full of Iuyce like Lemmons at the end as Apples haue a stalke so this Fruit hath a Nut like the kidney of a Hare with kernels toothsome and wholsome The lambos exceedeth in beauty taste smell and medicinable vertue it is as bigge as a Peare smelleth like a Rose is ruddie and the tree is neuer without fruit or blossomes commonly each branch hauing both ripe and vnripe fruits and blossomes all at once Linschoten saith on the one side the tree hath ripe fruites and the leaues falne the other couered with leaues and flowres and it beareth three or foure times in a yeere The Iangomas grow on a tree like a Plum-tree full of prickles and haue power of binding The Papaios will not grow but Male and Female together but of these also the Carambolas Iambolijns and other Indian fruits I leaue to speake as not writing an Indian Herball but onely minding to mention such things which besides their Country haue some variety of Nature worthy the obseruation For the rest Gracias ab Horto translated by Carolus Clusius Paludanus Linschoten Christophorus Acosta writing particularly of these things and others in their generall Herbals may acquaint you Of this sort is the Indian Figge tree if it may be called a tree which is not aboue a mans height and within like to a Reed without any woody substance it hath loaues a fathome long and three span abroad which open and spread abroad on the top of it It yeeldeth a fruit in fashion of the clusters of Grapes and beareth but one bunch at once contayning some two hundred Figges at least which being ripe they cut the whole tree downe to the ground leauing onely the root out of which presently groweth another and within a moneth after beareth fruit and so continueth all the yeere long They are the greatest sustenance of the Country and are of very good taste and smell and in those parts men beleeue that Adam first transgressed with this fruit But of greater admiration is the Coquo tree being the most profitable tree in the world of which in the Ilands of Maldiua they make and furnish whole ships so that saue the men themselues there is nothing of the ship or in the ship neyther tackling merchandize or ought else but what this tree yeeldeth The tree groweth high and slender the wood is of a spungy substance easie to bee sowed when they make Vessels thereof with cordes made of Cocus For this Nut which is as bigge as an Estridge Egge hath two sorts of huskes as our Walnuts whereof the vppermost is hayry like hempe of which they make Ockam and Cordage of the other shell they make drinking Cups The fruit when it is almost ripe is full of water within which by degrees changeth into a white harder substance as it ripeneth The liquor is very sweet but with the ripening groweth sowre The liquor extracted out of the tree is medicinable and if it stand one houre in the Sunne it is very good Vineger which being distilled yeeldeth excellent Aquauitae and Wine Of it also they make by setting it in the Sunne Sugar Of the meate of the Nut dryed they make Oyle Of the pith or heart of the tree is made paper for Bookes and Euidences Of the leaues they make couerings for their Houses Mats Tents c. Their apparell their firing and the rest of the Commodities which this tree more plentifull in the Indies then Willowes in the Low Countryes yeeldeth would be too tedious to recite They will keepe the tree from bearing fruit by cutting away the blossomes and then will hang some Vessell thereat which receiueth from thence that liquor of which you haue heard It is the Canarijns liuing and they will climbe vp these trees which yet haue no boughes but on the top like Apes This tree hath also a continuall succession of fruits and is neuer without some No lesse wonder doth that tree cause which is called Arbore de rais or the Tree of Roots Clusius calleth it by Plinies authoritie the Indian Figge tree and Goropius with more confidence then reason affirmeth it to be the Tree of Adams transgression It groweth out of the ground as other trees and yeeldeth many boughes which yeeld certayne threeds of the colour of Gold which growing down-wards to the earth doe there take root againe making as it were new trees or a wood of trees couering by this meanes the best part somtimes of a mile in which the Indians make Galleries to walke in The Figges are like the common but not so pleasant The Arbore triste deserueth mention It growes at Goa brought thither as is thought from Malacca The Hollanders saw one at Achi in Samatra In the day time and at Sunne-setting you shall not see a flowre on it but within halfe an houre after it is full of flowres which at the Sun-rising fall off the leaues shutting themselues from the Sunnes presence and the tree seeming as if it were dead The flowres in forme and greatnesse are like to those of the Orange-tree but sweeter in Acostas iudgement then any flowres which euer hee smelled the Portugals haue vsed all meanes to haue it grow in Europe but our Sunne hath refused to nourish such sullen vnthankfull Malecontents And that yee may know the Indians want not their Metamorphoses and Legends they tell that a man named Parisatico had a Daughter with whom the Sunne was in loue but lightly forsaking her he grew amorous of another whereupon this Damosell slue herselfe and of the ashes of her burned carkasse came this tree Bettele is a leafe somewhat like a Bay leafe and climbeth like Iuie and hath no other fruit neither is any fruit more in vse then these leaues at bed and boord and in the streets as they passe they chew these leaues and in their gossippings or visiting of their friends they are presently presented with them and eate them with Arecca which is a kind of Indian Nut. It saueth their teeth from diseases but coloureth them as if they were painted with blacke bloud When they chew it they spit out the iuyce and it is almost the onely exercise of some which thinke they could not liue if they should abstaine one day from it They haue an Herbe called Dutroa which causeth distraction without vnderstanding any thing done in a mans presence sometimes it maketh a man sleepe as if hee were dead the space of foure and twentie houres except his feet be washed with cold water which restoreth him to himselfe and in much quantitie it killeth Iarric cals it Doturo and sayth that Pinnerus the Iesuite and his Family at Lahor were by meanes of this herbe giuen them by a theeuish seruant distracted and the goods then carried out of their house The women giue their husbands thereof and then in their sights will prostitute their bodies to their Iewder louers and will call them Coruudos stroking them by the beard the husband sitting with his eyes open
Epiphanius hath written of the Gnostikes alone fully and particularly be considered all these Ethnike and Mahumetan superstitions would comparatiuely be iustified So true is that olde saying Corruptio optimi pessima and of the Truth it selfe Sodom and her daughters not comparable to Ierusalem with hers and of the iustest Iudge that it shall bee easier at the day of Iudgement for Those then These And what indeede doth more set forth the glory of Gods grace then in pardoning his power then in reforming his justice then in giuing men vp to such delusions Are not these the Trophees and glorious victories of THE CROSSE OF CHRIST that hath subuerted the Temples Oracles Sacrifices and Seruices of the Deuill And maist not thou see herein what Man is and thou thy selfe maist bee if God leaue thee to thy selfe Read therefore with prayses vnto GOD the Father of thy light and prayers for these Heathens that GOD may bring them out of the snare of the Deuill that Christ may be his saluation to the ends of the World And let me also obtaine thy prayers in this my Pilgrimage to be therein directed to the glorie of GOD and good of my Countrie Euen so LORD IESVS THE CONTENTS OF THE SEVERALL CHAPTERS AND PARAGRAPHS IN THESE BOOKES ENSVING ASIA THE FIRST BOOKE Of the first beginnings of the World and Religion and of the Regions and Religions of Babylonia Assyria Syria Phoenicia and Palestina CHAP. I. OF GOD One in Nature Three in Persons the FATHER SONNE and HOLY GHOST pag. 1 CHAP. II. Of the Creation of the World pag. 5 CHAP. III. Of Man considered in his first state wherein he was created and of Paradise the place of his habitation pag. 13 CHAP. IIII. Of the word Religion and of the Religion of our first Parents before the fall pag. 17 CHAP. V. Of the fall of Man and of Originall sin p. 21 CHAP. VI. Of the reliques of the Diuine Image after the fall whereby naturally men addict themselues vnto some Religion and what was the Religion of the World before the floud pag. 25 CHAP. VII Of the cause and comming of the Floud p. 30 CHAP. VIII Of the repeopling of the World and of the diuision of Tongues and Nations pag. 34 CHAP. IX A Geographicall Narration of the whole Earth in generall and more particularly of Asia pag. 39 CHAP. X. Of Babylonia the originall of Idolatrie and the Chaldaeans Antiquities before the Floud as Berosus hath reported them p. 44 CHAP. XI Of the City and Country of Babylon their sumptuous Wals Temples and Images pag. 47 CHAP. XII Of the Priests Sacrifices religious rites and customes of the Babylonians pag. 51 CHAP. XIII The Chaldaean and Assyrian Chronicle or computation of Times with their manifold alterations of Religions and Gouernment in those parts vntill our time pag. 59 CHAP. XIIII Of Niniue and other neighbouring Nations pag. 65 CHAP. XV. Of Syria and the ancient Religions there of the Syrià n Goddesse and her Rites at Hierapolis of the Daphnaean and other Syrian Superstitions pag. 67 CHAP. XVI Of the Syrian Kings and alteration in Gouernment and Religion in those Countries pag. 73 CHAP. XVII Of Phoenicia and of the Theologie and Religion of the ancient Phoenicians of their Arts and Inuentions pag. 76 CHAP. XVIII Of Palaestina and the first Inhabitants thereof the Sodomites Idumaeans Moabites Ammonites and Canaanites with others pag. 83 THE SECOND BOOKE Of the Hebrew Nation and Religion from the beginning thereof to our times CHAP. I. THe Preface of this Booke and a Description of the Region of Palaestina since called Iudaea and now Terra Sancta pag. 89 CHAP. II. OF the Hebrew Patriarches and their Religion before the Law also of their Law and Politie pag. 95 § I. Of the Patriarchs and Religion before the Law ibid. § II. Of the Law of Moses the twelue Tribes and of Proselytes pag. 96 § III. Of the Hebrew Polity and ciuill Gouernment pag. 97 § IIII. Of the Iewish Excommunications pag. 100 CHAP. III. OF the Religious places among the Israelites their Tabernacle Temples Synagogues pag. 101 CHAP. IIII. OF the Iewish computation of Time and of their Festiuall dayes pag. 105 CHAP. V. OF the Festiuall dayes instituted by God in the Law pag. 108 CHAP. VI. OF the Feasts and Fasts which the Iewes instituted to themselues with a Kalender of their Feasts and Fasts through the yeere as they are now obserued pag. 113 CHAP. VII OF the ancient Oblations Gifts and Sacrifices of the Iewes of their Tithes and of their Priests and persons Ecclesiasticall and Religious pag. 115 § I. Of their Oblations Gifts and Sacrifices ibid. § II. Of Tithes and their manner of Tithing pag. 116 § III. Of their Personall Offerings and of their and our Ecclesiasticall Reuenues pag. 119 § IIII. Of their first-borne Priests Leuites and other Religious persons pag. 121 CHAP. VIII OF the diuers Sects Opinions and Alterations of Religion amongst the Hebrewes pag. 123 § I. Of their ancient Diuisions and Idolatries ibid. § II. Of the Karraim and Rabbinists and of Hasidaei pag. 125 § III. Of the Pharises pag. 126 § IIII. Of the Sadduces pag. 129 § V. Of the Hessees pag. 130 § VI. Of the Scribes pag. 132 § VII Of many other Iewish Sects and Heresies pag. 133 CHAP. IX OF the Samaritans pag. 136 CHAP. X. THe miserable destruction and dispersion of the Iewes from the time of the desolation of their Citie and Temple to this day p. 140 § I. Of the destruction of the Iewes vnder Titus ibid. § II. Of the destruction of the Iewes vnder Adrian pag. 141 § III. Of other their false Christs and seducing Prophets pag. 143 § IIII. Of the miserable dispersions of the Iewes pag. 144 § V. Of the estate of the Iewes and their dispersed habitations in the time of Ben. Tudelensis pag. 146 § VI. Of some Iewes lately found in China and of their late accidents in Germany pag. 150 § VII Of the Iewes sometimes liuing in England collected out of ancient Records by Master Iohn Selden of the Inner Temple pag. 151 CHAP. XI A Chronologie of the Iewish Historie from the beginning of the World briefly collected pag. 153 CHAP. XII OF the Iewish Talmud and the composition and estimation thereof also of the Iewish learned men their succession their Cabalists Masorites their Rabbines Vniuersities Students Rabbinicall Creations their Scriptures and the Translations of them pag. 155 § I. Of the Talmud ibid. § II. Of the ancient Iewish Authors and their Cabalists pag. 161 § III. Of the Rabbines the Rites of their Creation the Iewish Vniuersities and Students pag. 164 § IIII. Of the Scriptures and their Interpretations pag. 168 CHAP. XIII OF the Moderne Iewes Creed or the Articles of their Faith with their interpretation of the same and their Affirmatiue and Negatiue Precepts pag. 170 § I. Of their Creed ibid. § II. Of the Negatiue Precepts expounded by the Rabbines pag. 174 § III. Of their Affirmatiue Precepts pag.
