shall ye stablishe your selues a sure quiete in your blisse And that your nature leade ye not to the worse for lacke of knowledge of the bettre I haue bothe made vnto you Lawes as I learned thē at the mouthe of the lorde also an ordre of publique discipline Acordyng to the ordenaunces whereof if ye shall directe your liues ye shal be iudged of all people the moste happie Hauyng spoken these thynges he deliuered vnto thē the lawes and the ordre of their cōmune wealth writtē in a boke But thei vniuersally wepte and greatly lamented the departure of their capitein that so fast approched Remēbring what daungters and carcke he had suffred for their sauftie muche distrustyng what should aftrewarde come of theim As the people that neuer was like to haue suche a gouernour again And muche fearyng least God would withdrawe his tendrenes towarde theim when there lacked a Moses to entreate And thei bewailed with greate repentaunce the thynges whiche in their angre thei had done vnto hym in the deserte So that the teares of the people their dole and sobbyng complaintes ware greater then could be recomforted with wordes Although Moses did what in hym laie to perswade thē that there was no cause why thei should bewaile hym But rather remembre to put in vse the ordre of the cōmune welth that he had giuen theim And so he dissolued the assemblie These woores be spokē a the person Iosephus Now then afire what tyme I shall haue shewed ye thordre of the communewealth miete for the worthines and vertue of Moses and shall haue described the same that it maie appere vnto al men beyng willyng to reade what our state hath bene in times paste I will procede to the declaracion of the other thynges With suche faithe that I neither wille penne any thyng other wise then he lefte it ne adde either for settyng out of the matier or other wise any title of myne owne Sauyng onely those that he lefte written by piecemeale as he receiued thē at the mouthe of God we haue framed toguether into one ordenarie treatise Wherof I thought good to giue warnīg least some of our bloude happenyng vpō these might by occasion saie that we had swarued from the truthe The lawes then perteinyng to the instituciō of our citie are suche as followe But suche as he lefte vs cōmune among our selues those haue I deferred vntill I putte furthe my booke A booke of Iosephus so named De moribus causis whiche I haue purposed God willyng to go in hande with next aftre this Moses speaketh againe * What time then ye shall haue achieued the land of Chanaan and as menne that haue founde laisure to vse their goodes shal determine from thencefurthe to builde cities if ye shall accomplishe these thinges ye shall bothe haue bone a thing acceptable vnto God and shall winne to your selues a grounded wealthe See that there be one holie citie in the mooste goodlie place of all the lande of Chanaan See that ther be but one churche in it and one altare of stones neither squared nor karued ne yet framed by Masonrie but hande somely heaped together as thei be gathered And lette the same be so plastered ouer that it maie appere to the sighte a plaine and comely Altare But se there be none ascence ther vnto by staiers but onely a faire vp goyng by a slope bancque of Turfes In any other of your cities se there neither be Churche ne Altare For God is but one and the people of the Hebrues but one Whosoeuer shal haue spokē * villanie against God Blasphen let hym be stoned and hanged fro morowe till nighte and vilely be bewried withoute anye solempnitie Thrise a yere the people shal assēble into the citie where the churche is fro farre and niere through the whole lande that the Nebrues shal possesse Bothe to rendre thanckes to GOD for that he shall haue sent them to make supplicaciō for thinges that are to come And further to th ende that with often hauntynge one with another and festing together there maie be a friendship engēdred emongest theim For truely it is miete that menne of one nacion and bloude and coupled in one trade of lawes should be acqueinted one with another as by suche fellowshippeit shal come to passe and that thei should cause a remembraūce to remaine one of another emōgest them with suche repaire and cōpanieng together Without the whiche ye shall seme one to a nother moste straunge Ye shall also reserue aparte a tenthe of all the fruictes of the earthe beside the tenthe appoincted to be giuen to the priestes and Leuites The whiche ye shall selle eche man at home in his countrie But the profecte comyng thereof shal be spent vpō the feastes and sacrifices to be made in the holy citie For so is it mete that men take parte of the fruictes comming of the londe whiche the Lorde shall giue them to the honour of the giuer The price that commeth of the commune har lot shalt thou not conuerte vnto the vse of Sacrifice For God delighteth not in the fruites of any kinde of iniquitie and nothing is more abhominable then such lewdenes of the body Likewyse yf anye manne require eyther thy dogge for the folde or for the chace to lime his bitche the price comming therof shalte thou not conuerte to the sacrifice of the Lord. No man shall rayle against those that other cities holde for their goddes Neither shall ye spoyle or robbe churche or chapell of any foreine Idolle ne take away any gifte consecrate to them See that none of you be apparelled with a garmente * of linnen and wollen meinte Linsy wolsy for that apperteineth onely to the priestes And when the multitude shal be assēbled into the holy citie to celebrate the seuēth yeres sacrifices at