to attend to my commandement. This day which shall come after this
night, is dedicated to my service, by an eternall religion, my Priests
and Ministers doe accustome after the tempests of the Sea, be ceased,
to offer in my name a new ship as a first fruit of my Navigation. I
command thee not to prophane or despise the sacrifice in any wise, for
the great Priest shall carry this day following in procession by my
exhortation, a Garland of Roses, next the timbrell of his right hand:
follow thou my procession amongst the people, and when thou commest to
the Priest make as though thou wouldest kisse his hand, but snatch at
the Roses, whereby I will put away the skin and shape of an Asse, which
kind of beast I have long time abhorred and despised, but above all
things beware thou doubt not nor feare any of those things, as hard and
difficill to bee brought to passe, for in the same houre that I am come
to thee, I have commanded the Priest by a vision what he shall doe, and
all the people by my commandement shall be compelled to give thee place
and say nothing! Moreover, thinke not that amongst so faire and joyfull
Ceremonies, and in so good a company that any person shall abhorre thy
ill-favoured and deformed figure, or that any man shall be so hardy, as
to blame and reprove thy suddaine restoration to humane shape, wherby
they should gather or conceive any sinister opinion: and know thou this
of certaine, that the residue of thy life untill the houre of death
shall be bound and subject to me! And think it not an injury to be
alwayes serviceable towards me, since as by my meane and benefit thou
shalt become a man: thou shalt live blessed in this world, thou shalt
live glorious by my guide and protection, and when thou descendest to
Hell, where thou shalt see me shine in that subterene place, shining
(as thou seest me now) in the darkness of Acheron, and raigning in the
deepe profundity of Stix, thou shalt worship me, as one that hath bin
favourable to thee, and if I perceive that thou art obedient to my
commandement, addict to my religion, and merite my divine grace, know
thou, that I will prolong thy dales above the time that the fates have
appointed, and the celestial Planets ordeined.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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