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
the Feast in hope of like destruction to the Christians as befell Iericho and then renew the shaking of their boughes The seuenth day is most solemne called by them Hoschana rabba the great Hosanna as if one should say the great feast of saluation or helpe because then they pray for the saluation of all the people and for a prosperous new-yeere and all the prayers of this Feast haue in them the words of sauing as O God saue vs and O God of our saluation and as thou hast saued the Israelites and such like the prayers are therefore called Hosannoth Then they produce seuen bookes and in euery of their seuen compassings lay vp one againe This night they know their fortunes by the Moone for stretching out their armes if they see not the shadow of their head by Moone-light they must dye that yeere if a finger wanteth hee loseth a friend if the shadow yeeld him not a hand hee loseth a sonne the want of the left hand portendeth losse of a daughter if no shadow no life shall abide with him for it is written Their shadow is departed from them Some Iewes goe yeerely into Spaine to prouide Pome-citrons and other necessaries for the furnishing this feast which they sell in Germany other places to the Iewes at excessiue prices They keepe their Tabernacles in all weathers except a very vehement storme driue them with a heauie countenance into their houses Their wiues and seruants are not so strictly tyed hereto §. IIII. Of their New Moones and New-yeeres day THe New-Moones are at this day but halfe festiuall to the Iewes accounting themselues free to worke or not in them but the women keepe it intirely festiuall because they denyed their Eare-rings to the molten Calfe which after they bestowed willingly on their Tabernacle The deuouter Iewes fast the day before Their Mattins is with more prayers their dinner with more cheere then on other dayes and a great part of the day after they sit at Cardes or telling of Tales That day when the Moone is eclipsed they fast When they may first see the New-Moone they assemble and the chiefe Rabbi pronounceth a long Prayer the rest saying after him The Iewes beleeuing that GOD created the world in September or Tisri conceit also that at the reuolution of the same time yeerely hee sitteth in iugdement and out of the bookes taketh reckoning of euery mans life and pronounceth sentence accordingly That day which their great Sanhedrin ordayned the New-yeeres festiuall God receiuing thereof intelligence by his Angels sent thither to know the same causeth the same day a Senate of Angels to bee assembled as it is written Daniel 12. All things prouided in the solemnest manner the three bookes are opened one of the most Wicked who are presently registred into the Booke of Death the second of the Iust who are inrolled into the Booke of Life and the third of the meane sort whose Iudgement is demurred vntill the day of Reconciliation the tenth of Tisri that if in the meane time they seriously repent them so that their good may exceed their euill then are they entred into the Booke of Life if otherwise they are recorded into the Blacke Bill of Death Their Scripture is produced by R. Aben Let them bee blotted out of the Booke of the liuing and not bee written with the Iust Blotting points you to the Booke of Death Liuing that of Life and not writing with the Iust is the third Booke of Indifferents All the workes which a man hath done through the yeere are this day examined The good workes are put in one ballance the bad in the other what helpe a siluer Chalice or such heauie metall could affoord in this case you may finde by experience in Saint Francis Legend who when the bad deeds of a great man lately dead out-weighed the good at a dead lift cast in a siluer Chalice which the dead partie had sometime bestowed on Franciscan deuotion and weighed vp the other side and so the Diuels lost their prey GOD say they pronounceth sentence of punishment or reward sometime in this life to bee executed sometime in the other In respect hereof their Rabbines ordaine the moneth before to be spent in penance and morning and Eeuening to sound a Trumpet of a Rams-horne as Aue Marie Bell to warne them of this Iudgement that they may thinke of their sinnes and besides to befoole the Diuell that with this often sounding being perplexed hee may not know when this New-yeeres day shall bee to come into the Court to giue euidence against them The day before they rise sooner in the morning to mutter ouer their prayers for remission and when they haue done in the Synagogue they goe to the graues in the Church-yard testifying that if GOD doe not pardon them they are like to the dead and praying that for the good workes of the Saints the iust Iewes there buried hee will pitty them and there they giue large almes After noone they shaue adorne and bathe themselues that they may be pure the next day for some Angels soyled with impuritie heere below are faine to purge themselues in the fierie brooke Dinor before they can prayse GOD how much more they and in the water they make confession of their sins the confession containeth two and twentie words the number of their Alphabet and at the pronouncing of euery word giue a knocke on their brest and then diue wholly vnder water The Feast it selfe they begin with a cup of Wine and New-yeere Salutations and on their Table haue a Rammes head in remembrance of That Ramme which was offered in Isaacks stead and for this cause are their Trumpets of Rams-horne Fish they eate to signifie the multiplication of their good workes they eate sweet fruits of all sorts and make themselues merry as assured of forgiuenesse of their sinnes and after meat all of all sorts resort to some bridge to hurle their sinnes into the water as it is written Hee shall cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the Sea And if they there espie any fish they leape for ioy these seruing to them as the scape-goate to carrie away their sinnes At night they renew their cheere and end this feast §. V. Of their Lent Penance and Reconciliation Fast. FRom this day to the tenth day is a time of Penance or Lent wherein they fast and pray for the cause aforesaid and that if they haue beene written in the Booke of Death yet God seeing their good works may repent and write them in the life-Life-Booke Thrice a day very earely they confesse three houres before day and surcease suits at Law c. And on the ninth day very earely they resort to the Synagogue and at their returne euery male taketh a Cocke and euery female a Henne if she be with childe both and the housholder saying out of the hundred and fift Psalme verses 17 18 19
20 21 22. and out of Iob chapter 23. verse 23 24. 25. swingeth the Cocke three times about his head euery time saying This Cocke shall make an exchange for me he shall dye for mee and I shall goe into life with all the people of Israel Amen He doth it three times for himselfe for his children for the strangers that are with him Then hee killeth him and cutteth his throat and hurleth him with all his force to the ground and roasteth him signifying that he himselfe deserueth death the sword stoning and fire the inwards they hurle on the top of the house that the Crowes may with it carrie away their sinnes A white Cocke for this purpose is principall a red Cocke they vse not for they are full of sinne themselues by Esaias authoritie If your sinnes were red as scarlet c. Antonius Margarita saith That this propitiatory creature should bee an Ape as most like to man but they vse a Cocke for the names sake a man in Hebrew is Gebher which is the Talmudicall or Babylonish name of a Cocke Thus those that with a Rams horne beguile the Deuill and with a Cocke beguile GOD iustly beguile themselues who refuse that sacrifice of Christ in whose stripes they might be healed They haue another fable of a Cocke mentioned by Victor Carbensis thinking that as often as a Cocke stands on one leg and his combe lookes pale that GOD is angry which hapneth they say euery day and onely in the day time and that but the twinckling of an eye And therefore they praise GOD which hath giuen such vnderstanding to a Cocke After the performance of this Cocke-sacrifice they goe to the buriall place vsing like Ceremonies there as on New-yeers eeuen and after noone bathe them likewise After Eeuensong he which hath offended others askes them forgiuenesse which if he obtaine not at first then the offender taketh with him three other and asketh the second and third time if all this bee in vaine he taketh ten others and renueth his suite if he obtaine it is well if not GOD will hold him excused and the other partie shall be guiltie If the partie offended be dead the offender with ten other goeth to the graue there confesseth his faults They confesse one to another also and that in a secret place of their Synagogue where each receiueth mutually at his fellowes hand with a leather belt nine and thirty blowes at each blow the partie beaten beateth himselfe on the brest and saith one word of his Confession taken out of the seuentie and eight Psalme and eight and thirtieth Verse being in the Hebrew thirteene words which he thrice repeateth then the striker lyeth downe and receiueth like penance at the hands of the former you may iudge with what rigour This done they runne home and make merry with the Cockes and Hens before mentioned supping largely because of the next dayes fast Their Supper must be ended before Sunne-set for then begineth their fast They put on their cleanest rayment and ouer the same a great and large shirt downe to the shooes to testifie their puritie They resort to their Synagogues with waxe candles in Germanie they haue for euery man one and then light them The women also light Candles at home as on the Sabbath It is ominous if the Candles burne not cleerely They spread the floore with Carpets for soyling their purest cloathes Their humiliations at this feast are fiue first foure and twentie or seuen and twentie houres fast whereunto children are subiect the Males after twelue yeeres the Females after eleuen Secondly they weare no shooes Thirdly they must not annoint them Fourthly nor bathe them no not put a finger into the water Fiftly nor companie with no not touch their wiues Before they begin prayers thirteene of the principall Rabbies walking in the Temple giue licence to all both good and bad to pray And the Praecentor or Reader fetcheth the booke out of the Arke and openeth it singing a long Prayer beginning all compacts vowes and oathes c. insinuating that all the vowes promises oathes and couenants which euerie Iew had that yeere broken bee disanulled and pardoned and that because now all haue power to pray and prayse GOD. They continue singing till late in the night Some remaine all night in the Synagogue yea the deuouter some stand vpright singing and praying without intermission all that feast the space of seuen and twentie houres in the same place Those that departed the Synagogue returne in the morning before day and there stay all that day Often they prostrate themselues with their face couered at euery word of their Confessions knocking their brest When it beginneth to bee night the Priest draweth his Tallies a large cloath made of haires before his eyes and pronounceth the blessing Numb 6. holding his hand towards the people who meane-while couer their faces with their hands for they may not looke on the Priests hand because the spirit of GOD resteth thereon Then hee singeth a Prayer seuen times together sometimes higher sometimes lower with his voyce because that GOD now ascendeth from them into the seuenth Heauen and they with their sweet melodie bring him on the way Then they make a long and shrill sound with their Rams-horne-trumpet and there followeth presently a voyce from Heauen Goe eate thy bread with ioy and gladnesse c. After this they returne home some carrying home their lights to distinguish the holy Times as you haue heard from the prophane some leaue them in the Synagogue all the yeere at certaine times lighting them Some Saint-Iewes prouide to haue a waxe-light continually burning all the yeere long in the Synagogue In their returne they wish to each other a good yeere For the bookes before mentioned are now closed nor may they expect any alteration They sup largely and betimes the next morning returne to the Synagogue lest Sathan should complaine at so soone a cooling of their zeale But the Deuill may bee quiet for when the Law was giuen Samael the euill spirit complained that hee had power ouer all people but the Israelites GOD answered That he should haue power ouer them if on the Reconciliation-day hee found any sinne in them But he finding them pure sayd That this his people were like the Angels liuing in vnitie without eating or drinking The Iewes haue a ceremonie to giue the Deuill gifts on this day either not to hinder them or else because Gifts blinde the wise §. VI. Of their other Feasts THe Iewes diuide the Law into two and fiftie parts and reading euery Sabbath one the last falleth on the next day after the Feast of Tabernacles about the three and twentieth day of September In this day they leape dance and make much ioy They assemble in their Synagogue and take all the bookes of the Law out of the Arke leauing in it meane-while that it bee not left emptie a burning light
insert out of this Iew because I know none other Author that can acquaint vs with the State of Bagded in the time of her chiefe flourishing before it was destroyed by the Tartars Thus haue wee giuen you a Chronographicall view of the ancient Chaliphaes with their first and greatest Conquests omitting the lesser and later as in the yeere 807. in Sardinia and Corsica in 826. in Creete 843. in Sicil and presently after in Italy ouer-running Tuscan and burning the Suburbes of Rome it selfe with the Churches of Peter and Paul 845. the next yeere in Illyria Dalmatia besides the taking of Ancona in 847. chased by Pope Leo from Ostia These with other their affaires of warre in Lucania Calabria Apulia at Beneuentum Genua Capua which Cities they tooke I passe ouer After this great bodie grew lubberly and vnweldie it fell vnder the weight of it selfe none so much as the Saracens ouerthrowing the Saracens as their Sects and Diuisions make plaine Neuerthelesse this dis-ioyning and disioynting notwithstanding their Religion euen still couereth a great part of the world For besides the triumphing sword of the Turke Persian Mogore Barbarian and other Mahumetan Princes such is the zeale of the superstitious Mahumetan that in places furthest distant this their Religion hath beene preached which they trade together with their Marchandize euen from the Atlantike Ocean vnto the Philippinaes It hath sounded in China it hath pierced Tartaria and although the name of Christian extendeth it selfe into so many Sects and Professions in the Countries of Asia Afrike and America besides Europe almost wholly Christians yet it is hard to say whether there bee not as many Disciples and Professors of this ridiculous and impious deuotion as of all those which giue their names to Christ in whatsoeuer Truth or Heresie Master Brerewood accounteth the Mahumetans more then the Christians in proportion of sixe to fiue Thus hath the Field and the Church stooped to Mahomet wee may adde more Saul among the Prophets learning hath flourished among the Mahumetans at first vnlearned and rude but enemies to learning in others Yea they sought to propagate their impious Mahometrie and extirpate the Christian truth by that pollicie of Iulian prohibiting all learning to their Christian subiects Such a decree of Abdalla A. 766. is recited by Theophanes When the Kings of Africa possessed Spaine they founded Vniuersities both at Marocco it is Scaligers report and in Spaine allowing yeerely stipends to the Professors And in those times was great ignorance of good learning in the Latine Church when good Disciplines flourished exceedingly amongst the Muhammedans Yea whatsoeuer the Latines writ after the industrie of the Arabians had acquainted them with their ignorance is wholly to be ascribed to the Arabians both their Philosophie Physicke and Mathematikes For they had no Greeke Author which was not first translated into Arabike and thence into Latine as Ptolomey Euclide and the rest till Constantinople being taken by the Turkes the Greeke Exiles brought vs backe to the Fountaines Iohn Leo testifies that many ancient Authors and great volumes are amongst them translated out of the Latine which the Latines themselues haue lost But now the Muhammedans are growne artlesse in Africa only in Constantinople may good Arabike Persian works be gotten by the helpe of the Iewes Lud. Viues saith That they translated Arabike out of the Latine but he was not so well able to iudge therof although he rightly ascribeth the corrupting of Arts to vnskilful translations and sheweth the difference of Abenrois or Auerrois his Aristotle as the Latins haue him from the Greeke But his inuectiue is too bitter in condemning all the Arabians as vnlearned doting and sauouring more of the Alcoran then of Art and the Spaniard might beare