There are certain members of this Order who lead the most ascetic life in the world, going stark naked; and these worship the Ox.  Most of them have a small ox of brass or pewter or gold which they wear tied over the forehead.  Moreover they take cow-dung and burn it, and make a powder thereof; and make an ointment of it, and daub themselves withal, doing this with as great devotion as Christians do show in using Holy Water. [Also if they meet any one who treats them well, they daub a little of this powder on the middle of his forehead.[NOTE 6]]

They eat not from bowls or trenchers, but put their victuals on leaves of the Apple of Paradise and other big leaves; these, however, they use dry, never green.  For they say the green leaves have a soul in them, and so it would be a sin.  And they would rather die than do what they deem their Law pronounces to be sin.  If any one asks how it comes that they are not ashamed to go stark naked as they do, they say, “We go naked because naked we came into the world, and we desire to have nothing about us that is of this world.  Moreover, we have no sin of the flesh to be conscious of, and therefore we are not ashamed of our nakedness, any more than you are to show your hand or your face.  You who are conscious of the sins of the flesh do well to have shame, and to cover your nakedness.”

They would not kill an animal on any account, not even a fly, or a flea, or a louse,[NOTE 7] or anything in fact that has life; for they say these have all souls, and it would be sin to do so.  They eat no vegetable in a green state, only such as are dry.  And they sleep on the ground stark naked, without a scrap of clothing on them or under them, so that it is a marvel they don’t all die, in place of living so long as I have told you.  They fast every day in the year, and drink nought but water.  And when a novice has to be received among them they keep him awhile in their convent, and make him follow their rule of life.  And then, when they desire to put him to the test, they send for some of those girls who are devoted to the Idols, and make them try the continence of the novice with their blandishments.  If he remains indifferent they retain him, but if he shows any emotion they expel him from their society.  For they say they will have no man of loose desires among them.

They are such cruel and perfidious Idolaters that it is very devilry!  They say that they burn the bodies of the dead, because if they were not burnt worms would be bred which would eat the body; and when no more food remained for them these worms would die, and the soul belonging to that body would bear the sin and the punishment of their death.  And that is why they burn their dead!

Now I have told you about a great part of the people of the great Province of Maabar and their customs; but I have still other things to tell of this same Province of Maabar, so I will speak of a city thereof which is called Cail.