of the night, at noon, in the morning and in the evening, to wit, four
times a day they sing their chants in the presence of God. It is also
their work to observe the stars and to note with the astrolabe their
motions and influences upon human things, and to find out their powers.
Thus they know in what part of the earth any change has been or will be,
and at what time it has taken place, and they send to find whether the
matter be as they have it. They make a note of predictions, true and
false, so that they may be able from experience to predict most
correctly. The priests, moreover, determine the hours for breeding and
the days for sowing, reaping, and gathering the vintage, and are as it
were the ambassadors and intercessors and connection between God and
man. And it is from among them mostly that Hoh is elected. They write
very learned treatises and search into the sciences. Below they never
descend, unless for their dinner and supper, so that the essence of
their heads do not descend to the stomachs and liver. Only very seldom,
and that as a cure for the ills of solitude, do they have converse with
women. On certain days Hoh goes up to them and deliberates with them
concerning the matters which he has lately investigated for the benefit
of the state and all the nations of the world.
In the temple beneath one priest always stands near the altar praying
for the people, and at the end of every hour another succeeds him, just
as we are accustomed in solemn prayer to change every fourth hour. And
this method of supplication they call perpetual prayer. After a meal
they return thanks to God. Then they sing the deeds of the Christian,
Jewish, and Gentile heroes, and of those of all other nations, and this
is very delightful to them. Forsooth, no one is envious of another. They
sing a hymn to Love, one to Wisdom, and one each to all the other
virtues, and this they do under the direction of the ruler of each
virtue. Each one takes the woman he loves most, and they dance for
exercise with propriety and stateliness under the peristyles. The women
wear their long hair all twisted together and collected into one knot on
the crown of the head, but in rolling it they leave one curl. The men,
however, have one curl only and the rest of their hair around the head
is shaven off. Further, they wear a slight covering, and above this a
round hat a little larger than the size of their head. In the fields
they use caps, but at home each one wears a biretto white, red, or
another colour according to his trade or occupation. Moreover, the
magistrates use grander and more imposing-looking coverings for the
head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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