some grudge to that Nation which so many hundred yeeres had spoyled Spaine still leauing the fourth part of the Spanish Language as Scaliger testifieth thereof Arabike in monument of their Conquest Of their learned men were Auicen Auerrois Auempace Algazel c. Philosophers Mesue Rasis and many other Physicians and Astrologers mentioned in the Chronicles of Zacuthi Leo and Abilfada Ismael Geographers Cairaon Bagded Fez Marocco Corduba c. were Vniuersities of Saracen students But now Learning and Schooles are decayed and ruined euen as at first also it was amongst some of them little countenanced as appeareth by that Hagag in the 96. yeere of the Hegira who being Gouernor or King of Irak in his sicknesse consulted with an Astrologer Whether the Stars had told him of any Kings death that yeere he answered That a King should die but his name was Cani Whereupon Hagag remembring that at his birth his mother had imposed that name on him I shall die saith he but thou shalt go one houre before and presently caused his head to be smitten off An vnhappie Harbengership in regard of his Art an vnhappie Art which can better tell others Destinies then their owne But no maruell in Hagag who was fleshed in bloud that his Herodian Testament should bee thus bloudie who in his life had in that Median Prouince slaine an hundred and twentie thousand men besides fiftie thousand men and fourescore thousand women which perished in his imprisonments Baghdad which is also called Dar-assalam that is The Citie of Peace receiued that name of a Monke called Bachdad who as Ben-Casen writeth serued a Church builded in that Medow But Abu-Giapar Almansur the second Abassaean Chalipha who wanne it A. Heg. 150. named it Dar-assalam It is the Citie Royall of Mesopotamia now called Diarbecr which the said Almansur placed in a large Plaine vpon Tigris and diuided by the Riuer into two Cities ioyned by a Bridge of Boats This Citie built in this place Almansur ruled many yeeres and after him other Chaliphaes till the 339. yeere of the Hegira in which King Aadhd-eddaule and Saif-eddaule tooke it who with their Successours enioyed it till Solymus the Ottoman Emperour subdued and is now ruled by a Bascia with many Ianizaries But hereof Ahmad Abi Bacr of Bachdad in his Annals will shew you more This Citie is famous for Schooles of all Sciences both in former and the present time Here Ahmad Assalami a famous Poet wrote his Verses Here Alpharabius the renowned Philosopher and Physician borne at Farab in Turcomannia professed these studies publikely with great applause and leauing many of his Schollers in this Cities went to Harran of Mesopotamia where finding Aristotles Booke De Auditu hee read it fortie times and wrote vpon the Booke that he was willing againe to reade it Hence hee went to Damascus and there dyed A. H. 339. Thus Ben-Casem in his Booke De viridario Electorum Bochara is an ancient Citie vpon Euphrates in a Village belonging whereto Honain Ali Bensina whom the Latines call Auicenna was borne A. H. 370. Hee gaue himselfe to Physicke very young and was the first which became Physician to
the Aethiopian and Calliata Ellecedi which vpon emulation composed also euery one an Alcoran glory of those their Workes containing more honestie and truth Neither hath it pleased any noble or wise man but the rude vulgar of which sore the wearie Labourers gladly gaue eare to his promise of Paradise the poore delighted to heare of Gardens in Persia and Bankrupts and Felons easily listened to securitie and libertie The language is vulgar Postellus also testifieth and without all Art of Grammar such as is obserued of their learned Writers without all bounds of reason or eloquence The Method is so confused that our Arabian Author who liued before it was so generally embraced and in freer times saith That hee had heard euen good Saracens affirme with griefe that it was so mixed and heaped together that they could finde no Reason in it Bad Rime as you haue heard and worse Reason Hierome Sauanorola hath the like saying That no man can finde herein any order Nor could so confused and foolish a Worke proceed from any naturall or supernaturall light It is yet craftily contriued when hee hath set downe some wicked doctrine presently to lace and fringe it with precepts of Fasting Prayer or good manners alwayes taking away things hard to bee beleeued or practised and where it deliuereth any truth it is maymed with defect eclipsed with obscuritie and serueth for a stale to falshood Erpenius hath translated the Chapiter of Ioseph containing a hundred and eleuen Verses the second of which calls it Coran and the next Alcoran the Article added His Annotation is Per verbum Dei intelligunt legem suam qua Coranus ipsis dicitur quam Muhamed ijs persuasit coelitus ad se demissam And although the matter bee absurd and impious yet he saith others perhaps haue of zeale said otherwise that this Coran is composed with such puritie of speech accurate analogie and expressed with perfection of writing that deseruedly it is to them the matter and rule of Grammar They call it Koran of a word which signifies to read as a reading Lecture or collection of Chapiters as the learnedst Arabs will haue it It is not much lesse then the New Testament in words The Arabs extoll it aboue all creatures and ranke it next to God and thinke him vnworthy to liue which toucheth it vnreuerent as a contemner of God They vse it therefore with all reuerence nor will permit a Christian or a Iew to touch it to sit on it is a grieuous crime capitall to Iewes or Christians Nor may they themselues touch it vnwashed and therefore write on the couer thereof Let no man touch it but he which is cleane In it are one hundred and fourteen Chapiters of vnequall quantitie that of Ioseph the twelfth the second as large as the last fortie The first is but of six Verses and therefore not reckoned a Chapiter by our Country-man Robert of Reading who also diuides the fiue following into more by tenne that the seuenth is his seuenteenth Euery Chapiter hath the name of the first word or of the subiect as this is called Ioseph the first opening because it presents it selfe at the opening of the booke It was composed out of diuers papers of Muhamed found at his house which hee professed to receiue from Gabriel at diuers times by Abubecr his father in law the Numa of that Saracen Empire Each Chapiter is called Souraton and with the Article Assurato whence the Latine call it Azoara z. for ss and o. a for o. u as in the word Alcoran it is not to be construed vultus but gradus a degree or step for these steps the whole is passed and each of these was a lesson also to be conned of children and of his disciples After these fancies had caused him to bee expelled Mecca he fled ten dayes off to Iatfrib and there diuulged the rest This is called Medina and Medinatalnabi the Citie of the Prophet and hence some Chapiters haue title of Mecca some of Medina This flight was the fifteenth of Iuly at night A. 622. which is their Aera or computation of their yeeres reckoned by the Moone so that their 1026. began the twentie ninth of December A. D. 1616. Euery Chapiter consists of Verses very vnequall and lame affected rithmes Yea sometimes a sentence is patched in to make vp a rithme Before euery Chapiter is prefixed Bismillahirrahmanirrahimi for so they read it coined together with Articles as if it were all one word the signification is In nomine Dei miseratoris misericordis that is In the name of God shewing mercie mercifull which is as much as summè misericordis exceedingly mercifull or mercifull in Act and Nature To these words they ascribe innumerable mysteries and vertues so that they thinke that almost no worke can haue good successe vnlesse they preface it with this sentence Therefore in the beginning of their bookes they vse it and whatsoeuer businesse they goe about if it be to mount their horse or set forth to rowe a boat c. as I haue beene told Also there are in the beginning of Chapiters fourteene mysticall words of the signification whereof the Arabs professe their vncertaintie and Abubecr was wont to say That in euery booke God kept somewhat secret to himselfe which in the Alcoran were those mysticall beginnings of Chapiters Diuers haue diuersly deuised to hunt out Cabalisticall senses and state-periods with other vanities from them They hold that all the Alcoran was sent in one night which they call therefore nox demissionis nox potentiae and lest it might breed a contradiction that some parts were deliuered at Mecca for so it must be written not Mecha they say that Muhamed receiued them by pieces of the Angell as occasions required but hee from God all in one night and so they will haue the name signifie also a booke sent from heauen Thus much Erpenius in his Annotations on that Chapiter wherein also he blameth the old translation of Robert Reading as in other things so in that that when his mistresse brought Ioseph before other women they were all saith the translation menstruous and cut their hands saying hee was rather an Angel then a man He translates for menstruate sunt magnificarunt eum they magnified him adding concerning that cutting off the hand that it is still an vse of the Arabs Persians and people of the East to expresse loue My friend Mr. Bedwel fortie yeeres studious of Arabike hath told mee that that translation of Reading is generally reasonable well done nor is so faultie as some will haue it or much reading supply that way As for other supply it needs a sword like that Gordian knot rather then a penne that as by the sword it hath beene obtruded on the world as a iust punishment of ingratitude to the Sonne of God the eternall Truth and not by reasons or Scriptures which it corrupts mingles mangles maimes as the Impostors obliuion sometimes sometimes
obtaine Diuine fauour Az. 2. The Creator said I am the onely Creator alwayes the same pittifull mercifull besides whom there is none other whose miracles and great workes are vnto the wise the frame of Heauen and Earth the intercourse of night and day the ships in the Sea fit for the vse of men raine for the refreshing of the earth the composition of all creatures the windes the cloudes c. 15. Inuoke and worship one GOD alone 43. All the miracles of GOD cannot bee written if all the Trees in the world were pennes and the Sea seuen times greater and were inke with whom it is a small thing to raise the dead OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST hee writeth thus Azo 29. Wee sent our Spirit to Marie the best of all women and the wombe vntouched Azoar 31. in likenesse of a man professing himselfe a Diuine Messenger concerning a Sonne c. And when shee in trauell plained Christ came from vnder her and said Feare not and when some chid with her about the childe the childe it selfe made answere I am the Seruant and Prophet of God Hee saith the Iewes did not slay Christ but one like him Azo 11. and vpbraideth them for not receiuing him Azo 2. and chap. 4. To Christ the Sonne of Marie properly communicating our owne soule wee haue giuen him strength and power more then other Prophets yet chap. 13. he disclaimeth that worship which is done him and his mother Az. 4. Wee giuing our soule to Christ the Sonne of Marie preferred him before all others that had beene exalted by me to speake with GOD to power and vertue He inserteth the Prayer of the Virgins Mother when shee felt her selfe with childe by Ioachim and maketh Zacharie to bee the Virgins Tutor 5. Who hee saith for his vnbeliefe was dumbe three dayes The Angell saluted Marie saying O thou the purest of all women and men deuoted to GOD. Ioy vnto thee of that great Messenger with the Word of GOD whose name is IESVS CHRIST an excellent man at the command of the Creator he shal come with Diuine power with knowledge of all learning with the Booke of the Law and Gospell shall giue Commandements to the Israelites shall giue life cure diseases shew what is to be eaten and to be done shall confirme the Old Testament shall make some things lawfull which before were vnlawfull c. Hee acknowledgeth that his Mother knew not man 11. They say the Iewes that they killed Christ the Sonne of Marie the Messenger of GOD but it was not true but they crucified in his stead another like him for the incomprehensible GOD caused him to goe vnto Him IESVS is the Spirit and Word and Messenger of GOD sent from heauen 11. And GOD spake to him Az. 13. and gaue him a cleane and blessed soule whereby he made yellow formes of birds and breathing on them made them flie Hee cured one borne blinde and the leprous and raised the dead GOD taught him the Booke and Wisdome and the Gospell and Testament Concerning his LAVV and ALCORAN he handleth it in the second Chapter of Azoara which beginneth thus In the name of the mercifull and pittifull God This booke without any falshood or errour shewing the Truth to them which loue feare and worship GOD and are studious of prayers and almes and the obseruation of the lawes giuen of GOD from heauen to thee and other thy Predecessors and the hope of the world to come hath manifested the true Sect For this bringeth the followers thereof to the highest inricheth them with the highest good as to the vnbeleeuers and erroneous it menaceth truely the greatest euill to come This hee after applieth to Paradise and Hell which is due to the Enemies of Gabriel which intimateth this Booke to his heart by the Creator and to all the Enemies of GOD and Michael and the Archangels This his Alcoran hee calleth the establishing of the Law of the Israelites and Azo 21. hee arrogateth to his Booke wisdome and eloquence and 47. hee saith it was composed of the incomprehensible and wise GOD euery where agreeing with it selfe and calleth it 63. the Booke of Abraham and 69. if it should be placed on a Mountaine that Mountaine for Diuine feare would be dissolued Those which will not be conuerted take and slay by all meanes intrapping them and fight against them till they be your Tributaries and Subiects And 18. the fifth part of all the prey is due vnto GOD and his Prophet and to your Kindred and Orphans and the poore Those that are taken in Warre kill or make slaues but pardon them if they will turne to your Law and GOD also will pardon them Such good Warriours shall haue full pardon The Iewes and Christians contrarie to that he had said before let GOD confound He hath sent his Messenger with the right way and good law that he may manifest and extoll it aboue all lawes Of the twelue moneths foure are to be consecrated to fight against the enemies Those that refuse this war-fare lose their soules and they which flie in the day of battell Az. 6. doe it by the Deuils instigation thus punishing them for their former sinnes Yea the Deuils themselues Az. 56. being conuerted thereby say to their Diobolicall Nation We haue heard a Booke sent after Moses which approoueth all his sayings and teacheth the true and right way And Az. 12. he calls the Alcoran a Booke of truth sent from aboue a Confirmer of Christs Precepts Hee saith Az. 15. That Moses deliuered some things in writing more vnwritten He makes his Booke to bee the same which GOD had taught Abraham Ismael Isaac Iacob Moses and CHRIST Az. 5. he saith his booke containes some things firme and without exception some things contrarie which froward men peruert to controuersies but the exposition thereof belongs to GOD onely and to the wisest which beleeue that all of it came from God Az. 6. he excites them to defend it when hee shall be dead or slaine and God will reward them Neither can any die but by the will of God to wit in the time appointed They which in the expedition shall haue pardon which is better then all possessions and an easie iudgement And they which die in the wayes of God are not to bee esteemed dead for they liue with GOD. That life is firme this and all worldly things mutable 7. If the Alcoran Az. 9. were not of God it would haue many contrarieties in it which himselfe yet Az. 5. confesseth They which are well Az. 10. and remaine at home are not of like merit as they which goe to warre The fire of hell is hotter then the danger of warre And although thou Prophet shouldest pardon the resisters of God and his Messenger seuentie times yet God will neuer pardon them The sicke and weake and such as haue not necessaries are excused from this necessitie of warre but to the good Warriours God giueth Paradise in reward of
