Howbeit, Hee Deliuered Her Vnto Him, Although They Both Refused As Much As They Could.

Wherefore carying them to bed, they constrained the youth, lamenting and weeping, to lie down and commit incest with his brothers wife.

To be short, after the death of their husbands, the Tartars wiues vse very seldome to marrie the second time, vnlesse perhaps some man takes his brothers wife or his stepmother in marriage. They make no difference betweene the sonne of their wife and of their concubine, but the father giues what he pleaseth vnto each one: [Sidenote: Melich and Dauid two brothers.] For of late the king of Georgia hauing two sonnes, one lawfully begotten call Melich; but the other Dauid, borne in adulterie, at his death left part of his lande vnto his base sonne. Hereupon Melich (vnto whome the kingdome fell by right of his mother, because it was gouerned before time by women) went vnto the Emperour of the Tartars, Dauid also hauing taken his iourney vnto him. Nowe bothe of them commmg to the court and proffering large giftes, the sonne of the harlot made suite, that he might haue iustice, according to the custome of the Tartars. Well, sentence passed against Melich, that Dauid being his elder brother should haue superioritie ouer him, and should quietly and peaceably possesse the portion of land granted vnto him by his father. Whensoeuer a Tartar hath many wiues, each one of them hath her family and dwelling place by her selfe. And sometime the Tartar eateth, drinketh and lieth with one, and sometime with another. One is accompted chiefe among the rest, with whom hee is oftener conuersant, then with the other. And notwithstanding (as it hath bin said) they are many, yet do they seldome fal out among themselues.

De superstitiosis traditionibus ipsorum. Cap. 7.

[Sidenote: [Greek: ethelothraskeia].] Quibusdam vero traditionibus indifferentia quadam esse peccata dicunt, quas vel ipsi vel antecessores eorum confinxerunt. Vnum est, cultellum in ignem figere, vel quocunque modo ignem cultello tangere, vel etiam de caldaria cum cultello carnes extrahere, vel cum securi iuxta ignem incidere. Credunt enim, quod sic auferri debeat caput igni. Aliud est appodiare se ad flagellum, quo percutitur equus: ipsi enim non vtuntur calcaribus. Item flagello sagittas tangere, iuuenes aues capere vel occidere, cum frano equum peroutere, os cum osse alio frangere. Itemque lac, vel aliquem potum aut cibum super terram effundere, in statione mingere. Quod si voluntarie facit, occiditur, si autem aliter, oportet quod pecuniam multam incantatori soluat, a quo purificetur. Qui etiam faciat, vt statio cum omnibus, qua in ipsa sunt, inter duos ignes transeat. Antequam sic purificetur, nullus audet intrare, nec aliquid de illa exportare. Praterea si alicui morsellus imponitur, quem deglutire non possit, et ilium de ore suo eijcit, foramen sub statione fit, per quod extrahitur, ac sine vlla miseratione occiditur. [Sidenote: [Greek: atheotaes].] Iterum si quis caleat super limen stationis Ducis alicuius, interficitur. Multa etiam habent his similia, qua reputant peccata. At homines occidere, aliorum terras inuadere, ac res illorum diripere, et contra Dei pracepta vel prohibitiones facere, nullum apud eos est peccatum. De vita aterna et damnatione perpetua nihil sciunt.

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