a Cow and the Man and Woman go together to the Water-side where the Bramane first mutters a short Prayer and then links their Hands about the Cow's Tail pours upon them all his hallowed Oyl and lastly forces the Beast into the River whereinto she goes willingly so far as till they be to the middle in Water neither returns she nor do they disunite till the Waves advise them when being on shore they unite and hold that mysterious Tye forcible and sacred ever after LXXIII The Manner of the Tartars wedding is as follows The Husband covenanteth with the Father of the Maid who having given him power to take her wheresoever he shall find her he seeketh her among some of her Friends where she hath then of purpose hidden her self and by a kind of force carryeth her away They marry with any except their own Mother and Sister Their Widdows seldom marry because of their Service to their former Husbands in another World except the Son marry his Fathers Wives or the Brother his Brother's because they can there in the next World be content to resign them to their former Husbands again The Women sell and provide all Necessaries into the House the Men intending nothing but their Arms Hunting and Hawking If one hath buried a Male-child and another a Female the Parents contract a Marriage between those two and painting in Papers Servants Horses Cloaths and Houshold and making Writings for the Confirmation of the Dower burn these things in the Fire by the smoke whereof they in their smoky conceits imagine all these things to be carried and confirmed to their Children in the other world and the Parents of the two dead Parties claim kindred each of other as if they indeed had married their Children whilst they lived yet they do not account the woman they have married a Wife until she hath honoured them with the name of a Father and then beginneth he to take Dowry of her Friends of Horses Sheep Kine c. But if she be barren after a certain time he turneth her home again LXXIV In China their Marriages and Espousals want not many Ceremonies both are done in their Youth they like equality of age and state betwixt the Parties The Parents make the Contracts not asking the Childrens consent neither do they ever refuse As for their Concubines every one keeps according to his pleasure and ability respecting in them especially their Beauty and buy them for the most part their price being an hundred Crowns or less The common People also buy their Wives and sell them at their pleasure The Magistrates marry in their own Rank their Legitimate wife This chief wife only fits at Table with her husband the rest except in the Royal Families are as Servants which in the presence of either of the former may not sit but stand Their Children also call that wife their Mother not their Natural Parent and for her Funerals alone solemnize three years mourning or leave their Office not for their own Mother In these Marriages they are very scrupulous that the Wife have not the same sirname with her Husband although there be no kindred betwixt them and the sirnames in China are not a thousand neither may any devise new but must have one and that the same which their Ancestors by the Fathers side not the Mothers had except they be adopted into another Family They had no degrees of Affinity or Consanguinity so the sirname differ and therefore marry in the Mothers Kindred be it almost never so near The Bride brings no Portion to her Husband and yet the first day she comes to his House she hath to attend abundance of Houshold-furniture even the Streets being filled with it all at the Husbands cost who some Months before sends her a great Sum of Money to this purpose There are many who being poor do for Lust make themselves Slaves to rich men that so they may be furnished with a wife amongst his Women-Slaves whereby also the Children become perpetually bond Others buy their wives but seeing their increasing Family grow chargeable beyond their ability sell their young Sons and Daughters at the same price they would sell a Swine or Beast or some two or three Duckats more yea though they be not by Dearth compelled thereto LXXV If any Merchant resort into Pegu he shall have many Maids offer'd him by their Parents to take his choice and having agreed with the Parents he may for the time of his abode use her as his Slave or his Concubine without any discredit to her Yea if he come again after she is married he may for the time he stayeth there demand her in like sort to his use And when a man marrieth he will request some of his Friends to lye the first night with his Bride There are also among them that sow up the privy Parts of their Daughters leaving only passage for Urine which when they marry pass under the Surgeons hand for Remedy LXXVI The Marriages of the Bengalans are after this sort The man and woman come to the Water-side where standeth a Bramane or Priest with a Cow and a Calf or a Cow with Calf These all go into the water together the Bramane holding a white Cloth of four yards long and a Basket cross bound with divers things in it This cloth he layeth upon the back of the Cow by the Tail and saith certain words She hath a Copper or brass Pot full of Water The Man holdeth his hand by the Braman's Hand and the Wives hand by her Husbands and all