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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	aaron_n	jacob_n	sake_n	26	3	9.0062	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10231	Purchas his pilgrimage. Or Relations of the vvorld and the religions obserued in all ages and places discouered, from the Creation vnto this present Contayning a theologicall and geographicall historie of Asia, Africa, and America, with the ilands adiacent. Declaring the ancient religions before the Floud ... The fourth edition, much enlarged with additions, and illustrated with mappes through the whole worke; and three whole treatises annexed, one of Russia and other northeasterne regions by Sr. Ierome Horsey; the second of the Gulfe of Bengala by Master William Methold; the third of the Saracenicall empire, translated out of Arabike by T. Erpenius. By Samuel Purchas, parson of St. Martins by Ludgate, London.	Purchas, Samuel, 1577?-1626.; Makīn, Jirjis ibn al-ʻAmīd, 1205-1273. Taŕikh al-Muslimin. English.; Methold, William, 1590-1653.; Horsey, Jerome, Sir, d. 1626.	1626 (1626)	STC 20508.5; ESTC S111832	2,067,390	1,140

is King of the whole world hauing in the word Echad many superstitious subtilties that the letter Daleth in regard of his place in the Alphabet signifieth foure and the word Echad contayneth in numerall letters two hundred fortie and fiue whereunto adding three hael elohechem emes God our Lord is true they make vp the number of two hundred fortie and eight and so many members there are in mans bodie for euerie member a prayer secures them all And this verse thrice recited secureth against the ill spirit They esteeme it a holy prayer by which miracles may bee wrought and therefore vse it morning and euening They haue another prayer called Schone esre that is eighteene because it contayneth so many thankesgiuing which they say twice a day and the chiefe chanter of the Synagogue singeth it twice by himselfe They thinke by this prayer to obtaine remission of their sinnes They must pray it standing so that one foot must not stand more on the ground then the other like the Angels And their foote was a right foote When they come to those words in it Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts they leape vp three times aloft And hee say their Chachamim which speaketh a word during this prayer shall haue burning coales giuen him to eate after his death These eighteene thanksgiuings are for the eighteene bones in the chine or back-bone which must in saying hereof be bended After this followeth a prayer against the Iewes reuolted to Christianitie and against all Christians saying These which are blotted out that is reuolters shall haue no more hope and all vnbeleeuers shall perish in the twinkling of an eye and all thine enemies which hate thee O GOD shall be destroyed and the proud and presumptuous Kingdome shall quickly be rooted out broken layd euen with the ground and at last shall vtterly perish and thou shalt make them presently in our dayes obedient to vs Blessed art thou God which breakest and subduest them which are rebellious They call the Turkish Empire the Kingdome of Ismael the Roman Edomiticall proud c. They are themselues indeed exceeding proud impatient and desirous of reuenge The Talmud sayth That the lying spirit in the mouth of Achabs Prophets which perswaded him to goe and fall at Ramoth Gilead was none other but the spirit of Naboth whom hee had before flaine And Victor Carbensis a Christian Iew testifieth That there are not vnder heauen a more quarrelsome people themselues acknowledging the Christians farre meeker then themselues when they haue this Prouerb that the modestie of the Christians the wisedome and industrie of the Heathens and faith of the Iewes are the three pillers which sustaine the world But to returne to their deuotions After those other before mentioned followeth a prayer for the good sort for Proselytes reedifying of the Temple for sending the Messias and restauration of their Kingdome In the end they pray GOD to keepe them in peace and when they come to these words Hee that makes peace aboue shall make peace ouer all Israel Amen they goe backe three paces bow themselues downewards bend their head on the right hand then on the left if some Christian bee there with an Image they must not bow but lift vp their heart This they doe for honours sake not to turne their hinder parts on the Arke and thus they goe like Crabbes out of the Synagogue vsing certaine prayers not running but with a slow pace lest they should seeme glad that their Mattins were done Other their niceties in praying as laying the right hand on the left ouer the heart not spetting nor breaking winde vp or downe not interrupted by a King to cease prayer to shake his bodie this way and that way not to touch his naked bodie and to say Amen with all his heart for they that say Amen are worthie to say it in the world to come And therefore Dauid endeth a Psalme with Amen Amen signifying that one is to bee said heere and the other in the other world