suche time as the feast of the Bowthes draweth nighe lette the bysshoppe standing in some place alofte made for the purpose fro whence he may wel be harde recite the lawes vnto them all Withholdinge neither woman ne childe no not the bondeman from hearing of them For it behoueth them to haue them writen in their hartes mindes that thei may be kepte neuer to perisshe For by that meanes shall it come to passe that thei shall not offende when thei shal haue none ignoraunce to excuse them in the ordinaunces and lawes and the lawes shal haue the greater authoritie vppon the offendours in that thei haue warned them afore of the penaltie and by hearing haue grauen in their mindes what thinges thei commaunde That thei maye haue the effecte of their meaninge euen dwelling within them The whiche neclegted thei shal offende and be the cause of their owne euilles Yea and let the very children learne the lawes fro their youthe as being a most good lye discipline and the cause of blessed wealthe Twise a daye also bothe in the morning and at the houre of
without sedicion shall aduaunce and enhaunce it Let the time neuer be sene that shall altre any one of these and chaunge theim into contrarie But forasmuche as there â—s no remedie but that menne shall falle into busines and troubles either willinglie or vnwillinglie Lette vs also deuise some what in that be haulfe that through foresighte of thinges miete to be done ye maie haue wholesome remedies when nede is and not be driuen to sieke remedie at vnsette steuin when the daungier lieth in your lappes But that ye maie possesse and enioie the lande that GOD hath giueÌ„ ye banishyng sluggardise and kieping your mindes in continuall exercise to the practise of vertue and manhod euen wheÌ„ ye haue gotten it that ye maie liue there without thencursions of strauÌ„gers and without any ciuile discencion to vere ye or trouble ye Throughe the whiche tiuâ—le discorde if ye shall falle to doyng thinges contrarie to your forefathers and lette stippe their ordenaunces and rules or shall not continue in the lawes whiche the Lorde veliuereth vnto you moste assur edly good for what so euer affaires of warre ye shal haue either now in your time or your children aftre you the Lorde shall throwe the breakers of the same cleane out of his fauour and protection When ye are in minde to warre vpon any people and to shewe your force vpon them sende firste your Heralde vnto theÌ„ though thei be neuer so muche bent to be your enemies For before ye lift vp weapon against theim it behoueth ye to vse communicacion with theim declaryng that although ye haue an armie of great power and horses harneis and weapoÌ„s and that whiche farre passeth all these God your fauourer helper yet by your good willes ye woulde haue no warre with theÌ„ Neither that it ware any pleasure to you to enriche your selues with the spoile of their substance but rather a thing that ye hate if it maie otherwise be If thei shall leane vnto you then it becometh ye to kiepe peace Thincking with your selues that thei are your bettres in streÌ„gth But if thei wille endamage you then leade ye your armie against theim vsyng God for your heade capiteine and gouernour but for your chiefteine vndre him make ye some one of passyng wisedome and courage For where there are many gouernours beside the hinderauÌ„ce that it causeth when a mannes necessitie moueth him to vse spiede it is wonte also not to be verie prosperous to theim that vse it Lette your armie bee piked of the strongest and hardiest of courage â—leaste tournynge their backes when it cometh to stripes thei profite more your ennemies then you Thei that late haue builded and not yet taken one yeres commoditie of thesame and thei that haue planted either vineyarde or horteyard and not recemed as yet any fruictes therof lette theim bee suffred at home Like wise those that are trouthplite towarde mariage or suche as are newly maried least vpon longing aftre their desires thei be to rendre ouer their liues And sparing theim selues to enioie their pleasure shrincke backe for the nones and abasse the courage vppon regard of their wiues And when ye shal be assembled into campe lette it be foresene that nothing bee done out of course to muche against curtesie And when ye shall besiege any fortresse or toune of defence and lacke Timbre for the making of your engines and deuises pille ye not the countrie cutting doune the trees aboute the citie or fortresse what so euer it be but sparingly vse theÌ„ RemeÌ„bring that the earthe bringeth theim furthe for the commoditie of manne and that thei would laie to your charge if thei coulde speake that vndeseruedly ye hurte them As no whitte occasion of the warre and those that gladly would haue giueÌ„ place and passed into some other quartre if it had bene possible for them WheÌ„ ye shall haue ouercomen theim in the fielde flea ye as many as stande in the battaile against ye The residue reserue ye to paie tribute vnto ye the Cananites excepted for those it behoueth ye to destroie euery mothers sonne And haue ye a specialle regarde in the skirmishe or battaile that no woman either vse the appareille of menne or any manne the appareille of women Suche then was the ordre of the commune wealthe that Moses left Beside these he deliuered them lawes in writing fouretie yeres afore of the whiche we will treate in another booke Aftre this in the daies folowynge for he euery daie continually preached vnto theim he deliuered them praiers of blessinge and banning the one for the fulfillers the other for the trangressours of