their soules and goods whether they kill or be killed Azo 18. 19. And in 57. Kill the vnbeleeuers whom you conquer till you haue made great slaughter God could take vengeance on them but hee chuseth rather to doe it by you he shall lay deafenesse and blindnesse on the faint-hearted Yet in 52. and 98. as contrary to himselfe hee affirmeth that hee is sent onely to teach not to compell and force men to beleeue and Az. 4. Offer no man violence for the law then the right way and the euill are opened except wee expound it rather that Iewes Christians and all vnbeleeuers are compelled to bee tributaries and their slaues not forced to their Religion but instructed onely which agreeth with their practise From this Doctrine and that of Destinie in the 50. Az. hath risen their forwardnesse to the warre and the greatnesse of their Conquests Agreeable to this doctrine is their manner of teaching it the Reader or Preacher as saith Frier Richard Student amongst them in the Vniuersitie of Baldach holdeth a bare sword in his hand or setteth it vp in an eminent place to the terrour of the gaine-sayers But Disputation and reasoning about his Law hee vtterly disliketh Az. 32. To such as will dispute with thee answer that God knoweth all thy doings which in the last day shall determine all controuersies And 50. Nothing but euill cleaueth to the heart of such as vnwisely dispute of diuine Precepts but commend thou thy selfe vnto God that knoweth all things And Chap. 4. 15. Hee is commanded to goe away from such This Booke is giuen to take way discord from men miracles he disclaimeth as insufficient proofe for though it should make plaine the mountaines and make the dead to speake yet they would be incredulous But it is thy dutie onely to shew them my Precepts Azo 23. And Az. 10. Yee which are good beleeue in GOD in his Messenger and in the Booke sent from Heauen They which first beleeue and after deny and become incredulous shall haue no pardon nor mercy of GOD but shall goe into the fire And 11. We will bring infinite euill vpon him that will not obey GOD and his Messenger and will be Disputing To them which demand that the Booke may raine vpon them from Heauen thou shalt say That some asked a greater thing of Moses that he would shew GOD vnto their eyes and were therefore smitten with lightning from Heauen 12. To Iewes and Christians GOD hath giuen disagreements till GOD shall determine the same at the day of Iudgement Make not your selues Companions of them which deride our Law No man receiueth the perfection of the Law but he which beleeueth the Testament the Gospell and this Booke sent of GOD. 14. They which erre will say Let GOD shew vs miracles These hurt none but their owne soules for if they should see all miracles done they would dispute with thee saying That they could not be done but by inchantments Thou shalt not come to them with manifest miracles for they would refuse them as odious things 15. Dispute not with them which will not heare and if they demand miracles say GOD only doth them I know not the secrets of GOD and follow nothing but that which GOD and the Angell hath commanded and if Angels should speake to such they would not beleeue 16. GOD himselfe and his blessed Spirit haue compounded this most true Booke 26. 44. They which say his Law is new or fained go to the Deuil 47. He induceth some gaine-sayers saying We will not leaue worshipping our Images for this Iester and Rimer Yet is he alone come with the truth confirming all the other Messengers 55. He saith I GOD writ this Booke with my owne hand 56. The vnbeleeuers say I am a Magician and haue fained it but then I pray GOD I may haue no part in him when he shall be our Iudge Say not there are three GODS but one GOD alone without a Sonne to him all things are subiect Christ cannot deny but that he is subiect to GOD as well as the Angels 12. We sent Christ to whom we gaue the Gospell which is the light and confirmation of the Testament and the right way to him which feareth GOD The complement of the Iewish law Therefore let euery seruant of the Gospel follow his precepts otherwise he shall be a bad man No religion or law attaines to perfection but such as obey the precepts of the Testament and the Gospel and this Booke the Alcoran sent from GOD. To beleeuing Iewes and Christians he promiseth pardon but Az. 13. preferres the Christians to the Iewes All that say that Christ is GOD are vnbeleeuers and lyers Christ himselfe hauing said Yee children of Israel beleeue in your GOD and my Lord of whom he which will be partaker shall be cast into the fire eternall Christ is but the Messenger of GOD before whom were many Messengers and his Mother was true and they did eat Good people exalt not your selues in your Law further then the truth 3. The soule of Christ was cleane and blessed he cured the leprous raised the dead taught wisedome the Testament and the Gospell The vnbeleeuing Israelites beleeued that he was a Magician And 34. We haue giuen a good place and abounding with water to the Sonne of Marie and to her for hauing done such miracles in the world Of the Creation he affirmeth Az. 2. that when GOD had made the world he disposed the seuen Heauens he told the Angels he would make one like vnto himselfe in the earth they answer We in all things are subiect to your Maiestie and giue praise vnto you but he will be wicked and a shedder of blood Then GOD testifying that he knew a thing not knowne to the Angels taught Adam the names of things by himselfe not knowne to the Angels and therefore commanded the Angels to doe reuerence before Adam which wicked Belzebub refused they obeyed And Az. 25. We made man of clay and I breathed into him a portion of mine owne soule after that I had created the Deuill of pestiferous fire and because Belzebub refused to humble himselfe to this man made of blacke mire he was damned and when he desired respite till the resurrection it was denied and therefore he said he would teach all euill things that they shall not giue thee thankes c. Of the Angels he affirmeth 45. that some of them haue two wings some three some foure and 52. the Heauen would fall vpon men were it not for the Angels that call vpon GOD. OF PARADISE he dreameth in this sort Az. 5. and 65. He which feareth GOD shall receiue the two Paradises full of all good pleasant with streaming fountaines There they shall possesse rings of Gold Chaines Iewels clothed with Cloth of Gold their beds shall be of Gold and this for euer There they shall lie on silken and purple Carpets and shall be accompanied with many Maidens
but those on the left hand in their left hands shall receiue the scroll or sentence of their condemnation And 79. In the last Iudgement the earth shall be ouerthrowne the heauen shall be powred forth 8. Angels shall beare vp the Throne of God And 80. The heauens shall vanish as smoke and the earth shall bee plucked as wooll And 111. There shall be set vp the ballance of Iudgement they to whom shall befall a light weight shall liue but they which haue a heauie weight shall be cast into fire The booke of bad Workes shall bee kept in the bottome of the earth the booke of good Workes in a high place In diuers places of the Alcoran the better to colour his filthinesse hee hath dispersed good SENTENCES like Roses scattered on a dung-hil and flowers in a puddle concerning Almes Prayer Tithing Iustice c. Others he hath of another sort establishing his owne Tyrannie and Religion Az. 26. Swines-flesh Bloud that which dieth alone and that which hath the necke cut off not in Gods Name is vnlawfull Be chaste euery where but with your owne wiues or such as are subiect to you and doe serue you Euery Adulterer shall haue an hundred stripes in the presence of many He which accuseth a woman of Adulterie not prouing it by foure witnesses shall haue eightie The iealous husband accusing his wife must sweare foure times that hee chargeth her truely and a fifth time curse himselfe if it bee otherwise The woman must doe the like to cleere her selfe 43. After a woman be diuorced from one any other may marrie her 19. Trust not a sonne or a brother except hee be of your owne Law 72. On Friday when they are called to prayer they must lay all businesse apart when prayers be ended they may returne to their commodities Redeeme captiues and thy sinnes by good workes About Circumcision I finde no iniunction in the Alcoran In the 3. 8 and 9. Az. Hee permitteth all licenciousnesse with all women which they haue of their owne but prescribeth washings after Venery and after naturall easements Loue not your enemies the women of another faith proue first and if they fauour the vnbeleeuers diuorce them 52. The women must couer their faces 43. Wilfull murther is prohibited Az. 10. But casuall killing is to be satisfied with redemption of some good man and the kindred recompenced except they forgiue it THE going on PILGRIMAGE and the perpetuall abode at the Temple of Haran that is vnlawfull because nothing but there holies are there lawfull we repute of equall merit They which loue it not or doe it iniurie shall sustaine grieuous euils Abraham founded this Temple Az. 6. and blessed it and cleansed it for them which abode there and for the Pilgrims Hee preached one GOD without partaker and the pilgrimage to this Temple that on the dayes appointed they might in naming GOD sacrifice beasts wherewith to feast themselues and the poore and might fulfill their vowes and goe in Procession round about the old Temple a worke which GOD will greatly reward Az. 32. and 19. In the times of fasting and pilgrimage hunting by land is vnlawfull except that so gotten bee bestowed on the poore at Mecca taking fish by Sea as they goe or returne is lawfull Az. 13. The vnbeleeuers are not worthy to visit the Temple Haran And these good Pilgrims are not equall to the good warriours 38. He entred into the Temple Haran with his head shauen Az. 2. We enioyne vnto you as to your Predecessors FASTING in the time thereto appointed and in a certaine number of dayes that is in the moneth Romadan in which this Booke which discerneth betweene good and euill was sent you from heauen Euery one must obserue it but the sicke and traueller and let them doe the same in the remainder of the time The rich vse to satisfie their fasting with almes let them doe both the one and the other He permitteth you the vse of your wiues in the night because it is hard and impossible to abstaine But let none vse their company in the Temples Fast all the day and when night is come eate and drinke as much as you please till the morning By the Moone is knowne the time of Pilgrimages and of Fastings whereby is knowne that you loue and feare GOD. Spend your money in the loue of GOD in Pilgrimage not despairing Hee that is impotent and that is not accompanied with his wife in the Pilgrimage must fast three dayes in the voyage and seuen after his returne To the sick fasting with almes is sufficient They which purpose this Pilgrimage let them not giue their mindes to any euill Let them not be ashamed to aske necessaries 2. Hold it for iust and good to enter the house at the doore not at the side or back-side thereof 35. Salute those which yee meete when ye enter into the house Ridiculous is the confirmation of this holy Law by such variety of OATHES as I am almost afraide to mention in regard of our Gull-gallants of these times who would sometimes bee at a set in their braue and brauing phrases if they should not haue variety of Oathes and curses to daube vp with such interiections all imperfections of speech and make smoother way for their current of their gallantrie But yet euen for their sakes let vs mention a few that they may see Mahomet had as braue a humor this way as they He induceth GOD swearing by lesse then himselfe as by the order of Angels by the Alcoran by the blowing Windes by the waterie Cloudes by the sayling Ships by the Mount Sinai the Heauen the Sea the euening Sarre the West his Pen and Lines the guiltie Soule the Deuils by the Morning ten Nights the Passeouer by the Figges and Oliues by the Dawning and Twilight and a World more of the like onely he saith Azoara 100. that he may not sweare by the earth nor by the Sonne like to the Father Yet he allowes not others to sweare or forsweare as after you shall see Az. 8. They which eate the inheritance of Orphans euerlasting fire shall eate them Be faithfull in keeping and deliuering their goods for GOD taketh knowledge of all accounts Let one Sonne haue as much as two Daughters In barganing vse no lying slaying your owne soule The couetous shall haue endlesse punishment he that killeth vnwillingly shall giue to the Kindred of the partie slaine another man or if he cannot doe that let him fast two monethes together he which killeth wilfully shall be cast into the fire Az. 70. It is no sinne to reuenge iniuries Salute him which saluteth thee for salutation is much pleasing to GOD. Az. 27. Worship one GOD alone Honour thy Father and Mother and doe them good Giue them no bad word when they are old Be subiect with all humility and pray GOD to pardon them Giue to the poore and to your kindred but not
superfluously for they that doe superfluously are of Kinne to the Deuil Slay not your children for no cause Bee yee not Fornicators for that is wickednesse and a bad way Be reuenged on Murtherers Say nothing till yee know it for you must giue account of your saying 26. In disputing or reasoning vse onely good words Answere in honest sort to him which asketh thee 27. Be iust in weight and measure 37. The Deuill standeth ouer the makers of songs and lies that is the Poets if they amend not doing good 68. If you cannot giue be daily in prayers Pay your tithes following GOD and the Prophet They which do not good but for vaine glory and ostentation shall bee damned 118. The Histories which are in the Old Testament are so cited by him as if hee neuer had read them so many dreames and lies are inserted Az. 12. Before PRAIER WASH the face the hands the armes vp to the elbow the feete vp to the ankles and after carnall company wash in the Bath and if water cannot bee had with dust of cleane earth GOD desireth cleannesse 9. In prayer let them be sober that they may know what they say 2. GOD will not aske why men pray not toward the East for the East and West is his but will demand of the workes which they haue done of their Almes Pilgrimages and Prayers He commandeth that they be humble in prayer and that in prayer they turne towards Mecca Euery one which shall pray asking that which is good which way soeuer hee shall turne him shall be heard of GOD although the true manner of praying be toward the Center of the Temple of Mecca They which are good make their prayers to helpe them by their patience and abstinence GOD dwelleth in such men Pray according to the vsuall custome in all places the foot-man on foote the horseman on his horse Az. 3. He that giueth his owne for Gods sake is like a graine that hath seuen eares euery of which containeth an hundred graines Good men loose not your Almes by vaine glorie 4. Giue almes of the good gaines of your money and of that which the earth produceth but GOD respecteth not gifts of that which is vniustly gotten Satan perswaded you to giue nothing for feare of pouertie To giue almes publikely is good but to giue priuately is better and this blotteth our sinnes Giue especially to those which stay in one place and are ashamed to aske 6. GOD will giue Paradise to them which in time of famine and scarcetie giue liberally and which receiue iniuries and repent of their sinnes Az. 2. Euery one which draweth nigh to death let him leaue of his money to his family and kindred to distribute in almes and they which shall change that vse shall be iudged of the Creator c. Az. 2. They which are intreated to beleeue the Diuine Precepts say they will follow their Ancestors in their Sect What would yee follow your Fathers if they were blinde or deafe Will yee be like them in being mute blinde and foolish Az. 2. O good men EATE that good which he hath giuen you and giue him thanks aboue all other things calling vpon him Abstaine from that which dieth of it selfe from Swines flesh from bloud and from euery other creatur that is killed and not in the name of the Creator But in case of necessity it is not sinne for GOD is mercifull and will forgiue you this 12. Eate not of that which is drowned burned in the fire and touched of the Wolfe 16. Eate nothing which hath not before beene blessed To the Iewes we made many things vnlawfull because of their wickednesse 2. Hee which shall contradict this Booke shall continually bee consumed in vnquenchable fire and none of his workes shall helpe him Az. 3. To them that doubt of WINE of Chesse Scailes and of Tables thou shalt say that such sports and such drinkes are a great sinne and although they be pleasant or profitable yet are they hurtfull sinnes if they say what shall we then doe thou shalt say the good things of GOD. Perswade them to seeke the Orphanes and succour them as their Brethren or else GOD will make them so poore that they shall not bee able to helpe either themselues or others 13. Wine Chesse and Tables are not lawfull but the Deuils inuentions to make debate amongst men and to keepe them from doing good Let none goeon hunting in the Pilgrimage moneth Az. 3. Take not a WIFE of another Law nor giue your daughters to men of another Law except they before conuert to your Law Let no man touch a woman in her disease before she be well clensed Vse your wiues and the woman which are subiect to you where and how you please Women which are diuorced may not marrie till after foure moneths hauing had three times their menstruous purgation Let them not deny their husbands their company at their pleasure They are the heads of the women After a third diuorce from one man they may not marrie the same man againe except they haue in the meane time beene married to another and be of him diuorced Let the woman nurse their children two yeeres receiuing necessaries of the fathers After buriall of a husband let them stay vnmarried foure moneths and ten daies and not goe out of the house in a yeere after Take yee two three foure wiues and finally as many as in your minde you are content to maintaine and keepe in peace It is vnlawfull to marry with the Mother Daughter Sister Aunt Neece Nurse or the Mother or Daughter of the Nurse and take not a whore to wife 9. Let the wiues keepe their husbands secrets or else let them be chastised and kept in house and bed till they be better 10. Let the husband seeke to liue peaceably with his wife 31. Cast not thine eyes on other mens wiues though they be faire A woman conuicted of adulterie by testimonie of foure women must be kept in her house till shee die and let none come at her Az. 8. If you loue not your wiues you may change them but take away nothing of that which is giuen them Az. 3. Sweare not in all your affaires by GOD and his names They which forsweare themselues shall haue no good thing in the world to come And 35. Sweare not rashly for GOD seeth euery thing They which sweare from their hearts are bound thereto before GOD and not else To redeeme such an oath they must feede or cloath ten poore men or fast three daies Az. 13. Az. 4. Offer violence to no man in respect of the Law for the way of doing good and euill is open 4. GOD gaue first the Testament then the Gospell and lastly the true Booke the Alfurcan of the Law in confirmation of those former Az. 4. They which liue of VSVRIE shall not rise againe otherwise then the Deuils they embrace that which GOD hath said is