have the Cow by the Tail Then they pour Water out of the Pot upon the Cow's Tail which runneth thorough all their hands and they lade up Water with their hands and then the Bramane tieth their Cloaths together After this they go round about the Cow and Calf and give somewhat to the Poor there attending leaving the Cow and Calf for the Braman's use and offer to divers of their Idols Money then lying down upon the ground they kiss it divers times and go their way LXXVII The young men in Arabia may go a wooing to divers Maids till such time as they have sped of a Wife yea the Father of the Maid most friendly welcometh her Suitor so that I think scarce any Noble or Gentleman among them can choose a Virgin for his House albeit so soon as any Woman is married she is quite forsaken of all her Suitors who then seek out new Paramours for their liking LXXVIII The Bramanes marry but once and that not all but only the eldest of the Brethren to continue the Succession who is also Heir of the Father's Substance and keepeth his Wife straitly killing her if he find her adulterous with Poyson The younger Brethren lye with other Mens Wives who account the same as a singular Honour done unto them having Liberty to enter into any Man's house yea of the Kings no less than of the Subjects of that Religion the Husbands
thy Pity move thee to make Intercession for us He shall answer them That which you ask you have lost I wâ—â— indeed sent unto you in the Power of God and Word of Truth but ye have erred and have made me God more than I ever preached to you and therefore have lost my benefit but go to the lost of the Prophets meaning Mahomet himself Then shall they turn to him and say oft Faithful Messenger and Friend of God we have sinned hear us holy Prophet our only hope c. Then shall Gabriel present himself to help his Friend and they shall go to the Throne of God and God shall say I know why you are come far be it that I should not hear the Prayer of my faithful one Then shall a Bridge be made over Hell and on the top of the Bridge shall be set a Ballance wherein every man's Works shall be weighed and those which are saved shall pass over the Bridge the other shall fall into Hell That there will be a hundred and twenty Bands of men that day of which three only shall be found faithful and every Band or Trace of men shall be in length the Journey of a thousand Years in breadth five hundred and then Death shall be transformed into a Ram and they shall bring him between Paradise and Hell Then shall arise much Dissentions between these two People through fear of the one and hope of the other but the People of Paradise shall prevail and shall slay Death between Paradise and Hell With these and a hundred such wild and frantick Opinions and Tenents is their Alcoran stuffed which we leave to give some light touch on some Hereticks who have broach'd their impious Opinions in these late Centuries LVI Amongst whom sprung up Thomas Muntzer who boasted that he had had Communication with God By his teaching and writing he did publickly affirm That the Preachers of that time that contributed their Endeavours to the advancement of the Gospel were not sent by God but were mere Scribes and impertinent Interpreters of the Scriptures That the Scriptures and the written Word were not the pure Word of God but only a bare Testimony of the true Word That the true real Word was something that was intrinsecal and heavenly and immediately proceeding out of the Mouth of God and consequently to be learned intrinsecally and not out of Scriptures or by any humane Suggestion with several other such like Tenets which won him several Sectaries and stuffing his Sermons with most seditious and better Invectives against the Magistrate and pretending to groan for the return of lost Liberty and for the insufferable pressures of the people under Tyranny a very great Concourse of the Dregs of the People repaired to him insomuch that they broke out into open Rebellion forced away a great part of the Nobility plundered Towns and Castles to be short made an absolute Devastation by Fire and Sword Whereupon the Landgrave of Hess fought the Country People with advantage and prepared for a second Fight the next day which Muntzer having intelligence of said by way of Animation to his Followers What are those Cannon Bullets I will receive them in my Gloves and they shall not hurt me whereby the Country People being encouraged were the next day beaten by the Landgrave five thousand slain and three hundred taken who had all their Heads cut off so that while they were ambitious of Liberty they lost even the Liberty of Life it self But Muntzer himself made his Escape but though he sculk'd for some time yet being at length taken he continued obstinate though the Landgrave convinced him by Scripture But being condemned and laid upon the Rack while he cryed out aloud and wept the Duke of Saxony spoke to him to this purpose Now thou art punished Muntzer consider with thy self by what means thou hast seduced and brought so many to Destruction whereat Muntzer broke out into a great Laughter saying This is the Judgment of the Country People But when being brought to his Death he was thrust into a close Prison 't is wonderful how faint-hearted he was and stood extreamly troubled