the lawe TheÌ„recited he vnto theÌ„ the verses that he lefte in the byble consistnge eche one of .xii. measures the piece and conteining the forewarning of thinges to come acording to the whiche all thinges haue happened and happeÌ„ at this present So to the poincte that it can not be said that he missed the truthe in any thing These bookes deliuered he vnto the priestes and the Arcke In the which he left the ten articles of the lawe whiche we commenly calle the .x. coÌ„maundementes written in two tables and the Tabernacle also And he gaue a lesson to the people that when thei had conquered the lande and ware satled in the same they should not forgette the iniury of the Amalechites but that thei should make a voyage against them and take reuenge vpon them for the damage and displeasure thei did them when thei ware in the deserte And that when thei should enioye the contrie of Cananie and should haue destroyed the whole multitude of it as it behoued and was miete for them thei should buylde vp an altare looking towarde the Easte in some place not farre from the citie of the Sichemites betwene the two mounteines Garised on the right hande and Gibalo on the left haÌ„de And that thei should place their whole multitude vppon those two mounteines beinge deuided into two equalle partes That is to say on eche hille vi tribes with the leuites and priestes and all And that thei first that ware in the mounte Garisin should wysshe all felicitie and blessednes vnto those that ware deuoute in the religion of GOD and the keping of the lawes threwe not at their hieles those thinges that Moyses had taughte them And that then the other in Gibalo aftre what time thei had luckely giuen their good consent vnto theÌ„ should also wishe like prosperitie and like blessednes to the like doers answerably to the former Wherunto the firste should againe giue like lucky consente with praisinge them That done he willed them in like sorte to do with the cursinges answering one another for the establisshing of the lawes that should be giuen them And that the maner and discipline of this blessinge and cursing mighte neuer falle oure of vse he wrate them out the order of bothe with the praiers and curses therto appertinente The whiche also when he died he wrate vppon
These Ethiopians or Indianes excepted al the reste of the people of Libia Westward are worshippers of Mahomet and liue aftre the same sorte in maner that the Barbariens do in Egipte at this present and are called Maures or Moores as I thincke of their outleapes and wide rowming For that people was no lesse noysome to Lybie in those cursed tymes when so greate mutation of thinges happened when peoples ware so chaunged suche alteration of seruice and religion broughte in and so many newe names giuen vnto contries then the Sarasens ware ¶ The. v. Chapiter ¶ Of Aegipte and the auncient maners of that people AEgipte is a Countrie liyng in Affrike or as some hold opintō borderyng thervpō so named of Aegiptus Danaus brother where afore it was called Aeria This Aegipte as Plinie recordeth in his fiueth boke toutheth on the East vppon the redde Sea and the land of Palestine On the West fronteth vpon Cirene and the residue of Afrike On the South it stretcheth to Ae thiope And on the Nor the is ended with the sea to whom it giueth name The notable Cities of that Countrie ware in tyme past Thebes Abydos Alexandrie Babilon and Memphis at this daie called Damiate alias Chairus or Alkair and the seate of the Soldā a citie of notable largenesse In Aegipt as Plato affirmeth it was neuer sene rain But Nilus suppliyng that defaulte yerely aboute saincte Barnabies tide with his ouerflowynges maketh the soile fertile It is nombred of the moste parte of writers emong the Islandes For that Nilus so parteth hymself aboute it that he facioneth it triangle wise The Aegiptians firste of all other deuised the names of the twelue Goddes builte vp Altares and Images erected Chappelles and Temples and graued in stone the similitude of many sondrie beastes All whiche their doynges dooe manifestly make that thei came of the Aethiopes who as Diodore the Sicilian saieth ware the firste inuentours of all these Their women in old tyme had all the trade of occupiyng and brokage abrode and reuelled at the Tauerne and kepte iustie chiere And the men satte at home spinnyng and woorkyng of Lace and suche other thynges as women are wonte The men bare their burdeins on the heade the women on the shulder In the easemente of vrine the men rowked doune the women stoode vprighte The easemente of ordure thei vsed at home but commonly feasted abrode in the stretes No woman tooke ordres either of God or Goddesse Their maner of ordres is not to make seuerally for euery Goddesse and God a seuerall priest but al at a shuffe in generall for all Emong the whiche one is an heade whose sonne enheriteth his roume by succession The men children euen of a custome of that people did with good wil kepe their fathers and mothers but the women children yf they refused it ware compelled The moste part of men in solempne burialles shaue their heades and let theyr beardes growe but Thegiptians shaued their beardes and let their heades grow They wrought their doughe with their fiete and their claye with their handes As the Greciens do beleue this people and their ofspring are they that vsed circumcision Thei ordre their writyng frō their right hande towarde their left contrary to vs. It was the maner emonge them that the menne should we are two garmentes at ones the women but one As the Aethiopes had