yeeres old laboured a peace but not preuailing fell sicke which caused him to returne from this expedition against his Sonne But her body not able to ouercome the disease yeelded to death Her Sonne shaued his head beard and eye-browes and mourned after the Country fashion in blue his Nobles doing the like three dayes Her huge Treasure which shee had bequeathed to her children and Nephewes the King seized on The Prince was perswaded to come to his Father without an Army which he did and after some rebuke was reconciled and remained content with the Kingdome of Cambaia or Guzzerat He seemed much addicted to the Iesuites and obtained his Fathers Licence for a Temple at Agra to the building whereof hee gaue a thousand pieces of Gold On the twentie seuen of October Anno 1605. Echebar dyed in the Climactericall yeere 63. of his age and fiftie of his reigne In his sicknesse Selim the Prince whom some suspected of dealing as the Turkish Selim had done with his Father Baiazet came not into the Presence and much consultation was amongst the Great ones to conferre the Succession vpon Cussero his sonne But the issue was that vpon his Oath to maintaine the Law of Mahomet and of full pardon to his Sonne
and all his Partakers hee was brought into his Fathers presence Echebar was past speech but made signes that hee should take the Royall Diademe and gird himselfe with the sword hanging at his beds head The Prince performed the solemne Iordam or Rite of Adoration with the head bowed to the Earth and his Father signing with his hand that hee should depart did so as did his Father presently after out of the world His body was carried on the shoulders of his Son and Nephew out of the towre where he lay the wall being broken after the fashion for passage and a new gate there erected and being brought into his Garden a league from thence was interred with small attendance neither the King nor his Nobles except Cossero and a few others wearing mourning habite So little was He in his West a little before the great Terrour of the East Eight dayes after Echebars death the Prince entred the Palace and seated himselfe in the Throne the people crying Pad iausa or Padasha lamat GOD saue the King His first endeauours were to giue contentment to the Mahumetans causing their Moschees to bee purged and their Rites to bee established yea hee tooke a new Name NVRDIN MOHAMAD IAHANVIR that is the Splendour of MAHOMETS Law Subduer of the World And by this Name IAHANVIR or as our Countrey-men lately come from thence pronounce it IAHANGERE hee is vsually called and not by his ancient Name SELIM In Aprill after his sonne rebelled and taking the Title of SVLTAN IA that is Sultan the King brought into his partie two Great Men and so went to Lahor which not being admitted entrance hee besieged eight dayes or as others say presented himselfe with his Forces about twelue thousand before it without any great hostilitie offered him His Father in person pursued him which being rumor'd so dismayed the sonne that he fled hauing euen then put some of the Kings men to rout For by a notable stratageme hee lost the day the aduerse Generall sending many with flying tales into the Princes Armie buzzing the neerenesse and Greatnesse of the Kings power and seconding the same like GIDEONS Policie with multitude of Trumpets and Drummes scarred them and notwithstanding the Princes gaine-saying hee was by his owne almost compelled to flight Hee tooke his way towards Cabul and being to passe a Riuer the Captaine of the place caused all Boats to be taken away and commanded the rowers that if the Prince came they should fasten the Boat as by mischance on a Shelfe or Iland of sand in the middle of the Riuer which being done they should seeme to call for helpe and so giue notice This was done and the Gouernour came and after due reuerence promising all fidelitie and securitie wherein hee was vnfaithfully faithfull brought Him into the Castle and sent the King word thereof who sent presently and brought Him in fetters together with his company The King bitterly checked him committed him to prison Some adde that hee sealed vp his eyes Others say that his eyes were put out But their eyes were not put in onely cares put on that say so for hee hath lately beene freed and hath the vse also of his eyes as I haue beene tolde from the eyes of diuers His two great Captaines had a strange punishment the one sowed vp close in an Oxe-skinne the other in an Asse-skinne both new flayed that drying they might withall straightly pinch in their Prisoners in a close and narrow Little-ease The next day they were carried through the Citie on Asses their faces to the taile-wards the one conspicuous with his Oxe-hornes the other with his Asses-eares The shame and ignominy so pierced one of them that hee fell downe dead his head was cut off and the pieces of his dismembred bodie were set vp in diuers places The other by way of fauour was permitted to haue water powred on his hide which brought a worse euill by the heate of so neere a Sunne causing a filthy stinke and multiplication of Vermine till at last his pardon was procured Two hundreth of the Princes Souldiers were set on both sides the way as hee should passe to be executed He caused his second Sonne to be proclaimed Prince as his Father had before transferred the Title from him to This his Son There was a famous Prophet of the Ethnikes named Goru esteemed there of his Sectaries as the Romish Pope is of the Popish Romanists with him as a man famous for Sanctimony did the Prince consult who in adulation adorned his head with a Diadem which in an Ethnike to a Mahumetan was strange but hee coloured it with the Gentilisme of the Princes Mother Vpon this Goru was committed but vpon promise by an Ethnike of 100000. pieces of Gold to bee payd to the King hee was pardoned Hee that vndertooke this hoped on the Kings pardon or that Goru would procure this summe which failing hee seized on all hee had not sparing his wife and children adding tortures also to extort money from him and taking away his meate thinking him rather a miser then a begger Thus in varietie of misery the flattering Prophet lost his life and his Suretie also thinking to escape by flight was taken and slaine his goods all confiscate This King at first made great shew of zeale to Mahomet which since is cooled and his Religion seemes to bee the same with Echebars Contrary to the Mahumetan practice hee delighteth much in Images as of CHRIST the Virgin and other Saints with which his chambers and publike roomes are stored and to all his Letters and Charters besides the Kings Seale addes the Images of CHRIST and the Holy Virgin engrauen in a paire of tongs as it were of Emeralds with which hee seales his Letters on both sides the pendent waxe The last newes that wee haue from the Iesuites of whom wee haue borrowed almost all the former Relations is of Captaine Hawkins comming to the Court and kind entertainment of the King who made him say they a Gentleman of foure hundred Horse and assigned him thirtie thousand Rupies stipend adding other reports of his pride obstinate heresie and supplantation by the Portugals with other things of Him and those of the Ascension were wracked partly true partly false I haue thought good to set before you in the next seruice some of Captaine Hawkins obseruations whiles hee staied there and after of other our Countrey-men which now haue a settled trade in these vast Dominions Obserue by the way that the Iesuites to the last doe accuse Captaine Hawkins of his obdurate heresie contrarie to the calumnies of some that say hee became deuoutly Popish at their perswasion §. III. The Relations of Captaine HAWKINS Embassador there MAster William Hawkins being Captaine in the Ship called the Hector after a long and tedious voyage from March 1607. to the foure and twentieth of August 1608. arriued at Surat subiect to the Mogor or Mogol so he calleth him and after much
Men departed doe most of all enter into these beasts They haue many bookes of their superstition neere the Augurall discipline of the Hetrurians and fond fables of the Graecians and diligently conceale the same from vulgar knowledge except some Bramene Proselyte doe detect those mysteries They beleeue one God maker of Heauen and Earth but adde that he could haue no pleasure in so weighty a charge of gouerning the world and therefore hath delegated the same to the Deuill to reward euery man according to his workes Him they call Deumo they name GOD Tamerani The King hath in his Palace the Chappell of Deumo carued full of Deuils and in the middest sitteth this Image of metall in a Throne of the same matter with a triple Crowne like the Popes and foure hornes with teeth eyes and mouth wide and terrible hooked hands and feet like a Cocke In each corner of this square Chappell is a Deuill set in a fiery Throne wherein are many Soules the Deuill putting one with his right hand into his mouth and taking another from vnder him with his left hand This Idoll is washed by the Bramenes with sweet water incensed and worshipped euery morning Somtime in the weeke they sacrifice on this manner They haue an Altar strewed with flowers on which they put the bloud of a Cocke and coales of fire in a siluer Chafing-dish with much perfumes incensing about the Altar and often ringing with a little Bell of siluer They hold in their hands a siluer Knife with which the Cocke was killed which they dip in the bloud and put into the fire with many Apish gestures All the bloud is thus burned many Waxe-candles burning meane-while The Priest hath on his wrists and legs as it were Morrice-bels which make a great noise a certaine Table hanging at his necke and when he hath ended his Sacrifice he taketh his hands full of Wheat goeth backward from the Altar on which hee alwaies fixeth his eies to a certaine Tree and then hurleth the Corne vp ouer his head as high as he can after which he returneth and vnfurnisheth the Altar The King of Calicut eateth no meate before foure principall Bramenes haue first offered thereof to the Deuill which they do lifting both their hands ouer their heads and shutting their fists draw back the same with their thumbe presenting of that meate to the Idoll and then carrie it to the King on a great Leafe in a Treene Platter The King sitteth on the ground at his meate without any thing vnder him attended with Bramenes standing foure paces off with their hands before their mouthes in great reuerence And after the King hath eaten those Priests carry the Relikes into the Court where they clap thrice with their hands whereat presently certaine Crowes resort thither to eate the Kings leauings which Crowes are hereunto accustomed and may not bee hurt of any When the King marrieth a wife one of the principall Bramenes hath the first nights lodging with hee for which he hath assigned him by the King foure hundred or fiue hundred Ducats The King and his Gentlemen or Nayros eate not flesh without license of the Bramenes The King committeth the custodie of his Wife to the Bramenes when he trauelleth any whither and taketh in too honest part their dishonest familiaritie But for this cause the Kings Sonne succeedeth not in the Crowne but his sisters Sonne as being certainly of his blood These sisters of the King choose what Gentleman they please on whom to bestow their Virginitie and if they proue not in a certaine time to be with child they betake them go these Bramene-stallions The Gentlemen and Merchants haue a custome to exchange Wiues in token of great friendship Some women amongst them haue sixe or seuen Husbands fathering her children on which of them shee best pleaseth The Men when they marry get others to vse them if they bee Virgins fifteene or twentie dayes before they themselues will bed them This Author affirmeth that there were a thousand Families of Christians in Calicut at the time of his being there a hundred and twentie yeeres since If a Debtor breake day with his Creditor and often disapoint him hee goeth to the principall of the Bramenes and receiueth of him a Rod with which he approcheth to the Debter and making a Circle about him chargeth him in the name of the King and the said Bramene not to depart thence till he hath satisfied the Debt which if he do not he must starue in the place for if he depart the King will cause him to be executed The new King for one yeeres space eateth neither Fish nor Flesh nor cutteth his Haire or Nailes vseth certaine Prayers daily eateth but one meale and that after he hath washed neither may hee looke on any man till he hath ended his repast At the yeeres end hee maketh a great Feast to which resort aboue ten thousand persons to confirme the Prince and his Officers and then much Almes is giuen Hee entertaineth tenne thousand Women in diuers Offices in his Palace These make to the King after his fasting yeere is out a Candlemasse Feast each of them carrying diuers lights from the Temple where they first obserue many Idoll idle Ceremonies vnto the Palace with great Musicke and other iollitie §. II. Of the King of Calicut OF the election and erection of the Zamoryn we haue spoken in the beginning of the Chapter let vs here adde out of Castaneda concerning his deuotion Hee saith that this King of Calicut is a Bramene as his Predecessors also And for that it is a custome that all the Kings die in one Pagode or Idoll Temple hee is elected for that cause For alwaies there is and must be in that House a King to serue those Idols and when hee that serueth there dieth then must the King that then raigneth leaue his Empire and goe serue in that place as the other did another being elected to succeed him in the Kingdome And if any refuseth to forsake his Court for the Pagode they enforce him thereunto The Kings of Malabar be browne men and goe naked from the girdle vpward and from thence downward they are couered with cloth of Silke and of Cotton adorned with Iewels For their Children the Sonnes inherit not but the Brother or if there bee none the Sisters Sonne When their Daughers are ten yeeres old they send out of the Kingdome for a Nayro and presenting him with gifts request him to take her Virginitie which hauing done hee tieth a Iewell about her necke which she weareth during her life as a token that from thenceforth she hath free power of her bodie to doe what she will which before she might not After their death these Kings are carried forth into a plaine Field and their burned with sweet wood very costly their kindred and all the Nobilitie of the Countrey being present which done and the ashes buried they shaue themselues without leauing
when they haue wallowed a long time in lustfull pleasures shoot into the aire pieces of their flesh tyed to Arrowes and diuersly mangle themselues at last cut their owne throats so sacrificing themselues to the Pagode There are also certaine people called Amouchi otherwise Chiani which perceiuing the end of their life approach lay hold on their weapons which they call Chisse and going forth kill euery man they meet with till some body by killing them make an end of their killing They are loth it seemes to come into the Deuils presence empty-handed or to goe to Hell alone Some of them worship GOD in the likenesse of a Man some in the images of Kine and Serpents some inuoke the Sunne and Moone others some Tree or Riuer Among many Feasts which they celebrate in the yeere one in Autumne is most solemne in which they take some great tree and fasten it in the ground hauing first fashioned it like a mast of a Ship with a crosse-yard whereon they hang two hookes of iron And when any one by sicknesse or other miserie hath made a vow to their Idoll or Pagode hee commeth thither and being first admonished by the Priests to offer his sacrifice they lift him with those hookes by both the shoulders and there hold him to the Idoll till he hath three times saluted the same with clapping his folded hands to his breast and hath made some sport thereto with weapons which he hath in his hand After this he is let downe and the bloud which issueth from his shoulders is sprinkled on the Tree in testimonie of his deuotion Then they draw him vp againe by the middle to giue thankes to the Idoll and then giue him leaue to heale himselfe if he can They which are in great miserie or seeke some great matter at the hand of their Idoll doe this They haue another Feast celebrated in the night continuing eight nights in which many Candles were seene burning thorow the Citie Three or foure runne from one end of street to the other and hurling Rice and other meates after them say they offer it to the Deuill which followes them not daring to looke behind lest he should slay them In other places also they haue those Idol-chariots like vnto Towers to the drawing whereof many thousands of deuout persons put their helping-hand Anno 1598. there was a great contention whether the signe of Perimal should bee erected in the Temple of Cidambacham This signe was a gilded Mast with an Ape at the foot thereof Many Embassadors were there about this quarrell some vrging some resisting this deed But the Prince called the Naicho of Gingi would haue it set vp notwithstanding the Priests greatest vnwillingnesse The Priests therefore both regular which are the Iogues and secular Bramenes ascended vp the roofe of the Church and thence threatned to hurle downe themselues which twenty of the Iogues did and the rest threatned to follow But the Naicho caused Gunnes to be discharged at them which slue two and caused the rest to retire and breake their couenant rather then their necks with their fellowes A woman also of this faction cut her owne throat for zeale of this new superstition §. II. Of the Kings and Bramenes in this Kingdome THe swelling stile of this King of Bisnagar I thought worthie to be here inserted which is this The Husband of good fortune the God of great Prouinces King of the greatest Kings and God of Kings the Lord of horsemen the Master of them which cannot speake Emperour of three Emperours Conquerour of all he sees and Keeper of all he conquers Dreadfull to the eight coasts of the world Vanquisher of the Mahumetans c. Lord of the East West North and South and of the Sea c. Vencapadinus Ragiu Deuamaganus Ragel which now ruleth and gouerneth this world These Kings of Bisnagar haue as sayth Barrius a great part of the Westerne coast subject vnto them all betweene the riuers of Aliga and Cangerecora in which space are these coast Townes Ancola Agorapan Mergeu Onor a Royall Citie Baticala Bendor Bracelor Bacanor Carara Carnate Mangalor Mangliran Cumlata and Cangerecora From this Citie standing on a Riuer of the same name Southwards vnto the Cape Comori is reckoned the Malabar coast And although Goa and Calecut much hinder those his Ports yet to salute and shake hands with both Seas argues a great State specially where the adioyning are so small There are three Naichi or Tributary Kings subiect to Him such in power but in title Naichi that is Deputies or Presidents of Madura Gingi and Tanaior The Naicho of Madura is Lord of the Fishing coast The people are called Badagae and despise the Portugals because they drinke Wine eate Beefe and suffer themselues to be touched of the Pareae and carried on their shoulders For these in their Bramene zeale would not endure to touch or talke with the baser vulgar and their Bramenes would die rather then eate that which a Bramene had not dressed And therefore Robert Sforce a Iesuite comming amongst them professed himselfe of the Bramene or Rape bloud that is of Noble race procured a Bramene to dresse his meate abstained from Flesh Fish Wine and Egges after their Countrey manner and attired himselfe in the habite of a Sanasse one of their votaries and in pretence of chastitie stirred not out of his house in a whole yeere nor would be spoken with by euery one alleaging somtimes his deuouter conference with God so to winne credite with these Ethnikes He learned by conference with a Bramene that they maintayned that Philosophicall axiome that Nothing could be made of nothing and held three Beginnings or Vniuersall Causes the first Padi that is God the second Paiu the Matter of which they say the Soules are made the third Passan the Corporall matter They maintayned also the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Pythagorean passage of Soules out of one body into another for else say they how could there be such diuersitie of Men one a King another a Seruant one a Bramene another a Parea They are also Platonikes holding the Soule not to be the forme of the Body but enclosed therein as a Bird in a Cage The Bramenes weare ashes on their heads It seemes they are zealous Baneanes Their Saneasses are Asses indeed for literature only as Hermites they vow chastitie The Gorupi or Gorusi are the Doctors of their Law The Iesuites professed the Doctorship of these in the habite of the former which is a white Garment to the ankle with another of the same colour but thinner ouer it a red cloth cast ouer the shoulders one like a Cap or Hat on his head from his necke hangs downe a corde of fiue threeds three of gold and two of white silke they eate but once a day Their Bramenes haue a proper language and mysticall as Roman for the Romish holies called Gueredan which the Iesuite learned and thereby out of
are men come to the shore and leaue each a paire of shooes with her marke which who so taketh vp is her Paramour These are seconded by the Ilands of China which doe as it were hedge and fence it in of which there is little in Authors worthy mentioning In Macao or Amacao the Portugals haue a Colonie but the chiefe Iland of China is Anian in the Gulfe of Cauchin-China Further from the Continent from Iapan Southwards are many Ilands called by the names of Lequio the greater and the lesse rich in Gold nigh to the same is Hermosa and next to these the Philippinae so called of Philip the second King of Shaine by whose charge and charges they were discouered in the yeere 1564. long after that Magellanus had lost his life in the discouerie of these parts Some make this name hold some proportion to the Spanish Ambition calling all the Ilands Philippinae which are betweene New Spaine and the Gulfe of Bengala in all after their account eleuen thousand whereof onely thirtie are subiect to the Spaniard as Thomas à Iesu hath obserued But of all these afterwards for here wee but mention them They begin their reckoning at Noua Guinaea where first wee see Cainam The next Banda which name is proper to an Iland so called and common also to her neighbours Rosolarguin Ay Rom Neyra in foure degrees to the South which alone in the world are said by some to bring foorth Nutmegs and Mace The men heere are Merchants the women attend to Husbandrie The Ilands del Moro abound with Rice and Sagu the pith of a Tree which yeeldeth Meale where are wild Hennes which sit not on their Egges but burie them a good depth vnder the sand where the Sunne hatcheth them They haue no Kine but a Fish of like lineaments which they take in their Nets Gilolo hath a Mahumetane Prince and is a great Iland the people are Men-eaters Amboyno is the name of many Ilands rude both in soyle and people which eate their owne Parents when they are old Dauid Middleton in a written Discourse of one of his Indian Voyages mentioneth an Iland amongst or neere these of Amboyno called Bangaia the King whereof is a Gentile A Hollander heere obtayned such sway that none durst displease him Hee had two houses full of the Daughters of the Inhabitants which best liked him besides many Slaues of both sexes His life is meerely Epicurean hee will dance and sing and be drunke two dayes together nor will hee be commanded by any of his Countrey-men Hee is Collector or Treasurer to the King of Ternate in those parts and sends him what hee can spare At Banda the Hollanders would not suffer the English to trade and euery where else both East and West and North and South as may be instanced in the particulars if force or fraud by slaunders raysed on our people can effect it they testifie that gaine is more precious to them then the loue of our Nation Neere to the Ilands last mentioned are the Moluccae fiue in number others reckon more Ternate Tidor Motir Macbian and Bachian famous through the world as being Natures Store-house of Cloues Their worship is directed to the Sunne Moone and other heauenly and earthly Creatures The King of Tidores chiefe Priest came aboord the Consent of which Ship Dauid Middleton was chiefe In the Moluccas are found those admirable Birds of Paradise or as the Portugals call them fowles of the Sunne The Selebes abound with Gold abandoned of goodnesse peopled with Idolaters and Men-eaters The Ilands of Moratay are more Northerly where Battata-roots is their Bread their neighbours fare in the Ilands of Tarrao Sanguin Solor and others In those Ilands which more properly beare the Philippine title Mindanao is of very large circuit and hath diuers famous Cities Tendaia for her excellence was by the first Discouerers called the Philippina Luzzon incompasseth a thousand miles in which the Spaniards haue built a Towne called Manilla and haue thither carried Cattle for breed This Citie standeth in fourteene degrees and a quarter Borneo is reputed as bigge as Spaine richly attended with many Ilands of smaller circuit It hath a Citie of the same name founded on Piles in the salt water with sumptuous buildings of hewed stone couered with Coco leaues The King is a Mahumetan At Sagadana in this Iland there is an English Factorie The greater Iaua is by Scaliger called an Epitome of Summe of the world rich in many commodities The Cabal is a wilde beast in this Iland whose bones doe restraine the bloud from issuing in wounded parties The South part is Gentiles as the countries within the land but towards the shore they are Mahumetans Touching the lesser Iaua there is some controuersie which should be it The Straits of Sincopura are dangerous not aboue a Musket shot ouer there are two ledges of Rocks on either side at the entrance and within sunken rocks Betwixt Malacca and Samatra Nature hath as it were sowed that Field of waters with Ilands the principall of which is Bintam Samatra within the Countrey is Ethnikes towards the Coast are Moores an Iland large rich and populous diuided into many Kingdomes The Gulfe of Bengala is as it were guarded with a double ranke of Ilands which Neptune hath set as Garrisons of those Seas But these all are not worthy the honour due to Zeilan called in old times Taprobana which name others apply to Samatra From thence alongst the coast of India are seene few Ilands of any greatnesse but further into the Sea are the Maldiua so called of Maldiua one of their number whose name signifieth a thousand Ilands Hieronymo de Sancto Stephano numbreth them betweene seuen and eight thousand some of which are diuided by larger Seas some by smaller armes the Ocean somewhere with his greatnesse threatning to swallow them and in other places as curious of his delightfull search stealing rather then forcing a separation prouoking the passengers to communicate in his sports who sometimes helped with some ouer-growing Tree can leape from one Iland to another Yet hath not Nature thus diuersifying their situation yeelded them diuersitie of her riches sauing that it seemeth here shee hath chosen her chamber for the Palme or Coquo-nuts which in other places shee hath in comparison but scattered here stored that by this store the people might supply all their other wants Yea besides the Land-Coquo there groweth another vnder the water bigger then the former a speciall Antidote for poyson The Inhabitants are addicted to subtletie and sorcerie and in the Ilands next to the Continent Moores beare sway in the rest Pagans Other Ilands of smaller reckoning we reckon not Diu hath long beene famous for the warres therein vainly attempted by the Turke and Indians against the Fortresse of the Portugals §. II. The Persian Gulfe and of the Passage downe Euphrates thither the Sabbaticall streame and
