mastifes, for cattes may not take them. Fro thence men come to a citie that men call Sarchys, and it is a faire and a goode citie and there dwell many christen men of Gods faith, and there be men of religion. From thence men come to the land of Lombe & in that lande groweth peper in a forest that men call Tomber & it groweth in none other place more in all the worlde than in that forest, and that forest is well L[11] daies journey. And there by the lande of Lombe is the Citie of Polomes,[12] and under that Citie is an hyll that men call Polombe and thereof taketh the citie his name. And so at the fote of the same hill is a right faire and a clere well, that hath a full good and sweete savoure, and it smelleth of all maner of sortes of spyces, and also at eche houre of the daye it changeth his savour diversly, and who drinketh thries on the daye of that well, he is made hole of all maner (_of_) sickenesse that he hathe. I have sometime dronke of that well, and methinketh yet that I fare the better; some call it the well of youth, for they that drinke thereof seme to be yong alway, and live without great sicknesse, and they saye this well, cometh from Paradise terrestre, for it is so vertuous, and in this lande groweth ginger, and thither come many good marchauntes for spyces. In this countrey men worship the Oxe for his great simpleness and mekenesse, and the profite that is in him, for they make the Oxe to travaile vi or vii yere and then men do eate him. And the Kinge of that land hath euermore one Oxe with him, and he that kepeth him euery day taketh hys fees for the keping. And also euery daye he gathereth his uryne and his dong in a vessell of gold, and bereth it to the prelate that they call, Archi porta papaton[13] and the prelate bereth it to the King, and maketh thereupon a great blessing and then the King putteth his hande therein, and they call it gaule and hee anoynteth his fronte, and his breste therewith, and they doe it great worship, and saye he shall be fulfilled with the vertu of the Oxe before sayde, and that he is halowed through vertue of that holy thinge as they saye. And when the Kinge hath this done, then doe it other lordes, and after them other men after theyr degree, if they may haue any of the remenaunt.[14] In thys countrey theyr ydoles are halfe men and halfe oxe, as the figure sheweth in the seconde lefe here before, and out of these ydolles the wycked ghost[15] speaketh unto them, and giveth them aunswere of what thing that they aske him, and before these ydolles they many times sleay theyr children, and sprinkle the blood on the ydoles, and so make they sacrifice. And if any man die in that countrey, they brene them in tokening of penaunce that he should suffer no penance if he were layd in the earth for eating of wormes. And if his wife haue no children then they burne hir with him, and they saye that is good reason that she keepe him company in the other