so learned they of them two maner of lettres the one seuerall to the priestes thother vsed in commune Their priestes euery thirde daye shaued their bodies that there might be none occasiō of filthinesse whē they shold ministre or sacrifie Thei did weare garmentes of linnen euer cleane wasshed and white and shoes of a certeine kinde of russhes named Papyrus whiche aftre became stuffe to geue name to our paper They neither sette beane their selues ne eate them where soeuer they grewe no the priest may not loke vpon a beane for that it is iudged an vncleane puls They are wasshed euery daye in colde water thrise and euery nighte twise The heades of their sacrifices for that they vsed to curse them with many terrible woordes did they not eate but either the priestes solde them to such strangiers as had trade emonge them or if there ware no suche ready in time they threwe them in to Nilus All the Egiptians offer in sacrifice neither cowe ne cowe calfe because they are hallowed to Isis their goddesse but bulles and bulle calues or oxen and stieres For their meate they vse moche a kynde of pancake made of rye meale For lacke of grapes they vse wyne made of Barly They liue also with fisshe either dried in the Sonne and so eaten rawe or elles kept in pikle They fiede also vpō birdes and foules firste salted and then eaten rawe Quaile and mallard are not but for the richer sorte At all solempne suppers when a nomber is gathered and the tables withdrawen some one of the company carieth aboute in an open case the image of death caruen out of wodde or drawē with the pencille as niere to the vine as is possible of a cubite or two cubites long at the moste Who shewyng it aboute to euery of the gestes saieth loke here drinke and be mery for aftre thy death suche shalt thou be The yonger yf they miete their auncient or bettre vpon the waye giue them place going somewhat aside or yf the aunciente fortune to come in place where they are sitting they arise out of their seate wherin they agre with the Lacedemoniēs Whē thei miete in the waye they do reuerence to eche other bowing their bodies and letting fal their handes on their knees They weare longe garmentes of lynnen hemmed about the skirtes beneth whiche they calle Casiliras ouer the which they throwe on another white garment also Wollen apparelle thei neither weare to the churche ne bewry any man in Nowe forasmoche as they afore time that euer excelled in anye kinde of learning or durste take vppon them to prescribe lawe and rule of life vnto other as Orpheus Homere Museus Melampode Dedalus Licurgus Solon Plato Pithagoras Samolxis Eudoxus Democritus Inopides and Moses the Hebrue with manye other whose names the Egiptians glorie to be cronicled with theim traueiled first to the Egiptians to learne emōgest them bothe wisedome and politique ordre wherein at those daies they passed all other me thinketh it pleasaunte and necessarie also to stande somewhat vpon their maners ceremonies and Lawes that it may be knowen what they sondry moe haue borowed of thē and translated vnto other For as Philip Beroalde writeth in his commentary vpon Apuleius booke entituled the Goldē Asse the moste parte of the deuices that we vse in our Christian religion ware borowed out of the maner of Thegiptians As surpluis and rochet and suche linnen garmentes shauen crownes tourninges at the altare our masse solem puities our or ganes our knielinges crouchinges praiers and other of that kinde The kinges of Egipte saieth
partely for the vse and commoditie of their priuate life For thei neither thincke it mete that any parte of the honour of the Goddes shouâ—d bee omitted or that thei whiche are Ministres of the commune counsaill and profecte should be destitute of necessary commodities of the life For these menne are alwate in matters of weighte called vpon by the nobles for their wisedome and counsaille And to shewe as thei can by their coÌ„nyng in the Planettes and Starres and by the maner of their Sacrifices the happe of thinges to come Thei also declare vnto theÌ„ the stortes of men of olde tyme regested in their holy Scripture to the ende that accordyng to theÌ„ the kynges maie learne what shall profighte or disprofighte For the maner is not emong them as it is emong the Grecians that one manne or one woman should attende vpon the sacrifices and Ceremonies alone but thei are many at ones aboute the honour of their Goddes and teache the same ordre to their children This sorte of menne is priuilged and exempte from all maner of charges and hath next vnto the kyng the second place of dignitie and honour The second porcion cometh to the king to mainte in his owne state and the charges of the warres and to shewe liberalitie to men of prowesse according to their worthinesse So that the Communes are neither burdoned with taxes nor tributes The thirde parte do the pencionaries of the warres receiue and suche other as vpoÌ„ occasions are moustered to the warres â–ª that vpon the regard of the stipende thei maie haue the better good wille and courage to hasarde their bodies in battaile Their communaltie is deuided into thre sortes of people Husbande men Brieders of cattle and men of occupariâ— The Husbandmen buyeng for a litle money a piece of grounde of the Priestes the king or the warriour al daies of their life euen from their childhode continually applie that care Whereby it cometh to passe that bothe for the skoolyng that their haue therin at their fathers handes and the continuall practisyng fro their youthe that thei passe all other in Husbandrie The Brieders