Page:The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier.djvu/127

Their chief Festivals are three. The one in Winter, that lasts three days, in memory of our first Parent and the Creation of the World. The other in the Month of August, that also lasts three days, which is call'd the Feast of St. John. The third which lasts five days in June, during which time they are all re-baptiz'd. They observe Sunday, doing no work upon that day. They neither Fast nor do any penance. They have no Canonical Books, but a great number of others that treat of nothing but Witchcraft, in which they believe their Priests to be very crafty, and that the Devils are at their beck. They hold all Women to be unclean, and that it is not at all available for them to come to the Church.

They have one Ceremony, which they call the Ceremony of the Hen, of which they make great Accompt, which is not lawful for any to perform but a Priest Born of a Virgin at the time of her Marriage. When a hen is to be kill'd, the Priest puts off his ordinary habit, and puts on a Linnen Cloth, girding his waste with a second, and throwing a third about his shoulders like a Stole. Then he takes the Fowl, and plunges it in the water to make it clean; after which he turns toward the East and cuts off the head, holding the Body in his hand 'till it has bled out all the blood. While the Hen bleeds, with his Eyes lifted up to Heaven, as if he were in an extasie, he repeats in his own Language these words following: In the name of God, may this flesh be profitable to all that eat of it? They observe the same ceremony when they kill Sheep. For first, they cleanse the place very carefully where the Sheep is to be kill'd, washing it with water, and strewing it with boughs, nor is the number of people small that assists at this Ceremony, as if it were at some solemn Sacrifice. If you ask them why it is not lawful for the Laity to kill Fowls? They answer that it is no more lawful for them to kill than to consecrate them; and that is all the reason which they bring. They eat of nothing drest by the Turks; and if a Turk ask them for drink, so soon as he has drank, they break the Cup. And to make the Turks more hateful, they Picture Mahomet like a great Gyant, shut up in Prison in Hell with four more of his Parents; and they say, that all the Turks are carry'd into the same place full of wild Beasts to be there devour'd.

They pretend all to Salvation. For say they, after the Angel Gabriel had fram'd the World by the command of God, he thus discours'd him. Lord God, said he, behold I have built the World as thou didst command me. It has put me to a great deal of trouble, and my Brethren also, to raise such high Mountains that seem to sustain Heaven. And who indeed was able to make way for Rivers through Mountains without vast labour, and to give every thing its proper place? Moreover, great God, by the aid of thy powerfull Arm, we have brought the World to so much perfection, that men cannot think upon any thing needful for them, which is not to be found therein. But instead of that satisfaclion which I ought to have for having accomplish'd so great a work, I find no reason but to be altogether grieved. When God demanding the cause, the Angel Gabriel answer'd: My God and Father, I will tell you what afflicts me; because that after the making of the World as I have done, I foresee that there will come into it a prodigious number of Jews, Turks, Idolaters, and other Infidels, Enemies of your Name, who will be unworthy to eat and enjoy the Fruits of our Labours. To whom God thus reply'd: Never grieve, my Son, there shall live in this World which thou hast built, certain Christians of St. John who shall be my friends, and shall be all sav'd. Upon which the Angel admiring how that should be! What, said he, will there not be several Sinners among those Christians, and by consequence will not they be your Enemies? To whom God thus concluded: That at the day of Judgment the Good should Pray for the Wicked, and by that means they should be all forgiv'n, and obtain Salvation.

These Christians have a strange Antipathy against the Blew Colour call'd Indigo, which they will not so much as touch. For certain Jews dreaming that their Law should be abolish'd by St. John, told it their Country-men. Which they understanding, and seeing that St. John prepar'd to Baptize Christ, in a great rage, fetch'd a vast quantity of Indigo, which they call Nill in their Language, and flung it into Jordan. They add also that those waters continu'd unclean for some time, and had hinder'd the Baptism of Christ, had not God sent his Angels with a large Vessel of water, which he caus'd them to fill out of Jordan before the Jews had defil'd it with Indigo for which reason God particularly Curs'd that Colour.

CHAP.