also in a plaine eminent place purged from all filth freed from the sight of women his face to the East standing his feet close together fixing his eyes on the ground eleuating the heart to heauen c. I hold it enough thus to mention Their praying to the East must be vnderstood from our Westerne parts because Ierusalem standeth that way for otherwise Rambam sheweth that Abraham prayed in Mount Moriah toward the West and the Sanctum Sanctorum was in the West which place also Abraham set forth and determined And because the Gentiles worshipped the Sunne toward the rising therefore Abraham worshipped Westward and appointed the Sanctuarie so to stand The Talmud saith Praying to the South bringeth wisdome toward the North riches I might heere also adde their Letanie and Commemoration of their Saints almost after the Popish fashion As thus for a taste Wee haue sinned before thee haue mercie on vs O Lord doe it for thy names sake and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for Abraham thy perfect one and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was bound in thy porches to wit in Mount Moriah where the Temple was afterward builded and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for him which was heard in the ladder Iacob from thy high place and spare Israel thy people Lord doe it for the merit of Ioseph thy holy one c. Lord doe it for him which was drawne out of the waters Moses and spare c. Lord doe it for Aaron the Priest with Vrim and Thummim Lord grant it for him that was zealous for thy name Phineas Lord doe it for the sweet Singer Dauid Lord doe it for him which built thine house They name not any but expresse him after this sort And then proceed in like manner with the titles attributes and workes of GOD. Doe it for thy Name Doe it for thy Goodnesse for thy Couenant thy Law thy Glorie c. in seuerall versicles And then to their Saints in a new passage Doe it for Abraham Isaac and Iacob Doe it for Moses and Aaron for Dauid and Salomon as if their combined forces should effect more then single Doe it for Ierusalem the holy Citie for Sion for the destruction of thy house for the poore Israelites for the bare Israelites for the miserable Israelites for the Widdowes and Orphans for the sucking and wained and if not for our sake yet for thine owne sake Then in another forme Thou which hearest the poore heare vs thou which hearest the oppressed heare vs Thou which heardest Abraham c. With renuing a commemoration of their Saints larger then before and after some repeating the diuine titles in another tune they oppose their Saint and wicked ones together as Remember not the lye of Achan but remember Iosua forgiuing him and remember Heli and Samuel and so on in a tedious length CHAP. XVI Of their Ceremonies at home after

due place The Turkes displaced those Saracens the Christians of the West by warre made those parts Christian but were expelled againe by the Turkes and they by the Tartars The Mamaluke slaues and their Aegyptian Soldan after held the Syrian Dominion vntill Selim the great Turke subdued it to the Ottoman Empire vnder which it still groneth Of these things this our History will acquaint you in the proper reports of these Nations Aleppo is now chiefe Citie of Syria but Damascus both in elder and later times hath born the greatest name being the head of Aram as Esay affirmeth called of Iulian the Citie of Iupiter and eye of the whole East Holy and Great called also the Trophee of Iupiter because he there had conquered the Titans It is interpreted drinking bloud by Hierom who telleth from the Hebrewes tradition that in this field Kain slew his brother Chytreus expoundeth it saccus sanguinis Wolphius deriueth it of two words signifying bloud and to spoyle which in the times of Hazael and Benhadad and of Resin it performed but neuer so much as when the Saracens made it the sinke of bloud and spoyle which they executed on the Christians and Noradine Saladine and the Turkes fitting themselues and this Citie to the name before the Aegyptian Sultans and Ottoman Turkes were Lords of it Stephanus ascribeth the name to one Ascus a Giant which cast Dionysius there into the Riuer Or because Damascus the sonne of Mercury comming hither out of Arcadia built it or because Dionysius there fleid off the skin of Damascus which had cut vp his Vines The Turkes now call it Leunclauius and Chytreus testifie Scham and so is the whole Region called in the Arabian Chronicle whose extract you may find in our Saracenicall history The Armies of Dauid Ahab Teglath Phalasar preuayled much against it The Babylonians subuerted it After that the Ptolomeys repayred it Pompei wanne it Paul hallowed it The Saracens as is sayd polluted it The Christians in vaine besieged it in the yeere one thousand one hundred forty and seuen r Haalon the Tartar one thousand two hundred threescore and two obtayned it and about one thousand foure hundred Tamerlane besieged it and as he had done at Aleppo filling the ditch with the bodies of captiues and slain carkasses cast wood and