but halfe words beeing surprized with his feare a passion which is the betraying of the Succours that Reason offereth Cubo commanded that hee should bee stripped of his Bonzian habite in a publike Congregation by other Priests together with his Companions laden meane while with insolent words and blowes After this they and eleuen more of their Sect aboue twentie in all were bound and ledde vp and downe this Citie and other the chiefe Cities of Iapan in which before hee had Preached Lastly all of them were carried backe to Miaco and Carted the Preacher had his Eares and Nose cut off the rest their Noses and the matter taken vp by the King of Fingo which followed Xaca obtayned this Conclusion that all the Foquexus should by their publike writing confesse that the Founder of their Heresie which first taught the worshippers of Amida to bee damned was an Impostor and that Xaca neuer had taught so Thus hath this Emperour dealt with the Iaponian Sects nor is hee equall to the Iesuites Christianitie For in Yendo so the Iesuites call that Imperiall Citie of the Prince Ours Eddo and Edoo Proclamation was made that None of the Nobles should become Christian And many inferiour Kings persecuted the same specially Michael an Apostata the King of Arima which had before vsed bad meanes to remoue his Father so to become his vntimely Successour This his Father Iohn had a little before beene employed against the Portugals Ship of Macao The reason was some quarrels at Macao betwixt the Portugals and Iaponians who being seuerely enquired into by the Portugall Magistrate fledde home and acquainted Cubo with the businesse Hereupon this ship arriuing in Iapan at Nangasach Hee sent this King of Arima against them in which fight the Portugall Ship long preuayling by casualtie was fired and by themselues casting fire into the Gunners-roome blowne vp to the losse of a Million of goods This Iohn vsing indirect meanes to obtaine part of the Kingdome of Fyen his hopes increased by the marriage of the Emperours Neece to his Sonne Michael notwithstanding his former wife The issue was that whiles the Father entertayned one policie the Sonne had two the one for that Land of Fyen the other to supplant His Father who seemed to forget the Iaponian custome in their age to relinquish the Gouernment to the Sonne or Successour This at last hee effected by his Fathers banishment first and soone after his death and now becomming of his wiues Religion persecuted the Christians and banished the Iesuites Hee burnt or roasted rather eight of his Subiects after Saint Lawrence his example And the Emperour himselfe hath much distasted the Iesuites The reason is not mentioned by the Iesuites But Captayne Saris then in Iapan affirmes that a Ship of the Portugals comming from Macao Ogashasama sent to haue some rarities bought for his vse The Gouernour I know not whether it were the King of Firando moued the Iesuites to effect the Emperours pleasure They said they were Religious men this belonged to the Captayne of the Ship Hee being sollicited said it belonged to the Master the Master was asked and answered The Iesuites ruled herein Thus was the businesse wound in a Circle they seeking it seemes to heighten the price and the Gouernour to whom the Emperour had sent accused the Iesuites as beeing vnder the Cloake of Religion Merchants Hereupon He caused their Temples to be pulled downe and all remoued to Nangasacke and prohibited any Masse-saying within fiue leagues of the Court which whiles some presumed in their zeale to transgresse saying Masse in an Hospitall of Lepers within that Compasse they were Crucified therefore Captayn Saris in his journey to Sorunga met with some of their Churches thus taken downe diuers Iunkes being laden with them For such is the Iaponian building with joynts in their Timber and without nayles that it may easily be remoued The Reliques of these crucified persons were reserued as great Holies as great Follies I should haue said And since Master Cockes hath written that the Iesuites are all banished Iapan and their Churches puld downe and burnt The Iesuites had some goodly Colledges as at Meaco one as large as the Tower-Hill whither the Children resorted daily to their Schoole And before these dayes the Kings of Bungo Arima and Omur sent their Embassadours to the Pope then Gregorie the thirteenth with Letters of deuotion to his Holinesse and had audience in the Consistorie the three and twentieth day of March Ann. 1585. This was the Iesuites policie saith Linschoten to make the Iaponites to know the magnificence of Europe and by that meanes principally to enrich themselues with Gifts and Priuiledges Howsoeuer the Iaponites thought themselues hereby much obliged to the Pope as by the Letter of Don Sancio the King or Lord of Omur and Protasius of Arima to Pope Xistui 1590. appeareth But for a farewell to these Iaponian Iesuites I like their being there so well that I could wish all of that societie were Preaching in that Iland or acting the Scripture-stories vpon the Stage which is one way of instructing the Iaponites or if you like that rather a whipping themselues in their vaine-glorious Processions which is another of their Iaponian Lectures that so they might in some measure expiate the crimes of their European brethren or any way else so that our Europe were well ridde of such vermine Coray is a hundred leagues from Iapan by Sea which is so troublesome that in the fiue yeeres warres betweene the Iaponites and the Corayans it swallowed aboue fiue hundred Ships This Kingdome of Coray is an hundred leagues long and threescore broad tributary to China and confining vpon the Tartars They are good Archers but not so good Souldiers as the Iaponians nor so well weaponed but better prouided of Ships Taicosama warred vpon it both to make it his way as was thought to China and especially that hauing subdued it he might place the Kings his vassals in Iaponia there so to possesse all that Iaponian state immediately himselfe There are to the North of Iapan neere to Sassuma certaine plentifull Ilands called Liuquiu the Portugals name them Sechies which by the King of Sassumas indeuour Cubo hath conquered the King Nobles and a rich bootie taken Formosa is a great barren Iland betwixt Macar and Iapan not farre from China to which it is tributary betwixt whom and the Iapanders haue beene late quarrels Lewis Frois speaketh of a great Nation of wilde people to the North of Iapan three hundred leagues from Meaco which are cloathed with Beasts skinnes with great beards and mustachoes a people giuen to Wine valiant dreadfull to the Iaponites they worship the Heauen and other Religion they haue not Captayne Saris was told at Edoo of an I le called Yedzo North-west from Iapan by one which said hee had beene there twice * that the people are hayrie as Monkeys and that further North there were small
by an Officer with a gilded staffe or dagger To his Palace they passe through seuen Gates one after another guarded with Women expert at their Weapon and vsing both Peeces and Swords He hath none other Guard for his person In saluting the King they lay their hands folded on their head which in other salutations they lay on the forhead Sultan Aladin the King was as Cornelius Houtman reporteth first a Fisher-man and growing famous for his exploits by Sea was preferred to the marriage of the Kings kinswoman and the Office of Admirall Afterwards he became Protector of the young King the former being dead but proued his murtherer and sent a thousand of the chiefe men to follow him into the other world ennobling base fellowes of his Conspiracie and vsurped the State to himselfe He was supposed an hundred yeeres old so old that his eldest Son whom he kept at home with him hauing made his younger King of Pedir imprisoned him alledging that he was too old for Gouernment warred on his Brother Our English first had Trade here in the last times of Queene Elizabeth whose name was then famous in those parts for her Exploits against the Spaniards The Queenes Letters directed to this King were receiued with great State First he entertained the Messenger with a Banquet gaue him a Robe and a piece of Calico wrought with gold and offered Pledges for the Generals safetie for whom he sent six Elephants with Drums Trumpets Streamers and much people The greatest Elephant being thirteene or foureteene foot high and a small Castle like a Coach couered with Veluet on his backe in the midst whereof was a great Bason of Gold with a rich Couering of Silke wherein the Letter was put The Generall was mounted on another Elephant but was staid at the Court-gate till the Kings pleasure and license was againe sent The King made him a Feast the dishes were of Gold or Tambayck which is mixed of Gold and Brasse their Wine is of Rice in which the King dranke to the Generall out of his Gallery a fathom higher then where they sate it is as strong as Aqua vita After the Feast the Kings Damosels made Musick and Dances which was a great fauour for they are not commonly seene The chiefe Prelate was appointed one of the Commissioners for Articles of League which were concluded They tooke a Prize of 9. hundred Tuns and were like to be taken themselues by a strange Spout as they call it which fell not farre from them as in one whole drop enough to haue sunke any ship and sometimes continueth a quarter of an houre together as powred out of a vessell the Sea boyling therewith The King sent a Letter and a Present to the Queene and at their departure asked if they had the Psalmes of Dauid and caused them to sing one which he and his Nobles seconded with a Psalme as he said for their prosperitie The Court hath three Guards betweene each of which is a great Greene The King may see all that come himselfe vnseene The walls of his house are hanged sometimes with Cloth of Gold Veluet or Damaske He sits crosse-legged with foure Crisses two before and two behind very rich Fortie Women attend him with Fannes Cloathes Singing and other Offices Hee eateth and drinketh all day or chewing Betele and Arecca talking of Venerie and Cock-fighting When they would doe reuerence which we vse to performe by vncouering the head they put off their hose and shooes holding the palmes of the hands together and lifting them aboue the head with bending of the body and saying Doulat They vse not to put malefactors to death but cut off their hands and feet and banish them to the I le Polowey and if they execute them it is by Elephants tearing them or thrusting a stake in their fundament This King had an hundred Gallies of which some will carry foure hundred men open without decke their Oares like shouels foure foot long rowed with one hand A woman was Admirall he not daring through selfe-guiltinesse to trust men They had many differing Dignities and Degrees for their Clergie vsed to pray with Beads had Schooles they had one Prophet disguised in his apparell whom they much honoured They bury their Dead in the fields with their head towards Mecca laying a free stone at the head and another at the feet with signification what the deceased had beene The Kings haue them not of Stone but of Gold and this King had two made for him each weighing a thousand pound enriched with Stones They haue a tradition that Achen is Ophir Once euery yeere they obserue a solemne ceremonie of going to Church to see if Mahomet bee come Then are there fortie Elephants richly couered and on them the Nobles one spare for the Prophet and another whereon the King rideth with much pompe When they haue looked into the Moskee and not seene their Mahomet the King returnes on that spare Elephant Pider Manaucabo and Aru are tributaries to Achen Anno 1613. Aprill twelfth Captayne Best anchored in the Rode of Achin and was kindly entertayned The King sent an Arancaia riding in a Tent on an Elephants backe attended with two or three of the Kings boyes for Hee is attended by Boyes abroad and by Women within to receiue His Majesties Letter which was thus carried in a Bason of Gold the Generall following with fortie or fiftie Men. After this Letter and a Present deliuered the King told them they should see some of his pastime which was first Cock-fighting next that the fight of Rammes then his tame Elephants after them his Buffoloes all as they succeeded exceeding the former in fiercenesse lastly the Antilopes which the Generall had giuen Him All this while did the King take Tobacco in a Siluer pipe giuen him by his Women standing in a close roome behind This done Supper was serued in by young Boyes of foureteene or fifteene yeeres old in Swaffe which is a mettall halfe Copper halfe Gold and continued from seuen of the clocke till almost twelue in which were serued in foure hundred Dishes besides Hot drinkes The next day the King sent the Generall an Elephant to ride on otherwise none might doe it and appointed One of his chiefe Arancaias alway to attend Him free accesse was likewise granted at all times which none else may doe without the Kings Creese or Dagger there vsed as a Scepter and the Articles agreed on betweene Sir Iames Lancaster and his predecessour were promised to be ratified On the second of May all Strangers were inuited to a Feast kept at the Spring of the Riuer in the water sixe miles from the Citie Two Elephants were sent for the Generall The dishes were serued in by Boyes swimming with one hand and holding the Dish or strong drinke in the other Of all these drinkes they must taste and then throw the rest into the water This continued from one till fiue they
had fiue hundred dishes well dressed Generall Best weary of sitting so long in the water had leaue to depart an houre before the Rest the Captayne of the Dutch house tooke his bane either with hote drinkes or cold sitting so long in the water and soone after dyed The King gaue the Generall a New Title calling and charging his Nobles to call him Arancaia Pule that is the honourable white man Iune the second They were entertayned with a fight of foure Elephants and a wilde Tygre which was fastened to a stake and yet so fastened on their Trunks and legs that he made them roare and bleed extreamly Sometimes wild Elephants fight before Him which would soone kill each other but that tame ones are fastned to them which draw them backe fourescore or a hundred men helping And for their taming they vse to set one wilde betweene two tame This King sent to his Majestie a Present and a Letter in forme for painting and writing very curious the words thus interpreted PEDRVCKA SIRIE SVLTAN King of Kings Renowmed for his warres and sale King of Samatra and a King more feared then his Predecessours feared in his Kingdome and honoured of all bordering Nations in whom there is the true image of a King in whom raignes the true methode of Gouernment formed as it were of the most pure mettall and adorned with the most fine colours whose seate is high and most compleat like to a Chrystall Riuer pure and cleere as the choisest Glasse from whom floweth the pure streame of Bounty and Iustice whose presence is as the finest Gold King of Priaman and of the Mountayne of Gold viz. Solida and Lord of nine sorts of Stones King of two Sumbreroes of beaten Gold hauing for his Seates Mats of Gold His furniture for his Horses and Armour for Himselfe being likewise of pure gold His Elephant with teeth of Gold and all prouisions thereunto belonging His Lances halfe Gold halfe Siluer his small Shot of the same a Saddle also for another Elephant of the same mettall a Tent of Siluer and all his Seales halfe Gold halfe Siluer his Sepulchre of Gold whereas his Predecessours had all these halfe Gold halfe Siluer his seruices compleat of Gold and Siluer A King vnder whom there are many Kings hauing taken Othe King of Aurow all the Countrey of Priaman Tecoo Barouse being subdued by Him is now vnder His command Seuentie Elephants and much prouisions carried by Sea to make his warres in Aurow where God gaue Mee more Victorie then Any of my Predecessours This great King sendeth this Letter of Salutation to IAMES KING OF GREAT BRITAINE viz. England Scotland France and Ireland to signifie the great content Hee hath receiued by His Highnesse Letter deliuered by the bands of Arancaia Pule Thomas Best His Maiesties Embassadour at the receipt whereof His Eyes were surprised with a coelestiall brightnesse and his Spirits rauished with a Diuine Ioy the opening thereof rendred a sauour more fragrant then the most odoriferous Flowers or sweetest perfumes in the world For which cause I the Great King of Samatra doe professe my selfe to bee of One heart one minde and of one flesh with the most Potent Prince IAMES King of England and doe earnestly desire that the League begunne may bee continued to all Posterities And herein I take my greatest Felicitie there being nothing in the world more pleasant or ioyfull to Mee And for a testimony of my desire that the League and Amitie begunne may bee continued betwixt Vs I haue returned this Letter vnto your Maiestie making also My Prayers vnto the Great God for the Continuance of the same And it shall bee My greatest Honour to receiue Memoriall from so Great a Potentate and so Remote a Nation And for a pledge of My Loue and Honour and Continuance of our League I send your Maiestie a Creese wrought with Gold the hilt thereof being beaten Gold with a ring of Stones an Assagaya of Swasse halfe Copper halfe Gold eight Purslan dishes small and great of Camphire one piece of Sowering stuffe three pieces of Calico Lawne Which your Maiestie accepting as from a Brother I shall rest satisfied and much honoured And so with my prayers to the Great God Creator of Heauen and Earth for your Maiesties long life with Victorie ouer your Enemies and Prosperitie in your Land Giuen at Our Palace at Achi the 1022. yeere of Mahomet by the Accompt of the Moores This Letter for the strange swelling forme and because it contayneth a pettie Inuentorie of the Kings Wealth and some knowledge of the adjoyning Kingdomes I haue thus verbatim expressed This King of Achi is a proper gallant man of warre they are Master Coplands words of two and thirtie yeeres of middle size full of Spirit strong by Sea and Land his Countrey populous his Elephants many whereof wee haue seene a hundred and threescore or a hundred and fourescore at a time His Gallies and Frigats carry in them very good Brasse Ordnance Demicanon Culuerin Sakar Minion and the like His building is stately and spacious but not strong his Court at Achi pleasant hauing a goodly branch of a maine Riuer running about and thorow his Palace which branch Hee cut and brought sixe or eight miles off in twentie dayes whiles wee continued at Achi. Samatra is very Mountainous the people courteous Without the Kings Chop no Stranger may haue ingresse or egresse Hee desired the Generall to commend Him to the King of England and to intreat Him to send him two white Women For said Hee if I beget one of them with Child and it proue a Sonne I will make Him King of Priaman Passaman and of the Coast from whence you fetch your Pepper so that you shall not need to come any more to Mee but to your owne English King for these Commodities He is cruell he plucked out one of the eyes of a Nobleman for looking on one of the Kings women washing in a Riuer Another wearing a Shash beyond his degree had his head cut round so farre as that too large some he boyles in scalding Oyle some are sawne in pieces spitted aliue their legs cut off or otherwise tortured It is reported that in his Predecessors time when Malacca was besieged the Portugals putting on shore here by the ozie and myry landing were made an easier prey to an Ambush of Achiners in the Reeds which tooke many of them who by the Kings command had all of them all their Priuities presently cut away To returne to M. Copland on the third of Iuly 1613. the Kings Armada of a hundred and twenty or two hundred Frigats and Gallies arriued from Ioar which Kingdome Laxamar the Generall had then subdued to this King with the Kingdome of Siak bringing both those Kings with two of their brethren and some Dutchmen prisoners to Achi. At Tecoo they stayd eleuen weekes and bought a hundred and twenty tunnes of Pepper burying fiue and twenty men which got their
and two before him in order partly bearing and playing on many Instruments of Musicke partly bearing Wax-lights and Torches the men also and after them the women and Maids following in like order and the fairest Virgins were busied with games and dances being naked from the nauell vpwards beneath couered with smockes of diuers colours their armes and eares adorned with Gold and Iewels Any man that should see it saith our Author would thinke our Westerne Monkes had hence borrowed their Ceremonies Their Images are in euery corner of the way which they adorne with flowers In Candy the chiefe Citie of that Kingdome were Pagodes innumerable The houses or Temples were of stone like the Temples in these parts some Statues were as high as the mast of a ship The people heere if they haue once touched meate which for quantity or quality they cannot eate they cast it to the dogs neither will any man be he neuer so meane eate that which another hath touched The women goe naked from the waste vpwards They marry as many wiues as they can keepe The King makes vse of their Superstition For pretending to build Temples he after leaues them vnperfect excusing himselfe that they had not contributed sufficient summes of mony and therefore exacteth a new There is one Statue of great stature with a Sword in his hand which by illusion of the Deuill if it be not the delusion of fabulous reports made as though he would strike the King with his Sword as he was entring the Temple and put him in great feare whereas before he had made a mocke of it The Singales or Natiue Inhabitants say that the World shall not perish as long as that Image continueth safe When any one is sicke hee sacrificeth to the Deuill hauing a Box hanging in his house to that end therein to gather somewhat for his Offering Some pray vnto the Image of an Elephants head made of wood or stone that they may obtaine wisdome whereof this prayer argues their great want some eate no quicke creature They eat no Beefe nor drinke any Wine they worship whatsoeuer first meeteth them in the morning George Spilberge was bountifully entertained of the King of Candy but Sebald de Weert was with diuers of his companions slaine after he had receiued much kindnesse of the King his importunitie to get the King into his ship making him suspect some trechery The King of Motecalo had eares adorned with Iewels and hanging downe the lappets of them were so stretched to his shoulders He was kind to the Hollanders but they incensed him against them by killing certaine Kine for some of them said that the soules of Kine slaine after that manner were hurled forthwith into Hell He obserued one Pagode to whole Feast he went while the Hollanders were there the solemnity whereof was to continue ten dayes till a new Moone with great concourse of deuout persons Of the Superstitions of Perimal and the worship of the Apes tooth celebrated in this Iland we haue already shewed in the Chapter of Narsinga The Cingalan language which they speake in this Iland is thought to haue beene there left by the Chinois sometimes supposed I thinke falsely Lords of Zeilan In Marcus Paulus his dayes the Tartarians had not pierced thus farre For the King then raigning refused to sell to Cublai Can then the greatest Monarch in the World at a price a Rubie which hee had left him by his Ancestors esteemed the richest Iewell in the World being as he saith a span long and as bigge as a mans arme cleere and shining as if it had bin a fire In this Iland were reckoned nine Principalities or Kingdomes but not long since their chiefe King was murthered by a Barber who draue the other Kings out of the Countrey and vsurped the Monarchy to himselfe practising hostility against the Portugals The Cingulas are very cunning Artificers in all Metals One of them presented the Archbishop of Goa with a Crucifix so cunningly wrought as if he had giuen life to the Image of one dead He sent it to the King of Spaine as a rare Iewell not to be equalled in Europe The Inhabitants heere are actiue and expert in Iuggling both men and women trauelling through India with their strange Hobby-horses to get money by this vanity The Sea-coast as in other Indian Ilands is inhabited with Moores the Inland with Pagans The Portugals haue a Fortresse at Colombo The Ilanders are not warriours they giue themselues to pastime and pleasure they goe naked from the girdle vpward they make wide holes in their eares which they stretch out with the weight of their Iewels to their shoulders Monfart relates that Zeilan hath whole Forrests of Cinamon and Mountaynes of Chrystall and that out of their Riuers they draw Pearles Rubies Saphirs and Cats-eyes that they worship the first creature they meet eat nothing that hath bloud make no more bread then will be eaten at a meale their Religion prohibiting them to eat any two houres old The Hollanders found exceeding both good and bad entertainment with the King of Candy Now for that question whether Zeilan or Samatra be that Taprobane of the ancient is very doubtfull yet that report in Pliny of Taprobane seemes more to encline for Zeilan For hee sayth That in Claudius time a seruant of Annius Plocamus which was Customer for the Red Sea was carried from the Coast of Arabia besides Carmania in fifteene dayes which I thinke could not possibly bee done to Samatra Likewise the excellency of the Elephants beyond all the Indian agrees to Zeilan and had Samatra beene so knowne at that time the other parts of India it is like had beene better discouered then they were in those times This Taprobane was discouered to bee an Iland by Onesicritus Alexanders Admirall of his Fleet in these parts It was then accounted another World and therefore shall be the period of our Pilgrimage and Perambulation in this Asian part of the World : which by the gracious goodnesse of his Almighty Guide the Pilgrime hath now passed and hath led the industrious Reader along with him §. III. The Conclusion of this Asian Pilgrimage THe Popish Pilgrimes were wont to beguile their weary steps with Musicke or pleasant tales according to the delicate deuotion of those times easie was their pardon and penance at their iournies end And in these our times Madonna de Loretto must giue entertainment to many Pilgrimes which as if Venus were become her Chamberlaine haue their Curtezan-consolations to solace their Pilgrim-paines the deuout Friers and Nuns themselues that haue defied the Deuill and denyed the World by a new Vow deuoted to the flesh disguise themselues in Lay-habits trauelling thither and from thence as Man and Wife only at Loretto couering all with their Cowles And if Confession discouer it hideth againe as a double couering But to vs Vowes Cowles and such salace-solaces are wanting the end of this labour
is but the beginning of another our penance endureth all the way neyther haue we hope of Pardon and Indulgence from some seuerer Poenitentiaries and Censours whose greatest vertue is to find or seeke faults in Others Had the Muses beene propitious and the Graces gracious we would haue had some Musicall and gracefull harmony at least in Phrase and Method but euen the Muses which whilome so graced that Father of History Herodotus that each of them vouchsafed if yee vouchsafe it credit to bestow that Booke on him which hee entitled with their names seemed afraid of so tedious a iourney nor would the Graces grace vs with their company Many indeed offered themselues with their Rules Methods and Precepts of Histories as Bodinus Chytraus Posseuinus Mylaeus Folietta Viperanus Zuinger Sambucus Riccobonus Patritius Pontanus Foxius Robertellus Balduinus and Others which haue written Treatises of that argument but I thought such attendance would be chargeable especially to a Traueller and their many Rules would not haue added wings to my Head and Feet as the Poets paint their Mercury but rather haue fettered my Feet and made my weake Head forget it selfe with their remembrances I therefore followed Nature both within me and without me as my best guide for matter and manner which commonly yeeldeth Beauties as louely if not so curious as those which bankrupt themselues with borrowing of Art the issues of our bodies and minds herein being like Quas matres student demissis humeris esse vincto pectore vt gracilae sint saith Cherea in the Comedy Tametsi bona est natura reddunt curatura iunceas To conceited curiositie may hide rather then commend Natures bounty which of it selfe is alway more honest if not more honourable Neuer could the Persian Court parallel the goodlinesse of Ester and Aspatia which yet neglected the Persian delicacies Once I haue had sufficient burthen of the businesse in hand enough it was for me to goe though I did not dance vnder it But it is time to leaue this idle discourse about our course in this Asian History and bethinke vs of our African Perambulation RELATIONS OF THE REGIONS AND RELIGIONS IN AFRICA OF AEGYPT BARBARIE NVMIDIA LIBYA AND THE LAND OF NEGROS AND OF THEIR RELIGIONS THE SIXT BOOKE CHAP. I. Of Africa and the Creatures therein §. I. Of the Name and Limits of Africa WHether this name Africa bee so called of Epher or Apher the sonne of Midian and nephew of Abraham by his second wife Keturah as Iosephus affirmeth alleaging witnesses of his opinion Alexander Polyhistor and Cleodemus or of the Sunnes presence because it is aprica or of the colds absence of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Festus saith or of the word Feruca which in the Arabian tongue signifieth to diuide wherupon they call this part of the world Ifrichia because it is saith Leo diuided by Nilus and the Sea from the rest of the world or of Ifricus an Arabian King which chased by the Assyrians here seated himselfe or of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aphar the Hebrew word which signifies dust as Aphra the Syriake also fitly agreeing to the sandie and parched Soile or if any other can giue more probable Edymologie of the Name I list not to contend Nor is it meet for me to be religious in these questions of names in this Quest and Inquirie of Religions It is a great Peninsula by one Isthmus or necke of Land betweene the Red Sea and the Mediterranean ioyned to the Continent which with the Red Sea aforesaid is the Easterne limit of Africa as the Mediterranean on the North and elsewhere the Ocean For Nilus is a 〈◊〉 obscure and vncertaine Vâ—â— pâ—rn Some diuide the World into two parts Asia and Europe accounting Africa a part of Europe which opinion Vâ—â—râ— ascribeth to Aratosthenes Salust Lucan and Aethicus with Simlerus mention it It is twice as bigge as Europe and yet not so much peopled Nature hauing made here her soliâ—â—â—ie place or retyring accended by scorching heats and showres of sands as a counterfeit of those heauenly raines and mouing waters which the Aire and Seas affoord in other places Such are the many Desarts in Africa onely fertile in barrennesse although in other parts it is both fruitfull 〈◊〉 populous The Equinoctiall Circle doth in manner diuide it in the middest And yet old Atlas neuer sheddeth his inowie hairts but hath alwayes on his huge and high tops vnmolten snow whence sometime it is dispersed as from a store-house in such incredible quantitie that it couereth Carts Horses and the tops of Trees to the great danger of the Inhabitants and the Fountaynes are so cold as a man is not able to endure his hand in them Mount Atlas aforesaid stretcheth from the Ocean bearing name of him almost to Egypt Other Mountaynes of name are those of Sierra Leona and the Mountaynes of the Moone c. One Lake Zembre yeeldeth three mightie Riuers disemboking themselues into three seuerall Seas Nilus which runneth Northwards fortie degrees from hence in Astronomicall reckoning Cuama which runneth into the Easterne and Zaire into the Westerne Seas of which Riuers and of other like the Reader shall finde more in due place spoken AFRICAE DESCRIPTIO Some parts of Africa are beyond admiration for barrennesse some for fertilitie Plinie mentions a Citie in the middest of the sands called Tacape in the way to Leptis which hath a Spring of water flowing plentifully and dispensed by course amongst the Inhabitants There vnder a great Date-tree groweth an Oliue vnder that a Figge vnder that a Pomegranate vnder that a Vine vnder that Wheat Pease Herbs all at once The Vine beares twice a yeere and otherwise very abundance would make it as bad as barren Somwhat is gathered all the yeere long Foure cubits of that soile square not measured with the fingers stretched out but gathered into the fist are sold for so many Denarij This Budans sommes and proportions by the Acre after the Roman measure and saith that an Acre of that ground after that rate is prised at 12800 Sestertij nummi which maketh 320. French crownes not reckoning the defect of the cubic which bring added wâ—des much to the summe The Romans reckoned sixe Prouinces in Africa Ptolemey numbreth twelue But then was not Africa so well knowne as now Iohn Leo a Moore both learned and experienced hauing spent many yeeres in trauell diuideth Africa into foure parts Barbaria Numidia Libya and the Land of Negros Numidia he calleth Biledurgerid or the Region of Dares and Libya he calleth Sarra for so the Arabians call a Desart But he thus excludeth Egypt and both the higher and lower Aethiopia which others adde hereunto and make vp seuen parts of Africa §. II. Of the Beasts wilde and tame MAny are the Creatures which Africa yeeldeth not vsuall in our parts Elephants are there in plentie and keepe in
