'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎50] (71/448)

50
'Bannyans Religion. EaH-India.
[I
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.
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is obferved) to walh often. Firft, dawbing their naked Bodies with dirt and mud
(the Emblem of fin 0 then diving three times in the water, their Faces turned to the
Eaft, fhaking a few grains of Rice as a Thanksgiving to that Element for purging them.
Baniani e leBofur^entes ad orient akn folemfe convertmt & jmttis mamhtu or ant, is obferved
by Pope Pim fecmdm. A three-fold ducking and tripartite thread is hung at three holes
in a ftone about the Neck, the Rice fixed each morn in an unguent of red paint befmear-
inp the Forehead with a little white or yellow Sanders tempered with water, probably
was an old pradice amongft the Heathen, and is with them a Symbol of Baptifm, and fig.
nifies fruitfulnefs: Their turning to the Eaft is in memory of the Judgment and Creation,
and to adore the Sun and Moon in that they take them to be Gods Eyes, Sol omnia videns,
oculis delettabilv, full of purity, heat and nurture- But this their attending the bluihing
Sun at his arifing, the elevation of their hands, murmurs, plafhmgthe water mMagick
order, diving, writhing, and a ding other fopperies, albeit we can with Solomon fay,
It is afleafant thing to behold the Sm , yet in this their View, hear them condemned by a
Neighbour of theirs. Job that patient Edomite: If I beheld the Sun when it (hined, or the
Moon walking in brightnefsj and my heart hath been fecretly inticed, or my mouth hath kijfed my
hand, this alfo were an iniquity to be punijhed by the Judge,, for I Jhould thereby have denied the
God which is above . And by the Pfalmilt *, If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and hoi-
den up our hands to any firange God, flail not God (who knows^ the fecrets of the heart) fearch it
out / And by Mofes in the j\th. of Deuteronomy ftridly cautioned, Take heed unto your fehes,
left ye corrupt your felves by making a Graven Image or the fmilitude of any Figure, &c. and lefi
thou lift up thine Eyes unto Heaven, and when thou fee ft the Sun, Moon and Stars, with all the Hojl
of Heaven, thou jhouldeft be deceived and w or flip them, and ferve thofe things which the Lord God
hath made to ferve all Nations under Heaven, &C. And by Baekiel, chap.S. verfe 20. the
Houfe of Judah for this kind of Idolatry was reproved.
Above all, their Idolatry to Pagods (or Images oMeformed demons) is obfervable:
Placed thefe Idols are in Ghappels commonly built under the Bannyan Trees, (or that
which Linfchot calPd Arbor de Rays, or Tree of Roots', Sir Walter Raleigh Ficm Indicm;
like that whichcalls Ceiba, growing in the Weft-Indies', or that the Spaniards cal)
Gorda) a Tree of fuch repute amongft 'em, that they hold it impiety to abufe it, either
in breaking a branch or otherwife defacing it, but contrarily they adorn it with Stream
ers of Silk,and Ribbons of all forts of colours. The Pagods are s of fundry refemblances,
in fuch lhape as Satan vifibly appears unto them- Sedulm, lib. 4. Carm. fays well.
imagine falfa
Vifibus humanis Magic as tribuerefigHras.
Ugly-faced, with long black hair, goggled eyes, wide-mouth'd, with forked beard*,
every way fo mif-fhapen and horrible as fomewhat refembles the old obfcene forms of
Pan and Friapus.
Under thefe Trees they aduate their Idolatrous devotion: there they pay their Tythes
and Offerings, receive the undion and fprinklings of fundry colour'd Powders: there
they perform Ceremonies, notice being given by the found of a little Bfell: there they re
peat their Orifons, make Proceffions, fmg and perform many Myfteries *, yea, fo nu
merous grew their Idol Temples, that (till the Mulfulmen mixt among them) each Vil
lage had its feveral Pagod, many of which to this day are ftanding. One of the chief in
Induftan was that at Variaw near Surrat ; another at Nigracut, where the Dewry is feel'd
and paved with Gold, yearly vifited by many 1000 Bannyans, who in way ofdevotiorl
have ufed to cut out part of their Tongues as a Sacrifice, and whereby to fpeak the Sib*
boleth better ever after. In Jagannat a Town in Bengala is another of their Dewrys or
Idolatrous Temples where for feven days a Feftival is annually obferved: during which
the Pagod is by the Tokires expofed to publick view, and in triumph carried through
the Streets', an Idol of a monftrous Ihape, placed upon a Chariot with eight wheels,
drawn by above icq Indians, who in great fwarms repair thither in devotion, and fome
out of Zeal call themfelves in th e way and are crulht to death, hereby exprelfmg a volun
tary Sacrifice to the Devil. At Tamjferi alfo fometimes 100000 Indians go naked into
Ganges, and bowing their Bodies, with their hands they throw the water aloft as an
Offering to the Sun, which they worlhip; others of note are at Bannaras upon Ganges, at
Bcbarpore, Jallamexa, Blab as. Sib ah and other places.. Part of their Religion confifts in.
invocating holy Men famoufed for vertue. Howbeit the Cow is ofmoft efteem with
them: They have the Cyrenian or (Egyptian Goddefs for an example, the Image of a
Cow, which fignifiedthe Tillage that preferved them (by Serapis, i.e. pru
dence)