earth vpon them and at last forced it and the Castle Hee spared the Citie for the Temples sake which had fortie Porches in the circuite and within nine thousand Lampes of Gold and Siluer But the Aegyptians by a wile possessing it he againe engirt it and recouered it Hee commanded Mahomet the Pope or Chalife and his priests which came to meete him to repayre to the Temple which they did with thirteene thousand Citizens where he burnt them all and for monument of his victory left three Towers erected of skuls of dead men The Aegyptians regained and held it till Selim the Turke dispossessed them 1517. Now in thus many alterations of State who doubteth of diuersity in Religions in Syria First the true Religion in the times of Noah and the first Patriarkes Next those superstitions of Rimmon and the rest before related in the Assyrian Babylonian Persian Macedonian and Roman gouernments After which long night the Sunne of Righteousnesse shone vnto the Syrians and made a more absolute Conquest then all the former not by Legions and Armies but by a handfull of Fishermen manifesting his Power in their weakenesse the Reason of Men and Malice of Deuils not being able to withstand their Euangelicall weapons which s were mighty through GOD to cast downe holdes and bring into captiuity euery thought to the obedience of CHRIST insomuch that hence the t Christian World receyued first that name And how sweet would thy name remaine O Syrian Antiochia euen now in thy latest fates which first was christned with the name Christian haddest thou not out-liued thy Christianity or rather after the soule departed remained the carkasse of thy selfe which ceasing to be Christian hast long since ceased to bee had not the Diuine hand reserued a few bones of thy carkasse to testifie this his iustice to the world And what harmonie could haue beene more gratefull to the Gentiles eares then thy memorie Damascus where the Doctor of the Gentiles was first taught himselfe and made a Teacher of others But in thee was the Chayre of Pestilence the Throne of Sathan the sincke of Mahumetan impietie to the rest of the world infecting with thy contagion and subduing with thy force more Nations then euer Paul by preaching conuerted Syria first in the first and principall Priuiledges of Mankind embracing in her rich armes if some bee right Surueiours the promised Possession the Seale of a further and better inheritance was with the first subdued to Saracene seruitude vnder their Caliph vnder the Turkes vnder the Christians from the West vnder the Tartars from the East vnder the Mamalukes from the South and from the North the Ottoman by new successions and vicissitudes of miseries and mischiefes become a common Stage of bloud and slaughter And in all these later changes of State and chaunces of Warre Religion was the life that quickned those deathes and whetted those murdering swords no crueltie or sacriledge against GOD or man so irreligious and inhumane but Religion was pretended to be the cause and bare the Standard to destruction a new Religion alway erected with a new Conqueror For the Readers delight wee haue here added out of Hondius which hee had contracted out of Ortelius the Map of Pauls Peregrination for the plantation of the Gospell PEREGRINATIO PAULI In qua omnia loca quorum fit mentis in actis et epistolis Apostolorum et Apocalypsi describuntur CHAP. XVII Of Phoenicia and of the Theologie and Religion of the ancient Phoenicians of their Arts and Inuentions PHoenicia is the Sea coast of Syria after Plinie or that coast or tract bordering on the Sea from Orthosa now Tortosa to Pelusium This Sea coast saith Andreas Masius was of the Greekes called Phoenicia and of the Hebrewes peculiarly stiled Chanaan and the Inhabitants Chananites So the Spies tell Moses the Chanaanites dwell by the Sea The woman in the Gospell which Matthew calleth a Canaanite is by Marke named a Syrophoenicean and the Septuagint in this place for the Kings of Chanaan read the Kings of Phoenicea And in the Scripture it is appellatiuely vsed for a Merchant because the Phoenicians or Chanaanites were famous for Merchandize as appeareth both by diuine and prophane testimonie Most properly the Northerly part is Chanaan Phoenicia the Southern Palestina although it is sometime extended as wee haue said euen to Egypt Dionysius which maketh the Phoenicians the first Mariners Merchants and Astronomers placeth Gaza and Ioppe in Phoenicia Sachoniatho a Phoenician supposed to haue liued before the Troian warre wrote in his owne language the History of his Nation which Philo Biblius

