In This Forest Which We Have Mentioned, The Plant Which
Produces The Pepper Is Planted Near The Large Trees, As We Plant Vines In
Italy.
It grows with numerous leaves, like our pot herbs, and climbs up the
trees, producing the pepper in clusters like our grapes.
When these are
ripe, they are of a green colour, and, being gathered, are laid in the sun
to dry, after which they are put into earthen vessels for sale. In this
forest there are many rivers, having great numbers of crocodiles and
serpents; and the natives make large fires of straw and other dry fuel, at
the proper season for gathering the pepper, that they may do so without
danger from these noxious animals. At one end of this forest the city of
Polumbrum is situated, which abounds in all kinds of merchandize.
The inhabitants of that country worship a living ox as their god, which is
made to labour in husbandry for six years, and in his seventh year, he is
consecrated as holy, and is no more allowed to work. With this strange
animal god, they use the following strange ceremony: Every morning they
take two basons of silver or gold, in one of which they collect the urine
of the holy ox, and his dung in the other; and the devotees wash their
faces, eyes, and all their five senses in the urine; and anoint their eyes,
cheeks, and breasts with the dung; after which, they consider themselves
sanctified for the whole of that day; and even the king and queen of the
country use this absurd superstition. They worship an idol also, which
resembles a man from the navel upwards, all below being in the likeness of
an ox; and this idol delivers oracles, as they believe, and sometimes
requires the sacrifice of forty virgins. On this account, the people
consecrate their sons and daughters to the idols, even as we Christians
dedicate our sons and daughters to some particular order of religion, or to
some of the saints in Heaven. They even sacrifice their sons and daughters,
so that many are put to death in honour of this accursed idol; and they
commit many other abominable and beastly actions; and I saw many other
strange things among them which I refrain from relating[2].
This nation has another most abominable custom; that when a man dies, his
body is burned to ashes, and his living wife is burned along with him, that
she may assist her husband in his trade or husbandry in the next world.
Yet, if she have children by her husband, she may remain alive with them,
if so inclined, without shame or reproach; yet most of them prefer to be
burnt with the bodies of their husbands. But husbands are not influenced by
any similar law, as when they lose their wives they may marry again. There
are some other strange customs among the people of this country; insomuch,
that the women drink wine, which the men do not; and the women shave their
eyebrows, and eyelids, and their beards, besides many other filthy customs,
contrary to the true decorum of the sex.
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