Iupiter Ammon or Cham which wee before spake of instituting vnto them Priests and golden statues Menas is reckoned the first King after those Demi-gods who built a Temple to Vulcan and taught the people to sacrifice and other rites of Religion Long after him Busiris built Thebes which was said to haue an hundred Gates and many stately erections of Temples Colosses Obeliskes by the one name they call their more then giantly Images by the other their pillars of one stone fashioned like a needle Pomponius Laetus and Martianus speake of two of these Obeliskes with hieroglyphicall inscriptions carryed from Hieropolis in Egypt by Augustus to Rome the one fourescore foote high the other an hundred and thirtie which was broken in the raysing Plinie mentions these and others at Rome one of which hee made serue for the measuring of the Sunnes shadow in Campus Martius in Dyall-wise He speaketh of an Obeliske at Thebes made and raysed by twentie thousand men Of foure Temples there was one contayning in circuit thirteene furlongs in height fiue and fortie cubits the wall foure and twentie foote thicke The ornaments answered to the structure But the Gold Siluer Iuorie and Iewels were taken away by the Persianâ— when Cambyses burned the Egyptian Temples Out of those fires they report flowed three hundred talents of gold and two thousand and three hundred of siluer Amongst the seuen and fortie Sepulchres of their Kings that of Simandius was reckoned most sumptuous the gates whereof were two hundred foote long and fiue and fortie cubits high within was a square Cloyster contayning in each square foure hundred foote borne vp with statues of beasts in stead of pillars of sixteene cubits the roofe made of stones of two paces broad beautified with starres Then was there another gate like to the former but fuller of worke with three huge statues to himselfe his mother and daughter Within this was another Cloyster more beautifull then the former But for the particulars of these things let our Reader refort to Diodorus Siculus who partly from the Priests relations and in great part from his owne sight deliuereth them at large He addeth that there was an inscription contayning the cost and charges hereof to be three thousand and two hundred millions of Minae These summes are admirable and scarcely to bee paralleld in any Historie excelling euen those summes which Dauid left Salomon for the Temple and onely surmounted by those which Sardanapalus is said to haue consumed together with himselfe in his funerall fire For if we account euery Mina three pound two shillings and sixe pence as Master Brerewood hath obserued of the Atticke Mina out of many Authors which yet is lesse then the Egyptian and but halfe so much as that of the Hebrewes and Alexandrians it comes to ten thousand millions of our pounds a summe incredible improbable that I say not impossible Yea neither are those things credible which Ctesias tells of Sardanapalus which Brerewood summeth after the Attick Talent at two and twentie thousand and fiue hundred millions of pounds in gold and eighteene thousand two hundred and fiftie millions of pounds in siluer Euen in those things also which the sacred Historie auoucheth of Dauid howsoeuer the truth is beyond all names of certaintie yet the interpretation of that truth is not fully agreed vpon as we haue elsewhere shewed This cost of Samandius although inlarged in the telling doth not disagree to that Egyptian opinion esteeming their houses their Innes and their Sepulchres their eternall habitatations Of the race of Simandius was Ogdous that built Memphis called in the Scripture Noph compassing a hundred and fifty furlongs at the parting of Nilus into that Delta-diuision where the succeeding Kings abode forsaking Thebes till Alexandria was after built by Alexander Thebes was called Diospolis or Iupiters City where as Strabo reporteth was consecrated to Iupiter a beautifull Virgin of noble birth who vntill the time that shee had her naturall purgation had the carnall company of whomsoeuer shee pleased and at this her menstruous accident was bewayled as dead and after married Such Virgins the Greeks sayth he called Pallades Many yeeres after Ogdons succeeded Sesostris Iosephus is of opinion that Herodotus erred in the name and ascribed the deeds of Shoshak to Sesostris to which also the computation of Herodotus doth agree reasonably in the time Others account him the same with Sesachis in Diodorus The huge Conquests of this Sesostris are beyond all that euer Alexander atchieued if we credit Authors At his returne he builded in euery City of Egypt a Temple to their chiefe God at their owne costs and offered a ship of Cedar two hundred and eighty Cubits in length siluered on the in-side gilded on the outside to the chiefe God at Thebes and two Obeliskes one hundred and twenty Cubits high wherein were ingrauen the greatnesse of his Empire and Reuenues At Memphis in the Temple of Vulcan he dedicated Statues of himselfe and his wife thirty Cubits high of his children twenty And when he went to the Temple or through the City his Chariot was drawne by Kings as Lucan singeth Venit ad Oceasum mundique extrema Sesostris Et Pharios currus Regum ceruicibus egit Sesostris in the Westerne World by Warre Compelled Kings to draw his Memphian Carre Thus we reade in our owne Chronicles of Edgarus Pacificus sometimes King of England rowed in a Boat by eight Kings himselfe holding the Sterne Tacitus telleth of Rhameses an Egyptian King who conquered the East and South parts of the World helped herein as the Priests told Germanicus with the forces of Thebes who had then seuen hundred thousand fighting men This was written in Egyptian Characters at Thebes interpreted by one of the Priests together with his reuenues not inferiour to the Romane or Parthian Empires Pheron the Sonne and Successor of Sesostris enraged at the rage of Nilus swelling aboue eighteene Cubits cast a Dart against the streame and thereupon lost his sight which by the aduice of the Oracle in Butis was restored by the vrine of a woman which had neuer knowne man but her husband which caused him to burne his owne wife and many other fayling in this new experiment and to marry her whom at last he found by this proofe to be honest He set vp in the Temple of the Sunne two Pillars each of one stone of 100. Cubits high and eight broad After succeeded Memphites Rhasinitus and Cheopes This last shut vp all the Temples in Egypt and busied them in his owne workes one hundred thousand by course ten yeeres together in building a Pyramis for his Sepulchre The least stone was thirty foot and all grauen Nilus passeth vnder it by a Trench It was reckoned among the Wonders of the World His daughter and brother made two other odious therefore to the Egyptians who will not once name them This was hollow the other solid They did it sayth
gouerned at the same time in seuerall parts of Egypt as in so small a Region as Canaan Ioshua destroyed 31. Kings This Scaliger coniectureth Lydiat affirmeth Neither yet is Scaliger to be blamed for acquainting the World with these fragments of Manetho considering that the middle part therof holdeth not onely likelihood in it selfe but in great part correspondence with the Scriptures If the Egyptians deuised otherwise to Herodotus and Diodorus it was easie for them to deceiue strangers or bee deceiued themselues The like History of prodigious Antiquities Augustine relateth of an Egyptian Priest that told Alexander of the continuance of the Macedonian Kingdome eight thousand yeeres whereas the Grecians accounted but foure hundred and fourescore Yea the Scriptures themselues haue not escaped that mis-reckoning of Times almost all Antiquitie being carried downe the streame of the seuenty Interpreters which adde many hundred yeeres to the Hebrew Text either of purpose as some suppose or as Augustine thinketh by errour of him that first copied the Scriptures out of Ptolemeys Library Sir Walter Raleigh in that his laborious and learned Worke called The History of the World supposeth That Egypt first tooke that name at such time as Aegyptus or Ramesses chased thence his brother Danaus into Peloponnesus which some reckon 877. yeeres after the Floud some more As for the prodigious Antiquities which they challenge hauing refuted Mercator and Pererius he enclineth to this opinion touching their ancient Dynasties that they are not altogether fabulous but that Egypt being peopled before the Floud two hundred yeeres after Adam there might remayne to the sonnes of Mizraim some Monuments in Pillars or Altars of stone or metall of their former Kings or Gouernours which the Egyptians hauing added to the List and Roll of their King after the Floud in succeeding time out of the vanitie of glory or by some corruption in their Priests something beyond the truth might be inserted Petrus Alexandrinus lately set forth in Greeke and Latine by Raderus writes That Mizraim hauing giuen beginning to the Egyptian Nation did after goe into the East to the Persians and Bactrians and is the same that was called Zoroastres by the Greekes Inuenter of Iudiciall Astrologie and Magicke He hauing giuen order for the keeping of the ashes of his burned body as the pledge of the Empire so long to continue with them called vpon Orion which he saith was Nimrod by the Persian Superstition beleeued thus honoured after his death and was consumed with Lightning the Persians reseruing his ashes to this day the cause saith the Note on that place why the Persians worship the fire . Yet the Author mentions another cause from Perseus which kindled fire by Lightning and preseruing the same built a Temple to it Hee saith also That Picus or Iupitar his father taught Perseus to diuine by a Cup like to that which is mentioned of Ioseph in Egypt and the same Picus was father to Hermes or Mercurie King of Egypt with other Legends too long for this place This Mercurie he maketh the same with Faunus the first finder he saith of Gold and that in a golden Vesture he foretold diuers things and that the Egyptians worshipped him hauing before made him their King which place he held thirty nine yeeres After him reigned Vulcan 1680. dayes for at that time the Egyptians knew not to number by yeeres He first made a Law against Adulterie and that the Egyptian women should haue but one husband He was Inuentor of Iron and Armour Stones and Clubs being before that time the only Weapons His sonne Sol succeeded a great Philosopher after him Sosis and next Osiris then Orus Thules Conqueror of Africa and after that Sesostris of the race of Cham the same as he supposeth with Trismegistus Thus much I haue thought here to adde out of him where the Reader may further satisfie himselfe if that can satisfie any which can nothing certifie or make certaine in these Antiquities wherein we may find many opinions scarcly any truth but in the Word of Truth the Scriptures That which we read of the Dynasties of Shepherds Scaliger interpreteth of that baser seruile sort which Moses saith were abominable to the Egyptians and seeme to haue beene strangers that inhabited some fenny places which Nature had fortified if we beleeue Heliodorus and thence made forrages into the Countrey the custome of Borderers and were called therefore Robbers These it seemeth driuen to their shifts by the hard and tyrannous vsage of the Egyptians procured as wee reade of the Tartars their owne Freedome and thraldome of their Lords The Romanes in their times were forced to mayntaine a Garrison against them therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Ierome mentioneth the Bucolia where no Christians dwelled but onely a fierce Nation Iosephus and Eusebius thinke them to bee the Israelites which is vnlikely because they liued in seruitude and neuer raigned there Lydiat supposeth the Philistims vnder Abimelech and Phicol to be the men Nothing is more obscure in the Egyptian Chronologie then the time of the departure of Israelites thence vnder Moses whom Iustin Martyr affirmeth out of Diodorus to haue bin the first that wrote the Egyptian Lawes Tatianus Assyrus who after became an Heretike saith and alledgeth Ptolemey Mendesius a Priest for his Author That this departure was in the dayes of Amasis King of Egypt who liued in the time of Inachus Theophilus and Iosephus out of Manetho in the Reigne of Tethmoses Eusebius in the reigne of Cenchres Cedrenus saith Petisonius Others otherwise according to the diuers interpretation of Manetho The Scripture sheweth it was foure hundred and thirty yeeres from the promise first made to Abraham as all that I know both elder and later Greeke and Latine Chronographers except Genebrard and Adriehomius reckon it Lydiat thinketh That the drowning of the Egyptian Pharo was the cause of those tumults in Egypt about Succession which are ascribed to Egyptus and Danaus Orosius reporteth That the prints of the Chariot-wheeles of the Egyptians then pursuing the Israelites through the Sea did yet in his time remayne in the Sands on the shore and vnder-water which no curiositie or casualtie can so disorder but that Diuine Prouidence doth re-imprint them in their wonted forme Hard it is to apply the yeeres of the Egyptian Chronologie to the true account of the Worlds generation by reason of the disagreement of Authors touching the Egyptian Kings vntill Sesacs time which after Lydiat was in the yeere of the World 3029. although euen from hence we haue but slippery footing Augustus after the same Author made Egypt a Prouince in the yeere 3975. Vnder which Roman gouernment it continued vntill the Saracens conquered it in the time of Omar the third Chalipha who began his reigne after Scaligers computation in his Catalogue of the Chaliphaes in the yeere of Christ 643. The names of the Caesars
to Gago to fetch home his yeerely Tribute He conquered Tombuto and Gago about the yeere 1594. as appeareth by the Letters of Lawrence Madoc who saw thirty Mules laden with Gold come from thence to Marocco and sayth that Tombuto rented threescore Quintals of Gold He was much delighted in Astronomie as M. Thomas Bernhere hath written in a Letter to Master Edward Wright to whom hee sent for Mathematicall Instruments to be vsed in that yeerely Voyage to Gago ouer the sandie Sea where they vsed Needle and Compasse His prouisions for his Ingenewes or Sugar-gardens for his buildings maintenance of his women rather for the pompe then the sinne I let passe For passed they are now and gone together with himselfe his three Sonnes by Ciuill-Warres leauing scarce hope of good or place for worse state then is now in Barbary and hath beene these many yeeres Hee dyed of the Plague which was so violent in these parts that by Wilkins report there dyed aboue foure thousand and seuen hundred in one day and night thereof in Marocco and in one yeere seuen hundred thousand Moores and seuen thousand seuen hundred Iewes In the Citie of Far I thinke he meaneth Fez dyed the same yeere fiue hundred thousand besides those which perished in the Countrey and other places so many sayth hee as if Barbary had beene the common buriall place of the World and the liuing were not able to burie the dead neither did the earth couer and bury them but they buried and couered the earth the high-wayes being strowed with dead infected and infectious carkasses A plentifull Haruest found not Labourers to inne it but shed it selfe on the ground and the cattell mourned for want of Milkers Here was no want of store and soone after the plague ceasing no store but of want Pamine succeeding in place and exceeding the others cruelties And lest a third furie should be wanting the warres betweene the late Hamets Sonnes followed the former at the heeles that as with a threefold cord Barbary is welhigh strangled and dead §. III. Of the Ciuill Warres in Barbary And of some other parts of that Kingdome THe Sonnes of Hame were Mahomet commonly called Sheck a title proper to the Kings eldest Sonne Boferes his Brotherly the whole bloud Sidan by another woman as Nassar and Abadela Muley is a title of honour giuen to the Kings Children and all of the bloud Royall Muley Sheck was made Gouernour of Fez in his Fathers life time Boferes of Sui and Sidan of Tedula in the mid-way betweene Fez and Marocco Muley Sheck so displeased his Father by his vnbridled courses that hee went with an Army to Fez to displace him and to see things there in order leauing Boferes lately returned from Sus because of the plague in the gouernment of Marocco Sheck tooke Sanctuary with fiue hundred of his best Souldiers from whence his Father caused him to bee brought by Force and sent him prisoner to Mickanes But before he could finish his purposes the fourteenth of August 1603. he died Sidan had followed his Father in this Expedition and taking aduantage of his presence I dized on the treasures and proclaimed himselfe King of Barbary and heire to his Father What Sidan had done at Fez the like did Boferes at Marocco and at Taradant Nassar made some stirres but soone after died of the Plague Boferes sendeth Bashar Indar to encounter with Sidan who was now come with his forces against him and because himselfe had not the heart to hazard his person in battell knowing that it would be no small discouragement if there were none his equall in bloud hee on certaine conditions freed his elder brother Muley Sheck who the sixt of Ianuary 1604. chased Sidan out of the field Hence all old quarrels and feuds and robberies and a world of other mischiefes now began to fill all the parts of Barbay Muley Sheck in Fez proclaimes himselfe King Thus is all inuerted many Kings and few Subiects none now in his vncertainty paying their accustomed tenths intending rather mutuall feuds and battles betwixt their seuerall Tribes and Kindreds then common fidelitie and allegiance Sidan by aide of the Great Foquere or Heremite obtayneth Sus the people yeelding obedience to none but whom that Religious person shall appoint them by meanes of him also a peace was concluded betwixt Boferes and Sidan in August 1604. Thus was the warre continued betweene Sheck and Boferes Abdela Shecks sonne driueth Boferes out of Marocco in the latter end of the yeere 1606. vsing his victory with bloudy cruelty besides the rifling and pillage of the goods in the City Bloud is a slippery foundation and pillage a pill'd wall so fell it out to Abdela who soone lost the City to Sidan which he had taken from Boferes after a bloudy field fought betwixt them in April after Here Sidan puts to the Sword three thousand Fessans which had taken Sanctuary and came forth disarmed vpon promise of Pardon which Boferes after with like perfidiousnesse and breach of promise required on three thousand Morochians The Shracies which are Mountayners neere to Algier but no more respecting the Turkes there then the Brebers doe the Serif fell at variance and began to mutinie in the Army of Sidan whom they serued and cut off the Bashas head who was their Generall which caused Sidan to execute vniust cruelties against all of that Tribe in Marocco giuing the Shracies goods to the Murtherer whomsoeuer On the twentieth six of Nouember 1607. Abdela ioyneth in battle with Sidan prouoked by those Shracies who thirsted for reuenge of Sidans tyrannies where many English vnder Captaine Giffard and other Captaines were slaine Sidan chased and Marocco recouered But whiles these brethren contend Muley Hamet Bosonne their Cousin rich in treasure richer in hopes thought it fit time to take vp that Kingdome which these with warring for it lost He gathered together whatsoeuer forces he could make and came towards Marocco Abdela heard and feared and hauing spied a man vpon a Hill with a Speare in his hand with white linnen like a flagge vpon it his feare an vntrusty Messenger told him that all Bosonnes Armie was behind the Hill although it were then a full dayes march from thence and sent him wings to flye to Fez The man was but a silly Moore which had washed his Linnen and dryed it on his Speares point Bosonne entreth Marocco and proclaymes himselfe King but loseth both City and Kingdome in Aprill following 1608. and after a second ouerthrow receiued by Sidan now Master of Marocco hee was by Alkeid Azus his meanes poysoned Muley Sheck loth to leaue Marocco to Sidan sendeth Etina an Italian Merchant into Spaine with promise to the Catholike King of Allaroche Saly Alcasar and other Townes to turne Spanish if he would helpe him to his right in Afrike This Negotiation was well entertayned and the Spaniard now hath Allaroche Since this time rare accidents haue hapned by certaine Religious persons
they take not the Tunie at all the Sword-fish they take but eate not till his sword bee cut off which is dryed and holden in great veneration The Mountaines would bend their sullen browes if they should not haue some redde letters in their Kalender to which their toppes aspire threatning to scale Heauen or ouer-whelme the Earth if the Fetissan portion did not pacifie their angry moode by daily presents of meate and drinke set thereon Neither can Nature alone vsurpe this Prauilege but Art in other things her emulous corriuall and farre vnequall competitor in this matter of God-making commonly gets the vpper hand And therefore they with their ceremonious Art can make them Fetissos ' or Gods at pleasure Principally in their Funerals they obserue it for when one is dead they make a new Fetisso or Ring of Straw and pray it to beare the dead partie companie and protect him in his journey into the other World They lay the dead body on a Matte on the ground wind it in a Wollen cloath set a stoole vnder the head which is couered with a Goates skinne the body is strawed ouer with ashes his armes layd by his sides his eyes open and so continueth halfe a day his best-beloued wife sitting by as the Husband doth also at the death of his wife crying Aury and wiping her face with a wispe of straw Women goe round about the house singing and beating on Basons and about the corpse likewise and then againe about the house The eldest Morimi or Gentlemen goe about from house to house with a Bason wherein each puts the value of twelue-pence in Gold with which they buy a Cow with whose bloud the Fetissero appeaseth the Fetisso The friends and kinsfolkes assembling prepare a Henne and then setting themselues in a corner of the dead mans house they place all his Fetisso's on a row the greatest in the middest adorning the same with Garlands of Pease and Beanes like to the Popish praying-Beads Then they sprinkle the same with the bloud of the Henne and hang a chaine or Garland of herbes about their neckes After this the women set the Hen now sodden in the middest of the Fetisso's and the Fetissera takes water in his mouth which amidst his Exorcismes and Charmes he spoutes on those Fetisso's and taking two or three herbes from his necke he rols the same in forme of a ball which after certaine ceremonies he layeth downe and so doth till all his Herb-garland bee spent and then makes them all into one great ball and therewith besmeareth his face and thus is it made a Fetisso and the partie deceased is now at rest In the meane time the dearest of his Wiues filleth all the house with mourning the neighbours and friends with Songs and Musicke such as they haue and Dances And at last they take vp the Corps and carrie it to the Graue which is foure foot deepe and couer it with stakes that nothing may fall therein The Women creeping about the Sepulchre expostulate with him Why hee would leaue them Then doe they hurle on earth so that none can get in to the Corpes for hee hath with him his Houshold Armour and whatsoeuer he vsed in his life time Wine also if before he loued it to drinke in the other World Lastly they couer the Sepulchre with a Roofe to defend all from Raine If the King dies not onely greater solemnitie is vsed but the Nobles thinking it necessarie for so great a Personage to haue attendents offer vnto him one a Seruant another a Wife a third his Sonne or Daughter till there be many of both Sexes in that other life to attend him All which are suddenly slaine at vnawares and their bloudie carkasses buried together with the King Yea the Kings wiues which loued him best refuse not this last and euerlasting seruice as they suppose but yeeld themselues to die that they may liue with him The heads of all these thus slaine are set vpon poles round about the Sepulchre Meate Drinke Rayment Armes and other Vtensils are added for their vse and buried with them After the buriall they goe to the Sea or Riuer and there obserue other Rites some washing while others play on Basons and Instruments The Widow or Widower is layd backward on the water with diuers wordes of complaint At last they cloath them returne to the dead-mans house make great cheere and drinke themselues drunke They in vncertaintie of criminall accusations as of Adulterie Murther and such like haue a certaine water offered them to drinke by the Fetissero made of those Herbes whereof their Bal Fetisso is made and in effect like the cursed water Numb 5. none daring to drinke for feare of sudden death thereby if hee be guilty They dare not come out of their houses in Thunder for then they say many of them are carried away by the Deuill and throwne dead on the ground When they pray for Raine they wash themselues and cast Water ouer their heads with diuers words and spitting in the water Their Kings are Electiue and must be liberall or else are expelled Once a yeere he makes a great feast for the common people buying to that end all the Palme-wine and many Kine the heads of which are painted and hanged in the Kings chamber in testimonie of his bounty Hee inuiteth also his neighbour-Kings Captaines and Gentlemen and then prayeth and sacrificeth to his Fetisso which is the highest Tree in the Towne The men with Fencing Drumming Singing Leaping the Women with Dances honour this feast Euery King holdeth his feast apart one soone after another in the Summer-time The King comes little abroad In the Morning and Euening his Slaues blow or sound certaine Trumpets made of Elephants teeth his Wiues doe then wash and anoynt his body He hath also his Guard Hee sits in state on a stoole holding in his hands the tayle of a Horse or Elephant to driue away Flies gallantly adorned with Rings of Gold on his Armes and legges and necke with corall Beads also wherwith likewise he maketh diuers knots on his beard His Children if they will haue any thing when they are of age must get it the common people would not like that he should maintaine them idle Onely he bestowes on them their marriage gift and a Slaue They chuse by most voyces a successour in another kindred who inheriteth the treasure of the dead King and not his owne Children Controuersies are tried by the Fetisseros Pot as is said if it be for Murther hee may redeeme his life with money one moity to the King the other to the Courtiers if he cannot the Executioner bindes his hands behind him couers his face leades him to a place alone and causing him to kneele downe thrusts him through and then for before they thinke him not dead cuts off his head and quartering the body leaues it to the Fowles ond Beasts His head is boyled by his
