The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 02
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
and full of merchants.] Wee found one great citie there named Cailac,
wherein was a mart, and great store of Merchants frequenting it. In this
citie wee remained fifteene dayes, staying for a certaine Scribe or
Secretarie of Baatu, who ought to haue accompanied our guide for a
despatching of certaine affaires in the court of Mangu. All this countrey
was wont to be called Organum: and the people thereof had their proper
language, and their peculiar kinde of writing. [Sidenote: Contomanni.] But
it was altogether inhabited of the people called Contomanni. The Nestorians
likewise in those parts vsed the very same kinde of language and writing.
They are called Organa, because they were wont to be most skilfull in
playing vpon the Organes or citherne, as it was reported vnto me. Here
first did I see worshippers of idoles, concerning whom, bee it knowen vnto
your maiestie, that there be many sects of them in the East countries.
Quod Nestorini et Saraceni sunt mixti et Idolatræ. Cap. 26.
[Sidenote: Iugures populi, Idolatræ.] Primi sunt Iugures, quorum terra
contiguatur cum terra prædicta Organum inter montes illos versus Orientem:
Et in omnibus ciuitatibus eorum sunt mixti Nestorini et Saraceni. Et ipsi
etiam sunt diffusi versus Persidem in ciuitatibus Saracenorum. [Sidenote:
Cailac.] In prædicta ciuitate Cailac habebant etiam ipsi tres Idolatrias,
quarum duas intraui, vt viderem stultitias eorum. In prima inueni quendam,
qui habebat cruciculam de atramento super manum suam. Vnde credidi quod
esset Christianus: quia ad omnia quæ querebam ab eo, respondebat vt
Christianus. Vnde quæsiui ab eo: Quare ergo non habetis crucem et imaginem
Iesu Christi? Et ipse respondit, non habemus consuetudinem. Vnde ego
credidi quod essent Christiani: sed ex defectu doctrinæ omitterent. Videbam
enim ibi post quandam cistam, quæ erat eis loco altaris, super quam ponunt
lucernas et oblationes, quandam imaginationem habentem alas quasi Sancti
Michaelis: et alias quasi ipsorum tenentes digitos sicut ad benedieendum.
Illo sero non potui aliud inuenire. Quia Saraceni in tantum inuitant eos,
quod nec etiam volunt loqui inde eis. Vnde quando quærebam à Saracenis de
ritu talium, ipsi scandalizabantur. In crastino fuerunt kalendæ et pascha
Saracenoram et mutaui hospitium: ita quod fui hospitatus prope aliam
Idolatriam. Homines enim colligunt nuncios, quilibet secundum posse suum
vel portionem suam. Tunc intrans Idolatriam prædictam inueni sacerdotes
Idolorum. In kalendis enim aperiunt templa sua, et ornant se sacerdotes, et
offerunt populi oblationes de pane et fructibus. [Sidenote: Iugures secta
diuisa ab alijs Idolatris.] Primò ergo describo vobis ritus communes omnes
Idolatrarum: et postea istorum Iugurum; qui sunt quasi secta diuisa ab
alijs. Omnes adorant ad Aquilonem complosis manibus: et prosternentes se
genibus flexis ad terram, ponentes frontem super manus. Vnde Nestorini in
partibus illis nullo modo iungunt manus orando: sed orant extensis palmis
ante pectus.
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