therein an hundred twentie seuen Pillars the workes of so many Kings threescore foot in height and sixe and thirtie of them very curiously wrought The Temple was foure hundred twentie fiue foot long two hundred and twentie broad of the Ephesians holden in such veneration that when Croesus had begirt them with a straight siege they deuoted their Citie to their Goddesse tying the wall thereof with a rope to the Temple It was enriched and adorned with gifts beyond value It was full of the workes of Praxiteles and Thraso The Priests were Eunuches called Megalobyzi greatly honoured and had with them sacred Virgins Some call these or else another order of Diana's Priests Estiatores and Essenae that is Good fellowes after the appellation of this bad age which by yeerely courses had a peculiar diet assigned them and came in no priuate house All the Ionians resorted to Ephesus at Diana's festiuall which with daunces and other pompe they solemnized with their wiues and children as they had done before at Delos the Temple had priuiledge of Sanctuarie which Alexander extended to a furlong Mithridates to a flight-shot Antonius added part of the Citie But Augustus disanulled the same that it should no longer bee a harbour for villaines This the Romans finde saith a Roman Pope relating this Historie among whom are so many Sanctuaries as Cardinals houses in which theeues and ruffians haue patronage which make the Citie otherwise quiet and noble a denne of theeues A lake named Selinusius and another which floweth into it were Diana's patrimonie which by some Kings being taken from her were after by the Romans restored And when the Publicans had seized the profits Artimedorus was sent in Ambassage to Rome where hee recouered them to Diana for which cause they dedicated to him a golden Image in the Temple In the midst of the lake was the Kings Chappell accounted the worke of Agamemnon Alexander not onely restored the Ephesians to their Citie which for his sake they had lost and changed the gouernment into a popular state but bestowed also the tributes which before they had paied to the Persians vpon Diana and caused them to be slaine which had robbed the Temple and had ouerthrowne the Image of Philip his father therein and such of them as had taken Sanctuarie in the Temple he caused to be fetched out and stoned While hee staied at Ephesus hee sacrificed to Diana with very solemne pompe all his Armie being arranged in battell array But this Temple of Diana together with their Diana is perished But neuer shall that Truth perish which Paul writ in his Epistle to them for obseruing which by Christ himselfe in another Epistle written by S. Iohn they are commended and which in a Councell there holden was confirmed against the Heresie of Nestorius and Celestius But alas that golden Candlesticke as was threatned is now almost by Greekish superstition and Turkish tyrannie remoued thence a Bishop with some remnants of a Church still continuing The Ephesians were obseruers of curious Arts which not onely Luke mentioneth but the prouerbe also confirmeth Ephesiae literae so they called the spells whereby they made themselues in wrestling and other conflicts inuincible The summe of those Magicall bookes burned by them Luke rateth at 50000. pieces of siluer which Budaeus summeth at 5000. Crownes The many Temples of Venus at Ephesus are not worth memorie Memorable is the History of an Ephesian maid who when Brennus inuaded Asia promised him her loue which he much desired and withall to betray the Citie to him if hee would giue her all the Iewels and Attire of the women which the Souldiers were commanded to doe who heaped their gold so fast vpon the Damosell according to their command that shee was therewith couered and slaine The Asiarchae which Luke nameth Beza saith were certaine Priests whole office it was to set forth publike playes and games in honor of their Gods as also were the Syriarchae The Ephesians as all other Ionians were much addicted to nicenes and sumptuousnesse of attire for which other their delicacies they grew into a prouerbe The Ionians had other places and Temples amongst them famous for deuotion and antiquitie such as no where else are to be seene as the Temple and Oracle of Apollo at Gemini Myus had a small arme of the Sea whose waters by the means of Meander fayling the soyle brought forth an innumerable multitude of fleas which forced the Inhabitants to forsake their Citie and with bagge and baggage to depart to Miletus And in my time saith Pausanias nothing remaineth of Myus in Myus but Bacchus Temple The like befell to the Atarnitae neere to Pergamus The Persians burnt the Temple of Pallas at Phocea and another of Iuno in Samos the remaines whereof are worthy admiration the Erythraean Temple of Hercules and of Pallas at Prienae that for antiquitie this for the Image The Image of Hercules is said to be brought in a ship which came without mans helpe to the Cape where the Chians and Erythraeans laboured each to bring the same to their owne Citie But one Phormio a Fisher-man of Erythraea was warned in a dreame to make a rope of the haires cut off from the heads of the Erythraean Matrons by which their husbands should draw the same to the Towne The women would not yeeld but certaine Thracian women which had obtained their freedome granted their haire to this purpose to whom therefore this priuiledge was granted to enter into Hercules Temple a thing denied to all other the Dames of Erythraea The rope stil remaineth and the Fisher-man