But nowe (most noble prince) you shall heare a more pleasaunt fable. There is a certayne caue called Iouanaboina, in the territorie of a certayne king whose name is Machinnéch: This caue they honour more religiously then did the Greekes in time paste, Corinth, Cyrrha, or Nysa, and haue adourned it with pictures of a thousand fashions. In the intrance of this caue they haue two grauen Zemes, whereof the one is called Binthaitel, and the other Maróhu. Being demanded why they had this caue in so great reuerence they answered earnestly, because the sunne and the moone came first out of the same to giue light to the world: they haue religious concourse to these caues, as we are accustomed to goe on Pylgrimage to Rome, or Vaticane, Compostella, or the Lords Sepulchre, Hierusalem, as most holy & head places of our religion. They are also subject to another kind of superstition: for they thinke that dead folks walke in the night, and eate the fruite called Guannaba, vnknowne vnto vs, & somewhat like vnto a Quinse: affirming also that they are couersant with liuing people: euen in their beddes, and to deceiue women in taking vpon them the shape of men, shewing themselves as though they would haue to doe with them: but when the matter commeth to actuall deed, sodainly they vanishe away. If any do suspect that a dead body lyeth by him, when he feeleth any strange thing in the bed, they say he shall bee out of doubt by feeling of the bellie thereof; affirming that the spirites of dead men may take vppon them all the members of mans body, sauing onely the nauel. If therefore by the lacke of the nauel he doe perceiue that a dead body lyeth by him, the feeling (contact) is immediately resolued. (relaxed) They beleeue verily, that in the night, and oftentimes in ther iourneies, and especially in common and high wayes, dead men doe meete with the liuing: Against whom, if any man bee stout and out of feare, the fantasie vanisheth incontinently: but if anie feare, the fantasie or vision dooth so assaulte him and strike him with further feare, that many are thereby

astonyshed, and haue the lymmes of their bodies taken. (Rather, are completely unnerved). The inhabitauntes beeing demanded of whom they had those vaine superstitions they aunswered, that they were left them of their forefathers, as by descent of inheritance, and that they haue had the same before the memorie of man, composed in certaine rimes and songes, which it was lawfull for none to learne, but onely the kinges sonnes, who committed the same to memorye because they had neuer any knowledge of letters. These they sing before the people on certaine solemne and festiuall dayes as most religious ceremonies: while in the meane time they play on a certaine instrument made of one whole peece of wood somewhat holowe like a timbrel. Their priestes and diuines (whom they call Boitii) instructe them in these superstitions: These priestes are also phisitions, deuising a thousand craftes and subtilties howe to deceiue the simple people which haue them in great reuerence for they perswade them that the Zemes vse to speak with them familiarly, and tel them of things to come. And if any haue ben sicke, and are recouered they make and beleeue that they obteined their health of the Zemes. These Boitii bind themselves to much fasting, and outward cleanlinesse, and purginges, especially when they take vpon them the cure of any prince, for then they drinke the powder of a certaine herbe by whose qualitie they are driuen into a fury, at which time (as they say) they learne many thinges by reuelation of the Zemes. Then putting secretely in their mouthes, eyther a stone, or a bone, or a peece of flesh, they come to the sick person commaunding al to depart out of that place except one or two whom it shall please the sicke man to appoynt: this done, they goe about him three or foure times, greatly deforming their faces, lipps, and nosthrils with sundry filthy gestures, blowing, breathing, and sucking the forehead, temples, and necke of the patient, whereby (they say) they drawe the euil ayre from him, and sucke the disease out of the vaynes; then rubbing him,

