If Any Man Be Sick, The Son
Goes To The Soothsayer, Or Prognosticating Priest, Requesting Him To
Inquire Of His God, Whether Or Not His Father Is To Recover.
Then both go
to an idol of gold or silver, which they thus address:
"We adore thee as
our lord and god, and we beseech thee to inform us, whether such a man is
to die or to recover from his present infirmity." Then the devil returns an
answer from the idol, and if he says the man is to recover, the son returns
to the house of his father, and ministers to him in all things necessary,
until he regain his former health; but if the response is that the man is
to die, the priest then goes to him, and putting a cloth into his mouth,
immediately strangles him. After this the dead body is cut in pieces, and
all the friends and relations are invited to feast upon this horrible
banquet, which is accompanied with music and all manner of mirth; but the
bones are solemnly buried. On my blaming this abominable practice, they
alleged, as its reason and excuse, that it was done to prevent the worms
from devouring the flesh, which would occasion great torments to his soul;
and all I could say was quite insufficient to convince them of their error.
There are many other novel and strange things in this country, to which no
one would give credit, who had not seen them with his own eyes; yet, I
declare before God, that I assert nothing of which I am not as sure as a
man may be of any thing.
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