him King who excelled in strength or in person or in husbandry of cattell or in wealth Their Priests enioyed the chiefe ranke of honour who sending their Herald or Messenger enioyned the King his death and set vp another in his roome At length a certaine King abolished this custome and rushing with his armed Souldiers into their Temple where was a golden Chappell slue all those Priests This was at Meroe the head Citie of the Iland where Pausanias sayth they shewed the Table of the Sunne and that they were the iustest men of all the Ethiopians Concerning that Table and the expedition of CAMBYSES into these partes HERODOTVS related that CAMBYSES designed at once three inuasions against the Carthaginians the Ammonians and Macrobians all in Africa These last haue their names of their long liues which they draw forth farre beyond the vsuall course Hee placeth them on the South shores of Africa but Mela in Meroe Seneca Plinie and Solinus beyond That Table of the Sunne Herodotus and Mela thus describe Neere to the Citie was a place alwayes furnished with varietie of rosted meates there set in the night by the Magistrates and eaten on the day by such as listed and therefore of this open feasting called the Suns Table whom the ignorant people also thought to be the Cater of these dainties Cambyses sent an Embassage vnto the King with presents but principally to espie the Countrey whom the Ethiopian requited with a Bow and bade that the Persians should then inuade the Macrobians when they were able to shoot in such Bowes thanking God that hee was contented with his owne And because he had sent him golden Chaines he asked to what vse they were they said for ornaments hee answered with smiling thinking them to bee Chaines for punishment That he had stronger fetters then those The like account hee made of his Purple Robes Oyntments and Wine and asked further what the Persians eate and when they told him bread made of Wheate the nature whereof they declared and withall that the oldest Persians exceeded not fourescore yeeres hee said that it was no maruell of their short life that fed vpon dung neither could they liue so long were it not for that drinke of Wine which they vsed it was not extraordinary there to attaine to a hundred and twenty yeeres their meate was boyled flesh and their drinke Milke Hee brought them to a Fountaine wherein being bathed they smelled as of Violets it was so subtile that nothing could swimme thereon not wood or other lighter matter this water was supposed to lengthen their liues He brought them also to the Prisons where they saw many manacled and bound with Chaines of Gold Lastly hee shewed them their Sepulchres made of Glasse in this manner After they haue embalmed the dead Corps they anoint it with a kind of pargetting mortar and then put it in a case or coffin of Glasse through which it shineth and is apparant without any ill sauour This they keepe one yeere in the house offering thereto Sacrifices and the first fruits of all things and then carrie it out of the Citie Thus farre Herodotus Wherein that which some Penny-father would most admire their golden setters how common and rife is it in another sort with vs euery couetous Miser manacling fettering strangling himselfe with his Gold in shew his ornament in affect his God in effect his Deuill Iaylor Chaines and Hell The Macrobij Mela addeth vsed Brasse for honour Gold for punishments Of the Table of the Sunne before mentioned thus writeth Friar Luys de Vrreta in that his large History which hee hath composed in Spanish of Ethiopia that the King in a curious brauerie and sumptuous vanitie caused there to bee set by night in a certaine field store of white bread and the choysest Wines hanged also on the Trees great varietie of Fowles rost and boyled and set on the ground Mutton Lambe Veale Beefe with many other dainties ready dressed Trauellers and hungry persons which came hither and found this abundance seeing no bodie which prepared or which kept the same ascribed it to Iupiter Hospitalis his bounty and hospitality shewing himselfe a Protector of poore Trauellers and called this field the Table of the Sunne The report hereof passed through the World and brought many Pilgrims from farre Countries to visit the same King Cambyses sent his Embassadors to see it Plato the Prince of Philosophers hauing trauelled through Asia as farre as Caucasus and gone also to the Brachmanes to see and heare Hiarchas in a Throne of Gold amongst a few Disciples disputing of Natures Mysteries and discoursing of the Starres and Planets returned by the Persians Babylonians Arabians and other Nations and entred into Aethiopia led with desire to see this renowmed Table and to eate of those delicacies The Aethiopians since their Christianity in zealous detestation of Idolatry will not so much as name this field and these ancient Rites and giue in charge to the Priests at this day that they handle not or create of the like vanities because they were inuentions of Idolaters Caelius Rbodiginus affirmeth that this Table of the Sunne grew into a Prouerbe to signifie a House well furnished and prouided Thus farre Fryer Luys I doubt farther then wee may safely follow in that of Plato's Pilgrimage hither Of the Pillar of Semiramis is before spoken out of the relation of Xenophon de Aequiuocis concerning which and his other companions and brethren howsoeuer Posseuinus Goropius and others doe reproue Annius for abusing the World with those glorious Titles and Ancient names and proue them to bee counterfeit yet in my mind that of Xenophon seemeth to fauour of some truth whether of antiquity or no I meddle not and that more then others of the same Edition In that Pillar consecrated to the memory of Ninus the Inscription testifieth that Cush or Cuz was the Aethiopian Saturne as C ham the Egyptian and Nimrod the Babylonian When Cush was dead they say Regma his Sonne succeeded in the Aethiopian Kingdome and after him Dodan after whose time is no record of certaine succession Diodorus sayth they chose him which was most comely of personage for their King Memnon is chanted by Homer and the Poets which lost his life at Troy in defence of Priamus and was some say King of Aethiopia Of the speaking Image of Memnon yee haue seene in our Egyptian Relations As for the wife of Moses whereof Iosephus sayth That the Aethiopians hauing ouer-runne and almost subdued Egypt and none daring to make head against them Mose whom Thermutis Pharaohs daughter had brought vp was chosen Generall of the Egyptian Army which he conducted into Aethiopia and comming to the siege of Saba Tharbis the Aethiopian Kings daughter fell in loue with him and sent her Seruants to intreat of a Marriage with him which hee accepted vpon condition of deliuering the Towne vnto him and that being done married her all this seemeth rather
to be a Iewish Fable thinking thereby to credit their Law-giuer then agreeing to Moses the Truth and Scripture and might haply arise from that speech That Moses his wife was an Aethiopian of which wee haue spoken alreadie Neyther is it likely that Moses would accept of Treason for the dowry with his wife sealed with the bloud and ouerthrow of her Countrey and Citizens And yet from hence doe some deriue the originall of their Nation After the Father of this supposed Tharbis Derianus is said to raigne who valiantly withstood Bacchus which is thought to be Osiris the Egyptian King and after their God when he inuaded Egypt with in Army Diodorus mentioneth Actisanes a King of Aethiopia Cepheus also is numbred in that Royall Catalogue but of all Ganges was most famous who with his Aethiopian Armie passed into Asia and conquered all as farre as the Riuer Ganges to which hee left that name being before called Chliaros Hee conquered as farre also to the West vnto the Atlantike Ocean gaue name to the Country of Guinea which name some say is corrupted of Gangina the name it had receiued of Ganges These things are written by some I wil not swear for the truth as safely we may do for that which the Scripture mētioneth of some of their Kings in the dayes of Asa and Hezekiah Kings of Iuda whose puissance then was such that Zerah brought into the field a Million of men and Tirrhaca was Corriuall vnto proude and blasphemous Sennacherib in sute for the Monarchy of the World But whether he came out of this Aethiopia or any other parts of Asia or Africke is not very certaine Before that time the Aethiopians had warred vnder Shishak King of Egypt whom some take for Sesostris The Babylonians in Nabuchodonosors time conquered Egypt and Aethiopia as some expound the Prophesie of Ezechiel And the Persian Empire extended from India to Aethiopia Agatharchides writeth that the Inhabitants on both sides the Riuer Astabara liue on Roots dryed in the Sunne they are much infested with Lions and not lesse with a lesse creature but greater Enemy the Gnats which driue them to hide themselues in the waters from their fury when the Dogge-starre ariseth which with these his Armies of Gnats bayteth the Lions also whom their buzzing and humming noyse chase out of the Country He speaketh of other their Neighbours which feed on the tops of twigs running and leaping on the trees and from bough to bough with incredible agility others dwell on trees for feare of wild beasts on whose flesh and in want thereof on their hides they liue as Ostriches Elephants Grashoppers are the daily dyet to others to which he addes the Cynamolgi which are nourished with the Milke of Bitches of which they haue great Heards which perhaps our Reader will nor beleeue neyther can I force him CHAP. II. A continuation of the Aethiopian Antiquities and of the Queene of Saba HEliodorus in his Historie which although for the substance it be fayned as a loue Discourse yet must hold resemblance with things done and for the variety and conceit thereof commended by that learned German Philip and by our English Philip the Prince of Potsie imitated in his Arcadia telleth of Hydaspes his Ethiopian King that after his victory at Syene and hauing there performed his deuotions and seene their Niloscopium like to that at Memphis and now at Cairo and enquired the originals of their Feasts and holy rites done in honour of that Riuer when he came to the Cataracts hee sacrificed to Nilus and the Gods of the Borders He then sent Messengers to the Wisemen whom hee calleth Gymnosophistes which are the Kings Counsellers at Meroe to certifie them of his victory and to call a publike Assembly wherein to gratifie the Gods for the same with Sacrifices and solemne pompes in the field consecrated to the Sunne the Moone and Bacchus Persina the Queene deliuered those Letters to the Gymnosophistes who dwelt by themselues in a Groue consecrated to Pan and before they would giue answere consulted with the Gods by prayer and then Sisimitres the chiefe of them promised all should bee fulfilled The Sacrifices were to be done to the Sunne and Moone and therefore except Persina the Queene which was Luna's Priest no woman for feare of contaminating the Holies of those Pure and Bright Deities might be present Hydaspes was Priest of the Sunne Much preparation was made of Beasts for their Hecatombe's and much concourse of people crossing the Riuer in those Boats of Canes or Reeds There were presented the Images of their Gods Memnon Perseus and Andromeda and nigh to them sate the Gymnosophista Three Altars were erected two ioyntly to the Sunne and Moone a third to Bacchus by himselfe to him they offered all sorts of Beasts to Sol white Chariot-horses to the Moone a yoke of Oxen. And when al things were ready the people with shouts demanded the Sacrifice which vsually was accustomed for the health of their Nation That was some of the strangers taken in the wars to be offered First triall was made by Spits of Gold heated with fire brought out of the Temple whether the Captiues had euer knowne carnall copulation for treading on the same with their bare feete such as were pure Virgins receiued no harme others were scorched These were offered in Sacrifice to Bacchus the other to those purer Deities These things haue I here inserted not as done but as like to such things which among the Meroites were vsed to be done and agreeing with the generall deuotions of those Aethiopians Philostratus reporteth like matters of their Gymnosophists and of the Groue where they kept their generall consultations otherwise each of them by themselues apart obseruing their studies and holies They worshipped Nilus intending in their mysticall interpretation the Earth and the Water They entertayned strangers in the open Ayre Thesphesion was then in Apollonius his time chiefe of their societie At his command an Elme did speake They held the Immortality of the soule The Aethiopians sacrificed to Memnon and to the Sunne Lucian after his scoffing manner gratulates the Aethiopians that fauour which Iupiter vouchsafed them in going on feasting accompanied with the rest of the Gods and that twelue dayes together if Homer reckoned truly But more seriously elsewhere hee vnfoldeth that Mystery shewing that the Aethiopians were Inuenters of Astrologie helped therein by the cleerenesse of the Skie in that Region and like temperature of the seasons Of them the Egyptians learned and furthered that Science In his Treatise of Dancing he affirmeth that the Aethiopians vsed their haire in stead of a Quiuer and neuer drew Arrow from thence to shoot in battle but with a dancing gesture Diodorus Siculus telleth that the Aethiopians were accounted most ancient of all other men and that not onely Humanitie but Diuinity was borne and bred amongst them
Solemnities Pompes Holies and Religious Rites were their Inuention And therefore saith he Homer brings in Iupiter feasting with the Aethiopians The reward of their pietie was the Immunity of their Region from forreine Conquests Macrobius interpreteth Iupiters Banket with the Aethiopians of that Ocean which Antiquitie imagined to bee vnder all the Torrid Zone that the fiery bodies of the Starres supposed to bee nourished with moysture might there quench their thirst So would those good men drowne a great part of the African and American World in hospitality to the Starres by their imagined middle earth Ocean which experience hath now sufficiently confuted Cambyses attempted and lost his Armie and Semiramis entred but soone returned Hercules and Dionysius ouer-ran the rest of the World the Aethiopians eyther for their deuotion they would not or for their strength could not conquer The Egyptians some say were Colonies from hence yea Egypt it selfe the dregges of that soyle which Nilus carrieth out of Aethiopia The Aegyptians borrowed of the Ethiopians to esteeme their Kings as Gods and to haue such care of their Funerals the vse of Statues and their Hieroglyphicall Letters Pierius and others haue written therof at large Their best men they chose for their Priests he among them who when the God is carried about shall be possessed with some Bacchanall furie is chosen King as by diuine appointment and is of them worshipped as a God His gouernment is gouerned by Lawes They doe not put a Malefactor to death but an Officer is sent to him with the signe of death whereupon he goeth home and slayeth himselfe One would haue fled out of his Countrey but the Mother of the Malefactor killed him because he would not after his Country manner kill himselfe The Priests in Meroe exercised this authoritie as is before said ouer their Kings and would send them word that the Oracles of the Gods commanded them to die neither might they reiect the diuine dispensation and thus with arguments not with armes they perswaded them to a voluntary death But in the time of Ptolomeus Secundus King of Egypt King Ergamenes well skilled in the Greeke Sciences and Philosophie reiected that Superstition They say that the custome yet till Diodorus time remayneth that if the King bee maymed or by some accident want any member his Courtiers also will depriue themselues of the same Yea when the King dyed his friends thought it good fellowship to dye with him esteeming that death glorious and the surest testimony of friendship The Aethiopians dwelling neerer to Arabia armed their women in their warres till they attained to a certaine age the most of which ware a Ring of Brasse in their lip They which dwelt further vp into the Countrey were diuersly conceited of the Gods For some they thinke immortall as the Sunne Moone and the World some mortall as Pan Hercules Iupiter for their vertues exalted to that dignitie Strabo tels it in the singular number that they thought that God to bee immortall which is the cause of all things Their mortall God was vncertaine and wanted name but they most commonly esteemed their Kings and Benefactors for Gods Some that inhabit neerer the Line worshipped no Gods and were much offended with the Sunne and hiding themselues in the Fennes cursed him when hee did rise These things you may reade gathered out of Diodorus and Strabo in Coruinus Boemus Draudius and Thamaia with some other additions Sardus saith that the Aethiopians were Circumcised as were also besides the Iewes Egyptians and Arabians the Trogloditae Macrones Creophagi and Inhabitants of Thermodoon As we haue shewed of the Macrobij or long-liued Aethiopians so there were others called Brachobij of their shorter liues whereof were reckoned two sorts the Sidonij neere to the Red Sea and the Erembi which some take for the Trogloditae They liue not aboue forty yeeres Plutarch out of Asclepeiades reporteth the like saying that they were old men at thirty yeeres The same Author telleth that they and the Arabians could not indure Mice and that the Persian Magi did likewise esteeming them Creatures odious to God Alexander ab Alexandro writeth concerning the education of their Children that the Aethiopians seared their new borne Infants in the foreheads to preuent the distillations of Rheumes from the braine And when they are somewhat growne they make tryall of their forwardnesse by setting them on the backes of certaine Fowles on which if they sit in their flying without feare they bring them vp very carefully but if they shrinke and quake with feare they expose them as a degenerate issue vnworthy education Their Letters they wrote not side-wayes after the Greeke or Hebrew manner but after the present Chinian custome downwards They had seuen Characters euery of which had foure significations What manner of writing they now vse appeareth in Damianus à Goez or of Zaga Zabo rather an Aethiopian Bishop in his Treatise of their Religion done into Latine by Damianus but more fully in Iosephus Scaliger de Emendatione Temporum who hath lent vs a long Tractate in that language and writing with the same words expressed in Hebrew and Latine Characters and the interpretation of them also into Latine in foure seuerall Columnes He that listeth to reade some Philosophicall speculations of Nature in these Aethiopians wherein they differ and wherefore from others let him reade Coelius Rhodiginus of that Argument hee sayth that they were expert in naturall Magicke Nicephorus writes that Alexander the Great sent Assyrian Colonies into Aethiopia which many Ages after kept their owne Language and like enough their Religion The Nations of Aethiopia which are farre distant from Nilus are said to liue a miserable and beastly life not discerning in their lust Mother Daughter or any other name of kinred Of their ancient exploits wee haue no continued Historie About the time of Christ it appeareth that Candace was Queene of Ethiopia Shee was a manly Virago as Strabo testifieth who liued at the same time and followed Aelius Gallus in this Expedition Hee forced Candace to send her Ambassadours to Augustus for peace which shee obtayned Sextus Victor mentioneth this Ethiopian ambassage Plinie saith the name Candace continued to the Ethiopian Queenes many successions whence perhaps Diesserus collecteth that Ethiopia was gouerned onely by Queenes Dioclesian relinquished that part of Ethiopia which the Romanes held beyond Egypt as not able to beare the charges Iustinian sent his Ambassadours vnto Hellistans the Ethiopian King and to Esimiphaens King of the Homerites his Arabian neighbour to aide him against the Persian This Hellisthaeus had warred against the Homerites for quarrell of Religion because they were many of them Iewes and others Gentiles himselfe being a Christian and because they made many forrages into the Christian Countries He so farre preuailed as hee made that Esimiphaeus a Christian their King whose yoke they shooke off soone
vnder his name many ascribed to Iob which he writ after the recouery of his prosperitie many of Esdras the Prophets and the High Priests And besides the foure canonicall Gospels many others ascribed to Bartholomew Thomas Andrew and others much of the Sibelles in Verse and Prose the workes of the Queene of Saba the Greeke Fathers all that haue written of which many are not extant with vs the Writers of Syria Aegypt Africa and the Latine Fathers translated with others innumerable in the Greeke Hebrew Arabike Abassine Aegyptian Syrian Chaldee farre more Authors and more of them then we haue few in Latine yet Titus Liuius is there whole which with vs imperfect and some of the Workes of Thomas Aquinas Saint Augustines Works are in Arabike Poets Philosophers Physicians Rabbines Talmudists Cabalists Hieroglyphikes and others would be too tedious to relate When Ierusalem was destroyed by Titus when the Saracens ouer-ranne the Christian world many bookes were conueyed out of the Easterne parts into Aethiopia when Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Iewes out of Spaine many of them entred into Aethiopia and for doing this without licence enriched the Pretes Library With their bookes when Charles the fift restored Muleasses to his Kingdome the Prete hearing that there was at Tunis a great Librarie sent and bought more then three thousand bookes of diuers Arts There are aboue two hundred Monkes whose office is to looke to the Library to keepe them cleane and sound each appointed to the bookes of that language which he vnderstandeth the Abbot hath strait charge from the Emperour to haue care thereof he esteeming this Library more then his Treasure And yet his Treasure is such as leaues all others of all Princes in the world behind quite out of sight it is a Sea that euery yeere receiueth new Riuers neuer running out the Emperours euen from the time of the Queene of Saba laying vp part of their reuenue heere And therefore Dauid the Prete in Letters to King Iohn the second of Portugall said that he had Gold as the sands of the Sea and the Starres in the skie The first that coyned money was Alexander the third which dyed in the yeere of our Lord 1603. stamping in the one side the figure of Saint Matthew the Aethiopian Patron and on the other the Lion and Crosse which is the Armes of Aethiopia His jewels heere kept are incomparable Topazes Amethists Saphires Diamonds and others Hee hath one jewell which was found in the Riuer Niger that brings forth more gemmes then any Riuer in the world which is one piece of stone or rocke diuersified with a thousand varieties of stone it is square about two palmes and a halfe and thicke withall there are in it an hundred and sixtie Diamonds one as large as the palme of ones hand others of one two or three fingers and some lesse it hath about three hundred Emeralds Rubies the greatest in the world aboue fiftie Saphyres Turqueses Balazes Amethists Spinels Topazes Iacinths Chrysolites and all other kinds Nature heere playing the Ieweller representing a Map of the worlds Gemmes in one jewell without and infinitely beyond all Arte of Man Being set in the Sunne it seemes a combined marriage of heauenly and earthly Excellence that no mortall eye hath seene the like nor is able to endure the sight of this When Bernardo Vecheis a Ieweller was sent thither by Francis de Medicis Duke of Florence hee accounted it beyond all estimation or value The Emperour keepes it in a Boxe of Gold By the perswasion of that Bernardo hee hath made him Tables set with thousands of stones in them Corrall is more esteemed in Aethiopia then Gold and therefore Frier Luys denies that Corrals in the bottome of the red Sea make it red as some affirme and that which Barros saith hath been found there is vnperfect §. III. Of the Princes of the Blood there kept and of the Election of the EMPEROVR BVt greater Iewels then those are kept in Amara the Princes of the Blood Royall which are sent to this hill at eight yeeres old and neuer returne thence except they be chosen Emperours The first Author of this custome was Iosue the Nephew of Salomon and sonne of Meilec or Melilec to remoue all occasions of ciuill warres about Succession And their continued succession in one Line without alienation is imputed to this Some Emperours for a time had left it till Abraham being Emperour had or pretended to haue a Reuelation to renue that custome if hee would continue the Scepter in the Linage of Dauid The Princes which liue there are sixe eight twelue and sometimes more An. 1608. they were sixe euery of which liues by himselfe and that in great estate and maiestie in royall Palaces with spacious Hals richly hanged remoued to another Palace at pleasure they meet altogether when they will play hunt walke and on Holy-dayes to Diuine Seruice they take place according to their age each hath his ten seruants for ordinarie attendance which are the sonnes or descended of the Tributary Kings for baser offices the great master or military Abbot employeth the Souldiers that guard at the foot of the Hill which without license may not ascend They haue other graue persons to instruct them in vertue and learning Euery Citie that is euery habitation of a thousand houses is at their owne charge to send thither three men a Gentleman a Citizen and a Plebeian for the guard of the Hill which make vp the number of seuen thousand fiue hundred there being two thousand and fiue hundred Cities in the Empire The militarie Abbots order them in their seuerall Wards the baser at the foot of the Hill the Citizens at the middle and the Gentlemen at the top their Captaines changed at euery two moneths end Besides the Souldiers Tents are many others of Merchants and Officers No woman may ascend nor hath done since Queene Candace was heere baptized by her Eunuch the Princes liue single and marrie not as Aluares hath saith our Frier vntruely affirmed of them When the Emperor is dead many solemne ceremonies are obserued both religious and ciuill about the Election of another which is in the authoritie of the two militarie Abbots of St Anthonies Order in the Mount Oathes are taken both of the Electors and Elected the first to vse sinceritie the other to raigne iustly obseruing and causing in his Empire to be obserued the Lawes of God Christian Religion the foure first Councels of Nice Ephesus Chalcedon and Constantinople and if the Fryer reach not for in their Holy Fathers case I relye not much on their Holinesse to acknowledge the Florentine Councell and the Popes Supremacie and lastly the Constitutions of Iohn the Saint and Philip the Seuenth ancient Emperours which done in solemne Procession of all Estates they goe to Church and hauing set the Emperor in his Throne the Princes of the Blood are brought out of the Palace where in the time
because the Turkish Empire was so full of seditions and the Sophi had sent his Embassadour to them to chuse a fit warrior that they might with ioynt forces assault the Ottoman §. IIII. Of their Schooles and Cities THere are in all the Cities of Aethiopia two Schooles or Colledges for the instruction of youth one for the male sexe the other for the female each diuided into three parts the first for the Gentlemens children the second for Citizens the third for the baser vulgar with their seuerall instructers and without communion medling or conuersing of the one with the other the Seminarie or Colledge of Boyes is a quarter of a league without the City the other within There are they taught Letters and Religion All euen the Kings themselues are bound to send their children thither to be instructed and the Priests resort thither for Confession and ministring the Sacrament to them They may resort home at Festiuall times otherwise they are there detained The Virgins from ten to twenty the other from ten to sixteene yeeres of their age They haue not only this order in their wel ordered Schooles but in their disordered misorderly Stews the deuils work-houses and suburbs of Hell which yet in Rome and places of that Religion are permitted and admitted the Cities and his Holinesse selfe is not a little enriched with that which God prohibited The price of the Dogge and of the Whore The Ethiopians permit not any to bee strange women but strangers of other Countreys which may not enter into their Cities nor may the Nobles enter into the common houses which belong to the Citizens or these to those of the Plebians nor any but to those peculiarly designed their state vnder paine of death as adulterers to bee cast to Lyons These women are hired by certaine Officers at a common price and are not to take any thing of particular men they goe in pale-coloured garments and if they distaste and forsake that beastly trade they send them to some places subiect vnto the Portugals not admitting them to conuerse with their women for feare of infection But to leaue these Beasts the Ethiopians giue great respect to their Physicians which are onely of their Gentry and that not all that will but onely such as certaine Officers shall chuse of euery Citie to be sent to their generall Vniuersities of which there are seuen in Ethiopia there to be taught naturall Philosophy Logicke and other Arts they know not together with Physicke and the Arts of the Apothecarie and Chirurgian They are there maintained at the publike charge of the Cities that send them When the Doctors and Instructers see them fit for Graduates they go with them to the Monks of Alleluya and of Plurimanos who with a Monkes Cowle or Hood and other Doctoricall Ensignes doe inuest and inaugurate them in that Degree They are great Herbarists They make Mummia otherwise then in other parts where it is either made of bodies buried in the Sands or taken out of ancient Sepulchres where they had been laid being inbalmed with Spices For they take a captiue Moore of the best complexion and after long dieting and medicining of him cut off his head in his sleepe and gashing his body full of wounds and therein all the best Spices and then wrap him vp in Hay being before couered with a Seare-cloth after which they burie him in a moist place couering the body with earth Fiue dayes being passed they take him vp againe and remouing the Seare-cloth and Hay hang him vp in the Sunne whereby the body resolueth and droppeth a substance like pure Balme which liquor is of great price The fragrant sent is such while it hangeth in the Sunne that it may be smelt he saith a league off The priuiledges of Physicians are that they are freed from the common custome of giuing one in three of their sonnes for the Emperors warres that they may ride on Elephants in the Cities which is allowed onely to the Emperors Prelates and Priests that are Virgins They may also weare Miniuer-hoods and are free from Subsidies and Paiments Theologie and the Chaldee tongue is taught onely among their Priests and Ecclesiasticall persons in their Churches and Monasteries They reade Diuinitie in their natiue tongue the Text is the foure first generall Councels the Scripture they reade in Chaldee which is with them as Latine with vs They handle not questions as the Schoolemen in Logicall disputations and Arguings but copiously and eloquently interpret the Scriptures Because we haue mentioned their Cities Saba and Zambra let vs take some briefe view of them and so leaue this Spaniard whose Discourse hath I hope not without some delight thus long holden you Besides these two Cities none haue aboue three thousand houses in them But these are populous and magnificent with Towers Temples triumphant Arches Obeliskes Piramides and the like tokens of industry Antiquitie and Maiestie Saba was founded by that Queene which visited Salomon and was the mother-Citie of the Empire It hath fiue thousand houses great and sumptuous the streets spacious with Portals or Pent-houses that men may walke safe from the Sunnes violence It hath foure chiefe Gates all of Alabaster and Iasper wrought with Antique-workes the Gate-doores of Cedar curiously carued The wayes that leade to these Gates for the space of two leagues are set with Palmes Planes Oranges Cedars Cypresses and other trees on both sides for shade fruit the foure high streets goe thorow the Citie acrosse and where they meet is an Arch or Vault erected on high Pillars fairely wrought and gilded with the brazen Image of S. Matthew their supposed Patron as bigge as a Giant gilded also the worke of Architects sent by Francis Duke of Florence Neere to this Citie are Mines of Gold Gardens and other places of pleasure and profit Zambra is greater containing thirty thousand houses and innumerable concourse of people It stands in the Kingdome of Cafates and nigh that great Lake which hereof is called Zambra where the Emperor leauing his wonted maner of remouing vp downe in Tents haue fixed his Court-royall and yet without the Citie are many Tents that belong to the Court Here the Prete liueth with two and forty sons of Kings with his great Councell and the Latine Alexander the third built the Palace here 1570. by the Duke of Florence his workmen If I should follow the Frier further I could leade you on in a delectable way but doubtfull like the Poets writings and bring you into Elisian but fabulous fields fertile in al things but truth wherein let the Reader pardon that I haue already been so long rather then tedious in this Vtopian Aethiopia at the first much suspected by me as by many passages in the Story is expressed but since largely written against by Godignus a Iesuit and by latter Relations found eyther vncertaine or false whose paines shall helpe make vp another Chapter and then will we proceed in our