aftre like maner learnyng the trade of their fathers occupie their whole life therabout We see also that all maner of Sciences haue bene muche bettred yea brought to the toppe of perfection emong the Egiptians For the craftes men there not medlyng with any commune matiers that mighte hindre theim emploie theim selues onely to suche sciences as the lawe doeth permit them or their father hath taught theÌ„ So that thei neither disdaine to be taughte nor the hatred of eche other ne any thing elles withdraweth them froÌ„ their crafte Their Iudgementes and Sentences of lawe are not giuen there at adueÌ„ture but vpon reason for thei surely thought that all thinges well done muste niedes be profitable to mannes life To punishe the offendours and to helpe the oppressed thoughte thei the best waie to auoide mischiefes But to buye of the punishemente for money or fauour that thought thei to be the very confusion of the commune welfare Wherefore thei chase out of the chief cities as Heliopole Memphis and Thebes the worthiest men to be as Lordes chief Iustice or Presidentes of IudgemeÌ„tes so that their Iustice henche did sieme to giue place neither to the Areopagites of the Athenienses ne yet to the Senate of the Lacedemonians that many a daie after theim ware instituted Aftre what tyme these chief Iustices ware assembled thirtie in noÌ„bre thei chase out one that was Chauncellour of the whole and when he failed the citie appoincted another in his place All these had their liuynges of the kyng but the Chauncellour more honorably then the rest He bare alwaie about his necke a tablette hangyng on a chaine of golde and sette full of sundrie precious stones whiche thei called Veritie and Truthe â–ª The courte beyng set and begunne and the tablet of Truthe by the Chauncellour laied furthe theight bookes of their lawes for so many had thei brought furth into the middes emong them it was the maner for the plaintife to putte into writyng the whole circumstance of his case and the maner of the wrong doone vnto him or how muche he estemed himself to be endamaged thereby And a time was giuen to the defendant to write answere again to euery poinct and either to deny that he did it or elles to alledge that he rightfully did it or elles to abate the estimate of the damage or wroÌ„g Then had thei another daie appointed to saie finally for theÌ„ selues At the whiche daie wheÌ„ the parties on bothe sides ware herd and the fudges had conferred their opinions the ChauÌ„cellour of the Iudges gaue sentence by pointyng with the tablet of Veritie toward the parte the semed to be true This was the maner of their iudgemeÌ„tes And for asmuche as we are fallen into mention of their iudgementes it shall not be vnsyttyng with myne enterprise to write also the aunciente Lawes of the Egiptians that it maie be knowen how muche they passe bothe in ordre of thynges and profite Fyrst to be periured was headyng for they thought it a double offence One in regarde of coÌ„scieÌ„ce not kept toward god and another in gyuynge occasion to destroy credite among men whiche is the chiefest bonde of their felowship If any wayfaryng man shuld espy a man sette vppon with thieues or otherwyse to be wronged and dyd not to his power succour ayde hym he was gyltie of death If he ware not able to succour and to reskewe hym then was he bounde to vtter the thieues and to prosecute the matter to enditement And he that so dyd not was punyshed with a certayne nombre of stripes and was kept thre days without meate He that shuld accuse any maÌ„ wrongfully if he fortuned afterward to be broughte into iudgement he suffered the punishement ordeyned for false accusers All the Egyptians ware compelled to brynge euery man their names to the chiefe Iustices and the facultie or science wherby they liued In the which behalfe if any man lyed or lyued with vnlaufull meanes he felle into penaltie of death If any man willyngly had slaine any man free or bond the lawes condemned hym to die not regardynge the state of the man but the malicious pourpose of the diede Wherby they made men afrayd to doe mischief and death beynge erecuted for the death of a bondman the free myght goe in more sauftie For the fathers that slewe their chyldren there was no punyshement of death appoynted but an iniunction that they shoulde stande thre daies and thre nyghtes togither at the graue of the deade accompanied with a common warde of the people to see the thyng done Neyther dyd it sieme them iuste that he that gaue life to the childe should lose his life for the childes death but rather be put to continual sorowe and to be pyned with the repentance of the diede that other myght therby be withdrawen from the like wyckednes But
Anaxirides facioned muche like a coate armour and a long coate doune to the knees with hangyng slieues acordyng The outside colours but the lining white In Somer thei weare purple and in Wintre Medleis The abillementes of their heades are muche like the frontlettes that their Magj doe weare The cōmune people are double coated doune to the midde Leggue and haue abouttheir heade a greate rolle of Sendalle Their beddes and their drinking vessell are garnished with gold Whē thei haue matier of moste importaunce to common of thei debate and cōclude in the middes of their cuppes thinkyng it muche surer that is so determined then aftre any other sobrer sorte Acqueintaunce mieting of equall degre griete one another with a kisse But the inferiour mietyng with his bettre enclineth his bodie foreward with lowe reuerence Thei bewrte their corpses in the