were it not for sensualitie ignorance and the sword these Alcoran-fables would soone vanish CHAP. V. Other Muhameticall speculations and explanations of their Law collected out of their owne Commentaries of that Argument OF such writings as haue come to our hands touching Mahomets doctrine and Religion that seemeth most fully to lay them open which is called by some Scala a booke containing the exposition of the Alcoran in forme of a Dialogue translated into Latine by Hermannus Dalmata and made the twelfth Chapter of the first Booke of the Alcoran in Italian I haue therefore presumed on the Readers patience to those former collections out of the Alcoran it selfe to adde these ensuing as a further explanation of their opinions The Messenger of GOD so beginneth that booke was sitting amongst his fellowes the praier and salutation of GOD bee vpon him in his Citie Iesrab and the Angel Gabriel descending on him said GOD saluteth thee O Mahomet c. There came foure wise-men Masters in Israel to prooue thee the chiefe of whom is Abdia-Ben-Salon Mahomet therefore sent his cousin Hali to salute them and they being come to Mahomet after mutuall salutations Abdia telleth him that he and his fellowes were sent by the people of the Iewes to learne the vnderstanding of some obscurer places of their Law Mahomet asketh if he come to enquire or to tempt Abdia saith to enquire Then Mahomet giuing him full leaue he beginneth hauing before gathered out of the whole bodie of their Law an hundred most exquisite questions The principall dregs you shall here haue Abdia Tell vs O Mahomet whether thou bee a Prophet or a Messenger Mahomet GOD hath appointed me both a Prophet and a Messenger Ab. Doest thou preach the Law of GOD or thine owne Law Mah. The Law of GOD this Law is Faith and this Faith is that there are not Gods but one GOD without partaker Ab. How many Lawes of GOD are there Mah. One the Law and Faith of the Prophets which went before vs was one the Rites were different Ab. Shall we enter Paradise for Faith or Workes Mah. Both are necessarie but if a Gentile Iew or Christian become a Saracen and preuent his good Workes Faith onely shall suffice But if Gentile Iew or Christian doe good Workes not in the loue of GOD the fire shall consume both him and his worke Ab. How doth the mercie of GOD preuent his anger Mah. When before other creatures Adam rose vp he sucesed and said GOD be thanked and the Angels hearing it said The Pittie of GOD be vpon thee Adam who answered Amen Then said the Lord I haue receiued your Prayer Ab. What be the foure things which GOD wrought with his owne hands Mah. Hee made Paradise planted the tree of the Trumpet formed Adam and did write the Tables of Moses Ab. Who told thee this Mah. Gabriel from the Lord of the world Ab. In what forme Mah. Of a man standing vpright neuer sleeping nor eating nor drinking but the praise of GOD. Ab. Tell me in order what is one what is two what three foure fiue sixe c. to an hundreth Mah. One is GOD without Sonne partaker or fellow Almightie Lord of life and death Two Adam and Eue Three Michael Gabriel Saraphiel Archangels Secretaries of GOD. Foure The Law of Moses the Psalmes of Dauid the Gospell and Alfurcan so called of the distinction of the Sentences Fiue The prayers which GOD gaue mee and my people and to none of the other Prophets Six The dayes of the Creation Seuen Heauens Eight Angels which sustaine the Throne of GOD. Nine Are the Miracles of Moses Ten Are the Fasting-dayes of the Pilgrimes three when they goe seuen in their returne Eleuen Are the Starres whereof Ioseph dreamed Twelue moneths in the yeere Thirteene Is the Sunne and Moone with the eleuen Starres Fourteene Candles hang about the Throne of GOD of the length of fiue hundred yeeres Fifteene The fifteenth day of Ramadam in which the Alcoran came sliding from heauen Sixteene Are the Legions of the Cherubims Seuenteene Are the names of GOD betweene the bottome of the earth and hell which stay those flames which else would consume of the world Eighteene Interpositions there be betweeene the Throne of GOD and the ayre for else the brightnesse of GOD would blinde the World Nineteene Be the armes or branches of Zachia a Riuer in hell which shall make a great noise in the day of Iudgement Twentie The day of the moneth Ramadam when the Psalmes descended on Dauid The one and twentieth of Ramadam Salomon was borne The two and twentieth Dauid was pardoned the sinne against Vriah The three and twentieth of Ramadam Christ the Sonne of Marie was borne the prayers of GOD be vpon him The foure and twentieth GOD spake to Moses The fiue and twentieth the Sea was diuided The sixe and twentieth He receiued the Tables The seuen and twentieth Ionas was swallowed of the Whale The eight and twentieth Iacob recouered his sight when Iudas brought Iosephs coat The nine and twentieth Was Enoch translated The thirtieth Moses went into Mount Sinai Ab. Make short worke for thou hast done all this exactly Mah. Fortie are the daies of Moses his fasting Fftie thousand yeeres shall the day of Iudgement continue Sixtie are the veines which euery of the heauens haue in the earth without which varietie there would be no knowledge amongst men Seuentie men Moses tooke to himselfe Eightie stripes are due to a drunken man Ninetie the Angell said to Dauid This my fellow hath ninetie sheepe and I but one which he hath stollen from mee An hundred stripes are due to the Adulterer Ab. Well shew vs how the earth was made and when Mah. GOD made man of mire the mire of froth this was made of the tempests these of the sea The sea of darknesse the darknesse of light this of the word the word of the thought the thought of Iacinth the Iacinth of the commandement Let it be and it was Ab. How many Angels are set ouer men Mah. Two one on the right hand which writeth his good deeds another on the left which registreth his bad These sit on mens shoulders Their pen is their tongue their inke is their spittle their heart is the booke Ab. What did GOD make after Mah. The bookes wherein are written all things past present and to come in heauen and earth and the pen made of the brightest light fiue hundred yeeres long and eightie broad hauing eightie teeth wherein are written all things in the world till the day of Iudgement The booke is made of the greatest Emerald the words of Pearles the couer of pitie GOD ouer-looketh the same an hundred and sixtie times in a day and night The heauen is made of smoake of the vapour of the sea the greennesse of the sea proceedeth from the mount Kaf which is made of the Emeralds of Paradise and compasseth the world bearing vp the heauens The gates of heauen are of gold the
writ seuen bookes reconciling these Sect ries and the Lawyers together which reconciliation continued till the comming of the Tartars and Asia and Afrike was full of these Reformers of their Law In old time none but learned men might be admitted Professors hereof but within these last hundred yeeres euery ignorant Idiot professeth it saying That learning is not necessary but the holy Spirit doth reueale to them which haue cleane hearts the knowledge of the truth These contrary to the Alcoran sing loue-songs and dances with some phantasticall extasies affirming themselues to be rauished of diuine loue These are great gluttons they may not marry but are reputed Sodomites The same our Author writeth of some which teach that by good workes fasting and abstinence a man may attaine a Nature Angelicall hauing his minde so purified that he cannot sinne although he would But he must first passe through fifty degrees of Discipline And although he sinne before hee be past these fifty degrees yet GOD doth not impute it to him These obserue strange and inestimable Fasts at the first after they liue in all pleasures of the world Their rule was written in foure volumes by a learned and eloquent man Esschrauar and by Ibnul-farid another Author in exact and most learned Verse That the Spheres Elements Planets and Starres are one God and that no Faith nor Law can be erroneous because that all men in their mindes intend to worship that which is to bee worshipped And they beleeue that the knowledge of GOD is contained in one man who is called Elcorb elected and partaker of GOD and in knowledge as GOD. There are other forty men amongst them called Elauted that is Dunces because of their lesse knowledge When the Elcorb or Elcoth dyeth his Successour is chosen out of these and into that vacant place of the fortie they chuse one out of another number of seuentie They haue a third inferiour number of a hundred threescore and fiue their Title I remember not out of which they chuse when any of the threescore and tenne die Their Law or Rule enioyneth them to wander through the World in manner of Fooles or of great Sinners or of the vilest amongst men And vnder this cloke many are most wicked men going naked without hiding their shame and haue to deale with women in the open and common streets like beasts Of this base sort are many in Tunis and farre more in Egypt and most of all in Cairo I my selfe saith our Author in Cairo in the street called Bain Elcasraim saw one of them with mine eyes take a beautifull Dame comming out of the Bath and laid her downe in the middest of the street and carnally knew her and presently when hee had left the woman all the people ranne to touch her clothes because a holy man had touched them And they said that this Saint seemed to doe a sinne but that hee did it not Her husband knowing of it reckoned it a rare fauour and blessing of GOD and made solemne feasting and gaue almes for that cause But the Iudges which would haue punished him for the same were like to bee slaine of the rude multitude who haue them in great reputation of sanctitie and euery day giue them gifts and presents There are another sort that may be termed Caballists which fast strangely not doe they eate the flesh of any creature but haue certaine meates ordained and appointed for euery houre of the day and night and certain particular praiers according to the dayes and months numbring their said Prayers and vse to carry vpon them some square things painted with Characters and Numbers They affirme that the good Spirits appeare and acquaint them with the affayres of the world An excellent Doctor named Boni framed their rule and prayers and how to make their squares and it seemeth to me who haue seene the worke to be more Magicall then Cabalasticall One booke sheweth their prayers and fastings the second their square the third the vertue of the fourescore and ninteene names of GOD which I saw in the hand of a Venetian Iew at Rome There is another rule in these Sects called Suuach of certaine Hermites which liue in Woods and solitary places feeding on nothing but hearbs and wilde fruites and none can particularly know their life because of this solitarinesse Thus farre Leo. Beniamin Tudelensis telleth of a Nation neere to Mount Libanus which hee calleth Hhassissin which varied from the ordinary sort of Ismalites and followed a peculiar Prophet of their owne whose word they obeyed whether for life or for death They called him Hheich al Hhassissin his abode was at Karmos They were a terror to all about them sawing asunder euen the Kings if they tooke any They warred with the Frankes the Christians which then held Ierusalem and the King of Tripolis Their dominion extended eight dayes iourney Zachuth mentioneth one Baba which about the 630. yeere of the Hegira fained himselfe a Prophet sent of God vnder which colour hee gathered together a great Armie wherewith he filled all Asia with slaughter and spoile slaying Christians and Ismaelits without difference till Giatheddin King of Gunia ouerthrew and destroyed him and his Host Besides the former they haue other Heremites of another sort one is mentioned by Leo who had fiue hundred Horse a hundred thousand Sheepe two hundred Beeues and of offerings and almes betwixt foure and fiue thousand Duckets his fame great in Asia and Afrike his Disciples many and fiue hundred people dwelling with him at his charges to whom he enioyneth not penance nor any thing but giueth them certaine names of God and biddeth them with the same to pray vnto him so many times a day When they haue learned this they returne home he hath a hundred Tents for strangers his Cattell and Family hee hath foure wiues besides slaues and by them many children sumptuously apparrelled His fame is such that the King of Telensin is afraide of him and he payeth nothing to any such veneration haue they towards him reputing him a Saint Leo saith hee spake with him and that this Heremite shewed him Magick-bookes and he thought that this his great estimation did come by false working of the true science so the Heremite termed Magicke But these Heremites we cannot so well reckon a Sect as a Religious Order of which sort there are diuers in these Mahumetane Nations as in our ensuing discourse shall appeare To returne therefore to the consideration of the meanes vsed to preuent the varietie of Sects among them The Caliphs sought to remedie these inconueniences by their best policie Moaui about the yeere of our Lord 770. assembled a generall Councell of their learned men to consult about an Vniformity but they disagreeing among themselues hee chose six men of the most learned and shut them vp in a house together with their Scriptures commanding them that out of those Copies disagreeing as you haue heard they should