principall although she be inferiour in bloud and her sonne succeeds And in seed-time and haruest the Queene goeth to the field and ouerseeth the stuffe esteeming it a great honour Thus farre out of Barrius Iohannes Boterus tels that his chiefe warriours are women namely certaine Amazones which seare off their left paps as Odoardo d Lopez reporteth lest they should hinder their shooting after the manner of the ancient Amazones they are quick bold couragious and constant in battaile and most constant in inconstancie for when they make shew of flight they will returne espying their aduantage with the greatest fury They dwell in certaine Countries by themselues and at certaine times haue men to accompany with them for generation to whom they send their Males reseruing all the Female Children which they haue Thus we find Amazons which the Ancients reported in Asia and Diodorus in Libya now in these times if this report bee true in Aethiopia and Huldericus Shmidel hath told of the like in America Others deny it and none hath yet written of them from his owne sight For my part no Amazonian hath yet conquered my credit In the yeere 1560. Consaluus Silueria with two other Iesuites went from Goa to the Kingdomes of Inhamban and Monomotapa and comming to Inhamban they went to Yonge the City Royall where they baptized the King and all his people in a short space naming the King Constantine the Queene Mary Thence went Consaluus to Monomotapa and so preuailed with his Images Preaching and contempt of the World that he wanne the King and his Mother with multitudes of others to Baptisme But soone after the King by suggestion of the Moores slue him Sebastian in reuenge raysed an Armie of sixteene hundred most of them being Gentlemen which he sent vnder the conduct of Francis Barretto The Benomotapa fearing the Portugals forces offered reasonable conditions which Barretto refusing was discomfited not by the Negro but by the Ayre the malignity whereof the sowre sauce of all these Golden Countryes in Africa consumed his people There are other Kingdomes adioyning to Monomotapa and the Mountaynes of the Moone Matana Melemba Quinbebe Berteca Bauagul of which I can giue you but the names §. II. Of Caphraria the Cape of Good Hope and Soldania CAphraria or the Land of the Caphars is next to bee considered which Maginus boundeth betweene Rio di Spirito Sancto and Cape Negro extending to the Cape of Good Hope Southwards Why hee should call this part the Caphars I know not for the Arabians of whom this word is borrowed giue that name to all the Heathen people in Africa yea both the Arabians and all of their Religion call all such as receiue not that Superstition Caphars euen Christians also as Master Ienkinson long since told vs And for the Heathens in Africa Barrius affirmeth that it is by the Moores giuen to them all signifying Without Law or lawlesse people Zanguebar is in this respect called Cafraria It should seeme it is appropriated to these the Southerliest Nations of Africa for want of other the more true proper names which were vnknowne With the names of the Capes and other places of note Master Pory hath already acquainted his English Reader Onely that notable and famous Cape of Good Hope so named by Iohn the Second King of Portugall for that hope which he conceiued of a way to the Indies when it was first discouered deserueth some mention It hath three head-lands the Westermost beareth name of Good Hope the middlemost Cabo Falso because they haue sometimes in their returne from the Indies mistaken this for the former betweene which two Capes runneth into the Sea a mighty Riuer called by the Portugals Rio dulce which springs out of a Lake called Gale situate among the Mountaynes of the Moone so much celebrated by the ancient Geographers The third and Eastermost is that of Agulhas or Needles about fiue and twenty leagues from the first both which seeme as two hornes wherewith it threatens the Ocean which in these parts is found oftentimes tempestuous and when it cannot preuayle against this rough-faced and horned Promontory it wrekes the whole malice vpon the ships whose ribs in the enraged fits it would breake if they were of Iron as Linschoten testifieth of his owne experience True it is that sometimes it is passed with more ease but not so vsually and Linschoten tels that at his returne from India the Saint Thomas a new Carricke was heere cast away and their ship wherein he sayled in such danger that one while they prayed another while murmured another time would returne backe and the Captaine professed no small maruell why our Lord suffered such good Catholikes to indure such torments and the English Heretickes and Blasphemers to passe so easily The waues there sayth hee strike against a ship as if they strucke against a Hill that if it were of stone it would at last be broken Capaine Lancaster traded with the people neere these parts and for two Kniues bought an Oxe for one a Sheepe c. in good quantity Their Sheepe are great with great tailes but hairy not woolled Their Oxen great not fat but well fleshed The Captaine killed there an Antelope as bigge as a Colt There were diuers great beasts vnknowne to them When they had passed this Cape they lost their Admirall Captaine Raimond and neuer saw them or heard of them more And foure dayes after they found as terrible an Enemy from aboue and encountred with a Thunder clap which slue foure of their men out-right their neckes being wrung asunder And of fourescore and fourteene men there was not one vntouched but some were blind others bruised in their legs and armes or brests others drawne out as if they had beene racked which all yet God be thanked did after recouer The same Sir Iames Lancaster was after this sent Generall for the East India Company which hauing made a stocke of threescore and twelue thousand pound bought the Dragon of sixe hundred tunnes the Hector of three hundred the Ascension of two hundred fourescore the Susan of two hundred and threescore and sent in them in Merchandize and Spanish Money to the value of seuen and twenty thousand pound The Scorbute so weakened their men that they were not able to hoyse out their Boates except in the Generals ship whose men drinking euery morning three spoonefuls of the juyce of Limons were healthfull He bought a thousand sheepe in Soldania and forty two Oxen as bigge as ours the sheepe greater but hairy and might haue bought more for old Iron The people he sayth are tawny Cornelius Houtman sayth Oliue blacke blacker then the Brasilians their haire curled and blacke as in Angola not circumcised clocke like a brood-hen in speaking paint their faces with diuers colours strong actiue swift subiect to Monomotapa they slue some Flemings for wrongs which made the English warie in trading with them
which some exorbitant members burthen themselues and make others by lighting heauy worthily therefore by the Sun of our Great Britaine at the first rising of his morning brightnesse dispersed from our Horizon But how farre is Loanda from Britaine And yet our scope is to bring Loanda and all the World else into our Britaine that our Britaines might see the in and outside of the same Loando is reported as some affirme of Egypt and Nilus to bee the issue of the Oceans sand and Coanzo's mire which in processe of time brought forth in their disagreeing agreement this Iland In Congo the King is Lord Supreme and none hath power to bequeath his goods to his kindred but the King is heire generall to all men CHAP. X. Of Loango the Anzichi Giachi and the great Lakes in those parts of the World §. I. Of Loango IT followeth in the course of our Discouerie to set you on shore in Loango the Northerly neighbour of Congo right vnder the Line whose Countrie stretched two hundred miles within Land The people are called Bramas the King Mani Loango sometimes as report goeth subiect to the King of Congo They are Circumcised after the maner of the Hebrews like as also the rest of the Nations of those Countries vse to be They haue aboundance of Elephants and weare cloathes of Palme Andrew Battell liued amongst them two yeares and a halfe They are saith he Heathens and obserue many Superstitions They haue their Mokisso's or Images to which they offer according to the proportion of their sorts and suits The Fisher offereth fish when he sueth for his helpe in his fishing the Countrey-man Wheat the Weauer Alibungo's pieces of cloth other bring bottles of wine all wanting that they would haue and bringing what they want furnishing their Mokisso with those things whereof they complaine themselues to be dis-furnished Their Ceremonies for the dead are diuers They bring Goats and let them bleed at the Mokisso's foot which they after consume in a Feasting memoriall of the deceased party which is continued foure or fiue dayes together and that foure or fiue seuerall times in the yeere by all of his friends and kindred The dayes are knowne and though they dwell twenty miles th ende yet they will resort to these memoriall-Exequies and beginning in the night will sing dolefull and funerall songs till day and then kill as aforesaid and make merry The hope of this maketh such as haue store of friends to contemne death and the want of friends to bewayle him makes a man conceiue a more dreadfull apprehension of Death Their conceit is so rauished with superstition that many dye of none other death Kin is the name of vnlawfull and prohibited meat which according to each kindreds deuotion to some Family is some kinde of Fish to another a Hen to another a Buffe and so of the rest in which they obserue their vowed abstinence so strictly that if any should though at vnawares eate of this Kin he would dye of conceit alway presenting to his accusing conscience the breach of his vow and the anger of Mokisso Hee hath knowne diuers thus to haue died and sometimes would when some of them had eaten with him make them beleeue that they had eaten of their Kin till hauing sported himselfe with their superstitious agony he would affirme the contrary They vse to set in their Fields and places where Corne or Fruits grow a Basket with Goats-hornes Parrats feathers and other trash This is the Mokisso's Ensigne or token that it is commended to his custodie and therefore the people very much addicted to theft dare not meddle or take any thing Likewise if a man wearied with his burthen lay it downe in the high-way and knit a knot of grasse and lay thereon or leaue any other note knowne to them to testifie that hee hath left it there in the name of his Idol it is secured from the lime-fingers of any passenger Conceit would kill the man that should transgresse in this kinde In the Banza or chiefe Citie the chiefe Idol is named Chekoke Euery day they haue there Market and the Chekoke is brought forth by the Ganga or Priest to keep good rule and is set in the Market-place to preuent stealing Moreouer the King hath a Bell the strokes whereof sound such terrour into the heart of the fearfull thiefe that none dare keepe any stolne goods after the sound of that Bell. Our Author inhabited in a little Reed-house after the Loango manner and had hanging by the wals in a Cloth-case his Piece wherewith hee vsed to shoot Fowles for the King which more for loue of the Cloth then for the Peece was stolne Vpon complaint this Bell in forme like a Cowbell was carried about rung with proclamation to make restitution and he had his Peece the next morning set at his doore The like another found in a bagge of Beads of a hundred pound weight stolne from him and recouered by the sound of this Bell. They haue a dreadfull and deadly kind of tryall in Controuersies after this manner There is a little Tree or Shrub with a small Root is called Imbunda about the bignesse of ones thumbe halfe a foot long like a white Carrot Now when any listeth to accuse a Man or Family or whole Street of the death of any of his friends saying That such a man bewitched him the Ganga assembleth the accused parties and scrapes that Root the scrapings wherof he mixeth with water which makes it as bitter as gall hee tasted of it one Root will serue for the tryall of a hundred men The Ganga brewes the same together in Gourds and with Plantine stalkes hitteth euery one after they had drunke with certaine words Those that haue receiued the drinke walke by till they can make Vrine and then they are thereby freed Others abide till either Vrine trees them or dizzinesse takes them which the people no sooner perceiue but they cry Vndoke Vndoke that is naughty Witch and hee is no sooner fallen by his dizzinesse but they knocke him on the head and dragging him away hurle him ouer the Cliffe In euery Liberty they haue such Tryals which they make in cases of Theft and death of any person Euery weeke it fals out that some or other vndergoes this tryall which consumeth multitudes of people There be certaine persons called Dunda which are borne of Negro-Parents and yet are by some vnknowne cause white They are very rare and when such happen to be born they are brought to the King and become great Witches They are his Councellors and aduise him of lucky and vnlucky dayes for execution of his enterprises When the King goes any whither the Dundas goe with him and beat the ground round about with certaine Exorcismes before the King sits downe and then sit downe by him They will take any thing in the Market not daring to contradict them Kenga is the landing place of Loango They haue
Deluge in the dayes of Noah drowned not these parts because men had not here inhabited who with a deluge of sinne might procure that deluge of waters AMERICA is a more common then fitting name seeing Americus Vespucius the Florentine from whom this name is deriued was not the first Finder nor Author of that Discouerie Columbus will challenge that and more iustly with whom and vnder whom Americus made his first voyage howsoeuer after that hee coasted a great part of the Continent which Columbus had not seene at the charges of the Castilian and Portugall Kings But so it might more rightly be termed Cabotia or Sebastiana of Sebastian Cabot a Venetian which discouered more of the Continent then they both about the same time first employed by King Henrie the seuenth of England and after by the Catholike King Columbus yet as the first Discouerer deserueth the name both of the Countrey for the first finding and of modestie for not naming it by himselfe seeking rather effects then names of his exploits But leaue we these Italian Triumviri the Genuois Venetian and Florentine to decide this question among themselues And why now is it called the West Indies To this Acosta's exposition of the word Indies that thereby wee meane all those rich Countries which are farre off and strange is too generall an answere and giueth not the true cause of the name Gomara saith that a certaine Pilot of whom Columbus receiued his first instructions tooke it to bee India or else Columbus himselfe thinking by the West to finde a neerer passage vnto the East by reason of the Earths roundnesse sought for Cipango or Iapan and Cathay when he first discouered the Ilands of the New World And this opinion is probable both because hee named Hispaniola Ophir whence Salomon fetched his gold and Sebastian Cabot in the first voyage which he made at the charges of King Henrie the seuenth intended as himselfe confesseth to finde no other Land but Cathay and from thence to turne towards India and the opinions of Aristotle and Seneca that India was not farre from Spaine confirmed them therein Now that we may descend from the Name to the Nature of this New World a World it is to see how Nature doth deflect and swarne from those grounds and principles which the Naturalists and Philosophers her forwardest Schollers haue set downe for Rules and Axiomes of Natures working For if we regard the ancient Poets Philosophers and Fathers we shall see them deceiued and that not in few opinions which they seemed to haue learned in Natures Sanctuaries and in most Closets In the Heauens they supposed a burning Zone in the Earth a Plage plagued with scortching heates Vtque duae dextra Coelum totidemque sinistra Parte secant Zonae quinta est ardentior illis Sic Totidemque plaga tellure premuntur Quarum quae mediae est non est habitabilis astu Nix tegit alta duas totidem inter vtramque locauit Temperiemque dedit And a greater then Ouid Quinque tenent Coelum Zonae quarum vna corusco Semper sole rubens c. The sense whereof is that those parts of the World next the Arctike or Antarctike Poles are not habitable by reason of extreme cold nor the middle part by reason of vnreasonable heate the two other parts temperate and habitable The Philosophers accounted this no Poeme or rather were more Poeticall themselues For that which those accounted a Torrid and scortched earth these made to bee a spacious and vnpassable Ocean where the Starres hot with their continuall motions and the Sunnes thirstie Steedes wearied with their daily iourney might finde moysture to refresh and nourish their fierie constitutions And therefore they diuided the Earth into two habitable Ilands compassed about and seuered in the midst with a huge Ocean On this side whereof wee are situated and beyond the Antipodes Some Philosophers indeede held otherwise but with greater errors as Leucippus Democritus Epicurus Anaximander which multiplyed Worlds according to their fancie Rawe and vncertaine were the coniectures of the best Yea those whom wee reuerence as better then the best Philosophers had no lesse errour in this point The Golden-mouthed Doctor had a Leaden conceit that the Heauens were not round whom Theodoret is said to follow Theophilact alleageth Basil for this his assertion Nec mobile esse coelum nec circulare That heauen is neither moueable nor round How firmly and confidently doth Firmianus Lactantius both denie and deride the opinion that there are Antipodes But easier it was for him with a Rhetoricall flourish wherein I thinke of all latine Fathers he deserueth highest prize and praise to dash this opinion out of countenance then to confute the Arguments and Allegations which he there citeth in the Aduersaries name But hee that surpassed Lactantius no lesse in knowledge of truth then he was surpassed by him in smoothnesse of Stile herein holdeth equpà ge and draweth in the same yoke of errour I meane him whose venerable name no words are worthy and sufficient to Vsher in Saint Augustine who though somewhere he affirmeth the Antipodes yet elsewhere pressed with an Argument how men should passe from these parts in which Adam and Noah liued to the Antipodes through the vnmeasurable Ocean he thought it easiest to deny that which certain experience at that time could not so easily proue although euen then some reports but obscure and vncertaine had been spread abroad of sailing about Africa as a little before is shewed which must enforce that which Augustine denied More hot and forcible were the Arguments of our more zealous then learned Countrey-man Boniface Archbishop of Mentz and of Pope Zacharie who pursued this opinion of the Antipodes so eagerly against Virgil Bishop of the Iuuanenses in Boiaria about the yeere 743. That vpon Boniface his complaint the Pope writeth to him to cast out this Virgil the Philosopher so doth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 call him out of the Temple and Church of God and to depriue him for this peruerse Doctrine that there were Antipodes of his Bishopricke and Virgil must packe to Rome to giue account of this Philosophy to the Pope Minerua sui Let the Reader here iudge betweene the Philosophy of the one and the Foole-asse-O-phy of the other and let our Catholike Parasites tell vs whether their not-erring Father pronounced this sentence of errour as a Pope or as a priuate Doctor But what doth this Doter in my way Some also alleadge Nazianzen Hierome and Procopius for this or the like opinion But Poets Philosophers Fathers in other things worthy our loue for their delightfull Poems our admiration for their profound Science our awfull respect and reuerence for their holy learning and learned holinesse herein we bid you farewell magis amica veritas our America subiect to that supposed burning Zone with clouds and armies of
reports For he being a Mariner vsed to the Sea from his youth and sayling from Cales to Portugall obserued that at certaine seasons of the yeere the windes vsed to blow from the West which continued in that manner a long time together And deeming that they came from some coast beyond the Sea he busied his minde so much herewith that he resolued to make some triall and proofe thereof When he was now forty yeeres old hee propounded his purpose to the Senate of Genua vndertaking if they would lend him ships he would find a way by the West vnto the Ilands of Spices But they reiected it as a dreame Columbus frustrate of his hopes at Genua yet leaues not his resolution but goeth to Portugall and communicates this matter with Iohn the second King of Portugall but finding no entertainment to his suites sendeth his brother Bartholomew Columbus to King Henry the seuenth of England to sollicite him in the matter whiles himselfe passed into Spaine to implore the aide of the Castilians herein Bartholomew vnhappily lighted on Pirats by the way which robbed him and his company forced him to sustayne himselfe with making of Sea-cards And hauing gotten somewhat about him presents a Map of the World to King Henry with his Brothers offer of Discouerie which the King gladly accepted and sent to call him into England But hee had sped of his suite before in Spaine and by the King and Queene was employed according to his request For comming from Lisbone to Palos di Moguer and there conferring with Martin Alonso Pinzon an expert Pilot and Fryer Io. Perez a good Cosmographer hee was counselled to acquaint with those his proiects the Dukes of Medina Sidonia and of Medina Caeli which yeelding him no credit the Fryer counselled him to goe the Court and wrote in his behalfe to Fryer Fernand di Telauera the Queenes Confessor Christopher Columbus came to the Court of Castile Anno 1486 and found cold welcome to his suite at the hands of the King and Queene then busied with hot warres in Granada whence they expelled the Moores And thus remayned hee in contempt as a man meanely clothed without other Patron then a poore Fryer saue that Alonso di Quintaniglia gaue him his Dyet who also at last procured him audience with the Archbishop of Toledo by whose mediation he was brought before the King and Queene who gaue him fauourable countenance and promised to dispatch him when they had ended the warres of Granada which also they performed Thus Columbus is set forth with three Caruels at the Kings charges who because his treasure was then spent in the warres borrowed sixteene thousand Duckets of Lewes de Sanct Angelo and on Friday the third of August in the yeere of our Lord 1492. in a Vessell called the Gallega accompanyed with the Pinta and Ninna in which the Pinzons Brethren went as Pilots with the number of an hundred and twenty persons or thereabouts set sayle for Gomera one of the Canary Ilands and hauing there refreshed himselfe followed his Discouery After many dayes hee encountred with that Hearbie Sea whereof before we haue spoken which not a little amated and amazed the Spaniards and had caused their returne had not the sight of some Birds promised him land not farre off He also first taught the Spaniards to obserue the Sunne and Pole in their Nauigations which till his Voyage they had not vsed nor knowne But the Spaniards after three and thirty dayes sayling desperate of successe mutined and threatned to cast Columbus into the Sea disdayning much that a stranger a Genuois had so abused them But he pacified their enraged courages with milde speeches and gentle promises On the eleuenth day of October one Rodorigo di Triana espyed and cryed Land Land the best Musicke that might be especially to Columbus who to satisfie the Spaniards importunity had promised the day before that if no Land appeared in three dayes hee would returne One the night before had descryed fire which kindled in him some hope of great reward at the Kings hand when hee returned into Spaine but beeing heerein frustrate hee burnt into such a flame as that it consumed both Humanitie and Christianitie in him and in the agony of indignation made him leaue his Countrey and Faith and reuolt to the Moores But thee Columbus how can I but remember but loue but admire Sweetly may those bones rest sometimes the Pillars of that Temple where so diuine a Spirit resided which neyther want of former example nor publike discouragements of domesticall and forren States nor priuate insultations of proud Spaniards nor length of time which vsually deuoureth the best resolutions nor the vnequall Plaines of huge vnknowne Seas nor grassie fields in Neptunes lap nor importunate whisperings murmurings threatnings of inraged companions could daunt O name Colon worthy to be named vnto the Worlds end which to the Worlds end hast conducted Colonies or may I call thee Colombo for thy Doue-like simplicitie and patience the true Colonna or Pillar whereon our knowledge of this New World is founded the true Christopher which with more then Giant-like force and fortitude hast carried Christ his Name and Religion through vnknowne Seas to vnknowne Lands which we hope and pray that it may be more refined and reformed then Popish superstition and Spanish pride will yet suffer Now let the Ancients no longer mention Neptune or Minos or Erythras or Danaus to all which diuers authors diuersly ascribe the inuention of nauigation Mysians Troyans Tyrians vaile your bonnets strike your top-sayles to this Indian-Admirall that deserueth the top-saile indeed by aspiring to the top that sayling could ayme at in discouering another World Let Spaniards French English and Dutch resound thy name or His Name rather whose Name who can tell that would acquaint Thee and the World by thee with newes of a New-World But lest we drowne our selues in this Sea of Extasie and Admiration let vs goe on shoare with Columbus in his new discouered Iland And first mee thinkes I see the Spaniards yesterday in mutinie now as farre distracted in contrary passions some gazing with greedie eyes on the desired Land some with teares of ioy not able to see that which the ioy of seeing made them not to see others embracing and almost adoring Columbus who brought them to that sight some also with secret repinings enuying that glory to a stranger but byting in their byting enuie and making shew of glee gladnesse all new awaked out of a long trance into which that Step-mother-Ocean with dangers doubts dreads despaires had deiected them reuiued now by the sight of their mother-earth from whom in vnknowne armes they had beene so long weaned and detayned On shoare they goe and felling a tree make a Crosse thereof which there they erected and tooke possession of that New World in the name of the Catholike Kings This was done on the eleuenth of October Anno 1492.