grounde cearyng them all ouer with waxe Their Magicens thei leaue vnbewried for the foules to disspetche The children there by an ordenaunce no where elles vsed doe carnally knowe their mothers Thus haue ye heard what the maners of the Persians ware sometyme Herodotus reherseth certeine other their facions not vttrely vnworthe the tellynge That thei compted it vilanie to laughe or to spitte before the kyng Thei thought it fondenes in the Grekes worthie to be laughed at to imagine goddes to be sprong vp of menne What so euer was dishoneste to be done that thoughte thei not honest to be spokē To be in debt was muche dishonour but of all thinges moste vile for to lie Thei vse not to bewrie their deade bodies vntill thei haue bene torne with dogges or with fowles And the parentes brought to niedinesse vse there to make cheuisaunce of their doughters bodies whiche emong no nacion elles was euer allowed Howbeit some holde opinion that it was also the propretie of the Babilonians The Persians at this daie beynge subdued of the Saracenes and bewitched with Mahometes brainsicke wickednesse are cleane out of memorie a people in those daies whiche through their greate hardinesse and force ware of long tyme Lordes of the Easte parte of the worlde But now tombled cleane from their auncience renowme and bewried in dishonour ¶ The. viij Chapitre ¶ Of Ynde and the vncouthe tredes and maners of life of the people therin YNde a Countrie also of the Easte and the closyng vp of Asia toward that quartre is saied to be of suche a maigne syse that it maie be cōpared with the thirde parte of the whole earth Pomponius wrireth that alōge the shore it is fowrtie daies sailyng the nighte also comprised therin It tooke the name of the floude called Indus whiche closeth vp the lande on the Weste side Beginnyng at the Southe sea it stretcheth to the Sonne risynge And Northward to the moūt Caucasus There are in it many greate peoples and Tounes and Cities so thicke that some haue reported them in nombre fiue thousande And to saie truthe it oughte not to sieme greatly straunge vnto folkes though the roūtrie be reported to haue suche a nombre of Tounes or to be so populous consideryng that of all other the Yndiens alone neuer discharged theim selues of any ouerplus of issue as other haue done but alwaie kepte their owne offpryng at home in their owne countrie Their principall floudes are Ganges Indus and Hypanis But Ganges farre passeth in greatnes the other twaine This lande by the benefite of the battling breathe of the gētle Weast winde reapeth corne twise in the yere And other Wintre hath it none but the bittre blastes of Theasterly windes called Etesiae Thei larke wine and yet some men reporte that in the quartre called Musica there groweth a good wine grape In the Southe parte thereof groweth Nardus Cinnamome Peper and Calamus aromaticus as doeth in Arabia and Aethiope The woodde Ebenum whiche some suppose to be our Guayacum groweth there and not elles where Likewise of the Popiniaye and the Vnicorne As for precious stones Beralle Prasnes Diamantes firie Carbuncles and Pearles of all sortes be found there in greate plentie Thei haue twoo Sommers softe pimpelyng windes a milde aier a rancke soile and abundaunce of watre Diuerse of them therefore liue ar◠hundred thirtie yeres Namely emong the Musicanes And emong the Serites ▪ yet somewhat longer All the Yndians generally weare lōg heare died either aftre a bright asshe coulour or elles an Orenge tawnie Their chief iuelles are of Pearle and precious stones Their appareille is verie diuers and in fewe one like another Some go in Mantles of Wollen some of Linnen some naked some onely brieched to couuer the priuities and some wrapped aboute with pilles and lithe barckes of trees Thei are all by nature blacke of hewe euē so died in their mothers wōbe acordyng to the dispocisiō of the fathers nature whose siede also is blacke as like wise in the Aethiopians Talle men and strongly made Thei are very spare fieders namely when thei are in Campe. Neither delighte thei in muche preasse Thei are as I saied greate deckers and trimmers of them selues haters of theft Thei liue by lawe but not written Thei haue no knowledge of lettres but administer altogether without booke And for that thei are voide of guile and of very sobre diete all thing prospereth well with thē Thei drinke no wine but when thei Sacrifie to their goddes But their drincke is a bruage that thei make sometyme of Rize sometyme of Barlie Their meate for the mooste parte is soupynges made also of Rize In their lawes bargaines and couenauntes their simplicitie and true meanyng well appeareth for that thei neuer are muche contencious aboute thē Thei haue no Lawes concernyng pledges or thynges committed to another mannes kiepyng No witnessynges no handwritynges no sealynges ne suche like tokēs of trecherie and vntrust but without all these thei truste and be trusted thei belieue and are belieued yea thei oftentymes leaue their houses wide open without keper Whiche truely are all greate signes of a iuste and vprighte dealyng emong them But this peraduenture can not seatle well with euery mannes fantasie that thei should liue eche manne aparte by hymself and euery body to dine and to suppe when he lust and not all at anhowre determined For in dede for the felowshippe and ciuilitie the contrary is more allowable Thei commēde and occupie muche as a commune exercise to rubbe their bodies specially with skrapers made for the nones Aftre whiche thei smothe them selues again with Ebenum wherof I spake afore In their Toumbes and Bewrialles very plaine and nothyng costlie But in trimming and arraieng of their bodies to to gaude glorious For there aboute thei neither spare gold ne precious stone ne any kinde of silke that thei haue Thei delighte muche in garmentes of white Sarcenet And for that thei sette muche by beautie thei cary aboute with theim phanelles to defende them frō the sonne and leaue nothyng vndone that maketh for the bettre grace of their faces Thei sette asmuche