hee was so bold with the Emperour as to tell him to his face that if hee did neglect the cause of those Mahumetans hee might be thereunto by his subiects compelled Concerning the Mufti and other steps of their Hierarchy Master Knolles writeth That the Turkes haue certaine Colledges called Medressae at Constantinople Adrinople Bursia and other places in which they liue and studie their prophane Diuinitie and Law and haue among them nine seuerall steps or degrees vnto the highest dignitie The first is called Softi which are young Students The second are Calfi who are Readers vnto the first The third Hogi Writers of Bookes for they will suffer no Printing The fourth are Naipi or young Doctors which may supply the place of Iudges in their absence The fifth Caddi Iudges of their Law and Iustices to punish offenders of which there is one at least in euery Citie through the Turkish Dominion and are knowne from other men by their huge Turbants two yards in compasse The sixth are Muderisi which ouersee the Caddies doings and are as Suffragans to their Bishops who are the seuenth sort and are called Mulli which place and displace Church-men at their pleasure The eight Cadelescari who are but two great and principall Iudges or Cardinals the one of Graecia the other of Natolia and these two sit euery day in the Diuano among the Bassaes and are in great reputation The ninth is the Mufti who is among the Turkes as the Pope among the Roman Catholikes When the Bassaes punish any offence against their Law they send to him Hee may not abase himselfe to sit in the Diuano neither when hee comes into the presence of the Grand Seignior will he vouchsafe to kisse his hand or to giue any more reuerence then he receiueth The Great Sultan ariseth to honour him when hee comes vnto him and then they both sit downe face to face and so talke and conferre together No man can ascend to this place but by the dignities aforesaid Mahomet the third forced by a tumult of the Ianizaries to present himselfe vnto them came accompanied with the Mufti and some few others of the reuerend Doctors of their Law who were by the Sultan commanded to sit downe whiles the great Bassaes abode standing Such respect it had to these men Thus much Knolles In the Booke of the Policie of the Turkish Empire it is said that the Mufties authority is like to that of the Iewish High Priest or Roman Pope I rather esteeme it like to that of the Patriarkes of Alexandria Antioch c. as binding not all Mahumetans but the Turkes onely whereas the one had the other challengeth a subiection of all which professe their religion That Author also affirmeth that whensoeuer the Mufti goeth abroad forth of his own house which he vseth to doe very seldome his vse and custome is first to goe and visit the Emperour who as soone as hee seeth him comming to salute him and doe him reuerence presently ariseth out of his seat and embracing him with great kindnesse entertaineth him very friendly and louingly causing him to sit downe by him and giuing him the honour of the place His authoritie saith Soranzo is so great that none will openly contradict the Mufties sentence but yet if the Emperour be setled in a resolution the Mufti with feare or flattery inclines vnto him Next to the Mufti is the Cadilescher who being also chosen by the Emperour may bee compared to those whom the Christians call Patriarches or else to the Primats and Metropolitans of a Kingdome Of these there are now in this encreased greatnesse of the Turkish Empire three whereas it seemeth that they had in the time of Baiazet but one and long after as before is said but two To one of these is assigned Europe namely so much thereof as is subiect to the Turke for his Prouince To the second Natolia or Turky to the third Syria and Egypt with the parts adioyning There were but two Cadileschers till Selym wan Syria and Egypt and erected a third But Soranzo saith that this third of Cairo is not rightly called Cadilescher but should rather be called the great Cadi Out of all which Prouinces whatsoeuer causes come to be determined by appeale or otherwise they are brought to be decided before the Cadilescher of the same Prouince whence they arise notwithstanding that the abode of each of them be continually or for the most part at Constantinople or elsewhere wheresoeuer the Emperour holdeth his Court The honour done to them is little lesse then to the Mufti for that their authoritie is ouer Priest and people temporall and spirituall they are also learned in their law aged and experienced Of the Muderisi and Mulli I can say no more then I haue done Next to these are the Cadi which are sent abroad and dispersed into euery Citie and Towne of the Turkish Empire which besides their Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction as I may terme it in forcing man to their religious obseruations are as it were Iusticers and Gouernours of the places So neere glued are the Offices and Officers the religion and politie of the Turkes There are other which are not sent forth which are called Choza that is Elders These with the Talismans haue the ordering of their Parishionall Churches The Thalisman calling the people to prayer and the Choza executing the Seruice and Preaching and in absence each supplying others Office Menauino more distinctly and in other names numbreth those Church-officers The Modecis is a Gouernour of an Hospitall receiuing and disposing the rents with the other customes thereof Their Schoole degrees are before spoken of out of Knolles Some adde to these former these other Priests of baser condition The Antippi are certaine Priests which vpon Friday called of them Glumaagun and is obserued as their Sabbath because Mahomet as some hold was borne on that day and on other their fasting and feasting-dayes after they haue vsed diuers Ceremonies in a certaine place in the middest of the Temple about thirtie steps high from thence read vnto the people something concerning the life of Mahomet After which two little boyes stand vp and sing certaine Prayers Which being ended the Priest and all the people sing a Psalme with a low voyce and then for halfe an houre together they cry Illah illelah that is there is but one God After all this one of these Antippi out of that high place sheweth forth vnto the people a Lance and Scimitar with exhortation to vse their Swords and Lances in defence of their Religion Of the Imam and Meizin is elsewhere shewed that the one calleth the people to the Mosche or Meschit the other there celebrateth publike Orisons The Sophi also are certaine Clerks or Priests employed in the singing of Psalmes and Hymnes after their manner in their Churches at the times of publike Prayers All these inferior Orders of Priests are chosen by
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
Paquin were alike very admirable seeming to be made in the reigne of the Tartars Foure of them were very great One a Globe marked with paralells and meridians as great as three men could fathom set vpon a great Cube of brasse likewise the second was a Spheare fiue foot in the Diameter with Chaines in stead of Circles diuided into 365. degrees and a few minutes the third was a Gnomon ten foot high on a huge Marble the fourth and greatest consisteth of three or foure Astrolabes each fiue foot in the Diameter with other appurtenances very admirable Their Rules of Physicke differ much from ours yet agree with vs in feeling the pulse and are not vnhappy in their cures They vse simple medicines roots hearbs and the like their whole Art in manner the same with our Herbarists They haue thereof no publike Schoole but as each priuately learneth of some Teacher In both the Royall Cities Degrees are granted to the Professors after Examination but both this and that of little worth none being thereby of greater authoritie or without it hindered to practise And neither in Physicke nor Astrologie doth any take great paines which hath any hope of proficience in their Ethikes those being the refuges of Pouertie this the high-way to Honor. Their Geography was such that they called their Countrie Thien-hia that is All vnder heauen thinking the World to haue little else of any worth §. VII Of their Ethikes Politikes and Degrees in Learning CONFVTIVS their Philosophicall Prince compyled foure Volumes of the Ancient Philosophers adding a fifth of his owne these he called the Fiue Doctrines They containe Morall and Politicall Precepts of good Life Gouernment with the Examples Rites Sacrifices and Poems of the Ancients Besides these fiue Volumes out of Confutius some of his disciples are gathered into one Tome diuers Rules Sentences Similes touching the wel ordering of a mans selfe family or the kingdome which is called the four-Foure-bookes and into so many parts diuided These nine are their ancientest and fountaines of the rest of their books containing most part of their Hieroglyphicall Characters authorized by royal Priuiledges ancient Customes to be the Principles and Foundations of all Chinian Learning wherin it is not enough to vnderstand the Text but suddenly to write of euery sentence to which purpose that Tetrabiblion must be cunned by heart They haue no publike Schoole or Vniuersity where Readers vndertake to expound them but euery one is to prouide him a Master at his owne choice and charge of which are great numbers because in that multitude of Characters one cannot teach many and each man desires to haue his children taught at home They haue three Degrees which are conferred vpon such as by examination are found worthy This examination is onely in writing The first Degree called Sieucai is bestowed in euery Citie by the Tihio a learned man appointed thereunto by the King in that place which is named the Schoole and somewhat resembleth our Batchellors This Tihio visiteth euery Citie in the Prouince for this purpose whither when he is come all the Students in the Citie and Confines that aspire to that Degree resort and submit themselues to a three-fold Triall First he is examined of certaine Masters which are set ouer the Bachellors till they attaine a higher Degree in which all are admitted to triall that will sometimes foure or fiue thousand in one Citie These Masters are maintained by the King to this Office These passe them ouer to a second proofe by the Foure Magistrates of the Citie which of so great a number chuse some two hundred of the best Writers whom they commit to the third Examination by the Tihio who intituleth twentie or thirtie of the chiefe of them and numbreth them with the Bachellor of former yeeres These are priuiledged to weare a Gowne Cap and Bootes in token of their Degree and in publike Assemblies haue higher Places besides larger Complements and Immunities and are subiect to their Tihio and those Foure Masters other Magistrates little meddling with their cases This Tihio doth also examine those former Bachellors to see how they haue profited or decayed which according to their writing are diuided into fiue rankes the first are licenced vnto some publike Offices of lesse reckoning the second haue a reward but not so great the third haue neither reward nor punishment the fourth are publikely scourged the last degraded and ranked with the Communaltie Their second Degree is called Kiugin somewhat like the Licentiates in some Europaean Vniuersities This is conferred but once in three yeeres in the chiefe Citie of the Prouince in the eight moneth and with greater solemnitie to fewer or more according to the dignitie and largenesse of the Prouince In Pequin in Nanquin 150. doe proceed Licentiats in Cequian Quiansi and Fuquiam 95. in the rest fewer Vnto this Triall onely Bachellours and but the choice of them are admitted not aboue thirtie or fortie of one Citie which yet sometimes in one Prouince amount to 4000. Competitors That third yeere therefore which happened with them 1609 1612 1615 c. a few dayes before the eight Moone which often falls out in September the Magistrates of Pequin present vnto the King the Names of 100. the chiefe Philosophers in China out of which hee chuseth thirtie two for euery Prouince to bee sent Examiners One of these two must bee of the Kings Colledge called Han lin yuem As soone as euer they are named by the King they must post to their designed Prouince many Spies attending that they speake not with any one man of that Prouince before the Kiugin are entituled Other principal Philosophers also of that Prouince are chosen to assist these Examiners in the first Triall In euery Prouinciall Citie is a huge Palace erected for this end enclosed with high walls in which are many roomes wherein without noyse they may discusse those writings and in the midst of the Palace aboue 4000. Cels or little Studies which can hold nothing but a small table a stoole and one man out of which one is not permitted to see or speake with another When these Posers are come to the Citie they and their Assistants of that Prouince are shut vp in their seuerall Stations before they may speake with each other or any one else and so continue all the time of this Act or Commencement many Souldiers and Magistrates attending to prohibite all commerce conference on all hands with any within or without the Palace In this examination three daies the ninth the twelfth and the fifteenth of the Moone are spent in euery Prouinciall Citie from the earliest light til the euening darkenesse the doores carefully shut some refection being the day before allowed them at publike charge When the Bachellers come into the Palace they are narrowly searched whether they bring any Booke or Writing with them and are allowed only their Pensill Paper Inke and writing Plate or
vprore that they fell together by the eares and another quarrell happening betweene a Religious and a Secular Priest the Chinois gaue out that Cataneus the Iesuite went about to make himselfe King of China as one that knew the Countrey and had bin in both the Royall Cities with the helpe of the Iesuites there residing Iapanders and others This made the Chinois to flye from Macao and to divulge such rumors in Canton that there was a sudden muster of souldiers through the Prouince and one thousand houses of the chiefe Citie without the Walls pulled downe one of the Iesuites Societie apprehended and beaten with Canes to death and with much adoe this little adoe was after pacified And now the Iesuites thinke themselues in better case then euer and haue as they say conuerted fiue thousand to their Faith in this Kingdome after thirty yeares labours hauing foure or fiue places of Residence And would God as I professe my selfe indebted to them for this Light of History so they might haue iust cause of thankefulnesse to God and them for the Christian Light and that it were not confused with such Heathenish exchange of one Image for another and rather the names then substance of deuotion altered Beads Tapers Single Votaries Processions Monasteries Altars Images hee and she Saints with other Rites being there alreadie and the very art of their Images causing an Ethnike adoration as they tell of a Vice-roy that would not looke vpon one of them but in a Chappell in the higher part of his house set on an Altar with Tapers and Odours dayly burning thereto and their manner of Preaching being not by Word so much as by Writing and that not by Authorities of Scripture but by Arguments of Reason furthered by their owne Philosophie and commended by Mathematicall Sciences strange Ground-workes to Faith and Theologie OF THE EAST-INDIES AND OF THE SEAS AND ILANDS ABOVT ASIA WITH THEIR RELIGIONS THE FIFTH BOOKE CHAP. I. Of India in Generall and of the Ancient Rites there obserued §. I. The Limits and the ancient People and Inuasions of India THe name of India is now applyed to all farre-distant Countries not in the extreme limits of Asia alone but euen to whole America through the error of Columbus and his fellowes who at their first arriuall in the Westerne world thought that they had met with Ophir and the Indian Regions of the East But the Ancients also comprehended vnder this name a huge Tract of Land no lesse in the iudgement of Alexanders followers in his Eastern Inuasions then the third part of the Earth Ctosias accounted it one halfe of Asia Yea a great part of Africa also is comprehended vnder that name So Turnebus in his Aduersaria not onely findeth the Barbarians and Parthians called by that name in Virgil but Thebes in the higher Egypt and Ammone Temple in Higinus and Aethiopia also as in our discourse thereof will further appeare But taking India more properly Dionysius bounds it betweene Caucasus and the Red-Sea Indus and Ganges Ouid likewise in that Verse Decolor extremo quâ cingitur India Gange But Ptolemy and other Geographers did vsually diuide India by the Riuer Ganges into two parts one on this side Ganges and the other beyond Although here we finde no lesse difficultie concerning Ganges which the most with my selfe account the same with Guenga that falleth into the gulfe of Bengala which they also imagine to be that which of the Ancients is called Sinus Gangeticus Others esteeme the Riuer Canton whereon standeth the supposed Canton chiefe City of one of the Chinian Prouinces whereof wee haue so lately taken our leaue to be that Ganges of which minde are Mercator Maginus Gotardus Arthus and their disciples M. Paulus diuideth India into three parts the Lesse the Greater which hee calleth Malabar and Abassia betwixt them both Dom. Niger reckoneth the same number The Name of India flowed from the Riuer Indus Semiramis is reported to inuade India with three millions of foot-men and 500000. horse besides counterfeit Elephants made of the hides of 300000. Oxen stuffed with hay Yet Staurobates at that time the Indian Monarch brake her Forces and chased her out of the field Megasthenes reckoneth one hundred twentie two Indian Nations Arrianus in his eight booke makes a large description of this Indian world saying That they liued like the Scythians without Houses Cities Temples in a wandring course with their Tents on the barke of the Tree Tala and wild Venison the skins where of were there garments In all India were no seruants but all free-men These things were altred by Bacchus or Dionystus who made an Expedition hither not so much with Armes as with Arts He taught them the vse of Wine Oyle and Sacrificing in memorie whereof Posteritie honoured him for a god Of this the Poets and Histories of Alexander others make much mention So doth Suidas tell of one Brachman that prescribed the Rites and Lawes of the Brachmanes Solinus of Hydaspes and others of Ganges Hercules the rest with much vncertaintie Postellus strangely conceiteth himselfe that Abrahams posteritie by Keturah seated themselues in India and were there knowne by the name of Iewes before the Iewes in Palestina that they obserued Circumcision and dispersed it into Syria Egypt Armenia Colchis Iberia Paphlagonia Chaldea and India before Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and that the Brachmanes were so called quasi Abrahmanes as following the instructions of Abraham Abraham wee beleeue the Father of the faithfull but cannot father on him such vnfaithfull and degenerate generations no more then with the same Postellus wee acknowledge the Turkes the posteritie of the ten Tribes and the Tartars to be the remainder of those Turkes following Cabalisticall coniectures But that which he speaketh of the name Iewes and Abrachmanes in India may perhaps arise from a testimony cited out of Megasthenes his Indica by Clem. Alex. That all things obserued by Naturall Phylosophers in Greece bad beene handled before partly by the Brachmanes amongst the Indians partly of those which in Syria are called Iewes in which testimonie he ioyneth Iewes and Brachmanes in Profession of the same learned Science of Naturall Philosophy Apuleius maketh the Brachmans first Founders of the Pythagorean learning and reporteth further That at dinner-time the Table was made readie and the youths from diuers Places and Seruices resorted thither at which time the Masters questioned with them what good they had done that day one answereth Hee had beene a Peace-maker to reduce such such which were at oddes to amitie another had done this or that for his Parents another had studied or meditated on such a point Once he which could not giue good account of his mornings worke might not be admitted to receiue any dinner-wages Strabo in his fifteenth Booke is large in this Indian subiect Hee reporteth out of Aristobulus that the Riuer Indus by force of
