Every One Of These Lives Apart In As Great State As The
King, Having Certain Revenues And Districts Appointed For Their
Expenses.
When any of these die, another is appointed to her place and
name, and they have all the power of rewards and punishments, as well as
the king.
Sometimes he goes to them, and, at other times they come to
him; all of them having many female attendants, whom the king makes use
of when he thinks proper.
The principal nation of Monomotapa is called the Moearangi, and of
which the emperor is a native. They are by no means warlike, and their
only weapons are bows, arrows, and javelins. In regard to religion, they
acknowledge one only God, and believe in a devil or evil spirit, called
Muzuco, but they have no idols. They believe that their deceased kings
go to heaven, and invoke these under the appellation of Musimos, as
the saints are invoked by the catholics. Having no letters, their only
knowledge of past events is preserved by tradition. The lame and blind
are called the king's poor, because they are charitably maintained by
him; and when any of these travel, the towns through which they pass are
obliged to maintain them and furnish them with guides from place to
place, an excellent example for Christians. The months are divided into
three weeks of ten days each, and have several festivals. The first day
of each month is the festival of the new moon; and the fourth and fifth
day of every week are kept as festivals. On these days all the natives
dress in their best apparel, and the king gives public audience to all
who present themselves, on which occasion he holds a truncheon about
three quarters of a yard long in each hand, using them to lean upon.
Those who speak to him prostrate themselves on the ground, and his
audience lasts from morning till evening. When the king is indisposed,
the Ningomoaxa, or governor of the kingdom, stands in his place. No
one must speak to the king, or even go to the palace, on the eighth day
of the moon, as that day is reckoned unlucky. On the day of the new
moon, the king runs about the palace with two javelins in his hand, as
if fighting, all the great men being present at this pastime. When this
is ended, a pot full of maize, boiled whole, is brought in, which the
king scatters about, desiring the nobles to eat, and every one strives
to gather most to please him, and eat it greedily as if it were the most
savoury dainty. Their greatest festival is held on the new moon in May,
which they call Chuavo. On this day all the great men of the empire,
who are very numerous, resort to court, where they run about with
javelins in their hand, as in a mock fight. This sport lasts the whole
day, at the end of which the king withdraws, and is not seen for eight
days afterwards, during all which time the drums beat incessantly.
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