which before was blinde recouered his sight In this Towne also is Mineruaes Temple and therein a huge Image of Wood sitting on a Throne holding with both hands a Distaffe There are the Graces and Houres formed of white Marble At Smyrna was the Temple of Aesculapius and nigh to the Springs of the Riuer Meles a Caue in which they say Homer composed his Poems Thus much Pausanius The Ionian letters were more resembling the Latine then the present Greeke are and were then common as in our first Booke is shewed in our Phoenician Relations At Miletus a mad phrensie had once possessed their Virgins where by it came to passe that they in great multitudes hanged themselues Neither cause appeared nor remedie Needs most they goe whom the Deuill driues Whom neither the sweetnesse of life bitterternesse of death teares intreaties offers custodie of friends could moue Modestie detained from proceeding in this immodest butcherie and which is more to be wondred at a Posthume modestie which could not be borne till they were dead For a Law was made That the naked bodies of such as had thus strangled themselues should bee drawne through the streets which contumely though it were but a Gnat to those Camels which with the halter they swallowed yet strained they at it and it could

best house which needed lest furniture of houshold Hee added that they searched the secrets of Nature and that returning into the Citie if they met with any carrying figs or grapes they receiued of him gratis if oyle they powred it on them and all mens houses and goods were open to them euen to the Parlors of their wiues When they were entred they imparted the wisdome of their sentences as the other communicated his meats If they feared any disease they preuented the same with fire as was now said of Calanus Megasthenes reproueth this Calanus as Alexanders Trencher-Chaplaine and commendeth Mandanis saying That when Alexanders messengers told him that he must come to the sonne of Iupiter with promise of rewards if he came otherwise menacing torture hee answered That neither was he Iupiters sonne nor did possesse any great part of the earth as for himselfe he neither respected his gifts nor feared his threatnings for while he liued India yeelded him sufficient if he dyed he should be freed from age and exchange for a better and purer life Whereupon he saith Alexander both pardoned and praised him Clitarchus reporteth also that to the Brachmanes are opposed another sect called Pramnae men full of subtiltie and contention which derided the studies of others in Physiologie and Astronomie He diuideth the Brachmanes into those of the Mountaines clothed in Deere skins which carried scrips full of roots and medicines which they applied with certaine charmes to cure diseases and the second sort he calleth Gymnetae those naked ones before mentioned whereof it seemeth they were called Gymnosophistae which had women amongst them but not in carnall knowledge the third he calleth Ciuill which liued in Cities and Villages wearing fine linnen and apparrelled in skins Clemens Alexandrinus speakes of their fastings and other austere courses out of Alex. Polyhistor de rebus Indicis The Brachmanes saith he neither eate any quick thing nor drinke wine But some of them eat euery day as we doe some onely euery third day They contemne death nor much esteeme of life beleeuing to be borne againe Some worship Pan and Hercules But those Indians which are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their grauitie and austeritie liue altogether naked These practise Truth and foretell things to come and worship a certaine Pyramis vnder which they thinke are laid the bones of some god Neither the Gymnosophists nor these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vse women but thinke it vnlawfull and against Nature and therefore obserue chastitie Likewise there are Virgins which are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the female sexe They seeme to obserue the heauenly bodies and by their signification to foretell future euents Thus farre Clemens Nicolaus Damascenus saith That at Antiochia hee saw the Indian Embassadors sent to Augustus from Porus the King as his letter contained of sixe hundred Kings with presents among which was a female-Viper of sixteene Cubits one of the like bignesse Strabo saith he saw sent out of Egypt and a Cray-fish of three Cubits and a Partrich bigger then a Vulture Zarmanochagas one of these Indian Philosophers was one of the Embassadours who at Athens burned himselfe not moued thereto by aduersitie but by prosperitie which had in all things followed his desires lest in his succeeding age it might alter and therefore entered the fire anointed naked laughing His Epitaph was Here lyeth Zarmanochagas the Indian of Bargosa which according to his Countrey-custome made himselfe immortall But it is not such maruell that their Philosophers thus contemned death whereas their Women the weaker and more fearefull sexe wherein out-went their sexe and weakenesse For their custome admitting many