in mind not being able to give any account of his Faith but as the Duke of Saxony pronounced before him and which he told him he was to make a Confession of before God Being surrounded with Souldiers he openly acknowledged his Wickedness and withal addressed these Words to the Princes that were present Shew Mercy and Compassion ye Princes lest hereafter you incur by my Example the Punishment I now suffer Read and attentively consider the holy Books of the Kings Having said this his Head was struck off and fastned to a Stake for a Monument and Example to others LVII In the Year of our Lord 1535. upon the Third of February at Amsterdam in a Street called Salar Street at the House of John Sifrid a Cloath-Worker who at that time was gone into Austria about some business there met seven men Anabaptists and five Women of the same Perswasion of which Flock the Bell-weather was Theodothere Botcher who rap'd into a strange Enthusiasm and Extacy stretching himself upon the Ground naked upon his Back before his Brethren and Sisters seemed to pray unto God with a certain religious Dread and Horror Having ended his Prayers he affirmed That he had beheld God with his Eyes in the excessive and ineffable Riches of his Glory and that he had had Communication with him both in Heaven and Hell and that the day of his Judgment was at hand After which he said to one of his Companions Thou art decreed to eternal Damnation and shalt be cast into the bottomless Pit at which the other crying out the Lord God of Mercy have Compassion of me the Prophet said to him be of good chear now art thou the Son of God thy Sins are forgiven thee Upon the eleventh day of February the foresaid Year the Persons fore-mentioned unknown to their Husbands repaired to the same place This Prophet or Seer having entertain'd them with a Sermon of three or four Hours long casts a Helmet a Breast-plaâ—e a Sword and other Arms together with all his Cloaths into the Fire Being thus stark naked and his Companions who yet had their Cloaths being uncovered he peremptorily commanded them to do the like as being such as must be as safe as himself He farther affirmed that the Children of God ought to look upon all things of this World with Contempt and indignation And since Truth which is most glorious in her Nakedness will not admit the Deformity of any Earthly disguise whatsoever he affirmed that they ought in all things to conform themselves to that example of Truth and Justice A great many hearing these things having quite cashier'd all shame offered up their shirts smocks and petticoats and whatsoever savoured of Earth as a burnt-offering unto God The Mistris of the House bing awakened by the stink which these clothes made in burning and
not to lodge in the same Chamber no not with his Sister Daughter or Daughter-in-law yea their wise Men forbid Conference with a Woman altogether LXVII But now it will be convenient to proceed to their way of Divorce and other Marriage-Ceremonies The Bill of Divorce is still practised among the Jews it must be written in twelve Lines it is therefore called Get neither more nor less and delivered to the Woman before three credible Witnesses under their Hands and Seals Then doth the Husband deliver it to her saying Lo Woman the Bill of this Divorce take it of me by it being divorced from me be thou free to another Husband The Tenor of this Bill is this The second day of the Week the eight and twentieth of the Month in the Year of the World 5363. as we here at Mentz upon Rhine use to reckon I Isaac sirnamed Eckenderf Son of R. Abr. now dwelling at Mentz of my free Will without Constraint thee Sarah sirnamed Trummerle Daughter of R. Levi which hitherto hath been my Wife have determined to free forsake and divorce and now do forsake free and put thee from me that thou mayst be thine own and at thine own free Will and Pleasure mayst depart whither thou wilt and none from henceforth for ever shall prohibit thee and thou art so freed that thou may'st marry to any other Man This Divorce may not be done in every place but they have some special place appointed noted and known scituate on some known River whereto certain chief Rabbies are called by writing if there be none there dwelling which consummate the business By the old Law a Woman might be reconciled to her Husband before the Bill of Divorce given or after The Observation of the Brother to marry the Wife of the Brother deceased without Issue or else to lose the Inheritance which was testified by pulling off his Shooe and spitting in his Face is now thus ruled by the Rabbies That none shall marry such a Widdow but rather suffer the premised Ignominy which is performed in this sort She comes before the chief Rabbi with five Witnesses where the Rabbi demands if she have been three Months a Widdow if her Husband had a Brother unmarried if the Party convented be he c. and lastly if she be fasting for otherwise she might not spit in her Brothers Face of him also the Rabbi likewise asketh like Questions and receiving a denial of Marriage there is brought a Shoo of singular Fashion for that purpose which he putteth on his right foot bare and then setteth himself against a Wall The Woman comes and disclaiming his Affinity stoopeth and with her right hand for if she want a