The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10.

The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10.
flowers, which continually they throwe into it, doe make it stinke.  There be alwayes many people in it:  for they say when they wash themselues in it, that their sinnes be forgiuen them, because God, as they say, did wash himselfe in that place.  They gather vp the sand in the bottome of it, and say it is holy.  They neuer pray but in the water, and they wash themselues ouerhead, and lade vp water with both their handes, and turne themselues about, and then they drinke a litle of the water three times, and so goe to their gods which stand in those houses.  Some of them will wash a place which is their length, and then will pray vpon the earth with their armes and legs at length out, and will rise vp and lie downe, and kisse the ground twentie or thirtie times, but they will not stirre their right foote.  And some of them will make their ceremonies with fifteene or sixteene pots litle and great, and ring a litle bel when they make their mixtures tenne or twelue times:  and they make a circle of water round about their pots and pray, and diuers sit by them, and one that reacheth them their pots:  and they say diuers things ouer their pots many times, and when they haue done, they goe to their gods, and strowe their sacrifices which they thinke are very holy, and marke many of them which sit by, in the foreheads, which they take as a great gift.  There come fiftie and sometime an hundred together, to wash them in this well, and to offer to these idols.  They haue in some of these houses their idoles standing, and one sitteth by them in warme weather with a fanne to blowe winde vpon them.  And when they see any company comming, they ring a litle bell which hangeth by them, and many giue them their almes, but especially those which come out of the countrey.  Many of them are blacke and haue clawes of brasse with long nayles, and some ride vpon peacocks and other foules which be euill fauoured, with long haukes bils, and some like one thing and some another, but none with a good face.  Among the rest there is one which they make great account of:  for they say hee giueth them all things both foode and apparell, and one sitteth alwayes by him with a fanne to make wind towards him.  Here some bee burned to ashes, some scorched in the fire and throwen into the water, and dogges and foxes doe presently eate them.  The wiues here doe burne with their husbands when they die, if they will not their heads be shauen, and neuer any account is made of them afterward.  The people goe all naked saue a litle cloth bound about their middle.  Their women haue their necks, armes and eares decked with rings of siluer, copper, tinne, and with round hoopes made of Iuorie, adorned with amber stones, and with many agats, and they are marked with a great spot of red in their foreheads, and a stroke of red vp to the crowne, and so it runneth three manor of wayes.  In their Winter, which is our May, the men weare quilted gownes of cotton like to our mattraces and quilted caps like to our great Grocers morters, with a slit
Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 10 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.