about the shoulders, thighes and legges, and drawing downe their handes close by his feete, holding them yet faste togeather, they runne to the doore being open, where they vnclose and shake their hands, affirming that they haue driuen away the disease, and that the patient shall shortly be perfectly restored to health. After this comming behinde him, hee conueigheth a peece of fleshe out of his owne mouth like a iuggeler, and sheweth it to the sicke man, saying,"Behold, you haue eaten to much, you shall nowe bee whole, because I haue taken this from you." But if he entend yet further to deceiue the patient, hee perswadeth him that his Zeme is angry, eyther because he hath not builded him a chappell, or not honoured him religiously, or not dedicated vnto him a groue or garden. And if it so chaunce that the sicke person die, his kinsfolks, by witchcrafte, enforce the dead to confesse whether he died by naturall destiny, or by the negligence of the Boitius, in that he had not fasted as he should haue done, or not ministred a conuenient medicine for the disease: so that if this phisition be found faultie, they take reuenge of him. Of these stones or bones which these Boitii cary in their mouthes, if the women can come by them, they keepe them religiously, beleeuing them to be greatly effectuall to helpe women traueling with childe, and therefore honour them as they do their Zemes. For diuers of the inhabitantes honour Zemes of diuers fashions: some make them of wood, as they were admonished by certaine visions appearing vnto them in the woods: Other, which haue receiued aunswer of them among the rockes, make them of stone and marble. Some they make of rootes, to the similitude of such as appeare to them when they are gathering the rootes called Ages, whereof they make their bread, as we haue said before. These Zemes they beleue to send plentie & fruitfulnes of those rootes, as the antiquitie beleued such fayries or spirits as they called Dryades, Hamadryades, Satyros, Panes, and Nereides, to haue the cure & prouidence of

the sea, woods, springes, and fountaines, assigning to euery thing their peculiar goddes; Euen so doe the inhabitants of this Iland attribute a Zeme to euery thing, supposing the same to giue eare to their inuocations. Wherefore, as often as the kings aske counsell of their Zemes as concerning their warres, increase of fruites or scarcenes, or health & sickness, they enter into the house dedicate to their Zemes, where, snuffing vp into their nosthryles the pouder of the herbe called Cohobba* (wherewith the Boitii are dryuen into a furie) they say that immediately they see the houses turned topsie turuie, and men to walke with their heeles vpward, of such force is this pouder, vtterly to take away al sence. As soone as this madnesse ceasseth, he embraceth his knees with his armes, holding downe his head. And when he hath remayned thus awhile astonyshed, hee lifteth vp his head, as one that came newe out of sleepe: and thus lookin vp toward heauen, first he fumbleth certaine confounded wordes with himselfe, then certayne of the nobilitie or chiefe gentlemen that are about him (for none of the common people are admitted to these mysteries) with loude voyces giue tokens of reioicing that hee is returned to them from the speech of the Zemes, demanding of him what he hath seene. Then hee opening his mouth, doateth that the Zemes spake to him during the time of his trance, declaring that he had reuelations either concerning victorie or destruction, famine or plentie, health or sicknesse or whatsoeuer happeneth first on his tongue. Now (most noble Prince) what neede you hereafter to marueyle of the spirite of Apollo so shaking his Sibylles with extreame furie: you hadde thought that the superstitious antiquitie hadde perished. But nowe whereas I haue declared thus much of the Zemes in general, I thought it not good to let passe what is sayde of them in particular. They say therefore that a certaine king called Guamaretus, had a Zeme whose name was Coróchutus, who (they say) was oftentimes

*Tobacco.

wont to descend from the highest place of the house where Guamarétus kept him close bound. They affirme that the cause of this his breaking of his bandes and departure, was eyther to hide himselfe, or to goe seeke for meate, or else for the acte of generation: and that sometimes beeing offended that the King Guamarétus had bin negligent and slacke in honouring him, he was wont to lie hid for certaine dayes. They say also, that in the kinges village there are sometime children borne hauing two crownes, which they suppose to be the children of Corochótus the Zeme." They faine likewise, that Guamarétus being ouercome of his enemies in battayle, and his village with the palace consumed with fire, Corochótus brake his bandes, and was afterwarde founde a furlong of, safe and without hurte. He hath also another Zemes called Epileguanita, made of woode, in shape like a foure footed beast: who also is sayde oftentimes to haue gone from the palace where hee is honoured, into the woodes. As soone as they perceiue him to bee gone, a great multitude of them gather together to seeke him with deuout prayers: and when they haue founde him, bring him home religiously on their shoulders to the chappell dedicated vnto him. But they complaine, that since the comming of the Christian men into the Ilande, he fled for altogether, and coulde neuer since be founde, whereby they diuined the destruction of their country. They honoured another Zeme in the likenesse of a woman, on whom waited two other like men, as they were ministers to her. One of these, executed the office of a mediatour to the other Zeme, which are vnder the power and commaundement of this woman, to raise wyndes, cloudes, and rayne. The other is also at her commaundement a messenger to the other Zemes, which are ioyned with her in gouernance, to gather together the waters which fall from the high hills to the valleies, that beeing loosed, they may with force burst out into great floudes, and ouer flowe the countrey, if the people do not giue due honour to her Image. The remaineth yet one thing