right hand it putteth the Rabbies out of their Wits to scan whether with her Teeth or how else it may be done unlooseth the Shoo and taking it off spits in his face so that the five Witnesses may see it saying Thus shall it be done with him which will not build the House of his Brother In the time of her Uncleanness a Woman may not enter into the Synagogue nor pray nor name the Name of God nor handle any holy Book which if they observe the Rabbies promise them longer Life As soon as she knoweth of her Uncleanness she presently separateth her self from her Husband the space of seven days not touching him nor sitting on the same Seat nor eating in the same Dish or on the same Cloath nor may drink out of the same Cup nor stand against him nor speak in his Face if one will give any thing to the other one layeth it on a Bench or Table and goeth away and the other cometh and taketh it they say it procureth the Leprosie in the Children which are then gotten which they object to Christians When she hath numbred seven dayes of her Uncleanness she proceedeth to number as many of her Purification after which time finding her self pure she cloatheth her self in white and taking a Woman with her washeth her self in cold Water some in Winter put in warm Water to it which others in the coldest Season refuse and leaves not a hair of her Head unwashed as before is described Some fast till they have done it lest the flesh in the Teeth should hinder the Water from coming to them for Mouth and Eyes must be open and they must stoop that the Pap keep not the Water from the Breast and if they have a Plaister on a sore it must off and their Nails must be pared They write That if any shall exceed twenty years and not marry or if he shall marry a Wife which is barren he sinneth as much as if he had slain a Man and deserveth the Punishment of Onan whom God slew provided if he addict himself to the Study of the Law and findeth no need of a Wife but if he find Concupiscence prevail he ought to marry notwithstanding And this necessity remaineth untill he hath begotten a Son and a Daughter But having forgotten to speak of Circumcision under the Head of Religion it will not be improper to touch something upon that Point in this place The Child is first washed and laid in clean Linnen for if he be foul or defile himself while he is circumcised the Mohel or Circumciser is to suspend or interrupt his Prayer till he be washed again In the Morning of the eighth day the God-father seateth himself down in a Seat placed near the Ark and the Mohel near him twelve wax-candles are brought in to represent the twelve Tribes then two Cups of red Wine the circumcising Knife with two Dishes the one of Oyl the other of Sand. When the Child is brought to the door by the Woman the Congregation riseth up the God-father takes the Child and sits down in his Seat There is also a Seat prepared for Eliah whose coming they expect at the Circumcision The Child is then named and usually by the name of some of his Ancestors so that Luke 1.61 it was wondred at that Zachary should name his Son John seeing none of his Kindred was named with his Name The eighth day was so strictly observed that if it fell on the Sabbath the Child was then circumcised not sooner lest God should be thought to be tied to the Sacrament and because the Child the first seven days after the Birth was held legally unclean and yet remaining in his Blood Levit. 12.2 3. and 22.27 nor later lest the Parents should be longer with-held from the comforts of the Sacrament The penalty of Contempt or neglect of Circumcision was a cutting off from the People Gen. 17.14 that is by Excommunication or bodily death of the Parents Therefore God would have killed Moses for not circumcising his Son or else by the death of the Son himself when he comes to years of discretion if he be not circumcised either by himself or by his Parents or by the Judges Now the manner of the Mohel's cutting off the foreskin is that he first rubs
she was married to Bernard Valdaura at that time above forty four years of age The first night after her marriage she found that her Husbhnd's Thighs were rolled and wrapped with Clouts and that he was a man very Sore and sickly For all which she loved him not a whit the less Not long after Valdaura fell so Sick that all the Physitians despaired of his Life then did she so attend upon him that in six Weeks space she put not off her Cloaths only for shift nor rested above an hour or two at the most in the Night and that in her Cloaths This disease was a venomous Relique of the Pox and the Physicians counselled Clara not to touch the Sick man or come near him and so also did her Kindred and Neighbours All which moved her not but having taken order for that which concerned the benefit of his Soul she provided him all things which might tend to the health of his Body She made him Broths and Julips she changed his Sheets and clouts although by reason of a continual looseness and many Sores about him his Body never left running with Matter and Filth so that he ne're had any clean part about him All the day she rested not the strength of her Love supporting the delicacy of her Body by this good means Valdaura escaped that danger After this by reason of a sharp hot Rheum falling from his