other beasts wherevpon by the peoples entreatie who had learned the storie of him he was freed and the beast giuen him which followed him with a Line in the streets the people pointing and sayingt Hic est homo Medicus leonis Hic est leo hospes hominis One Elpis a Samian performed a cure on another Lion pulling a bone out of his throat at the Lions gaping and silent moane and in remembrance hereof built a Temple at his returne to Bacchus at Sango whom before hee had inuoked before in feare of a Lion Plinie and Solinus among other African beasts mention the Hyaena which some thinke to be Male one yeere and Female another by course This Aristotle denyes This beast hath no necke ioynt and therefore stirres not his necke but with bending about his whole body He will imitate humane voyce and drawing neere to the sheepe-coates hauing heard the name of some of the shepheards will call him and when hee comes deuoure him They tell that his eyes are diuersified with a thousand colours that the touch of his shaddow makes a dogge not able to barke By engendring with this beast the Lionesse brings forth a Crocuta of like qualities to the Hyaena Hee hath one continued tooth without diuision throughout his mouth Some thinke this Hyaena to bee the Lycanthropos or Man-wolfe some the Ciuet. Cat some a fable howsoeuer old and late Philosophers Physitians and Historians mention it Something perhaps told of it is fabulous But it is absurd to denie the eye-sight of so many witnesses He that will reade a pleasant storie of the taking them let him reade Buibequius his Epistles if an entire storie Banhinus his second booke De Hermaphroditis In Africa also are wilde Asses among which one Male hath many Females a iealous beast who for feare of after encroching bites off the stones of the young Males if the suspicious Female preuent him not by bringing forth in a close place where hee shall not finde it The like is told of Beuers which being hunted for the medicinable qualitie of their stones are said to bite them off when they are in danger to be taken paying that ransome for their liues It cannot be true that is reported of the Hyaeneum a stone found in the Hyaena's eye that being put vnder the tongue of a man bee shall foretell things to come except hee foretell this That no man will beleeue what our Authour before hath told The Libard is not hurtfull to men except they annoy him but killeth and eateth dogges Dabuh is the name of a simple and base creature like a Wolfe saue that his legges and feete are like to a mans so foolish that with a song and a taber they which know his haunt will bring him out of his den and captiue his eares with their musicke while another captiuateth his legs with a rope Scaliger thinkes this is the Hyaena which the Turkes call Zirtlan and take with a rope fastened to the legge he that goes in professing he is not there till they be there sure of him The Zebra of all Creatures for beautie and comelinesse is admirably pleasing resembling a Horse of exquisite composition but not all so swift all ouer-laid with partie-coloured Laces and gards from Head to Taile They liue in great Heards as I was told by my friend Andrew Battle who liued in the Kingdome of Congo many yeeres and for the space of some moneths liued on the flesh of this Beast which hee killed with his Peece For vpon some quarrell betwixt the Portugals among whom he was a Sergeant of a band and him he liued eight or nine moneths in the Woods where hee might haue view of hundreds together in Heards both of these and of Elephants So simple was the Zebra that when hee shot one he might shoot still they all standing still at gaze till three or foure of them were dead But more strange it seemed which he told me of a kinde of great Apes if they might so bee tearmed of the height of a man but twice as bigge in feature of their limbes with strength proportionable hairie all ouer otherwise altogether like Men and Women in their whole bodily shape except this that their legges had no calues They liued on such wilde fruits as the Trees and Woods yeelded and in the night time lodged on the Trees Hee was accompanied with two Negro-Boyes and they carried away one of them by a sudden surprise yet not hurting him as they vse not to doe any which they take except the Captiue doe then looke vpon them This slaue after a moneths life with them conueyed himselfe away againe to his Master Other Apes there are store and as Solinus reporteth Satyres with feete like Goates and Sphynges with brests like women and hairie whereof Pierius saith hee saw one at Verona and a kind of Conies also at the same time foure times as bigge as the ordinary and which is more incredible had each of them foure genitall members Philippo Pigafetta speaketh in his Relation of Congo of other Beasts in Africa as of the Tygre as fierce and cruell as Lions making prey of Man and Beast yet rather deuouring blacke men then white whose Mustachios are holden for mortall poyson and being giuen in meates cause men to die madde The Empalanga is somewhat like to an Oxe Their Sheepe and Goates neuer bring forth lesse then two and sometimes three or foure at a time They haue Wolues Foxes Deere Red and Fallow Roe-buckes Ciuet-cats Sables and Marterns The Riuer-horse seemes peculiar to Africa a beast somewhat resembling a Horse shorter-legged with great feet and a very great head with horrible teeth so fearefull by Land that a Child may affright them and in the Water as their proper element though their aliment be Grasse Corne in the blade and other like from the earth they are audacious and daring But of this and many other African Creatures too long heere to relate the Reader may informe himselfe more fully in my Voyages in Iobson Battell Santos Aluares Iohn Leo and others there published §. III. Of Crocadiles Serpents and other strange Creatures THey haue Snakes and Adders whereof some are called Imbumas fiue and twentie spannes long liuing in Land and Water not venemous but rauenous and lurke in Trees for which taking purpose Nature hath giuen it a litle horne or claw within two or three foot of the Taile waiting for their prey which hauing taken it deuoureth hornes hoofes and all although it bee a Hart. And then swolne with this so huge a meale it is as it were drunke and sleepie and vnweldie for the space of fiue or sixe dayes The Pagan Negroes roast and eate them as great dainties The biting of their Vipers killeth in foure and twentie houres space Africa for monsters in this kinde hath been famous as in the Roman historie appeareth Attilius Regulus the Romane Consul in the first Punicke
same Cockes sitting produced a Basiliske and telles of two such Cockes at Zirizea killed by the people which had found them sitting on such Egges Theophrast also saith that Serpents are plentifully ingendred of much Raine or effusions of Mens blood in Warre Mice are multiplyed in drie seasons which the store of them this drie Winter 1613. confirmeth of which hee saith there are great ones in Egypt with two feet which they vse as hands not going but scaping Ostriches keepe in companies in the Desarts making shewes a farre off as if they were troupes of Horsemen a ridiculous terrour to the Carauans of Merchants a foolish Bird that forgetteth his Nest and leaueth his Egges for the Sunne and Sands to hatch that eateth any thing euen the hardest Iron that heareth nothing They haue Eagles Parrots and other Fowles But none more strange then that which is termed Nifr bigger then a Crane preying vpon Carnon and by his flight buryeth his great body in the Clouds that none may see him whence hee espyeth his prey and liueth so long that all his feathers fall away by age and then is fostered by his young ones Other Fowles they haue too tedious to relate of which let the Reader consult Iobson Santos and other Relations in our Voyages published Grashoppers doe here often renue the Aegyptian plague which come in such quantitie that they intercept the shining of the Sunne like a Cloud and hauing eaten the Fruits and Leaues leaue their spawne behind worse then their predecessours deuouring the very barkes of the Leafe-lesse Trees The old depart none knowes whither and sometime with a South-East winde are carried into Spaine The Arabians and Libyans eate them before they haue spawned to that end gathering them in the morning before the Sunne hath dryed their winges and made them able to flie One man can gather foure or fiue bushels in a morning Orosius tells that once they had not onely eaten vp Fruits Leaues and Barke While they liued but being dead did more harme for being carried by a wind into the Sea and the Sea not brooking such morsels vomiting them vp againe on the shoare their putrified carkasses caused such a plague that in Numidia dyed thereof eight hundred thousand and on the Sea-coast neere Carthage and Vtica two hundred thousand and in Vtica it selfe thirtie thousand Souldiers which had beene mustred for the Garisons of Africa In one day were carried out of one Gate one thousand and fiue hundred carkasses They are said to come into Barbarie seuen yeeres together and other seuen not to come at which times Corne before so deare is sold for little and sometime not vouchsafed the reaping such is their soyle and plentie The iuyce of the young is poyson Plinie cals them a plague of Diuine Anger they she saith hee with such a noyse that one would take them for other Fowles and passe ouer huge tracts by Sea and Land In Italy the people by them haue beene driuen to Sibyllius remedies for feare of Famine In Cyrenaica there was a Law thrice a yeere to warre against them destroying the Egges first then the young and lastly the growne ones In Lemnos a certaine measure is appointed for each man to bring of them to the Magistrate And they hold Iayes in high regard because they kill them with flying against them In Syria men are compelled to kill them in Parthia they eate them The Scriptures also often threaten and mention this plague as Gods great Armie But otherwhere they seeme strangers In Aethiopia they haue their principall habitation Clenard mentioneth their mischiefes about Fez where they bring Cart-loades of them to fell the people deuouring these deuourers Aluares in his thirtie two and thirtie three Chapters tels of these Grashoppers in Aethiopia that in some places they made the people trusse vp bagge and baggage and seeke new Habitations where they might finde victuall The Countrey all Desart and destroyed and looking as if it had snowed there by reason of the vnbarked Trees and the fields of Mais the great stalkes whereof were troden downe and broken by them and in another place a Tempest of Raine and Thunder left them more then two yards thicke on the Riuersbanks This he saw with his Eyes But if we stay a little longer on this subiect the Reader will complaine of their troublesome companie heere The studious of Natures rarities in these parts may resort to Leo and others as also for their further satisfaction in the Fishes and Monsters of the water as the Hippopotamus in shape resembling a Horse in bignesse an Asse they goe into the Corne grounds of the Aegyptians and in their feeding goe backwards towards the Riuer so to beguile men who looking forwards for them they meane while conuey themselues into the Water In this Riuer of Nilus in the time of Mauritius Mena being Gouernour of Egypt there with many other saw neere the place where Cairo now standeth a Giantly monster from the bottome of his belly vpwards aboue the water like altogether to Man with flaxen hayre frowning Countenance and strong limbes Some imagined him to bee Nilus the supposed Riuer-deitie After hee had continued in the common view of all men three houres there came forth of the Water another like a Woman with a smooth face her haire partly hanging and partly gathered into a knot and blacke of colour her face very faire rosie lippes fingers and brests well proportioned but her lower parts hidden in the water Thus from morning till Sun-set they fedde their greedy eyes with this spectacle which then sanke downe againe into the Waters Hondius speakes of a Mermaid taken in the Netherlands and taught to Spin I sweare not to the truth of it But many Histories speake of some like Men in their whole shape both in our and other Coasts and some like Lions and for Mermaides in the Voyage of Henry Hudson for Northerly Discouerie 1608. Thomas Hils and Robert Rainer saw one rise by the Ship side on the fifteenth of Iune from the Nauill vpwards her backe and brests like a Woman as likewise her bignesse of body her afterparts like a Porpise and speckled like a Mackerill when they called their company to see it shee sanke downe I might adde many other Creatures strange and wonderfull and yet not so wonderfull as the effects and vertues which Albertus Mizaldus and others tell of these and other Creatures Such are the Sea-kine lesser then the Land-kine the Tartaruca a Tortoise which liueth in the Desarts of huge bignesse c. The people wich inhabite Africa are Arabians Moores Abissines Aegyptians and diuers sorts of the Heathens differing in Rites from each other as shall follow in our discourse The Monsters which Plinie and others tell of besides Munster and Sabellicus out of them I neither beleeue nor report CHAP. II. Of Aegypt and the famous Riuer Nilus and first Kings Temples and Monuments according to HERODOTVS
