The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08: Asia, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Fro that ile, men gon be see to another ile, that is clept Chana, where is
gret plentee of corn and wyn: and it was wont to ben a gret ile, and a gret
havene and a good; but the see hathe gretly wasted it and overcomen it The
kyng of that contree was wont to ben so strong and so myghty, that he helde
werre azenst King Alisandre. The folk of that contree han a dyvers lawe:
for summe of hem, worschipe the sonne, summe the mone, summe the fuyr,
summe trees, summe serpentes, or the first thing that thei meeten at
morwen: and summe worschipen symulacres, and summe Ydoles. But betwene
symulacres and ydoles, is a gret difference. For symulacres ben ymages made
aftre lyknesse of men or of wommen, or of the sonne or of the mone, or of
ony best, or of ony kyndely thing: and ydoles, is an ymage made of lewed
wille of a man, that man may not fynden among kyndely thinges; as an ymage,
that hathe 4 hedes, on of a man, another of an hors, or of an ox, or of sum
other best, that no man hathe seyn aftre kyndely disposicioun. And thei
that worschipen symulacres, thei worschipen hem for sum worthi man, that
was sum tyme, as Hercules and many othere, that diden many marvayles in
here tyme. For thei seyn wel, that thei be not goddes: for thei knowen wel,
that there is a God of kynde, that made alle thinges; the which is in
hevene. But thei knowen wel, that this may not do the marvayles that he
made, but zif it had ben be the specyalle zifte of God: and therfore thei
seyn, that he was wel with God. And for be cause that he was so wel with
God, therfore the worschipe him. And so seyn thei of the sonne; be cause
that he chaungethe the tyme and zevethe hete and norisschethe alle thinges
upon erthe; and for it is of so gret profite, thei knowe wel, that that
myghte not be, but that God lovethe it more than ony other thing. And for
that skylle, God hath zoven it more gret vertue in the world: therfore it
is gode resoun, as thei seyn, to don it worschipe and reverence. And so
seyn thei, that maken here resounes, of othere planetes; and of the fuyr
also, because it is so profitable. And of Ydoles, thei seyn also, that the
ox is the moste holy best, that is in erthe, and most pacyent and more
profitable than ony other. For he dothe good y now, and he dothe non
evylle. And thei knowen wel, that it may not be with outen specyalle grace
of God; and therfore maken thei here God, of an ox the on part, and the
other halfondelle of a man: because that man is the most noble creature in
erthe; and also for he hathe lordschipe aboven alle bestes: therfore make
thei the halfendel of ydole of a man upwardes, and the tother half of an ox
dounwardes: and of serpentes and of other bestes, and dyverse thinges, that
thei worschipen, that thei meten first at morwe. And thei worschipen also
specyally alle tho that thei han gode meetynge of; and whan thei speden wel
in here iorneye, aftre here meetynge; and namely suche as thei han preved
and assayed be experience of longe tyme.
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