wiues the dearest of which was burned with the deceased husband Hae igitur contendunt inter se de amore viri they are Hieromes words ambitio summa certantium est ac testimonium castitatis dignam morte decerni They ambitiously contend amongst themselues to obtaine this fatall testimonie of their husbands loue and their owne chastitie and the conqueresse in her former habit lyeth downe by the carkasse embracing and kissing the same contemning the fire which thus marryeth them againe in despight of deaths diuorce A thing to this day obserued in many parts of India as we shall see anon Arrianus reporteth of a place called Comar it seemeth the Cape Comori ouer-against Zeilan wherein is a Hauen to which vsed to resort certaine Votaries which had deuoted themselues to a single life to wash themselues in those holy-waters The like was done by their Nun-like women They had a tradition of a certaine goddesse which vsed to wash her selfe there euery moneth Suidas telleth of a Nation called Brachmanes inhabiting an Iland in the Sea where Alexander erected a pillar with inscription that he had passed so farre They liue an hundred and fiftie yeeres and haue neither bread wine flesh nor metals nor houses but liue of the fruits and cleere water and are very religious Their wiues liue apart on the other side Ganges to whom they passe in Iuly and August and after fortie dayes returne home againe When the wife hath had two children shee neither knoweth her husband after nor any other man which is obserued also when in fiue yeeres he can raise no issue of her hee after abstaineth These slay no beasts in sacrifice but affirme That GOD better accepteth vnbloudie sacrifices of Prayer and more delighteth in Man his owne Image In the Hills called Hemodi Bacchus is said to haue erected pillars to witnesse his Conquest as farre in that Easterne Ocean as Hercules did in the West He built the Citie Nysa where he left his sicke and aged Souldiers which Alexander spared and suffered to their owne libertie for Dionysius or Bacchus his sake And as Bacchus erected Pillars so did Alexander Altars to the Twelue chiefe gods as high as Towers Monuments of his farre trauels where he obserued solemne games and sacrifices Hee sacrificed also not to his Countrey gods alone but to Hydaspis Acesine and Indus Indian Riuers and to other gods with other Rites and Sacrifices then he had before vsed drowning a golden bowle in Indus and another in the Ocean in his Ethnicke superstition To him did the Indian Magi so doth Arrianus call their Brachmanes say That hee was but as other men sauing that hee had lesse rest and was more troublesome and being dead should enioy no more land then would serue to couer his bodie And euery man said they stamping with their feet on the ground hath so much as he treadeth on Eusebius reciteth out of Bardesanes Cyrus that amongst the Indians and Bactrians were many thousand Brachmanes which as well by Tradition as Law worshipped no Image nor ate any quick Creature dranke no Wine nor Beere only attending on Diuine things whereas the other Indians are very vicious yea some hunt Men sacrifice and deuoure them and were as Idolaters Plinie besides his Relations of Monsters in

flesh neither of their owne young nor of men as on the contrarie they worship the Storke for her pietie in nourishing her aged parents that I speake not of their wed-locke chastitie for breach whereof Crollius tells from the relation of an eye-witnesse That in a wood neere to Spire in Germanie the Male complayning to a congregation of Storkes caused them to teare his Mate in pieces The Egyptians also had a conceit That Swines milke would breede the leprosie and that Swine were beasts odious to the Sunne and Moone He citeth out of Endoxus That they spared them for treading their Seede into the ground which was their Harrowing and Tillage when Nilus had newly left the softned Earth to send these Labourers their Kine and Swine to tread in the myrie Earth the Corne which they sowed therein The Egyptians sware by the head of their King which oath whosoeuer violated lost his life for the same without any redemption The Priests in old time renowmed for their learning in Straboes time were ignorant and vnlearned No woman might beare Priestly function These Priests might not eate Egs Milke or Oile except with Sallads they might not salute Mariners nor looke vpon their children or kinsfolks They washed themselues in the day-time thrice and in the night twice they were shauen wore linnen garments alwayes new washed were daily allowed sacred meates Of their ancient Priests thus Du Bartas singeth in Syluesters tune The Memphian Priests were deepe Philosophers And curious gazers on the sacred Starres Searchers of Nature and great Mathematickes Ere any letter knew the ancient'st Attickes Tertullian speakes of the continence of Apis his Priests and addes That certayne women consecrated to the African Ceres voluntarily relinquished marriage and from thenceforth might not touch a Male no not so much as k sse their owne sonnes