On
The Head Of This Image Is A Crown Like That Worn By The Pope, But Having
The Addition Of Four Horns, Besides Which He Is Represented With A Great
Gaping Mouth, Having Four Monstrous Teeth.
The nose is horridly
deformed, with grim lowering eyes, a threatening look, and crooked
hands, or talons like flesh-hooks, and feet somewhat like those of a
cock; forming on the whole, a monster terrible to look at.
In every
corner of the chapel there are other figures of devils of shining
copper, as if flames of fire devouring miserable souls. These souls are
about the size of half a finger, some of them larger, and each figure
puts one of these souls into his mouth with the right hand, while the
left is on the ground lifting up another. Every morning the priests,
who are called Bramins, wash the idol with rose water, and perfume him
with sweet savours, after which they pray to him prostrate on the earth.
Once every week they sacrifice to the idol after this form. They have a
little altar or cupboard, three spans high, five spans long and four
broad, on which they strew all manner of flowers and sweet-smelling
powders; then bringing a great silver chafing-dish full of warming
coals, they kill a cock with a silver knife, throwing the blood into the
fire, together with many sweet perfumes, and even thrust the bloody
blade of the knife often into the fire that none of the blood may be
lost; then the priest maketh many strange gestures with the knife, like
a fencer, giving or defending thrusts. In the mean time other priests
with burning censers go round about the altar perfuming it with incense,
and ringing a small silver bell all the time of the sacrifice. The
priest who sacrifices the cock has his arms and legs garnished with
silver plates and pendants, which make a noise when he moves like
hawks-bells, and he wears a kind of boss on his breast inscribed with I
know not what signs, being perhaps the secret character of some hidden
mystery. When the sacrifice is finished, he fills both his hands with
wheat, and goes backwards, keeping his eyes fixed on the altar till he
comes to a certain tree whereon he casts the wheat; then returning to
the altar he removes all that is upon it.
The king never sits down to eat till four of his priests have offered
his meat in this manner to the idol; lifting their hands above their
heads with many fantastical gesticulations and murmuring voices, they
present the meat to the idol, and after many foolish ceremonies bring
back the meat to the king. The meat is offered in a wooden tray, after
which it is laid on the broad leaves of a certain tree. The meat of the
king consists of rice and divers other things, such as fruits; and be
eats sitting on the ground without cloth or carpet. During his repast,
the priests stand round him at four or five paces distance, carefully
observing all his orders; and when he has done eating, they carry away
all the remains of his food, which they give to certain crows, which
being used to be thus fed, come upon a signal, and being esteemed holy,
it is not lawful for any one to take or even hurt them. The chief
priests of these idolaters are the bramins, who are with them as bishops
are among us, and are considered as the order of highest dignity. The
second order among them are the nairs, who come in place of our
gentlemen, and go out to war with swords and bucklers, lancet, bows,
and other weapons. The third order consists of mechanics and handicrafts
of all kinds. In the fourth are victuallers, or those that make
provision of fish and flesh. Next to them are those who gather pepper,
cocoa nuts, grapes and other fruits. The baser sort are those who sow
and gather rice, who are kept under such subjection by the bramins and
nairs that they dare not approach nearer to them than 50 paces under
pain of death and are therefore obliged to lurk in bye places and
marshes; and when they go anywhere abroad they call out continually in a
loud voice, that they may be hoard of the bramins and nairs otherwise if
any of these were to come near they would certainly put these low people
to death.
The dress of even the king and queen differ in little or nothing from
the other idolaters, all going naked, barefooted, and bareheaded, except
a small piece of silk or cotton to cover their nakedness; but the
Mahometans wear single garments in a more seemly manner, their women
being dressed like the men except that their hair is very long. The king
and nobles eat no kind of flesh, except having first got permission of
the priests; but the common people may eat any flesh they please except
that of cows. Those of the basest sort, named _Nirani_ and _Poliars_,
are only permitted to eat fish dried in the sun.
When the king or zamorin dies, his male children, if any, or his
brothers by the fathers side, or the sons of these brothers, do not
succeed in the kingdom: For, by ancient law or custom, the succession
belongs to the sons of the kings sisters; and if there be none such, it
goes to the nearest male relation through the female blood. The reason
of this strange law of succession is, that when the king takes a wife,
she is always in the first place deflowered by the chief bramin, for
which he is paid fifty-pieces of gold. When the king goes abroad, either
in war or a-hunting, the queen is left in charge of the priests, who
keep company with her till his return; wherefore the king may well think
that her children may not be his; and for this reason the children of
his sisters by the same mother are considered as his nearest in blood,
and the right inheritors of the throne.
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