christians aftre the fourme of the Greke Churche Thei ware neighbours to the Persians Their dominiōs stretched out a great length from Palestine in Iewrie to the mounteignes called Caspij Thei had eightene Bishopries and one Catholicque that is to saie one generall bishoppe whiche was to them as our Metropolitane to vs. At the firste thei ware subiecte to the Patriarche of Antioche ▪ Menne of greate courage and hardinesse Thei all shaued their crounes the Laietie square the Clercques rounde Their women certeine of theim had the ordre of Knighthode and ware trained to the warres The Georgianes when thei ware sette ordered and raunged in the fielde and ware at poinct to ioyne the batteill vsed to drincke of a gourdfull of strong wine aboute the bigguenes of a mannes fiste And to sette vpon their ennemies muche amended in courage Their Clercques whiche we calle the Spiritualtie mighte vse bothe Simonie and vsurie at their wille There was continuall hatred betwixte Tharmenians and them For the Armenians ware also christians before the Tartarres had subdued the Georgianes and thē But thei differed in many thinges from the belief and facions of the true Churche Thei knewe no Christemas daie no vigilles nor the fowre quartre fastes whiche we call Embryng daies Thei fasted not on Easter euē because saie thei that Christ rose that daie aboute euen tide Vpon euery Saturdaie betwixte Easter and Whitsontide thei did eate flesshe Thei ware greate fasters and beganne their Lēte thre wekes afore vs and so streightly fasted it that vpon the Wedensdaie and Fridaie thei neither eate any kinde of fisshe ne aughte wherin was wine or oile Belieuing that he that drancke wine on these twoo daies synned more then if he had bene at the stewes with a whore On the Monedaie thei absteined from all maner of meate On Tewsdaie and Thursdaie thei did eate but one meale Wedensdaie and Fridaie nothyng at al. Saturdaie and Sondaie thei eate fleshe and made lustie chiere Throughe their whole Lente no manne said Masse but on Saturdaies and Sondaies Nor yet on the Fridaies throughout the whole yere for thei thought then that thei brake their fast Thei admitted to the houseale aswell children of two monethes olde as all other indifferently When thei went to Masse thei vsed to put no watre in the wine Thei absteined from Hares fleshe Beaws fleshe Crowes and suche other as the Grekes did and Iewes do Their Chalices ware of Glasse and of Tree Some said Masse without either albe or vestement or any maner suche ornamēt Some onely with thornamētes of Deacon or Subdeacon Thei ware all busie vsurers and Simonites bothe spirituall and Tēporall as the Georgianes ware Their priestes studied Sothesaieng and Nigromancie Their Spiritualtie vsed Iunckettyng oftener then the Laietie Thei maried but aftre the death of the wife it was not lawefull for the housebande to marie againe nor for the wife aftre the death of the housebande If the wife ware a whore the Bisshoppe gaue hym leaue to put her awaie and marie another As for the fire of Purgatorie thei knewe nothing of it Thei denied also verie stifly that there ware two natures in Christe The Georgianes saied that thei swarued from the truthe of Christes Religion in thirtie poinctes or articles ¶ The .xi. Chapitre ¶ Of Turcquie and of the maners ▪ Lawes and Ordenaunces of the Turcques THE lande whiche now is called Turcquie hath on Theaste Armenia the more ronneth endelong to the Sea of the Cilicians hauyng on the Northe the Sea named Euxinus There are in it many coūtries conteined As Lichaonia whose heade citie is Iconium Cappadocia with her heade citie named Cesarea Isauria whiche hath for the chief citie Seleucia Licia whiche now is called Briquia Ionia now called Quisquoun in the whiche standeth Ephesus Paphlagonia and in it Germanopolis And Leuech that hath for the heade Citie Trapezus All this countrie that now is called Turcquie is not enhabited by one seuerall nacion but there be in it Turcques Grekes Armenians Saracenes Iacobites Nestorians Iewes and christians Whiche liue for the moste parte acording to the Tradicions and Ordenaunces that Mahomet the countrefeict Prophete gaue vnto the Saracenes a people of Arabie the yere of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christe .vi. hundred and .xxix. A manne whome I can not telle whether I maye calle an Arabiane or a Persiā For ther be aucthorities of writers on either behaulfe His father was an idolastre after the maner of the heathen His mother an Ismalite leaning to the lawe of the Iewes And whilest in his childehode his mother taught him aftre one sorte his father aftre another thei printed in hym suche a doubtfull belief that when he came to age he cleaued to neither But as a manne of subtyle and guilefull witte aftre what time he had bene longe conuersaunte amongest menne of the Christian religion he draue a drifte deuised out of both lawes the olde and the newe how he mighte notably enfecte the worlde He said the Iewes did wickedly to denie Christe to be borne of the virgine Mary seinge the prophetes mē of great holinesse