The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Those that are not occupied for the warres, driue the catteile a fielde,
and there kepe them. Thei hunte, and exercise themselues in wrastlinge,
other thing doe thei not. The care of prouision for meate and drincke,
appareille and householde, they betake to the women. This people hath many
superstitious toyes. It is a heinous matter with them, to touche the fier,
or take fleshe out of a potte with a knife. Thei hewe or choppe no maner of
thing by the fire, leasse by any maner of meanes, thei might fortune to
hurte the thing which alway they haue in reuerence, and iudge to be the
clenser, and purifier of al thinges. To laye them downe to reste vppon the
whippe that thei stirre theyr horse with (for spurres thei vse none) or to
touche their shaftes therewith, in no wise thei wylle not. Thei neither
kille younge birdes, ne take them in the neste or other waies. Thei beate
not the horse with the bridle. Thei breake not one bone with another. Thei
are ware, not to spill any spone meate, or drincke, specially milke. No
manne pisseth within the compasse of their soiourning place. And if any one
of self willed stubbornesse should do it, he ware sure withoute all mercy
to die for it. But if necessitie constraine them to do it (as it often
happeneth) then the tente of hym that did it, with all that is in it, muste
be clensed and purified after this maner. They make two fires, thre strides
one from another. And by eche fire thei pitche downe a Iaueline. Vpon them
is tied a lyne stretching fro the one to the other, and couered ouer with
buckerame. Betwene these ii. Iauelins, as throughe a gate, muste all
thinges passe that are to be purified. Two women (to whome this office
belongeth) stande, on either side one, sprinckelinge on watre, and
mumblinge certaine verses. No straungier, of what dignitie so euer he be,
or of howe greate importance so euer the cause of his comming be: is
admitted to the kinges sighte before he be purified. He that treadeth vppon
the thressholde of the tente wherein their kinge, or anye of his
chiefteines lyeth, dieth for it in the place. If any manne bite a gobet,
greater than he is able to swallowe, so that he be constrained to put it
out of his mouth againe: thei by and by make a hole vndre the tent, and
ther drawe him out, and cruelly slea him. Many other thinges ther are which
thei compte for faultes beyonde all forgiuenesse. But to slea a man, to
enuade a nother mannes country, contrary to all righte and reason, to
bereue them of their goodes and possessions, to breake the preceptes of
God, thei estieme as nothinge. Thei haue a beliefe that aftre this life
thei shal liue for euer in another worlde (but what maner of worlde thei
cannot telle) and ther receiue rewarde for their well doinges. When any of
them falleth sicke, and lieth at the pointe of deathe, thei sticke vp a
Iaueline with a piece of blacke clothe at the dore of the tente wher he
lieth, that none come in as they passe by. For no manne when he seeth this,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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