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
Also toward the heed of that forest, is the cytee of Polombe. And above the
cytee is a grete mountayne, that also is clept Polombe: and of that mount,
the cytee hathe his name. And at the foot of that mount, is a fayr welle
and a gret, that hathe odour and savour of alle spices; and at every hour
of the day, he chaungethe his odour and his savour diversely. And whoso
drynkethe 3 tymes fasting of that watre of that welle, he is hool of of
alle maner sykenesse, that he hathe. And thei that duellen there and
drynken often of that welle, thei nevere han sekenesse, and thei semen alle
weys zonge. I have dronken there of 3 or 4 sithes; and zit, me thinkethe, I
fare the better. Sum men clepen it the Welle of Zouthe: for thei that often
drynken there of, semen alle weys zongly, and lyven with outen sykenesse.
And men seyn, that that welle comethe out of paradys; and therfore it is so
vertuous. Be alle that contree growethe gode gyngevere: and therfore thidre
gon the marchauntes for spicerye. In that lond men worschipen the ox, for
his symplenesse and for his mekenesse, and for the profite that comethe of
him. And thei seyn, that he is the holyest best in erthe. For hem semethe,
that whoso evere be meke and paycyent, he is holy and profitable: for
thanne thei seyn, he hathe alle vertues in him. Thei maken the ox to
laboure 6 zeer or 7, and than thei ete him. And the kyng of the contree
hathe alle wey an ox with him: and he that kepethe him, hathe every day
grete fees, and kepethe every day his dong and his uryne in 2 vesselles of
gold, and bryngen it before here prelate, that thei clepen
archiprotopapaton; and he berethe it before the kyng, and makethe there
over a gret blessynge; and than the kyng wetethe his hondes there, in that
thei clepen gaul, and anyntethe his front and his brest: and aftre he
frotethe him with the dong and with the uryne with gret reverence, for to
ben fulfilt of vertues of the ox, and made holy be the vertue of that holy
thing, that nought is worthe. And whan the kyng hathe don, thanne don the
lordes; and aftre hem here mynystres and other men, zif thei may have ony
remenant. In that contree thei maken ydoles, half man, half ox; and in tho
ydoles, eville spirites speken and zeven answere to men, of what is asked
hem. Before theise ydoles, men sleen here children many tymes, and spryngen
the blood upon the ydoles; and so thei maken here sacrifise. And whan ony
man dyethe in the contree, thei brennen his body in name of penance, to
that entent, that he suffre no peyne in erthe, to ben eten of wormes. And
zif his wif have no child, thei brenne hire with him; and seyn, that it is
resoun, that sche make him companye in that other world, as sche did in
this. But and sche have children with him, thei leten hire lyve with hem,
to brynge hem up, zif sche wole. And zif that sche love more to lyve with
here children, than for to dye with hire husbonde, men holden hire for fals
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