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
though it henge at the clowdes, and that it wolde covere alle the world:
and that is gret mervaylle, that it myghte be so, saf only the wille of
God, that the eyr susteynethe it. And therfore seyth David in the Psautere,
_Mirabiles elationes Maris_.
How men knowen be the Ydole, zif the sike schalle dye or non. Of folk of
dyverse schap and merveylously disfigured: And of the Monkes, that zeven
hire releef to Babewynes, Apes and Marmesettes and to other Bestes.
[Sidenote: Cap. XIX.] From that yle, in goynge be see, toward the southe,
is another gret yle, that is clept Dondun. In that yle ben folk of dyverse
kyndes; so that the fadre etethe the sone, the sone the fadre, the husbonde
the wif, and the wif the husbonde. And zif it so befall, that the fadre or
modre or ony of here frendes ben seke, anon the son gothe to the prest of
here law, and preyethe him to aske the ydole, zif his fadre or modre or
frend schalle dye on that evylle or non. And than the prest and the sone
gone to gydere before the ydole, and knelen fulle devoutly, and asken of
the ydole here demande. And zif the devylle, that is with inne, answere,
that he schalle lyve, thei kepen him wel: and zif he seye, that he schalle
dye, then the prest gothe with the sonne, with the wif of him that is
seeke, and thei putten here hondes upon his mouthe, and stoppon his brethe,
and so thei sleen him. And aftre that, thei choppen alle the body in smale
peces, and preyen alle his frendes to comen and eten of him, that is ded:
and thei senden for alle the mynstralle of the contree, and maken a
solempne feste. And whan thei han eten the flessche, thei taken the bones,
and buryen hem, and syngen and maken gret melodye. And alle tho that ben of
his kyn, or pretenden hem to ben his frendes, and thei come not to that
feste, thei ben repreved for evere and schamed, and maken gret doel; for
nevere aftre schulle thei ben holden as frendes. And thei seyn also, that
men eten here flesche, for to delyveren hem out of peyne. For zif the
wormes of the erthe eten hem, the soule scholde suffre gret peyne, as thei
seyn; and namely, whan the flesche is tendre and megre, thanne seyn here
frendes, that thei don gret synne, to leten hem have so long langure, to
suffre so moche peyne, with oute resoun. And whan thei fynde the flessche
fatte, than thei seyn, that it is wel don, to senden him sone to paradys;
and that thei have not suffred him to longe, to endure in peyne. The kyng
of this yle is a ful gret lord and a myghty; and hathe undre him 54 grete
yles, that zeven tribute to him: and in everyche of theise yles, is a kyng
crowned, and alle ben obeyssant to that kyng. And he hathe in tho yles many
diverse folk. In one of theise yles ben folk of gret stature, as Geauntes;
and thei ben hidouse for to loke upon; and thei han but on eye, and that is
in the myddylle of the front; and thei eten no thing but raw flessche and
raw fyssche.
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