Brain the Gristle within his Nose began to be eaten away wherefore the Physicians appointed a certain Powder to be blown up softly into his Nose at certain times with a Quill No Body could be found to take such a loathsome service in hand because of the stench that came from him but Clara did it cheerfully and when his cheeks and chin were all covered over with Scabs Wheals and Scales so as no Barber could or would shave him she with her her little Scissers play'd the Barber and made him a deft Beard From this sickness he fell into another which lasted seven years during which time with incredible diligence she made ready his meat put in his tents laid on his plaisters dressed and bound up his thighs all rotten with Scabs and Ulcers his breath was such that none durst come near by ten paces and abide by it which yet she protested was sweet to her This long sickness and the nourishing and medicining of a Body oppressed by so many Diseases was a great matter in a house that had no Rents or profits coming in and where Trade had ceased of a long time and consequently the gain she therefore to furnish the expences sold her precious Jewels her gold Chains her rich Carcanets her Garments of great value a Cupboard of Plate not caring for any thing so her Husband was relieved and contenting her self with little so he wanted nothing Thus Valdaura lingred on a Life by the help of his Wife within a rotten Body or rather within a Grave for twenty years together in which time she had eight Children by him yet neither she nor they had so much as a Scab Wheal or Pimple in any part of their Bodies Valdaura died an old man for whose death his Wife Clara made such mourning as they who knew her well say never Woman did for any Husband When some instead of comforting her told her God had done much in taking him away and that they therefore came to congratulate with her she detested their Speeches wishing for her Husband again in exchange of five Children and though she was yet both young and lusty and sought to by many she resolved not to marry saying she could never meet with any whom she could like so well as her dear Bernard Valdaura I think in this place it will not be unseasonable to speak of the Reverence and Piety of some Children to their Parents CXV Sir Thomas Moor being Lord Chancellor of England at the same time that his Father was a Judge of the King's Bench he would always at his going to Westminster go first to the King's Bench and ask his Father Blessing before he went to sit in the Chancery CXVI There happened in Sicily as it hath often an Eruption of Aetna now called Mount Gibel it murmurs burns belches up Flames and throws out it 's fiery Entrails making all the World to fly from it It happened then that in this violent and horrible breach of Flames every one flying and carrying away what they had most precious with them two Sons the one called Anagias the other Amphinomus careful of the Wealth and Goods of their Houses reflected on their Father and Mother both very old who could not save themselves from the fire by flight And where shall we said they find a more precious Treasure than those who begat us The one took up his Father on his Shoulders the other his Mother and so made passage through the Flames It is an admirable thing that God in consideration of this Piety though Pagans did a Miracle for the Monuments of all Antiquity witness that the devouring Flames staid at this Spectacle and the Fire wasting and broiling all about them the way only through which these two good Sons passed was tapistried with fresh Verdure and called afterwards by Posterity the Field of the Pious in memory of this Accident CXVII There were three Brothers who upon the Death of the King their Father fell out amongst themselves about Succession in the Kingdom at last they agreed to stand to the Judgment and Determination of a neighbour King to whom they fully referred the matter He therefore commanded the dead Body of the Father to be fetched out of his Monument and ordered that each of them should shoot an Arrow at his Heart and he that hit it or came the nearest to it should succeed The Elder shot first and his Arrow passed through the Throat of his Father The second Brother shot his Father into the Breast but yet missed his Heart The Youngest detesting this Wickedness I had rather said he yield to all my Brothers and utterly resign up all my Pretences to the Kingdom than to treat the Body of my Father with this Contumely This Saying of his considered the King passed Sentence that he alone was worthy of the Kingdom as having given evidence how much he excelled his Brothers in Virtue by the Piety he had shewed to the dead Body of his Father CXVIII The Pretor had sentenced to death a Woman of good Birth for a Capital Crime and had consign'd her over to the Triumvir to be kill'd in Prison the Jaylor that received her mov'd with compassion did not presently strangle her but besides permitted her Daughter for to come often to her though first diligently searched lest she should convey in any Sustenance to her the Jaylor expecting that she should dye of Famine When therefore divers dayes had passed wondring within himself what it might be that occasioned her to live so long he one day set himself to observe her Daughter