Eastern Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 2 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
- Page 106 of 162 - First - Home
To Lay Their Houses Vpon Carts And
To Take Them Downe Again:
To milke kine:
To make butter and Gry-vt: to
dresse skins and to sow them, which they vsually sowe with thread made of
sinewes, for they diuide sinewes into slender threads, and then twine them
into one long thread. They make sandals and socks and other garments.
Howbeit they neuer wash any apparel: for they say that God is then angry,
and that dreadful thunder wil ensue, if washed garments be hanged forth to
drie: yea, they beat such as wash and take their garments from them. They
are wonderfully afraid of thunder: for in the time of thunder they thrust
all strangers, out of their houses, and then wrapping themselues in black
felt, they lie hidden therein, til the thunder be ouerpast. They neuer wash
their dishes or bowles: yea, when their flesh is sodden, they wash the
platter wherein it must be put, with scalding hot broth out of the pot, and
then powre the said broth into the pot againe. They make felte also, and
couer their houses therewith. The duties of the men are to make bowes and
arrowes, stirrops, bridles and saddles, to build houses and carts, to keep
horses, to milke, mares, to churne Cosmos and mares milke, and to make bags
wherein to put it, they keepe camels also and lay burthens vpon them. As
for sheepe and goates they tend and milke them, aswell the men as the
women. With sheeps milke thicked and salted they dresse and tan their
hides. When they wil wash their hands or their heads, they fil their
mouthes full of water, and spouting it into their hands by little and
little, they sprinckle their haire and wash their heades therwith.
[Footnote: The same custom still exists amongst the inhabitants of the Lena
Delta] As touching mariages, your Highnes is to vnderstand, that no man can
haue a wife among them till he hath bought her whereupon somtimes their
maids are very stale before they be maried, for their parents alwaies keepe
them till they can sel them. They keepe the first and second degrees of
consanguinitie inuiolable, as we do but they haue no regard of the degrees
of affinity: for they wil marrie together, or by succession, two sisters.
Their widowes marie not at al, for this reason: because they beleeue, that
al who haue serued them in this life, shall do them seruice in the life to
come also. Whereupon they are perswaded, that euery widow after death shal
returne vnto her own husband. And herehence ariseth an abominable and
filthy custome among them, namely that the sonne marieth somtimes all his
fathers wiues except his own mother: For the court or house of the father
or mother falleth by inheritance alwaies to the yonger son. Whereupon he is
to prouide for all his fathers wiues, because they are part of his
inheritance aswel as his fathers possessions. And then if he will he vseth
then for his owne wiues:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 106 of 162
Words from 53911 to 54419
of 82784