vnto his laborious Collections for which our English Nauigations both for the memoriall of passed incouragement of present and instructions to the future are as to Neptunes Secretarie and the Oceans Protonotary indebted beyond recompence whereby he being dead whiles we write these things yet speaketh And although in this third Edition I could not obtaine like kindnesse from him I know not how affected or infected with emulation or iealousie yet shall his Name liue whiles my Writings endure as without whose helpes and industrious Collections perhaps I had neuer troubled the World in this kind And this is my Epitaph in his memory who hath yet a better his owne large Volumes being the best and truest Titles of his Honour and if some Iuno Lucina would helpe to bring forth the Posthume Issue of his Voyages not yet published the World should enioy a more full Testimony of his paines in that kind CHAP. IX Of New Spaine and the conquest thereof by HERNANDO CORTES §. I. Of the first Discouerie by CORTES and others NOw are we safely arriued out of the South Sea and North vnknowne Lands where we haue wildered our selues and wearied the Reader in this great and spacious Country of New Spaine New Spaine is all that which lyeth betweene Florida and California and confines on the South with Guatimala and Iucatan how it came to be so called asketh a long Discourse concerning the Conquest thereof by Cortes whose History is thus related Hernando Cortes was borne at Medellin in Andulozia a Prouince of Spaine Anno 1485. When he was nineteene yeeres old he sayled to the Iland of Saint Domingo where Ouando the Gouernour kindly entertayned him Hee went to the conquest of Cuba in the yeere 1511. as Clerke to the Treasurer vnder the conduct of Iames Velasques who gaue vnto him the Indians of Manicorao where he was the first that brought vp Kine Sheepe and Mares and had heards and flockes of them and with his Indians hee gathered great quantitie of Gold so that in short time he was able to put in two thousand Castlins for his stocke with Andres de Duero a Merchant At this time Christopher Morante had sent An. 1517. Francis Hernandes de Cordoua who first discouered Yucatan whence he brought nothing except the relation of the Country but stripes whereupon Iames Velasques in the yeere 1518. sent his Kinsman Iohn de Grijalua with 200. Spaniards in foure ships hee traded in the Riuer of Tauasco and for trifles returned much Gold and curious workes of Feathers Idols of Gold a whole harnesse or furniture for an armed man of Gold thin beaten Eagles Lions and other pourtratures found in Gold c. But while Grijalua deferred his returne Velasques agreed with Cortes to be his partner in the Discouerie which hee gladly accepted and procured licence from the Gouernours in Domingo and prepared for the Voyage Velasques afterward vsed all meanes to breake off in so much that Cortes was forced to engage all his owne stocke and credit with his friends in the Expedition and with fiue hundred and fiftie Spaniards in eleuen Ships set sayle the tenth of February 1519. and arriued at the Iland of Acusamil The Inhabitants at first fled but by the kinde entertainment of some that were taken they returned and receiued him and his with all kinde Offices They told him of certaine bearded men in Yucatan whither Cortes sent and one of them Geronimo de Aguilar came vnto him who told him that by shipwracke at Iamaica their Caruell being lost twentie of them wandred in the boat without sayle water or bread thirteene or fourteene dayes in which space the violence of the Current had cast them on shoare in a Prouince called Maija where as they trauelled seuen died with famine and their Captayne Valdinia and other foure were sacrificed to the Idols by the Cacike or Lord of the Countrie and eaten in a solemne banquet and hee with sixe other were put into a coope or cage to be fatned for another Sacrifice But breaking prison they escaped to another Cacike enemie to the former where all the rest died but himselfe and Gonsalo Guerrer a Mariner Hee had transformed himselfe into the Indian Cut boring his Nose full of holes his eares iagged his face and hands painted married a wife and became a Captaine of name amongst the Indians and would not returne with this Aguilar Cortes with this new Interpreter passed vp the Riuer Tauasco called of the former Discouerer Grijalua where the Towne that stood thereon refusing to victuall him was taken and sacked The Indians here with enraged assembled an Armie of fortie thousand but Cortes by his Horse Ordnance preuayled the Indians thinking the Horse and Rider had beene but one Creature whose gaping and swiftnesse was terrible vnto them whereupon they submitted themselues When they heard the Horses ney they had thought the Horses could speake and demanded what they said the Spaniards answered These Horses are sore offended with you for fighting with them and would haue you corrected the simple Indians presented Roses and Hens to the beasts desiring them to eate and to pardon them Cortes purposed to discouer Westward because he heard that there were Mynes of Gold hauing first receiued their Vassalage to the King his Master to whom hee said the Monarchie of the Vniuersall did appertaine These were the first Vassals the Emperour had in New Spaine They named the Towne where these things were done Victorie before called Potonchan contayning neere fiue and twenty thousand Houses which are great made of Lime and Stone and Bricke and some of mudwals and rafters couered with Straw their dwelling is in the vpper part of the House for the moystnesse of the Soyle They did eate mans flesh sacrificed The Spaniards sailed further Westward and came to Saint Iohn de Vlhua where Teudilli the Gouernour of the Country came to him with foure thousand Indians He did his reuerence to the Captaine burning Frankincense after their custome and little strawes touched in the bloud of his owne bodie and then presented vnto him Victuals and Iewels of Gold and other curious workes of Feathers which Cortes requited with a Collar of Glasse and other things of small value A woman-slaue giuen him at Potonchan vnderstood their Language and she with Aguilar were his Interpreters Cortes professed himselfe the Seruant of a great Emperour which had sent him thither whose power is so highly extolled that Teudilli maruelled thinking there had beene no such Prince in the World as his Master and Souereigne the King of Mexico whose Vassal he was named Mutezuma To him he sent the representations of these bearded Men and their Horses Apparell Weapons Ordnance and other Rarities painted in Cotton-clothes their ships and numbers These painted Cottons he sent by Posts which deliuered them from one to another with such celeritie that in a day and night the message came to Mexico which was two hundred and ten miles distant
Medowes Fish and other things all very white which were the signes their God had giuen them of their promised Land In the night following Vitzliputzli appeared in a dreame to an ancient Priest saying That they should goe seeke out a Tunall in the Lake which grew out of a stone vpon which they should see an Eagle feeding on small Birds which they should hold for the place where their City should be built to become famous through the world Hereupon the next day they all assembled and diuiding themselues into bands made that search with great diligence and deuotion In their search they met with the former Water-course not white as it was then but red like bloud diuiding it selfe into two streames one of which was an obscure Azure At last they espied the Eagle with wings displayed toward the Sunne compassed about with many rich feathers of diuers colours and holding in his Tallons a goodly Bird. At this sight they fell on their knees and worshipped the Eagle with great demonstrations of ioy and thankes to Vitzliputzli For this cause they called the Citie which there they founded Tenoxtiltan which signifies Tunal on a stone and till this day carry in their Armes an Eagle vpon a Tunal with a bird in his Tallon The next day following by common consent they made an Heremitage adioyning to the Tunal of the Eagle that the Arke of their God might rest there till they might haue meanes to build him a sumptuous Temple This they made of Flagges and Turfes couered with Straw Afterwards they consulted to buy of their neighbours Stone Timber Lime in exchange of Fish Fowles Frogges and other things which they hunted for in the Lake by which meanes they procuring necessaries built a Chappell of Lime and Stone and laboured to fill vp part of the Lake with rubbish The Idoll commanded that they should diuide themselues into foure principall quarters about this house and each part build therein to which he enioyned certaine Gods to his appointment called Calpultecco which is Quarter Gods This was the beginning of Mexico §. II. The Historie of eight of their first Kings THis diuision seemed not equall to some of the Ancients who valued their deserts farre aboue their allotted portion who therefore separated themselues and went to Tlatedulco whose practices against the Mexicans caused them to chuse a King to which Soueraigntie was chosed Acamapitzli Nephew to the King of Culhuacan and of the Mexican bloud by the Fathers side Him by Embassage they demanded and obtained in the name of their God with this answere from the King of Culhuacan Let my Grand-child goe to serue your God and be his Lieutenant to rule and gouerne his Creatures by whom we liue who is the Lord of Night Day and Windes Let him goe and bee Lord of the Water and Land and possesse the Mexican Nations c. Hee was solemnely welcommed by the Mexicans welcome thou art saith an Orator vnto him in their name to this poore House and City amongst the Weedes and Mud where thy poore Fathers Grand-fathers and Kinsfolkes endure what it pleaseth the Lord of things created Remember Lord thou commest to bee our defence and to bee the resemblance of Vitzliputzli not to rest thy selfe but to endure a new charge with many words to that effect expressed in the Mexican Histories reserued by tradition the children to that end learning them by heart and these being as Presidents to them which learned the Art Oratorie After this they were sworne and hee crowned The Crowne was like that of the Dukes of Venice His name Acamapitzly signifieth a handfull of Reedes and therefore they carrie in their Armories a hand holding many Arrowes of Reedes The Mexicans at this time were tributaries to the Tapanecans whose chiefe Citie was Azcapuzalco who iudging according to the nature of Enuie and Suspition that they were so much weaker how much the stronger they saw their neighbours thought to oppresse them by a strange policie in imposing an vncouth and in shew impossible tribute which was that they should bring the Tapunecan King a Garden planted and growing in the water In this their distresse Vitzliputzli taught them to doe it by casting earth vpon Reedes and Grasse laid in the Lake and planting in this mouing Garden Maiz Figs Gourds and other things which at the time appointed they carried growing and ripe a thing often since proued in that Lake emulous no lesse of that glorie to be accounted one of the Wonders in that New World then those pensill Gardens towred vp in the Ayre at Babylon both heere and there the reason of Man according to his naturall priuiledge subiecting to his vse the most rebellious Elements of Ayre and Water Acamapitzli the Mexican King after he had raigned fortie yeeres dyed leauing it to their choice to chuse his Successor They chose his Sonne Vitzilovitli which signifieth a rich Feather they anointed him with an Oyntment which they call Diuine being the same wherewith they anointed their Idoll Of their Coronation thus Lopez de Gomara saith that this was done by the High Priest attired in his Pontificalibus attended with many others in Surplices the Oyntment was as blacke as Inke They blessed him and sprinkled him foure times with Holy-Water made at the time of the Consecration of their God Then they put vpon his head a Cloth painted with the bones and skuls of dead men clothed him with a blacke garment and vpon that a blue both painted with figures of skuls and bones Then did they hang on him Laces and bottles of Powders whereby he was deliuered from diseases and Witchcrafts Then did he offer Incense to Vitzliputzli and the High Priest tooke his Oath for the maintenance of their Religion to maintayne Iustice and the Lawes to cause the Sunne to giue his light and the Clouds to raine and the earth to be fruitfull c Lastly followed the acclamations of the people crying God saue the King with dances c. He being crowned and hauing receiued homage of his Subiects obtained the King of Azcapuzalco his daughter to wife by whom he had a sonne called Chimalpopoca and procured a relaxation of Tribute from his father in Law Hee was deuout in his Superstitions hauing raigned thirteene yeeres he dyed His son then but ten yeeres old was chosen in his roome but was soone after slaine by the Inhabitants of Azcapuzalco The Mexicans inraged with this iniury assembled themselues and an Orator among many other words tels them That the Sunne is eclipsed and darkened for a time but will returne suddenly in the choice of another King They agreed vpon Izcoalt which signifieth a Snake of Rsors the sonne of Acamapixtli their first King The common people were earnest with this new King for peace with the Tapanecans for the obtaining whereof they would carry their God in his Litter for an intercessor This was hindered by Tlacaellec the Kings Nephew a resolute and valiant
forme as he appeareth to them which is of diuers sorts They offer Bread Smoke Fruits and Flowres with great deuotion Any one may cut off his arme which stealeth Mais Enciso with his Armie of Spaniards seeking to subdue these parts vsed a Spanish tricke telling the Indians That hee sought their conuersion to the Faith and therefore discoursed of One God Creator of all things and of Baptisme and after other things of this nature lesse to his purpose he told them That the Pope is the Vicar of Christ in all the world with absolues power ouer mens Soules and Religions and that hee had giuen those Countries to the most mightie King of Spaine his Master and hee was now come to take possession and to demand gold for tribute The Indians answered That they liked well what he had spoken of one God but for their Religion they would not dispute of it or leaue it And for the Pope he should be liberall of his owne neither seemed it that their King was mightie but poore that sent thus a begging But what words could not their Swords effected with the destruction of the Indians §. II. Of Vraba Carthagena and the Superstitions of Dabaiba THe soyle of Vraba is so fatned with a streame therein that in eight and twentie dayes the seeds of Cucumbers Melons and Gourds will ripen their Fruits There is a Tree in those Countries whose leaues with the bare touch cause great blisters the sauour of the wood is poyson and cannot be carried without danger of lift except by the helpe of another herbe which is an Antidote to this venomous Tree King Abibeiba had Palace in a Tree by reason of the moorish situation and often inundation of his Land Vasques could not get him downe till he began to cut the Tree and then the poore King came downe and bought his freedome at the Spaniards price Carthagena was so called for some resemblance in the situation to a Citie in Spaine of that name Sir Francis Drake tooke it The Indians thereabout vsed poisoned Arrowes the women warre as well as the men Enciso took one who with her owne hands had killed eight and twenty Christians They did eate the Enemies which they killed They vsed to put in their Sepulchres gold feathers and other riches Betweene Carthagena and Martha runneth a swift Riuer which maketh the Sea-water to giue place and they which passe by may in the Sea take in of this water fresh It is called of the Inhabitants Dabaiba the Spaniards haue named it Pio Grande and the Riuer of Saint Iohn it passeth with a Northerne discouerie into the Gulfe of Viaba before mentioned They which dwell on this Riuer obserue an Idoll of great note called by the name of the Riuer Dabaiba whereto the King at certaine times of the yeere sends slaues to be sacrificed from remote Countries from whence also is great resort of Pilgrims They kill the slaues before their God and after burne them supposing that odour acceptable to their Idoll as Taper-lights and Frankincense saith Martyr is to our Saints Through the displeasure of that angry God they said that all the Riuers and Fountaines had once failed and the greatest part of men perished with famine Their Kings in remembrance hereof haue their Priests at home and Chappels which are swept euery day and kept with a religious neatnesse When the King thinketh to obtaine of the Idoll Sunne-shine or Raine or the like he with his Priests gets vp into a Pulpit standing in the Chappell purposing not to depart thence till his suit be granted They vrge their God therefore with vehement prayers and cruell fasting the people meane-while macerating themselues also with fasting in foure dayes space not eating nor drinking except on the fourth day onely a little broth The Spaniards asking what God they worshipped thus they answered The Creator of the Heauens Sunne Moone and all inuisible things from whom all good things proceed And they say Dabaiba was the Mother of that Creator They call them to their Deuotions with certaine Trumpets and Bels of gold The Bels had clappers like in forme to ours made of the bones of Fishes and yeelding a pleasing sound as they reported which no doubt was a pleasing sound and musicke to the Spaniards couetous hearts howsoeuer it agreeth with the nature of that metall to ring in the eares One of them say they weighed sixe hundred Pensa Their Priests were enioyned chastitie which vow if they violated they were either stoned or burned Other men also in the time of that fast likewise contained themselues from those carnall pleasures They haue an imagination of the soule but know not what substance or name to ascribe vnto it to which yet they beleeued was assigned futured ioyes or woes according to their demerits pointing vp to Heauen and downe to the Center when they spake thereof Many of their Wiues for they might haue many followed the Sepulchres of their husbands They allow not marriage with the Sister of which they haue a riduculous conceit of the Spot which they account a Man in the Moone that for this Incest was thither confined to the torments of cold and moysture in that Moons-prison They leaue trenches on their Sepulchres in which they yeerely powre Mays and some of their Wine to the profit as they thinke of the Ghosts If a Mother die while she giueth sucke the poore nursling must not bee Orphan but bee interred with her being put there to her brest and buried aliue They imagined that the Soules of their great men and their familiars were immortall but not others and therefore such of their seruants and friends as would not be buried with them they thought should lose that priuiuiledge of Immortalitie and the delights of those pleasant places where was eating drinking dancing and the former delicacies of their former liues They renue the funerall pomps of these great men yeerely assembling thither with plentie of Wine and meats and there watch all night especially the women singing drerie lamentations with Inuectiues against his Enemies if he dyed in the warres yea cutting the Image of his Enemy in pieces in reuenge of their slaine Lord This done they fall to drinking of Mays Wine till they be weary if not drunken Yet after this they resume their Songs to his commendation with many dances and adorations When day appeareth they put the Image of the deceased into a great Canoa a Boat of one Tree capcable of threescore Oares filled with drinkes herbes and such things as in his life he had loued which some carrie vpon their shoulders in Procession about the Court and set it downe there againe and burne it with all the contents After which the women filled with Wine and emptied of all modestie with loose haire secrets not secret and varietie of Bacchanal gestures sometimes goe somtimes fall somtimes shake the weapons of the men and conclude with beastly sleeping on the ground The young men
put the rest to the Sword and hanged vp the Queene as they did also to Hiquanama the Queene of Hiquey Of all which cruelties our Author an eye-witnesse affirmeth that the Indians gaue no cause by any crime that had so deserued by any Law And for the rest that remayned after these Warres they shared them as slaues They which should haue instructed them in the Catholike Faith were ignorant cruell and couetous The men were spent in the Mines the women consumed in tillage and both by heauie burthens which they made them carry by famine by scourging and other miseries And thus they did in all other parts wheresoeuer they came In the Iles of Saint Iohn and Iamayca were sixe hundred thousand Inhabitants whereof then when the Authour wrote this there were scarcely left two hundred in eyther Iland Cuba extendeth furthest in length of any of these Ilands Here was a Cacique named Hathuey which called his Subiects about him and shewing them a Boxe of Gold said That was the Spaniards God and made them dance about it very solemnely and lest the Spaniards should haue it hee hurled it into the Riuer Being taken and condemned to the fire when he was bound to the stake a Frier came and preached Heauen to him and the terrors of Hell Hathuey asked if any Spaniards were in Heauen The Frier answered Yea such as were good Hathuey replyed hee would rather goe to Hell then goe where any of that cruell Nation were I was once present sayth Casas when the Inhabitants of one Towne brought vs forth victuall and met vs with great kindnesse and the Spaniards without any cause slue three thousand of them of euery Age and Sexe I by their counsell sent to other Townes to meet vs with promise of good dealing and two and twenty Caciques met vs which the Captaine against all faith caused to be burned This made the desperate Indians hang themselues which two hundred did by the occasion of one mans cruelty and one other Spaniard seeing them take this course made as though he would hang himselfe too and persecute them in the Regions of death which feare detayned some from that selfe-execution Sixe thousand children dyed sayth our former Author in three or foure moneths space while I was there for the want of their Parents which were sent to the Mynes they hunted out the rest in the Mountaynes and desolated the Iland Neyther did the other Ilands speed better The Lucaiae they brought to an vtter desolation and shipping multitudes of men for the Mynes in Hispaniola wanting food for them the third part commonly perished in the way so that an vnskilfull Pilot might haue learned this way by Sea by those floting markes of Indian carkasses This Spanish pestilence spred further to the Continent where they spoyled the shoares and the Inland Countries of people From Dariena to Nicaragua they slue foure hundred thousand people with Dogs Swords Fire and diuers tortures Their course of Preaching was to send vnder paine of confiscation of lands libertie wife life and all to acknowledge God and the Spanish King of whom they had neuer heard Yea they would steale to some place halfe a mile off the Citie by night and there publish the Kings Decree in this sort being alone by themselues Yee Caciques and Indians of this place or that place which they named Bee it knowne to you that there is one God one Pope and one King of Castile who is Lord of these lands Come quickly and doe your homage And then in the night while they were asleepe fired their houses and slue and tooke Captiues at their pleasure and after fell to search for Gold The first Bishop that came into these parts sent his men to be partakers of the spoyle A Cacique gaue the Spanish Gouernour the weight in Gold of nine thousand Crownes he in thankfulnes to extort more bound him to a post and put fire to his feet and forced him to send home for a further addition of 3000. They not satisfied persisted in their tormenting him till the marrow came forth at the soles of his feet whereof he dyed When any of the Indians employed by the Spaniards fayled vnder their heauy burthens or fainted for want of necessaries lest they should lose time in opening the Chaine wherein he was tyed they would cut off his head and so let the bodie fall out The Spaniard robbed the Nicaraguans of their Corne so that thirty thousand dyed of Famine and a Mother ate her owne childe fiue hundred thousand were carried away into bondage besides fiftie or sixtie thousand slaine in their Warres and now sayth Casas remayne foure or fiue thousand of one of the most populous Regions of the World Heere did Vaschus giue at one time foure Kings to be deuoured of Dogs In New Spaine from the yeere 1518. to 1530. in foure hundred and eighty miles about Mexico they destroyed aboue foure Millions of people in their Conquests by fire and sword not reckoning those which dyed in seruitude and oppression In the Prouince of Naco and Honduras from the yeere 1524. to 1535. two Millions of men perished and scarcely two thousand remayne In Guatimala from the yeere 1524. to 1540. they destroyed aboue foure or fiue Millions vnder that Aluarado who dying by the fall off his Horse as is before said complained when hee was asked where his paine was most of his Soule-torment and his Citie Guatimala was with a three-fold deluge of Earth of Water of Stones oppressed and ouer-whelmed He forced the Indians to follow him in his Expeditions in Armies of tenne or twentie thousand not allowing them other sustenance then the flesh of their slaine Enemies mayntayning in his Army Shambles of mans flesh In Panuco and Xalisco their state was much like one made eight thousand Indians wall about his Garden and let them all perish with Famine In Machuacan they tortured the King that came forth to meet them that they might extort Gold from him They put his feet in the Stockes and put fire thereto binding his hands to a Post behinde him and a Boy stood by basting his roasted feete with Oyle another with a Crosse-bow bent to his breast and on the other hand another with Dogges of these tortures he dyed They forced the Indians to deliuer their Idols hoping they had beene of Gold but their Golden hope failing they forced them againe to redeeme them Yea where the Fryers had in one place made the Indians to cast away their Images the Spaniards brought them some from other places to fell them In the Prouince of Saint Martha they had desolated foure hundred and fiftie miles of Land The Bishop wrote to the King that the people called the Spaniards Deuils or Yares for their Diabolicall practices and thought the Law God and King of the Christians had beene authors of this crueltie The like they did in the Kingdome of Venezuela destroying foure or fiue Millions and out of that firme Land carried
