When The Lord Takes The Cup In His
Hand To Drink, He First Pours A Part On The Ground; And
If he is to drink
on horseback, he first spills a portion on the neck and mane of his horse.
After the servant has made his libations to the four quarters of the world,
he returns into the house, and two other servants are ready with two other
cups and salvers, to carry drink to the lord and his wife, who sit together
on a bed. When he has more than one wife, she with whom he slept the night
before sits beside him that day, and all the other wives must come to her
house that day to drink; and all the gifts which the lord receives that day
are deposited in her chests. Upon a bench there stands vessels of milk and
other drinks, and drinking cups.
SECTION IV.
Of their Kinds of Drink, and Fashion of Drinking.
In winter they make excellent drink of rice, millet, and honey, which is
clear like wine; and they have wine brought to them from distant countries.
In summer they care not for any drink except cosmos, which always stands
within the door, and beside it is a minstrel with his instrument of music.
I saw no citerns, lutes, and viols, such as ours, but they have many other
instruments which we have not. When the lord begins to drink, one of his
servants exclaims aloud Ha! and the minstrel begins to play. When they make
a great feast, all the guests clap their hands and dance to the music, the
men before the lord, and the women before the lady of the house. When the
lord hath drank, the servant calls out as before, and the minstrel ceases;
then all drink round in their turns, both men and women, and they sometimes
carouse on hearing the news of a victory, to a shameful and beastly degree.
When they desire to provoke one to drink, they seize him by the ears,
dragging them strongly, as if to widen his throat, clapping their hands,
and dancing before him. When they mean to do great honour to any person,
one takes a full cup, having one on his right hand, and another on his
left, and these three advance towards him who is to receive the cup,
singing and dancing before him; but when he reaches out his hand to receive
the cup, they suddenly draw back, and come forwards again in the same
manner, and they thus delude him three or four times, till he seems very
eager, when they give him the cup, and keep dancing, singing, and stamping
with their feet, till he has finished his draught.
SECTION V.
Of their Food.
They eat indifferently of all dead animals, even such as have died of
disease; and among such numbers of cattle and flocks, many animals must die
almost continually. Bat in summer, when they have plenty of cosmos, or
mares milk, they care little for any other food.
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