Their magicke skill appeared in Iannes and Iambres which withstood Moses and in Hermes testimonie of himselfe R. Salomon on Exod. 8. writeth That Pharao said to Moses and Aaron Doe you bring straw into Ophraim a Citie full of straw And doe yee bring inchantments into Egypt which aboundeth therewith Postellus deriueth the Egyptian and Orientall sciences from Abraham to whom he dareth to attribute their diuinations by the Aire Water Fire Earth Birds and alleageth Rambams authoritie That the greatest part of the Alcoran is taken out of the Egyptian learning and saith That Moses and Salomon studied the same and expounded in Scripture what Abraham had taught them to which also hee ascribeth the Iewish Exorcismes in casting out Deuils But some Deuill I thinke hath taught him so to commend these deuillish Arts as he doth no lesse the Alcoran and the Iewes Cabala calling them an excellent Appendix to Moses and both of I know not what magicall facultie first infused into Adam in the puritie of his creation and taught by the Angell Raziel by him deliuered in verball tradition written first by the Henoch the bookes whereof Nimrod stole from Noah which Abraham might learne either in that Chaldean Nation or from Melchisedech But let vs obserue these Priests further When they sacrificed they made choice of their beasts by certaine religious markes a Cow they might not sacrifice as consecrated vnto Isis They kindled a fire and sprinkling water ouer the Sacrifice with inuocation of their God killed it cut off the head which either they sold to the Grecians if they would buy it or cast it into the Riuer with imprecation That whatsoeuer euill was imminent to them or their Countrey might be turned vpon that head This ceremonie seemes to haue come to them from the Iewes And they haue beene as liberall of their Rites since to the Catholikes for so they will be called as appeareth both by this Relation and by the testimonie not onely of Moresinus a Protestant but Maginus Polidorus Boemus and Beroaldus Popish writers although dawbed ouer with new mysticall significations as in Bellarmine and other the purest Catholikes is seene Their Priests were their Iudges the eldest of which was chiefe in pronouncing sentence He wore about his necke a Saphire Iewell with the Image of Truth therein engrauen The Priests of Isis besides their shauings and linnen garments had paper-shooes on their heads Anubis in their hands a Timbrell or a branch of Sea-wormewood or a Pine-apple They had one chiefe Priest or Primate of Egypt as appeareth by Iosephus and Heliodorus who maketh Thyamis to succeede his father Calasyris in this high Priesthood at Memphis Manetho also enioyed this Pontificall Hierarchie as appeareth by his Epistle to Ptolemeus which after shall follow Philostratus speaketh of Gymnosophists which some ascribe to India Heliodorus to Ethiopia he to Ethiopia and Egypt These saith hee dwelt abroad without house on a Hill a little off the bankes of Nilus where grew a Groue in which they held their generall Assemblies to consult of publike affaires hauing otherwise their studies and sacrifices apart each by himselfe Thespesion was the chiefe of this Monkish Colledge when Apollonius after his visitation of the Babylonian Magi and Indian Brachmanes came thither These held the immortalitie of the soule and accounted Nilus for a god If a man at Memphis had by chance-medley killed a man hee was exiled till those Gymnosophists absolued him Hercules Temple at Canopus was priuiledged with Sanctuarie to giue immunitie to Fugitiues and Malefactors Thus elsewhere Osiris Apollo in Syria Diana at Ephesus euery Cardinals house saith a Pope in Rome Saint Peter at Westminster and other Popish Oratories priuiledged Dennes of Theeues §. III. Of their Feasts and Oracles THeir Feasts were many of which Herodotus reckoneth one at Bubastis in honour of Diana To this place the Men and Women at this festiuall solemnitie sayled in great multitudes with minstrelsie and showtings and as they came to any Citie on the waters side they went on shore and the women some danced some played some made a brawle with the women of the place and thus resorting to Bubastis they there offered great Sacrifices spending in this feast more Wine then in all the yeere besides Hither resorted of Men and Women besides Children seuen hundred thousand In Busiris was solemnized the feast of Isis in which after the sacrifice many thousands beat themselues but with what they did beate themselues was not lawfull to relate The Carians that inhabited Egypt did also cut their foreheads with swords signifying thereby that they were forreiners This Citie was in the midst of the Egyptian Delta and in it a very great Temple of Isis A third feast was at Sai in honour of Minerua where assembling by night they lighted candles full of Salt and Oile and therewith went about the walls of the Citie This solemnitie was called Light-burning or if you will Candle-masse This night they which came not hither yet obserued the setting vp of Lights throughout Egypt A fourth