enspired with the holy ghost had foreshewed the same warned mē of many yeres passed to looke for him Contrariwyse he said to the Christians thei ware very fonde to beleue that Iesus so dierly beloued of God and borne of a virgine would suffre those vilanies and tormentes of the Iewes Martinus Segonius nouomōtanus in his booke of the Sepulchre of Christe our king writeth that the Turkes and Saracenes by an auncient opinion receiued from Machomet do laughe Christian menne to skorne that seke thether with so greate reuerence Sayeng that Christ the prophet of all prophetes endewed with the spirite of God and voyde of all earthly corruption had ther no sepulchre in very diede for that he being a spirituall body cōceiued by the breathe of the holy ghost coulde not suffre but should come againe to be iudge of the Gentiles This saieth Segonius and many other thinges sounding to like effecte whiche the Mahometeines are wōte to throwe out against the christians bothe foolisshely and wickedly When this countrefeicte prophet had saused his secte with these wicked opinions he gaue them his lawe and sorte of religion Against the whiche lesse any man of righte iudgemente should aftrewarde write or dispute as against a pestilent and filthie perswasion he wrote a lawe in his Alcorane that it shoulde be deathe to as many as should reason or dispute vppon it Wherby he euidentlie declared that ther was nothing godly or goodly therin For why should he elles haue so raked it vp in the asshes and for bidden it to be examined so that the people coulde neuer come to knowledge what maner of thinge it is that thei beleue in In the giuing of his lawe he vsed muche the counselle helpe of the mōche Sergius of the wicked secte of the Nestorianes And to the ende it might please the more vniuersally he
teares among them selues with many a longe eye aftre Moyses Who was accompanied to the place only with the fathers of the Counselle the highe prieste Eleasarus and Iosua now chiefteine And when he was comen to the mounteigne named Abary a very highe hylle ouer against Iericho geuing a goodlieye vnto those that are on it into the pleasant londe of the Cananites farre and wyde aboute he willed the counseil to departe And as yet takinge leaue of Eleasarus and Iosua and talkinge with them he vanisshed in a noque of the hille beynge soubdenly ouercaste with a cloude He wrate neuerthelesse in the holye bookes whiche we calle the byble that he was dead Fearing lesse thei should take vp on them to saye that he departed quicke vnto God for the incomparable vertue that was in him He liued in all a hundred and twenty yeres Of the which he coÌ„tinued .xl. in his gouernaunce lacking but one moneth He tooke his leaue the laste moneth of the yere called of the Macedonies Dwistre and of the Iewes Adar in the chaunge of the mone And he excelled in witte all the menne that euer ware and did all that he did with goodly aduisement discrecioÌ„ He was eloqueÌ„t and faire spoken in vttering his mynde to the people But so bridlinge his affeccions that a man woulde haue thoughte ther had bene none in him But that he knewe raither the name of them by that he sawe them in other then the worcking of theÌ„ by aught that he felte in him self A chiefteine with the best and moste expert but suche a Prophete as none was againe so that what soeuer he spake god him selfe mighte haue bene thoughte to haue spoken it Aftre he was thus with drawen from this worlde the people be mourned him thirtye daies with suche mone as neuer had bene sene so great amonge the Hebrues for any mishappe And not onely thei that had had experience of him ware sorye that thei lacked him but thei also that redde his lawes ware muche kindled with the desire of him as folkes gessinge by the worcke what excellencie was in the woorckeman Let this then suffice aftre this maner to haue declared the passage of Moises fro this lyse to euerlastinge immortalitie The table ¶ The firste booke vndre the title of Affrique conteineth THe preface of the Authour The true opinioÌ„ of the Deuine concerning the beginning of manne Cha. i. The false opinion of the Philosopher concerning the beginning of manne Chapiter ii The deuision and limites of the Earth Chapitre iii. Of Ethiope and the aunciente maners of that nacion Chapiter iiii Of Egipte and the aunciente maners of that people Chapiter v. Of the Penois afterwarde called Car thaginenses and the other peoples of Affrique Chapiter vi ¶ The seconde booke â—ndre the title of Aste conteineth The description and deuision of Asie with the peoples moste famous therin Chapiter i. Of Panchaia and the maners of the Panqueis Chapitre ii Of Assiria and Babilonia and the maners of those peoples Chapi iij. Of Iurie and of the lyfe maners and lawes of the Iewes Chapiter iiii Of Media and the maners of the Medes Chapiter v. Of Parthia and the maners of the Parthianes Chapiter vi Of Perse and the maners and ordenaunces of the Persianes Chapi vii Of Ynde and the vncouthe trades and maners of lyfe of the peoples therin Chapitre viii Of Scithia and the sterne maners of the Scithianes Chapiter ix Of Tartaria and the maners and power of the Tartares Chapiter x. Of Turckie and of all the maners lawes and ordenaunces of them Chapiter xi Of the Christianes of their first cominge vp their Ceremonies and ordenaunces Chapiter xii Atreatyse of Iosephus the Iewe concerninge the ordenaunces and lawes of the Iewes commune wealthe FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Kyngston and Henrie Sutton The .xxii. daye of December ANNO DOMINI M.D.I.V.