is possessed with a Deuill and cannot be cured except she become one of their Societie The foolish Husband beleeues consents and makes a sumptuous Feast at her Deuillish Admission Others will coniure this Deuill with a Cudgell out of their Wiues others fayning themselues to bee possessed with a Deuill will deceiue the Witches as they haue deceiued their Wiues There are Exorcists or Diuiners called Muhazzimi which cast out Deuils or if they cannot they excuse themselues and say it is an ayrie Spirit They write Characters and frame Circles on an ash-heape or some other place then they make certaine signes on the hands or foreheads of the possessed party and perfume him after a strange manner Then they make their Inchantment and demand of the Spirit which way he entred what he is and his name and then command him to come forth Others there are that worke by a Cabalisticall rule called Zairagia and is very hard for he that doth this must be a perfect Astrologer and Cabalist My selfe it is Leo's report haue seene a whole day spent in describing one figure onely It is too tedious here to expresse the manner Howbeit Mahomets Law forbids all Diuination and therefore the Mahumetan Inquisitors imprison the Professors thereof There are also in Fez some Learned men which giue themselues the sirnames of Wisemen and Morall Philosophers which obserue Lawes not prescribed by Mahumet some account them Catholike others not but the vulgar hold them for Saints The Law forbiddeth Loue-songs which they say may be vsed They haue many Rules and Orders all which haue their Defenders and Doctors This Sect sprang vp fourescore yeeres after Mahumet the first Authour thereof was Elhesen Ibun Abilhasen who gaue Rules to his Disciples but left nothing in writing About an hundred yeeres after came Elharit Ibnu Esed from Bagadet who left Volumes of Writings vnto his Disciples but by the Lawyers was condemned Fourescore yeeres after vnder another famous Professor that Law reuiued who had many Disciples and preached openly But by the Patriarke and Lawyers they were all condemned to lose their heads the giddie Receptacles of such phantasticall Deuotions But hee obtayned leaue of their Chaliph or Patriarch that he might try his Assertions by Disputations with the Lawyers whom he put to silence and therefore the Sentence was reuoked and many Colledges built for his Followers An hundred yeeres after Malicsach the Turke destroyed all the maintayners thereof some flying into Cairo some into Arabia Not long after Elgazzuli a learned man compounded the Controuersie so reconciling these and the Lawyers that the one should be called Conseruers the other Reformers of the Law After the Tartars had sacked Bagdat in the yeere of the Hegeira 656. these Sectaries swarmed all ouer Asia and Africa They would admit none into their Societie but such as were learned and could defend their Opinions but now they admit all affirming Learning to be needlesse for the Holy teacheth them that haue a cleane heart Therefore they addict themselues to nothing but Pleasure Feasting and Singing Sometimes they will rend their garments saying They are then rauished with a fit of Diuine loue I thinke rather superfluitie of belly-cheare is the cause for one of them will eate as much as will serue three Or else it is through wicked lust for sometimes one of the Principals with all his Disciples is inuited to some Marriage-feast at the beginning whereof they will rehearse their deuout Orizons and Songs but after they are risen from Table the elder beginne a Dance and teare their garments and if through immoderate drinking any catch a fall one of the youths presently take him vp and wantonly kisse him Whereupon ariseth the Prouerbe The Heremits Banquet signifying that the Scholler becomes his Masters Minion for none of them may marry and they are called Heremites Among these Sects in Fez are some Rules esteemed Hereticall of both sorts of Doctors Some hold That a man by good Workes Fasting and Abstinence may attaine to the nature of an Angell the Vnderstanding and Heart being thereby so purified say they that a man cannot sinne though he would But to this height is ascended by fiftie steps of Discipline and though they fall into sinne before they come into the fiftieth Degree yet will not God impute it They vse strange and incredible Fastings in the beginning but after take all the pleasures of the World They haue a seuere forme of liuing set downe in foure Bookes by a by a certaine learned man called Essebrauer de Schrauard in Corasan Likewise another of their Authors called Ibnul Farid wrote all his Learning in witty Verses full of Allegories seeming to treat of Loue. Wherefore one Elfargano commented on the same and thence gathered the Rule and the Degrees aforesaid In three hundred yeeres none hath written more elegant Verses which therefore they vsed in all their Banquets They hold that the Heauens Elements Planets and Starres are one God and that no Religion is erronious because euery one takes that which he worships for God They thinke that all knowledge of God is contained in one Man called Elcorb elect by God and wise as he Forty among them are called Elauted which signifieth Blocks Of these is Elcoth or Elcorb elected when the former is dead threescore and ten Electors make the choice There are seuen hundred threescore and fiue others out of whom those threescore and ten Electors are chosen The Rule of their Order binds them to range vnknowne through the World either in manner of Fooles or of great Sinners or of the vilest man that is Thus some wicked persons of them goe vp and downe naked shamefully shewing their shame and like brute beasts will sometimes haue carnall dealings with women in the open streets reputed neuerthelesse by the common people for Saints as we haue shewed elsewhere There is another sort called Caballists which fast strangely eate not the flesh of any liuing creature but haue certaine meates and habits appointed for euery houre of the day and of the night and certaine set Prayers according to the dayes and monethes strictly obseruing the numbers of them and carry square Tables with Characters and Numbers engrauen in them They say that good Spirits appeare to them and talke with them instructing them in the knowledge of all things There was amongst them a famous Doctor called Boni which composed their Rule and Orders whose Booke I haue seene seeming more to sauour of Magicke then the Cabals Their notablest works are eight The first called Demonstration of Light contayneth Fastings and Prayers The second their square Tables The third fourescore and nineteene Vertues in the Name of God contayned c. They haue another Rule among these Sects called Sunab the Rule of Heremits the Professors whereof inhabite Woods and solitary Places without any other sustinance then those Desarts affoord None can describe their life because they are estranged from all humane Societie He that would see more of
they goe to Market they wash them from top to toe and put on other clothes They buy no more but for that day or meale They stampe their Milia as wee doe spice fanne it in a wodden dish steepe it ouer-night with a little Mais and in the morning lay it on a stone and as Painters their colours grinde it with another stone till it be dowe which they temper with fresh water and salt and make rolls thereof twice as bigge as a mans fist and bake it a little on the hearth This is their bread Their dyet is strange as raw flesh handfuls of graine large draughts of Aqua-vitae Dogs Cats Buffles Elephants though stinking like carrion and a thousand magots creeping in them There are little birds like Bulfinches which make their nests on small ends of twigs for feare of Snakes these they eat aliue with their feathers The Moores say that within land they eat dried snakes and these will eat dogs guts raw which our Author hath seene and a Boy left in pawne on shipbord for debt which had meat enough yet would secretly kill the Hens that he might eat their raw guts They will eat old stinking fish dried in the Sun yet can they be daintie if they may haue it Some make a kind of Ale of Mays and water sodden together called Poitou Sometime foure or fiue together will buy a pot of Palme-wine which they powre into a great Cabas which groweth on trees and some of them are halfe as big as a kilderkin round about which they sit to drinke each sending a little pot-full to his best wife When they first drinke they take it out with a small Cabas laying their hands on the head of him which first drinketh crie aloud Tautosi Tautosi he drinkes not all off but leaues a litle to throw on the ground to the Fetisso saying I. ou spouting out some on their Fetissos on their armes and legs otherwise thinking they could not drinke in quiet They are great Drinkers and feed as vnmanerly as Swine sitting on the ground and cramming not staying till the morsell in the mouth be swallowed but tearing their meat in pieces with the three mid-fingers casting it into their mouthes ready gaping to receiue it They are alway hungry and would eat all day long yea the Dutchmen had great stomacks whiles they were there He that gets most must be most liberall industrious to get and as prodigall in spending vpon their liquor Before the Portugals trade they had no Merchandise but went naked and the people within Land were afraid of them because they were white and apparelled They come to trade in the ships in the morning for about noone the wind before blowing from land comes from Sea and they are not able to endure the roughnesse thereof They beleeue that Men when they die goe into another World where they shall haue like need of many things as heere they haue and therefore vse to put with the dead Corpes some parts of houshold And if they lose any thing they thinke that some of their friends which in the other world had need thereof came thence and stole it Of God being asked they said he was blacke and euill and did then much harme their good they had by their owne labour and not by his goodnesse Circumcision they vse and some other Turkish Rites They hold it vnmeet and irreligious to spit on the ground They haue no leter nor Bookes They obserue a Sabbath herein agreeing and yet disagreeing with Turke Iew and Christian for they obserue Tuesdayes Rest from their Fishing and Husbandrie The Wine of the Palme-tree which is that day gathered may not be sold but is offered to the King who bestoweth it on his Courtiers to drinke at night In the midst of the Market-place they had a Table standing on foure Pillars two elues high whose flat couer was made Straw And Reedes wouen together Hereon were set many strawne Rings called Fetissos or Gods and therein Wheat with Water and Oyle for their God which they thinke eates the same Their Priest they call Fetissero who euery Festiuall day placeth a Seat on that Table and sitting thereon Preacheth to the people the contents whereof I could neuer learne which done the Women offer him their Infants and hee sprinkleth them with water in which a Newt or Snake doth swim and then besprinkleth the Table aforesaid with the same water and so vttering certaine wordes very loude and stroking the Children with certaine colour as giuing them his blessing hee drinketh of that water the people clapping their hands and crying I. ou I. ou and so he dismisseth his deuout assembly Many weare such Rings of Straw next their bodies as preseruatiues from those dangers which else their angry God might inflict on them In honour of the same Deitie or Deuill as it seemes they conceiue him to be they bechalke themselues with a kind of chalkey Earth and this is vnto them in stead of their Morning Mattens The first bitte at meales and first draught is consecrate to their Idoll and therefore they besprinkle therewith those Rings which I said they weare on their bodies If Fishers cannot speed at Sea they giue a piece of Gold to the Fetissero to reconcile their frowning Saint He therfore with his Wiues walkes a kind of Procession thorow the Citie smiting his brest and clapping his hands with a mightie noise till hee come at the shore and there they cut downe certaine boughes from the Trees and hang them on their neckes and play on a Tymbrell Then doth the Fetissero turne to his Wiues and expostulates with them and withall hurleth into the Sea Wheat and other things as an offering to Fetisso to appease his displeasure towards the Fishermen When the King will sacrifice to Fetisso hee commands the Fetissero to enquire of a Tree whereto he ascribeth Diuinitie what he will demand Hee with his Wiues come to the Tree and in a heape of ashes there prouided prickes in a branch plucked off the Tree and drinking water out of a Bason spouts it out on the branch and then daubeth his face With the ashes which done he declareth the Kings question and the Diuell out of the Tree makes answer The Nobles also adore certaine Trees and esteeme them Oracles and the Diuell sometimes appeareth vnto them in the same in forme of a blacke Dog and other whiles answereth without any visible apparition There are which worship a certaine Bird which is spotted and painted as it were with Stars and resembleth the lowing of a Bull in her voyce To heare this Bird lowing in their journey is to them a luckie boding saying Fetisso makes them good promises and therefore let him in that place where they heare it a Vessell of Water and Wheat And as the Earth and Ayre yeeld them Deities so the Sea is not behinde in his liberalitie but yeelds certaine Fishes to their Canonization In this respect
* Amos 4.12 b Psal. 103.1 b Of the Iewes Arba-canphos and Zizis they call this garment Talish vid. El. Thisb rad Talith vid. R. Mos M. N. l. 3. c. 33. c Num. 15.38 Fringes and Phylacteries d Of their Tephillim e The foureteene first verses in Exod. 13. 4 5 6 7 8 9. of Deut. 6. Pagn f Deut. 6.6 8. g Eccles 4.17 h Exod. 3. 5 i Num. 24.5 k Psal. 5.7 l Psal. 26.28 It seemeth 1. Cor. 11.4 that they prayed bare headed but in the booke Musar cap. 4. It is said a man ought to couer his head when hee prayeth because he standeth before God with fear and trembling and Cap. 6. he giueth a reason why a man is bare a woman couered because saith he Eue first sinned m Grounded on Deut. 10.12 Now Israel what doth God require of thee they reade not Mahschoel but Meahschoel hee râ—quireth an hundred And in the Treatise Porta lucis is hereof a Cabalisticall speculation that hee which any day shall misse any of his hundreth benedictions he shall not haue one blessing to his minde c. See P. Ric. de Coelest Agric. lib 4. n Zephan 3.20 o Hos 14.3 p Obad. ver 21. q Monster praecept Mes cum expos Rab. r Echad Å¿ They may not say it within foure cubits of a graue nor in sight of an vnclean place where dung or vrine is except they be hardned and dryed vp or else couered They must not stirre their eyes or fingers It is a preseruation against diuels Munster t Ezek. 1.7 u Tract Sanhedrin x 1. Kin. 22.22 y Vict. de Carben lib. 1. cont Iud. cap. 8. P. Ric. praec. affirmat 19. z Psal. 72.19 * Mor. Neb. l. 3. cap. 64. Buxdorf c 6 7. a Relation of Religion in the West b Deut. 11.13 c Leuit. 26.10 d Talmud tract Sotah cap. 1. e Prou. 6.26 f They may not drinke any wine with the Gentiles because it is doubtfull whether it hath beene offered to Idols or no and though it be alleaged that the Gentiles now doe not serue Idols yet because it was determined by a certaine number of Rabbines till by a Counsel of so many that decree bee disanulled it must stand Elias Thys rad Nesech g Robin good-fellow or the spirit of the buttery among the Iewes Concerning Angels it is thus writen in the booke Aboth fol. 83. from the earth to the firmament all is full of troupes and rulers and below are many hurtfull and accusing creatures which all haue their abode in the ayre no place being free of which some are for peace some for warre some prouoke to good some to euill to life and death c. Drus lib. 7. praet They say the Angell Raeziel is Gods Secretarie of which name are two Cabalisticall bookes Elias Thys Samael is the Diuell Euerie one hath two Angels one at his right hand the other at his left Rambam M. N. lib. 3.23 h Hee that leaues nothing on the Table shall not bee prosperous Sanhed C. helek i Psal. 39.10 11 k Scholae pulsator among the Iewes is as our Sexten They will not admit of bels because it is an inuention of the Christians because sayth Carbensis they are baptised they vse this prouerbe therof Hee which ringeth a bell let him fall in the dunghill and hee which hangs on the Bel-rope may he hang in hell Vict. Carb lib. 1. cap. 11. l Psal. 84 4. 144.15 145.5 m Iosh 7.6 n Deut. 6.4 a Tract Rabba Kama c. 7. b Exod. 15.22 c Li. Musar c. 4 d Princip sap ap Drus e The deuouter Iewes fast euery Munday and Thursday Vid. Buxdor syn cap. 9. Drus praet in Luc. 1.8 18.2 f Li. Musar 26. g In Thisb rad sacar h In their Synagogues they might do this but not in their Schooles See c. 12. Sup. §. 3. i The manner of the Law-Lectures k The folding of the wood of Life l Prou. 3.18 m Praecentor n Psal. 34.4 o Psalm 99.9 Legem legebant primuÌ„m Sacerdos deinde Leuita postreme Israel nam tres erant qui eam legebant Drus ex li. Musar Women haue a Synagogue apart from the men p Zach. 12.2 q This preparation or Parasceue they obserue before the Sabbath and other feasts Tertullian calls them caenae purae r Exod. 16.25 Å¿ Orach chaijm cap. 2. t Gen. 3.12 u De Sab. c. 21. x Like to this is the storie of Turnus and R. Akiba in the Talmud Tract Sanhed cap. 7. y De Sab. c. 16. z Dicunt cabalistae quòd qui vxorem suam cognoscit in media nocte noctis Veneris adueniente Sabbato non aliter prospera erit ei generatio tales n nunquam caerebunt haerede bonos procreabunt filios tales dicuntur Eunuchi quibus Deus etiam dat bona temporalia quia sicut tunc Tipheret copulatur vxori Malcut ratione Sobbati sic vir tunc de influxis Tipheret participabit Archang. in Cabal quem consule de Tiphereth Malch pag. 769. a Esa 58.13 b Minhagam Pag. 13. c Math. 27.47 d This holy wine they sprinkle about their houses and themselues as effectuall against diseases and diuels e Math 12 11. f Iob. 9 they accused Christ for anointing the eyes of the blinde c. yet they except the danger of life Thanchuma 8.1 Imeden fol. 41. Aquiba saith one may raise the dead by Necromancie except on the Sabbath and Misuoth 100. he determineth a Sabbath iourney out of towne for within though as wide as Niniue it had none at 2000. cubites which there is a measured mile g V ct Caroâ—ns l. 1. Buxdorf Syn. Iud. a Of their Tekuphas see sup c. 4. b Scal. Em. Tem. l. 7. p. 592. c Their order of celebrating the Passe-ouer at this day d Thus curious were the Roman women in the tites of Bana Dea not leauing a Mouse-hole vnsearched lest some male Mouse might marre the solemnitie e Hac nocte pas legunt historiam de exitu Aeg. bibunt 4 Cyathos vini post coenam frangunt panem dant partem suam vnicuique in mensacum tantasanctitate ac si ipsum Pascha mactassent Phil. Ferdinand praec. 19. f Abundans cautela non nocet g Pentecost h So the Primitiue Church neither fasted nor kneeled all the dayes betweene Easter Pentecost in token of ioyfull hope of the resurrection Iust Mart. quaest. 115. Amb. ser 61. Hier. Aug. c. perhaps in imitation of this Iewish rite applyed to that mystery i Tabernacles k The last day they may kindle fire from another not strike fire with stone or mettal nor quench it although to saue their good nor blow it with bellowes but with a reede they may with many trifling obseruations else mentioned by Munst Praecept Mos cum expos Rab. l Palme and Willow and Pome-citron and Myrtle the cause hereof Rambam deliuers Moreb Neb. p. 3. c. 44. m Psal. 96.12 n Bux de