The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 09: Asia, Part IIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 09: Asia, Part II
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
From that kyngdom comen men, in returnynge, to another yle, that is clept
Rybothe: and it is also under the grete Chane. That is a fulle gode
contree, and fulle plentefous of alle godes and of wynes and frut, and alle
other ricchesse. And the folk of that contree han none houses: but thei
dwellen and lyggen all under tentes, made of black ferne, by alle the
contree. And the princypalle cytee, and the most royalle, is alle walled
with black ston and white. And alle the stretes also ben pathed of the same
stones. In that cytee is no man so hardy, to schede Blode of no man, ne of
no best, for the reverence of an ydole, that is worschipt there. And in
that yle dwellethe the pope of hire lawe, that they clepen Lobassy. This
Lobassy zevethe alle the benefices, and alle other dignytees, and all other
thinges, that belongen to the ydole. And alle tho that holden ony thing of
hire chirches, religious and othere, obeyen to him; as men don here to the
Pope of Rome.
In that yle thei han a custom, be alle the contree, that whan the fader is
ded of ony man, and the sone list to do gret worchipe to his fader, he
sendethe to alle his frendes, and to all his kyn, and for religious men and
preestes, and for mynstralle also, gret plentee. And thanne men beren the
dede body unto a gret hille, with gret joye and solempnyte. And when thei
han brought it thider, the chief prelate smytethe of the hede, and leythe
it upon a gret platere of Gold and of sylver, zif so be he be a riche man;
and than he takethe the hede to the sone; and thanne the sone and his other
kyn syngen and seyn manye orisouns: and thanne the prestes, and the
religious men, smyten alle the body of the dede man in peces: and thanne
thei seyn certeyn orisouns. And the fowles of raveyne of alle the contree
abouten knowen the custom of long tyme before, and comen fleenge aboyen in
the eyr, as egles, gledes, ravenes and othere foules of raveyne, that eten
flesche. And than the preestes casten the gobettes of the flesche; and than
the foules eche of hem takethe that he may, and gothe a litille thens and
etethe it: and so thei don whils ony pece lastethe of the dede body. And
aftre that, as preestes amonges us syngen for the dede, _Subvenite sancti
Dei_, &c. right so the preestes syngen with highe voys in hire langage,
beholdethe how so worthi a man, and how gode a man this was, that the
aungeles of God comen for to sechen him, and for to bryngen him in to
paradys. And thanne semethe in to the sone, that he is highliche worschipt,
whan that many briddes and foules and raveyne comen and eten his fader. And
he that hathe most nombre of foules, is most worschiped. Thanne the sone
bryngethe hoom with him alle his kyn, and his frendes, and alle the othere
to his hows, and makethe hem a gret feste. And thanne alle his frendes
maken hire avaunt and hire dalyance, how the fowles comen thider, here 5,
here 6, here 10, and there 20, and so forthe: and thei rejoyssen hem hugely
for to speke there of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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