Towres of the wall fell thereby the people ranne into the fields and Acraus the Hill there fell into the Sea a blacke and vnsauoury smoke ascending thence The Riuer also vanished for a farsang An. 246. Omar inuaded the Romans and carried thence seuentie thousand captiues others also in other places Mutewakkell hauing prayed and preached before the people the last Friday in Ramadan at his returne reproued his Sonne Mustansir and threaned him and his Mother who thereupon set his Seruants to kill him A principall cause hereof was Mutewakkels hatred to Ali Sonne of Abutalib which Mustansir could not beare Hee reigned fourteene yeeres ten moneths and three days He tooke away the temptation from men and the World was ordered Muhammed Abugiafar Mustansir Billa was priuately inaugurated the same day of his Fathers death and publikely the day after He continued sixe moneths A Persian Carpet with the Image of a King being haply brought before him he would needs force one to read the Letters therein wrought which were I Syroes Sonne of Cosroes slue my Father and reigned but sixe moneths Some say he was poysoned A fearefull Dreame also of his Fathers threatning him with short Reigne and fire after it terrified him He had made his two brethren resigne their partnership of the couenant Ahmed Ahulabbas Mustain Billa Sonne of Muhammed Sonne of Mutasim was enthronized in his place and imprisoned Mutaz and Muaijad An. 249. the Turkes killed Vtamaz which ruled all vnder Mustain An. 250. Iahia Sonne of Omar of the Posteritie of Ali arose at Cufa but was slaine in battell They which had slaine Mutewakkell slue also Iaaz whereupon Mustain fledde to Bagdad and the people created Mutaz Chalifa Mutaz sent his brother Ahmed to besiege Mustain at Bagdad whose Generall Abdalla made his Peace with Ahmed The same yeere Hasen of the Posterity of Ali possessed himselfe of Tabristan and another Hasen the Talibite of Ali his Posteritie arose in the Region of Dailam and besieged Mecca but both were put to flight and this last died An. 252. Mustain resigned the Chalifate and was committed to custodie where by Mutaz his procurement he was slaine He reigned two yeeres and nine moneths Muhammed Abu-Abdalla Mutaz Billa was the thirteenth Abasian Chalif Hee deposed his brother Muaijad from the partnership of the couenant and imprisoned him and perceiuing that the Turks would haue him set at liberty he caused him to be strangled in clothes that the Iudges could perceiue no signe of violent death in him An. 253. the Turkes killed Wasif for their stipends the Keeper of the Port whose Sonne Salih procured the deposition of Mutaz and starued him to death hauing reigned foure yeeres six moneths and three and twentie dayes He was a man giuen to his pleasures and negligent of gouernment A. 254. Ahmed Sonne of Tulan was made Gouernour of Egypt Muhammed Abu-Abdalla Muhtadi Billa Sonne of Watic Sonne of Mutasim succeeded . An. 255. He forbade the vse of Wine and reiected Singers and Iesters exiled Soothsayers refused the Lions and hunting Dogges in the Imperiall Tower and tooke away Tributes He also tooke on him to bee present at Iudgements and Accounts and sate euery Munday and Thursday to attend the people hauing a Booke before him Habib rebelled at Basra saying falsly that he was Ali Sonne of Muhammed of the Posteritie of Ali. He gathered together the Rihi which liued like Lions he was an Astrologer of bad Religion Hee continued to the yeere 270. Musa killed Salih the killer of his Master An. 256. Muhtadi Billa was slaine that yeere by the mutinous Turkes hauing reigned eleuen monethes and some dayes Ahmed Abulabbas Mutamid Alalla Sonne of Mutewakkel was created the same day at Samarra An. 256. the Rihi tooke foure and twentie Ships of the Sea and slue all that were in them and Habib with eighty thousand men did much spoyle He got the victory in diuers fights against Mutamids Armies He tooke Basra and slue twenty thousand Inhabitants at his entrance He preuayled also A. 258. and slue Muflish neyther could Muaffic Billa whom Mutamid had made Gouernour of the East and partner of the league preuayle against him Hee made the People beleeue that hee knew all secrets and could doe things miraculous An. 259. Iacob Sonne of Allit rebelled at Nisabur and possessed himselfe of Tabristan Habibs Souldiers slue fifty thousand at Ahwaz and threw downe the wals He and Iacob made great stirres and ouerthrew Mutamids Captaines Iacob put to flight Muhammed Sonne of Wasil and tooke his Castle in which were forty Millions of Staters Hee tooke Wasit Mutamid with his partner went against him and put him to flight But Habid preuayled in diuers battels he continued spoyling and victorious till Anno 267. at which time Muaffic Billa sent his Sonne Mutadid who chased him tooke his Citie Mabia which he had builded ruined the wals and filled vp the Ditches and freed out of his Prison fiue thousand Muslim women Muaffic pursued them to the Citie which they had builded with fiue Walls and as many Ditches and draue them out of it and got rich spoyles Habib had fortified Mahbar and had three hundred thousand Souldiers with him there Muaffic seeing it could not in short time be taken builded another Citie Muaffikia ouer against it he built also a Temple there stamped Coines inuited Merchants and by degrees preuayled An. 268. Lulu rebelled against Ahmed the Gouernour of Egypt and got Muaffics fauour whereby Ahmed was cursed in all Pulpits For Muaffic ruled all and Mutamid enioyed only the title his name on coines and to pray in Pulpits An. 270. Habib was taken and executed his head carried about for shew Muaffic was surnamed Nasir Lidinilla that is the Helper of Gods Religion for killing Habib The same yeere Ahmed dyed when death approched he lift vp his hands saying O Lord haue mercy on him which knew not his owne quantitie and shew thy selfe mercifull to him when he dieth He left three and thirty Sonnes He was a man of much iustice and almes and gaue euery moneth 300000. pieces of Gold in almes A thousand pieces of Gold daily were designed to his Kitchin and to Ecclesiasticke persons euery moneth hee gaue as much And whiles he gouerned Egypt two Millions and two hundred thousand pieces of Gold were carried to Bagdad to be giuen to the poore and to learned and good men Hee left in his treasury ten Millions of Gold Hee had seuen thousand Slaues and as many Horses eight thousand Mules and Camels three hundred Horses for warre all his owne proper goods The Rent of Egypt in his time was three hundred Millions of pieces of Gold He is said to haue executed with adding those which dyed in Prison eighteene thousand His Sonne Hamaruias succeeded in all which he had in Egypt and Syria An. 273. Muhammed Sonne of Abdurrahman King of Spaine dyed his Sonne Mundir succeeded An. 278. Muaffic Billa dyed and
to Africa 626. 671 704. to America 950. 951. seq Ilands del Moro and the commodities thereof 578 Ilium or Troye the situation and Founder thereof 332 Image of God 14. 15. How farre lost 22 Images how came to be worshipped 45. 46 Images in the Temple of Belus 49 Image erected by Nebuchadonoser 50. Of Senacherib 62 Images in the Temple at Hierapolis 68. 69. Of Apollo at Daphne 71 Image in Nebuchadnezars dreame 71. Of Victoria taken away with a scoffe 73. Of men mads Gods 75. Of Moloch 86 Iewish hatred of Images 213 Turkish hatred of them 301 Dreame of an Image at Rome 205. Of Venus 56. 59. Turkish nicety for Images 300. 301 Images of Mars and Saturne at Mecca 255. 268. Persian Images and the sacrificing to them 374. 375. 976 Images of the Tartars 423. In Tanguth 428. 429. In Cathay 405. 415. 416. 426. Of the Samoeds 432. 433. Chinois 470. 471. seq Siamites 490 491. In Pegu 505. 506. In Bengala 508. 509. In Salsette 545 Calicut 550. Negapatun 557 558. In Iapon 597. 598. Of Adam in Zellan 616. 617. In Aegypt 635. 636. In Mexico 870. 873. seq At Acusamil 885. In Guiana 901. seq In Peru 940. 941 Imbij a Barbarous Nation 755 Imemia a Sect imbraced of the Persians and others 275. 276 Impropriations Popish 119. How many and how wicked 119. 120 Incest of the Dogzijn fathers polluting their owne daughters c. 220. Mother with the sonne ibid. India what Countries so called 477 India Minor and Maior 735. The Name India how vsed 477 India how diuided 477. Indian Rites before and after Bacchus 481. 482 Indians of seuen sorts 478. Opinions and life of their Brachmanes 478. 479. Diuers orders of them ibid. Their Rites in burning themselues 480 Indian Gods Monsters Dances and other Rites 481. 482 Indian women 482. Fruits Plants Spices Beasts c 563. seq Portugall and Dutch trading in India 483. Of the English Trade there and many arguments in defence of it 484 485. seq Indian societie commended ibid Indico how and where it growes 570. 1003 Indus Riuer worshipped 478. 479 Described ibid Inguas title of the Kings of Peru 931 Intelligents a Sect of Moores 275 Inundations in China 458 Iobs Storie said to bee fayned 164 Ioghi Indian Votaries and Catharists 574. Their Opinions ibid. Furious zeale selfe-rigor 575 Iohn King of England his Embassage 702 Ionia how situate 336. Whence so called and the principall Cities thereof ibid. Ionithus a supposed sonne of Noah 36 Ionas sent to Niniue 66 Ionadab father of the Rechabites 125 Ionathas sonne of Vsiel 161 Ionathan Author of the Chaldee Paraphrase 165. The opinions of him and his Sect ibid. Ionike Letters 81 Ioppe when built 83 Ior a Kingdome 496 Iordan Riuer described 92 Iosephus not skilfull in Hebrew 94 Ben Gorion counterfeit 129. His testimonie of Christ 163 Irak a Kingdome 220 Isabella Iland 904 Is a Citie so called 50 Isis the Storie thereof 78. 80. 83. 635. 636 Isdigertes 353 Island and Iscaria 831 seq Isman a Drusian Prophet 220. 221 Ismael 92 Ismaelites a Sect 132 Ismael Sophi 381. 382. The Second 815 Israel who called 90. Their num 92. How gouerned before and in the time of Moses 68. How How after 98 99. Carried captiue 121. When they departed Aegypt 675. Some remnants in China 475 Isidones their Rites 397 Italie wherein happie and vnhappie 828 Iuan Vasiliwich Emperour of Russia his cruelties and historie at large by Sir Ierom Horsey 973 seq Iuba a King and Writer 678 Iubilee 112. The nine and fortieth yeere 113. The Popish Iubilee ibid. Iubilee of the Mexicans 881 Iucatan and the Rites there 885 Iuchri Iuchria Iurchi 341 Iudah 124 Iude his citing of a testimonie of Henoch 30 Iudaea 92. When first so called 93 vid. Ierusalem and Iewes Iudgement-Day Turkish opinions thereof 313 Iugures 404. The Sect and Rites of the Iugures 431 Iulian Apostata 72 Iulian the Spanish Traytor 229. Iuno Olympia 78. 81 Iupiter of the Plough 77. Of the Dunghill 80. Beelsamen and Olympius 77. 81. Triphylius 201. Bellipotens 311. Hercaeus and Fulminator 318. Descensor 319. Larisseus 321 Iupitur Sagus 328. Iupiter of the Persians 396 Iupiter Graecanicus 137. The Oracle of Iupiter Ammon 665 Isates King of Adiabena 63 K KAbala what it is 161 seq How differing from the Talmud 161. 162. Three kinds ibid. Kabala of the Mahumetans 276 277 Kain his Sacrifice 28. His punishment ibid. His remouing to Nod and his posteritie 29 Kain commended by the Caiani 135 Kalender of Iewish Fasts and Feasts 113. 114. Of the Samaritans 137. 138. Of the Saracens 229 230. Of the Peruans 945. 946 Kara Karraim or Koraim Scripture Iewes 125 129. Antient and moderne differ 129 Karda Mountaines 35 Karthada 82 Kedar a Countrie abounding with flocks of sheepe and goates 85 Kergis 405 Kiddish a Iewish prayer 186 Kine worshipped by the Indians and why 50. how King of the Iewes his prerogatiue 89 Kiou chiefe Citie of Russia 297 Kirgessen Tartars 421 Kithaya the situation and description thereof 404. Their Rites 405. Their faith and manner of writing ibid. vid Cathaya Kiugin a degree of the Chinois 449 Knights of Rhodes 584 Knighthood in Ciualoa 855. 856. in Mexico 866. 867. In Brasil 914. Goa 544. Master Kniuets most strange aduentures in Brasill and other parts 909 910. 911 Koptus a Citie that gaue name to Aegypt 626 Kumero Kumeri Kumeraes Kumeraeg 37 Kyrkes whence so called 120 Kitayans and their Religion 404 M LAbans Idols 98 Laborosoarchadus 62 Hee is that Baltasar mentioned by Daniel 63 Labyrinth in Aegypt 633. 634 Lac an Indian drugge 569 Ladrones Ilands the description thereof 950. The Rites and Customes there 951 Lake at Hierapolis 69. Ascalon 81. Sodome 84 85. Called Asphaltites 92. Thonitis 65 Genesareth and Samachonitis 92. Arethusa 318. At Hamceu in China 441. At Quinsay ibid. The Lake of Maeris 634. Gale Goiame Magnice and other Lakes in Africa 773 774. 775 Lamech Iewish Dreames of him 30 Lambe Paschall vide Paschall A Lambe the daily Sacrifice of the Hasidim 125. 126 Labor 413 Lampes nine hundred in the Temple of Fez and as many arches 683. A Lampe perpetually burning 147 Lampe a stone so called of strange effect 69 Languages confounded 38. 40 Restored ibid. Which was the first Language 38. 39. 264. Reckoned by some 40. 264 Languages which the most general 265. Strange Language vsed in holy things in Peru 938. 940 In Bisnagar 572. In Siam for other Sciences 491. 492 Last Chalifas in Bagdad and Aegypt 1044 Laodicea 70. seq Sixe of that name 71 Laos or Laios an Indian people their habitation and rites 489. 490 Lar and Cailon 580 Lausu a Philosopher of China 464 His Sect and the Rites thereof 465. 466 Law written in Mans heart 19 Differing from Ceremoniall ibid. Law diuided into Ceremoniall Morall Iudiciall 96. Their difference ibid. Written and vnwritten 121. Dreames of vnwritten 156. seq The
and monstrous shapes of men denyed 385 Monomotapa or Benomotapa Empire 759. Their Mines Religion and Rites 759. 760 Moores who and why so called 224 Two Sects of Moores 275 Moores in China 457. vid. Saracens Arabians Moores where now inhabiting and how dispersed 757. 758 Moone why called a great light 10 11. Her greatnesse and excellence ibid. Dimas his iourney thither 16. Worshipped of the Chaldees 51. at Carrae 66. By the Iewes 107. By the Arabians 227. At Diopolis 241. By the Persians 393. Tartars 431. 432. Chinois 470. 471. Goa 545. Brasilians 918. Boorneo 578. 579. By Negroes and others 709. Why the Saracens vse the signe of the Moone on their Steeples 230. 231. The moone seeke the day of her coniunction 305. Iewish Fables of the Moone 193 194 Mahomets Fables of the Moon 252. 253. The New-Moone-Feast when it began with the Iewes 106. 107. How obserued 106. 196 Moneths how reckoned by the Iewes 106. Their names ibid. They haue in some places no names 107 Money of Salt and Paper 750. Money of Ganza 612 Money of Almonds 619 Money by whom inuented 335 The effects of it 336. Monasteries of the Turkes 308. In Tartaria 416. 431. In China 465. 471. Of Saint Francis in Goa 546 Monkes 541 Monoemugi 757 Monuments vid. Sepulchers Mopsus a Lydian 80 Mountaines of Armenia 343. 344 Mountaines of Crystall 412. Mountaine of Pardons by Mecca 269. 270 Burning mountaines 612 Mount Moriah 94. Sinai 225 The Mountaine of Health 271. Morboner a Sect of the Iewes 135 Doctor Mortons commendation 95 Mordecay why hee worshipped not Haman Morduit-Tartars Moratui Iland 578 Morabites a Sect in Africa 626 Morauia and Moldauia 416 Morse or Sea-Oxe described 913 914 Moses what hee did on Mount Sinai 155. Iewish opinions of him 156. He receiued the first Alphabetarie letters in the Table of the Decalogue 82. Moses chaire 132. First Pen-man of Scripture his excellencie 175. Pseu-Moses a Coozener 143. Moses Aegyptius vid. Rambam The Turkes opinion of Moses 302. his wife 729. Mosco destroyed by the Tartars 422 Moscouites of Mesech 37 Moschee or Mosquita vid. Temple Mossinaeci a beastly people 330. Mosambique 785. Beastly Rites of some neere them ibid. Moslemans Religion 265. 266. Mosleman women disrespected 265 Mosull supposed to be Niniue 67 Famous for Cloth of gold silke fertilitie c ibid Mosse foode to the Deere of the Samoeds 432 Moth interpreted Mire 77 Mourners doore in the Temple 99 A Sect 135. Funerall mourning of Iewes 206. Of others vid. Funerall Muaui son of Abusofian the seuenth Emperour of the Muslims 1021 Muaui son of Iezid the ninth Chalifa 1022. Muaui the Chaliph his Acts 234 seq Mufti of the Turkes and their Authoritie 320. 321 Mulli and Muderisi 312 Muleasses King of Tonis 672 Muley Hammet his Stile and Letter to the Earle of Leicester 696 Mummia 226. 632. How made in Aethiopia 748 Murther amongst the Turkes vnpardonable 300. Selfe-murther 633. Musa Alhadi the 25. Chalifa strangled by his mother 1028. Musarab Christians 1024 Muske of a Beast 564 Muslim what it signifies 1013 Muslim Empire falleth in pieces 1036 Musulipatan or Musulipatnam 994 Described 995. Mustapha his Acts 286. The succession of Mustapha twice 293 294 seq Mustaed-Dini chiefe Priest or Mufti of the Persians 391. Musteatzem last Chalif of Bagdet 237. 242 Mutadids equitie and cruelty 1033 Mutars Sect in Persia 370. 391 Mutasim the 29. Chalifa his strength of body 1030 Mutewakkels crueltie to Muhammed 1031 Mutezuma King of Mexico 860 861 Myiodes Myiagrus 81 Mydas his Storie 331 Mylitta Venus 56 Myrrhe in Arabia 231 Mysia 334. The Mysians for their great Deuotion called Smoke-climers 334. Matters famous in Mysia 334. 335 N NAamah first Inuentor of making Linnen and Wollen and vocall Musicke 29 Naaman a Scenite Arabian 227 Nabathea and Nabathaeans 227 230 Nabathitae 222 Nabunanga King of Iapon 856 857 Nabuchodonosor his Babylonish garments 48. His Pensile Gardens 49. Nabuchodonosor in Iudith vncertaine 60 Nabopollasar ibid. Not the same with Nabuchodonosor 62 Nabonidus the same with Darius Medus 63 Naboth Iewish Dreames of his Soule 187 Nafissa a Queane Saint at Cairo 652 Nagayan Tartars 423 Nairos Knights or Souldiers in India their Rites 553. 554 Naida supposed to be built by Cain 29 Naicks Indian Gouernours 993 Naimaini 404. 405 Nakednesse of Adam 22. Iewish Dreames of Nakednesse 180 181. 183 Nanquin a City of China 439. 466 Nastacia the Empresse made a Saint 974 Nations their beginning 37. seq Natitae and Natophantae certaine Priests 58 Nature what it is 13 Nature of man first infected now infecting 25 Natolia described 325. Now called Turkie ibid. Nailes long in China 469. Accounted a Gentleman-like signe ibid. Nauigations of the Ancients 684. The first Inuentor of Nauigations 82 Naugracot supposed the highest part of the Earth 35 Nazareth 90 Nazarites 133 Nazareans Iewish Sectaries 133 Necromancie 369 Neerda and Nisibis 63 Negapatan the situation and description thereof 557. seq The Bloudy and Beastly Rites there ibid. Negroes a description of the land of Negroes 709 sequitur Whence called the Land of Negroes 709. Many Nations 711. Strange kinde of Negroes 712. 713. The cause of the Negroes Blacknesse 721. 722. Their Coasts and Inland Countries 721. sequitur Negro Slaue made King of Egypt and Syria 1037 Neriglossoorus 62 Neru and the Rites there 605 Nero his Superstitions 69 Nestorians in Cathaya their Rites 404 409. In Ergimul 416. In Egrigaia and Tenduc 429. 430. At Quinsay 442. 443 Nethanims or Gibeonites 123 New Moone vide Moone New yeeres day of the Iewes 107. 196. Their Dreames of that Day 197 New yeeres day of the Chinois 463 Newberies Trauels 579. 580 New Granada 816 New World why called America and West Indies 791 New England 829. 830 New Wales 830 New Britaine 829 New-land of King Iames 814 815. seq New France 823. 824. Late Plantations of New France 825. 826. seq New Mexico 855 New Spaine 858 seq Newfoundland 821. sequitur Diners Voyages thither 822. Plantation there by the English 822. 823. seq Nicaragua described and how situate 887. Their Bookes Sacrifices Priests Processions Confessours ibid. Their Feasts Marriages Punishments Lake and Riches 888 Nicaraguas questions 889 Nicostrata Author of the Latine Letters 82 Nififa in Barbary 700 Nigritarum terra 709 Niger his course 709. 710. sequitur Niguas little Wormes great trouble 818 Nilus Riuer a large Discourse thereof 627. sequitur The cause and time of the ouerflowing 628. The shallownesse in some places ibidem The falls thereof 727. 740. Stayed by the Prete 731. The Spring of Nilus 740 Nilus diuerted 1042 Nimrod 37. 44. A Tyrant 45 Author of Idolatry 45. 46 Ninias supposed Amraphel 61 Niniue built 45. Taken by Arbaces the Mede 61. By Cyaxares 66. Described 65. Who built it ibidem The ruines thereof 138 Ninus first Deifier of his Father Belus 46. His History examined 65. His Exploits 65. 66 His Sepulchre ibid. Nine a
number specially obserued by the Tartars 404. 419 Nisibis peopled by the Iewes 64 Nisroch an Assyrian Idoll 66 Nitocris not inferiour to Semiramis 49 Noah his wife 29. His Sacrifice 33. 35. His Posteritie 36. The names giuen him by Heathens 44. Zabij their conceit of him 49. Worshipped by the Armenians 344 Nomades Vide Tartars Scythians Arabians Turkes Northeast Discouery 792 North and Northwest 801. 828 Noses flat a great beautie with Tartars 420. With Chinois 436. In Brasill 906. People that haue no Noses 149. Short Noses esteemed beauty 518 Noua Albion 853. 854 Noua Zimla 856. Hollanders wintering there and their long night ibid. Noyra an Indian Fowle 564 Nubae and Nubia 723. 1026 Numas Temple of Vesta 9 Fable of Aegeria 27 Numidia described 706. 707. seq Nunnes of Mithra 57. Nunnes in China 465. 466. In Comar 478. Amongst the Indians 479. In Pegu 505. In Iapon 592. In Mexico 896 Nunnes wile to preserue her chastitie 1027 Nutmegs how growing 569 Nymphaeum 68 Nymphes 87 O OAnnes a strange Monster 47. 80 Ob Riuer 432 Obedience of selfe-killing vpon command 1041 Obeliske of Semiramis at Babylon 49 Obeliske in Aegypt 633. In Aethiopia 726 Oblations of the Iewes 115. Gifts or Sacrifices 115. 116 Ocaca Rockes and the Confessing there 596. 597 Occada the Tartarian Emperour his Reigne 405. 406 Ochon his Acts 235 Ochus the Persian 647 Odia a great City 782 Offerings 115. Burnt Offerings 116. Meat Offerings and Peace Offerings ibid. Personall Offerings 119. 120 Ogge the Giant his huge bones 210 Ogiges his Floud 34 Ogoshasama his Acts 591 Oisters wonderfull great 513 Oisters with Pearles 566 Old Man of the Mountaine 218 219 Omar and his Acts 215 Omar sonne of Alchittab succeeded Abubecr in the Califate 1018. He conquered Persia Syria Egypt and Palaestina 1019 His Priuiledges granted to Ierusalem ibid. He is killed ibid. Omar sonne of Abdulacis the fifteenth Chalifa 1025. Hee was Iust Deuout Religious ibid. Omarca or Omorka 47 Onias built a Temple in Aegypt 104. 651. His City Onion ibid. Onions worshipped of the Chaldees 52. Of the Aegyptians 634 How vsed at Fez Ophir the situation and description thereof 756. Supposed Sofala ibid. Ophitae a Sect of Iewes 135 Opium much eaten by Turkes 303. Where it groweth 570 Oracles at Hierapolis at Delphos and Daphne 70. 356. 357. Of the Aegyptians 643. 644. Of Iupiter Ammon 665. 666 Orbs how many supposed 8. But supposed ibid. Oram or Oran 678 Ordnance by whom inuented 527 Called Metal-deuils Fire-breathing Buls c. ibid. Orenoque Riuer 898 Orion or Otus a Giant 32 Orimazes and Arimanius 367 Orissa or Orixa how situate 511 512 Orites certaine people of India 37 Orontes a Riuer 72 Orodes or Herodes 353 Ormisda King of Persia his reigne 363 Ormuz lately taken by the Persians 580 Orpha a Towne in the way from Byr to Babylon 64 Osel or Ossell an Iland in the Balticke Sea 981 Osiris 78. His Legend 635. 636 Feast of seeking Osiris 114 Ossens 133 Ostriges 625 Othes of the Hasidees 125. Of the Pharisees 128. Of the Mahumetans 256 Otoman Family of the Turkes 281. 282 Otoman or Osman his Exploits 282. 283. seq His Murther 294. 295 Otsman the fourth Emperour of the Muslims 1020. Hee is accused and killed ibid. Owle obserued by the Tartars and had in great reuerence 403 Oxe of huge greatnesse 210. 853 vide Behemoth Oxe-fish 913. 914 Oxus a Riuer running vnder ground 402 Oyle-fountaine 395 Ozimen or Odmen 275 P PAchacamac 935 Pacorus his Exploits 354 Pagods and Varelles in Pegu 505. In Bengala 509. In Goa 545 Palace of Benhadad 233. Of Golchonda 995 Palaestina the situation and description thereof 83. 84. 91. The last Inhabitants thereof 213 Palicat a Dutch Fort in East India 964 Palme-wine 564 Palmita 563. Called Taddye ibid. Palladius his Horsemanship 342 Pantogia his Chinian Iourny 414 His Opinions of China ibid. Paphlagonia how situate 330 Whence so called ibid. Paquin chiefe Citie of China whither Cambalu 439. 440. The description thereof 440 Paradise the differing Opinions concerning it 15. seq The Riuers and Fruit thereof 15. 16 17. Mercators Map thereof 16. Two Paradises 161. Golden Tree in Paradise 263 Paradise of Aladeules 64. 380. Of the Iewes 206. Of Mahomet 253. 254. 263. Of Turkes 313 Of the Siamites Parents how to bee esteemed 516 Paria the situation and description thereof 899 Parchment why so called 318 Pariacaca Hils in Peru of strange qualitie 934 Parthians their History 62 Parasceue 110 Parrots and the seuerall kinds 565 Troublesome to some Countries as Crowes here 816 Parthia the situation and description thereof 352. 353 Paschall Feast 110. How obserued ibid. seq Paschall Lambes how many in one Feast and how vsed ibid. How the Moderne Iewes prepare to it and obserue it 194. 195 Passarans a kinde of Indian Essees 610 Paste-god of the Mexicans or Transubstantiation 881 Patricius his Chaine of the World 7. His Opinion of the Moone 16. Of Zoroasters Opinions 142 Patriarches of Constantinople 324. The other Patriarches and Easterne Bishops 325. The Patriarch of Aleandria 659. Patriarches of Aethiopia 752 Patane a Citie and Kingdome 495. 511. The Description thereof and of the Neighbouring petty Kingdomes 495. 496 497 Patenaw a Kingdome 511. 512 Paulina abused by Mundus in Isis Temple 635 Peace-offerings of the Iewes 116 Pearles how fished for 566. Where the best ibid. How ingendred ibid. Peacockes had in high account 412 Pegu the situation thereof 498. The greatnesse of the King of Pegu 498. 499. The commodities of Pegu and the Kingdomes adioyning thereunto ibidem The destruction and desolation of Pegu 500. 501. 502. The Elephants there white ibid. 503. The Peguan Rites Customes 502 503. seq Their dwelling in Boats 504. Temples Images Priests 505. 506. Their opinions of God the World the state after death their originall 507 Deuotions to the Deuill Munday Sabbaths Washings Feasts ibid. Their opinions of Crocodiles and Apes and their Funerals 507. 508. The King of Pegu his entertainment to the English 1006 Pehor and Baal Pehor 85 Peleg why so called 95 Pentecost 195 Penguins a kinde of Fowles where found and the description of them 716 Pepper how it groweth 569 Pella a Citie of refuge 132. 133 Penance vide Punishment Pergamus and Pergamenae 335 Perimal King of Malabar 550 617. The signe of Perimal erected 553. 617. His Generation 560 Permacks their Religion and Rites 432 Permians 431. They are subiect to the Russe their manner of liuing 431. 432 Persis 141. 142 Persecution of Christians 1024 Persia the situation thereof 356 The Persians whence descended ibidem The beginning of the Persian Monarchie by Cyrus 356. 357 The succession of Cyrus and Cambyses 358. The succeeding Persian Monarchs vntill Alexanders Conquest 359. 360. The Persian Chronologie 360. sequitur The Kings of the first and second Dynastie 360. 361 362. sequitur Persian magnificence and other their Antiquities 365. 366. Their Riches Epicurisme Excesse in Apparell Dyet
Their Morning Prayer and Superstitions therein 185 seq Their gestures and turnings at Prayer ibid. Mahumets Canon of Prayer 256. 257. 263. The Turkes manner of Praying 297 298. 308. The Iugutes their Praying 772. the Mogols 516 Persians 582. Prayer for the dead amongst the Iewes Vide Iewes Amongst the Turkes 297. 308. Amongst the Persians 389. Amongst the Tartars 418. The Indians 481 482 In Banda 562. Of the Prayers of euery Nation See the whole Booke in discourse of each Religion Preaching little vsed in the Greek Church 324. 325 Preaching of Mahumetans 256 Turkes 319. 320. Of the Talapoies 513 Precepts Affirmatiue and Negatiue 173. The Iewes Negatiue Precepts expounded by the Rabbines 174 sequitur Their Affirmatiue Precepts expounded 175. 176 Precopite Tartars 421. 422 Presbyter Iohn in Asia the Historie of him 734. 735. sequitur Whither this bee the same with him of Aethiopia ibid. Two in Asia 737 Presbyter Iohn in Africa not strong at Sea 738. Not so called there ibidem His state Relations of his Empire 740 741. Doubtfull or fabulous out of Frier Luis 742. His Library and Treasures 744. 745. His Election 746. 747. His Cities 747. 748. The more credible report of him out of Godignus 749. sequitur His course of Iustice 150. His miseries ibidem His Descent from the Queene of Saba 151 Priapus Citie and Hauen 334 Priapi two huge ones 68 Priamus 328 Priest the first named Melchisedec 121. Heads of Families and first-borne Priests ibidem Priests of the Iewes 121. 122 123. No Priest-hood now left to the Iewes ibid. Priests of the Chaldees 51. 52. 57 Called Magi 55. Natitae 58 Galli 68. Their Number and Order 69 Priests of Phaenicia 88. Of Moloch 86. Of Arabia 227. 228 Of Panchaea 229. Of the Turkes 319. 320. sequitur Of the Capadocians 326. 327 Of Mysia and their abstaining from Flesh and Marriage 334 335. Of Diana 337. Shauen Priests at Solmissus 339. At Mylasa 340 Priests of Cybele ibid. 367. 368 369. 372. 373. 374. Of the present Persians 393. 394. Of the Scythians 397. Of the Tartars 419. Shauen Priests and single in Cathay 404. 415 426. In China more Popish Priests 461. 466. sequitur In Syam more then Popish 491 In Pegu also 505. Mogols Priests 520. Banians 241 Bramenes 547. 548. Iaponites 592. 593 Priests in Ternate 605. 606. Samatra 614. Zeilan 616. Aegypt 635. 636. sequitur Saracenicall Priests 230. Christian 251. Iewish 263 Priests of Ammon 273. Carthaginian 285. Cairaoan 353. At Ham Lisnan 386. In Guinea 716. 717. Meroe 728 Abassia 740. Angola 766 Congo 767. Loango 770. 771 New France 826. Virginia 840. 841. Florida 847. 848 849. Mexico 870. 871 Acusamil 885. Nicaragua 887 Dabaiba 894. Cumana 898 Brasill 916. 917. Peru 490 491. Hispaniola 957. Popish Priests in America 799 Princes of the Faction of Blacke Sheepe and White Sheepe 381 Prophets of God 136. Seducing Prophets 143. 144. Mahometicall Prophets 254 Prophets of the World 276 Prophet in Patenaw 495. In Temesna 680 Propheticall Saint and King in Barbary 700. 701 Proselites who so called 97. How made ibid. Processions of the Zabij 52. 53. To the Syrian Goddesse 67. 68. Of the Iewes at the Feast of Tabernacles 112. 196. To Mecca 255. 267. 268. 269 Processions of the Magi 55. 369 370. sequitur Procession with Candles in China 466. seq Processions neere Goa 543. Of Perimal at Prepeti 550. In Iapon 592. In Zeilan 617. In Aegypt 636 Of Ammon 657 Of Mexicans 881. Nicaragua 887. In Peru 948 Proserpina 76. Vide Sinope Psammeticus his tryall of Antiquitie 39 Psaphons policie 171 Ptolemeis Kings of Aegypt 73 648 Ptolemais how situate 79 Pulaoan described 604 Purifications of Iewes 181. 182 Amongst the Tartars 415. seq Puritie from sinne 283. Their beastlinesse ibid. Purple dye of Apes bloud 406 Punnishments among the Iewes how many and in what manner 98. Of stoning hanging burning c. 99. 100. Of the Whip and Excomunication ibid. After death 160. Moderne Punishments 198. 205 Punishments among the Turkes during Lent 310. Selfe-punishments of the Pharisees 128. Of the Essens 130. 131. Of the Hasidaei 125. 126. Of moderne Iewes 197. 198. Of Mahumetans 251 sequitur 259. Of Turkes 315. 316. Of the Galli 68. Cappadocians 326. 327 Of the Magi 55. 369. Of the Persians 390. Samoeds 432 Of the Chinois 465. Siamites 503. Peguans 506. 507. At Ganges 510. Of Cambayans 537. Bramens 547. In Narsinga 557. Of the Iaponites 592. Philippinas 603. Passarans 610. In Zeilan 616. Of the Aegyptians 634. Carthaginians 672 Purgatory of the Iewes 206 207. Like the Popish ibidem Their Purgatory Prayer ibid. Purgatory of Hecla 563. Purgatory Visions 361 Pustozera 445 Put and Phuthaei 37 Putulangua a tree so called worshipped in Persia and Arabia 242 Pygmalion Founder of Carthage 79 Pyramus and Thisbe 57 Pyramides in Aegypt 632 Pythagorean opinions of killing eating no quicke thing c. 462 531. 701. 542 Q QVabacondono Emperour of Iapon 590. 591. Made his Nephew Quabacondono 591 592. Causeth him to plucke out his bowels ibidem The young Quabacondono his cruelty ibidem Quailes sacrificed 630 Quicksiluer and the properties therof 797. Where found 798 Quilacare and their bloudy rites 890 Quiloa the situation and description thereof 756. 757 Quinsay greatest Citie of the World 441. The description thereof 442. 443 Quippos wherewith they account in Peru 935 Quiuira the description thereof 853 R RAimah and his Posteritie 37 Rab his strictnesse 126 Rab Rabrah Rabba with a rabble of like titles 164 Rabbi and Ribbi ibid. Rabbins of two sorts 165. Their seuerall Classes ibid. sequitur The authority and power of the Rabbins with their Rites of Creation 166. sequitur Their Degrees ibid. Their Schollers and Academies 167. Which of most reckoning ibidem Their glorious titles they giue to each other 168. When their first Morenu ibid. Compared to Iesuits 159. To Ignatius Loyola 158 Rabbins more exercised in their Talmud then in the Bible 157 Rabbinist Iewes 125 Rabbath chiefe Citie of the Amorites 86 Rach and Rachiophantae 57 Rakiah what it signifieth 8 Rainebow obseruations on the colours thereof 36. Called the child of Wonder ibid. It was before the Floud ibid. Raine of stones 295. Of Ashes Sand Haire 360 Raine seldome and vnwholesome in Aegypt 630 Raine warme and vnwholesome in Guinea 717 Raine turning into Wormes 805 the manner of raines in Peru 941 Raleigh viz. Sir Walter Raleigh his Discouery of Guiana 900 901. His Plantation in Virginia Vide Virginia His taking Saint Ioseph 907 Ramadan Festiuall moneth of the Sarazens 239. 240 Ramadam or Ramazam of the Mahumetans 263 Rambam or Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon his commendation 52 Authour of the Iewish Creed 171 Rams in Turkish Superstition 324 Golden Ram 350. Phryxus his Ram 347 Racing and Printing the flesh 876 Rats wonderfull great 565. Muske Rats 621. Many kindes of Rats 565 Raziel Adams teacher 161 Rebat a towne in the Kingdome of Fez 681 Rebecca
sacri g Idem de Astrologia h Idem de Saltatione i D. Sic. l. 4. c. 1. k Macro in Somn. Scip. l. 2. cap 10. l Picr Hieroglyphica m The like is vsed in Iapan n Diod Sic. Strabo l. 17. o Laurentij Coruini Geograph Io. Boemus de morib gentium Drandius in Solinum Fr. Thamara de las Costumbras de todas las Gentes p Sardus de morib gentium l. 1. cap. 10. r Plut. de placitis Philosoph q Raph. Volaeterranus Geograph l. 12. ſ Id. de non irascendo t Gen. dierum l. 2. 25. c. 30. u Dam. à Goes Zaga Zabo de fide Aethiopium x Ios. Scalig. de Emend l. 7. See Lyturg. Aethiop in Biblioth patrum y Coel. R. l c. 16. 15. l. 9. 23. z Niceph. hist Eccles l. 9. c. 18. * Dom. Niger a Sexti Vict. Augustus b Procop. de Bello Persico l. 1. c Pauli Diaconi Iustinus d Oros l. 1 c. 9. e Abdias Bab. Apostolicae hist lib. 7. f Wolfg. Laius g Iewel and Harding h Euseb Eccl. hist lib. 2. Papius speakes of Thomas Matthew and Mathias preaching in Ethiopia i Genebr chron pag. 118. * The Abassen greatnesse is vnlikely to haue comne of Chams cursed stocke which neuer yeelded any great Monarchy Ful. Misc l. 2 c. 1. 4. Thus hee yet the Phoenician Carthaginians were more potent then euer was the Abassine k 〈◊〉 Anti. l. 8 c. 2 l Zaga Zabo Episcopus Ethiop m Candac was the name of diuers Ethiopian Queenes contrary to this report n R. Sedechias from Mecca o Vincent Ferrer a Popish Saint p Foure times the height of a man q Gods curse and mans follow the Iewes euery where as the shaddow the body a Ios. Scal. de Emend Temp. lib. 7. b Castaneda seemeth also to hold that the Negus is that Presbiter Iohn of Asia though not of his race lib. 1. cap. 1. c So with vs the French King is called Christianissimus the Spaniard Catholicus the English Defender of the Faith d Maliapur see our Historie Lib. 5. e In Ramusius copie it is Anauia in the Latine Auarii Marcus Paulus lib. 2. cap. 27. Ram. 20. d Scaligers Ethiopian Grammar e Ortel Theat in the Map of Tartaria P Bertias alii Geograph f Will. de Rubruquis Itinerarium ap Hak. tom 1. cap. 19. g This Vut or Vncam was called Prete or Priest as Boterus coniectureth because he had the Crosse borne before him he is said with no great likelihood of truth to haue ruled 72 Kingdoms a Cap. 52. The Latine Copie wants these things * Marcus Paulus lib. 1. cap. 24. b Sir Iohn Mandeuiles storie of Presbyter Iohn is fabulous c Haply the Prince before mentioned was called Vncam of Vng and Can for Can signifieth a Diuiner or Ruler d Ioan de Pl. Carp Itinerarium cap. 5. e Vincentii Beluacensis spec historiale l 32. c. 10. f Marcus Paulus lib. 3. cap. 37. g Abdias nominat Indiam quae in Aethiopiam vergit 1. 8. h Sidonius ap Ortel in Thesauro i Aelian l. 17. animalium k Virg Gewg 4. l Sabellicus Ennead 10. l. 8. More testimonies of this nature see in Scal. E. T. pag. 639. m Sabell Aen. 10. lib. 8. n Ios. Acost hist Ind lib. 1. c. 14. Turn Aduers lib. 21. cap. 9. o Of these Indian Histories touching the same times See Linschoten lib. 1. cap. 12. 27 G. B. B. p This branding is common to the Morish Christian and Idolatrous Ethiopians vsed to preuent rheumaticke distillations from the braine superstition hath caused some to annex it to their Baptisme q Odoardo Lopez l. 2. vlt. r Zago Zabo de 33. Fide Ethiopum ſ Luys de Vrreta Hist Ethiop lib. 1. cap 7. t Matth. 2.1 u Communicated to me by that industrious and learned Gentleman Master Selden of the Inner Temple x Garc. ab Hor. lib. 2. cap. 28. Linschot lib. 1. cap. 27. y Goa is the seate of the Portugall Vice roy z M. Paul lib. 1 cap. 6. * G Bot. Ben. part 3. lib. 2. a D. Morton against Brerely b Iumno Scal. duo magna literarum lumina Rex Iacobus in Declarat contra Vorst a Lit. ad Em. reg vid. Marin l. 10. c. 10. seq ad fin Sanut lib. 10. cap. 11. b The Kings of Ethiopia change their names as the Popes vse to doe c In a Letter to the Pope is added Sonne of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul according to grace d Luys de Vrreta Thes. Polit. Apost 34 make Prester Iohn the greatest prince in the world except the King of Spaine e G. Botero Benese p. 1. Pory his description of places vndescribed by Leo. A Maginus f G. B. B. parte 2. lib. 2. g He is called The Bassa of Abassia a fift Bassa or Belgerbeg of the Turke in Africa omitted by Knolles h Fr. Aluares Io. Bermudez i Fr. Aluares k Aluar. c. 21. l Cap. 50. d C. 135. see c. 12. Some draw Nilus from certain mountaines which are named mountaines of the Moone but it comes first from the Lake Zembre or Zaire and passeth by this where it is encreased Berumdez e C. 159. f Abuna is their Patriarch c Strabo lib. 16. tels of circumcised women in these parts Quemadmodum vtri praeputium habent mulieres etiam habent quandam glaudulosam carnem quam Nympham vocant non ineptam accipiendo Characteri Circumcisionis Any one man may Circumcise and it is done without solemnitie or ceremonie d Catholike Traditions e Litera ad Eman. f Literae ad Papam g Obedienza del Prete Ianni c. apud Ramustum h P. Maff. hist Iudic. lib. 16. i Eman. Acosta in Commentario rerum in criento gestarum k Ouiedo B. of Hierapolis l Io. Bermudez relat Legat. Atani Tinghil m Sabel En. 10. lib. 8. n Webs Trauels o L. Le Roy l. 9. p Aluarez cap. 113. q The Moores also vse to giue assaults on the Saturdaies and Sundaies because of a Iewish superstition then they refuse to fight r Lit. Helen ad Em. Reg. Portugal ſ Aluarez t F. Luys histor l. 1. c. 20. Briefe description of the whole world . u Alfons Albuquerque deuised to diuert Nilus into the Red Sea F. Luys saith that Pius 5. the Pope prouoked Menna the Prete to refuse the tribute and to stay it by diuerting the streame whereupon the Turke sent Christians out of Greece and other parts to dwell there and in Cairo placed 30000. families which caused there Pope and Prete to alter their course x Andrea Corsali liter 2. ap K. y Luys de Vrreta hist de la Ethiopia l. 1. p. 247. d. z Pag. 344. In their language Alicomeinos E. Aluareza C. 58. ad 62. a Luys de Vrreta de la historia de la Ethiopia l. prim c. 8. deinceps b Hom. Il. a c Iam nocet essè Deum
Ram. r W. Magoths ap Hakluyt ſ Iohn Iane t Ap. Hak. M. S. a Botero Enquiries of Lang. and Relig 4. 14. b Bot. part 1. vol. 2. Herera c P. Ferdin de Quir. Detectio Australis Incognit d By Walsingham Grisley c e Mercurius Britannicus Of Chil. f Botero g G. Ens l. 2. c. 4 h Lop. Vaz i L. Apollon hist Peru l. 1. k The Riuers of Chili in the night time froz n. l Earthquakes in Chili and their effects * Some reckon this Towne to Peru It was vexed with Earthquakes 1582. 1586. m Acost l. 3. c. 9. n L. Apollon Hist Peru l. 3. o Nuno da Silua p Oliu. de Noort q Adams and the Dutch Fleet lost many of their men in fight with the Indians 1608. about S. Marie r Oliu. de Noort ſ Gomar c. 144. vid. historia general del Peru Escrita por el Ynca Garcilasse de la Vega in 8. lib. t Gom. c. 108. Benzol 3. c. 1. L. Apol. l. 1. u Peru why so called x Gom. c. 112. Apol. l. 2. Ben. l. 3. c. 3. * The Friers preaching This Oration is expressed more at large by Vega p. 2. l. 1. c. 22. diuided into two parts And Philipillus the Interpreter wanting fit words which the Cuscan Language hath not to expresse his Oration falsified the sense as by their Quippos hath appeared So for Trinitie and Vnitie hee interpreted Foure for our sinne in Adam that on a time all men being assembled layed their sinnes on Adam Nothing of the Diuinitie of Christ but that hee was a great Lord c. and that their forces which they threatned were superiour to those of Heauen as if they had Gods not men to fight against Whereupon Atahuallpa so he cals him fetched a deepe sigh and after made an answere far differing from this which Authors haue related But this was written by the Spaniards to the Emperour to cleere themselues which had offered abuse to the Inga neither would they suffer the truth to be written His answere hee relateth at large and is worth reading The Spaniards weary of his prolixitie made a rout and tooke him no man resisting Miguel Astete laying first hold but Pizarro carrying the credit such as it was his Fringe or Diademe remayned with Astete till 1556. When he restored it to the Inga Sayritupac The Frier was after * a Bishop and lastly slaine by the Indians a Gom. c. 113. b This hee spake according to the Bul of Alexander the Sixt which had giuen the Southerne and Western world to the Spanish Kings The hornes of the Bull and not of the Lambe are the Popish weapons c Rel. della conq del Peru ap Ram. tom 3. Xeres ibid. d Vega saith Atahuallpa forbad them whose command was a Religion to them death to transgresse and there perished 5000. of which 3500. Souldiers others of all ages and both Sexes which had come in great multitudes to heare and solemnize this Embassage of them which they tooke for Gods a Lop Vaz b Gomara saith that it was a great roome and they made a line about it it was all of wrought metal in vessels c. c Gom. hath 252000. poūds of siluer and 1326000. Pezos of Gold d Xeres saith they were 102. Footmen and Horsemen e They baptised him before his death thretning otherwise to burne him aliue Vega l 1. c. 36. The gold siluer which Atabaliba paid came to 4605670. Duc. Blas Valeca hath 4. Millions 800000. Duc. a summe not now maruailous when euery yeere 10. or 12. millions entreth the Guadalquibir The naturall strength of the country is such that had there not bin contentiō betwixt the Brethren c. Peru could neuer haue bin subdued f Gom. c. 115. g The Spanish Captaine in Ramus cals Cusco saith he promised 4 times as much h He kept Cusco with 30000. Indians i They after burnt him k F. Xeres P. Sancto Of their treasures see inf §. 3. c 9. §. 3 c. 11. § 1 c. l Benzo l. 3. c. 5 m Acost l. 6. c. 19. 20. 21. 22. Originall of the Inguas Their Kings n Gom. c. 120. Mariana lib. 26. Guaynacapa prophesied by reuelation of his Oracles of the comming of bearded men commanding at his death that they should yeeld subiection to them hauing a better law customes c. then they as Atahuallpa in his answer to Valle viridi his oration ap Veg. o Acost l. 6. c. 22. 23. p His Son Sayri Tupac was baptised by the name of Diego Amaru was his Brother q One of which hath written a generall History of the Indies in two parts in the former of the Peruuian Antiquities Acts in the later of the Spanish viz. Garcilasso de la Vega Naturall of Cusco his Mother was Palla Isabel daughter of Huallpa Topac Inga one of the Sons of Topac Inga Yupangui and of Palla Mama Ocllo his lawfull ife His Father was Garcilasso de la Vega one of the Conquerors of Peru a Captaine who went thither with Pedro de Aluarado 1531. and there continued till his death 1559. Francisco de Toledo being Viceroy entred Processe against the Ingas and all the Mestizos of that bloud but would not execute them Instead whereof he sent and dispersed them lest by their Fathers conquests or mothers bloud they should challenge that Empire into Chili Pinama New Granada Nicaragua and into Spaine 36. Indians of that bloud they sent to Loy Reyes there to remayne of which 35. dyed in little more then two yeares with griefe c. Others also elsewhere dyed Don Carlos had a Son in Spaine which there dyed 1610. of griefe and soone after a little Infant which he left and so all Guaynacapas prophesie touching his Posterity was accomplished In Mexico they tooke not that course because the Kingdome passed by Election not Succession The present Inga they presently sentenced to lose his head who desired to be sent into Spaine protesting his innocency that if his Father could do nothing against 200. Spaniards in Cusco with 200000. Indians what could they feare of him so poore He appealed to the King and to Pachacamac was baptised also by the name of Philip his Inga as he called him moued pitie in the Spaniards who would haue besought for him to be sent into Spaine there to remayne exiled but might not be suffered on paine of death to speake to the Viceroy Thus was Amaru or Philip brought forth on a Mule his hands fastned the Cryer proclayming him a Tyrant and Traytor with a halter about his necke 300000. were gathered together in the streets and wayes to this sad spectacle with much teares and cryes the Priests desired him to enioyne them silence whereupon hee lifted vp his hand and laying it on his eare and thence by degrees to his thigh there followed such silence as if there had not beene a man in the Citie And thus with protestation of his innocencie hee sustayned
great Dukes Feast * Pardon this prolixity in narration of a Feast I doe it partly for Q. Elizabeths sake to whole honour it was intended and partly to expresse the magnificence and customes of Lithuania little knowne to most Practise to poyson Sir Ier Horsey Demetrius slain and his Mother poysoned Boris is made Emperour Description of his person and qualities Boris his ruine He poysoneth himselfe The Counterfeit Demetrius raigneth He is slaine Suskoy is crowned and captiued by the Poles The Poles expelled by the Tartars * Sinus Gangeticus Zeloan or Zeilan Candy p Captaines Gouernour d Two shillings six pence sterling S. Thome See before in Balbie c. Palecat possessed by the Dutch Sir Adolfe Thomason Portugals weaknes within the Gulfe Musulipatnam or Musulipatan P. W. Floris See P. 1. l. 3. Climate and Seasons Hote and killing winds Peter Iacobson R. Stower Commodious Flouds All trees continually greene Fertilitie Golchonda described Glorious Palace The King a mahumetan Their Sects Kings title Wiues Concubines Three Decan Kings enemy to the Mogull Kings Reueue Indian Monarchie Miserable people Castles 66. * Captaines or Gouernors Castle described Intelligence by Torches * Mahumetan Churches Relgion of the Gentiles in those parts Ier 35. Their morality Their Tribes forty foure The Bramene Their writing Learning Superstition d Casta signifying a Tribe The Fangam The Committy The Campo Waro The Whoores Tribe x Moores circumcise their children Mechanikes Their Piriawes Their Idols Temples k Doulia Latria Feastiuals Tumblers Strange actiuitie Idoll-Procession Block-Saint Acts 17. Sea-feasts Other Saints Idol-Miracles * Water Suger and iuce of Limons mingled Deuil-Saint G. Ball T. Iones Vowes Bloudie Rites See the like before in Balby Houshold-gods Mariages Widowes Infants Trauell with little labour Apparell Colour Small wages Burning of wiues whence i The name of one of their Idols k Is an Officer amongst the Moores not much vnlike to the Sheriffs of London Diamonds how found The Authours iourney to the Myne Myne of Diamonds described d Or Tribe e A Vyse is three pound English weight Iron Steele Bezars how taken out of Goats Callicoes Painting and durable colours Indico See Finches Voyage Lib. 4. Their trafficke Voyage to Mocha and Mecca Bengala Bad people Crocodiles charmed Arrecan * Pegu Of the late miserable state thereof and former glory see l. 10. cap. 5 6 7 8. where other Countries of this Gulfe of Bengala and Goast of coromandel are related Zangomay or Iangoma Thomas Samuel an Englishman his Trade there and in Pegu Other English sent A Letter relating the King of Pegus entertainment to the English Peguan tyrannie Their vnfaithfulnesse and vnthriftie courses King of Pegus Letter Tannassery Syam Now in Holland Sowes fruitfull without Boxes Read M. Terries Relation of these things L . 9. c. Gen. 16 10 12. 17.20 1. Tim. 4.8 Gen. 17.27 Rom. 9.7 Gal. 4.25 Rom. 4.16 Gal. 4.28 29. Iohn 8.35.36 * Compare those Locusts Apoc. 9. with this Saracenical history which though it may be applied in part to Papists yet is literally more manifest in many things of these It was farre greater then the Roman Emâ—ire and their Religion still couereth more ground than the Christian in all professions Chalifa signifieth Vicar r Musleman or Muslim signifies a beleeuer se of that doctrine of Muhammed The name which al of that religion giue themselues Saracen and Moore c. which we giue them they know not p Misericordis miseraâ—oris gracious and mercifull their vsuall beginning of Prayers Bookes workes The Authors Preface Mahomet first Author of Islamisme that is the Mabumetan Faith praised by this author a Mahumetan t We say odious and iustly yet here and like cases follow the author The birth and genealogie of Mahomet u This M. Abugiafar was a Prince and learned Historian which died A H. 316. A.D. 922. Our of him principally is this history to that time gathered His education His vocation His doctrine * Magi were those which professed the Ethnike Religion vsed in Persia Christ blasphemed with hypocriticall honours His enemies His two wiues Aijsia Sewda The conuersion of Medina * The Hegira or flight of M. fell out on the 16. of Iuly A.D. 622. Fatima D. of Muh married to Ali his Vncles Sonne Au. H. 2. which began Iuly 5. 623. His slight skirmishes which after grew to great battels A.H. 3. which began Iune 24. A.D. 624. M. wounded A. H 4. which began Iune 13. 625. A.H. 5. Iune 2. 626. A.H. 6. which began May 23. A D. 627. Mahomets third wife M. his Coronation or installation A. H. May 11. 628. M. his Pulpit A.H. 8. April 30 629. Mecca taken A.H. 9. April 20 630. A.H. 10. which began April 9. A.D. 631. His pilgrimage A.H. 11. Mar. 28 A. Christi 632. False prophets Mahomets death His Secretaries and Officers of State This curiositie of Chronology he obserueth in the rest by vs omitted M. his respect to Christians * These Persian and Imperiall occurrents I translate also that the Reader may see how the Saracenicall Empire grew to so sudden a greatnes out of the ruines of these two Empires The Peâ—sians are said to haue preuayled in Syria Egypt One great cause of this Persian combustion Abubcer 2. hee first called himselfe Chalifa .i. Vicar or giuen of God Hee may bee called the Numa of the Saracens * Fugitiues were such as had fl d from Mecca first with M. and after from other places from which flight is their Heg. reckoned Other false Prophets A.H. 12 Ma. 18 A.C. 1633 p Irac is the name of the country where Bagdad Balsora stand extending on both sides of the bottom of the Persian Gulfe But to giue his names of countries iust interpretation is very difficult the Arabs giuing one name Tarâ—ars another and others others to the same countries which I therefore forbeare Hierac in Persia hath â—fsahon the chiefe city Stater were of diuers values some were drams a piece some betwixt some halfe that and the former some the tenth part of a dramme Alcoran first gathered together Al is the Article the coran signifieth collection of this act of Abubecr Mushaph signifies a Booke come from heauen or heauenly writing or the Scripture Coran signifies reading in publike or a collection of Surats Azoaras , some call them or chapters They hold it to excell all creatures which Christians or Iewes may not touch to sit on it were horrible or themselues to touch it vnwashed c. Omar the third Emperour or Chalifa Damascus taken A.H. 14. which began Feb. 25. A.C. 635. AH 15. Feb. 14. 636. By Romans he meaneth Subiects of the Roman Emperour which he calleth Infidels as his owne Mahumetans Muslims or right beleeuers n This seâ—meth the later Cosroes or that before of Herac is not fully true which he saith he tooke out of Christian stories The last Persian King ouercome A.H. 17. Ian. 23. A.C. 638. Egypt conquered Misra since enlarged and called
is King of the whole world hauing in the word Echad many superstitious subtilties that the letter Daleth in regard of his place in the Alphabet signifieth foure and the word Echad contayneth in numerall letters two hundred fortie and fiue whereunto adding three hael elohechem emes God our Lord is true they make vp the number of two hundred fortie and eight and so many members there are in mans bodie for euerie member a prayer secures them all And this verse thrice recited secureth against the ill spirit They esteeme it a holy prayer by which miracles may bee wrought and therefore vse it morning and euening They haue another prayer called Schone esre that is eighteene because it contayneth so many thankesgiuing which they say twice a day and the chiefe chanter of the Synagogue singeth it twice by himselfe They thinke by this prayer to obtaine remission of their sinnes They must pray it standing so that one foot must not stand more on the ground then the other like the Angels And their foote was a right foote When they come to those words in it Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts they leape vp three times aloft And hee say their Chachamim which speaketh a word during this prayer shall haue burning coales giuen him to eate after his death These eighteene thanksgiuings are for the eighteene bones in the chine or back-bone which must in saying hereof be bended After this followeth a prayer against the Iewes reuolted to Christianitie and against all Christians saying These which are blotted out that is reuolters shall haue no more hope and all vnbeleeuers shall perish in the twinkling of an eye and all thine enemies which hate thee O GOD shall be destroyed and the proud and presumptuous Kingdome shall quickly be rooted out broken layd euen with the ground and at last shall vtterly perish and thou shalt make them presently in our dayes obedient to vs Blessed art thou God which breakest and subduest them which are rebellious They call the Turkish Empire the Kingdome of Ismael the Roman Edomiticall proud c. They are themselues indeed exceeding proud impatient and desirous of reuenge The Talmud sayth That the lying spirit in the mouth of Achabs Prophets which perswaded him to goe and fall at Ramoth Gilead was none other but the spirit of Naboth whom hee had before flaine And Victor Carbensis a Christian Iew testifieth That there are not vnder heauen a more quarrelsome people themselues acknowledging the Christians farre meeker then themselues when they haue this Prouerb that the modestie of the Christians the wisedome and industrie of the Heathens and faith of the Iewes are the three pillers which sustaine the world But to returne to their deuotions After those other before mentioned followeth a prayer for the good sort for Proselytes reedifying of the Temple for sending the Messias and restauration of their Kingdome In the end they pray GOD to keepe them in peace and when they come to these words Hee that makes peace aboue shall make peace ouer all Israel Amen they goe backe three paces bow themselues downewards bend their head on the right hand then on the left if some Christian bee there with an Image they must not bow but lift vp their heart This they doe for honours sake not to turne their hinder parts on the Arke and thus they goe like Crabbes out of the Synagogue vsing certaine prayers not running but with a slow pace lest they should seeme glad that their Mattins were done Other their niceties in praying as laying the right hand on the left ouer the heart not spetting nor breaking winde vp or downe not interrupted by a King to cease prayer to shake his bodie this way and that way not to touch his naked bodie and to say Amen with all his heart for they that say Amen are worthie to say it in the world to come And therefore Dauid endeth a Psalme with Amen Amen signifying that one is to bee said heere and the other in the other world also in a plaine eminent place purged from all filth freed from the sight of women his face to the East standing his feet close together fixing his eyes on the ground eleuating the heart to heauen c. I hold it enough thus to mention Their praying to the East must be vnderstood from our Westerne parts because Ierusalem standeth that way for otherwise Rambam sheweth that Abraham prayed in Mount Moriah toward the West and the Sanctum Sanctorum was in the West which place also Abraham set forth and determined And because the Gentiles worshipped the Sunne toward the rising therefore Abraham worshipped Westward and appointed the Sanctuarie so to stand The Talmud saith Praying to the South bringeth wisdome toward the North riches I might heere also adde their Letanie and Commemoration of their Saints almost after the Popish fashion As thus for a taste Wee haue sinned before thee haue mercie on vs O Lord doe it for thy names sake and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for Abraham thy perfect one and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was bound in thy porches to wit in Mount Moriah where the Temple was afterward builded and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was heard in the ladder Iacob from thy high place and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for the merit of Ioseph thy holy one c. Lord doe it for him which was drawne out of the waters Moses and spare c. Lord doe it for Aaron the Priest with Vrim and Thummim Lord grant it for him that was zealous for thy name Phineas Lord doe it for the sweet Singer Dauid Lord doe it for him which built thine house They name not any but expresse him after this sort And then proceed in like manner with the titles attributes and workes of GOD. Doe it for thy Name Doe it for thy Goodnesse for thy Couenant thy Law thy Glorie c. in seuerall versicles And then to their Saints in a new passage Doe it for Abraham Isaac and Iacob Doe it for Moses and Aaron for Dauid and Salomon as if their combined forces should effect more then single Doe it for Ierusalem the holy Citie for Sion for the destruction of thy house for the poore Israelites for the bare Israelites for the miserable Israelites for the Widdowes and Orphans for the sucking and wained and if not for our sake yet for thine owne sake Then in another forme Thou which hearest the poore heare vs thou which hearest the oppressed heare vs Thou which heardest Abraham c. With renuing a commemoration of their Saints larger then before and after some repeating the diuine titles in another tune they oppose their Saint and wicked ones together as Remember not the lye of Achan but remember Iosua forgiuing him and remember Heli and Samuel and so on in a tedious length CHAP. XVI Of their Ceremonies at home after